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Flying First Class (Expanded Edition)

by Pete Mancini

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1.
A block of knotty pine and four plastic wheels I can still smell the dust and the paint and the peels Dad helped me carve it for the big race day We put it on the track and sent it on its way I lost the first place ribbon many years ago When I started down this troubled road Now I’m holding this token in my shaky hand Wish somebody warned me but now i understand It hurts like hell To lose someone you love It’s worse when you’re cursed With a hand me down crutch I wish i could go back To those pinewood days Find the right track and just Drift away, drift away There was a time where I thought I could feel no pain Well I just found out it doesn’t work that way Mistakes come to haunt you in the blink of an eye The bottle seemed like a good place to hide I wonder if I'll ever have kids of my own We'd race the pine box derby before they're grown And when they go off running down that same old track I’ll give them a place they can always come back It hurts like hell To lose someone you love It’s worse when you’re cursed With a hand me down crutch I wish i could go back To those pinewood days Find the right track and just Drift away, drift away
2.
My Hometown 04:56
Punch my card, I’m on the clock The steady drip of the coffee pot A main street morning time forgot Here in my hometown Delicatessen, Veterans hall People talk about it all Sunday sports, market free fall Here in my hometown My hometown, My hometown A town of half staff flags It’s such a drag I think I’m sinking down My hometown, My hometown I’d rather be dead in the ground Than drop roots in my hometown Dollar stores, souvenir mugs The motor lodge where junkies hole up Cell phone towers, wasted hours Here in my hometown Filthy rags, empty dime bags Newspaper scraps, bottle caps Klan flyers left out on the ground Here in my hometown My hometown, My hometown A town of thoughts and prayers That go nowhere Crosses weigh you down My hometown, My hometown I’d rather be dead in the ground Than drop roots in my hometown Sunshine slowly fades to gray There’s traffic out on the parkway I punch my card for another day Here in my hometown Lying in my bed awake I pray the Lord my soul to take Start to plan out my escape Away from my hometown My hometown, My hometown A town of half staff flags It’s such a drag Bullets cut you down My hometown, My hometown I’d rather be dead in the ground Than drop roots in my hometown
3.
12 packs of beer Out of tune guitars A song about a train wreck That will never make the charts Sneaking into sports bars You’re still too young to play They say you gotta pay your dues Before you can get paid A letter came today… it said Cease and desist, put a stop to this We done it first, don't ya know? We got lawyers on the way, So just stop today Whats mine is mine and not yours anymore Now you’ve got it working, man You start to make a scene People from all over Pay to watch you live your dream Promoter says he really likes Your brand new demo tape Its conference calls, exhibit halls You’ve finally got it made A letter came today, it said... Cease and desist, put a stop to this We done it first, don't ya know? We got lawyers on the way, So just stop today Whats mine is mine and not yours anymore The well has almost dried up The scene has all moved on Promoter wants a DJ Not another train beat song Stuck in shitty sports bars The only bars you play You paid your dues, you’re born to lose It shouldn’t be this way So you hung it up today... Cease and desist, put a stop to this We done it first, don't ya know? We got lawyers on the way, So just stop today Whats mine is mine and not yours anymore
4.
DUI Blues 03:15
You stood up in the bar light Bought another round Smiled at me and said “Just one more” A country band was playin’ And you were set on stayin’ We drank until they kicked us Out the door Stumbled to the parking lot Fumbled with the keys Started up the car Feeling stoned Flying down the highway At six AM on Sunday I thank my lucky stars I got you home I thank my lucky stars I got you home Having you on my arm sure beats drinking alone They say that it’s a privilege, not a right Oh I should have left my car at home last night Woke up the next morning In spite of all the warnings A headache and a bad taste On my breath Talked about the evening We both had took a beating There’s something to be said About cheating death I thank my lucky stars I got you home Having you on my arm sure beats drinking alone They say that it’s a privilege, not a right Oh I should have left my car at home last night
5.
SLA Check 05:22
Friday night Red River Inn Parked the bike out front for a taste of sin Tonight's my night I've been working all week This jam band shit is putting me to sleep I don’t wanna hear Down By The River, man Play Sweet Home Alabama just as loud as you can Been patching holes in walls Since the bubble burst Now I can’t decide which is worse Losing your home Or having none at all Some nights I stumble Some nights I fall But it was ID’s out Hands on the bar It’s an SLA check, flashlights, cop cars Up against the wall I was under duress Til they pulled my pistol From under my vest Chief came in, he looked me up and down Said we don’t like your type in this here town They read my rights and helped me into the car It’s an SLA check, handcuffs, steel bars
6.
Sulking down suburban streets Initials carved in wet concrete The fossilized remains Of young and carefree days I'm back in Bakersfield Drove a John Deere through the fields of Kern County But that Dear John letter followed me If I bought the farm today I'd have nothing to give away I’m back in Bakersfield Bakersfield The place where I was born and raised The place I swore I'd never stay But here I am again I left the city To work the land after the war I had planned on doing more Here I am again On the street again My heart grew hard inside me Like the armor kits attached to those Humvee's I drove them through the sand With my rifle close at hand defending Bakersfield Bakersfield The place where I was born and raised The place I swore I'd never stay But here I am again I left the city To go and fight a rich man's war I had planned on doing more Here I am again On the street again Sulking down suburban streets Sleeping out on the hard concrete The trembling remains Of frightened foxhole days I'm back in Bakersfield
7.
Casino lights Don’t seem so bright in hindsight When you walked through the door I spent a little more and it seemed so right Jack and coke Cigarette smoke between us We took a rental car to a topless bar The tinted windows made us feel like stars Casino lights Never seem as bright in hindsight The morning stings Alarm clock rings in my ear We shuffle around All the sights and sounds don’t change round here Day and night Flashing light surrounding Designer drugs and limousines Reminding me to just cash out and leave Casino lights Never seem as bright in hindsight I'm going under, I'm going under again Just stay with me, girl; I know we’ll win again Casino lights Never seem as bright in hindsight Never seem as bright in hindsight Never seem as bright in hindsight
8.
Traded in the small town you called home For a high rise apartment and some Cotes Du Rhone Your glass is still empty and you don’t know why Geographical cures are expensive lies Sky high, hell yeah You’re flying first class With the wind in your hair Crash land, oh no Down in flames That's the way it goes Hit the bricks, phone in hand Show everyone you know you think life is grand A grand ain't worth what it used to be When the rent check clears you’ll see what I mean Sky high, hell yeah You’re flying first class With the wind in your hair Crash land, oh no Down in flames That's the way it goes Hail a cab in the rain Gotta catch a train Happy hour on a weekday Down by the Barclays All your fair-weather friends didn't call bull When you regaled them with tales of bootstraps pulled Self diagnosed case of a self made star a shot of Novocaine from the mini bar Sky high, hell yeah You’re flying first class With the wind in your hair Crash land, oh no Down in flames That's the way it goes Cab is on the way Gotta catch another train Brunch on a Sunday Puking by the Barclays You want the happy home on a cul-de-sac A corner office and a Cadillac A ride on the Montauk Cannonball So you can say some day you had it all Sky high, hell yeah You’re flying first class With the wind in your hair Crash land, oh no Down in flames That's the way it goes
9.
We met on the ledge You told me the coast was clear Swept out with the tide I tried, but i disappeared Scientists say it takes seven years To come back new But that’s a long wait For a fuck up without a clue Regret Twists the knife It’s been chasing me down For my whole life The day i stopped running Was the day I ran into you We floated around Thought we had found something true We never touched down Drowned in the fluorescent hue Nights that we shared Seemed closer than they appeared Like flickering lights Blinding my rear-view mirror Regret Twists the knife It’s been chasing me down For my whole life The day i stopped running Was the day i ran into you

about

Pete Mancini's second full length album, released in 2019. Includes a Bandcamp exclusive EP of bonus tracks with purchase.

credits

released May 3, 2019

Pete Mancini: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Piano, Lap Steel
Mick Hargreaves: Bass, Harmony Vocals
Alex Sarkis: Drums
Buddy Woodward: Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin, Tambourine
Cassandra House: Harmony Vocals
Tom Ryan Drums
Jenny Obert: Fiddle
Chris James: B3
Brian Moritz: Pedal Steel
Mark Mancini: Piano

Produced by Pete Mancini
Recorded/mixed by Mick Hargreaves at Lantern Sound Recording Rig
'Pine Box Derby' and 'DUI Blues' recorded/mixed by Bill Herman at Paradiddle Studios
Overdubs at Spatula Ranch Studios by Buddy Woodward
Assistant Engineer: Thomas Schinkel
Mastered by Scott Simon at Process Haus
'Pine Box Derby' mastered by Nick Messitte at The Old Quarry

Cover Design and Layout by Diana LoMonaco

All songs written by Pete Mancini (Milkman Paperboy, ASCAP), except 'Back in Bakersfield', written by Mancini, Travis McKeveny (Belle Weather, ASCAP), and Buddy Woodward (Spatula Ranch Music, SESAC)

Special thanks to friends, family and the fans for their support, the fine folks who helped make this record, the kind folks who put us up on the road, Lauren Hamill, Bill Herman, Norm Prusslin, Nick Loss Eaton, and Fred the Dog.

Thanks to Mark Klein, Mick Hargreaves and Rick & Marianne Chester for their help in compiling the bonus tracks.

Milkman Paperboy 2019
Diversion Records 2019

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Pete Mancini New York, New York

NYC Americana Power Pop

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