Hardtack

from Fossil by Claybrook Penn

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Packaged in a high gloss, full color jacket with artwork by Marie Penn & design by Casey Nay, it is rumored that possession of the Fossil compact disc imbues the listener with powers of +2 Southern Accent and +5 Bourbon Aficionado, but such stories have not yet been authenticated.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Fossil via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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lyrics

Joseph and Thomas were a couple of country boys.
In the Piedmont of south Virginia, Henry County was their home.
Their Daddy was a lawyer & their Ma, a lady fine,
But those brothers were the type to favor whiskey over wine.

Down South in Carolina, some battle lines were drawn.
Joseph kissed his young wife, Ruthie, and he rode off to take up arms.
Stopped at his folks plantation, picked up his brother Tom,
They headed off to war with a mess kit full of biscuits made by Mom.

They watched helpless as their brothers fell beside.
They found love in the arms of women not their wives,
But the hardtack kept them alive.
The hardtack kept them alive.

For the 10th Virginia Calvary, Joseph fought, and he fought well.
They won a couple battles, sent some Yankee souls to hell.
But the North kept pushing South, and supply lines got cut off.
They took orders to retreat and flank the Union soldiers' block.

They got caught a couple miles into their ride.
Marched off to Point Lookout Maryland to die,
But the hardtack kept them alive.
The hardtack kept them alive.

The prison camp was awful, a dehumanizing hell:
The boys were kept in pens like swine, captors pissed into the wells.
War was finished by the spring; the brothers held there until June,
Given hardtack for the road. They knew they'd see their families soon.

That worm-ridden bread, they did refuse to eat;
They walked out and threw it at the soldiers' feet.
They returned home in defeat.
Oh, and they were singing:
Glory, hallelujah, my eyes have seen the Lord,
And he's ascending back to Heaven, carrying a broken sword.
Singing, Glory, hallelujah, my eyes have seen the Lord,
And he's ascending back to Heaven, carrying a broken sword.
Singing, Glory, hallelujah, my eyes have seen the Lord,
And he's ascending back to Heaven, carrying a broken sword.
Singing, Glory, hallelujah, my eyes have seen the Lord,
And I'm going back to south Virginia to tell my children, "Don't you ever go to war!"

credits

from Fossil, released November 11, 2014
Claybrook Penn - vocals/drums/acoustic guitar
Nate Prendergast - bass
Jeff Miller - violin/mandolin
Elizabeth Forsythe - flute
Benjamin Whiting - percussion

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Claybrook Penn Telluride, Colorado

Southern by birth, Claybrook Penn has spent 10 years high in the mountains of Colorado. Her music blends Southern Gothic storytelling with a deep appreciation for American music. The debut album, Fossil, showcases her songwriting ability with tracks ranging from bluegrass to soul to gritty Southern rock. ... more

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