1. Round Here
2. Heaven to Me
3. Diversion to Her Heart
4. Midwest Beach Resort
5. One More
6. Radio Song
7. Fate
8. Fire Tower Road
9. Perfect Symphony (Katie's Song)
10. Closer
Words and Music: ©2004 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
You say that you’re lost
No this town don’t show up on a map
I don’t know where you’re headed
But I can point to you where you’re at
This here was my Daddy’s house
Built with my Grandpaw’s hands
And my Great-Granddaddy left us all this land
It’s a southern town with a family atmosphere
I’d be glad to show you round here
Chorus:
Round here we talk a little different
And it’s a slower pace of life
We have sweet iced tea with dinner/supper
And bow our heads each night
We treat each day with a little extra care round here
You say you gotta go
You’re travelin’ north to the job again
But you’re voice don’t seem eager
Why don’t you take a moment and come on in
We’ll sit and talk awhile then maybe take a look around
I’ll introduce you to some people in this little town
You might find what you’re seeking for far away far there
I’d be proud to show you round here
Bridge:
Sometimes when lost we find where we are supposed to be
And though you gotta go please feel free
To holler if you’re ever near round here
Repeat Chorus:
Words and Music: ©2003 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
Front porch swingin’ in perfect time
To the melody playing on the wind chime
An unplugged telephone line
That’s Heaven to me
Extra sugar in my sweet tea
In a hammock between backyard trees
No place I’d rather be
That’s Heaven to me
Chorus:
Heaven ain’t a place far away
It’s revealed to us here everyday
In the life we’re given and the path we take
That’s Heaven to me
A catfish tuggin’ on the end of my line
Watchin’ the moon till sunrise
While sippin’ on Granddad’s muscadine wine
That’s Heaven to me
Sunday school at the start of the week
Church pews without an empty seat
A lazy drive down a back road street
That’s Heaven to me
Repeat Chorus:
Bridge:
I can’t take with me what’s down here
I’ll tell you a secret if you lend me an ear
God’s got a place for us up there
And that’s Heaven to me
Repeat Chorus:
Words and Music: ©2003 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
His latest interview didn’t go so well
And if anybody asks, he’d rather not tell
Although the bills and stress are higher than you’d believe
There’s a place for him to lay down worries
Chorus:
In the comfort of her arms to make it ok
The joy in her smile as a distraction from the day
And to know that when his/her world falls apart
There will always be a diversion to her heart
Prom night was less than she’d expected
And now regretful of a date she’d accepted
When these moments never live up to her dreams
There’s a place for her to handle reality
Repeat Chorus:
We all have a lady who fills these shoes
Overlooking clouds to bring the rainbow in view
Leading us out of the dark
She’ll light the way by a diversion to her heart
Tag:
So thank your moms and thank your wives
And very woman needed in our lives
Words and Music: ©2004 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
Got my lotion on it’s the middle of July
Just flipped over so my back don’t fry
My baby’s wearing cutoffs and smiling at me
It’s the end of a long workweek
She asked me for a trip to the beach
But the coast is a bit far from this Nebraska home
So, I improvised to give her what she wants
Phil’s brought a truck full of sand
I borrowed tiki torches from Karen Lyn
There ain’t no ocean just a golden sea of corn
It’s our Midwest beach resort
Tiny umbrellas stuck in our sweet tea
Cheers to the sun shining down on me
Thank God for such a beautiful day
My little pond’s got little waves
No sharks to fear so don’t be afraid
Jump on in the water’s fine
Bring your snorkel and fins to watch the bass swim by
Jimmy Buffet’s on the stereo inside
We made an old tarp into a Slip N’ Slide®
It ain’t Malibu but it’s the best we can afford
It’s our Midwest beach resort
Just a little creative ability
Beats spending money that don’t belong to me
Funny how a situation worked out for the good
I got people lined up from the nearest neighborhood
The Beach Boys are on the stereo inside
We’re playing volleyball over the clothesline
It ain’t Myrtle Beach but it’s the best we can afford
It’s our Midwest Beach…..
Next year I’ll charge admission at the door
And I’ll see you at our Midwest beach resort
Words and Music: ©2004 Kevin Farrell / J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
Dollars and dimes and I whole lot of time has been spent on her memory today
As the night grows long slow country songs is all that left for the jukebox to play
I’d heard every tune ‘neath the neon moon when the bartender shouts last call
But the only way I know how to cope is to have one more
Chorus:
One more for this lonely ol’ romeo so I can’t feel the pain
Losing her kicked me like a bull in a rodeo and I’m bruised up again
Once I find a way to move on, I’ll be cured
Until then I’ll be having one more
I know I shouldn’t, I just couldn’t refuse another round
Of a temporary remedy but this place is closing down
And I shouldn’t drive my truck this torn up still I left the bar
With a hand on the wheel and the other one still reaching for one more
Repeat Chorus:
Bridge:
I’m going home all alone, but I’ll be alright
Cause somehow one more country song
From the jukebox to now with the radio on
Brings her back into to my life
So I’ll play one more tonight
Repeat Chorus:
So it’s one more song for this lonely ol’ romeo…
Words and Music: ©2002 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
Tonight I stayed up writing a radio song
But the reception is weak and the interference is too strong
My position is firm and the hours burn
These creative wheels refuse to turn
There’s so much I lack, so much left to learn
And more than ever it’s become a concern
Tonight I stayed up writing a radio song
But the water is deep and the current is too strong
Although this time I got them on the line
My hook ain’t that sharp and I’ll drift from their minds
I’m reeling just as fast as the spindles can wind
But their attention is short of a style like mine
I won’t be cut from a lifeless mold
Nor fill a schedule the way I’m told
But sign me up when the sun turns cold
Tonight I stopped writing a radio song
I won’t follow a script and I won’t play along
Despite what they say I’ll write it my way
Refusing to kill it with overdone clichés
Living for tomorrow but dancing today
I’ll sing with a smile even if it don’t pay
Tonight I stopped writing a radio song
Words and Music: J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
There are rare instances when planets align
And in particular circumstances people lose their minds
But now I’m sure what happened in this case
God played a hand in fate
I’m not a good dancer
Maybe that’s how I caught your eye
I didn’t put on the charm or tell you any lies
Then revealed to me by our second date
God played a hand in fate
Despite what others may say or believe
Luck ain’t what made us move our feet
Unannounced but not a moment too late
God played a hand in fate
Bridge:
The calendar has flipped a few years by now
Who’d ever thought or imagined somehow
The girl I’d met be the woman’s vows I’d take
God played a hand in fate
Tag:
What I mean is I’d marry you again
Let’s set a date
God played a hand in fate
Words and Music: ©2005 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
Saturday night in this Daniel Boone town
Nuthin’ but the lights are goin’ down
All juiced up with no where to go
So we headed for Fire Tower Road
Top of the hill west of the knob
Red truck clinging to mountain rock
Singing songs and laughing to shake the cold
Another night on Fire Tower Road
Chorus:
Fire Tower Road dirty and steep
Icy winter muddy Fall
Pine trees standing tall
Blue Ridge view so sweet
Climb the tower and feel it sway
The wind will blow your cares away
Best times I’ve ever known
Spent top Fire Tower Road
Feels like the edge of the world
Watching how the clouds curl
Deep in the valley below
Looking off of Fire Tower Road
Stars race ‘cross a Carolina sky
My back’s to the ground and friends at my side
Oh the stories to be told
Lying on Fire Tower Road
Repeat Chorus:
Bridge:
There might not be much to do round here
Right now it’s perfectly clear
As far as I can see is all we need
And the memories that unfold
Up here on Fire Tower Road
Words and Music: ©2001 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
I can see heaven when I roll over in my bed
Shining like an angel where she lays her head
And with each breath I hear a sweet melody
But with the beat of her heart it’s a perfect symphony
Chorus:
This world’s full of noise it makes
But she’s my reason to listen each day
So I’ll close my eyes and once again
Fall asleep praying to hear no end
She’s so peaceful as she lies beneath our sheets
You know it’s hard at night not to wake her from sleep
Or take a hold her hand and dance her through my mind
Then maybe I could share this music of mine
Bridge:
Now she can’t speak but she sure can sing a song
At three months old and twenty-four inches long
Repeat Chorus:
Words and Music: ©2005 J. Shelby Merchant (ASCAP)
Administered by James Shelby Music
All Rights Reserved Used Only By Permission
As the distance grows in between
I can feel weight of the space unseen
Missing the touch of your embrace
Needing my soul to again radiate
With a light and might that warms my skin
Calloused, I know it has been
Although so much time has passed
Questions remain unanswered if not asked
Chorus:
So won’t you move a little closer to me
Won’t you move a little closer to me
I’m ready to listen if you’ll fill my ears
I have no excuses since looking in the mirror
So won’t you please move closer to me
It’s never easy after too long
Hoping we can still sing that song
A new me and an old you
Dancing to the same tune
I don’t and won’t expect it to occur right now
All I’m asking is for you to move
Repeat Chorus:
So won’t you please move closer to me
So won’t you please move closer to me
So won’t you forgive and move closer to me