Get all 9 Pat Wictor releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of FLARE, Waiting For The Water, Non-album Tracks, counterpoise, This is Absolutely Real:Visions and Versions of Phil Ochs, Living Ever-Lovin' Live, Sunset Waltz, Heaven Is So High...And I'm So Far Down, and 1 more.
1. |
The Devil You Know
05:37
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1. The Devil You Know (P. Wictor)
The devil you know, he’s a regular guy
Could he be the devil when he meets you on your level
And looks you straight in the eye?
Says he got nothing to hide
The devil you know, he’s a one-man show
Knows your every fear, says what you want to hear:
That anger is a good that grows
Brings you new friends and foes
With the devil’s touch, the little changes start to show
Don’t you ever notice that faint orange glow
From the fires below, creepin’ in your soul?
We’re all going down to the crossroads
We’re all going down to the crossroads
Don’t you get burned, there’s still time to turn
From the devil, the devil you know
The devil you know, his fine print is the finest
Hold on to your wallet cause the numbers are falling and
It’s all comin’ up a big minus
Sneakin’ up behind us
The devil you know, the game that he’s playing
He’s a man of his word long as you haven’t heard
Most of what he’s been saying
The predator, always preying
Can’t you feel the beads of sweat pouring off your brow,
Like the tears of your better angels now,
Praying so hard for you to turn around?
We’re all going down to the crossroads
We’re all going down to the crossroads
Don’t you get burned, there’s still time to turn
From the devil, the devil you know
The devil you know tells a real good story
About us and them and remember when
All for the greater glory
All the points he’s scoring
The devil you know wants to take up your time
He ain’t the first, the last, or the worst
Of the devils of his kind
So don’t you pay him no mind
With the devil’s touch, the little changes start to show
Don’t you ever notice that faint orange glow
From the fires below, creepin’ in your soul?
We’re all going down to the crossroads
We’re all going down to the crossroads
Don’t you get burned, there’s still time to turn from the devil
He feels like a friend, and that’s why you bend towards the devil
Don’t you get burned, there’s still time to turn
From the devil, the devil you know
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2. |
How Will They Tell It?
03:20
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2. How Will They Tell It? (P. Wictor)
When the story of our time is told (How will they tell it?)
Will they say that we were brave and bold? (How will they tell it?)
Did our conscience stir much too late? (How will they tell it?)
Will they say we lived in fear and hate? (How will they tell it?)
Aren’t we the ones who write this tale?
Were we strong or were we frail?
Did we succeed or did we fail? (How will they tell it? How will they tell it?)
Will they say that we were just and fair? (How will they tell it?)
When the powerless cried out, did we care? (How will they tell
Did we greet our neighbors with a smile or frown? (How will they tell it?)
Did we let the loudest shout us down? (How will they tell it?)
At our children’s children’s children’s birth
Will they know that we had put them first?
Did we give our best or do our worst? (How will they tell it? How will they tell it?)
Will they say that we were kind and wise? (How will they tell it?)
Or were we silent in the face of lies? (How will they tell it?)
Did we sacrifice for the good of all? (How will they tell it?)
Or did we just build fences and more walls? (How will they tell it?)
We can work together, or we can fight
But we all know which way sheds more light
The story now is ours to write (How will they tell it? How will they tell it?)
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3. |
What If?
03:53
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3. What If? (P. Wictor)
What if the truth is too bitter to take?
And if the story is all fake,
but it makes me feel okay?
Does it matter anyway?
What if a lie holds the sun up in my sky?
I look myself right in the eye
And say I’m doing fine -
Long as the world falls into line
What if the story I tell myself is all wrong?
What if it’s me, and I can only sing one song?
What if I see only what causes me no shame?
And the rest I hope will stay
Excluded from the frame?
Can I bear to take some blame?
What if the story I tell myself is all wrong?
What if it’s me, and I can only sing one song?
What if the story I tell myself is all wrong?
What if it’s me, and I can only sing one song?
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4. |
Information War
04:06
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4. Information War (P. Wictor)
Here comes the bullhorn, all that yelling
I ain’t buying what they’re selling
They want you to believe the truth don’t matter anymore
It’s just the latest propaganda in the information war
Which way is up? It’s hard to know
Why should I trust the one who lies the most?
They say we need a strong man to steer the ship to shore
It’s just the latest propaganda in the information war
What about the truth? Let the record show
Someone stood for right, and history will know
We tried to set the stage to end the dark age
Of the information war
Fearful minds, ready to receive
Say it enough times, and people will believe
Even when they know it isn’t true, they still cheer for more
It’s just the latest propaganda in the information war
What about the truth? Let the record show
Someone stood for right, and history will know
We tried to set the stage to end the dark age
Of the information war
No sword, no shield, but we have to fight
Be brave, take heart, keep looking for the light
If you see a cloud of smoke that hides the sun outside your door
It’s just the latest propaganda in the information war
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5. |
Is It Too Much to Ask?
03:48
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5. Is It Too Much To Ask? (P. Wictor)
I saw the ambulance again outside the school
And politicians spouting off again like fools
Shouldn’t every child be safe and sound in class?
In our America, is it too much to ask?
In our America, is it too much to ask?
I’m sick of “thoughts and prayers” and “nothing can be done”’s
Must we pay for guns with the lives of our young?
When will sanity and common sense come back?
In our America, is it too much to ask?
In our America, is it too much to ask?
Some sunny day, our children will play
Carefree, cause we came through
When they needed us
Can we put aside our differences just once?
Do we love our children more than we love our guns?
Can’t we figure out a better way at last?
In our America, is it too much to ask?
In our America, is it too much to ask?
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6. |
Days of Decision
04:15
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6. Days of Decision (Phil Ochs)
The shadows of doubt are in many a mind,
Lookin' for an answer they're never gonna find,
But they'd better decide 'cause they're runnin' out of time,
For these are the days of decision.
The games of stalling you cannot afford,
Dark is the danger that's knocking on the door,
And the far-reaching rockets say you can't wait anymore,
For these are the days of decision.
In the face of the people who know they're gonna win,
There's a strength that is greater than the power of the wind,
And you can't stand around when the ice is growing thin,
For these are the days of decision.
I've seen your heads hiding 'neath the blankets of fear,
When the paths they are plain and the choices are clear,
But with each passing day, boys, the cost is more dear
For these are the days of decision.
There's many a cross that burns in the night,
And the fingers of the fire are pointing as they bite,
Oh you can't let the smoke keep on blinding all your sight,
For these are the days of decision.
Now the mobs of anger are roamin' the street,
From the rooftops they are aimin' at the police on the beat,
And in city after city you know they will repeat,
For these are the days of decision.
There's been warnin's of fire, warnin's of flood,
Now there is the warnin' of the bullet and the blood,
From the three bodies buried in the Mississippi mud,
Sayin' these are the days of decision.
There's a change in the wind, and a split in the road,
You can do what's right or you can do what you are told,
And the prize of the victory will belong to the bold,
Yes, these are the days of decision.
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7. |
Mediocre Man
03:57
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7. Mediocre Man (P. Wictor)
Ya never tell the truth when a lie will do
But you can’t hide the truth about you (Mediocre Man)
Born on third, you think you hit a triple
Now you tell everybody you’re a man of the people (Mediocre Man)
Promised ‘em the earth, the moon and the sun
Takin’ credit for things you never done (Mediocre Man)
You’re a three-dollar bill, you’re the plot gone wrong
You’re a silver spooner, Dunning-Krueger, mouthin’ off all day long
You’re what the people sing when they forget their song
Mediocre man, get thee gone!
How is it the people talking dumb as a spoon
Always think they’re the smartest ones in the room? (Mediocre Man)
Wavin’ your flag, like it’s only for yourself
Whippin’ up that fear of everybody else (Mediocre Man)
Every problem you fix turns out to be fake
Don’t need solutions, just a whole lot of hate (Mediocre Man)
You’re a three-dollar bill, you’re the plot gone wrong
You’re a silver spooner, Dunning-Krueger, mouthin’ off all day long
You’re what the people sing when they forget their song
Mediocre man, get thee gone!
Every Day your worst, callin’ it your best
Spinning every disaster like a great success (Mediocre Man)
So you fail and fail all the way to the top
betcha think that the music won’t never stop (Mediocre Man)
You hide behind your shield of white
But everything you done’s gonna come to light (Mediocre Man)
You’re a three-dollar bill, you’re the plot gone wrong
You’re a silver spooner, Dunning-Krueger, mouthin’ off all day long
You’re what the people sing when they forget their song
Mediocre man, get thee gone!
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8. |
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8. Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)
Señor, señor, can you tell me where we’re headin’?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?
Seems like I been down this way before
Is there any truth in that, señor?
Señor, señor, do you know where she is hidin’?
How long are we gonna be ridin’?
How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door?
Will there be any comfort there, señor?
There’s a wicked wind still blowin’ on that upper deck
There’s an iron cross still hangin' down from around her neck
There’s a marchin’ band still playin’ in that vacant lot
Where she held me in her arms one time and said, “Forget me not”
Señor, señor, I can see that painted wagon
I can smell the tail of the dragon
Can’t stand the suspense anymore
Can you tell me who to contact here, señor?
Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring
Said, “Son, this ain’t a dream no more, it’s the real thing”
Señor, señor, you know their hearts are as hard as leather
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together
I just gotta pick myself up off the floor
I’m ready when you are, señor
Señor, señor, let’s overturn these tables
Disconnect all the cables
This place don’t make sense to me no more
Can you tell me what we’re waiting for, señor?
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9. |
I Got a Right
03:20
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9. I Got a Right (P. Wictor)
I got a right to be dead wrong
In your world, I don’t belong
Cause you’ve said so all along
I got a right to be dead wrong
I got a right to go to hell
No, I am under no one’s spell
But I ain’t mad, and I wish you well
I got a right to go to hell
You and me, our wills are free
What you believe is not for me
So let’s agree to disagree
If both of us are to be free
I got a right to be damned
I ain’t trying to take a stand
But you keep tryin’ to force my hand
So, I got a right to be damned
You and me, our wills are free
What you believe is not for me
So let’s agree to disagree
If both of us are to be free
We got a right to be dead wrong
Hope we can still get along
We’re each singing our own songs
We got a right to be dead wrong
“The civic norms contained herein are rendered null and void in cases of insurrection, attacks on the constitution and constitutional rights, extreme gerrymandering, sycophantic enthusiasm for foreign autocrats, bad faith, trolling, mindless repetition of disinformation, callous disregard for the truth, bigotry and discrimination. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, check and replace your sources of information immediately. All disagreements held separately.”
I got a right to be dead wrong
You got a right to be dead wrong
We got a right to be dead wrong
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10. |
The Way of the World
02:50
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10. The Way of the World (Mose Allison)
I've heard cries and whispers
Like a storm up in the pines
Seen fires set up on a house
Like angry kudzu vines
Seen grown men on their knees
But that story's old as time
It's just the way of the world
I've heard every battle
Is the one to end all war
Seen thousands fall in line
And never know what for
And still our greatest fear
Is just that knock upon the door
It's just the way of the world
Is there any difference
In the sun that climbs or falls
Or in tryin' to get in or out
When facin' down a wall?
I just know I must get over
As somehow must we all
It's just the way of the world
It's just the way of the world
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11. |
The Past is Never Over
04:59
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11. The Past Is Never Over (P. Wictor)
America is a choir
And each wants to sing their own part
Some days, it’s beautiful music
Some days, it just falls apart
“History is bunk,” said the man
And most people just sang along
Forgetting the past for a fresh start
Free to sing their own songs
How to make music that sounds all new
When so many songs came before?
All we can use is what people do
And write a few notes of our own
We’re all composers, without having chosen
All of the notes in our songs
The past is never over
The past is never over
It’s been here all along
To not just repeat what’s been done
Composers must know the craft
Avoid the mistakes others have made
And find new ways of using the past
How to make music that sounds all new
When so many songs came before?
All we can use is what people do
And write a few notes of our own
We’re all composers, without having chosen
All of the notes in our songs
The past is never over
The past is never over
It’s been here all along
Oligarchs pulling strings from their office towers
(We hear that song, and we heard it before)
Klansmen in suits in the capitols of power
(We hear that song, and we heard it before)
Women fighting once again for basic rights
(We hear that song, and we heard it before)
Workers fighting once again to unionize
(We hear that song, and we heard it before)
We’re all composers, without having chosen
All of the notes in our songs
The past is never over
The past is never over
It’s been here all along
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Pat Wictor Brooklyn, New York
Grounded in rural blues and gospel traditions, Pat Wictor's lean, poetic songs and expressive guitar playing are seasoned with jazz, pop, improvisational surprise, and philosophy. He first gained attention as an acoustic lap slide guitarist, and a sought-after collaborator and session musician. His evolving projects push his own musical boundaries ever outward ... more
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