Get all 18 Markus Rill releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of To Live Is To Fly - Remembering Townes Van Zandt, Everything We Wanted, Times Are Strange, New Crop, Songland, Getting Into Trouble, Live in Karlsruhe, Dream Anyway, and 10 more.
1. |
In Theory
03:39
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In Theory
(Markus Rill)
You’d think that I’d know better
than to keep banging on this old guitar
I sure know better than to think
that it’s ever gonna make me any dough
but nothing else can make me fly so high
or come crashing down this hard
well, I know, believe me, I know
that’s a whole lotta magic I won’t be letting go
I thought about it long and hard
and still feel the way I feel
blind passion may be not that smart
but I see all I need to see
my heart believes this dream’s as real
as anything I know in theory
Hey, and I ought to know better
than to hang my heart on hope
I sure know better
than to avoid facing the truth
Someday looking back I’ll have my share of regrets
and don’t think I don’t know
cause I do, believe me, I do
and that’s a whole lotta knowledge to live up to
I thought about it long and hard
and still feel the way I feel
blind passion may be not that smart
but I see all I need to see
my heart believes this dream’s as real
as anything I know in theory
What good’s theory anyway?
cause theoretically I’d let no opportunity
ever slip away
it’s only hypothetical after all
cause, man, sometimes I got no choice
when my heart makes the call
I thought about it long and hard
and still feel the way I feel
blind passion may be not that smart
but I see all I need to see
my heart believes this dream’s as real
as anything I know in theory
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2. |
Eye For An Eye
04:12
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Eye For An Eye
(Markus Rill)
I had a friend named Buddy,
I sat next to him in church and school
I was good at reading
what he was good at was breaking the rules
Buddy was good at breaking the rules
I went off to college, Buddy stuck around
you know how it goes, man, we lost touch
and I always felt I let him down
I always felt I let him down
I saw him tonight on the six o’clock news
there wasn’t much that I could do
Buddy, you kill a man, they’re gonna come for you
and ain’t that right? an eye for an eye
Lady Luck, she’s a strange old gal,
you never know where she’ll run
it seems to me I could’ve ended up
on either end of that gun
I could’ve been on either end of that gun
I saw him tonight on the six o’clock news
there wasn’t nothing that I could do
Buddy, you kill a man, they’re gonna come for you
now ain’t that right? an eye for an eye
An eye for an eye, Buddy, how do you sleep at night?
do you ever cry, do you ever feel alright?
Do you remember the time that we spent
back when we were innocent?
Wanna write him a letter but I don’t know what to say
I guess it won’t make much sense
to talk about the good ole days
won’t make no sense to talk about the good ole days
Cause, Buddy, them old days, they’re gone for good
things did not work out quite the way they should
ain’t that right? an eye for an eye
now it’s time for goodbye
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3. |
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For The Love Of Anne Boleyn
(Markus Rill)
I’ve been a good spouse to my darling wife
and I’ve been a good king, benevolent and kind
beloved by my people till she appeared in my life
but her ivory skin and hazel eyes make me lose my mind
She can make a kind man cruel
she’ll make a king a fool
she’s made me do things
I never thought I would do
but I’d do it all again
for the love of my sweet Anne Boleyn
She’s shown me love like I’ve never known
for her I’d give up my throne and everything I own
she’s got a jealous streak and that’s why heads will roll
I reign only my kingdom, she rules my heart and soul
She can make a kind man cruel
she’ll make a king a fool
she’s made me do things
I never thought I would do
but I’d do it all again
for the love of my sweet Anne Boleyn
Waiting for our first child to come, I say a prayer
that she’ll be giving me a son, you know, a rightful heir
She can make a kind man cruel
she’ll make a king a fool
she made me do things
I never thought I would do
She brings out the worst in me
anger & bigotry
she made me feel
what I never thought I would feel
I’ll never be the same again
but for the love of my sweet Anne Boleyn
and yet I’d do it all again
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4. |
Desperate Ride
03:51
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Desperate Ride
(Markus Rill)
Well, my headlights are busted
it’s the middle of the night
and the road gets rocky
on the mountainside
Now it’s starting to rain
my tires ‘re starting to slide
I need to take control
but I’m DUI
The last time we talked
I know I made you cry
The last time we talked
you said this is goodbye
Well, I’ll apologize
and try to make things right
if I can only make it home tonight
It’s a desperate ride
Now it’s starting to sleet
and it’s starting to snow
I might’ve lost my way
yeah, but, I don’t know
and the gas tank needle
man, it’s riding low
but I can’t stop and I can’t go slow
You asked me had I stayed true
Lord knows that I tried
you asked me had I stayed true
then you caught me in a lie
Well, I’ll apologize
and try to make things right
if I can only make it home tonight
It’s a desperate ride
Still got a ways to go
about a couple hundred miles
with the rain and the snow
it’s gonna take me all night
now I do my best to stay between the lines
but I can only ever do it for so long a time
When I’m not with you, baby,
I don’t know wrong from right
when I’m not with you, baby,
who’s gonna hold me tight?
Well, I’ll apologize and try to make things right
if I can only make it home tonight
It’s a desperate ride
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5. |
On The Sly
03:57
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On The Sly
(Markus Rill)
She turns her collar up against the wind
pulls her Aggies cap down low
Cathy won't tell her next of kin
she don't want anyone to know
where she goes and why
she’s gotta take care
of a little something on the sly
She’ll be off to college in a year
she'd rather leave today
don’t need nothing to tie her down here
she'll dump that boyfriend anyway
she’ll never tell and he’ll never get wise
to what it is she’s doing on the sly
She's passing women with little girls and boys
they're all leading different lives,
Cathy's made her choice
and she knows if this'll ever make her cry
she’ll have to do her crying on the sly
She wonders if she's being selfish
She thinks that she’s bein’ considerate
she might wind up being fortyish and full of regret
sobbing through long and lonely nights
over what it is she’s doing on the sly
She's passing women with little girls and boys
They’re all leading different lives,
Cathy’s made her choice
and she knows that if this'll ever make her cry
she’ll have to do her crying on the sly
Who’s to say what’s right or wrong
Who’s to say what’s wrong or right
She's passing women with little girls and boys
They’re all leading different lives ,
Cathy’s got no choice
and she knows that if this'll ever make her cry
she’ll be crying on the sly
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6. |
Trouble With The Law
03:26
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Trouble With The Law
(Markus Rill)
South of Snake Ridge
just a few miles out of town
Sherriff Joseph P. Hawkins was aiming
to shoot a black man down
he got hit by a bullet that he never even saw
Bobby Lloyd Wright got in trouble with the law
From then on everybody knew his name
and the price on his head
he never cared for Hawkins
but he had his regrets
for bringing shame on the name of his Pa
by getting into trouble with the law
His horse was wild
and Bobby Lloyd was young
he grew old fast living on the run
people stood and stared at him in awe
he was running out from trouble with the law
He met a preacher’s daughter
way down Galveston way
she had a boy child coming
but Bobby Lloyd couldn’t stay
she got word one day that he died in Wichita
that’s what you get
for getting into trouble with the law
Now I got my Daddy’s blood
running through my veins
like a badge of honor
I carry his name
and I ain’t no source of pride for my Ma
for I just might get in trouble,
I just might get in trouble with the law
Could be Texas, Tennessee or Arkansas
you just might find me
running into trouble with the law
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7. |
Jenny
04:30
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Jenny
(Markus Rill)
She said her name was Genevieve
but people called her Jenny
I met her in this bar down in New Orleans
needless to say that strippin’ wasn’t the job of her dreams
she told me when & where & why & how
she started to dance
and I don’t quite recall but somehow
we must’ve started holding hands
Holding hands
She wasn’t much to look at
except when she smiled
she had the cutest little dimples
and the biggest greenest eyes
she’d gone to college she said
but it hadn’t been right for her
and I thought if stripping’s better’n that
this could only be a screwed-up world
Just like everyone she swore
she wasn’t gonna do this job for long
she believed in karma
and I believe that her will was strong
She said her name was Genevieve
but people called her Jenny
she’s a stripper and I believe
a brave girl in the land of plenty
I gave her a ride home
when the place closed up
we shared some good strong coffee
from a styrofoam takeaway cup
and together we watched
the Crescent City slowly come to life
I got lucky, boys
I got to see the sun rise in her eyes
I didn’t know what to say
when we finally said good-bye
but my memories blurred
I suppose I might’ve had a tear in my eye
She said her name was Genevieve
but people called her Jenny
she’s a stripper but I believe
a brave girl in the land of plenty
And I never even kissed that girl
but she showed me things that I had never seen
sometimes I miss that girl
and I wonder then: does she ever think of me?
Jenny, Genevieve
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8. |
Giving Up On Dreaming
03:55
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Giving Up On Dreaming
(Markus Rill/Phil Madeira)
Even after all this time
you’re still on my mind
it’s not makin’ too much sense
so I’m getting’ off the fence
‘tween the fiction and the truth
I gotta do what I must do
I’m giving up on dreaming
dreams just don’t come true
giving up on hoping
hope is much too cruel
I made up my mind to leave behind
what can only leave me blue
giving up on dreaming, givin’ up on you
Since the day you walked away
I’ve been hangin’ on keepin’ the faith
prayin’ I’d see you returnin’
ah, but nothing’s happening,
nothin’ but the yearnin’
Guess it’s time I face the facts
you won’t be comin’ back
I’m giving up on dreaming
dreams just don’t come true
giving up on hoping
hope is much too cruel
I made up my mind to leave behind
what can only leave me blue
giving up on dreaming, givin’ up on you
I’m gonna take a match and set fire
to this mansion in my mind
I’m gonna burn up every photograph
and every thought of you and I
I’m giving up on dreaming
dreams just don’t come true
giving up on hoping
hope is much too cruel
I made up my mind to leave behind
what can only leave me blue
giving up on dreaming, givin’ up on you
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9. |
Vassar Played The Fiddle
03:22
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Vassar Played The Fiddle
(Markus Rill/George Bähr)
I was just a kid first time I heard a violin
the sound touched something deep within my soul
I swear it changed the entire world that I was living in
I knew then I had a goal
I was still a kid when I picked up the violin
I must admit it didn’t sound good right away
but I liked the wood and I liked the bow upon the strings
and I practiced every night and every day
I wanted to play like the king of hillbilly jazz
making sparks fly from an instrument so little
I wanted to play soft and slow and low
and high and hard and fast
cause that’s how Vassar played the fiddle
My sister married when I was 22
I had a fever but I played for her to dance
then I split early cause Vassar played 120 miles away
and I didn’t wanna miss that chance
Hopped in my junk heap and put the pedal to the floor
my fever rising but the gas was running low
and in a thunderstorm I ended by the side of the road
I never made that show
But I bet he played like the king of hillbilly jazz
made the angels smile and tap their feet a little
I bet he played soft and slow and low
and high and hard and fast
cause that’s how Vassar played the fiddle
I never got a second chance to see Vassar play
in August of 2005 Vassar Clements passed away
I’m still a kid when I hear a violin
the sound just touches something deep within my soul
I swear it changed the entire world that I’ve been living in
when I heard Vassar had to go
Tonight I play for the king of hillbilly jazz
now that the angels have him sitting in their middle
tonight I play soft and slow and low
and high and hard and fast
cause that’s how Vassar played the fiddle
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10. |
Not Like I Don't Try
03:41
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Not Like I Don’t Try
(Frank Halbig/Markus Rill)
Stayed up all night long, keeping the lights on
picking songs into the dawn
Trying to keep from sleeping
trying to keep from dreaming
and thinking ‘bout what I’ve done wrong
I often find myself
stuck between a rock and a hell of a hard place
when I’m honest with myself
I see there’s things I’ve done that I cannot erase
I can’t be good all of the time
but it’s not like I don’t try
I had never planned to be that kind of man
I’d never planned to let you down
but how could I have told you
when all I wanted was to hold you
I never thought you’d find out
Again I find myself
stuck between a rock and a hell of a hard place
when I’m honest with myself
I see there’s things I’ve done that I cannot erase
I can’t be good all of the time
but it’s not like I don’t try
Where do we go now?
What do we do?
You think it’s going to be easier
with somebody new?
Here we find ourselves
stuck between a rock and a hell of a hard place
Let’s be honest with ourselves
can you forgive what I cannot erase?
I can’t be good all of the time
but it’s not like I don’t try
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11. |
You Took It All Away
04:24
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You Took It All Away
(Markus Rill)
What was good as gold has turned to rust
all my colors, they’ve all turned to blue
and all my high-falutin’ dreams
have fallen in the dust
and it’s all because of you
Might as well lie down and wait for the end
maybe a wiser man would not act like a fool
what’s the use in wondering
if a wounded heart can mend?
when you broke mine clean in two
And I’ll never feel whole again
only you could make me feel complete
I’ll never find a home again
you took it all away from me
Better draw the curtain over this whole affair
I’ll be better off if I never remember you
just wish I’d known sooner
that you never really cared
and that you were never true
I’ll never feel whole again
only you could make me feel complete
I’ll never find a home again
you took it all away from me
You set me free in a way I’d never been
we were laughin’ and makin’ love
the whole night through
Now I may never be the same that I was then
and it’s all because of you
Now I’ll never feel joy again
be as happy as the way you made me feel
I’ll never laugh like a little boy again
you took it all away from me
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Markus Rill München, Germany
»Songs that are beautifully shimmering with ambiguity - brilliant lyrics« - Rolling Stone"
"Rill shows great depth as a songwriter, bandleader and producer" - No Depression/USA
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