Time Is Gold

The Union Electric will release its first full-length album this July.
The new release is called "Time Is Gold" and the lyrics to the eleven songs follow.

 1 - Truman (or That Great Atomic Power Scared Charlie Louvin More Than God)
 There's a White House war machine, the one Wilson switched on waited long enough and joined the side that won Roosevelt was dying, they had to find a man who would keep things running just like they planned Henry Wallace said what he really thought and there's no room for that no chance for that to move up in Washington When Roosevelt died, they had Truman move in left all the furniture exactly how it had been Independence to Washington Show me a man who would seem to take a stand got the White House blues all across this land MacArthur covers a whole nation's eyes and he waits for William Laurence to come claim his prize Hiroshima to Washington That great atomic power, scared Charlie Louvin, scared him more than God. Drop the little boy and the fat man now you got the whole world with the Marshall Plan The doctrine was in order, they just needed a name almost any other man, it would have been the same it's a shame in Washington Now you have to close your eyes to deny the rumors the working class, we're all consumers Truman left the White House, his job was done left all the furniture for the next one Eisenhauer to Washington The Rosenbergs were still in prison, going to the chair now there's a new man in the White House it doesn't change a thing, in Washington because that great atomic power scared Charlie Louvin scared him more than God.

 2 - Saint Francis Of Illinois (for Vachel Lindsay)
 Saint Francis of Illinois says only poverty will bring our redemption walk the muddy roads like they were the paths of heaven stay away from the main road stay away from the big town beg a meal at five o'clock and find a place to settle down for the night and tell your stories to pass the time when I was the king of birds I slept in the stables of horses tell your stories to pass the time trade them for bread, it's better than toil distance yourself from the machinery of the cities bleeding oil Saint Francis of Illinois says only poverty will bring our redemption walk the muddy roads like they were the paths of heaven When I was the king of birds I slept in the stables of horses

 3 - Center Of The Storm (for Lucy Parsons)
 Up from Waco, where we're not welcome up from Waco to Chicago to the center of the storm to the center of the storm I said I still see slaves with longer chains they said leave town or you will hang you can vote for bread clothes and shelter you can vote but they won't give you these things leaders make the laws and live real comfortable live off you workers like foreign kings what you produce is no guarantee toil and pray your time is gold your time is gold and when you have no means that's what gets sold Up from Waco, where we're not welcome up from Waco to Chicago to the center of the storm to the center of the storm I said I still see slaves with longer chains they said leave town or you will hang

The following will be reprinted soon but can also be found by searching The Union Electric lyrics already posted:
4 - Tunnels (Under the Hotel Imperial)
5 - Thyalcine (written by Stefene Russell)
6 - Bugs (based on the true story of Ross Lessor)

7 - Casino Janitor
 Kinsale to Congo, displacement displayed heavy drinking and a collapse of any structures ever laid out of your element from the farm to the town a wasted life wondering how it all broke down I wonder about the help here and where they came from I wonder what we're doing and how anything gets done

 8 - Bucket Of Blood (based on various tales, including Mr. Townsend's own)
 Henry he hopped that north-bound train jumped off in the yard in east st louis henry was a shoeshine boy fronting for that bootlegging man downtown henry learned to play that mean guitar henry learned to play that sweet guitar had some folks jealous with the way that he played JD Short got him in the back that coward with a knife got him in the back Henry was a bleeding he nearly died when that coward snake got him in the back henry wanted to take his revenge went hunting JD Short through all the joints cornered him at the bucket of blood Henry stepped up and short pulled his knife Henry drew his gun and he took a shot Short jumped up yelled and fell down Henry left the yard same way he'd come in Short lay bleeding hurting on the ground Henry he's an old man now stack-a-lee's been long dead now with many a song to sing and many a tale to tell the city Henry knew it ain't there no more the Booker Washington theatre been torn down the city Henry knew it ain't here no more

 9 - Necklace Of Shoes (for Muntadhar al-Zaidi)
 Roll out all the red carpets Put up a castle out in the sand Put up a throne out in the desert go to hell where you'll bother no one This is a farewell kiss, you dog Now you’ll wear a necklace of shoes A ridiculous disgrace Ridiculous and ready to kill us Keep moving to stay alive Oh, the people… Keep moving while asleep The people are sharks Corrupt but loyal, it’s the customer’s money It’s about money it's a rich land It was a rich land and now it’s a poor one by the sleight of a government magic hand Wars and walls all around ourselves Roll out the carpet so full of sand Put up a throne out in the desert now you're king of a forsaken land This is a farewell kiss, you dog Now you’ll wear a necklace of shoes A ridiculous disgrace Ridiculous and ready to kill us

10 - Sentence (see note above)

11 - The Laughing Song (written by Hunter Brumfield III)
 He's sorry that things turned out as they did, it's a god-forsaken shame small was the box in which that he hid to temper his poisonous brain he reached for the stars, came back with stumps in a downpour, yearning for rain happiness got him once he hit bottom gonna laugh his way through all the pain Believe him it's easy to drink and be sleazy as your conscience just limps along mistaking freedom for license, he screamed in the silence and his echo said boy you're all wrong well, life is absurd, haven't you heard? keep laughing boy, that's your best bet Life is absurd, haven't you heard? keep laughing boy, that's your best bet