Get all 6 Craig Mecham releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Now It's 2:00 AM, Ain't No Quit, I Still Buy You Flowers, Houston, How Can It Be?, and Driving Through Montana.
1. |
Ain't No Quit
03:50
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Ain’t No Quit
Dirt road ribbons wrap the hills
An old cowboy tests his skill
As cattle prod the valley floor
In desperate search for a mouthful more
He urges on his tired horse
Day after day they plod this course
Weathered face and callused hands
It’s a rugged road, but he understands
That’s what it takes in this hard land
A heart on fire and an iron hand
Find your place and make a stand
There ain’t no quit in a cattle man
Never time for for kids and wife
He’s been alone near his whole life
Just his horse to hear him speak
Or see a muddy tear run down his cheek
Them boney cows won’t pay the bills
He knows that, but he rides on still
It ain’t the money, he always says
Just build the herd and keep your head
Chorus
Dust for breakfast lunch and dinner
He and the cattle keep getting thinner
But he don’t stop even though he should
Too late to change even if he could
They found him lying under the sage
His frozen body racked with age
They buried him right where he lay
Under all that dust he ate each day
A wooden marker shows the spot
Some faded words was all he got
He gave his all to this tough land
There ain’t no quit in this cattle man
There ain’t no quit in a cattle man
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2. |
The Mosquito Dance
03:18
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Doing the Mosquito Dance
© 2018 by Craig Mecham
I don’t mind mosquitoes
When they’re buzzing in my ear
But I really hate it
When they bite me in the rear
If I’m camping in the woods
And I’m feeling nature’s call
Sometimes it gets serious
And I have to bare it all
I swat left and I swat right
I run in circles too
I’m just doing the mosquito dance
What else can I do?
I find a sheltered spot
Where no one else can see
And I go about my business
Just myself and me
But in only seconds
With so much of me exposed
What I thought was secret
Every mosquito knows
So I swat left and I swat right
I run in circles too
I’m just doing the mosquito dance
What else can I do?
They attack me by the thousands
No matter how I swat
They’ve found a hidden treasure
And it looks just like my butt
The next day I’m in church
And I’m as quiet as can be
The itching drives me crazy
I have to scratch where you can’t see
So I slide left and I slide right
While sitting in the pew
I’m just doing the mosquito dance
What else can I do?
My mom says stop your squirming
My dad says that too
But I’m doing the mosquito dance
What else can I do?
I look up at the Bishop
Hoping the meeting’s through
When suddenly I remember
He was on the campout too!
And he slides left and he slides right
While sitting in his chair
He’s not in any trouble
Now that just isn’t fair
We both slide left and then slide right
While sitting on our butts
We’re just doing the mosquito dance
People think we’re nuts
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3. |
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Does This Song Make Me Sound Taller?
© 2020 by Craig Mecham
I have a condition, not from lack of nutrition
As you can clearly surmise
When God made my body
He said this one will be naughty; we better not make him full size
He’s gonna be short, said all the reports
Didn’t seem like a big deal to me
But out on the playground
There was a serious let down If I had to be on the team
CHORUS:
Does this song make me sound taller?
When I sing it, do I sound six three?
If you close your eyes and don’t realize
Could I be on your basketball team?
A kid named Bob, thought that his job
Was to beat on me every day
He would attack from behind
He thought it was fine it was what he called “play”
I heard him behind me, and I thought it was time he
Learned a little lesson for good
He was poised for attack
When I swung my fist back into his future manhood
CHORUS
Diane was a tall one and I was a small one
So, my friends made a large bet
I wasn’t afraid and I wanted to get paid
So out on the dance floor I went
The song was a slow one, but I was a bold one
And we danced like we were the best
I said something absurd but she never heard
Cause my face was right in her chest
CHORUS
Well, now I’m an old guy and I think I know why
Short guys are getting it done
I have a great life with the prettiest wife
And I get paid for writing these songs
Last CHORUS:
This song won’t make me sound taller
When I sing it, I’m still just 5’ 5”
It doesn’t matter, if I’m shorter and fatter
Because short guys (spoken) have been
statistically shown to have longer lives
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4. |
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My Teacher Was a Zombie
© 2022 by Craig Mecham
My teacher was a zombie
She tried to eat my brain
When she’d get close I’d run and hide
But she’d find me just the same
Her hair was dark and stringy
Like strands of sharp barbed wire
Her teeth were just like razors
Her breath was hot as fire
CHORUS:
She found me in the gym
She found me by the door
She found me in the office
I can’t stand it anymore
I can’t run any faster
I can’t find a place to hide
I can’t escape forever
Even if I tried
She found me in the closet
Behind the mops and brooms
She found me on the playground
Or in the boys restroom
She found me in the lunchroom
Behind the serving trays
I thought I was a goner
I couldn’t get away
CHORUS
She was getting closer
I smelled her ugly breath
There was nowhere left to run
I was facing certain death
She finally had me cornered
I could see her slimy drool
When suddenly I heard my mom
Wake up you’re late for school!
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5. |
The Boy Under the Glass
03:45
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The Boy Under the Glass
© 2020 Craig Mecham
On my desk, under the glass
There’s a photo of me from my first grade class
Before I took a rocky path
I was . . . that boy under the glass
The smiling face looks up at me
From the boy I used to be
Eyes of hope and dreams to pass
Were all born in . . . that boy under the glass
1st CHORUS
Once upon a time
That perfect smile was mine
It seems as time goes past
The only smile I see is from . . . the boy under the glass
The best laid plans, they knock you down
The trust you gave turns back around
Laughter fades, glory doesn’t last
You know I really miss . . . that boy under the glass
When I think of what I’ve lost
The heavy price, the awful cost
The path is wrong, but the die is cast
If only I remained . . . the boy under the glass
1st CHORUS
But sometimes I feel deep in my soul
There’s a tiny flicker, a little glow
And even though decades have past
In my heart I am still . . . that boy under the glass
2nd Chorus
Now and then it seems
That perfect smile still means
Happiness is not just in the past
It grew like a tiny seed from . . . that boy under the glass
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6. |
How Can It Be?
04:22
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How Can It Be?
© 2019 By Craig Mecham
For all these years
She lay next to me each night
Softly breathing
Un-til the morning light
When she rises
And floats throughout the day
Moving softly
And tender are her ways
CHORUS
How can it be?
That someone such as I
Has a place
With her side by side
And when she smiles
She lights up any room
And she’s the reason
That my heartstrings are in tune
And when I’m scared
Of the path that we have chose
Her gentle touch
Tells me her heart knows
We can do it
So forward we both go
Hand in hand
Into the dark unknown
CHORUS
How can it be?
That someone such as I
Has a place
With her side by side
And in the night
When I’m laying wide-awake
My mind racing
And my heart’s about to break
I look at her
Sleeping soft and warm
And then I know
We can weather any storm
How can it be?
How can it be?
How can it be?
After all that we’ve been through
That she’s still here
And knows just what to do
When the world
Crashes down around my head
And I feel like
I’m hanging by a thread
CHORUS
How can it be?
That someone such as I
Has a place
With her side by side
Some things are rare
Almost never known
But in my life
The seed of love has grown
Into a rose
So perfect in my eyes
I stare in wonder
Can’t help but question why
How can it be?
How can it be?
LAST CHORUS
How can it be?
That someone such as I
Has a place
With her side by side
How can it be?
How can it be?
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7. |
B-17
04:56
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B-17
© 2022 by Craig Mecham
Coaxing crops from the stubborn soil
Was what he'd always done
They called his number, and he chose wings
He wanted to touch the sun
It's a long, long road from Idaho
To skies where death awaits
Five miles high and 40 below
And the devil is at the gate
CHORUS:
He turned 19 in a B-17
Curled up in a tiny glass ball
Spitting fire left and right
He answered his country's call
35 times he climbed aboard.
35 times terrified.
Hanging there in the frozen air,
He was sure he was gonna die
In quiet strength, he did his part
Like so many of that age
When the job was done, he left his guns
And turned a fresh new page
2nd CHORUS:
He turned 19 in a B-17
Curled up in a tiny glass ball
Spitting fire left and right
He was ready to give his all
He came home and he raised some kids
But he never said a word
No one knew what he'd been through
His hell was left unheard
But we knew the unspoken truth
He had served a noble cause
To him it was sacred duty
He expected no applause
3rd CHORUS:
He turned 19 in a B-17
But he kept it locked inside
Silent stories of blood and fear
Went with him when he died
Silent stories of blood and tears
Went with him when he died
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8. |
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Peter
He saw him in the darkness
At first he was afraid
Then he heard his Master call
“Come”, He simply said
He stepped onto the water
His heart was filled with faith
He walked mid stormy wind and waves
But he kept a steady pace
His eyes upon his Savior
He closed the distance fast
But nearly there he felt the fear
And called out for His grasp
CHORUS
Save me! Lord save me!
Can't you see I'm sinking fast
Save me! Lord save me!
On my own I'll never last
Sinking, drowning in despair]
He reached up for that hand
The one that made the universe
And has all at His command
In defiance of the raging sea
That tender hand brought him out
Safely in His arms he heard
Wherefore did you doubt?
When we are wrapped in darkness
And our burdens have us bowed
Grasp in faith the hand outstretched
And do not sink in doubt
CHORUS
He whose hand bears the scars
The pain of Calvary
His promises are firm and sure
And are meant for you and me
Do not fear and do not doubt
Though your pathway will be rough
The same hand that lifted Peter
Will be there to hold you up
Save me! Lord save me!
You are not beyond his grasp
Save me! Lord save me!
Take His hand and hold it fast
Hold it Fast
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9. |
I Still Buy You Flowers
04:39
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I Still Buy You Flowers
© 2020 By Craig Mecham
Now it’s 2 am
Here I go again
I’m dreaming of you
I want to feel your touch
I want it oh so much
But there’s nothing I can do
Is that you in a crowd
I speak your name out loud
And then you disappear
My heart plays tricks on me
Shows me what I want to see
And what I want to hear
Since you’ve been gone
I barely get along
I spend my days trying
I spend my nights crying
I still buy you flowers
I carry them for hours
With nowhere to go
But I still end up there
And I just sit and stare
At your name in that stone
There’s an empty space
In that lonely place
Where I want to be
It’s not my time now
And I don’t know just how
To keep my sanity
Since you’ve been gone
I barely get along
I spend my days trying
I spend my nights crying
So I just close my eyes
And hope my brave disguise
Is what they all see
If they only knew
How much I need you
To end this misery
I don’t wanna pray
I do it anyway
The pain cuts so deep
And then I feel the love
That comes from up above
And I cry myself to sleep
Since you’ve been gone
I barely get along
I spend my days trying
I spend my nights crying
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10. |
I'm Still Here
04:16
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I’m Still Here
© 2018 J. Craig Mecham
My old eyes don’t see too well
And my old bones they hurt like—
Well, I never ever want to dwell
On my own pain and tears
Names and faces disappear
My mind is home but my body’s here
And I just can’t escape the fear
That grows deep in my heart
But I’m still here
Just waiting for my love to come around
Please find a way
To reach me deep inside before I drown
I’m locked away inside this shell
I never left, but you can’t tell
I live here in this frozen hell
Just praying for the light
I never thought that this would be
The kind of place where you’d find me
I always thought that I’d be free
To see my dreams fulfilled.
But I’m still here
Just waiting for my love to come around
Please find a way
To reach me deep inside before I drown
But now through the fog I hear
A melody that comes in clear
It calls to me across the years
And warms my lonely soul
Reach through the darkness in my eyes
The melody can tell no lies
It binds me with its gentle ties
To memories I hold dear
But I’m still here
Just waiting for my love to come around
Please find a way
To reach me deep inside before I drown
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11. |
Somewhere in the World
04:15
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12. |
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In the Shadow of the Moon
© 2021 by Craig Mecham
Moonlight finds my sleepy eyes
Wakes me up and bids me rise
Past silver light the darkness lies
In the shadow of the moon
In the shadow of the moon
See clearly in the lesser light
There is no color in my sight
All is grey and black and white
In the cold and lonely room
In the shadow of the moon
1st CHORUS:
In the shadow of the moon
In the quiet and the gloom
I still only dream of you
And pray I’ll see you soon
In the shadow of the moon
These days I walk in shadows dark
With careful steps I seek my part
I stumble and again I start
I hope to stay in tune
In the shadow of the moon
These moments do not linger long
But quiet sadness still goes on
The morning light shows right and wrong
The sun is rising soon
In the shadow of the moon
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13. |
Thank You
02:55
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Thank You
©2021 by Craig Mecham
I’m grateful for the sunshine
I’m grateful for the rain
I’m grateful for the struggles
Even grateful for the pain
All these things have placed me
Where I am today
I don’t know what the future holds
But at this moment I must say
1st CHORUS
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Countless hours on my knees
Undeserving of thy grace
It never ever crossed my mind
That I’d be in such a place
I’m not rich or famous
I’m not sure I’d like to be
One small step at a time
Is just enough for me
1st CHORUS
I've got great friends and family
And a warm place to call home
And when I'm feeling restless
I've got the freedom to roam
I’ve got my share of troubles
Please don’t get me wrong
But deep inside my grateful heart
There sings a grateful song
2nd CHORUS
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
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Craig Mecham Logan, Utah
Craig Mecham has spent many decades playing and performing on stages from London to Washington State.
He recently took
2nd place at the annual KSM Songwriter’s Contest and was a finalist at the prestigious Red Lodge Songwriter’s Festival.
His ability to weave music and lyrics into a very personal experience will have you roaring with laughter one minute and quietly dabbing your eyes the next.
... more
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