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The Human Wilderness

by Jeff Smith

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

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  • Full Digital Discography

    9
    releases

    Get all 9 Jeff Smith releases available on Bandcamp.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Thirty Miles Out, Steerin' Wheel, LIVIN' IT UP, Comin' Home for Christmas, Up At The Late Night Moon, The Human Wilderness - Alternate Mixes Arrangements & Songs, The Human Wilderness, A Little Romance, and 1 more. , and , .

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1.
Only One Thing 04:31
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Only One Thing Only one thing you can do here for fun Only one thing you can do here for fun Sit around and watch this town eat it's young Only one thing to survive this place Only one thing to survive this place Gotta unplug your heart and hide your face Only one thing you can do for this town Only one thing you can do for this town Change the color of the sky and turn it upside down Only one thing that's ever gonna change Only one thing that's ever gonna change That's the subtle difference between terrible and strange Only one thing you better be countin' on Only one thing you better be countin' on No matter how long you're gone, you can't be gone too long. You never showed me the future, You only showed me production lines You're the only one who never felt the crime
2.
The Human Wilderness 04:23
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The Human Wilderness See them in the car it's the same ever day The three of them together Tryin' to get away The girl is in the middle And she's married to the driver His buddy's on the right And they're feelin like survivors And when they get off work And head for home Half an hour later They get in the car and they roam They roam the human wilderness Three or four, six packs of beer Some peanuts and cassettes Killing five hour stretches And sixty cigarettes They talk about the world When they talk about their town They ride around the neighborhood In a very fast movin crowd And when they get off work And head for home Half an hour later They get in the car and they roam They roam the human wilderness See them in the car it's the same ever day The three of them together Tryin' to get away The girl is in the middle and she's about to re-marry Two guys are switching places It makes life around here a little scary And when they get off work And head for home Half an hour later They get in the car and they roam They roam the human wilderness They got names like Billy, They got names like Lisa They got names like Danny They got got daddies named Cecil They went to school together They married each other They live in the same neighborhood Three of four blocks from their mother They roam the human wilderness
3.
Hideaway Rockin' 02:53
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HIDEAWAY ROCKIN' There's a little known spot down on West Fourth Street Behind the Kroger parking lot Where the people in the neighborhood usually end up Spending all the overtime that they got Down at the hideaway The smoke hangs thick over pool playin' dudes And there's a bandstand in the middle of the room People crammed in six to a booth Talkin' real loud and gettin' loose Down at the hideaway Turn the jukebox off and let the band get on It's two in the mornin' and there a'int no stoppin' This crazy world or the hideaway rockin' Mad Brenda is steaming cause Suzie is with Mike The whole place is weaving and there might be a fight Brit and Elisha slummin' from the East side Acting like celebrities in neon skin tights Down at the hideaway Turn the jukebox off and let the band get on It's two in the mornin' and there a'int no stoppin' This crazy world or the hideaway rockin' Now there's heavy action out in the cars For business that can not take place in the bar It is rumored and it is believed That this is where Danny Martin was conceived Down at the hideaway
4.
How Can This Be 03:53
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How Can This Be How can this be my sweet one I’m at a loss for words and heart I feel like I’m outside of it all Watching us fall apart. Your kisses have turned into paper And you shy away from my touch We sleep in different dreams now We’ve been keeping to ourselves too much. How can this be my sweet one I’m at a loss for words and heart I feel like I’m outside of it all Watching us fall apart. I don’t know what to say That will not leave you feeling hurt In my mind I keep walking out Telling myself I will not return. How can this be my sweet one I’m at a loss for words and heart I feel like I’m outside of it all Watching us fall apart. Sometimes when you look at me I don’t know what’s gotten into you You and I are different people now Fading from view.
5.
I Never Wanted You To Go 02:52
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I Never Wanted You To Go I carry your sweet voice like it is a photograph Whenever I look at it I can almost hear you laugh When I said some foolish things now I want you to know While it was so hard to show No Matter what I said then I never wanted you to go Don't you know how I regret Whenever I remember Insignificant arguments When I could not temper my temper Well I've been feeling sorry for myself Wondering if you'll ever come back Writing letters and making calls But the line is so tight can I have some slack Oh baby I'm fight them off These memories you left behind You come to me in silent dreams Running your fingers through my mind
6.
You 04:28
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You You showed me the well Made me pull the bucket up Put the ladle up to my mouth Made me drink it up When I came to the stars looked like they were falling and you were nowhere When I was calling you. You on your broken bike Headed downtown I met you by the river We flagged a motorboat down You typing my poems by the window in your room Me dictating letting go Of all of my balloons for you How quickly you ran away I thought I heard you say it's been nice Knowing you You told me a story About an accident A young boy and a girl Who never knew what it meant You took the little one What did you do Your mother said you ran away from him I said no, she ran away from you Well I waited for a letter Some kind of nice word or sign But I never heard from you
7.
Happy Now 03:30
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You should see the way that Mimi's turned out She's thrown away the bottle and she's done herself proud She smokrd her last cigarette a month ago She's feeling better and it's starting to show And She's met a man she thinks she's starting to care about Now it's interesting to me to see the people she knew When she was out and inviting abuse They treat like she's still the same And there is some resentment because of the change And she's made a new set of friends who don't write her off She was always suicides sister She was strung out in a terminal funk She swore thet the devil had kissed her That's how she lived her life when she was young Mimi says she's been worried a lot Thinkin' about things she never though Regretting all the time she spent spinning her wheels Getting out from under what she thought were good deals She laughs about it now, I think she's happy She was always suicides sister She was strung out in a terminal funk She swore thet the devil had kissed her That's how she lived her life when she was young
8.
Over in The Fields 03:38
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Over in the Fields I bought a 79 chevy in 85 'n that's it over in the fields Those two trucks were my grandaddy's n' He bought 'em just before the paint all peeled Terry my brother left his wagon there n' That Olsmobile is the one his wife crashed Their three kids and my two boys Each a have a couple that are broken and smashed Over in the fields Some people buy clothes and houses and such But that don't turn my wheels Around here buddy we but these cars We fix 'em up and make each other deals It might run for a week, it might run for a year We keep 'em as long as it's got a good feel We ain't goin' nowhere, nobody ever does We just drive 'em in the dirt then we leave'em in the fields Over in the fields Cars and busses and Frigidaires All of 'em rusting over in the fields Vegetation grows up all around 'em who cares I got a '87 Ford pick up truck 'n I used to haul parts for these cars But lately I've been haulin radar antenna That pull in tv beams from the stars Jimmy Johnson gave me two hundred dollars Cash money to move his old rusted outs I rented a wrecker and it took me all day And part of another till the winch gave out and there it sits Over in the fields Over in the fields Cars and busses and Frigidaires All of 'em rusting over in the fields Vegetation grows up all around 'em who cares Over in the fields you might find somebodys old news papers Over in the fields you might find somebodys old abandoned love nest Over in the fields you might find somebodys old beat up baby doll Over in the fields you might find some you might find some you might find some body over in the fields.
9.
The Grindstone 03:25
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The Grindstone Some people got a job they really like They don't mind gettin up to go But most every one that I ever known Feels like the work they do is not their own It's a back breaking, mind numbing, hell of a rut Trying to keep your family in a home Bitchin' and a moanin' workin' and a groanin' The grindstone's a killer and it's first degree The boss thinks he's cool but he's just a jerk He doesn't care about you and he does not work He'll hang out the carrot of security But when you want that raise you gotta get on your knees It's a back breaking, mind numbing, hell of a rut Trying to keep your family in a home Bitchin' and a moanin' workin' and a groanin' The grindstone's a killer and it's first degree People around here have learned to live with fate They go to jobs that they tolerate As long as there's a weekend to recooperate From a babe to the grave you can appreciate It's a back breaking, mind numbing, hell of a rut Trying to keep your family in a home Bitchin' and a moanin' workin' and a groanin' The grindstone's a killer and it's first degree
10.
Bad News (Leave Her to Him) 04:38
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Bad News (Leave Her to Him) I know you know how it is in this town The bad news travels fast and the good doesn't get around Are you gonna sit here with your head in your hands You better start playin this game like you understand So what if she's found another and she is out again You'll find another and you can leave her to him Loose talk and rumors fill the lives of the bored The tell their stories and the tally up the scores When you become a character in this play You have too invent yourself until you leave the stage So what if she's found another and she is out again You'll find another and you can leave her to him Now the camera's on and you start to move Like you just found out that she's leaving you This scene is easy and you throw her a kiss And the curtain closes like eyelids on a wish So what if she's found another and she is out again You'll find another and you can leave her to him
11.
Me and My Daddy 03:14
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Me and My Daddy Me and my daddy up at dawn Diggin' for worms in our backyard Stuffin' 'em into a coffee can Fishin' poles in our hands. I'm ten years old and I can't wait to go Half a mile to the Ohio It's like a jungle gettin' there Trees and vines grow everywhere Sittin' on the bank in the cool clean air The better part of fishin' is to sit and stare Hopin' to catch a big catfish Rub his belly and you make a wish Cause if that catfish meows at you You got a good chance your wish come true But if that catfish starts to grin You could get cut on one of his fins Black iron skillet and it's full of grease Eat all the bacon that we please The smell of the river and the tast of toast Comes in a memory like a ghost I'm out in the water up to my knees Watchin' the barges from the coal companies I'm so happy when the captain waves I can hear the ship's whistle like it was yesterday
12.
The Human Wilderness Reprise (slide version) 05:39
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about

Jeff Smith: "The Human Wilderness" (Acetate). The fine print alone may sell a few copies of this impressive album, since the liner notes credit several past and present members of Mary Chapin Carpenter's band for their tasteful contributions. But if fans of Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, John Mellencamp and Steve Forbert find themselves returning to these songs over and over again, it's because Smith's brand of roots rock strikes a familiar chord. Smith vividly depicts life along America's blue highways, the small towns and the people who inhabit them. It's a realm where, as one character deadpans, the "only one thing you can do here for fun/ Sit around and watch this town eat its young." But it's also where people fall in and out of love and trouble, work killer shifts and rock the night away at gin joints. Smith, who performs at Iota on Thursday, evokes all of this and more, with plenty of old-fashioned soul and craftsmanship.

-By Mike Joyce Washington Post December 15, 1996



REVIEW: THE HUMAN WILDERNESS

The Human Wilderness, is as welcome as a roadside diner on a lonely highway, and his self- penned and heartfelt songs about life in small town USA, are true masterpieces of American music.
While being backed by a phenomenal group of musicians(members of Smith’s backing band include past and present personnel of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s band), Jeff Smith lays down some rockin’ uptempo grooves in the tradition of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen or Steve Earle. This record has extremely strong lyrical content, with a poeticality. Smith makes very strong use of imagery, and as he tells his stories, I could’ve sworn that I was there watching them unfold, also, this record has a strong roots influence, hearing country, bluegrass, blues, and rockabilly vibes throughout.
Inclusively, some of the tracks like “I Never Wanted You to Go”, are stripped down to their bare essentials, just Smith and an acoustic guitar, which really sucks you in to pay attention the strong lyrical content. On “You” we are treated more poetic lyricism along with a great hook, accentuated by a subtle Hammond B3 organ. Another great track is “Happy Now,” a story about a woman struggling with her inner demons, and winning. “Bad News” and “Me and My Daddy” really portray life in a small town, a portrayal of everybody knowing everybody, and the ever present small town rumor mill; and the bluegrass feel of “Me and My Daddy” is the simple story of a man reminiscing about fishing on the Ohio River. “Hideaway Rockin’,” being the rowdiest cut on the disc, evokes images of a blue collar Saturday night watering hole, complete with a rock’ n’ roll band and back seat in the parking lot escapades. The title cut, “The Human Wilderness,” has a country-fried uptempo blues vibe. but the real winner is the “The Human Wilderness” (Reprise) cut which features Jeff Smith putting down some acoustic slide guitar with a great Delta blues feel.
This is one of those records that you can listen to either driving down the highway, or just sitting on the couch with your feet up, while popping the top on a tall cold one. If you’re a fan of good rock’n’roll or roots music, or you just like to hear well written songs, I highly recommend you pick up Jeff Smith’s “The Human Wilderness.”

- String King Las Vegas Music Scene V2#4

credits

released May 1, 2017

This was recorded at BIAS Recording in Springfield Virginia. Rob Schnapf (Beck, Richard Thompson et al) did a lot of the basic tracks and Jim Robeson (Sweet Honey in the Rock, Taj Mahal et al) did overdubs and Jeff Juliano (Dave Matthews, Oar) mixed the tracks.
The basic tracks were recorded in one late night session at Bias and the players were John Jennings, Rico Petrucelli,Rob Magruder and myself. Overdubs took place over the next couple of years whenever I could afford it. Jeff Juliano took the songs to California on vacation and played them for Acetate Records who liked the tracks enough to finace the mixing. I believe the quote was that they liked the album because "you could fight to it?" The song "You" has been used on the show The Young and Restless a half a dozen times and " I Never Wanted You To Go" has been used a several times and "Hideaway Rockin" was placed in a fight scene on the tv show "Army Wives".

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Jeff Smith Virginia

Inspired and influenced by early country, blues, rock and pop
Jeff Smith writes songs and tells elongated and elliptical stories about them. Jeff's Appalachian drawl slides in and around his guitar playing and Smith says “on a good night the stories and songs swing on top of a funky kind of country blues pop stomp”. Now residing in the swamps of Virginia, Smith performs club gigs and
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