KEEPER OF THE KEY

from EGRESS by Ben Ballinger

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lyrics

Chorus/Intro
G c b a G D/F# G
You lived a real full life on your first try, You were the keeper of the key
G c b a G D/F# G
A kick in the pants of the clown at the dance, spiking the punch with your own poetry
C D/F# G
We were hopeful soldiers, headed for greener pastures
D D/F# G
On a floating ferris wheel lined with Astroturf

G c b a G D/F# G
1) Now you’re not around, They tell me you’re gone, and all I can ask is Where?
Must it be me again, asking for proof, I think it’s all just fake news
D/F# G D/F# G
We’re gonna turn this peach around; Dance in the air and kiss the ground
C D/F# G
He had diamonds on the souls of his Bowling Shoes
D D/F# G
Smarter than the smartest bear that there ever was anywhere, Ever.

G c b a G D/F# G
2) Quickly a kindred spirit to me, but I was special to him,
D/F# G D/F# G
Just like everyone he met; And now all of us are Blessed
C D/F# G
He must have been done here, No one could keep up
D D/F# G
I know that he’s somewhere, spreading the greatest love
(Breakdown Waltz)
G c b a G D/F# G
You taught me to look over the falls and then pushed me to my death
A joke for a smoke and now all I have left is twice the cigarettes
G G C B A G
3) And I ask you! Who?! Who is worse off
D/F# G
And what do I do now that you’ve left?
C D/F# G
There is one less monkey jumping on the bed
D D/F# G
One man flew the coop above the rest

credits

from EGRESS, released March 17, 2023

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about

Ben Ballinger Austin, Texas

Ben Ballinger makes roots music with an uncommon emotional depth and songwriting mastery. A balladeer in the truest sense, Ballinger is a craftsman, building fine-tuned melodies out of roughhewn passions. After digging deep into the Austin, Texas scene for the past few years, Ballinger stands out among the pack of would-be Country soulmen with an undeniably genuine, and original delivery. ... more

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