We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Shoulda Been Gold

by I See Hawks in L.A.

/
  • Streaming + Download

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

      $14 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Our rare out of print "greatest hits" release with five bonus tracks. Sorry about the high price, but these go for a fortune on Amazon and we only have a few!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Shoulda Been Gold via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    2 remaining

      $150 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 19 I See Hawks in L.A. releases available on Bandcamp and save 60%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Something Fun For Christmas, Hawks Instrumentals Volume I, On Our Way, Radio Keeps Me On The Ground, 70's Groovy, Hawks With Good Intentions, Metate And Sky, Live and Never Learn, and 11 more. , and , .

    Excludes supporter-only releases.

    Purchasable with gift card

      $65.38 USD or more (60% OFF)

     

1.
I’d wash my hands of you but I like the way you smell I’d turn my back on you but I’d never live to tell I’d burn your pictures but you know you’re just to pretty I’d burn your letters but I could never burn up little Hello Kitty I’d forget your number but it’s written on my brain I’d forget the feel of your skin but it’s driving me insane I’d look for other fish but you know the sea’s polluted I’d try to be happy but you know I’m rather well suited for the life of strife and trials and tribulations I wish I could pretend it nothing but a sexy vacation Nothing but a sexy vacation sexy vacation I’d move away but I know some day you’ll be famous I wish I was a 19th century shepherd named Patrick, James, or Seamus Yeah, I’d write you off but you’re good for too much material I wish I could eat my words but I can barely keep down my cereal I’d just start over but you know we’re not getting any younger what’s the matter has the mean old cat got your tongue girl I destroy my radio when it plays your favorite song but the melody lingers on and on about the life of strife and trials and tribulations I wish I could pretend it nothing but a sexy vacation Nothing but a sexy vacation sexy vacation I remember the laughter and the fun but I knew I was under the gun You always had me in your sights even when we turned out the lights and the road to hell is surely paved with heavenly delights this life is rife with strife and trials and tribulations I wish I could pretend it was nothing but a sexy vacation after all nothing but a sexy vacation after all nothing but a sexy vacation after all nothing but a sexy vacation after all
2.
Awake in the willows awake in the scattered sun I followed you through the shadows And we wandered under trembling leaves in the morning in the morning You wondered would I be yours forever And I promised to as I carried you through the willows I carried you through the willows shoulda been gold coulda been silver shoulda been gold shoulda been delivered surely I was told surely we were different shoulda been gold Alone in the city far away from that golden day in the summer I wonder will you ever walk with me again I faltered I surrendered on the palace floor through the cheating door on the silvery shore CHORUS Ohhhhs and you waited curtains faded at the window and then you made your getaway and I wonder where you’ll stay CHORUS
3.
Humboldt 05:17
Half a mile from the county line Half a mile and I’m feelin fine In Humboldt, Humboldt Spark it up and let it out Breathe it in, what it’s all about 40 pounds in the back of my van It’s all a part of the master plan In Humboldt, Humboldt When I cross that line I’ll be feelin fine in Humboldt Chopper’s up in the sunny sky Law enforcement is on my mind I’d be glad to plant corn in the ground But corn don’t go for $3000 a pound In Humboldt, Humbold Sweet mama walking through my field Her feet are sticky with a bountiful yield Don’t need no technology Just the moon sun stars and sea In Humboldt, Humboldt When I cross that line I’ll be feeling fine in Humboldt Cool my mind, I won’t do time in Humboldt If I beat the DEA Just ten stoney hours to my friend in L.A. Next stop is a jumbo jet Fly me to the fields of Tibet Bye bye Bush, I’m outta here Tibet is my new frontier I quit my job at the 7-11 Now I’m headed off to a stoney heaven Humboldt, bye bye Humboldt When I cross that line I’ll be feeling fine in Humboldt Let the bonfire burn and the children learn in Humboldt When the weed is high, I hope I die in Humboldt Hope I die in Humboldt
4.
Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Senator Byrd Ooh Born in Carolina to a family of miners The flu of 1918 took his mother away Couldn’t go to college it was the depths of the Depression The valedictorian pumped gasoline instead Ooohh He found himself a sweetheart in Erma Ora James The Coal miners daughter with the odd middle name he labored in the shipyards during World War II Welding Liberties and Victories for me and for you Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Senator Byrd Ooh He burned the cross of Jesus in the West Virginia night The darkness of America blinded his sight Baptized in the blood of our national sin The Ghosts of the Conquest rise again and again ooohh As a young man in Congress he studied law at night For ten long years, he burned a different light Presented with his J.D. by John Fitzgerald Kennedy just before the young president was escorted into history Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Senator Byrd Ooh Fifty years in Washington just passed before his eyes The building of the empire, its burdens and delights Did the suffering of the world or the folly of the day Change a stubborn old heart to see a better way? oohh And when a reckless new President came calling for war Old Bird from West Virginia Sang out the score: “The doctrine of pre-emption is radical and deadly” Who will sing the song when the bird flies away Vanished o’er the hillside at the end of the day Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Byrd from West Virginia Senator Byrd Ooh A lone voice a cryin A lone voice a cryin A lone voice a cryin Senator Byrd Ooh Senator Byrd
5.
Bossier City 04:33
6.
She was born in a school bus on the Blue Ridge Parkway Her parents had driven from the San Francisco Bay It was late December of 1968 The skies was filling with the darkness of hate Bobby and Martin were long gone The Flower Children had sung their very last song Nixon was heading to that big White House and bombs would soon be dropping on the children of Laos But a beautiful little girl was born on Christmas day away from the madness that had driven them astray she carried a sparkle right there in her eye it shined through the night and it filled up the sky She was raised by hippies in the hills of Tennessee raised by hippies so wild and so free raised by hippies they did some things wrong but they raised their children right and they did it for a song Her family moved to Chicago in 1982 Reagan was president no one knew what to do Izods and argyles made her feel strange she missed the hippie children and their earthy nature names All the boys fell in love with her on the first day of spring She went to class with no shoes on her feet But her teachers tried to break her of her hillside hippie ways they made her sit inside on the sunniest of days CHORUS When the Bobs fell on Baghdad Her daddy wept and raged Wrote Kill Whitey on a rest stop on the Natchez Trace Oh Daddy don’t forget Bobby and Martin up above remember the songs you sang in the Summer of Love Summer of Love She’s all grown up now with kids of her own she teaches them the songs of her hillside hippie home and that old school bus is battered but her engine’s good and strong tomorrow’s sun will find us furthur along the song book is dusty but they/we remember the tune her uncle’s in the back reading the Chronicles of Dune CHORUS Run old Molly run . . .
7.
Highway Down 05:14
Highway how much I need you Highway wind across the land Take me away from all my troubles Give me my two feet on the ground Big Sandy Mountain’s there to welcome me Sweet desolation highway 93 Lay my bag out on the Carson Sink I can’t be 1000 miles from anything Oh won’t you take my down easy Bring me all the way down Oh won’t you take my down easy Bring me all the way down Oh won’t you take my down easy Bring me all the way down I could get addicted to the Highway Down I get all up in my head too much Stressed out about things that were said and such I should be lying in my bed till dusk A bed of flowers overlooking the San Joaquin CHORUS I’m gonna heal my afflictions on the highway down Lord knows I love this Valley Though it’s as wounded as an alley I see the weddings and the rodeos and the worn out fields From a bed of flowers overlooking the San Joaquin CHORUS I could be addicted to the Highway Down Talking to my devil on the Highway Down Getting on the level on my Highway Down Dig my grave with a shovel on the Highway Down
8.
Texarkanada 04:00
Texarkanada! Texarkanada! Texarkanada! That’s my home That’s my home That’s my home Caleximexico Mexicalexico Caleximexico Mexicalexico That’s my home Well I can’t stay here I won’t go back there I feel like a monkey sitting in a chair My mind ain’t right I ain’t where it’s at I don’t know where to hang my hat Texarkanada! Texarkanada! East west north and south Your feet are in your shoes and your teeth are in your mouth But brother where are you Still trying to find out Busting out of Tustin Look Out! Calinevazona, Calinevazona, Calinevazona, Calinevazona Going all the way to California In a Ford station wagon Going all the way to California In a Ford Minnesota, North Carolina looking for the family in a truck stop diner Strange turf, Evil Earth Don’t forget what the graveyard’s worth Hey, Hey Jimmy Carter Never left Plains, Georgia Walks the land, dirt in his hand Ashes to Ashes Do you understand? Texarkanada! Texarkanada! Texarkanada! Texarkanada!
9.
We walked along the river heard the whistle of the Dixie Belle well we never made it to heaven and there are secrets we can never tell but you know that I still love you and I’ll always stay As we watch the muddy water carry our troubles away Laissez les bon temps roulet O ma cher, o ma cher Laissez les bon temps roulet O ma cher, o ma cher Tout les temps, tout facon, Tout mon coeur, oui, allons a la bon temps roulet (ma ‘tit monde, ma ‘tit monde) Like a captured meander you locked my heart away I was a wild roving river whiskey and sweet tokay now we wander more slowly the ghosts of the parish at our side I know one day we’ll join them but tonight let’s take a ride
10.
The Salesman 03:35
Oh the salesman is a bright shiny spirit or maybe you’ve just had a bad day or maybe your baby’s gone and left you and that’s why you’re driving away In a 1971 Chevy Nova with a 501 and a 12-to-1 etc, etc Oh the salesman is a bright shiny spirit his face filled with vigor and vim just close the deal with a handshake he’ll transfer that love that gift from a above to the object that winds up on your table CHORUS: And what are you in for now? Oh, what are you in for now ? And what are you in for now? Oh, what are you in for now ? Well the salesman takes a break and drinks his coffee looks up into the night sky and just like that other fallen angel he asks his father why bridge waltz: did you lead me through the dark to the land of sunny parks to the days before your expectations broke me heart, broke my heart, broke my heart Oh, the TV is a red ruby Satan broadcast to your soul from below and the salesman has a bright shiny vision that tattooed bar code from which all riches flow from Wall Street to Frankfurt to Tokyo
11.
It’s midnight in Orlando And Disneyland is done they closed up Snoopy and they sent him on the run The planes in the sky above shooting across the darkened blue Someone in Space Mountain has got the heart sick flu It’s midnight It’s mid, midnight in Orlando I flew all this way to listen to a man who told us he could fill us up with his six-week master plan I’m listing all my losses in this air-conditioned room Locked up with a to a guru in a Radisson Cocoon It’s midnight It’s mid, midnight in Orlando Well I’m so sorry that I traveled so far away Did you notice that I didn’t even call today So I’m climbing into my car and I’m heading for the gate I’ve had enough of this Disney land I’ve had enough to think I’m heading for the swamp land where at least I know what’s dead where the animals don’t greet you they just eat you instead and I’m coming to free you and I’m coming to get your child I’m going to take you for a ride away, away, away
12.
Soul Power 03:50
13.
I know we’ll never see The trees that used to be Blanketing Ohio The panther and the Iroquois and geese that used to fly And blacken autumn skies South across Ohio South towards Mexico not long ago CHORUS: Gives me Hope Against Hope Hope Against Hope Hope Against Hope Hope Against Hope I know that you and I Will never spark prairie fires or walk to Oregon But we still soldier on and on To take a hopeless stand on wild Dakota land After you and me The Snake and Colorado will run free CHORUS: Montana blue Illinois gold and green tears from your eyes I don’t want to fight but I can’t sleep Hope Against Hope
14.
I like rock And rock gardens I like to watch materials harden The desk clerk at the Motel 6 Just past the Marine Base He said this here is a nice little region, but Stay away from Wonder Valley Wonder Valley Wonder Valley It’s the land where a man can take a stand Wonder Valley You don’t need a de-louser Better bring a douser to Wonder Valley Groove the land Take a stand in Wonder Valley Watch the sunset change the shadows Watch the food thieves swinging from the gallows Wonder Valley Well the desk clerk at the Motel 6 Said he was looking for a 1966 Ford Fairlane I said come on down to L.A. He said oh, no They just want to trick you Then they’ll roll you Well I stayed up all night watching the sun come up All I want to do is drink a beer and have a cup Of coffee One after the other You can talk about my guns Don’t talk about my mother Wonder Valley Wonder Valley It’s the land where a man can take a stand Wonder Valley The desk clerk said stay away from Wonder Valley They sell the methamphetamine behind the alley They could go insane They could kill little Sally I walked through the town Like Johnny Cash Didn’t have no trouble Burning through my stash in Wonder Valley, Wonder Valley The marines fly their planes And the lizards go insane In Wonder Valley When the missiles start to fly Grab the kids, don’t wonder why . . . Better head for Wonder Valley Watch this
15.
Grapevine 04:37
Hang a new clothesline wait for the sunshine to climb up the lawn to day watch the winter sky turn into the summer sky watch the flowers try to stay once again I’m on my way Up the Grapevine Up the Grapevine Call on the telephone whisper your name alone you don’t ever answer or explain you don’t need to water me it will not bother me when you become a shadow again once again I’m on my way Up the Grapevine Up the Grapevine Ease my own mind Up the Grapevine I don’t mind Cause I’m feeling fine But I lose my mind every time I stay Now the hills are turning green there’s rain in the air supreme the trails in the sky don’t mean a thing so I drive in my car at night and I turn off my headlights and I see if the radio can lead the way Up the Grapevine Up the Grapevine Ease my own mind Up the Grapevine Up the Grapevine Take my own time past the altitude sign Up the Grapevine I don’t mind Cause I’m feeling fine But I lose my mind everytime I stay
16.
I see hawks in L.A. I see hawks in L.A. If you see hawks Then maybe we should talk I see hawks in L.A. I hear trains in the night I hear trains in the night Lonesome sound Lonesome as this town I hear trains in the night One more day on the 605 What if this place got buried alive? The biggest quake the world’s ever seen Let the snakes take over again Do you watch clouds disappear? Do you watch clouds disappear? If clouds disappear I’ll lend you an ear Do you watch clouds disappear? Just as I’m about to leave this town Clouds roll in and the rain comes down Just enough to make me laugh Big tree makes the sidewalk crack I see hawks in L.A. I see hawks in L.A. I see hawks in L.A. I see hawks in L.A.
17.
The mystery of life is never ending Should a man take a wife Or face the sunrise alone In the stillness of the night A voice will come a callin’ No matter what your means The answer has no price You may blame forgotten history You may be ashamed of the treachery of men But in the end it is each man’s destiny To face the mystery of life alone Of life alone A promise never kept and a love affair betrayed All the tears that you have wept for the righteous and the brave And the moments that have crept from the spotlight of your memory Sit like stones beneath a stream illuminating like a dream CHORUS

about

Our greatest hits if you ignore the fact that we never had any hits, hence the title. Six never before released bonus tracks, and a great remastering by Joe Gastwirt.

credits

released January 26, 2010

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

I See Hawks in L.A. Los Angeles, California

I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. formed in the first year of the 21st century on a desert journey that has led to ten releases, UK/Europe and U.S. tours, and way too much fun. Alt country folk rock with rich harmonies and a way outsider approach to Americana. See them live! Top Ten Americana Releases, MOJO ... more

contact / help

Contact I See Hawks in L.A.

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

I See Hawks in L.A. recommends:

If you like I See Hawks in L.A., you may also like: