A Little Bit Of Rain, New Jersey Girl, We've Got Dreams, Don't Be Fooled By The Hat, Sawgrass, All She Says, Why Why Why, That's Just Dennis, Hollywood, Scars, (I'm Gonna) Hold On To Your Love, Mama's Taste Of Country Buffet, Hidden River

A Little Bit of Rain
© 1999 Hugo Duarte All Rights Reserved

When I was seventeen years old we moved to Tascosa
Daddy was determined to make some dreams come true
I swore I’d never let him down as long as I was breathing
Working side by side from dawn ‘til dark doing all that we could do

Chorus:
Just to stay alive, just to stay together
And we were praying if we worked real hard we’d see our lives get better
Daddy kept on saying son your luck is going to change
With the Good Lord’s help, some daylight, and a little bit of rain

It never rained a single drop and our dreams were bound to fail
It’s hard to watch a whole year’s work turn to dust in one dry spell
There was nothing anyone could do, nothing we could say
We just loaded what was left of our lives on the truck and drove away

Chorus:
Just to stay alive, just to stay together
And we were praying if we worked real hard we’d see our lives get better
Daddy kept on saying boy your luck is bound to change
With the Good Lord’s help, some daylight, and a little bit of rain, a little bit of rain

BRIDGE:
We were down but not defeated all those years ago
Our failure taught me how to reap those seeds my Daddy sewed

When I woke up this morning, I climbed up in my truck
Drove out to the farthest field and I turned my collar up
I walked out through the winter wheat and touched it with my hands
And thanked the Lord for blessing me with those years with my old man (and for)

Chorus
Keeping us alive for keeping us together
And for listening to our desperate prayers and making our lives better
Daddy kept on saying Son your luck is going to change
With the Good Lord’s help, some daylight, and a little bit of rain
A little bit of rain
A little bit of rain
Just a little rain

New Jersey Girl
©2002 Hugo Duarte (All rights reserved)

She’s like a 327 bad to the bone
‘66 Impala custom paint and chrome
Rolled and pleated seats and her gas pedal’s got five toes
Four barrel 750 Holley carburetor
License plate CUL8TR
That’s all she wrote ‘cause when the girl goes she goes

Chorus:
She goes straight through my heart, down through my veins
A hundred miles an hour racing round my brain
Just thinking ‘bout her is a sight to see
I think that New Jersey Girl must ’a’ hypnotized me

Sometimes I st-st-stutter when she comes around
Fumblin’ and a-stumblin’ like some big shoed clown
I often wonder if everybody else can see
That my lips get sticky and I’m all tongue tied
Funny little quiver shakin’ deep inside
That’s all she wrote when I hear her say that she loves me

Chorus:
She goes straight through my heart, down through my veins
A hundred miles an hour racing round my brain
24-7 barely meets my need
I think that New Jersey Girl put the mojo on me

Chorus:
She goes straight through my heart, down through my veins
A hundred miles an hour racing round my brain
24-7 barely meets my need
I think that New Jersey Girl must ’a’ hypnotized me
I think that New Jersey Girl whipped a Mojo on me
It’s some kind of juju
Maybe you got voodoo
Cause Baby that’s what you do
So go on and do like you do, like you do, like you do, like you do

We’ve Got Dreams
© 1989 Hugo Duarte (all rights reserved)

I want a house with a fenced-in yard
Someday we’re going to own a brand-new car
I want some children in a year or two
Mostly darlin’, I want you

I’d like to have a little shop out back
With my tools laid out and my lumber stacked
Where I could tinker ‘round and I could rest my mind
And build you something if I had the time

Chorus:
We’ve got nothing but a lot of love
Got a whole lot of trouble to rise above
We’ve got two hearts and two wedding rings
But more than all of this my love,
We’ve got dreams

She wants a closet that is big enough
A washer and a dryer and the usual stuff
A little garden full of growing things
A wedding dress and a big diamond ring

Chorus:
We’ve got nothing but a lot of love
Got a whole lot of trouble to rise above
We’ve got whatever the future brings
But more than all of this my love,
We’ve got dreams

Chorus:
We’ve got nothing but a lot of love
Got a whole lot of trouble to rise above
We’ve got two hearts and two wedding rings
But more than all of this my love,
We’ve got dreams

Bridge
She says that we’ve got all that we really need
I’m there for her and she’s there for me
She says these other things may come in time
And as long as I’m happy she’s just fine

Chorus:
‘Cause we’ve got more than just a lot of love
And somebody to lean on while times are tough
We’ll take whatever the future brings
Darlin’ we’re not starting with nothing
‘Cause we’ve got dreams
Sweet, sweet dreams
We’ve got dreams
Sweet, sweet dreams
Dream with me Baby

I’ve got a lifetime of love I want to share with you

Don’t Be Fooled By The Hat
© 2005 Hugo Duarte/Chris Clifton (all rights reserved)

Don’t judge a book by its cover
That’s what my Mama always said to me
She’d say dig a little deeper and you might discover
There’s something inside it that you needed to see

And don’t go jumping to conclusions
It may be further than you realize
What you fail to consider can lead to confusion
It’s a scientific notion that facts don’t lie

Chorus:
Don’t be fooled by the hat
Don’t go thinking you can know me by that
Seeing only with your eyes keeps you blind as a bat
You may be missing something cool
So, don’t be fooled by the hat

Well, I was working in a Tiki Bar
And I was busy setting up my gear
There was a crowd at a table sitting off in the corner
Talking loud enough for everybody to hear

One said, “I don’t like country music
That twangy racket don’t appeal to me”
That’s when I noticed they were looking right at me
And the hat on my head was all they managed to see

Chorus:
Don’t be fooled by the hat
Don’t go thinking you can read me like that
Seeing only with your eyes keeps you blind as a bat
You may be missing something cool
So, don’t be fooled by the hat

Bridge
Oh, our foolishness is ridiculous
And we’re all guilty of the crime
Our morning coffee seldom wakes us up
We’re all just sleepwalking most of the time

I think I look good in my Stetson
My Charlie One-Horse is a nice one too
It really doesn’t matter how I cover my noggin
Don’t take it as a statement on the music I do

All She Says
© 1976 Hugo Duarte (all rights reserved)

She looks like she could use a little sleep
Something must have gotten to her heart
Something’s cut her pretty deep
She’s not talking to anyone and the regular smile is gone
And all she says is that she wants to be alone

By the look in her eyes I can tell that she’s
At least a million miles away
The tears come so much easier
Than they would any other day
I wonder why she’s hurting so bad
I know that something’s wrong
And all she says is that she wants to be alone

Chorus:
Oh don’t you know it hurts so much worse when you’re by yourself
It’ll make you crazy in half the time than if you lean on someone else
All her friends are holding their breath and waiting by the phone
And all she says is that she wants to be alone

She looks like she could use a little sleep
And everybody says a shoulder to cry on
Is what she really needs
But she’s not talking to anyone and the regular smile is gone
And all she says is that she wants to be alone
And all she says is that she wants to be alone
And all she says is that she wants to be alone

Why, Why, Why
© 1999 Hugo Duarte/Chris Gantry (all rights reserved)

Why, why, why do I have to get up early in the morning
And go flying down the highway
I don’t know why I have to spend my whole life in a hurry
Just to make some money
Every time I think I’ve got it made
It’s time to make another payment
I spend half my time at work
And the other half I’m wondering where my pay went
Lately I’ve been wondering

Chorus:
Why, why, why can’t I spend my whole life dancing with you, Baby
Living in a wonderland of love where there’s nothing else to do
You and I have everything that we have ever wanted
Except the time I need to have to have the time I want to spend with you
Tell me why, why, why
Why, why, why

Well I try, try, try to do everything I know just to please you
Because it makes me feel good
As time goes by every moment that we share becomes more precious
I don’t want to lose one
Every stolen moment that I can’t bring back is lost and gone forever
I’ve been dreaming of a time
When we’ll be spending all our time together
And that’s why I’m wondering

Chorus:
Why, why, why can’t I spend my whole life dancing with you, baby
Living in a wonderland of love where there’s nothing else to do
You and I have everything that we have ever wanted
Except the time I need to have to have the time I want to spend with you
Tell me why, why, why
Why, why, why

That’s Just Dennis
© 2002 Hugo Duarte (all rights reserved)

He and Mama share the house together
Sure has changed a lot since they moved in
Saw what he needed was a screened-in porch
A place to hang and entertain his friends
Every wall is like an exhibition
Of what this artisan alone can see
Bits and pieces mostly from the ocean
Placed exactly where they ought to be

Chorus:
And he loves his mother and he loves the ocean
He loves the feeling of a rod and reel
Forget those chores that he’s s’posed to finish
“Cause a party’s on and that’s just Dennis

Every Monday morning bright and early
He’s in that truck and gone to pound some nails
By Wednesday he is just a lunatic
To be out on the ocean hooking up a sail
Or a marlin, hell it doesn’t really matter
All that counts is that he’s on the sea
If he’s fishing and his Momma's alright
He’s as happy as a man can be

Chorus:
And he loves his mother and he loves Tom’s boat
He loves the feeling of his rod and reel
Forget those chores that he’s s’posed to finish
“Cause there’s fish out there just waiting for Dennis

Bridge
He’s a clown, an enigma
He’s just this puzzle that we’ll never solve
And he’s deep, don’t let him kid you
Love is the force that makes his world revolve

Forget those chores that he’s s’posed to finish
‘Cause there’s life out there just waiting for Dennis
You can forget those chores that he’ll never finish
And buy me a beer, ‘cause here comes Dennis

Hollywood
© 2004 Hugo Duarte all rights reserved

I was doing the tourist thing in Richmond
Standing in Jefferson Davis’ house just like Robert E. Lee
Somebody said “if I thought I could,
I ought to make a little trip out to Hollywood
You know the people out there know the story real good
Many saw it all first hand”

I made my way through the neighborhoods of “Old Town”
I drove my car right out of this world
As I passed through a wrought iron gate
There were stories of young men written in stone
Laying there together far away from home
I felt certain that I wasn’t alone as I rambled through the grave yard
A soft Virginia night was falling
And somewhere in the shadows I thought I heard a Southern voice calling saying

Chorus:
Hey Boys, this is Hollywood
It ain’t home, but it’s home for good
We’d walk away from here if we just could
And never come back again
Hey Boys come and gather ‘round
Build your bivouac fires on this piece of ground
And a regiment formed without making a sound
In the hills of Hollywood

I was oddly more curious than fearful
Standing in the middle of a soldier’s camp
Wondering why they couldn’t see me
But these were boys from another time
And the world they were in wasn’t part of mine
So I looked and I listened and I tried to find
The reason it was shown to me

A ragged soldier raised a fiddle
He put it to his collar underneath his jaw
And he rosined up the bow
It sounded familiar as it reached my ear
It was “Listen to the Mockingbird” and “Cheer, Boys Cheer”
The notes that he bowed rang perfectly clear
As he played “Bonaparte’s Retreat”
Somewhere a drummer took to playing
And in those lonesome cadences
I thought I heard a sad voice saying

Chorus:
Hey Boys, this is Hollywood
It ain’t home, but it’s home for good
We’d a-walked away from here if we just could
And never come back again
Hey Boys come and gather near
And he said it in a voice so that all could hear
He said time marches on but it stands still here
In the hills of Hollywood

Bridge
Then, General Pickett strode right up to me
And in a troubled voice he said,
“y’ain’t learned a damn thing from history

Chorus:
Tell people ‘bout Hollywood,
How it ain’t home but it’s home for good
That we’d a-walked away from here if we just could
And we’d a-never come back again
Tell ‘em what you saw when the sun went down
Tell ‘em for my boys restin’ in the ground\
That you heard in the silence how sorrow sounds
In the hills of Hollywood

This is the scar I got on my bike
I was six years old just learning to ride
Daddy was waiting at the bottom of the hill
Saying, “Son you can do it “
And that’s when I took that spill

Chorus:
When the knee and the pavement collide
It tears through the skin like a cut from a knife
And you try to be brave, but some things make a little boy cry
Daddy said, “don’t worry, we can put a Band-Aid on
In time it will heal, son it won’t be long
But, you’ve got to get back up even when you fall hard
‘cause nobody learns to ride bikes without a few scars”

This one here, that’s right above my eye
Came when Billy Joe Freeman hit that screaming line drive
One minute I’m pitching, throwing him my best curve
Then I’m flat on my back and I know that I’m really hurt

Chorus :
When the ball and the forehead collide
It tears through the skin like a cut from a knife
And you try to be brave, but some things make a young man cry
Coach said, “don’t worry, Doc’ll put a bandage on
In time it will heal, son it won’t take long
But, you’ve got to get back in there even though it seems hard
‘cause nobody learns to play baseball without a few scars”

When the sun came up this morning, I woke up all alone
Nothing here but these reminders of the fact that you’re gone
These walls that held our memories, in this house you once filled
I know I’ll survive it, but sometimes it don’t seem like I will

Chorus:
When the love and the leaving collide
It tears through the heart like a razor-sharp knife
And you try to be brave, but some things make a grown man cry
This ain’t the kind of pain you can put something on
They say time will heal, but they won’t say how long
Who ever knew losing you would be so hard
That’s how you learn about heartaches by earning your scars
That’s how you know that a heart breaks…

My Baby don’t feel like dancing
Sometimes she gets the blues
Maybe she needs romancing
What’s a man supposed to do
When the lady gets that look in her eyes
Makes me want to hold on a little bit tighter
What does it take to make her realize
I’m gonna hold on to her love…well

Sometimes I come home, catch her all alone
She’s dancing in the doorway
Looking so sexy, moving so slow
Darlin’ that’s a sure way
To make your Baby get that look in his eyes
Makes him want to hold on a little bit tighter
What does it take to make you realize
I’m gonna hold on to your love, Darlin’

Chorus:
I’ll be there
When you’re feeling lonely
Baby I’m the one who cares
I’m gonna hold on to your love

When we got together
I made a promise I’d stay right beside her
But every now and then she starts to worry
And I’ve got to hold on a little bit tighter
If it thunders in the middle of the night
I’m right here it’s gonna be alright
And if you get scared I’m gonna put on the light
I’m gonna hold on to your love Darlin’

Chorus:
I’ll be there
When you’re feeling lonely
Baby I’m the one who cares
I’m gonna hold on to your love

Now everybody got to have hard times
There’s nothing you can do about it
When you start getting that look in your eyes
Together we can work it out because

Chorus:
I’ll be there
When you’re feeling lonely
Baby I’m the one who cares
I’m gonna hold on to your love Darlin’

Down in Duplin County up in North Carolina
Interstate 40 exit 364
‘Bout a mile on the left down the two-lane to Turkey
If you ever stop once you’ll be back for sure.

Momma runs the kitchen and the girls wait the tables
You get yourself a plate and then you get in the line
People sit together like a family reunion
‘Cause Momma’s good cookin’s all they have in mind.

Chorus:
Barbeque only means one thing
It’s as Southern as the succotash and butter beans
Sweet corn, sweet peas, sweet potato pie and the collard greens

Me, I’m kinda partial to the chicken and the dumplins
And yard bird fried up golden brown
Fix it with a biscuit and some rice and some gravy
It’ll make you happy while it makes you round.

Chorus:
Outside in the parking lot
You can tell who has eaten and who has not
If you’re full and happy you’ll be movin’ slow
And if you’re really hungry you’ll be rearin’ to go.

Momma’s reputation travels far and wide
You can see by all the license plates parked outside
They come from Carolina and from far away
To grab to bite at Momma’s Taste of Country Buffet
To grab to bite at Momma’s Taste of Country Buffet
Let’s get on down to Momma’s Taste of Country Buffet.

Flow on river, river inside of me
Show me river show me what I can be
Make me see myself without hiding from the questions
Without fearing all the answers that might bruise me if they’re told
Make me see that it’s all right to make mistakes ‘cause I’m not perfect
That’s the bridge it takes to cross the river of my soul

If you go to the river and look at your reflection
Will you make the connection that it’s you you really see
Can’t you see it doesn’t matter all these faces you’ve been wearing
No one really cares about the things you try to be

A Little Bit of Rain © 1999 Hugo Duarte All Rights Reserved

Down in Duplin County up in North Carolina Interstate 40 exit 364 ‘Bout a mile on the left down the two-lane to Turkey If you ever stop once you’ll be back for sure.

A Little Bit of Rain
© 1999 Hugo Duarte All Rights Reserved

Down in Duplin County up in North Carolina
Interstate 40 exit 364
‘Bout a mile on the left down the two-lane to Turkey
If you ever stop once you’ll be back for sure.