Rich Price

Night Opens- Chords/Lyrics

This was my first album. It's a simple record, but in many ways my favorite. Me on vocals, guitar and harmonica, Pete Francis (from Dispatch, who is my college roommate and co-producer on this record) on lead guitars, Marty Ballou on upright bass, Marty Richards on drums, Steve Burke on B-3 organ and Clint Bierman on guitar and mandolin. We recorded this record in 2 days, from start to finish. It was recorded at Lakewest in Rhode Island, co-produced by Jack Gauthier, my friend and master of 'the vibey sound.' It's out of print for the moment, but it's available for download- places like iTunes and such. Hope you get to check it out, if you haven't already. All the best, and thanks for the support- Rich



Empty Glass
E
I've been coming from far away
Cm
Miles from anywhere, another day
B E
I rest my mind dancing with the old ones
A
So hold me (come on) hold me up
E
Can't you hear me calling
A
The way the clouds move 
E
Here they come big and black
B E
That's the sound of a man who's working on his way back
Fm
Now she comes to me
A E
Now she comes to me at last
Fm
Now she comes to me
A E
Now she comes to me at last
Bm A E
I was waiting I was waiting like an empty glass

E
I've seen it over and over again
Cm
Say goodbye and then I catch the wind
B
Like a madman walking
E
Singing songs with the old ones

So hold me (come on) hold me up
Can't you hear me calling
The way the clouds move 
Here they come big and black
That's the sound of a man who's working on his way back

Now she comes to me
Now she comes to me at last
Now she comes to me
Now she comes to me at last
I was waiting I was waiting like an empty glass

Ain't No Lights
F
The boat left from New York City
Bb F
One October night
F
The buoy lights from the harbor 
Bb F
Went bobbing out of sight
Bb
And I remember thinking,
Bb
"This ain't the Hudson, baby,
C
we got a sea of troubles now"

F
So roll out from under me
Bb F
As the bow leads to check
F
Four thousands pieces 
Bb F
All hands on deck
Bb
Where's your compass baby
Bb C
And the star you're gonna fix to now

Dm Bb
Heaven knows we were drifting
Bb F
We were drifting apart
Dm Bb
Your boat's been sinking baby
Bb F
You gotta scratch the surfance of your heart

F
I have been overboard
Bb F
One foot in the grave
F
It took a sinking ship 
Bb F
To feel that I'd been saved
Bb
And now I'm thinking, well,
Bb C
'Hallelujah, baby there ain't no lights!
Ain't no lights…

She Knows

(bridge- Am-Em-G-D x4)

D D/C D/B D/A A
The fog rolls in and the fog rolls out

D D/C D/B D/A A
It was a dirt road with the moon on our backs
D D/C D/B D/A A
This desert island where shadows of mountains they fall
D D/C D/B 
Ain't no cool way no hard way no drunk way
D/A A
No nothing man I'm gone

G D D/C D/B D/A A
No fire, no ship, no castle you cup in your hand

D D/C D/B 
Picking up a book that she's read
D/A A
But she knows there were things that she missed
A
Lost in the distance
D D/C D/B 
Take another look but she said 
D/A A
That she needs more than patience can bring
A
She's tired of these things that she knows
F G D
Yeah she knows

And as I pass this truck on the road
Ain't no reason, no mama, I should be without you
There's something I wanna know
But nobody wrote about it yet

No fire, no ship, no castle you cup in your hand

Picking up a book that she's read
But she knows there were things that she missed
Lost in the distance
Take another look but she said 
That she needs more than patience can bring
She's tired of these things that she knows
Yeah she knows

Picking up a book that she's read
But she knows there were things that she missed
Lost in the distance
Take another look but she said 
That she needs more than patience can bring
She's tired of these things that she knows
Yeah she knows

And the fog rolls 
And the fog rolls out again

Sweet Elizabeth

F Bb
Elijah joined on to set the record straight
F Bb
As waves lapped the sides of his little yellow boat
F Bb
'If Boston is three days I think I can smell it in the air
Dm C Bb F
And I'll soon be there'

F Bb
Halfmoon, I see the figures on the bow
F Bb
In the pale light reflections in the water 
Washed their faces away
F Bb
Oh Sweet Elizabeth I hope you'll be waiting for me still
Dm C Bb F
I know you will

Gm F
General Washington's men live to fight again
C Bb F
On account of soldiers just like me, lord,
Gm
Until the war is won,
F
Until I trade my gun,
C Bb F
I'm just a captive on this sea
I'm just a captive on the sea

F Bb
All this flesh and bones
I have given all
F Bb
The days of my youth and I don't mind
F Bb
So we could see the king's flag
Face down in the mud
Dm C Bb F
We gave our blood

General Washington's men live to fight again
On account of soldiers just like me, lord,
Until the war is won,
Until I trade my gun,
I'm just a captive on this sea
I'm just a captive on the sea


Rubicon
(capo 4th fret- so song is in Abm)

Em-D-C 
Em-D-C
There's a fire on the London bridge
Em-D-C
Smoke black, like the night, rose higher
Em-D-C
There's a hole and up through which
Em-D-C
Red flames like cathedral spires
Em-D-C
Red flames like cathedral spires

And the crossbeams split in two
Bails of water to buy some time
And a feeling like I can't get through
Like a madman trying to speak his mind
There's no time

G
So call your kettle black
C
Believe me boy you can never go back
Em-D-C
This life you left at dawn
Em-D-C
You got to cross your rubicon

Em-D-C
So you flee the city
Em-D-C
Drop it all and get out
Em-D-C
From the hills you say it looks pretty
Em-D-C
The same flames that burned our house
Em-D-C
The same flames that burned our house

So call your kettle black
Believe me boy you can never go back
This life you left at dawn
You got to cross your rubicon


Night Opens

Capo 8th fret (song is in F)
A/C= A + C bass note
A/D= A + D bass note

A
The night opens
A/C
A shot rings out
A/D A/C
Backfires on the avenue
A
This red light on Bleecker
A/C
This tongue lost a speaker
A/D A/C
It's hard getting over you

Fm D
Oh maria, won't you come inside
A E
It's warm by the candle light
Fm D
Oh maria, won't you come inside
A E
We've got a situation we need to handle right

A
And the bridge home
A/C
Stretched out like a finger
A/D A/C
Just mocking my earlier remarks
A
It's a long way back
A/C
To my point of departure
A/D A/C
And this street goes on for blocks

Love Come Back

G C
Love come back to me
G D
I've fallen far from grace
G C
Love come won't you come back to me
G D
I've fallen far from grace

Em D
It's been a long long time
C D
Since I held your hand in mine

Love leave that porch light on
I know I got to find my way
Love leave that ol' porch light on
I know I got to find my way

It's been a long long time
Since I held your hand in mine

C G
Here in the twilight
Am D
The day is going fast
C G
Oh love I still might
Am D
Find that you come at last

Love like a warm bed, darling,
When I'm tired and I need my rest
Your love, like a warm bed, darling,
When I'm tired and I need my rest

It's been a long long time
Since I held your hand in mine

Here in the twilight
The day is going fast
Oh love I still might
Find that you come at last

Free Will

Am
I chose to meet you 
G
On the curb by the cube in the Astor Place
Am
And I decided I would stay
G
From the light across your face

Am
If it hadn't been for that late night movie
G
I'd probably be there still
Am
Yeah, I'll stay the night with you
G
But then I'm leaving of my own free will

Am-G x2

Am
She wailed like a siren
G
With the sounds from the street below
Am
I've got half an hour to get dressed and get to work
G
Another kiss before I go

Am
If it hadn't been for that late night romance
G
I would've had some time to kill
Am
Yeah, I'll stay the night with you
G
But then I'm leaving of my own free will

F Am
Oh, it's been a bad time for me
G Am
I must've let myself go
F Am
Oh, it's been a bad time for me
G Am
I'm just a shadow

C
About the time the cannonballs fly
F
Low arc in a big sky
G C Am-G
I'll be moving on
C
About the time the tidal waves come
F G
Hear the side of a steady drum that beats loudly
C Am-G
I'll be gone
F
I'll be gone


Broke the plans that I made
With the girl from the time before
I said 'my god this is what I came here for'

If it hadn't been for that late night music
I wouldn't have this space to fill
I'll stay the night with you
But then I'm leaving of my own free will

Oh, it's been a bad time for me
I must've let myself go
Oh, it's been a bad time for me
I'm just a shadow

About the time the cannonballs fly
Low arc in a big sky
I'll be moving on
About the time the tidal waves come
Hear the side of a steady drum that beats loudly
I'll be gone

Lillianne

F
It's getting old
Bb
All these lies that I've been told
C F
Keep adding up to drive me away
F
But it's nothing new
Bb
Nothing left for me to do
C F
'Cept to give you up on New Year's Day

C F
Oh but my darling, my sweet Lillianne
C F
Let go of my heart if you can
Bb F
I know you'll find yourself another man
C F
But it won't be me no more, Lillianne

I'm on my toes, I'm on my toes,
Keeping track nobody knows
What makes you do the shit you do
But I'm on my feet, I'm on my feet,
Now that the severance is complete
Please understand I'm over you

Oh but my darling, my sweet Lillianne
Let go of my heart if you can
I know you'll find yourself another man
But it won't be me no more, Lillianne
I know you'll find yourself another man
But it won't be me no more, Lillianne

Full Of Steam

Capo 3rd fret (so song is in Bb)

G C
I got a foghorn
G C
Doesn't matter much anymore
G C
My windows of vulnerability all shatter
G C
To broken shards on the floor

Am C
I'm back down and I came 'round
G
To see all this time as helping
Am C G
And besides, the insides of your city walls 
D
Were bleeding me
D7
Just leading me

G C
I've been laughing
G C
I've been laughing

G C
You're walking a drawbridge
G C
You got your feet rolled up
G C
Your sleeves tied down
G C
And it's a hard edge of the rail

G C
This morning as I looked out
G C
I saw an old ship pass
G C
It must have had a hard edge on the sail

D Em
And I swear I feel I've been awake
C
For seventeen days straight
G C G C
But I'm feeling calm, cool and full of steam

Em D
All told I've been sold for a morsel
C G D
A modicum of change in light

G C
Oh, I bet your head aches
G C
I bet your heart breaks in two
G C
I wanted to see you begging for me
G C
To come back home
G C
But I don't give a damn if you do

Am C
'Cause I've found solid ground
G
It's time I claim it for my own
Am C
I won't feel the cold steel
G D
Of your city walls are bleeding me
D7
Leading me…

G C
I've been laughing
G C
I've been laughing

G C
The heat drips the ice tea sips
G C
The porch light is just right
G C
And it's calling for you and me
G C
And oh boy the engine toils
G C
The house they built is falling
G C
You'll see

Em D
And I swear I feel I've been awake
C
For seventeen days straight
G C
But I'm feeling calm, cool and full of steam

And I swear I feel I've been awake
For seventeen days straight
But I'm feeling calm, cool and full of steam