Real, pretty happy songs by a real, pretty happy guy. A nice mixture of Americana/Christian music. Excellent songs, nicely crafted and full of images. Cowboy turned MBA turned plumber Roger Dale has songs that have touched many.

14 MP3 Songs in this album (52:54) !
Related styles: Country: Americana, Folk: Fingerstyle, Solo Male Artist

People who are interested in Guy Clark Jerry Jeff Walker Mickey Newberry should consider this download.


Details:
"Sorrow shared is halfed, joy shared is doubled." unknown author.

There's a song somewhere. The holy grail of songwriters, trying to double joys and half sorrows.

This is a copy of my first album released in December, 1998. These songs were the most important to me at the time. If I had to do it all over, I'd mix it differently, change the order of the songs with the strongest ones up front. But at the time, I didn't know which ones would be well received and which ones forgotten.

For instance, the one titled "If You Knew" has been performed, recorded and released by other artists and was nominated as The Song Of The Year by the Western Music Association, and got me my very first royalty check. The songs "They...Isaiah 40 was played atmy friend's father's funeral, because it was his favorite song. "Catron County" was played over and over at a radio station in New Mexico during a public dispute with the U.S. Forest Service. I walked into a folk show here in Albuquerque and heard a guy singing "In My Room". How could anyone have known the result of a few songs recorded on a reel to reel in my living room?

Thanks to Susan Clark, Bill Warren, David Redwine, Aaron Redwine, and especially Dale Morris for added beautiful parts.
Thanks also go to Tim, Claudia, and Christy Fahrenthold, Randy Walk, Eric Larson, and my lovely wife, Linda.




All Songs: words and music by Roger Dale
© 1998-2010 by Roger Dale Coble ASCAP


Thereâs A River (John 3:5-8)
(Being raised by the Missouri "Mighty Mo" makes you appreciate rivers)

Thereâs a river... running through here
Bringing life to all it touches, to all its near.
Thereâs a river... running through this land.
Just try to go around any day you want , if you think you can.

CHORUS: Thereâs wind on the water, and water in the river
And the river running through here.
Thereâs wind on the water, and water in the river
And the river running through here... Running through here.

Thereâs a river... you say it will never change.
Everyday you look at it, you swear itâs still the same.
Thereâs a river... every day its brand new.
New water flowing down from the source of the river thats coming through.

CHORUS: Thereâs wind on the water, and water in the river
And the river running through here.
Thereâs wind on the water, and water in the river
And the river running through here... Running through here.

Thereâs a river... blown by the wind.
When the wind blows, you donât know where it goes, or where itâs been.
Thereâs a river... flowing through me.
You feel the water and feel the Spirit, itâll set you free.

CHORUS: Thereâs wind on the water and thereâs water and the Spirit.
And the Spirit running through here.
Thereâs wind on the water and thereâs water and the Spirit.
And the Spirit running through here... Running through here.



In My Room
(Sometimes, dreams come true)
In my room, I can be a rock and roll star,
Make a million dollars, buy me a race car.
Drive in the Indy 500 on Memorial Day.

In my room , Iâll be in a movie,
Meet Jay Leno, tell him all about me,
Peope will tune in just to hear what Iâve got to say.

Chorus: In my room, thereâs a place for you and me.
In my room, weâll carve a space for us to be.
And the wind wonât blow, the snow wonât snow,
and the bad guys go away.
So, Hereâs my heart... Hereâs my room.
Hereâs my heart... Hereâs my room.

In my room, we could skate in pairs
Dance like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire,
Glide around together and sing those Broadway songs.

In my room, we could write a book,
Tell them how we met, and tell them what it took
To keep a love alive a lifetime long.

Repeat Chorus:

In my room, that is where I keep
Everything that matters most to me
And nobody can get in unless I want them to.

In my room, that is where I dream
About having you right here with me
And every once in a while, dreams do come true.

Repeat Chorus and End



You Shall Find The Peace
(Written at 2:00 am the day before I sang it. An Easter gift)

Was it windy, or was it calm?
Was it cloudy, or did the sun shine on that dawn?
Three days since three died on that tree.
And they were looking for the Prince of Peace.

Did the birds sing, or did they sit still?
Were there flowers blooming in every field?
When the angel said, âHis body is free,
Why do you look here for the Prince of Peace?â

Chorus: The Peace began that morning
The Peace began for me.
Take His hand, touch Him and see...
And you shall find the peaceâ.

Was it rocky on that road into town?
Did they wonder about the man they had found?
When He opened their eyes and started to speak,
Did they know theyâd found the Prince of Peace?

Was it wondrous to hear him speak?
Did they ask him about Calvary?
Was it ugly to see his hands and his feet?
When they doubted he was the Prince of Peace?

Repeat Chorus:

Do I listen when he talks to me?
Or do I seek him where he cannot be?
Do I look to him when blessings I seek?
Do I look towards the Prince of Peace?

Repeat Chorus and End.




Coming Home To You
(An experiment, I had read a lot of Hemmingway and was trying write like him, mostly nouns and as few verbs as possible)

Last Night...Last Call... Last Song... Phone Call...
Suitcase... Gasoline... Parking Place... Window Clean...
Highway... Headlight... Freeway... Turnpike...

Chorus: Iâm coming home to you.... Iâm coming home to you.

Skyline... Rearview... White lines... Emmy Lou...
Tape Deck... Radio.. Traffic... Talk Show...
Moonlight... Bob Wills... Brakelights... Steering Wheel...

Repeat Chorus

Truck Stop... Fill Up... Rest Stop... Coffee cup...
Eyelids... Window Down... Big Rigs... Small Towns...
Gear Shift... Passing Lane... Bar Ditch... Freight Train...

Repeat Chorus

Sunrise... Dawning... Oversized... Yawning...
Caffeine... Styrofoam... Memories... Motor Homes...
Cornfield... Silo... Windshield... Telephone Pole...

Repeat Chorus

Nighttime... Heartbeat... Lightning... Static...
Raindrops... Red Eyes... County Cop...Ninety Five...
Flashing Lights... Dotted lines... Knuckles White... Overdrive...
Hometown... Street Lights... Street signs... Stoplights...
Ashtray... Door Lock... Driveway... Sidewalk...
Front Porch... Front Door... Open Arms... Finally Home...

Repeat Chorus



The Reunion.
(Inspired by a line from "The Horse Whisperer". A semi-true story about growing up and leaving things behind)

Hometownâs smaller then when I was living here,
and I seeing people that I ainât seen in years.
I was laughing with some friends, when I saw her walk in.
And for a minute, I was a kid inside once again.
I was glad to see she still remembered me.
It had been twenty five years, hard to believe.
We were fourteen, way back then, not old enought to drive,
The summer must have been the best one of my life.

Chorus In ways we always change, in ways weâre still the same.
We gain things, we leave things behind.
While we cannot choose the parts of us we have to lose.
Itâs a shame Iâll never feel that same way again.

So we sat down and we talked for a little while,
I declare she could still light the sky up with her smile.
We laughed how that she would call just to listen to me breath.
Or how we carved our names on the bench where we used to meet.
That summer Iâd think of her all day every day,
Iâd see her face with every song the radio played.
And I wondered if she was listening and thinking of me.
Thatâs all matters most when youâre young, and dumb, and free.

She said lets walk around a bit, would you mind,
She said the last few years have not been kind.
While this world might be real mean, the saddest thing Iâve seen
Is I donât believe I remember how it feels to dream.
Then we wound up walking down our street
Thereâs that park bench where we used to meet.
And, yes, we looked and found our names, over the years they became,
scared,older, worn, and tired but still there just the same.

Now I am driving home to reality,
where the best thing Iâve ever found waits for me.
What do I miss, its hard to say, is it a love of yesterday?
or do I miss that kid inside that I lost along the way.




If You Knew (Would You Be A Cowboy Again?)
(Being raised on a ranch, I got to experience this many times. Dedicated to the old-school, real cowboys.)

Daylight caught me riding, be dark before our day is through
But Bob and me, we got cows to feed, Weâve got our jobs to do.
Iâm tired and Iâm dirty, and just now itâs beginning to rain
Bob gives a grin as the wind kicks in, And this is what he says,

Chorus: If you knew the days would be so long,
If you knew the wind could blow so strong,
If you knew youâd trust your horse
more than youâd trust your closest friend,
If you knew then what you know now,
Would you be a cowboy again?

I said, âMy pocket book is empty,
this saddle sure getting old.
My back still creaks since Red throwed me, not quite a year ago.
Everyday seems longer than the day that came before.
Fences tear me, women scare me, and Bob is asking me what for?

Repeat chorus:

I see the Lord in every sunrise, I know the pride of a job well done,
Look any guy right in the eye And my handshake is my bond.
I see life start all over with every calf thatâs born in the spring.
Through all this mess, Iâve sure been blessed, I wouldnât change a thing.

Chorus: Yes, itâs true, the days can be real long,
Yes, itâs true, the wind still blows real strong,
Itâs true you trust your horse more than you trust your closest friend,
If I knew then what I know now,
Yes, Iâd be a cowboy again!




Catron County
(In New Mexico, Catron County's commissioners passed an ordinance requiring that all heads of households in the county must own a firearm)

Thereâs a full moon out to-night in Catron County
And the shadows look so deep.
Everything Iâve ever known is here in Catron County.
But Iâm packing it up, moving to the big city
and I wonât be taking my heart away with me.

Chorus: What cha gonna do when the world keeps turning and
you find out every-thing you learned in life donât matter now.
(And there) ainât enough rain and there ainât enough light
In the day to do what you need to do to get by.... to just get by.
And youâre tired of the pain and youâre tired of the fightinâ
Youâre tired of being told whats wrong and whats right
And there will be one less cowboy tonight... in Catron County.

The gameâs not the same up here in Catron County.
The pencil pushers run this range.
They say you can go or you can stay in Catron County.
But you be sure to keep those cows away.
and either way weâll still get paid the same.

Repeat Chorus:

One day, theyâll bury me up here in Catron County.
Theyâll throw dirt down on my face.
Someday theyâll say a prayer over me in Catron County.
Theyâll say Iâve breathed my last, my, ainât that a shame?
But they donât know I died the day I left this place.
Repeat Chorus and end




Beep Beep
(Inspired by a drive between Corona, NM and Carrizozo, NM. Everyone who has ever driven that road at night has either of two stories, the deer I missed or the deer I hit.)

I love my motor, I love my speed, She gives me everything I need.
I love my engine, make her whine, Gonna wrap that tach way past the line.
I put my foot right through the floor, the speed o meter says give me more more more
I crank the knob on my radio, put the pedal to the metal and I go go go.


Chorus:

Beep Beep, What do you say
Beep Beep, Get out of my way
Beep Beep, Here I go
Look out honey, Iâm ready to roll

Going to the store for a loaf of bread, Saw a green light that was turning to red.
I shifted down and I hit the gas, I heard brakes squealing as I flew past.
I waved at everybody as I flew by, you canât catch me donât even try.
Gotta get there just as quick as I can, gotta go fast Iâm an important man.

Repeat Chorus:

Flying down the road then late one night, Saw a deer jumping up into my headlights
I turned the wheel and I hit the brakes and I busted that buck doing ninety-eight.
The car did a flip and flop and roll, and the next thing I saw were the Streets of Gold
Angels were singing a sad sad song, St. Peter said,â Son, what took you so long?â

Repeat Chorus




Iâm A Fish
(Story of Jonah, this has become my most requested song)

Iâm a fish. I do what fish do.
I swam yesterday, Iâll swim tomorrow, and today Iâll swim some, too.
The strangest thing happened just last week.
Lend me your ears, my friend, Iâll tell you what happened to me.

There was a storm. A ship was going down.
When into the water comes some funny looking food, and it was just flopping around.
It had a nose, two arms, two legs, two feet.
He said his name was Jonah, but it sure looked good to eat.

Chorus: Iâve been âround this pond a time or two
and I guess I should have known.
That if something looks too good to be true,
youâre better off to leave it alone.
I keep my gills in my own business, the biggest Pices in the sea.
Thereâs a lot of fish in this ocean, why did it have to happen to me?

I swallowed it, tasted like chicken, Kentucky fried.
But for three days this thing was shouting and praying, being a big pain in my side.
I couldnât sleep, so I headed for the shore.
I spewed it up, laid it on the beach.
I hope I never see it no more.

Chorus:

So, tell me now. What would you have done?
If a once-in-a-lifetime meal comes along, would you grab it real quick and run?
You better not! You might run out of luck.
I never would have gotten myself in trouble I had kept my BIG MOUTH SHUT!

Repeat chorus and end.




THEY...ISAIAH 40
(A gift while I was hiking in the Sandia Mountains, Susan Clark is singing the 2nd part.)
They.... (echo)
They who... (echo)
Wait on the Lord...(echo)
Will have strength anew...(echo)
(All)
They who wait on the Lord will have strength anew...(repeat)
Strength anew (echo).......Strength anew (echo)


They.... (echo)
They will... (echo)
Mount up with wings...(echo)
And fly away...(echo)
(All)
They will mount up with wings and fly away...(repeat)
Fly away (echo)......Fly away (echo)

They.... (echo)
They will... (echo)
Run and not be...(echo)
Tired nor weary...(echo)
(All)
They will run and not be tired nor weary...(repeat )
Nor weary (echo)......nor weary (echo)

They who wait on the Lord will have strength anew...(repeat)
They will mount up with wings and fly away...(repeat)
Fly away (echo)......Fly away (echo)




Forty Days, Forty Nights
(Noah listened and floated away.)

Lord said, âNoah. Tell you what you do.
Get them animals two by two.
You build you an ark out of gopher wood.
Gather up your family, âcause theyâve been good.

âAll the worldly sinners and the trouble that they make
Iâve taken all I think I need to take.
Get in the ark, then shut it up tight.
Iâm gonna make it rain forty days and forty nights.

Chorus: âForty Days... Forty Nights
Pity those people thatâs left outside.
I built this world, what was I thinking of?
For forty days and nights, thereâs gonna be a big flood.â

Noah said, âWhich animals do I take?â
Lord said, âTake them all, except a few snakes.â
So Noah took the animals, a bucket and a broom.
Waited for the rain that was gonna start soon.

The clouds opened up and it began to pour.
See the lightning flash, hear the thunder roar.
The boat started rocking to the left and to the right.
Kept on raining forty days and forty nights.

Repeat chorus.

Well, the rain quit falling on the forty first day.
Then they waited for the water to all go away.
Noah opened the ark, let the critters go free.
Said, âThe heatâs not bad, but that humidity!â

Lord said, âNoah, see that rainbow in the sky?
Iâm gonna send fire, not water next time.
Now you better teach your children whatâs wrong and whatâs right
Tell them how it rained for forty days and forty nightsâ
Repeat chorus




STANDS A TREE
(For Dennis, Sorry it took 20 years to write it, but I wasn't ready.)

Never gonna grow up, never fall in love.
Doubt he ever had a chance to try.
Never gonna be a man, never talk to his friends, no way he can.
We never had a chance to say good-bye.

Chorus: Stands a tree...
that bends in the prairie wind.
And underneath...
is a ground too cold to leave a friend in.
In a hundred years, Iâll be there and the treeâll be here.
Maybe then we can be together again.

Everybody makes mistakes, most donât ever matter.
But a few keep on hurting all the time.
Phone call late at night, next of kin please identify
just a drunk who had to drive across that line.

Repeat chorus

Bridge: Iâve got stories to tell you.
Weâve still got things to do.
So hard, since you went away
You and me used to help each other through.

All his dreams are gone now, other peopleâs too
Heâs gone, left us all alone.
No matter how hard we cry, prayers we say, weâll try and try.
He ainât coming back but we keep hanginâ on.

Repeat chorus





Thereâs A Song Somewhere
(I woke up singing this one morning, so I must have written it in my sleep. I've learned to not mess with moments of inspiration and keep them just as they arrive.)

Thereâs a song inside this guitar that I canât seem to find.
Though Iâve looked inside since I got it back in Nineteen Seventy Five.
I guess itâs a song about Jesus, a song about his love.
Thereâs a song inside this guitar, there is a song.

CHORUS: The Lord could give the melody and the right words to say.
If I could listen close enough, I could start to play.
Then maybe someone would have a chance to learn a better way.
Thereâs a song somewhere... Theres a song somewhere.
Thereâs a song somewhere... Somewhere thereâs a song.

Thereâs a song inside this heart of mine, and I canât get it out.
It seemâs Heâs fighting with the devil himself and Iâm just watching now.
Itâs a song about a good friend, a song about peace.
Thereâs a song inside this heart of mine, there is a song.

REPEAT CHORUS

There a song inside the world outside that can explain it all.
The world hasnât heard it yet, hasnât heard its call.
Itâs a song about happiness if they will only ask.
Thereâs a song inside the world outside, there is a song.

REPEAT CHORUS AND END





I Donât Want To Hear
(What you hear here is me writing the song, making it up as I went along. I had turned on the recorder and went for it. Raw material that probably should have been re-written and refined... but decided to let a little honesty on the record. See above)

I donât want to hear nobody Singing...
I donât want to hear nobody play.
I donât want to hear about Jesus.
I donât want to hear it... not today.

I donât want to talk about my salvation
I donât want to talk about whatâs in store for me.
I donât want to talk about my future.
I donât want to talk about eternity

I donât want you to see me crying
I donât want you to hear me pray
I donât want you to tell me no stories
I donât want you , just go away.

I donât want no more lonliness
I donât want no more doubts and fears.
I donât want no more facing life uncertain
I just want what the Lord can give to me.