False Echoes (Havana 1921)

The skies over Cuba turned pink with the light
And the waterfront ritual began to ignite
All the ships in the harbor were warmed by the sun
Twenty-fifth of November, 1921

On the old Chicamauga the Signal Jacks flew
And the message they spelled out caused a great bally hoo
Every ship in Havana then hoisted away
All the pennants were 'a flyin' on my dad's first birthday

Enduring echoes call out from his past
Time ain't for savin' no time's not for that
Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire
He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare

Now his storybook childhood was not make believe
On the decks of a tall ship he was taught to achieve
Witnessed storms and starvation natural wonders and force
Oh the life of a sailor steers a wanderin' course

Enduring echoes call out from his past
Time ain't for savin' no time's not for that
Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire
He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare

Well now life throws us curve balls we never can reach
He gave up the ocean but he lived by the beach
Where he raised up his family taught us all to survive
Then the wind went away in 1995

Now the old Chicamauga has slipped by the ways
She lies on the bottom of old Mobile Bay
Where the ghosts of his father and his brother are near
They protect him and tell him there's nothin' to fear
Cause it's family tradition we take to the sea
And it's a time in the future for Cameron and me

Enduring echoes call out from his past
Time ain't for saving no time's not for that
Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire
He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare

The skies over Cuba were warmed by the sun
Twenty-fifth of November 1921

HIdden Track
I could be a rambler from the seven dials
I don't pay taxes 'cause I never file
I don't do bid'ness that don't make me smile
I love my aeroplane 'cause she's got style

I'm a treetop flyer
Treetop flyer

I fly any cargo that you can pay to run
The bush league pilots, they just can't get the job done
You've got to fly down the canyon, don't never see the sun
There's no such thing as an easy run

I'm a treetop flyer
Treetop flyer

I fly low, I'm in high demand
Go 15 feet over the rio grande
I blow the mesquite right up off the sand
I'm seldon seen, 'specially when I land

I'm a treetop flyer
Born survivor

Now people been askin' me where'd you learn to fly that way
Was over in vietnam, chasin' the nva
The government taught me, and they taught me right
Stay down below the treeline and you'll be alright

I'm a treetop flyer
Born survivor

So I'm comin' home, I'm runnin' low and fast
Promised my woman this is gonna be my last
I get the ship down, I tie her fast
And then some old boy wakes up, and he says, "hey son
Wanna make some fast cash? "

I'm a treetop flyer

Well there's things I am
And there's things I am not
Yes I'm a smuggler and I could get shot
I ain't gonna die, I ain't going to get caught
You see I'm a flying fool, and this aeroplane is, whoo, hot

I'm a treetop flyer
Born survivor
Workin' alone