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Post by jashley on Mar 30, 2005 19:35:54 GMT -5
Hoy Hoy All Isn't it amazing that with all of the alternative energy sources that are emerging the thing that our government wants to spend OUR money on is a "star wars" missle defense system that has not passed one viability test. Just think if we spent half of what we give to the oil companies how far along these alternatives to a finite energy source would be. There are wind, solar, geo thermal, and renewable energy sources that have been developed almost without any government help at all. Just think how strong our ecomomy would be if we were not dependent on foriegn sources of energy. I would bet that if we concentrated on making these sources more efficient and widespread we would be able to nearly eliminate our need for petroleum energy in 10 years. Most estimates say that petroleum will be nearly exhausted within 100 years anyway (can you imagine what a tank of gas will cost in just 50 years). And we are going to need petroleum for more important uses, like plastics, anyway. This is too important a resource to just burn it up when so many other energy sources are out there. However, we seem to be more interested in pouring our hard earned tax dollars into propping up the existing big money oil companies and the defense industry. We must get our priorities straight. It is another big LIE that we have no alternatives to oil, if this administration wasn't so interested in controlling our lives we would already be well on our way to energy independence (not that I'm forgiving the Dems in this area). They can't control some of these alternatives so easily and that is why the last energy bill was a $49 billion giveaway to the oil companies with less than 1% allocated to alternative energy. It's not that these sources are unworkable it is that they are not so easily controlled. By the way, contrary to the song I'd smoke dope with Willie anytime. What a great dude. Travis Tritt or one of those country artists said that at the CMA's he stepped out with Willie for some "refreshments" and when he came back in everyone was looking for him to come up on stage to recieve an award. He said he was so "refreshed" he almost couldn't stand up and had to lie and say he was in the bathroom. This is NOT your grandma's Nashville, unless she was very very hip. After Dr. Frist said he could diagnose that poor woman in Fla better than her own Drs. via video tape, I think its time to add him to the DeLay list of elected officials that need to go. It's been interesting to see the Reps. bend and twist theirs stated principles to fit this case. They have denied the sanctity of marriage, federal control of our personal lives, the constitution, balance of government branch powers, and the doctor patient relationship all in an attempt to embarrass the dems on another "moral issue". I do believe they have gone to far this time and the people are seeing what a bunch of liars they are. Moral relativism, you bet. Rush must look like a pretzel, or at least his so-called logic does. By the way I found an interesting site that objectively discusses Michael Moore's "F9/11". It is: www.overcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/f911/hitch-moore.htmIt takes the form of discussing Christopher Hitchens criticisms but covers all of the points that have been brought up in the discussion. I would be interested in your criticism as you are all so smart, even you BillL . Peace j
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Post by Mike on Mar 30, 2005 21:21:19 GMT -5
By the way, contrary to the song I'd smoke dope with Willie anytime. What a great dude. Travis Tritt or one of those country artists said that at the CMA's he stepped out with Willie for some "refreshments" and when he came back in everyone was looking for him to come up on stage to recieve an award. He said he was so "refreshed" he almost couldn't stand up and had to lie and say he was in the bathroom. This is NOT your grandma's Nashville, unless she was very very hip. Peace j ;D Hangin with Willie is not for the weak or timid. Willie and Nashville "parted ways" in the early '70's. He lives and "trains" in Austin. (actually west of Austin at his golf resort on the Pedernales River) What song? PS- interesting link. More masterful spin! Where would they be without their "spin"? I'm pretty sick of the notion that if you're not a Dubya or Rush "mega dittos" cheerleader, then you're a "left wing nut case". Well..this "left wing nut case" is still trying to make some sense out letting Bin Laden skate. If I were to hug the tree that Bin Laden is hanging from, would I still be a "lefty"? ;D Later Mike (the confused "lefty")
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Post by Mike on Mar 31, 2005 22:41:41 GMT -5
One more quick rant, if you will.
My heart goes out to Terry Schiavo and her family as it would for anyone that has lost a loved one. I can't even begin to imagine the agony this women, her husband, and her folks have gone through the last 15 yrs.
What the press and the public have done with this situation is one of the most repulsive things I've ever seen. (here it comes)
Wouldn't it be great if as much noise was made for the children of this country, that should have a long productive life ahead of them....but die EVERY DAY because thier parents have no insurance, or in many cases, not "enough" insurance. This woman has been basically dead for 15 yrs. and a national uproar like this. Yet not a tear shed for people that are alive, and by all means, should and could stay that way.
I buried my favorite cousin last week. I don't recall Dubya telling us that he and Laura offered thier prayers and condolences on the 6 o'clock news, but then around my family, that wouldn't have gotten him any votes anyway.
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Post by chadgumbo on Apr 1, 2005 10:52:51 GMT -5
Mikewrote: I received an e-mail the other day. It was one of those that had been forwarded more times than one could begin to count and it eventually wound up in my mailbox. It was a Pres. Bush rah-rah e-mail and it had 25 or 30 points of interest, all of which began with the words "Did you know...?" With his/her questions, the author wanted to highlight all of the positive things that had come about in light of the war with Iraq, and wanted to paint President Bush as a world leader and hero. Had it been any more slanted, he would have been touted as a savior. About 2/3 of the way into this thing one of the questions that came up was this... "Did you know that very few Americans are aware of this? Why? Because a Bush hating media and the Democratic Party would rather see the world blow up than give up an ounce of their power." While I wasn't able to respond to the author, I did respond to the person who sent the e-mail to me. I said, "It's okay to be a little paranoid as long as you don't come off as sounding that way when you're trying to sway someone to your point of view. It tends to hurt the credibility a little. Beyond that, I'd like to point out that the Democrats aren't 'in power'. The Republicans are running the show or have I missed something?" A while later what little credibility was left was completely lost when the author ended ended his/her list of "did you knows" with a statement instead of a question. It went "I find it hard to believe that my fellow Americans would rather see terrorism succeed than have a Republican president." Once again I felt compelled to respond so I wrote, "The paranoia of this indvidual seems to be coming through again. Now he or she wants to label anyone who isn't a Republican, or anyone who disagrees with Bush's foriegn policy, as being sympathetic to terrorism. I wonder if this person knows that Democrats love their children too? I wonder if this person knows that Democrats hate terrorism and terrorists as much as Republicans? I wonder of this person knows that Iraq had nothing to do with what happened on September 11, 2001? So as long as this person wants to enlighten me with his/her 'did you knows?' I have a "did you know?" of my own. I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. To whomever started that e-mail, DID YOU KNOW that former president Theodore Roosevelt once said, and I quote: "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." Like Mike, I too am weary of being labeled as a left-wing nut case just because I happen to think the war in Iraq is wrong. Like any good Republican I too say "God bless the USA". I too am grateful that our military is the most powerful, well-trained, and technologically advanced military on Earth. My politics may lean towards that of the Democratic Party, but like the Republicans I too am a Christian. I pray for the well-being of our soldiers and I pray for their success. Despite the thoughts of whomever it was that originated that e-mail, I would never wish failure on our military and I certainly would never wish harm upon them or this country, whether I agree with what they're doing or not. The same is true for our military's leaders. I trust that they believe they are doing the right thing, even if I think they are wrong. And despite our differences, I pray for our leaders' well-being. I happen to believe that our presence in Afghanistan is a just cause. But not Iraq. And to Mike, and to myself, and to everyone else who happens to believe that... it's okay to believe that. We're still just as red, white, and blue as our Republican friends. Even the paranoid ones. - chadgumbo
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Post by chadgumbo on Apr 1, 2005 14:40:27 GMT -5
Mussolini stands out in lots of people's minds (mainly because it has become a standard punchline to lots of jokes, many far removed from the context in which the statement was first made). He said, when describing the strength of his government, that "we will make the trains run on time."... ...Or, if your interests lie in private enterprise, start a business that isn't dependent upon Walmart of Pepsico for its success ... sell service and knowledge and high quality products. Do it in your neighborhood, and do it independently -- don't buy a "franchise" or go to the banks for a silent partner (the banks and insurance companies are evil monsters... ...Our shared vision should be to take back what is slowly being taken from us. Start small, and spread outwards. If we really are an open and democratic society, my cooperative school should be able to purchase groceries from a ma and pa store around the corner. When I moved to Rochester, Minnesota in 1992 Hy-Vee and Rainbow Foods were the kings of the grocery trade in this town. Hy-Vee is based out of Des Moines, Iowa and they pride themselves on the notion that they are "employee owned." Were I one of the thousands of employees who work for this company I'm not sure if I would consider myself an "owner" even if I did exercise my right to purchase some company stock. The other company, Rainbow Foods, is based out of Minneapolis. Along about 1995 Econo-Foods decided to put up one of their grocery stores. Things seemed to be going well and Econo-Foods built an even larger second location on the city's north side. This second location came into direct competition with Rainbow's north side location, and Econo's original location had been competing with Rainbow's "Crossroads" location. Hy-Vee's customers seemed to be loyal to Hy-Vee and their stores, for all appearances, seemed to be immune to Rainbows' or Econo-Foods' relative market shares. In 2002 Rainbow closed both of their Rochester stores. Their buildings weren't brand new, but I would guess that neither had stood prior to 1980. I thought Econo-Foods had put them right out of business with their new buildings and competitive prices. I couldn't have been more wrong. Because in 2003 Econo-Foods, with their newly built multi-million dollar buildings, also closed their doors. Who put them out of business? Target and Wal-Mart. If it was Mussolini who decided that the trains would run on time in Italy, it's Sam Walton (dead or not) who makes them run on time in the USA. Where do you go when you want a quart of oil, a new pair of shoes, the latest video game, or your groceries? Wal-Mart. Does it matter if their employees are knowledgable about the products they sell? Apparently not. In my hometown of Northwood, Iowa (pop. 1,750) yeah some of my coworkers have said I grew up in Mayberry ;D there used to be a hardware store there called Coast to Coast. The owner of the store had purchased a "franchise" location, but for the most part this was a locally owned and operated hardware store. He was a very knowledgable person with regard to things that he sold. That was 40 years ago. The Coast to Coast corporation has long since been taken over by Ace Hardware or possibly Hardware Hank. Coast to Coast no longer exists. And while the Ace and/or Hardware Hank people seem to be know the products they sell, it seems that their primary competition is Wal-Mart and Sears. Do you think the Wal-Mart or the Sears people are as knowledgable as the genuine hardware store employees? Maybe this is a case of "perception is reality" for me, but I tend to think not. But what can you do? The masses run to the Wal-Marts, K-Marts, Targets, and Shopkos. It's not just a political oligarchy that we have, it's also a corporate oligarchy in our modern day society. And Mom and Pop stores are an endangered species. I'm sorry Scott. You speak of "starting small and spreading outwards." The ripple in the pond that a small business owner attempts to make is more than washed away by the tsunami created by Sam Walton and the other corporate heavy weights. I wish I could be on Scott's bandwagon (whether it runs on time or not). But the salmon are swimming upstream and the grizzlies are waiting for them. - chadgumbo
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Post by Mike on Apr 1, 2005 20:57:58 GMT -5
But the salmon are swimming upstream and the grizzlies are waiting for them. - chadgumbo Ha! I do believe that "hits the nail on the head"! ;D Good one Chadgumbo.
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Post by Scott Hays on Apr 2, 2005 0:11:41 GMT -5
okay ... you caught me! I was holding out an olive branch to anyone who reads these messages and still believes that there really is something called a "free" or "open" market place. Market forces are as completely controlled as is the "free press". Both are fictions, and have been for a very long time.
Still, if I were to open a local book or record store and didn't need to make a gazillion dollars in order to satisfy the "bottom line" of some mega investor (Bank of America, Capitol One, or MBNA ... etc), I could run a successful business if I specialized in being able to answer customer questions, knowledgeably refer them to things they might not have thought about, and generally provide a thoughtful, timely and personalized shopping experience for my customers. While competing with Borders or Walmart or any of the other facist pigs that currently truly run this country is out of the question, I can become a liberating agent for "capitalist" theory by sticking their goddamn monopoly up their stinking a-holes and providing a service to a local clientele that is useful and timely. Or, I can form a cooperative and become a flaming socialist thorn in the sides of the corporate whores and expect to last no more than 5 or 6 months before they find some way to shut me down.
In either case, I am organizing from the bottom up.
It is "bottom up" organization that is the most revolutionary thing that anyone in this society can do. Try it. You'll get snuffed if your effort is in any way successful.
But that is what we have to do. We have to organize folks one person at a time. We have to resist the Walmarts, the Pepsicos, the Fox News and anyone else with a "for the common good" argument, because the "common good" has become the mantra of everyone who wants to eliminate individual thinking, individual responses, and individual action.
I have no illusion that the local (hardware, book, or record) store has been bought out by some mega corporate franchiser ... but I say compete against them by providing the things those walmart stores cannot offer ... knowledge, expertise, and personalized service.
Of course, to do any of the above in a cooperative rather than a personalized, for-my-benefit, or mini-corporate approach is far superior and universally beneficial.
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Post by Scott Hays on Apr 2, 2005 9:31:30 GMT -5
No ... the preceding message was not an April Fool's joke; it was motivated by anger and a bad day in the trenches with real children in a real school. I am getting out of the public school system because it has been hijacked by ideologues who claim that every kid can learn the same things at the same speed, and punishes teachers who know this is not true and who try to vary the instructional pace (or change the materials, or modify the expectations) because some kids fall behind. They come to school unprepared (their parents were fighting the night before ... or didn't come home ... and they slept in a car; they had no breakfast; a neighbor was shot; their printer on their computer broke, so they couldn't "finish" the assignment; they ate too much meth; everyone thinks they're "gay"; and so on), they have more immediate needs or interests than where to place a comma and even the threat of a test doesn't inspire them to pay attention (or has already caused them to give up).
At any rate ... I apologize for the tone of the previous post (and for a few of the words I printed, in case this is a family thread and someone's sensibilities have been compromised). I don't really apologize for the ideas ... I am tired of living in a place where we bomb people in response to their attitudes (and lie about the reasons and get away with the lie) and exploit natural resources for private gain at public expense. I am tired of being "protected" by wolves in sheep's clothing, where regulators of the public interest are participants in the activities being regulated. And I am tired of working in an environment where "learning" is interpreted as monkey-see-monkey-do training that can be measured by performance on a test.
Whew!
Today is already a better day.
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Post by chadgumbo on Apr 2, 2005 12:20:15 GMT -5
Scott, I hope my last post didn't contribute to your bad day, because I'm with you. Nothing would make me happier than to see this country wake up and realize that it isn't corporate America that is failing this country, but the people who blindly flock to their mega-stores in search of convenience and a 2% savings on their purchase. I hope today is a better day for you. My sister-in-law is a schoolteacher and she voices many of the same frustrations that you do in your last post. But I worry when I see you write . Please, always remember, it isn't the idealogues who will suffer if you get out, it's the kids. We need teachers like you, people who truly care about the students they are teaching. Don't lay down your sword Scott. The kids need you to continue the fight. - chadgumbo With regard to the idealogues, they would do well to listen to a Little Feat song or two... "The same dudes you excuse on your way up, you might meet up, on your way down." Is there a greater lyric ever written than that anywhere? For my money the answer is no.
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Post by Mike on Apr 2, 2005 17:23:45 GMT -5
Isn't it amazing that with all of the alternative energy sources that are emerging the thing that our government wants to spend OUR money on is a "star wars" missle defense system that has not passed one viability test. Peace j The last "Star Wars" project was a $38,000,000,000.00 admitted hoax, to worry the Ruskies, under the Reagan Administration. Apparantly the 38 Billion dollars spent was not a hoax. I wonder where the money went? It was never accounted for. I believe it was Henley that said "certain people can steal more money with a briefcase, than the rest of us can with a gun."
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Post by Little Feat on Apr 3, 2005 5:35:17 GMT -5
<snip,snip> I believe it was Henley that said "certain people can steal more money with a briefcase, than the rest of us can with a gun." I think Henley was paraphrasing Woody Guthrie who wrote: Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. from Pretty Boy Floyd, 1939
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Post by Mike on Apr 3, 2005 10:49:30 GMT -5
I think I've got it now?
I know for a fact that Henley is a huge fan of Woody Guthrie, and this could have easily been inspired by Arlo's pop.
From "Gimme What You Got":
"you can arm yourself, alarm yourself but there's nowhere you can run cause a man with a briefcase can steal more money than any man with a gun"
I made a post recently about "sometimes being cynical can keep you accurate, when you need to be accurate." Don Henley is king of both, Cynical & Accurate. It really makes you wonder when he was "suspiciously" quite during this last election. I think he is just picking his battles more wisely. His current project is saving Caddo Lake, next to his hometown here in Texas. It's the only natural lake in the state, and being heavily polluted by certain industries in the area. It, and the stories of author John Graves are the inspiration of the beautiful song "Goodbye To A River".
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Post by jashley on Apr 4, 2005 11:17:24 GMT -5
Hoy Hoy All, I should be working but I came by the forum to see what you all are up to and I just have to throw in a few comments. You guys inspire me to procrastinate...is that a good thing. First of all, as the last couple of posts show, contrary to what some of the forum members wanted, muscians just can't stay out of politics. I do think it is best that we are here in a clearly defined thread so that those who don't want to be bothered by our occasional rants can avoid us. Wal-Mart. Two quick stories from my hometown. A suburb of Mansfield has a very large very serviceable store on the now busiest street in our little megapolis but they have not been able to run the last local grocery store in the area, which is located across the street, out of business. So of course they insist on building a bigger store in their current location even though their is an empty Super K-Mart that already went belly up at the other end of the same street (isn't one big ugly box the same as another). This in spite of the fact that they have already caused huge traffic problems and will create almost virtual grid lock on one of the most important intersections in the area if they expand their present store. Funny if they can succeed in blocking this intersection it will be twice as difficult to get to any other retailer in this area. But it's just a coincidence right. The people in this suburb (Ontario) objected strongly but somehow Wal-Mart was able to prevail with the zoning board. Was this enough for Wal-Mart. NOOOOOOO. Now they want to build another "super" store on the south edge of town (Ontario is on the west). When they wanted the government to build a road to ease access to the new store location of course the county and state immediately rolled over. But even this wasn't enough. If this new multi-million dollar road was built about 200 yards south of the location that Wal-Mart is insisting on, we could have relieved a 2 decade traffic problem at the same time. This would have made access to Sam's store about 1/100th more difficult. Sam's kin insisted the road be built, with tax payer money, exactly where they wanted it or they were not going to build the store. What gall these people have. The fight continues but Sam's kin are winnin'. We have 21 radio stations that serve this area; 17 are owned by Clear Channell. We have one newspaper, owned by a conservative chain. The newspaper, the cable company, and the local tv station are all controlled by the same people. The first thing a conquering army does in a war is control the media. The rich have accomplished the first objective in the war on the poor and middle class in this country. Until we can regain some control of the flow of information in this country it will be impossible for local business, local ideas, or individuals to compete with the Wal-Marts, the Enrons, Unocals, or the World Coms of this country. Sorry to harp on this topic but until the people regain some measure of control of the media we are beaten before we start. Talk about control of information. Jr has got this stuff down. He started a Presidential Commision to investigate intelligence failures that lead to our mistaken belief that Iraq had WMD prior to our invasion. Guess what they found? It's the CIA. FBI, and NSA's fault. Jr's administration had absolutely nothing to do with our mistaken impressions. Jr did nothing to influence these mistaken conclusions. Can anybody spell whitewash? Time magazine ran an item before the invasion that the Mossad was in big trouble with the Israeli government because they couldn't find the WMD that Jr was insisting were in Iraq. Doesn't this admin. have anyone talking to our closest ally in the middle east (not to mention the country with the most at stake concerning Saddams's weapons capabilities). Even in spite of our presidents infamous reading habits doesn't Jr at least have someone reading "Time" magazine for him. The last two directors of the CIA have come out and said that they warned Jr. that the source of the information about mobile chemical warfare labs was in a NUTHOUSE in germany. Jr's buddy Chalubi was a known liar and everyone tried to warn Jr that the butt head was just advancing his own agenda. Does anyone else find it ironic that Chalubi ended up in position to bargain for more power after the Iraqi election in the wrangling for Prime Minister? If Clinton had lied to the American people like Jr. they wouldn't have just impeached him they would have drawn and quatered the poor bugger. Will this president stop at any lie? Will the American people wake up? Stay tuned... Mike, The song is "I'll Never Smoke Dope with Willie Again" Sorry I don't know the artist. Check it out it's a hoot and these day we all need a laugh once in awhile. If anyone can help me with who recorded this tune I would appreciate it as I would like to know too. Scott, I have to echo Chad's comments about you leaving the educational system. We need caring thoughtful teachers like you more than anything. We don't need teachers who are teaching just to get a paycheck or who are spoonfeeeding our children the accepted unexamined "wisdom". YOU have the most important job in America and the world. Hang in if you can, our future is in your hands. Chad, I would be interested in seeing the e-mail you mentioned above, e-mail it to me if you have the time and you still have it. At the risk of being redundant, if we, as Americans, disagree with our government we don't have the Right to voice our opinion we have the DUTY to express our opinion in any lawful way we can. This is the principal that has kept this country strong. When people like that idiot Ann Coulter call people traitor for diagreeing with the current admin it PROVES that they have no understanding of our country or what we stand for. I would probably be considered a little worse than a leftie, like our founding fathers, I'm a radical. However, lately you guys been scaring me, you're getting more cantankerous than me . Gas is $2.35/gal here. I've heard that some stations in Malibu are up to $3.50. No wonder Bill moved. Oil prices are aroung $54/barrell now some analysts have said that Oil could spike to $110/barrell. Will $5 to $6 a gallon for gas get rid of Jr? Would it be worth it? Would the people finally wise up to what the Oil cartell is doing to them? Would they drag the butt heads through the streets of America screaming? Don't y'all find it a little creepy when someone agrees with EVERYTHING you say. I think all of us have diagreed with everyone on this thread at one time or another. That's a good thing. Rush, O'Rielly and their ilk are so egotisical that they think it is normal to have an audience that agrees with everything they say. Uwhhhh. Being a ditto head for anyone is Unamerican. Viva free speech. Gee I have a big mouth. I REALLY have to get back to work ! Peace j
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Post by Mike on Apr 4, 2005 13:23:05 GMT -5
Mike, The song is "I'll Never Smoke Dope with Willie Again" Sorry I don't know the artist. Check it out it's a hoot and these day we all need a laugh once in awhile. If anyone can help me with who recorded this tune I would appreciate it as I would like to know too. Peace j ;D I've never heard that song! ;D I've googled til I can't google no more. Sounds like something Toby Kieth would say, now that he's found "right wing religion". (that's not a compliment) Later, Mike
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Post by Rollin' Mark on Apr 5, 2005 8:01:45 GMT -5
Mike wrote: "Sounds like something Toby Kieth would say"
You're right!, The title is "I'll never smoke weed with Willie again" Lyrics:
I always heard that his herb was top shelf I just could not wait to find out for myself Don't knock it til' you tried it, Well I tried it my friend And I'll never smoke weed with Willie again
I learned a hard lesson in a small Texas town He fired up a fat boy and passed him around The last words that I spoke before they tucked me in Was I'll never smoke weed with Willie again
I'll never smoke weed with Willie again My parties all over before it begins You can pour me some old whiskey river my friend But I'll never smoke weed with Willie again
I hopped on his old bus, the Honey Suckle Rose The party was Vegas it was after the show. Alone in the front lounge with just me and him, With one parting puff grim creeper set in.
I'll never smoke weed with Willie again My parties all over before it begins You can pour me some old whiskey river my friend But I'll never smoke weed with Willie again
Now we're passing the guitar and telling good jokes I know ones a-comin' cause I'm smelling smoke No I do not partake, I just let it pass by With a smile on my face and a great contact high
I'll never smoke weed with Willie again My parties all over before it begins You can pour me some old whiskey river my friend But I'll never smoke weed with Willie again
In the fetal position with drool on my chin I messed up and smoked weed with Willie again
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