Get all 7 James & Black releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Love Flows Like a River, Gold, Be Water, My Love, This Time, Live at La Chapelle, How Long Is Now, and Live at the N9.
1. |
Nothing Left to Do
03:04
|
|||
NOTHING LEFT TO DO
words and music by B. James
Watching shadows on the wall and the bartender screams "last call"
I'm in the corner with my head in a drink, to myself I quietly think
So many things to get you off, I cough and I scoff
and take another drag of my cigarette
I don't mind if the sun don't shine, cloudy weather suits me fine
Pour another glass of wine on the bar, tonight I think I'll be a superstar
How can you mend a heart that's broken in two
When you've done all you can and there's nothing left to do
The room is still and thick with smoke, so thick it makes you choke
The crowd files in, coffee's kicking in and my patience wearing thin
I'm lonelier than a single sax on quiet city street
Things aren't always greener on the sunny side of the street
|
||||
2. |
For No Reason
03:58
|
|||
FOR NO REASON
words and music by B. James
I'll show you mine if you show me yours
This heart of mine will always be yours
Our souls are bound by the mystery
Of life and love and what's above
Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
This crazy world just keeps spinning around
We do what we do with absolute truth
Sometimes you gotta get lost just to be found
You make me smile for no reason
You make laugh tears of joy
You are the sun in all seasons
Everything that I adore
Your smile is the key to my sanity
Your style and grace burn like the sun
Your words escape like pillars of truth
I know that you know that we have already won
|
||||
3. |
Right On
03:06
|
|||
RIGHT ON
words and music by B. James
Do you see what I see?
Colors are the same thing
Do you hear what I hear?
Sounds the same in your ears
We all have our own way
We all walk the same way
Can't you see that you and me
We're both fighting for the same thing
You are as free as you want to be
Right on, right on – everybody say right on
If I do, if I don't - if you will, if you won't
When I do what I do
Pay no mind, look straight through
When you do what you do
Got your back, see it through
Can't you see, you and me
We're both fighting for the same thing
|
||||
4. |
Golden Boy
03:36
|
|||
GOLDEN BOY
words by B.Black; music by B.James
Golden boy, once alive but now he's dead
The cops they pumped him full of lead
Golden boy, Golden boy
We place the crown upon his head
The coffin now his resting bed
He was the golden boy
A bullet in the back is what the coroner said
Another black boy on the corner dead
Now mama crying everyday can't get out of bed
Pale version of herself goin' out of her head
Her golden child, he was made for the good life
Where's the future for him a child and a wife
On his way to the store you heard this story
On the news before
Mistaken identity, trademark hypocrisy
Now he must be an angel watching over me
Ran away from the pig cause he was scared as hell
Better he gone than locked up in county jail
Mama gave me a shirt to wear his face on my chest
Say a prayer for him every night, God bless
Hope he's drinking Ambrosia from the holy grail
Another victim on earth who justice has failed
Golden boy
Can you hear me
Golden boy
Once alive but now he's dead
The cops they pumped him full of lead
Golden boy
|
||||
5. |
This Time
04:00
|
|||
THIS TIME
words and music by B. James
It’s all coming back to me now, running 'round this old town
I left my heart on your front door and I haven't seen it since
Do you think of me like I think of you?
Do your emerald eyes see shades of blue?
I see your face on every city bus – face so close our eyelids touch
This time I will make each moment last
This time I won't let you pass me by
This time, this time
Got an Italian guitar made in 1963 – with a checkered history
A well woven mystery – like the way you smile back at me
You never fall completely out of love if you do it right
Who keeps you warm at night? What makes you tremble in fright?
Ghosts on every corner – dogs in a busy street
The piano man's got my number every time we meet
Notice you, notice me – stepping stones across a stormy sea
These days it’s all I can do
|
||||
6. |
Jonah
04:06
|
|||
JONAH
words by B. Black; music by B. James
Sent on a mission to preach the word of God
But he ran the opposite way, didn't believe he was the chosen one
From above the hand of correction. descended below
As the waves of the sea tossed the ship to and fro
The crew of sailors were frightened bad, drew straws to find out why
Just why disaster struck them down – He said “no need for y'all to die”
Confessed he'd run from God, 't was a task he couldn't face but
If they'd throw him now overboard said the storm would fade away
I cry Jonah, Jonah
Shut up in the belly of the whale
For three days and nights in there
He prayed without fail
Lord I'm in trouble – I'm in misery
He heard my cry, set me free
And now my souls at ease
The whale threw up Jonah upon the sandy shore – to spread the word
That in forty days Nineveh would be no more – folk took heed from rich to poor
Dressed in burlap to show repent – “Lord I'm in trouble, lend an ear to my plea.”
He heard my cry set me free. And now my souls at ease.
|
||||
7. |
NOLA
03:13
|
|||
NOLA
words and music by B. James
He came from New Orleans with a habit and a dream
Hollywood lights. Malibu nights, he was the best I'd ever seen
He was a junkie’s junky, a friend of mine
New Orleans spit him out on Los Angeles time
His heart beat a second line, his blood ram crescent moon
He said he lost his baby girl in the flood from the monsoon
Been around the world, played with the very nest
Went to New York City with a tightly clenched fist
It was a routine heist for a modest payola
Then again, there ain't nothing modest about nine years in Angola
Not sure if he found God, or if God found him
They say that everyone finds God after nine years in the pen
|
||||
8. |
||||
GOLDEN SLUMBERS/CARRY THAT WEIGHT
words and music by P. McCartney and J. Lennon
Once there was a way, to get back homeward.
Once there was a way to get back home.
Sleep, pretty darling, Dot not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.
Golden slumbers fill your eyes
Smiles await you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling. Do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.
Boy, you’re going to carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
|
||||
9. |
||||
EVERYDAY (WALKING IN SUNSHINE)
words by B. Black and B. James; music by B. James
Every day I'm walkin' in sunshine
Every night I dance on the moon
And when it starts to rain I paint rainbow stars in the sky
The earth is yours and mine to behold
Everyone has a story to be told
And the day will come
When you must take a stand be your own man
I know sometimes we all get weary
When it's cold outside, so dark and dreary
They say, nothin' lasts forever
Don't need the sun to change the weather
I know these are trying times
If you see me sinkin', throw me a line
You & I, we can make it through
In the eye of the storm,
You can always see the sun shining through
|
||||
10. |
Postcard
03:59
|
|||
POSTCARD
words by B. Black; music by B. James
It's a beautiful sunny day in LA
I walked out to get the mail
There's a postcard that says “you're invited
I'm soon to be wed”
I can't believe my eyes you're walking down the aisle
Does anyone object?
So I'm coming home – I'm catching the first thing smoking
The music, the road and the fame
I put it all to the side
To see the love in your eyes
Tell me why do we do this to ourselves
When you find that one love who will stand the test
The grass isn't always greener on the other side
Tell me if you married
How will I survive
I stand before you now I've been changed
Ready to stake my claim
Forever's right here in my arms
I never meant you no harm
|
||||
11. |
||||
PREFER IT BLACK AND WHITE
words and music by B. James
How so perfectly delightful to be so Goddamn sure
When the words only fail me and the pictures aren’t much better
The storie's being told in a thousand different cities
Who would have thought that insanity could carry me this far
Been dizzy a couple of weeks now, wacky on the junk
Give me some time to sort my mind, rethink the thoughts I've thunk
I've seen it all in color but prefer it black and white
It's hard to hold on when the memories are gone
|
James & Black Earth, Texas
Bruce James and Bella Black joined musical forces in Austin, Texas in 2011 and have been on a mission spreading the word of Guerrilla Soul ever since. The roots of their music definitely spring from the tradition of the Southern Soul from Texas, New Orleans and Memphis, yet they are not a throwback. ... more
Streaming and Download help
If you like James & Black, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp