American Odyssey

by Tony James Shevlin

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £5 GBP  or more

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 4 Tony James Shevlin releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Long Way Round, American Odyssey, Restless Celtic Heart, and Songs From the Last Chance Saloon. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      £15.20 GBP or more (20% OFF)

     

1.
Rambling Days 03:56
lyrics
buy track
When I hear that train whistle blowing into the night Then I know that everything will be alright When I hear that whistle blow I know it’s time for me to go When I hear that train whistle blowing into the night When I see that river rolling around the bend Then I know that this is not where my story ends When I see that river flow Going someplace I don’t know I need to see that river rolling around the bend There’s always one more town down one more winding road The road less travelled means I’m alone I hope that someday when my rambling days are done I’ll find a place I can call home When I feel that old sun shining upon my face And it takes me to a different time and place I wanna see that old sun set In someplace I ain’t been yet I need to feel that old sun shining upon my face Oh, Lord, won’t you help me change my ways Oh, Lord, get me through these rambling days Oh, Lord, won’t you help me change my ways Oh, Lord, get me through these rambling days
2.
Set Me Down by the Singing River 04:10
lyrics
buy track
Set me down by the singing river Let her wash right over me Nothing in the world that I won’t give her If she’d set my spirit free There’s something in the water That’s giving off that sound I knew someday that I would be Alabama bound Set me down by the singing river Let her wash right over me Nothing in the world that I won’t give her If she’d set my spirit free Ti-la-ney was just a young girl When the shiny buttons came They took her on the trail of tears But she walked back home again Set me down by the singing river Let her wash right over me Nothing in the world that I won’t give her If she’d set my spirit free It’s just like the wind and the rain You turn around and it’s gone So I sat down by Arthur’s grave And sang ‘You Better Move On’ One man had a vision And he went in search of FAME Told the world that he was going to ‘Kick some ass and take some names’ In that room on Jackson Highway The Gods all came to play I tell you know ‘Wild Horses’ Could not drag me away Set me down by the singing river Let her wash right over me Nothing in the world that I won’t give her If she’d set my spirit free
3.
Santa Fe Sadness 04:07
lyrics
buy track
The New Mexico crowd all applauded One encore, then two and then three But I’ve got this Santa Fe sadness ‘cause you’re back in old Tennessee It’s late and the bar room is empty The waitress is smiling at me It’s don’t help this Santa Fe sadness ‘Cause you’re back in old Tennessee I want to believe that drink will relieve This melancholy that’s come over me I’ve seen deserts and rivers and mountains Such beauty I thought I’d never see But I can’t shake this Santa Fe sadness ‘Cause you’re back in old Tennessee The clock on the wall isn’t moving at all With time standing still, I’ve got so much to kill So I’m counting the miles in between us One thousand, two hundred and three It adds to this Santa Fe sadness ‘Cause you’re back in old Tennessee I’m proposing a toast in the mirror One whisky, then two and then three Here’s to that Santa Fe sadness ‘Cause you’re back in old Tennessee
4.
Kansas City Won't Let Me Go 03:47
lyrics
buy track
It’s late I really should quit drinking The bars here never seem to close About this time I get to thinking One more won’t hurt me I suppose I know there are other towns that I should get to know But Kansas City won’t let me go There’s a blues band down at B.B’s That I’d really like to see And tomorrow night at Johnnie’s The Royals’ game is on TV Or we could sit and watch the Missouri River flow Because Kansas City won’t let me go I hit the 35 and think that I am free But by Claycomo Kc’s calling out to me Old boss Tom he would be so proud This wide-open town is his legacy So won’t you join with me and sing out loud There is no place I would rather be Every time I say goodbye KC just says hello And Kansas City won’t let me go Kansas City won’t let me go Kansas City don’t let me go
5.
Tucumcari Sunset 03:24
lyrics
buy track
I don’t want to leave you but I have to go On that long road that takes me Through Texas and New Mexico My heart it is aching but what can I do? I’ll find a Tucumcari sunset and bring it back home to you I’m counting the moments until I return But each mile that takes me away from you makes my heart yearn I need to show you that my love is true I’ll find a Tucumcari sunset and bring it back home to you This won’t last forever One day I’ll be free But what keeps me going Is knowing you’re waiting for me The road that I travel is so very long But one day that road It will take me back where I belong Until that day I’ll be lonely and blue I’ll find a Tucumcari sunset and bring it back home to you I’ll find a Tucumcari sunset and bring it back home to you
6.
When the Rain Came Down 03:55
lyrics
buy track
When the rain came down and washed my sins away Clearing out the memories that cling to yesterday When the rain came down the water cleansed my soul Purged the broken parts of me and helped to make me whole When the rain came down over me When the rain came down and set me free When the sun shone down drying up the rain The seeds of hope I’d planted could start to grow again When the sun shone down warm against my skin The promise of a new day where healing could begin When the sun shone down over me When the sun shone down and set me free I’m not looking for redemption I’m just looking for release When the clouds roll in blocking out the sun Like an eerie premonition of storms that are to come When the clouds roll in darkening the sky I won’t fear the thunder and you won’t see me cry When the clouds roll in over me When the clouds roll in and set me free
7.
Travelling Man 04:32
lyrics
buy track
Heading out of Flagstaff, Arizona Driving down a road that I don’t know Trying to get to Tulsa, Oklahoma A thousand miles to make that show Another day, another town On this road that I’ve running down I’m making music anywhere I can And I was born with the need to play To the rhythm of a lost highway Just me, a guitar and a car I’m a travelling man Picked up a girl just north of Nashville Singing and grinning our way through Tennessee Hoping that the ghost of Johnny Cash will Sing me a Beale Street melody Another day, another town On this road that I’ve running down I’m making music anywhere I can And I was born with the need to play To the rhythm of a lost highway Just me, a guitar and a car I’m a… So sorry I can’t stay I’ll take the knocks along the way No time to dwell on yesterday There was a town in Alabama I thought that I might call it home But here I am in Indiana I guess that I was born to roam Another day, another town On this road that I’ve running down I’m making music anywhere I can And I was born with the need to play To the rhythm of a lost highway Just me, a guitar and a car I’m a travelling man Oh, oh I’m a travelling man Oh, oh I’m a travelling man Oh, oh travelling man Oh, oh I’m a travelling man
8.
When Ginny Gets Her Wings 03:28
lyrics
buy track
When Ginny gets her wings The promise of brighter things A little get up and go Take it down to Mexico The wind in her hair having so much fun Ridin’ out on a Harley Davidson She’ll be leaving Colorado Springs When little Ginny gets her wings Locked in a loveless marriage Tied to a cheating heart It’s time for her to make a change Make a brand new start Nobody can take from her just how good she feels Head out on the highway cruising on two wheels When Ginny gets her wings The promise of brighter things A little get up and go Take it down to Mexico The wind in her hair having so much fun Ridin’ out on a Harley Davidson She’ll be leaving Colorado Springs When little Ginny gets her wings Randy took her for a ride On Highway 25 The first time in a long time That she felt so alive By the time they got to Cimarron he knew that she would be The owner of a brand new XL 1200T When Ginny gets her wings The promise of brighter things A little get up and go Take it down to Mexico The wind in her hair having so much fun Ridin’ out on a Harley Davidson She’ll be leaving Colorado Springs When little Ginny gets her wings She wouldn’t change the things she’s done And all the things she’s seen She says “to find out where you’re going You have to look at where you’ve been” “I made this house into a home but now the kids have gone The road is clear, I’m shifting gear, pulling out and moving on” When Ginny gets her wings The promise of brighter things A little get up and go Take it down to Mexico The wind in her hair having so much fun Ridin’ out on a Harley Davidson She’ll be leaving Colorado Springs When little Ginny gets her wings Leaving Colorado Springs When little Ginny gets her wings
9.
Ride the Mississippi 03:50
lyrics
buy track
Why don’t you meet me in St. Louis On Delmar there’s something going down We ain’t ever gonna buy a house in Frontenac It’s time to leave this old Dogtown We’re gonna ride the Mississippi Down at New Orleans Ride the Mississippi River of my dreams I’m changing my direction I’m going with the flow I’m gonna ride the Mississippi To the Gulf of Mexico When we get down to Memphis You’re gonna hear those Beale St. Blues Break into a house on Elvis Presley Boulevard We got nothing left to lose We’re gonna ride the Mississippi Down at New Orleans Ride the Mississippi River of my dreams I’m changing my direction I’m going with the flow I’m gonna ride the Mississippi To the Gulf of Mexico That old man river keeps rolling on You just say the word and we’ll be gone You’re gonna love Louisiana Voodoo, Cajun and Creole We can light a candle to the Virgin and the Saints Gonna need some help to save my soul We’re gonna ride the Mississippi Down at New Orleans Ride the Mississippi River of my dreams I’m changing my direction I’m going with the flow I’m gonna ride the Mississippi To the Gulf of Mexico
10.
Mockingbird 03:56
lyrics
buy track
Why did you lead me astray? With shiny new gifts that you bring Why did you take them away? And why does a mockingbird sing? Was it something I said? Or something I didn’t do? Did I break promises That I’d made to you? Why did you lead me astray? With shiny new gifts that you bring Why did you take them away? And why does a mockingbird sing? I was looking for answers I was searching for clues Trying to find someone to blame And I thought of you Why did you lead me astray? With shiny new gifts that you bring Why did you take them away? And why does a mockingbird sing? In that motel in Memphis I called out to you But there was just emptiness And a cold de javu Why did you lead me astray? With shiny new gifts that you bring Why did you take them away? And why does a mockingbird sing? And why does a mockingbird sing ?
11.
Robert Johnson's Tears 04:05
lyrics
buy track
I’m a long, long way from home And I’m on my own tonight Not that I can’t be alone But something don’t feel right Montgomery, Alabama with all your hopes and dreams And now you’ve got me drowning in Robert Johnson’s tears I made my way through Selma And thought about that day Saw the ghost of old Hank Williams Standing on a lost highway Far too many whiskies and way too many beers And now you’ve got me drowning in Robert Johnson’s tears Don’t let the devil bring me down What will I tell poor Willie Brown? In Greenwood, Mississippi There’s something in the air I’m standing at a crossroads Not going anywhere Did I sell my soul along with yours For all those wasted years? And now you’ve got me drowning in Robert Johnson’s tears I’m a long, long way from home And I’m on my own tonight Not that I can’t be alone But something don’t feel right Montgomery, Alabama with all your hopes and dreams And now you’ve got me drowning in Robert Johnson’s tears I’m a long, long way from home And I’m on my own tonight

about

In 2015 Tony embarked on a 3-month tour of the US. He would visit 17 States, 21 cities and drive 11,000 miles to promote his album Songs From the Last Chance Saloon. He hoped that during this time he might be inspired to write a couple of songs. It turns out he wrote a whole album. “I’d been in the country about a month, having travelled from Nashville, Tennessee up through Kentucky
to Chicago, Illinois and across to St Louis and Kansas City, Missouri when the first song came. After that it was like the flood gates had opened and I couldn’t stop writing."

The results of that flood, and the trials and tribulations of life on the road, are captured in a set of songs that draw on classic Country, gritty Rock n’ roll, swampy blues rock and 60’s powerpop in equal measure.

American Odyssey is an outsider’s love letter to the United States - its deserts, mountains and rivers, its cities and its people. The troubadour tells us his tales of the storms in Nebraska, the heat of Arizona, the highs of encores in New Mexico and the lows of a lonely motel room in Mississippi. Eleven songs – one for every thousand miles of road – take the listener on a remarkable journey that is one man’s American Odyssey

credits

released August 1, 2017

Produced by Tony James Shevlin
Assistant producer and engineer: Ian Crow
Recorded at Amblin’ Man Studios, Otley, Suffolk, UK

Tim Bye Drums;
Steven ‘Kilby’ Mears: bass on Ride the Mississippi
Jonny Miller: electric guitar and mandolin:
Adam Wyatt: keyboards:
Jules Shevlin: backing vocals
Nick Zala: pedal steel guitar:
Jan Rowe: violin on When the Rain Came Down:
Ian Crow: slide guitar on Robert Johnson’s Tears:
Therese Miller:‘accordion’ keyboard on Tucumcari Sunset:
Suffolk Soul Singers: choir on Set me Down by the Singing River: (arr. Andi Hopgood)
Tony James Shevlin: bass, acoustic and electric guitars, slide guitar, lead and backing vocals

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Tony James Shevlin image

Tony James Shevlin England, UK

Tony James Shevlin is an Anglo-Irish singer-songwriter who's been a professional musician for most of his adult life and has performed all over the world, from Europe to Russia, Africa, America, the Middle East and Australia. Along the way he’s had songs used by Amnesty International, The Troggs, and REM. ... more

contact / help

Contact Tony James Shevlin

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Tony James Shevlin, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featured guests are the golden-voiced Baby Rose and psyche soulsters Brainstory.
listen now