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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Too Much of a Good Thing, Poor Thing, Maxims, Mantras & Moral Tales, Say When, Unravelled Tales - Volume 2, Unravelled Tales - Volume 1, Roubles and Kopecks, Nothin to Write Home About, and 9 more.
1. |
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In the states we got capitalism,
Seems to serve some pretty well—
The rich have the money and power
Rest of us are going to hell—
But it’s the same rules governing nature:
“only the fittest survive”
But whether you’re fit or a failure
Seems like everyone wants to know “Why—?
Chorus
Why should I be kind to my neighbor?
Tell me, what’s in it for me?
Why should I do him a favor?
When he ain’t done nothing for me?
There ain’t no money in kindness
Nobody ever got rich doing good
You want me to be kind to my neighbor
Tell me again why I should—
Well the teachers are up in the classrooms
They’re doing the best that they can
to keep all their kids out of trouble
to give every child some sort of plan
they’re teaching them science and history
English, geography, math
but what do they tell to the children
who put up their hands just to ask:
CHORUS
The preachers are up in their pulpits
They’re tellin everyone to do right
They say we should all be like Jesus
They’re tryin to fight the good fight
They tell all about all the wisdom he shared
How he lived his whole life without sin—
How he tried to stand up to the empire…
But won’t you look at what happened to him—so:
CHORUS
In the states we all got our freedom
We got our American Dream
The freedom to say it’s all dandy
And to pretend things are just as they seem
But as far as a strong moral compass
We gave up on that quest long-ago
Preferring, instead, the old mindset
that’s hung up on wanting to know:
CHORUS
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2. |
Maybe
07:01
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Gather round me children and I’ll teach you the way
You can grow up to be like your role models today
To talk like a true-blue bona-fide head of state
If you want to elude any kind of question
Just pay attention to these here suggestions
And in no time at all you’ll be able to prevaricate
You don’t need to believe in no superstition
To learn to talk like a politician
All you got to do is look innocently
At your accusers and say, on three (one, two, three)
Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t
Maybe it’s my fault, maybe it isn’t
Maybe that’s a yes, maybe that’s a big fat no
When you got no cause, no case, no proof
Maybe maybe’s the closest you can get to the truth
Maybe we ought to just let the whole thing go
Adam and eve in the garden of eden
Were told about a fruit they should refrain from eatin
God said, “If you ever do, by god it’ll be a sin”
One day as the good lord was passin on by
He caught sight of the couple out the corner of his eye
Wearing clothes behind which they was trine to hide from him
He called em over said, Adam and eve
What are you doin wearin them old fig-leaves?
Who do you spose you are tryin to fool?
Did you go ahead and break my one and only rule?
Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t
Maybe it’s our fault, maybe it isn’t
Maybe that’s a yes, and maybe that’s a big fat no
When you got no cause, no case no proof
Maybe maybe’s the closest you’ll ever get to the truth
Hell, Maybe we ought to just let the whole thing go
Old man Washington had a cherry tree
Yielded lots of cherries sweet as can be
His wife used to gather em to make her famous pie
One day the old man went into town,
Came back found that old tree chopped down
The sight brought tears of rage into his tired eyes
In his loudest voice he called to his only son
Said, George, get out here—and George, he come
Said, George, don’t you tell no lie to me
Was it you who cut down my cherry tree?
Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t
Maybe it’s my fault, maybe it isn’t
Maybe that’s a yes, maybe that’s a big fat no
When you got no cause no case no proof
Maybe maybe’s the closest you’ll ever get to the truth
Hell, maybe we ought to just let the whole thing go
William Clinton was an American president
Had a reputation that was without precedent
Swore to protect and serve his country all his life
One day word broke about some sort of affair
That gave everybody a little bit of a scare
He’d been publicly accused of cheating on his wife
Well they called a meeting, and they called the press
Tried to make old Bill confess
Everybody thought they had him caught
When they said did you have relations with that woman or not?
He said, maybe I did, maybe I didn’t
Maybe it’s my fault maybe it isn’t,
Maybe that’s a yes, maybe that’s a big fat no
When you got no cause no case no proof
Maybe maybe’s the closest you’ll ever get to the truth
Heck maybe we ought to just let the whole thing go
Lance Armstrong was a professional cyclist
Who overcame cancer, was on everyone’s like-list
Most would have said he was the best athlete there ever was
One day the US Drug Administration
Performed a retrospective investigation
To see whether he had ever used performance enhancing drugs
Well they checked his blood and wouldn’t you note
Lance Armstrong’s blood was full of dope
They asked him about his blood-test results:
They said: well, what do you have to say for yourself?
He said, well maybe I did, maybe I didn’t
Maybe it’s my fault maybe it isn’t
Maybe that’s a yes, and maybe it’s a big fat no
When you got no cause no case no proof
Maybe maybe’s the closest you’ll ever get to the truth
Hell, maybe we ought to just let the whole thing go
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3. |
Easier Said Than Done
07:19
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In the beginning all was darkness, there was a black wind on the waves
God said, “Someone turn a light on, please,” and the light he called, the day
The dark he called the night-time, and then he counted to one
And when the first day, it was finished, he said, “It was easier said than done,”
It’s easier said than done
Startin off with less than none
Workin up towards having some
Getting past where you’re comin from
Its simpler lost than won
Likelier left than brung
Oftener spoke than sung
It’s easier said than done
Second day God made the heavens, set em high above the earth
Then he said, “Now I’ll make what’s left to make of this here universe,”
And when the sea below the sky above he’d separated from
He reached down to wash his hands, said “It was easier said than done.”
The Third day he made the oceans, made the rivers and the seas
The lands were carpeted with grasses and he outfitted them with trees
And out upon their branches grew the peach, the pear, the plum
And when he thought about it he thought, “It was easier said than done.”
Fourth day he installed the stars and thereby designed the night
Then he put in all the planets and he thought it looked alright
Then he sent em in a circle goin all around the sun
And when he’d had a better look, he said “It was easier said than done.”
Fifth day God made the creatures for the waters and the skies
Made the swordfish and the mollusk and the seagull and magpie
He said, “Let there be mosquitoes, and let them breed upon the scum,”
And lo and behold it was—and it was easier said than done
Sixth day God made the zebra, he made the lion and the ox,
He made the lemur and the elephant and the hound-dog and the fox
He said, “From out of dust and ashes let the human beings come,”
And so people were created—and it was easier said than done.
The Seventh day, God spoke to Adam right before he took his rest,
Said, “Do you promise to take care of this?” Adam said, “We’ll do our best,”
God was satisfied to trust him, but from the world he stood among
Adam seemed to know too well it would be easier said than done
Well I guess some time has passed since then and now the world is getting old
The oceans have been traveled and the lands have all been sold
And some would say there’s nothing new beneath that aging sun
Some would say that proving that would be easier said than done
But me I say the problems of the world ain’t yet been solved
People aint stopped killin folks, our problems ain’t resolved
Until the bells of mercy in the halls of justice have been rung
Love will always be a thing that’s easier said than done
Chorus
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4. |
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I knew a man, he had a lover
One day she killed him with a kitchen knife
she learned he’d been out with another
who, it turned out, the whole time, had been his wife
It’s hard to always do the right thing
It’s never an open-and-shut case
I’d rather have my cake—and eat it, too
But you can’t always have it both ways
I know a man, had life insurance
Big old million dollar claim
He faked his death in a disappearance
now he can’t tell anyone his name
It’s hard to always do the right thing
It’s hard to know just what to chase
If I knew what I now know, a long time ago…
But you can’t always have it both ways
Jesus Christ had many a follower
He said, “You can come along, too, if you decide,
But you can’t worship that almighty dollar
And go round thinkin you’re on my side
I know its hard to always do the right thing
When the right thing don’t hardly pay
I’d rather be a good and a rich man,
But you know you can’t always have it both ways”
You can have all of our memories to speak to
Apologize to em, one by one
You can take all the time and words you need to
But you can’t undo what you done
And its hard to always do the right thing
The right thing changes every day
I’d rather need you—and be needed, too
But you can’t always have it both ways
|
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5. |
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Well I had me a girlfriend a while ago; I loved her, and she loved me
So I got the crazy notion to ask her if she’d want to start a family
She said yes, we both got dressed and went before the priest
He said “Anyone know why these two shouldn’t wed? Speak now or hold your peace!”
Well grandpa jumped up in his mighty old age and he said “there’s one reason I can see
Getting married’s not all fun and games, it’s a lot of responsibility
I don’t want to say you can’t do it, it’s just that there’s a lot to risk
Soon as you have kids, they’ll take all you got, then forget that you exist—
And that’s all the thanks you’ll get
All the thanks you’ll get
You work hard to keep a roof abovem
They call you liar when you tellem you love em
All the thanks you get
All the thanks you get
It’s a raw deal, full-time gig
And you sure can’t raise em like your parents did
Otherwise they’ll just try and get rid—of you
Well I went to school like folks said I should and I graduated in four years
and soon as I had received my diploma, they said, now find yourself some career
well I looked around and I couldn’t find nothing until one day, suddenly
I got a job hauling furniture for a moving company
my first day there, they threw this party for a guy they all admired
said he’d been with the company forty years and was time for him to retire
course he was injured something terrible, he could barely keep up his head
but when he saw what he got for severance pay, this is what he said:
That’s all the thanks I get
All the thanks I get?
broke my back, ruined my knees
paid all my own hospital fees
and that’s all the thanks I get?
All the thanks I get?
For all the time and effort I gave
Just to be treated like a slave
A one way ticket to an early grave—is my reward?
Well I was walking by the recruiting office, with my thumb I was flippin a coin
A man was out there telling me that Uncle Sam wanted me to join
I said, “Join what?” and the recruiter said, “Why, buddy, that’s all up to you—”
Air Force, Navy, National Guard—long as it’s red, white, and blue,”
Well I was about to sign up when all of a sudden another man comes up to me
He’s in a wheelchair and he’s got no legs and he’s wearing military fatigues
The recruiter told him to get lost, but the fella shouted out “Beware!”
He said, “I used to be just like you, now stead of legs all I got’s this chair—”
And that’s all—the thanks you’ll get
That’s all—the thanks you’ll get
fight and kill just to stay alive
Make it home, you start to wish you had died
All—the thanks you’ll get
All—the thanks you’ll get
I’m a shell-shockd, manic-depressed
Got shards of shrapnel in my chest
Had nothing to start, now I got less—than that
Well I was feeling sorta lost and a little confused about what I ought to do
Seems like everywhere I could think to go, there was some good reason not to
Friend of mine told me to seek some counsel, the counselor said, “Try church”
I said alright, I need help, I don’t see how that could hurt
The preacher that Sunday was preachin a sermon bout this fella named Jesus Christ
Who helped the poor and healed the sick and never sinned in his whole life
Who taught humanity all the lessons it would ever need to learn
Who was betrayed, tortured, mocked, flogged and crucified in return
And that’s all the thanks you’ll get
all the thanks you’ll get
you see a problem and you try to be kind
people treat you like you’re out of your mind
all the thanks you’ll get
all the thanks you’ll get
you try to do a simple favor
lend a hand to your struggling neighbor
he don’t give you nothing for your labor—hell no—just a slap in the face
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6. |
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Some folks’ll tell you if you wanna be happy, havin a plan is the only way
You gotta get all your ducks in a row if you want those birds to lay
But my whole philosophy of life is, here today, then you’re gone
Might as well make the whole thing up right as you go along
Well I went to see my fortune teller to learn about my destiny
She took ahold of both of my hands said, Well come here now, let me see
I asked her how she could tell my future just from lookin down at my palms
She winked and said, Honey, we’re just makin it up, right as we go along
Well I got this one friend, he’s an actor, he works on the broadway stage
He’s the sorta fella can play any character of any gender, class or age
He says sometimes he’ll forget a line, but the show—it must go on
After that you’re just makin it up right as you go along
I knew a man was a high-stakes gambler, he was a wizard at roulette
I watched him hustle a millionaire right out of the keys to a brand-new corvette
He said, you know you can’t guess right all the time, but it’s awful hard to be wrong
When you’re just makin the whole thing up, right as you go along
I met a man could play the guitar better than anybody else I knew
Everything from jazz to swing to folk rock and the blues
He said I may not know all of the words ever written to every song
But it’s okay when you’re just makin it up right as you go along
I got these friends, they live uptown, they make love look like such a sinch
They first met back when the war was on and they’ve been married ever since
I said, “With so many people getting divorced, how is it that you’ve stayed so strong?”
The said, Hell, we’ve just been makin it up right as we go along
Well the Corinthians wrote to old saint paul about this problem that they had
It seems despite discovering Christianity, folks was still behaving bad
Paul wrote back and in so many words he said, “Keep calm—carry on—”
Like he was just makin the whole thing up right as he went along
Lastnight I was watchin the old TV, and I caught some of the presidential debate
All these characters was up on stage for the audience to interrogate
Everytime anybody was accused of something, they’d deny it and say, “That’s wrong”
Just like they was just makin it up, right as they went along
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7. |
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Try to take all good advice; don’t do once what you must do twice
Don’t be mean, always be nice and kind
Keep your head up and do your best; make sure you get yourself plenty of rest
Be a leader, see that no one’s left behind
Chew your food, be polite, when it ain’t in use turn off the light
Don’t be late, be early, or at least be right on time
Wear a helmet, don’t get hurt, comb your hair, tuck in your shirt
Wait your turn—you’ll soon be next in line
O but its hard to keep on grinning when everyone cept you is winnin
And everything feels like it’s spinning right down the toiletbowl’s mainstream
And even if you got that midas touch, time still turns everything to dust
Night to morning, dawn to dusk, gold to brass, steel to rust
No, nothing ain’t worth very much in the grand-scheme
Mind your manners, mind your health, stand up straight, introduce yourself
Speak clearly, to the point, and don’t be shy
When in doubt just play it cool, keep out of trouble, stay in school
Wear your seatbelt when you drive or fly
Pay your taxes, pay your dues, pull up your pants, tie your shoes
On election day don’t forget to register and vote
Treat your neighbor as you would yourself, if you strike it rich well, share the wealth
We may have our differences, but we’re all in the same boat
But it’s hard to keep on keepin when the liferaft’s long been leakin
And existence goes on eeking out getting more and more highstrung
And even if you got the Midas touch, time still turns everything to dust
Night to morning, dawn to dusk, gold to brass, steel to rust
No nothing ain’t worth very much in the long-run
Don’t complain, don’t talk back, cite your sources, check your facts
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing t’all
Check your tires, check your oil—bring that water to a boil
Keep your elbows up and your eye upon the ball
Always listen to your dad, pledge allegiance to the flag
Deck the halls with boughs fa la la la la la la la
Do the right thing when you can, smile for the camera man
You know the drill—blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
But it’s hard to keep on servin when your master’s undeserving
And your loyalty’s been swerving like sparks off the main grindstone
And even if you got that Midas touch, time still turns everything to dust
Night to morning, dawn to dusk, gold to brass, steel to rust
All you get’s a “Thank You Very Much” etched on your headstone
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8. |
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Well let me tell you bout a friend I know / he sneezes everywhere he goes
He’s got the worst case of allergies as I’ve seen anywhere
Aside from pollen, dust, dirt, and grass / plastic, wood, metal, glass
He’s allergic to fresh water and fresh air
Most foods he cannot touch, just says, “No thank you, very much”
Can’t have gluten, corn or wheat or flax or whey
Dogs and cats he can’t go near and most people seem to give him fear
Cause most of our conversations go this way:
“Achoo! Achoo! Pardon me!” “Bless you!”
“Would you happen to have, by any chance, a—choo!”
“If you are gonna sneeze, for goodness sakes man, use your sleeve!
And may God bless you!” “Achoo!”
Now the thing about this friend of mine is that he gets a little bit down sometimes
On account of cause he thinks that he is scorned
People always seem to think he’s sick, sneezing like a lunatic
But he says it’s just the way that he was born
That always seems to give me pause; I guess no one’s without his flaws
“Still” he says, “I wish it wasn’t so,”
I say, “Man, don’t let it get you down, you may not be the healthiest guy in town
But you’re more God-blessed than anyone else I know”
Chorus
Now thinkin about this friend I got always brings me round to another thought
Concerning what is wrong and what is right
Seems that some would try to attribute the instinct to bless a sneezing brute
To manners, saying that it’s just polite
Then they’ll go ahead and designate tween folks to love and folks to hate
And say that God’ll only bless a precious few
Now I don’t know that that’s the truth, I’ve heard it said but that sure ain’t proof
But if it is, well, God help me and you
Chorus
I prefer to think that we’re all due for at least one blessing, if not two
That it hardly matters whether we’re first or last
If you need a reason just say because sneezing’s something everybody does
No exceptions, no exclusions, or outcasts
So God Bless You: whether lost or found, high or low or up or down
God bless you, whether chained or bound for home
God bless the mad, the meek, the mild, each complaining crying child
God bless the bastard and the orphan, all alone
God bless the scoundrels and the scabs, the beggars on corners dressed in rags
And every person that’s hard pressed to find a buck
God bless the hobo and the bum, the hitchhiker with his waving thumb
God bless the truckers who’ll stop to pick him up
God bless the guilty and the innocent, the 1 and the 99 percent
God bless the ones who don’t know which ones they are
God bless the hopeless and the poor, the gangster, thug, the pimp, the whore
God bless the man who holds the door ajar
God bless all the women and the men, and anybody that’s a blend
Who falls down somewhere in between the two
Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jew; God bless the atheists, too
They all sneeze, just like me and you—achoo!
God bless the captain and the cook, the storeowner and the crook
Everyone who doesn’t look like he’s supposed to
God bless the black, the white, the red, God bless the living and the dead
And everyone who’s ever said, “Achoo!”
God bless you, whether straight or gay, God bless the ones who swing both ways
God bless the ones who don’t have to pick a side
God bless the inmates on Death Row, the strong man in the circus show
God bless the bearded woman, who’s his bride
God bless the jesters and the clowns, God bless the addicts, falling down
God bless the ones who wear crowns of gold and thorns
God bless the pope, the priest, the nun; the fans who fill up the stadium
God bless the dirty devils and their horns
God bless the doctor and the nurse, the driver of the village hearse
The gardner and the man who digs the graves
God bless the nations, each and all, God bless the world that ain’t so small
And anyone else I might’ve forgot to say
Chorus
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9. |
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You can’t be a locksmith if you don’t got keys
You can’t be a beekeeper if you ain’t got bees
And you can’t be a doctor if you don’t get your degrees
It doesn’t matter what your parents say
You can’t always have it both ways
You can’t sound the alarm if there ain’t no bell
You can’t tell the story if there’s no story to tell
You can’t have your cake and eat it as well
It doesn’t matter what the billboards say
You can’t always have it both ways
You can’t take it easy if you’re takin it fast
You can’t use it up and expect it to last
You can’t see the future if you’re living in the past
It doesn’t matter what the calendars say
You can’t always have it both ways
You can shop for products from the comfort of your home
Hear all about the world outside on your mobile telephone
But you can’t really be a part of it if you’re always alone
No you can’t—no you can’t
You can’t be a boxer if you can’t take a punch
You can’t solve no mystery if you got no hunch
You can’t expect me to work without a break for lunch
I don’t care what the bosses say
You can’t always have it both ways
You can’t tie a strong knot if you got weak rope
You can’t have lasting love without faith and hope
I’s in love with a woman, she’s married to some dope—
It don’t matter what your vows may say
You can’t always get it both ways
You can’t make a difference if you don’t go and try
You can’t fulfill demand if you got no supply
You can’t give people guns and expect no one to die
You can’t pour a blind cup and not expect it to spill
You can’t withhold supply and expect demands to be filled
You can’t give people guns and expect no one to get killed
It doesn’t matter what the laws may say
You can’t always have it both ways
You can believe everything that you hear bout on the news
Believe that folks is evil cause it’s the life they choose
But you can’t never know a person til you’ve walked round in his shoes
No you can’t—no you can’t
From where he’s been, you can’t tell where a man’s headin
From what he says you can’t tell at what he’s gettin
and you can’t be a rich man and get into heaven
It doesn’t matter what your paystubs say
You can’t always have it both ways
You can’t be sure if you sound so hesitant
You can’t remember seeing something that’s without precedent
You can’t be an idiot and run for president
Then again…lets see what the papers say
After all, this is the USA
Anybody can be king for just a day
Sometimes, I guess, you can have it both ways
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10. |
On Down the Road
04:55
|
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I awoke—it was the Hour of Rest, I didn’t get any but I gave it my best
The telescreen cried, “What a beautiful day!” while outside my window all I saw was the gray
Smoke rising out of the fires below where sooner or later they tell me everyone goes
Whether you’re willing or unprepared, it doesn’t make a difference to the Man Upstairs
I clocked in, took my place on the line, made the same old motion til it was quittin time
I got paid, went out on the town, drank a few free ones and bought a few rounds
It got late; I came home around one, got to thinking again how this has never been fun
Last thought I had before I dropped off to sleep was that if this is my life, then I’ve got to be
On down—the road
Don’t look now but you got a long way to go
They’re putting something in the water, it’s makin everyone smile; you don’t notice it until you’ve been without it awhile
And I’m sick now—I been puking my guts, but it’s a small price to pay to keep from goin nuts
Utopia: that’s the name of the Brand on every can, cup and bottle in the Fatherland
Where you’re free to be free, here, if only in dreams—so long as it doesn’t interrupt the machine
I met the devil under an old willow tree—he didn’t look like such a bad fellow to me
He said, “Good and Evil: you know you cain’t always tell. One man’s heaven is just another man’s hell—
Folks always ask me why I do what I done, I tell em it’s cause I got punished before I knew how come
They took my dignity, liberty, all that was mine; way I see it, I’m just making up for lost time—
chorus
In real life, there ain’t no progress at all; you get over the fence—you’re still facin a wall
your country’s the dirt underneath of your nails, your name’s just a word for when your history fails
and tomorrow, it will all be the same, the farmers will starve as they wait for the rain
the sword’s as corrupt as the soil it plowed, you can ask for permission, but you’re never allowed
You want trouble? Here, let me give you my card—you live in a bubble and you think your life’s hard
You’re down on your knees and you’re trying to pray, but your prayers’ve been answered, 24 hours a day
We proved it; we got misery beat, you can’t argue with numbers, just rinse and repeat
Or else increase your dosage, take as much as you need; if nothing changes call me, if you need me, I’ll be—
Chorus
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Sam Steffen Boise, Idaho
Sam Steffen is a Pennsylvania-bred, Boise-based singer-songwriter whose songs are the torch-wood for a new generation of folk music that has learned from the best stuff in the tradition and aims in spite of everything to keep the human spirit alive and kicking. A versatile musician and skilled finger-picker, Sam is at heart a story-teller, and a prolific one. ... more
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