Wednesday, December 17, 2008

TEX SKERBALL: MY STORY

Hi you’all.  Firstly I would like to thank the kind folks at this website for providing me with a platform for my work.  I don’t have my own website and my halfwit son Jimster may let his fingers fly around the computer keyboard like he’s flying a goddam plane but he don’t know how to build a website yet.

I don’t know much about this Graham Parker fella or his buddy John but my music appears to have touched their souls so profoundly that they’ve given me this space to let loose. Anyhoo, I have been told that peoples are interested in my background and such, seeing as I’m new on the scene and all, so here’s a little bit of it.

Well, I have been around on the music scene for a while in actuality. Years back, I used to pick guitar and perform backing vocals behind a bunch of fine musicians known as the Buncie Family.  There was Algernon “Bobcat” Buncie on guitar and voice, his bride Brandine “Hatchet Face” Buncie on fiddle and voice and depending on availability, a few other of the Buncie clan would appear on stage, including Bobcat’s legendary brother Charlie “Sticky Head” Buncie on one string bass and any number of very talented Buncie kids.

But then that type of “Hollerin” music, as it was known in the backwoods at the time, went out of favor somewhat so I went back to earning a proper living doing what runs in my family, namely digging roots.  I know, I know.  I do say in my song “Glue ‘n’ Chickens” that I work all day at the loggin’ camp, but you can’t always believe a song. Although I have also been employed in that good trade from time to time but now the mountains where I come from are somewhat decimated due to overforestation or whatever that fancy word for cutting down too many trees is.

Digging roots?, you ask.  Well, that means going out to the marshy spots and pulling up moss. What use is moss?, you may also be asking.  Well, I pull up a whole mess of nice thick sphagnum moss and stash it in burlap sacks and keep it moist and all and a fella from the city comes along once a week and buys it from me.  Next time you buy yourself a ficus tree or whatnot from some fancy New York garden store you look at the moss they got packed around the pot and think of me.  Could have been me that pulled it! It’s a job that don’t seem to go out of style and I figure I’ll be doing it for years to come.  That’s digging roots.

What mountains you from, Tex?, you may also be asking.  Well, that don’t matter would be my answer!  Mountains is mountains and everyone who lives in them is crazy as hell anyhoo. But now since I been appearing on youtube people up here think I’m gonna quit the digging roots mountain life and go off and be some fancy pop star or something.  Uh uh.  I am getting calls from TV shows though but I watch how that David Letterman and all those clever fellas like him make fun of boys like me and I don’t think I’m gonna take the bait. No, I reckon I’ll probably continue to carry on as I have been and post a tune up now and again as the hankering comes to me.

My halfwit son Jimster may not be the brightest star in the firmament when it comes to academics but he’s smart as a two headed timber rattler in others and knows how to work this new computer that was donated to me from the back of a unguarded tractor trailer. And don’t forget to look over him and his monkey ass pals efforts they post under the handle “BagsNHags.”  Some funny stuff for just kids I’ll tell you what.  Makes me laugh fit to beat the band anyhoo.

Well, time I was getting on.  My retard brother Dashiel needs his supper and I gotta check on him to make sure he’s not gotten a hold of any of my chickens and a pot a sniffing glue cos he does unspeakable things if he gets his hands on those two parties, as my song will attest.  He lives up behind in the shed so I ain’t got far to go.

One other thing before I take my leave.  I have been told that I am a very political writer.  Well, there’s no excuse to being ill informed what with the internet and all and truth is I always was a reader, something some people up here frown upon but they just the ignorant ones and there’s fewer of them than you might think.

Some of thems predudiced too but I am not and I welcome Mr. Obama to have a set to at things after Bushie and his crowd used the country as their personal crapping hole.  I wish Mr. Obama luck.  He’s gonna need it.

Shoot, I can hear Dashiel hollering out there for his supper. You’all take care now and if you do buy some pricy Asian tree from some fancy garden store and the moss is all dried out, take it from me it was as fresh as a daisy the day I sold it to the man so it ain’t my fault.

All the best to you and have a great holiday season!

Tex.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Tex Skerball's Christmas Spacial



GLUE 'N' CHICKENS

WELL ME AND JED IS SMART AS THE DICKENS
WE PLAY GUITARS WITH FINGER PICKINS
NOW WE'RE NOT DRUIDS PAGANS OR WIKKANS
BUT WE PUT OUR FAITH IN GLUE 'N' CHICKENS

FUN AROUND HERE IS REAL SLIM PICKINS
YOU GOTTA HAVE FUN WITH GLUE 'N' CHICKENS

I HAD A GIRL WITH TWO GLASS EYES
ONE LOOKED LEFT AND THE OTHER LOOKED RIGHT
BUT EARLY ONE MORN TO MY SURPRISE
SHE UP AND LEFT WITH TWO OTHER GUYS

CHORUS #1

I WORK ALL DAY IN THE LOGGIN' CAMP
WITH THE DUST IN MY LUNGS AND MY CLOTHES ALL DAMP
I GOTTA GET CRAZY ON THE WEEKENDS
WITH A BUCKET OF GLUE AND A COUPLE OF HENS

PUT 'EM IN THE STEW TILL THE STEW THICKENS
AND GET ALL IT DONE WITH GLUE 'N' CHICKENS

GONNA GO DOWNTOWN AND TAKE ME A WIFE
COS THIS KINDA LIFE'S ONLY HALF A LIFE
BUT SHE BETTER UNDERSTAND COME THE WEEKEND
I GOTTA LET LOOSE WITH MY BEST FRIENDS

YEAH BANTAMS COCKERELS RHODE ISLAND REDS
MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO A COUPLE OF HEADS
ME AND JED WE'S SMART AS THE DICKENS
AND WE PUT OUR FAITH IN GLUE 'N' CHICKENS

CHORUSES

God's Big Chess Game



GOD’S BIG CHESS GAME
DIDN’T QUITE WORK OUT FOR
SARAH PALIN AFTER ALL
HOW COULD THAT BE
WHEN SHE PEAYED TO THE LORD
MAYBE THE LORD WAS JUST BORED WITH IT ALL
GOD’S BIG CHESS GAME X2

NOW JAMES DOBSON SAID
WHY DIDN’T GOD’S SON INTEVENE
WHEN WE NEEDED HIM TO GET INBETWEEN
WE KNEW MCCAIN WAS A FLAKE AND BANE
BUT SARAH PALIN, WELL, SHE WAS OUR QUEEN X2
GOD’S BIG CHESS GAME X2

NOW HE MOVES THE MUSLIMS
ALL OVER THE BOARD
LIKE HE MOVES THE CHRISTIANS
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
SEPERATING THE WHEAT FROM
THE CHAFF BY THE SWORD
GOD’S BIG CHESS GAME

MAKING TORNADOS
THAT FLATTEN THE MIDWEST
CREATING TSUNAMIS AND
PLAGUES OF PESTS
SETTIN OFF EARTHQUAKES
VOLCANOS TECTONIC PLATES
AND PUTTING A HEART ATTACK
RIGHT UNDER YOUR VEST
GOD’S BIG CHESS GAME

BUT HOW COME THE LORD
JUST DIDN’T SEE FIT
IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE
HE DIDN’T GIVE A SHIT
AFTER ALL HE BROUGHT HER A PIPELINE
CLOTHES FROM SAKS THAT LOOKED SO FINE
WHY COULDN’T HE CLOSE THE DEAL
AND MAKE HER YOURS AND MINE

GOD’S BIG CHESS GAME…

Joe the Plumber



JOE THE PLUMBER HE’S A COWBOY
GONNA GIVE HIM A BAD RAP
HE RE-ROUTED MY WHOLE SYSTEM
NOW MY WATER TASTES LIKE CRAP

JOE SIX PACK HE’S AN ASSHOLE
HE JUST HANGS OUT IN THE BAR
SPOUTIN HIS IGNORANT RIGHT WING DIATRIBES
THEN HE THROWS UP IN YOUR CAR

THESE PEOPLE ARE NONE TOO BRIGHT
THEY CAN’T SAVE AMERICA FROM IT’S PLIGHT
THEY NEVER VOTE LEFT AND THEY’RE JUST
USED BY THE RIGHT
THEY LIKE HAMBURGER PATTIES
NOT MOCHAS AND LATTES HEY HEY YEAH

FRED THE BAKER WHAT A FAKER
HE’S AS WHITE BREAD AS IT COMES
THEY CALL HIM A PARADIGM OF REAL AMERICA
I GUESS THAT’S COS HE’S DUMB

MIKE THE MECHANIC HE’S IN A PANIC
COS I’M GONNA SUE HIS ASS
HE RUINED MY TRANSMISSION INCREASED MY IMMISIONS
AND DOUBLED MY CONSUMPTION OF GAS

THESE PEOPLE ARE NONE TOO SMART
DON’T LET ‘EM RIDE THE HORSE
THEY CAN PUSH THE CART
THEY’RE UNLIKELY TO CREATE A WORK OF ART
THEY LIKE HAMBURGER PATTIES
NOT MOCHAS AND GELATIS HEY HEY YEAH
SOLO

JOE THE PLUMBER WHAT A BUMMER
HE’S AS THICK AS TWO SHORT PLANKS
HE’LL LEAVE YOUR WATER
SMELLING OF SULPHER
AND BUST YOUR WATER TANKS
HE LIKE HAMBURGER PATIES
NOT MOCHAS AND LATTES HEY HEY YEAH

Hunter S. Thompson's 44th Nightmare



THE BEASTS HAVE FEASTED FOR THE LAST TWO TERMS
THEY HAD THEIR SNOUTS IN THE TROUGH
AND FILLED THE APPLES WITH WORMS
THEY LEFT THEIR FILTH ALL OVER THE BARNYARD FLOOR
THEY ROLLED IN BLOOD WITH THEIR FRIENDS THE WHORES

THEY DUG UP THE TRUFFLES AND ATE THEM THEMSELVES
THEY SNORTED THE ACORNS AND THREW US THE SHELLS
DEVOURED THE MEAT THEY LIKE IT RED RAW
AND SHAT THEIR MUCK ONTO THE WHITE HOUSE FLOOR

CHORUS

DON’T LET THE FOX BACK INTO THE HENHOUSE
DON’T LET THE WOLF TAKE CARE OF THE SHEEP
A PIG WITH LIPSTICK IS STILL A PIG
A REPTILE IN DISGUISE WITH A BEEHIVE WIG
I WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND I HEARD AN ALARM X2
DON’T LET THE SWINE TAKE OVER THE FARM (NOT AGAIN X2)

THEY PAINTED THE WALLS WITH GORE AND SLIME
GREASED THE PITS WITH OIL AND LIME (GRIME?)
TARRED AND FEATHERED THE DISSENTING FEW
NOW THEY’RE LICKING THEIR CHOPS
OVER THE THOUGHT OF MOOSE STEW

THEY DID NOT HAVE TO LOOK THAT FAR
TO CREATE A CLONE IN A LABORATORY JAR
A HUMAN/ANIMAL HYBRID THING
A DEVIL-EYED HUSKY WITH A POISON STING

CHORUS