Bio
Red Meadow
A young man, heartland, a bad hand
Out on the interstate
One dream between the unseen
Out on the interstate
Put the old man’s word aside
On the highway the great divide
A young girl, a rare pearl, a cold world
Out on the interstate
A blue flame, untamed, a new game
Out on the interstate
Though your smile can get you far
But the road can break your heart
And it feels like it's forever
Don’t you wish that you could fly
So high up above this life
So high
Sometimes there's nothing left to lose
It’s my life, and this is what I choose, on the interstate
An old van, a once ran, suntan
Out on the interstate
Long hair, fresh air, somewhere
Out on the interstate
In the California sun
And a dream they've almost won
And it feels like it's forever
Don’t you wish that you could fly
So high
Sometimes there's nothing left to lose
It’s my life, and this is what I choose, on the interstate
Out on the interstate
One dream between the unseen
Out on the interstate
Put the old man’s word aside
On the highway the great divide
A young girl, a rare pearl, a cold world
Out on the interstate
A blue flame, untamed, a new game
Out on the interstate
Though your smile can get you far
But the road can break your heart
And it feels like it's forever
Don’t you wish that you could fly
So high up above this life
So high
Sometimes there's nothing left to lose
It’s my life, and this is what I choose, on the interstate
An old van, a once ran, suntan
Out on the interstate
Long hair, fresh air, somewhere
Out on the interstate
In the California sun
And a dream they've almost won
And it feels like it's forever
Don’t you wish that you could fly
So high
Sometimes there's nothing left to lose
It’s my life, and this is what I choose, on the interstate
04:27
I played a waiting game where I waste my time
I let my dreams die young ‘cause I misread the signs
Signs it might be over, signs I’m not so young
I’m not so young
He was a mountain boy, there he walked the line
He’ll stay forever young, he did not read the signs
Signs within the weather, signs this is the end
You know it was his end
War was a trial by fire, falling from the skies
War would not break his pride, because he read the signs
Signs it could not last long, he knew they would now overcome
The faithful held their heads high
His homeland would endure
He knew they would endure
So I quit my waiting game and I don’t waste no time
I keep my dreams alive and now I read the signs
Now I read the signs, now I read the signs
I let my dreams die young ‘cause I misread the signs
Signs it might be over, signs I’m not so young
I’m not so young
He was a mountain boy, there he walked the line
He’ll stay forever young, he did not read the signs
Signs within the weather, signs this is the end
You know it was his end
War was a trial by fire, falling from the skies
War would not break his pride, because he read the signs
Signs it could not last long, he knew they would now overcome
The faithful held their heads high
His homeland would endure
He knew they would endure
So I quit my waiting game and I don’t waste no time
I keep my dreams alive and now I read the signs
Now I read the signs, now I read the signs
04:49
Plant a tree up on the hill
Days go by on the window sill
Then you're standing in its shade
Raise your children tall and proud
Chase away the lightning clouds
Until you finally get old and gray
We all fade away
Plant your flag and make a stand
Build a fence around your land
But by and by the stones will crumble down
Spend your life for what it's worth
One day you'll return to earth
And leave your DNA above the ground
So I guess you'll still be around
Through all the troubles that we go through in our lives
And all the time we're wasting living up our lies
Oh we're only here for a short while
Better take it with a smile
And try to take it all in stride
Fear will hold you in your place
Hide inside, don't show your face
And maybe it'll all just go away
But one day you might ask yourself
Are all your dreams up on a shelf
And all you have to show is this wasted time
No rhythm and no rhyme
Through all the troubles that we go through in our lives
And all the time we're wasting living up our lies
Oh we're only here for a short while
Better take it with a smile
Oh the past is gone forever
Better leave it all behind
And try to take it all in stride
Days go by on the window sill
Then you're standing in its shade
Raise your children tall and proud
Chase away the lightning clouds
Until you finally get old and gray
We all fade away
Plant your flag and make a stand
Build a fence around your land
But by and by the stones will crumble down
Spend your life for what it's worth
One day you'll return to earth
And leave your DNA above the ground
So I guess you'll still be around
Through all the troubles that we go through in our lives
And all the time we're wasting living up our lies
Oh we're only here for a short while
Better take it with a smile
And try to take it all in stride
Fear will hold you in your place
Hide inside, don't show your face
And maybe it'll all just go away
But one day you might ask yourself
Are all your dreams up on a shelf
And all you have to show is this wasted time
No rhythm and no rhyme
Through all the troubles that we go through in our lives
And all the time we're wasting living up our lies
Oh we're only here for a short while
Better take it with a smile
Oh the past is gone forever
Better leave it all behind
And try to take it all in stride
05:18
A voice just like lilac wine, I heard it through the trees
And eyes holding pain inside, lost on stormy seas
Time quickly passed us by, she reached out to the stars
Was then that she cried for me, she loved me from afar
She said she loved me and I believed her
She helped me cure my pain and sorrow
A life in the city lights, I felt so out of place
Nights drunk on lilac wine, I could not keep the pace
She said she loved me and I believed her
She helped me cure my pain and sorrow
I tried to love her, tried to be there
I could not hold on for long, she let me go
A voice just like lilac wine, I hear it in my dreams
And eyes holding pain inside, lost on stormy seas
Time quickly passed us by, she reached out to the stars
Was then that she cried for me, she loved me from afar
She said she loved me and I believed her
She helped me cure my pain and sorrow
A life in the city lights, I felt so out of place
Nights drunk on lilac wine, I could not keep the pace
She said she loved me and I believed her
She helped me cure my pain and sorrow
I tried to love her, tried to be there
I could not hold on for long, she let me go
A voice just like lilac wine, I hear it in my dreams
03:34
Snow fell on the meadow
Nestled by the lake
In my mind I see you
The Earth began to quake
It's this time of winter
I can feel you're near
And if I scream your name out
Maybe you can hear, maybe you can hear
How could I have known this
Grief gives no respite
And how could I just carry on
Heavy snow came down
I pleaded not to go
Now forever twenty one
I guess times are changing
We could not keep our home
In the dark and silent night
I feel so alone
It's been seven years now
Living day by day
Although I grow older
You still stay the same, you still stay the same
How could I have known this
Grief gives no respite
And how could I just carry on
Heavy snow came down
I pleaded not to go
Now forever twenty one
Nestled by the lake
In my mind I see you
The Earth began to quake
It's this time of winter
I can feel you're near
And if I scream your name out
Maybe you can hear, maybe you can hear
How could I have known this
Grief gives no respite
And how could I just carry on
Heavy snow came down
I pleaded not to go
Now forever twenty one
I guess times are changing
We could not keep our home
In the dark and silent night
I feel so alone
It's been seven years now
Living day by day
Although I grow older
You still stay the same, you still stay the same
How could I have known this
Grief gives no respite
And how could I just carry on
Heavy snow came down
I pleaded not to go
Now forever twenty one
05:18
We were young, the day I fell into the sun
Something down inside of me was tellin’ me and I knew you were the one
It was time, for me to step into the light
I asked you for your name and when you smiled at me I knew that I was right
Oh Oh, everything was right
You know we’re free to live our lives the way we please
Nothing is impossible, with you life is just like a summer breeze
Take my hand, we’ll walk together in the sand
We’ll dress in white and drink the wine, I’ll take a vow to always be your man
Oh, Oh I’ll always be your man
I can see the future right in front of me
We’ll build a home to call our own and fill it full of joy and harmony
You know he’ll come, with curls and eyes of ocean blue
Running free in the summer sun, discovering the world we know is new
Oh, everything is new
Something down inside of me was tellin’ me and I knew you were the one
It was time, for me to step into the light
I asked you for your name and when you smiled at me I knew that I was right
Oh Oh, everything was right
You know we’re free to live our lives the way we please
Nothing is impossible, with you life is just like a summer breeze
Take my hand, we’ll walk together in the sand
We’ll dress in white and drink the wine, I’ll take a vow to always be your man
Oh, Oh I’ll always be your man
I can see the future right in front of me
We’ll build a home to call our own and fill it full of joy and harmony
You know he’ll come, with curls and eyes of ocean blue
Running free in the summer sun, discovering the world we know is new
Oh, everything is new
05:22
I was staring out the window of a plane
About a million miles away from where I came
From the sky, the people all just look the same
On the other side of clouds, there ain't no rain
Flying down the road I reach to rub my eyes
Peel the sunroof back so I can see the sky
Castle walls up on a crag go passing by
And it's times like these that keep me asking why
You know it's times like these I realize
It's time to give, it's time to live
Light up the night, bask in the light
Of burning bridges
Well the burden of the world ain't mine alone
And the pigs out on the wing are on the phone
When the seeds of independence have been sown
Then it's time to spike the dam and let it flow
Yes the time has come for letting go
It's time to give, it's time to live
Light up the night, bask in the light
It's time to give, it's time to live
Light up the night, bask in the light
Light up the night, bask in the light
Of burning bridges
About a million miles away from where I came
From the sky, the people all just look the same
On the other side of clouds, there ain't no rain
Flying down the road I reach to rub my eyes
Peel the sunroof back so I can see the sky
Castle walls up on a crag go passing by
And it's times like these that keep me asking why
You know it's times like these I realize
It's time to give, it's time to live
Light up the night, bask in the light
Of burning bridges
Well the burden of the world ain't mine alone
And the pigs out on the wing are on the phone
When the seeds of independence have been sown
Then it's time to spike the dam and let it flow
Yes the time has come for letting go
It's time to give, it's time to live
Light up the night, bask in the light
It's time to give, it's time to live
Light up the night, bask in the light
Light up the night, bask in the light
Of burning bridges
03:09
I’m a dead man, hangin’ from the old oak tree
And there ain’t nobody higher, far as I can see
I’m a dead man, layin’ on the side of the road
I got me no more worries, I carry no heavy load
And the live man, he ain’t got nothin’ over me
I'm a dead man, washed up on the shore
No time left to wonder which side won the war
And the live man, he ain’t got nothin’ over me
I'm a dead man, but you can't take my soul
And there ain’t nobody higher, far as I can see
I’m a dead man, layin’ on the side of the road
I got me no more worries, I carry no heavy load
And the live man, he ain’t got nothin’ over me
I'm a dead man, washed up on the shore
No time left to wonder which side won the war
And the live man, he ain’t got nothin’ over me
I'm a dead man, but you can't take my soul
04:43
I could never see the future in your eyes
I could not make your lies come true
All you ever did is drain my energy
To break my will to free myself from you
And even now you're poisoning my mind
I must leave behind the misery
I'm breathing now I'm on an empty page
I'm giving up the rage to fly free
I could never be the one to sacrifice
Nothing would suffice anyway
I knew that the day of reckoning would come
Would I choose to run or hide away
I'm bleeding now but soon my wounds will heal
The only one to seal my fate is me
Hear me now things will yet unfold
I can stand the cold if I am free
I was so afraid
Dreaming of the future
But I know sometimes it’s true
That even when you’re blue
The time will come to walk away
So hear me now, hear me now
I could not make your lies come true
All you ever did is drain my energy
To break my will to free myself from you
And even now you're poisoning my mind
I must leave behind the misery
I'm breathing now I'm on an empty page
I'm giving up the rage to fly free
I could never be the one to sacrifice
Nothing would suffice anyway
I knew that the day of reckoning would come
Would I choose to run or hide away
I'm bleeding now but soon my wounds will heal
The only one to seal my fate is me
Hear me now things will yet unfold
I can stand the cold if I am free
I was so afraid
Dreaming of the future
But I know sometimes it’s true
That even when you’re blue
The time will come to walk away
So hear me now, hear me now
04:11
You fly into the night to find a future
You can never know unless you try
No more time to waste anticipating a change
You've come so far and still you're moving forward
And now it's time to spread your wings and fly
I have no doubt you'll make it on your journey to the sky
Hey sister where you going
Do you think you'll get there soon
You must know that there's an empty space you left here
Oh and I fear that you won't be home soon
Do you recall a time when we were children
Running through the fields and feeling free
It sure did seem those days would last forever, no end
Now we're grown but inside we're still children
Struggling with the burdens of our lives
But you will never lose that fire burning in your eyes
Hey, sister where you going
Do you think you'll get there soon
You must know that there's an empty space you left here
Oh and I fear that you won't be home soon
From Arkansas to Southern California
The years went by and brought impending change
We moved across the world to lay our roots down, far away
Well, you know that your fate is what you make it
And making it meant leaving us behind
But don't forget to keep us at the center of your heart
Hey, sister, have you gone now
Do you think you'll be back soon
Don't you know that there's an empty space you left here
Oh and I fear that you won't be home soon
You can never know unless you try
No more time to waste anticipating a change
You've come so far and still you're moving forward
And now it's time to spread your wings and fly
I have no doubt you'll make it on your journey to the sky
Hey sister where you going
Do you think you'll get there soon
You must know that there's an empty space you left here
Oh and I fear that you won't be home soon
Do you recall a time when we were children
Running through the fields and feeling free
It sure did seem those days would last forever, no end
Now we're grown but inside we're still children
Struggling with the burdens of our lives
But you will never lose that fire burning in your eyes
Hey, sister where you going
Do you think you'll get there soon
You must know that there's an empty space you left here
Oh and I fear that you won't be home soon
From Arkansas to Southern California
The years went by and brought impending change
We moved across the world to lay our roots down, far away
Well, you know that your fate is what you make it
And making it meant leaving us behind
But don't forget to keep us at the center of your heart
Hey, sister, have you gone now
Do you think you'll be back soon
Don't you know that there's an empty space you left here
Oh and I fear that you won't be home soon
05:01
Walking through this forest within my mind
It dissipates before my eyes
Buried under endless pavement and concrete walls
And other symbols of our rise
I stare outside my window the seasons change
I cannot live here anymore
And crowds of people moving from side to side
Like the waves upon the shore
Plastic man will save the day now
Fractured to the core, burned by bloody war
There must be something we can do now
To bring down this charade and ruin this fools parade
The legacy we’re leaving for our children is who we are
Seven decades later it all runs dry
Where are you now my fair son
When all my generation is dead and gone
And you got nowhere left to run
Plastic man will save the day now
Fractured to the core, burned by bloody war
We could never be an island
Tossed around in space, trying to save our face
The legacy we’re leaving for our children is who we are
Plastic man will save the day now
Fractured to the core, burned by bloody war
There must be something we can do now
To quell our avarice, over the abyss
The legacy we’re leaving for our children is who we are
It dissipates before my eyes
Buried under endless pavement and concrete walls
And other symbols of our rise
I stare outside my window the seasons change
I cannot live here anymore
And crowds of people moving from side to side
Like the waves upon the shore
Plastic man will save the day now
Fractured to the core, burned by bloody war
There must be something we can do now
To bring down this charade and ruin this fools parade
The legacy we’re leaving for our children is who we are
Seven decades later it all runs dry
Where are you now my fair son
When all my generation is dead and gone
And you got nowhere left to run
Plastic man will save the day now
Fractured to the core, burned by bloody war
We could never be an island
Tossed around in space, trying to save our face
The legacy we’re leaving for our children is who we are
Plastic man will save the day now
Fractured to the core, burned by bloody war
There must be something we can do now
To quell our avarice, over the abyss
The legacy we’re leaving for our children is who we are
04:56
Live your life here and now
Never know what time allows
So we live like butterflies
Tomorrow we may die
Now’s the time to fly
Leave behind memories
Anger, hate, jealousies
Release your bird of soul
Wings of white peaceful flow
Oh there she goes
The power of the moment
The truth and light inside
Never know what time allows
So we live like butterflies
Tomorrow we may die
Now’s the time to fly
Leave behind memories
Anger, hate, jealousies
Release your bird of soul
Wings of white peaceful flow
Oh there she goes
The power of the moment
The truth and light inside
05:23
Born in the hills with a mind that could not breathe
He was trapped in a life of a million postwar dreams
He would sit at night and plan the great escape
And no circumstance would ever seal his fate
Well, he grew up strong in a country filled with fear
And he missed the draft ‘cause he didn’t have a year
And it blew his mind how nobody else could see
That there was more to life than mediocrity
And the mountains reach into the sky
The river flows out through the night
The forest sways with every breeze
I long to be in foreign seas
I will be free
No one in the world puts chains on me
I'll be free
Born in the hills in the winter of ’54
Raised by the firelight and the stories from the war
Well he gave 'em hell, but the scars won’t go away
And he knew back then that there was no way he could stay
And the mountains reach into the sky
The river flows out through the night
The forest sways with every breeze
I long to be in foreign seas
I will be free
No one in the world puts chains on me
I'll be free
He was trapped in a life of a million postwar dreams
He would sit at night and plan the great escape
And no circumstance would ever seal his fate
Well, he grew up strong in a country filled with fear
And he missed the draft ‘cause he didn’t have a year
And it blew his mind how nobody else could see
That there was more to life than mediocrity
And the mountains reach into the sky
The river flows out through the night
The forest sways with every breeze
I long to be in foreign seas
I will be free
No one in the world puts chains on me
I'll be free
Born in the hills in the winter of ’54
Raised by the firelight and the stories from the war
Well he gave 'em hell, but the scars won’t go away
And he knew back then that there was no way he could stay
And the mountains reach into the sky
The river flows out through the night
The forest sways with every breeze
I long to be in foreign seas
I will be free
No one in the world puts chains on me
I'll be free
05:19
I've been riding hard toward the borderline, I am a wanted man
From San Antonio across the Eagle Pass, down to the Rio Grande
Oh black river you stand in front of me on a moonlit night
If I don't get across, they'll hang me up high
I may be guilty but I'm not ready to die
For three days now I've been running for my life, posse right on my tail
Just this morning ran my horse into the ground, back there along the trail
It was nightfall when I fell upon the bank, along the riverside
Oh black river, so deep and so wide
And I know my freedom lies on the other side
If I could go back to yesterday, If I could turn back the time
I would take it back and, they would still be breathing
They would still be alive
No time to contemplate, not place to hide, riders on the ridgeline
I can see them, silhouettes in the night, got to make up my mind
Oh black river you stand in front of me on a moonlit night
If I don't get across, they'll hang me up high
And I don't know if I can swim to the other side
She was all my hopes and dreams, to take her for my wife
She promised love forever, but I found them together
In a rage I took their lives
From San Antonio across the Eagle Pass, down to the Rio Grande
Oh black river you stand in front of me on a moonlit night
If I don't get across, they'll hang me up high
I may be guilty but I'm not ready to die
For three days now I've been running for my life, posse right on my tail
Just this morning ran my horse into the ground, back there along the trail
It was nightfall when I fell upon the bank, along the riverside
Oh black river, so deep and so wide
And I know my freedom lies on the other side
If I could go back to yesterday, If I could turn back the time
I would take it back and, they would still be breathing
They would still be alive
No time to contemplate, not place to hide, riders on the ridgeline
I can see them, silhouettes in the night, got to make up my mind
Oh black river you stand in front of me on a moonlit night
If I don't get across, they'll hang me up high
And I don't know if I can swim to the other side
She was all my hopes and dreams, to take her for my wife
She promised love forever, but I found them together
In a rage I took their lives
06:15
There's a circle in the distance
Megaliths so high, reach into the sky
And the tribes all come together
To celebrate as one, waiting for the sun
Communion with the heavens
August stars of light, coursing through the night
And the gods all dance above them
Life will carry on, reborn with the dawn
They lived their lives by the Earth and sky
Wisdom lost to the sands of time
Selfish and deluded
Spreading war and dearth, masters of the Earth
And what will we leave our children
If we cut down all the trees, pollute the air they breathe
Illusions of progression
Towers built so high, blotting out the sky
And where are all the heroes
Brother can't you see; it's up to you and me
Who, oh who do we think we are
Take us back 'cause we've gone too far
Take us back the way we've come, to the circle, to hail the rising sun
Take us back where we belong, in the circle, we join our hands as one
Who, oh who do we think we are
Take us back 'cause we've gone too far
Megaliths so high, reach into the sky
And the tribes all come together
To celebrate as one, waiting for the sun
Communion with the heavens
August stars of light, coursing through the night
And the gods all dance above them
Life will carry on, reborn with the dawn
They lived their lives by the Earth and sky
Wisdom lost to the sands of time
Selfish and deluded
Spreading war and dearth, masters of the Earth
And what will we leave our children
If we cut down all the trees, pollute the air they breathe
Illusions of progression
Towers built so high, blotting out the sky
And where are all the heroes
Brother can't you see; it's up to you and me
Who, oh who do we think we are
Take us back 'cause we've gone too far
Take us back the way we've come, to the circle, to hail the rising sun
Take us back where we belong, in the circle, we join our hands as one
Who, oh who do we think we are
Take us back 'cause we've gone too far
06:05
Albums
Biography
Indie band Red Meadow was formed by Eli Schmalz, who was raised in the Rocky Mountains and the back woods of the Arkansas Ozarks. Drawing on influences as broad as rock, blues, folk, pop, country and Americana, the band's grass roots style of classic rock features Eli's passionate vocals and mean lead guitar playing. Perfect for a road trip down an endless highway.
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