Get all 12 Jonathan Ammons releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Hiraeth, Far From the Hearth, Like You, Any Way You Turn, American Splendor, Anything More, Golden Hour, First Sight, and 4 more.
1. |
Living Proof
04:13
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By the time the plane touched down in Houston
I’d lost the color in my hand from your grip.
You said it wasn’t so much the flight that scared you,
just the whole idea of the trip.
And when the rolled you to the cab in the wheelchair
you looked so small you could disappear.
That’s when I spoke out loud, for the first time,
the only mantra I wanted anyone to hear.
You know you’re living proof
of God to me.
You’re the only living proof
of God to me.
The MRI report lay in my hands like lead
the hospital bills weighed heavy on my head.
But I never had a doubt in my mind
that I’d give up my own future for my kid.
Cos you’re the only living proof
of God to me.
You’re the only living proof
of God to me.
You’re God to me.
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2. |
Cardinal
03:42
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You saw the faggot in the bathroom
and you said that you were gonna kick his teeth out if he came back around.
Not even sure if you knew his name
he was just another punk with an agenda to push.
And you told yourself you were gonna stand your ground,
not gonna let these kids come around.
And you told your friends that you weren’t fucking around,
this is your town now
this is your town.
Everyone you love
has given up on you.
You came in to work last night
and there was some brown kid behind the counter.
His English might have been alright
but you weren’t gonna stick around and find out.
And you told him that he should get back on
whatever boat brought him so he could find out
why this country was made for you
and why he was gonna be on his way out.
Everyone you love
has given up on you.
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3. |
Red Leaf
03:31
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You pace the hallway until you reach the front door
But you know there won’t be anyone there
Back to the bedroom and wander to the back door
Till you find you’re at the foot of the stairs
You miss your father
You miss your mother
You miss the people you know
But you’ve got room mates
You’ve got the dogs
You’ve got nowhere to go
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Out on the front porch you wave to all the neighbors
And you seem like you genuinely care.
Open your phone to text another friend
But you know that you’ve got nothing to share.
Another day in
Another night in
Another hour alone.
You call your brother
You call your father
But no one picks up the phone.
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
You dream of beaches and far away places
But you know that it’s all in vain.
You had some tickets for a flight back in April
But you know you’ll never catch that plane.
You think of sunsets
Over the ocean
You think of music and dance
Far away places
Far away people
You’ll miss to circumstance
You’ve been trying to make sense of all the news
Stuck at home again with quarantine blues.
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
Keep yourself together
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4. |
Keep the Faith
03:22
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There’s a man on the TV
and he tells you God’s will.
There’s cabinet appointments
and a Supreme Court seat to fill.
He says that if you look past
his infidelity and lies,
he can guide you,
he alone can guide you.
He says to forget
your friends and your peers,
cos they can’t save you
from the red tide of all your fears,
you’ve got to put yourself first
in dark days like these.
And it’s all you can do
to keep yourself together.
And it’s all you can do
to keep the faith.
If you kick against the pricks
it’s an eye for an eye.
If you settle for his tricks
you’ll get a wellspring of his lies.
Cos he’s God’s chosen man
cos the TV preacher said so.
But it’s hard to rectify.
Yes it’s hard to rectify.
For Judas all it took
was thirty pieces of silver,
so put your faith in the man
who promised he alone could deliver.
Get your guns and your gold,
we’ll grow old in promised land.
And it’s all you can do
to keep yourself together.
And it’s all you can do
to keep the faith.
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5. |
Fallen Tree
03:30
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You heard him fall
in the dining room
after a night out with his friends
trying to sneak back in.
You let him lay
there on the floor
too fucked up to stand
he swore he was just drunk.
But you knew it wasn’t booze it was the drugs.
He’s still got shrapnel
in his leg
from that IED
that took out most his friends
He walks alright
when he brings the cane.
The VA gave him pills
to hold back most the pain.
But you can’t help thinking
it shouldn’t be like this.
You still remember
how he looked
in his dress blues
just before his plane took off.
You could have been
a Gold Star mom.
He could have been a hero
but he lived a little long.
And you can’t help wonder
how long he can live like this.
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6. |
First Frost
05:14
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When they pulled you from the river
your face was already blue
but I could tell you could still see me
coming down from the bridge
with the paramedic crew
There’s just something about your second attempt,
that shows you plan to follow through
but christ dear, we’ve got kids involved
And I’m still in love with you.
I never cared about the money
forget all our student debt too.
We always said we just wanted
someone to grow old with
And I’m still in love with you.
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7. |
Streetlights
03:49
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Streetlights near the harbor,
they can make it feel much further than it is.
And the days when it gets warmer,
they can make you feel more social than you’ve been.
But you know it’s such a waste of time
cos you know that now you’re miles away from your friends.
And you’re pushing that new nine to five
and you’re gunning for that office in San Fran.
You missed another birthday
but you’ll make it home for Christmas if you can.
But you’re aiming for a bonus,
and overtime gets you closer when you’re in demand.
Cos you’re only a day away
from being someone worth remembering.
Yeah, you’re only a day away
from being someone worth remembering.
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8. |
Crickets
03:50
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After you called last night
I couldn’t get it off my mind.
The things you deal with every day,
it’s just such a grind.
You checked a mother in ‘round nine
for an overdose this time.
You said that it was getting to the point
you wouldn’t care if she was sterilized.
Last week a patient that you know,
you said he grabbed you by the throat,
and it took several nurses to get him
pinned down.
You said you’ve started to doubt
that common decency abounds,
and maybe some of the animals
would be best to be put down.
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9. |
A Murder of Crows
02:52
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Under a black flag in the Raqqa sun
He was whipped for 90 days
An American reporter in the right place at the wrong time
In full view of the camera, just before they slit his throat he said.
They fight to change the world around them nearly every day
But they never see it from the other side.
It was a Wednesday prayer group where they gathered nearly every week
In the old black church off Calhoun street.
A white boy in a gray shirt came in like he intended to pray
But he pulled a .45 and let the bullets spray
He left 9 dead in the pews in just 6 short minutes
And on the evening news you could hear from the witness.
They fight to change the world around them nearly every day
But they never see it from the other side.
They kill to change the world around them nearly every day
But they never see it from the other side.
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10. |
Bent Creek
03:20
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On the side of the road, where you pulled over cold
to see if you could offer some kind of hand.
There’s a flat tire and a man, with his family in the van,
but he can’t speak a word in your tongue.
Tell me, who is your neighbor to you?
Tell me, do you love your neighbor true?
Your kid tells you at his school, that they learn the Golden Rule,
but he knows some kids don’t get enough to eat.
Is it the law of the land that whoever prospers can,
and that the meek should just accept their defeat?
Tell me, who is your neighbor to you?
Tell me, do you love your neighbor true?
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Jonathan Ammons Asheville, North Carolina
Jonathan Ammons is a journalist, writer, radio DJ, producer, and musician from Asheville, North Carolina. His music runs the gamut between electronic, indie rock, ambient, and Americana.
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