Naomi Ashley | Music: Small Town Thing

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Small Town Thing (BUY NOW!)

Small Town Thing was released in 2002 under Naomi's country-rock band Naomi Ashley and County Fair. A lively honky-tonk sound dominates this album with lyrical narratives that have been described as "ripped straight from the pages of small town newspapers and barroom conversations filled with familiar, twisted stories of romantic longings and relationships gone bad."

Listen      Lyrics      Nothing to Say

Listen      Lyrics      Other Woman

Listen      Lyrics      Enough

Listen      Lyrics      Lullaby

Listen      Lyrics      Dog Child

Listen      Lyrics      Down with It

Listen      Lyrics      Tell Your Jesus

Listen      Lyrics      Pride

Listen      Lyrics      Worse Ways to Go

Listen      Lyrics      You Got Nothin'

Listen      Lyrics      Cry Out of This City

Listen      Lyrics      First Time I Saw You I Was Drunk

Nothing to Say (2:30)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

The introduction starts and you are holding out your hand
My tongue begins to swell, well you're just not what I expected
I try to think of what to say as I go and shake your hand
I just smile and look away because I just forgot your name

Chorus
And if I ever wanted to
And if I ever wanted to
And if I ever wanted to
I'd still have nothing to say to you

And if I ever wanted to I wouldn't sing about you
I wouldn't sing about you — I think I'd sing about the farm
On the combine with my dad and I'd ride back on top of the wagon
I still see the beautiful fields and I still see the beautiful corn

Chorus

And if I ever wanted I'd be alone and I'd sit all by myself and watch the TV
And if I ever wanted to I'd take you home and you sit and watch the TV beside me

And if you ever new the joy I know, inside you knew the joy
If I could make you understand and you could hold me in your hand
If you ever wanted to

Chorus

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Other Woman (2:46)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

The lights are low and the music's loud
We're dancing slow, head's in the clouds
But you're in chains and I'm oh so free
And the way you're looking at me, it's easy to see
I'm the other woman

Chorus
If you weren't so weak
I wouldn't have to be so strong
And if you were right, I wouldn't feel so wrong
Would you let her go if I let you stay
Baby it's okay, it's okay for the other woman

My head is spinning and I'm seeing stars
Is it the whiskey or is it my heart
It's early you whisper, I say it's way too late
I'm who I fear, I'm who I hate I'm the other woman

Chorus

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Enough (3:21)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

Well it hurts you to know him and it hurts to say his name
Who would have thought that love would cause so much pain
Hurts to hold on and it hurts to let go and it hurts to exist now
Believe me I know

Chorus
Well look here, look at me, I'm not going anywhere
Give me all of your worry give me all of your care
My love wont' change, whatever your lot
I wish that were enough I understand that its not

Well to take one single breath it takes all of your pride
And no river can fill the canyon growing inside
Sometimes you lose and sometimes you lose
And sometimes you're the paper boy for that bad bad news

Chorus

Well it seems that that God he's playing some kind of joke
When your love and your dreams they go up in smoke
It's nothing, no nothing that you deserve
And I'll beat the shit out of God for having the nerve

Chorus

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Lullaby (3:01)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

Chorus
You and me, we're a lullaby
You and me, we're a lullaby
You and me, we're a lullaby
And just I wish that I could go to sleep

You and me are a bottle of pills
You and me are a bottle of pills
You and me are a bottle of pills
And I just wish that I could go to sleep

Chorus

I'm tired of you and I'm tired of me
I'm tired of you and I'm tired of me
I'm tired of you and I'm tired of me
And I just wish that I could go to sleep

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Dog Child (3:04)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

I loved you like a child
Trusted you like a child
Came running to you like a child
You must have thought I was a child

Because you treated me like a child
Patronized me like a child
Scolded me like a child
Yes, you must have thought I was a child

I was loyal and true like a dog
Your best friend like a dog
Right by your side like a dog
You must have thought I was a dog

Because you treated me like a dog
Led me around like a dog
And kept me outside like a dog
Yes you must have thought I was a dog child

So I cried like a child
Rubbed my eyes like a child
Pouted and screamed like a child
Until I almost thought I was a child

And I backed away like a dog
Whimpered and whined like a dog
Howled at the moon like a dog
Until I almost thought I was a dog child

I look like a girl
I sometimes act like a lady
And I'm gonna leave like a woman
All grown up and human

Because I cannot play like a child
And I will not stay like a dog
And I don't know who it is I've been
But I ain't no dog child

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Down with It (2:15)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

You're so strange, you're so strange
Didn't mean to see you change
We were the same, just the same
Now we're not quite the same

So baby baby if you want to quit
Sugar sugar I'm down with it
And if you think it'll be okay
Baby baby I'm yesterday

Now you look so good, you look so good
You look better than I would
And you sound okay you sound so good
You sound better than I thought you would

So baby baby if you want me back
Sugar sugar I'm down with that
And if you think it'll be okay
Baby baby I'm here today

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Tell Your Jesus (2:44)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

You think you got me, the brimstone's fallin
You think you got me, the Lord is callin
You think you got me, you've got your token
You say I'm weak, my spirit's broken

Chorus
Well tell your Jesus, go tell your Jesus
Not to get so upset
Then ask your Jesus, go ask your Jesus
If he remembers that night that we met

Say you're my brother, you say you love me
I've got a brother, he doesn't judge me
Does not place himself above me
Knows who I am and thinks I'm dandy

Chorus

Now I've been saved and I've been sanctified
Have not been crucified but I've been terrified
And I've been moralized, I've been santitized
And I've been baptized ... twice

Chorus

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Pride (3:47)
Music and Lyrics: Naomi Ashley
© Naomi Ashley

Pride's a complicated thing
A complicated thing
An overrated thing
Mine, it is a small town thing
A live it down type thing
A live it down type thing

But oh if I could do it again
Oh if I could do it again

Chorus
Oh please don't go
Stay don't go, stay don't go
Please I'm on my knees
Please don't leave, please don't leave

And oh if I could do it again
That's what I'd say, that's what I'd say

You, you're a reckless man
You're a reckless man
A brave and helpless man
And I'm a girl who uses common sense
I stay behind the fence, way behind the fence

And oh if I could do it again
Oh if I could do it again

Chorus

What's the right thing what has the right thing gotten me
I've said nothing, done nothing and I've got nothing to see

Pride's a complicated thing
A complicated thing
An overrated thing
Mine, it is a small town thing
A live it down type thing
A live it down type thing

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Your love's a locomotive pulling boxcars filled with hobos,
Pig iron, a circus, wood and coal
Going one-way through St. Louis, right on down to God who knows
And I'm a deer caught in your headlights with a monkey on my back
I hear your whistle blowing but I can't get of the tracks
And I'll tell you boys there are worse ways to go
Yes I'll tell you boys there are worse ways to go

You're an eighteen wheeler, barreling down I-80
With girlies on your mudflaps and diesel in your soul
Saying if you don't like my driving, dial 1-800-EAT-SHIT
I watch you charging towards me and so the story goes
And I'm the little kitten in the middle of the road
And I'll tell you boys there are worse ways to go
Yes I'll tell you boys there are worse ways to go

You could stay with me awhile, hold my hand and smile
Then you'd get into my head
You'd be there then you'd be gone, your train is moving on
And I'd be so sad, wish I were dead

It only takes a spark to get a wild fire going,
And the grass around my heart's so dry and your fire keeps on growing
If I'm not careful now, you might give me the third degree
Now you've burned up half the forest 30ft. flames blazing mean
And I'm trying to light my campfire with a can of gasoline
And I'll tell you boys there are worse ways to go
Yes I'll tell you boys there are worse ways to go

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What do you want me to sing, cause I know lots of things
I know how to love and I know how to lie
And I know that you want me and I know that you try
And I know you think you got me just because you seen me cry
Well

Chorus
I've got news for you
I've got news for you
I've got news for you
You got nothin'

What do you want me to say, cause I've seen better days
I've seen the sunshine and I've seen the rain
And I don't mean to argue and I don't mean to complain
But you give me nothing but heartache you give me nothing but pain
So

Chorus

What do you want me to do, now that I'm free from you
Do you want me to thank you, do you want me to leave
Do you want me to grow smaller, curl up into a ball
Do you want me to beg you, do you want me at all
Cause

Chorus

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I'm not gonna wear no shoes no more
I'm not gonna try to lock my door
I'm not gonna drive, I'm gonna hitch a ride
And I'm gonna cry out of this city

I'm not gonna wear no fancy dress
I'm not gonna miss your sweet caress
And I'm not gonna love myself into a mess
I'm gonna cry out of this city

I'm not gonna work no more for the man
And gee I hope that he can understand
That my soul is worth more than 35 grand
And I'm gonna find it again out of this city

Cause there's a place I can go where I know everybody
And I can run and I can run and not run into anybody
And there's something that I left there that I need to go and get there
Once I cry out of this city
I'm not gonna wear no shoes no more
I'm not gonna try to lock my door
I'm not gonna drive, I'm gonna hitch a ride
And I'm gonna cry out of this city

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Chorus
First time I saw you I was drunk
Second time I saw you I was tipsy
Third time I saw you I was starting to sober up
Now boy I don't want to see you any more

Now my mama said there's always time for drinkin
And love could be found at the bottom of your glass
She said darling, that's how I met your daddy
As I stumbled by him he grabbed my drunken ass
Now I never thought I was anything like my mama
Except we both like our whiskey and we both walk with a limp
And as I saw you standing there through my cloudy spinning eyes
I thought you looked so nice, I thought you might be a guy from TV
Or a pimp
And that was the first time
And the ...

Chorus

Now I don't know if it was that tattoo of your mama on your chest
Or if it was that intense gaze coming straight from your eyes
Of if it was the way you held my hair as I was throwing up
That made me see you were a sensitive guy
I used to think you were the best thing since the box of wine
But as my buzz wore off, so did your charms
And I realized that intense gaze was coming straight from your glass eye
And that tattoo of your mama wasn't your mama at all
It was my mama ... Hey now

Last call was called, I slipped an ashtray in my purse
Grabbed a handful of pretzels and I knew what I should do
I ran out the bowling alley door and straight into Betty Ford
Now boy, I'm 12 steps away from you
And that was the last time
But the ...

Chorus

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© 2009 Naomi Ashley. All rights reserved. | Site + Design: ENGAGE:DSN | Copy by: Al Kammen | Logo Design: Spilled Ink Press | This project is partially supported by a Community Arts Assistance Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.