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Anger Management

by Gerry Spehar

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1.
Thank You Donald 03:02
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THANK YOU DONALD Gerry Spehar I was heading towards the cliff, gettin' ready to kill myself When the radio said NC went red and the whole damn country bled So I stopped the truck, said WTF! It cut me like a knife, brought me back to life Gotta help the kids, gotta help the wife Thank you, Donald! I can't die yet Thank you, Donald! I can't quit Thank you, Donald! You saved my life On the way home I drove 'er down in the ditch, slapped my head said son-of-a-bitch That's exactly what that man's gonna do to the whole damn country in a year or two I got 'er back on the road and hit the gas, kicked that truck in the ass Cause it cut me like a knife, brought me back to life Gotta tell the kids, gotta tell the wife Thank you, Donald! I can't die yet Thank you, Donald! I can't quit Thank you, Donald! You saved my life Now, they tell me love trumps hate, and maybe that's true at the Pearly Gate But there ain't much love down here, just a whole lotta hate and fear And a whole lotta money and greed, sucked up by a few bad seeds And it cuts me like a knife, brings me back to life Gotta get a little bit for the kids and wife Thank you, Donald! I can't die yet Thank you, Donald! I can't quit Thank you, Donald! You saved my life I ain't gonna quit; gotta vote a little bit No, I ain't gonna quit; gotta vote a little bit
2.
Son of an Immigrant 04:26
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SON OF AN IMMIGRANT Gerry Spehar There's a velvet heart of Jesus on the wall Down on Fourteenth where I got the call And the bullet hole right in the middle Made me cringe just a little Cause I remember that heart in Grandma's trunk Cause I'm the son of an immigrant Son of an immigrant; son of God We came a century ago to dig coal I'm the son of an immigrant and he's my brother Why don't we love one another? I was wearin' a badge; workin' the street Out late, out on my feet And it stopped me dead in my tracks Sent my mind wanderin' back Cause who am I to judge? Son of an immigrant; son of God We came a century ago to dig coal I'm the son of an immigrant and he's my brother Why's it so hard to love one another? Well it's all fun and games 'til I put on the cuffs And the rooster comes home and he can't get enough But I looked in his eyes and saw me A world ago and I set him free Cause who am I to judge? I'm the son of an immigrant; son of God We came a century ago to dig coal I'm the son of an immigrant and you're my brother Why can't we just love one another? There's a velvet heart of Jesus on the wall Down on Fourteenth where the gunshots call 
3.
Anger Management 04:45
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ANGER MANAGEMENT Gerry, Stephanie & Christine Spehar Don't tell me I'm angry, that makes me mad I got a problem with that Don't jump on my case and lie to my face I got a problem with that I'll manage my anger; you manage yours We came to this world through two different doors My door is painted black and white And I got a feeling something ain't right My anger wants to pick a fight I've wandered through this life now for sixty some years I've learned a thing or two I've seen all the games you fast talkers play All the shoulds and the should-not dos So when Miami's under water you gonna say it ain't true? Gonna blame it on God? Cause I blame it on you And God and your grandkids will too And I got a feeling you're gonna see A whole lotta anger start to manage me Now, I lost a lover and a mother and two brothers And I got no problem with that I know they're happy up there loving one another And I'm happy that's where they're at But I'm still down here living, trying to be The man that they want to see So the man in the mirror is the one I obey And I got a feeling here's what he'll say Don't you manage your anger, today your anger's OK It's a crying shame you all are playing games with our lives; look out For power and greed they're gonna let us bleed; look out It's a made bed and we're all dead; I got a feeling; look out Turn off the TV, we ain't slaves you and me; look out I got a feeling; look out It's a sure truth, you're tying a noose around our necks I got a feeling; look out
4.
A Soldier's Spiritual 04:24
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A SOLDIER'S SPIRITUAL Gerry and Susan Spehar, Bobby Allison When I was drafted I had no choice They would not listen to one young man's voice I am a veteran, but I am not free I'm still doing battle each night in my dreams Give me a shovel, I'll dig you a hole Straight through to China, put me on the payroll All that I want is a job I can hold I have no pension and I'm growing old I am a veteran and I have been shot Look at my wounds you will know I have fought I don't want a hand out, just give me my due You built a future while I fought for you Give me a shovel, I'll dig you a hole To bury these dreams and forgotten goals All that I want is a job I can hold I have no pension and I'm growing old I kneel at Your altar and cannot believe My Lord and country would leave me to grieve Broken and shaking, Lord, here I stand At Your sanctuary with blood on my hands Give me a shovel, I'll dig You a hole To lay down this body when You take my soul But how will my children fight off the cold? What will I leave them? I'm growing old I have this tension twisting my soul I have no pension and I'm growing old
5.
Pearl Harbor 04:19
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PEARL HARBOR Gerry Spehar & Paul Mathewson As the lights dot the hills of L.A. today It reminds of a harbor so far away Of a Star Spangled Banner tattered and torn Of Heaven reversed and Hell reborn They came from the east in mourning waves Zeroes, silent, determined, brave And they went to their death just like us In pillars of smoke, belief and trust And there was no relief in sight Until almost everyone died And the Land of the Rising Sun Was buried in a mushroom megaton Pearl Harbor, what do you mean? What have we learned from your infamy? Will we ever progress beyond war? Will there ever be peace from shore to shore? Will we ever not even the score? Pearl Harbor, what were you for? You can shoot your cannons far and wide You can order your bombers to fill up the sky But you can't order destruction to pick a side And you can't order your loved ones to survive Pearl Harbor, what do you mean? What have we learned from your infamy? Will we ever progress beyond war? Will there ever be peace from shore to shore? Will we ever not even the score? Pearl Harbor, what were you for?
6.
Carnival 04:05
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CARNIVAL Gerry Spehar Three o'clock Sunday morning, I heard this song I woke up thinking about all the things that we do wrong Time after time, day after day Seems we never change, seems we're just that way I saw Lyndon Johnson riding a carousel On the porch of his ranch house around Hank Williams hanging in a chair Singing "Texas is a freak and Jesus is the King Of all us hypocrites of the hillbilly creed" And Lyndon Johnson cracked his whip; and Lyndon Johnson tipped his hat And I woke up laughing, thinking that's exactly where we're at We got ourselves a carnival, boys, and that man in the ring Barking at the clowns is just our latest greatest king Three o'clock Sunday morning; this is where we're at Lyndon Johnson on a carousel, tippin' his big white hat Cracking his big black whip, having a big ol' laugh I woke up laughing, thinking that's exactly where we're at We got ourselves a carnival, Boys, that's exactly where we're at He said: "Here's how you do it, Boys, it don't take much Just keep on sayin' the same damn thing and don't fuck It up Tell 'em go south on North, tell 'em go east on West Turn left on Right, now, go on do your best Turn right on Shortsight, don't never take Longview Tell 'em good is bad, happy's sad and your pocketbook, that's you And it's hangin' in the balance like old Hank hangin' in that chair Then pull the lever, drop him in the tank, and holler out SEE THERE! Three o'clock Sunday morning; this is where we're at Lyndon Johnson on a carousel, tippin' his big white hat Crackin' his big black whip, having a big ol' laugh Three o'clock Sunday morning, boys, that's exactly where we're at Three o'clock Sunday morning and this is where we're at We're droppin ol' Hank in the tank, we got exactly that We got ourselves a carnival, Boys, we got exactly that
7.
Bitch Heaven 03:29
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BITCH HEAVEN Gerry Spehar & Lindsey Smith Well, Old Man Trump and Woody was close, but not See, Old Man Trump was a bigot and Woody was hot So Woody laid the wood to Old Man Trump Shined a little light on his real estate dump Called Beach Haven, or Bitch Heaven per Woody Now, Old Man Trump had money and Woody had song And which one do you think you get to take along My money's on Woody and his little wood box You can have Old Trump and his bucket of pox Yeah, I'm takin' Woody and you can have Old Man Trump I'm taking Woody to the end of my days Ain't no amount of money Old Man Trump can pay Would change my mind, turn this ship around I'm backin' Woody, I'm takin' solid ground Now, way up in Heaven Saint Peter he saw the fight And he went to the book and saw Old Woody was right So when Old Man Trump and Woody Showed up at the Pearly Gate Which one do you think got in and which one the other fate I'm taking Woody to the end of my days Ain't no amount of money Old Man Trump can pay Gonna change my mind, turn this ship around Yeah, I'm takin' Woody cause he's standin' on moral ground That's right, Pete sent Old Trump to Bitch Heaven where he belongs And he sent his money with him and he kept Old Woody's songs And he told Old Trump you spend it down there in Hell; spend it well Cause up here in Heaven Old Woody he's ringing the bell Yeah, up here in Heaven Woody's singing and ringing the bell Singing this land is your land, this land is my land It ain't Old Trump's land, this land is our land From California to North Carolina This land was made for you and me Yeah, this land was made for you and me; not old Trump
8.
Except for the Bomb 04:26
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EXCEPT FOR THE BOMB Gerry Spehar Somewhere in South Dakota Underneath the Lakota Minutemen hide in silos Under a moonlight halo And the sky wears stars slung low like pistols To shoot the tops off missiles Blowing them far and wide To contaminate the fields and sky Somewhere inside his grief Somewhere outside belief A medicine man dances with eagles A white buffalo prances on starlit hooves And the wind swings low and whistles To shoot the tops off thistles The blacktop is slick with rain And the ambulance driver is sick with pain And the night is calm, hungry for dawn Except for the napalm leftover from Nam The night is calm, except for the bomb And a pile of metal and rubber Going as fast as it can Wears regret slung low and shudders To arrival, to survival And the night is calm, hungry for dawn Except for the napalm leftover from Nam Thirsting for the jungle Except the bomb The night is calm, except for the bomb
9.
Barrier Reef 04:05
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BARRIER REEF Gerry & Susan Spehar, Bobby Allison Maria took her daughter up to the border Squeezed her little hand Fifteen hundred dollars to a young coyote Loaded her in a van Make it to your Papa in Fairfax, Virginia Out of this murderous land Go on, you need a barrier reef Shelter from grief Dive to its colors and find relief You need a barrier reef She caught the immigrant Beast Guadalajara up to the Rio Grande A river of lost children and mothers Heading for the Promised Land Papa and Grandpa swam this same river of hope She can feel them pulling On a long, long, long, long rope Singing, you need a barrier reef Shelter from grief Dive to its color and find relief You need a barrier reef He used to fish its waters when she was a little girl She would swim to the coral and see a beautiful world And sing you are my barrier reef Shelter from grief I dive to your colors to find relief I dive to your colors to find belief You are my barrier reef
10.
Greed Prelude 00:25
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11.
Greed 04:36
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GREED Gerry & Stephanie Spehar Greed; how much do we need? Greed; why do we have to make everything so hard? I know a lady with a baby and a job and a man She's always on the run but the baby always has fun And the man who works so hard is always in her heart She fades in, she fades out, she says that's what life's about You just do what you can for your baby and your man But why do we have to make everything so hard? Greed; call it what it is Greed; how much do we need? Enough money to go around so I could lay this baby down Do my job like I can, take better care of my man I do right, I do good, try to live life like I should I fade in, I fade out, cause that's what life's about I just do what I can for my baby and my man Why do we have to make everything so hard? Oh, oh, I row and I row Up and down we go Why do we have to make everything so hard? In Sweden, Finland, Germany and France That baby, that lady, they'd have a better chance In London, Wall Street, Paris and Beijing The money flows to the pockets of greed; you know it does Greed; call it what it is Greed; how much do we need? We fade in, fade out, cause that's what we're about; greed We work hard every day but we never get fair pay; it's greed Why do we have to make everything so hard? Greed; call it what it is Greed; it's you and me Greed; how much do we need? Greed is taking us down Why do we have to make everything so hard?
12.
Freedom to Grab 03:46
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FREEDOM TO GRAB Gerry Spehar & Mac Herbert I got the Freedom To Grab whatever I want cause the President says its OK But you women don't worry about it cause this thing works both ways I grab you; you grab me; we're both happy as we can be It's a new amendment to the Constitution called The Freedom To Grab Now Billy and Donald was just hangin' on a bus; I don't know what's all the fuss Just boys being boys, treatin' women like toys Raisin' theirs masts, settin' sail on the good ships Cosby, Weinstein and Ailes Don't get uptight, it's the Bill O'Reilly of Rights, Baby, it's the Freedom To Grab I got the Freedom To Grab wherever I want cause the President says its OK But you women don't worry about it, cause this thing it works both ways You see, I grab you; you grab me; we're both happy as we can be It's a Constitutional evolution, called The Freedom To Grab Well, I saw this pretty young lady picking up something on the ground She bent over and my eyes lit up and the wife had to slap my hand I said, Honey, now what'd you do that for; we don't have to worry no more There's a brand new amendment to the Constitution Called The Freedom To Grab Well, the wife she don't buy it; she slaps me up beside the head Says over my dead body, and I says, Honey, you ain't dead She reaches over and she grabs 'em, she gives 'em a twist and squeeze, to my knees And she hollers thank you, Mr. President, for making grabbing free Yeah, I got the Freedom To Grab whatever I want cause the President says its OK But you don't worry 'bout it, Baby, I can do this all day I grab you and squeeze; to your knees It's a revolution; it's evolution It's the Freedom To Grab It's a brand new amendment to the Constitution Called the Freedom To Grab
13.
What Would Jesus Do? 02:55
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WHAT WOULD JESUS DO Gerry Spehar Jesus moved to Texas, Jesus bought a gun Filled it full of bullets in case He had to shoot someone Jesus joined a church and started preachin' every Sunday The other six He built a wall to keep refugees away Cause Jesus had investments, and Jesus had healthcare And he didn't want 'em suckin' all that money from his share But Jesus had an iPhone and Jesus had to eat So he didn't mind em workin' over there and workin' cheap And if they got sick or if they died, Jesus didn't care He just didn't want em dodgin' taxes and on welfare over here What would Jesus do? Jesus preached the filthy rich shall inherit the whole earth Said they deserve to own it all by accident of birth But Jesus did His part for the poor and for the meek He put five bucks in the basket, then turned His other cheek Walked up to the pulpit and preached trickle down To all the jobless paupers on the other side of town Cause Jesus needed votes and He knew they'd like that sound When He ran for office in the next go around And Jesus joined the NRA and always paid His dues Cause Jesus knew to win, He's gonna need their votes, too What would Jesus do? Would Jesus build a wall? Would Jesus wear a gun? Would He turn hungry little kids away? Would Jesus vote for Trump? Would He cut taxes on the rich and leave the poor without healthcare? What would Jesus do?

about

"Several million skulls have been cracked while our human race has worked and fought its way up to be union. Do the big bands and the orgasm gals sing a solitary thing about that? No. Not a croak. Our spirit of work and sacrifice they cannot sing about because their brain is bought and paid for by the big Money Boys who own and control them and who hate our world union. They hate our real songs, our fight songs, our work songs, our union songs, because they are the Light of Truth and the mind of the racketeer cannot face our Light. I would not care so much how they choose to waste their own personal lives but it is your money that they are using to hide your own history from you and to make your future a worse one. Some day you will have a voice in how all of your money is spent and then your songs will have some meaning." Woody Guthrie

This album is dedicated to Woody Guthrie and the brave others who have risen when needed to protest our darker inclinations. The stakes are higher than ever. Vote. It is your duty.

To my beautiful Susan: thank you for a lifetime of support.

credits

released February 19, 2018

Thank you Paul Lacques, without you this would not be; musicians Paul, Paul Marshall, Shawn Nourse, Marc Doten, Joe Berardi, Tommy Jordan, John David, Brantley Kearns, Gabe Witcher, Rick Shea, Erinn Bone, Christine Spehar, Javi Ramos and Tiger Anaya, your marvelous playing and singing define its sound; co-writers Susan, Stephanie and Christine Spehar, Lindsey Smith, Mac Herbert, Paul Mathewson and Bobby Allison, you gave birth to its songs; engineers Alfonso Rodenas, Mitch Zelezny and Michelle Mancini, you made it shine; artists Richard Barnes (album drawings) and Christine Spehar (design art), you beautifully dressed it; Stephanie Spehar and Ellen Steel, your insights guided it.

Produced by Paul Lacques and Gerry Spehar; additional production by Tommy Jordan
Arranged by Gerry Spehar and Paul Lacques; additional arrangement by Tommy Jordan (A Soldier's Spiritual, Greed) and D. Tiger Anaya (Freedom To Grab horns and backing vocals)
Recorded by Shawn Nourse, Marc Doten, Gerry Spehar, Paul Lacques, John David, Mitch Zelezny, Gabe Witcher and D. Tiger Anaya
Mixed by Alfonso Rodenas; Barrier Reef mixed by Mitch Zelezny
Mastered by Michelle Mancini (Larrabee Sound Studios)

Music Credits:
Bass & Drums: Marc Doten & Joe Berardi (Anger Management, Carnival, Except For The Bomb); Paul Marshall & Shawn Nourse (all others).
Acoustic Guitar: Gerry Spehar (all songs), John David (Bitch Heaven), Javi Ramos (Barrier Reef)
Electric Guitar & Lap Steel: Paul Lacques
Calliope: Marc Doten (Carnival)
Fiddle: Brantley Kearns (Thank You Donald), Gabe Witcher (Barrier Reef)
Banjo: John David (Thank You Donald):
Horns: Tommy Jordan (Greed); Erinn Bone (Greed and Barrier Reef); D. Tiger Anaya and the Silent Majority (Freedom To Grab)
Pedal Steel: Rick Shea (A Soldier's Spiritual)
Lead Vocals: Gerry Spehar
Backing Vocals: Brantley Kearns (Thank You Donald); Tommy Jordan (Greed); Christine Spehar (Barrier Reef); The Silent Majority (Freedom To Grab); Gerry Spehar (Son Of An Immigrant, Anger Management, Pearl Harbor, Bitch Heaven, Barrier Reef, Greed)

All songs © Roaring Judy Music, BMI (Stephanie, Christine, Susan and Gerry Spehar, Lindsey Smith, Mac Herbert) and Roaring Jenny Music, ASCAP (Bobby Allison)

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Gerry Spehar Los Angeles, California

Gerry Spehar is a folk country troubadour from Colorado and a man on a mission.  Hot on the heels of last year's critically acclaimed "I Hold Gravity” the singer songwriter guitar picker is back with a full blown old school protest album.  Think Woody Guthrie backed by psychedelic guitars and funky New Orleans horns ... more

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