The Ballad of James

by The Stink

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Full Digital Discography

9

releases

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Return To American Glory, The Ballad of James, Summer Forever (maxi-single), Holiday Bonus, Trouble, The Angus Dubson Trilogy, Beasts, American Glory, and 1 more. , and , .

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lyrics

Don't you worry, don't you cry
Don't shed no tear for me
They won't give you no reprieve
And I will never say goodbye
Long Live Liberty
I will be your reason to believe

This is the story, this is the song
A man's personal hymn
For all his fury and standing strong
When his future was grim
Well, his name was James, he ain't play no games
Wasn't aiming for fame when it found him
Though he could sing like anything
Wasn't trying to be king til we crowned him
Oh, how we'd hound him

Pretty soon, he was famous
The money-men came for his soul
They'd say "sign on the line..." but he'd always decline
That's how James maintained his control
And so James became the enemy
And the songs that he sang were his weaponry
All the boys at the top - every lawyer and cop -
Wanted James in a state penitentiary

So they framed him up for treason
And they locked poor James away
But on the news, and in interviews
He just had this to say, he said:

CHORUS:
Don't you worry, don't you cry
Don't shed no tear for me
They won't give you no reprieve
And I will never say goodbye
Long Live Liberty
I will be your reason to believe

Overnight, the frame came to light
We called for his release
He took up the fight for the common man's plight
Without disturbing the peace
But the businessmen couldn't stand it
James' head in their hands, they demanded
So to silence his voice, they riled up their boys
And said, "do what you must, but be candid"
Then they planned it

They kidnapped him, and beat him
They put a gun to his head
they said "boy, you just sang your last song about freedom,
But you won't sing much when you're dead"
But tied up in chains, his pride still remained
His eyes were trained on the villains
He said, steady and clear,
"You can't kill an idea, it's only a man that you're killing"

But power don't listen to reason
And cowards won't reason with men
And now we might forget what he got in the end
We'll never forget his dissent, he said

CHORUS:
Don't you worry, don't you cry
Don't shed no tears for me
They won't give you time to grieve
I will never say goodbye, I'll never cease to be
And I will be your reason to believe

credits

released February 3, 2017
Dave - Guitar, backup vocals
Tim - Drums, backup vocals
Dan - Bass, lead vocals

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about

The Stink New York, New York

In 2010, Dan Kramer and Dave Bunting (formerly of Guyz Nite) formed The Stink with drummer Tim Gramling (formerly of Federal Bison) with the goal of bringing throbbing high voltage rock.

Since October of 2011, The Stink has released 1 full-length album (Royal Sampler) and 3 EPs (American Glory, Beasts, and Trouble). ... more

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