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White Horse

by Oly Mountain Boys

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Tom Dyer
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Tom Dyer The Oly Mountain Boy's masterpiece! Favorite track: It Rained for Forty Days.
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1.
White Horse I 01:52
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2.
The Ballad of Charlie and Lisa Ann / It Was Spring 02:47
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It was spring, it was spring When we built our cabin on the Pacific Ocean And we left behind the rain We knew our lives would never be the same We planted flowers, we built a home It never crossed our minds again that we would roam We looked forward to each day From that day on we’d found a place to stay Green leaves emerging in the spring Not knowing what the next day would bring But we didn’t worry about a thing on that day The sun was warm, the birds did sing, and it was spring It was spring, it was spring When we walked through the dusty cloud on Main Street A sense of hope was all around We hitched our horses just outside of town Holding hands with Lisa-Ann She found a job right in town She always seemed to know just what to say And everybody liked us right away The longer days that softened winter’s sting Little birds testing out their wings I gave Lisa-Ann a ring on that day The sun was warm, the birds did sing, and it was spring The longer days that softened winter’s sting Little birds testing out their wings I gave Lisa-Ann a ring on that day The sun was warm, the birds did sing, and it was spring The sun was warm, the birds did sing, and it was spring The sun was warm, the birds did sing, and it was spring
3.
Cabin Walls 03:31
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The cabin walls protect me like a castle Little children running down the hall Rigid poles of white pine and red cedar Love and laughter in these cabin walls Lisa-Ann especially loved the winters December days when fresh snow would fall At night we’d feel a chill come off the water But the fire burned inside the cabin walls On starry nights we’d listen to the ocean Nestled between the mountains and the sea But still I had a sense that there was danger The cabin walls wrapping around me We tried to build a business up from nothing I wanted to be a man and stand up tall We always found a way to make a living But our biggest dreams stayed in the cabin walls On starry nights we’d listen to the ocean Nestled between the mountains and the sea But still I had the sense that there was danger The cabin walls wrapping around me Sometimes the cabin walls closed in around me I shouted out but no one heard my call Tormenting me with dreadful isolation Loneliness inside the cabin walls On starry nights we’d listen to the ocean Nestled between the mountains and the sea But still I had a sense that there was danger With the cabin walls wrapping around me With the cabin walls wrapping around me With the cabin walls wrapping around me
4.
Don't Fight the Flower 01:54
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5.
It Rained for Forty Days 03:41
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That week on Monday morning it started raining in the mountains It rained and rained and rained for 40 days Forty-one days later was a warm and sunny Sunday The rain had stopped but my baby’d gone away The rain had continued on for 40 days I found her in the town alone and crying near the saw mill Half insane, she said she couldn’t stand the rain I held her in my arms at the inn sunup to sundown Dried her teardrops but I couldn’t ease her pain ‘Cause nothing I could do would stop the rain The wind was high, and the clouds were low You ain’t felt nothing ‘til you feel the Olympics blow The air was cold, and that’s how it stayed When it rained and rained and rained for 40 days We left our little cabin cold and vacant on the hillside We found a place in town and settled down I hoped the city life would hold us close and lift her spirits Stop loneliness when grey skies came around Help Lisa-Ann keep two feet on the ground The wind was high, and the clouds were low You ain’t felt nothing ‘til you feel the Olympics blow The air was cold, and that’s how it stayed When it rained and rained and rained for 40 days When I couldn’t find a job, I started gambling and a-drinkin’ The damage to my family was very plain Lisa-Ann will say I turned my back on my own family But to this day I always blame the rain Yes to this day I always blame the rain The wind was high, and the clouds were low You ain’t felt nothing ‘til you feel the Olympics blow The air was cold, and so it stayed When it rained and rained and rained for 40 days When it rained and rained and rained for 40 days When it rained and rained and rained for 40 days
6.
Sky Fell Down 06:14
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Lisa took the kids to town one morning By 5pm I knew that she was gone I believed in my heart that we wouldn’t stay apart I couldn’t be wrong I followed behind her over the mountains Made it across the Chinook Pass by dawn My sweat mixed with rain and a deep sense of pain The road ahead was dangerous and long Daylight was quickly disappearing The day that the sky fell down I disappeared into the forest Without a sound I searched for Lisa-Ann all through the summer Each day more desperate than before I finally realized there’d be no love left in her eyes She closed that door Back out west, found work in a sawmill Changed my name and laid low for a time But the loggers went on strike, I wasn’t looking for a fight No job and to my name not a dime Daylight was quickly disappearing The day that the sky fell down I disappeared into the forest Never went back to that town Feelings of fear turned into anger As I struck out over the land Bought a gun in Malone, I was chilled to the bone The cold steel felt good in my hand There’s nuthin’ in this world you know for certain Things’ll go as easy as they came Lisa-Ann had no right to disappear into the night I ain’t to blame Daylight was quickly disappearing The day that the sky fell down I disappeared into the forest Without a sound
7.
Charlie's Turnaround 03:33
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8.
The Peak of Whitehorse Mountain 04:05
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I climbed up Whitehorse Mountain on a cold October day Lisa-Ann behind me there was nothing more to say A desperate anger filled me as I thought about the past I didn't want to go alone And I wondered just how long the pain would last The mountain stood before me, there was snow across the ridge I could feel the demons surging, I was heading toward the edge I felt a cold wind blowing and I held on to the reins I stumbled down a steep ravine And pretended that I didn't see blood stains But I will run on, I’ll never ever fall Guided by the starlight above Me and Lisa-Ann, we had the answers to it all And I believed … I believed in love Nothing was gonna stop me as I reached the snowy pass Determination in my eyes, my heart was beating fast I never thought I'd reach the point of causing others pain But I found the point of no return It was the peak of Whitehorse Mountain in the rain But I will run on, I’ll never ever fall Dance beneath the starlight above Me and Lisa-Ann, we had the answers to it all And I believed … I believed in love The top of Whitehorse Mountain was a cold, forbidding place I felt the silence in my bones, the raindrops on my face As I came back down the mountain, I knew there’d been a change I wasn’t sure what I would do I felt a dark power that was strange But I will run on, I’ll never ever fall Dance beneath the starlight above We always believed we had the answers to it all But I don’t believe … don’t believe in love … don’t believe in love … don’t believe in love ...
9.
Demon Day 02:43
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We stumbled out into the street Into a blazing midday heat We grabbed our guns and looked around Oblivious to every sound We heard the footsteps from behind The sun had left us nearly blind The shots rang out across the land The gun was smoking in my hand Never thought I’d make it through Never thought you’d make it too Never thought you’d stick around When the Demon Day came down We saddled up and headed out It felt like evil was about For twenty days and twenty nights We had the Demon cloud in sight Never thought I’d make it through Never thought you’d make it too Never thought you’d stick around When the Demon Day came down My life has been a lonesome race But what I’m racing I can’t face You’ve run with me, but now it’s through I’ve got to got to finish without you Never thought I’d make it through Never thought you’d make it too Never thought you’d stick around When the Demon Day came down
10.
Chased Away 02:06
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11.
Six Hours 02:41
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I found a cabin on a mountain where I waited out the rain I waited for six hours but the weather never changed Six hours in a cold fear, six hours all alone I waited for six hours then I started out for home I stumbled through a meadow, fell down under a tree Laid my face against the earth and sleep got hold of me Six hours in a bad dream, my head upon a stone I slept for six long hours and set out again for home Next thing I remember I was lying on the floor Hands tied behind my back, padlock on the door Six hours without freedom in the dark and all alone I broke out through a window and continued running home But the time doesn’t matter any more No the time just doesn’t matter any more I thought I saw my momma in a clearing through the trees Gave praise to the Lord above and fell down on my knees I ran as fast as I could run ‘cross fields that I had known I wandered for six hours but I never made it home
12.
Memories of the Hillside 04:50
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A broken cup sits half-full on the window The fire glows with an orange flame burning bright At 45 years old, my life’s in my control But I can’t control where my thoughts will go tonight I think about that cabin on the hillside Lisa-Ann and happy days of yore But the whiskey bottle’s draining, the fire’s burned down low And I don’t want to face those memories any more Ahh-ah-ah …. I don’t even know where my kids are living I heard they’re in a town outside Spokane But I think about their smiles every day time And at night I often dream of Lisa-Ann There ain’t no way to ever save my marriage But I’m gonna head out east and find my kids They need to feel the love I have to give them I don’t want their lives to turn out like mine did Ahh-ah-ah …. I tried to find that cabin on the hillside But there ain’t no use in living in the past The sun’ll come up and go back down tomorrow I don't understand how the time goes so fast I sit tonight with memories of the hillside The clouds and wind and rain crossing the sky Feeling like my life is full of meaning With every dream I ever had passing me by Ahh-ah-ah ….
13.
They Cut Down the Trees 03:46
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From a narrow strip of land 60 miles from the sea Mountains rise up beneath a blanket of trees Moss on the tree limbs hanging like a beard Trees unmoving as the loggers draw near Cedar, hemlock, madrona, and fir The hillside's bare where the trees all were Maple, alder, elderberry, pine You take what's yours, I'll take what's mine Gold, copper, silver, and lead Washington sells what puts the bosses ahead Over the Cascades the steam trains roll Carrying away marble and iron and coal A rickety wagon on a rickety bridge Cabin-size logs carried over the ridge Oxes dragging logs down a greased skid road Pulling down forests that our kids'll never know They cut down the trees As far as you can see They cut down the trees To bring the forest to its knees 30,000 shingles in a ten-hour shift Mills running overtime, workers never quit Stump farmers dreaming of pastures and fields No one sees the power that a forest can wield When I had a job cutting down the trees Never thought about what this forest would be As time rolled by more trees came down But now there ain't nothin' left of that little coastal town They cut down the trees As far as you can see They cut down the trees To bring the forest to its knees 30,000 shingles in a ten-hour shift 30,000 shingles in a ten-hour shift 30,000 shingles in a ten-hour shift 30,000 shingles in a ten-hour shift
14.
Back Home Again 04:14
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Seven years of hiding in the mountains On the run, desperate and blind Seven years of hiding from the memories Never stopping once to look behind Following my fears across the river The Columbia’s waters rushing fast But the river couldn’t wash away the longing The river can’t return me to the past So I held on tight, I saw it through But all my thoughts came back to you So I packed it up, I hit the road And headed back, back home again Storm clouds bearing down around me And then the rains dropped from the sky To think of everything behind me Almost makes me want to cry I tried my hand at gold up in Alaska Tried to leave the Cascades far behind As wintertime grew colder and grew darker A numbness froze my heart and dulled my mind So I held on tight, I saw it through But all my thoughts came back to you I packed it up and hit the road Headed back, back home again Running’s not a substitute for living The ghosts are real and demons flood my eyes I know that what I’ve done can’t be forgiven The cruelty and the violence and the lies I made it back to Washington in springtime I washed away the heartache in the rain I found a little cabin near the coastline Forgot about the sorrow and the pain I held on tight and I saw it through And all my thoughts came back to you I settled down, and started anew Because I was back, back home again I settled down, and started anew Because I was back home again
15.
Long Ago and Far Away 03:44
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From many years ago and a town far away A memory stays with me to this day A girl that I knew with eyes of pale blue And the lonesome melody that she would play We were both too young, there was nothing to be done The wind blew us each along our way But nothing stays with me like the bitter memory Of the pain that I felt on that day Long ago and far away She said goodbye on a cold, snowy day Long ago and far away I held her hand, it feels like yesterday Time has passed us by and tears fill my eyes I never thought I’d still feel this way So many years ago, I wonder if she knows What it meant to me when she left me there that day Long ago and far away So many things she never let me say Long ago and far away I loved her but I couldn’t make her stay Long ago and far away She said goodbye on a cold, snowy day Long ago and far away I held her hand, it feels like yesterday
16.
The Town Where I Was Born 02:49
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I returned to the town where I was born Walked alone down the empty streets The buildings that remained were old and worn Not a soul around to meet But I could see my mom, I could see my dad I remembered the good times we had Like the fire warm on a night so cold And in that moment … I wasn’t old I stood inside the old abandoned church The mornings that I knelt down to pray Recalled the day my heart began its search And the moment when I knew I couldn’t stay My father’s eyes, my mother’s hand I remembered the painful times we had The light streamed down, bathed me in gold And in that moment … I wasn’t old Outside of town’s my daddy’s grave A place I haven’t seen for 40 years Weeds had grown but purple flowers waved I saw them and I couldn’t stop the tears I cried for Mom, I cried for my dad I cried for the times we never had The way I felt so long ago And for one day … for that one day … I wasn’t old
17.
Charlie's Lament 03:58
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18.
White Horse II 06:10
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There was a time when I thought I was on my way There was a time when I thought I had something to say But now I sit and think of places I never ever been And all the things that I did but wouldn’t do again And the light grows dimmer every day And I ride on a white horse as it carries me on my way Nighttime approaches on the hillside as I look across the trees Yellow leaves are falling from the branches as far as I can see When I was young I always thought that I would always feel so free Now time spins away and a sense of darkness washes over me And the light grows dimmer every day And I ride on a white horse as it carries me on my way But a vision follows me I cannot shake it free Some days it’s all I see It shows me what to be I had a dream but I watched it dissolve into the sun Twilight approaches and you realize there’s nowhere you can run The sky was dark, I was alone the day I landed by the sea Across a field and through a forest He was waiting there for me And the light grows dimmer every day And I ride on a white horse as it carries me on my way Let’s go ....

about

As lovers of traditional bluegrass, The Oly Mountain Boys have a deep admiration for the songs written by Bill Monroe and the pioneers of bluegrass: Ralph Stanley, Don Reno, Jimmy Martin, and Earl Scruggs to name a few. For their fourth album, “White Horse,” they wanted to draw from the history of place, as their musical forefathers did before them when they wrote their classic bluegrass tunes.

Based in Olympia Washington, the Oly Mountain Boys reside beside the sea at the southern end of Puget Sound, and in the shadow of towering Mount Rainier and the Cascade and Olympic ranges. With their latest album "White Horse" the Oly Mountain Boys have set out to do something unprecedented: a concept album that tells a life story from beginning to end through original bluegrass. White Horse journals fictional historical Northwest character Charlie McCarver, who lived in early 20th century Washington State beginning with his happiness in youth with wife Lisa-Ann and their children. When his marriage unravels and his family leaves him, the songs chronicle Charlie's psychological break, descent into violence, and life on the run. The album closes with songs that explore Charlie's memories, regrets, and confrontation with aging and death. To further enrich the concept of the album, the Oly Mountain Boys elicited 11 writers and one painter who contributed original stories and artwork to the companion 68-page book. The result is an album that unifies music with other art forms, and weaves it into a picture of Washington State history.

credits

released September 25, 2014

The Oly Mountain Boys are:

Tye Menser — banjo, piano, lead vocals
Derek McSwain — mandolin, vocals
Chris Rutledge — guitar, vocals
Phil Post — bass, dobro, pedal steel, vocals
Josh Grice — fiddle

Dan Spencer plays harmonica on “Memories Of The Hillside”
Emma Staake provides vocals on “Memories Of The Hillside”

All songs written by Tye Menser except “Charlie’s Turnaround” by Derek McSwain, and “Chased Away” by Tye Menser/Derek McSwain

Produced by The Oly Mountain Boys

The White Horse writers are:

1 Mindy Chambers
2 LLyn De Danaan
3 Tye Menser
4 Scott West
5 Johanna DeBiase
6 Man Munin
7 Nic Durham
8 Kelly Allen
9 Thess Fenner
10 Alexa Rowan
11 Shira Richman

Original White Horse illustrations: Ren Adams, www.renadamsart.com

“The Story” was assembled and edited by Tye Menser. The White Horse writers worked entirely independent of each other, using the song lyrics and rough mixes of the music for inspiration for their pieces. Minor changes were made to synthesize the pieces and create an integrated whole.

Engineering/mastering: Rick Nichols/Circle of Sound Studio, Olympia, WA
Packaging/replication: Megalodon Multi-Media, Brookings, OR
Graphics/layout: Paul Mauer/Euphoria Tea Productions
Cover art: Frances Marino/“Splash of White”
Photo card insert: Rusty Cock Ridge, Olympia, WA (trees photo); Jim Oas Photography, (barn photo)
OMB logo: Josh Grice & Insanity Shack Design

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Oly Mountain Boys Olympia, Washington

The Oly Mountain Boys play bluegrass with high-energy drive and a Pacific Northwest bent, mixing traditional tunes with revolutionary original bluegrass compositions. By combining picking prowess with tight three-part vocal harmonies, the band aims to showcase the power and appeal of a truly American musical form. ... more

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