The lyrics to Cold as the Clay along with the rest of the liner notes are now available at Anti.com

(Cold as Clay is Greg Graffins new solo album and will be released in July)

Thanks to Ryan for this news!

...and here's the linear notes and lyrics (taken from Anti.com. I hope you'll not sue me, please)

Track List:
01. Don't Be Afraid to Run
02. Omie Wise
03. Cold as the Clay
04. Little Sadie
05. Highway
06. Rebel's Goodbye
07. Talk About Suffering
08. Willie Moore
09. California Cotton Fields
10. The Watchmakers Dial
11. One More Hill
Label: ANTI-
Catalog Number: 86809
Release Date US: 2006-07-11
Release Date EU: 2006-07-10
Formats: CD

Even though I am known as a punk rock singer and songwriter, a world apart from old-time music, the roots of my singing go back to my Wisconsin childhood and family gatherings in Indiana. For most of my life, the old-time music of rural America has served as one of the soundtracks to my life and daily routines.

My earliest musical memory is from when I was four or five and my Mom's brother, Uncle Stanley, the son of a teacher and a General Motors assembly-line worker in Anderson, Indiana, gathered all us cousins together for a sing-along. ?Me, Lem Briggs, and Ol' Bill Brown took a load of corn to town? were the first words to a song called ?Kickin' my Dog Around,? and we laughed and sang as our parents joined in with Uncle Stanley's guitar or banjo.

Over the years the repertoire grew at family gatherings while at the same time I became known to the outside world as the singer of Bad Religion. Some of the earliest reviews of my singing with BR mention the ?folksy? sound of my delivery. Since then, Bad Religion has continued to record highly charged punk rock, yet most all our songs can be strummed on an acoustic guitar and sung without amplification like an old-time folk traditional.

During BR sessions, my songwriting partner Brett Gurewitz and I would pass the acoustic guitar back and forth sharing ideas that later we would present to the rest of the band. One day, during a break from rehearsals for the album ?The Process of Belief?, Brett heard me playing an old standard ?Omie Wise,? and he suggested that we record an album of old-time music. On that day, the seeds of this solo project were planted.

?Cold as the Clay? is the culmination of Brett's production concept: an honestly recorded array of highly talented musicians playing some new songs I've written as well as a number of traditional songs that helped form the 18th and 19th century American cultural landscape. The modern songs are inspired by my love of country rock in the vein of Gram Parsons, The Band, and Neil Young; all of which have, at one time or another, influenced BR songs. The traditional arrangements are faithful reproductions of the styles and instrumentation found on early recordings.

Lyrically, I tried to depict timeless snapshots of American life, just as the enduring old-time songs we continue to sing today weave pastoral ideals into our modern-day complexity. Musically, the album mimics the bimodal dissonance of American life: half of it comes creaking from podunk towns and untrammeled byways, and the other half is brimming with modern fidelity.

I couldn't have wished for a better cast of accompanying musicians. Electric guitars were played by Stephen Carroll, bass guitar, Greg Smith, and Jason Tait played drums. Together, these guys comprise three-fourths of a band called the Weakerthans, who create some of the best music I've ever come across. For harmonies and a vocal duet on an old-time song called ?Talk About Suffering? I was privileged to be joined by the incomparable Jolie Holland. Equally talented and versatile are the old-time musicians I was privileged to play with, including Joe Wack (guitar), Chris Berry (guitar and banjo), and David Bragger (fiddle, banjo, and mandolin). David grew up as my next-door neighbor in Los Angeles and was just an eight-year-old kid when he used to watch BR rehearsals in my mom's garage. Now he's one of the finest old-time musicians in L.A.

The album was recorded and mixed in seven days. It is a testament to the incredible skill of the musicians and to Brett's vision as a producer. Brett wanted to capture authenticity, so he asked the old-time musicians how they usually arrange themselves. ?Knee to knee in a circle? was the reply. So that's how they sat, with one microphone in the center of the circle, utilizing physical positioning to achieve the blend of sounds. A couple of strategically placed room-microphones created some spatial complement and the result is a vivid, hi-fi recording that makes you feel as if you are in a 19th century pine-floored cabin or village-church with the musicians right there next to you.

Recording the electric instruments proved equally intimate since Brett's idea was to use minimum circuitry and maximum spontaneity. The title track was recorded on the third take, just one hour after I taught the chords to the rest of the musicians. On the vocal track you can hear me guiding the band toward the end of the song, ?two more, last one.? The album is full of these spontaneous moments but we never had to worry about compromises. The instrumentation is masterfully executed on every track.

We set out create a record that would honor the legacy of American music, and it is my hope that we were able to capture a lasting musical moment. I wanted to show how my work with Bad Religion was informed by other, seemingly disparate and unconventional genres of music that at first glance may appear to have nothing to do with punk. My hope is that this project will live to pass along the tradition of American songwriting to others long after I am buried and cold as the clay.

Don't Be Afraid To Run

Down in the holler there's a thriving town, a treasure trove that makes the world go 'round

When the city barons bring their legal papers and guns

Oh darlin' don't be afraid to run

When we came to settle here we came to stay, maybe raise a family, earn a decent wage

Now every public servant reeks of suspicion

So darlin' don't be afraid to run

Darlin' don't be afraid to run and don't turn your back on the noonday sun

Someday redemption will wash everyone but there's no telling when that day will come

So darlin' don't be afraid to run

Maybe we'll rendezvous out in nowheresville or maybe we'll find each other runnin' still

Until we reach that auspicious liaison

Darlin' don't be afraid to run

Darlin' don't be afraid to run and don't turn your back on the noonday sun

The people will greet you with derision. You'll never be their model citizen

So darlin' don't be afraid to run

Guitar ? Stephen Carroll
Drums ? Jason Tait
Bass ? Greg Smith
Acoustic Guitar, Vocal, and Harmonica ? GG
Banjo ? David Bragger

Omie Wise

Come listen to my story I'll tell you no lies, how John Lewis did murder little Omie Wise

He asked her to meet him at Adams?s spring, said he'd bring her money and other fine things

So fool-like she met him at Adams?s spring, no money he brought her nor other fine things

John Lewis, John Lewis won't you tell me your mind, do you intend to marry me or leave me behind?

Little Omie, Little Omie I'll tell you my mind, my plan is to drown you and leave you behind

Have mercy on my baby and spare me my life, I'll go home as a beggar and never be your wife

He hugged her and he kissed her and turned her around and threw her in deep water where he knew she would drown

It was on one Thursday morning the rain came pouring down and they searched for Omie's body but it nowhere could be found

Two boys went a fishin' one fine summer day and they saw little Omie's body go floating away

They called for John Lewis to come to that place so he could see the body and they could see his face

Though he made no confession they threw him in jail, no friend nor relation would go on his bail

Guitar ? Chris Berry
Vocal ? GG

Cold as the Clay

Whispers of ancients buried by dust

Echoes of ages in canyons of rust

Is heaven so lonely? I'll know soon enough

Cold as the clay, dark as a mine

Wasting away blood, sweat, and grime

Panning for gold, picking for dimes, lying in wait for better times

The tools of the trade lie shopworn and old
The skills of the master done died with his soul
And the worklike routine is so lonely and cold

Cold as the clay, dark as the mine

Wasting away, blood, sweat and grime
Panning for gold, picking for dimes

Lying in wait for better times

The land was converted the river was moved
The village expanded, some say it's improved
But the lingering feature is a grim attitude

Cold as the clay, dark as the mine
Wasting away, blood, sweat and grime
Panning for gold, picking for dimes
Lying in wait for better times

Guitar and slide ? Stephen Carroll
Drums ? Jason Tait
Bass ? Greg Smith
Background Vocal ? Jolie Holland
Acoustic Guitar and Vocal ? GG

Little Sadie

Went out last night to take a little round, I met a little Sadie and I blowed her down

Bummed a ride home, got in to bed, 44 smokeless under my head

I began to think what the deed I'd done, grabbed my hat and away'd I run

Made a good run just a little too slow, they overtook me in Jericho

Standin' on the corner, ringin' the bell, up walks the sheriff from Thomasville

Says "young man is your name Brown? 'Member that night you shot Sadie down?"

Oh yes sheriff my name is Lee, I murdered little Sadie in the first degree

First degree, second degree, if you got any papers you can read 'em to me

Took me downtown, dressed me in black, put me on a train and they sent me back

Had no one for to go my bail, they crammed me back in the county jail

Judge and the jury took their stand, the judge held the paper in his right hand

41 days, 41 nights, 41 years to wear the ball and the stripes

Banjo ? David Bragger

Guitar ? Joe Wack

Guitar ? Chris Berry

Vocal ? GG

Highway

Tired old man you're a wastin' slowly battling grey and blue

Built your empire as a shell so nobody preys on you

Remember when you were fresh and bitter like a blossom in its bud?

Struggle to keep the memories free from the sweat and blood

Just to generalize, you sleep and you rise and try to recognize

Like the Red Queen, you're running out of steam every mile

The highway of denial

What a funny way to spend the day like a farmer deep in debt

Tending to the coming harvest, ever trying to forget

Don't you feel like you wanna run away from the mess that you've begun?

Now that they won't let you make it up as you go along

Just to generalize, you sleep and you rise and try to recognize

Like the Red Queen, you're runnin' out of steam every mile

The highway of denial

Mandolin ? David Bragger

Guitar ? Joe Wack

Guitar ? Chris Berry

Vocal ? GG

Rebel's Goodbye

The lilies were laid on the marble in the field where the ancestors lay

And the forest was dark and primeval but the boughs seemed to cradle as they swayed

And the church choir sang hallelujah, and the vernal breeze whispered a sigh

Watch the brethren all stand, praise their God, raise your hand

Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye

When the boots hit the dirt in formation the mood was determined and bright

And a young, hopeful boy at the station watched the train carry troops to the fight

But the generals died by assassins, the battalions dispersed on the fly

And they paid for their sins with the blood of their kin

Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye

In the dark heathen barracks of failure where the tormenters wait for the night

And the sheltering sky hears their lost, tattered cries

Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye

Guitar ? Stephen Carroll
Drums ? Jason Tait
Bass ? Greg Smith
Piano and Vocal ? GG

Talk About Suffering

Talk about sufferin' here below and let's keep a lovin' Jesus

Talk about suffering here below and let's keep a followin' Jesus

Oh can't you hear it brothers (Mother, Father)? And don't you want to go?

And leave this world of sorrow and trouble here below.

The gospel train is coming, now don't you want to go?

And leave this world of sorrow and trouble here below.

Banjo ? David Bragger
Guitar ? Chris Berry
Harmony Vocal ? Jolie Holland
Vocal ? GG

Willie Moore

Willie Moore was a young man, his age 21 and he courted a damsel fair

Her eyes were as white as a diamond after night and a wavy jet black wore her hair

He courted her by night and day until marriage they did agree

But when he came to get her parents consent they said it could never be

She threw herself in Willie Moore's hands as often she'd done before

And little did he think when he left her that night, sweet Annie he would see no more

It was about the 10th of May, a time I remember it well, that very same night little Annie disappeared in a way no tongue can tell

Sweet Annie was loved both far and near, she had friends almost all around

And near a little brook not far from her home the body of sweet Annie were found

Her parents now are left alone, one mourns while the other'n weeps and near a grassy mound outside the cottage door the body of sweet Annie sleeps

Willie Moore scarcely spoke to his friends they say from the moment they both did part

And his last day was spent near his true lover's grave where he died of a broken heart

Fiddle ? David Bragger

Banjo ? Chris Berry

Guitar ? Joe Wack

Vocal and Harmonica ? GG

California Cotton Fields

My driftin' memory goes back to the spring of '42 when I was just a child in Momma's arms

My Daddy plowed the fields and prayed and did all he could do to save that broke-down Oklahoma farm

Then one night I heard my Daddy sayin' to my Momma that he finally saved enough for us to go

California was his dream, a paradise that he had seen, the pictures and the magazines had told him so

California cotton fields where labor camps were filled with worried men and broken dreams

California cotton fields was as close to wealth as Daddy ever came

Almost everything we owned was sold or left behind, from Daddy's tools to the fruit that Momma canned

Some folks came to say farewell and see what all we had to sell, some just came to shake my Daddy's hand

The model T was loaded down and California bound and the dream of hope was just four days away

But the only change that I remember seein' in my Daddy was when his brown hair turned to silver grey

California cotton fields where labor camps were filled with worried men and broken dreams

California cotton fields was as close to wealth as Daddy ever came

Banjo - David Bragger
Guitar - Joe Wack
Guitar - Chris Berry
Harmony Vocal - Jolie Holland
Vocal - GG

The Watchmaker's Dial

Oh, yonder stands the prophet, the words are music to our ears

But down among the sinners, only pain and sweat and tears
The sermon soothes the simple but the rest are rapt with fear

Oh no, too late to hold a trial, time doesn't wait for the watchmaker's dial

In the best laid plans of history lie the ruins of the past

And a chronicle of suffering shows the mythic pall they cast

To believe is true religion but to see is truth at last

Oh no, too late to hold a trial, time doesn't wait for the watchmaker's dial

Time doesn't wait for the watchmaker's dial

Slide and Guitar ? Stephen Carroll

Drums ? Jason Tait

Bass ? Greg Smith

Piano and Vocal ? GG

One More Hill

Rich man, poor man, beggar or thief, no matter which one in this life you lead

If you think you've reached the top of the world just look all around and you'll see

There's one more hill, just one more hill, there's always a hill left to climb

If you think you've reached the top of the world the hill of judgment is still left to climb

There's a hill that we build every day that you live, the deeds that we do here below

And tomorrow comes when you reach up above, you may climb that mountain and reach heaven's door

There's one more hill, just one more hill, there's always a hill left to climb

If you think you've reached the top of the world the hill of judgment is still left to climb

Guitar ? Joe Wack

Guitar ? Chris Berry

Harmony Voices ? Jolie Holland, Mr. Brett

Piano and Vocal ? GG

Produced by Brett Gurewitz

Mixed by Brett Gurewitz
Engineer: Pete Martinez
Assistant engineer: Josh Smith
Mastered by Gavin Lursson at the Mastering Lab
Art layout: Nick Pritchard @ metrosea.com
Photography: Bryan Sheffield

Thanks to the following people who inspired, assisted, and influenced the making of this record. I appreciate all of you.
The musicians who played, the producer who believed, and the engineers who listened, Jeff Abarta, Steven Barlevi, Jeff Claus, Gersh from Drum Fetish, the guys at Glyph Technologies, Uncle Stanley and Aunt Dottie, Dad, Mom, Graham and Ella Graffin, Grant Graffin, Eric Greenspan, Dave Hansen, Judy Hyman, Andy Kaulkin, Allison Kleinheinz, Wryebo Martin, Frank Nuti, Alex Perialas, Lisa Rider, Elliott and all the guys at Rumble Seat Music, Eddy Schreyer, Shivaun at Sound City, Jeff Walden, Cha Cha Winky

Don't Be Afraid To Run, Cold as the Clay, Highway, Rebel's Goodbye, and The Watchmaker's Dial written by Greg Graffin, Polypterus Music, BMI, 2006. Omie Wise, Little Sadie, Talk About Suffering, Willie Moore, and one more hill are traditional songs with many versions and unknown writers. California Cotton Fields by Dallas Frazier and Earl Montgomery, Published by Pappy Daily Music, Sony/ATV Acuff Rose Music, and Glad Music Publishing and Recording.

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