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Georgia Stories

by Highway 80 Stories

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1.
Lonsom Raney 1828 02:53
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1828 Lonsom Raney was born Had a copper still an’ made clear corn His great-granddad brought it from Scotland Hid it in the hills on this Georgia mountain Help’d his daddy make likker, Lonsom told When he wuddn’t but nine years old They’d load the wagon right at the still Run that shine all through those hills “Let me be, my sons and me I’m just doing what I can Let me be, my boys ‘n’ me I’m just livin’ off the land” He made it himself when his daddy died Drank corn whiskey every day of his life Claimed moonshine was what kept him alive Lonsom Raney lived to ninety-five “Let me be, my sons and me … Five generations used that still From Ransom to Royal, then Virgil Lonsom died in nineteen twenty-three Now it’s Vernon’s time with the recipe “Let me be, my sons and me I’m just doing what I can Let me be, th’ boys ‘n’ me I’m just livin’ off the land I’m just doing what I can Lemme be free Mr. Gov’mint man” © 2017 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
2.
A River Runnin' Wild 03:38
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Johnny came to Clara’s church that Sunday, Him on the mountain was a surprise She’d have to walk right past him Lord she thought she just might die She seen the look in his eye Like there was no one, just them two Something rose up in her heart Like a river runnin’ wild busting loose Johnny touched his new wool cap As Clara hurried past him up the steps All through the preachin’ she felt his eyes On the back of her neck She seen the look in his eye … Soon as the service was over Clara felt her face burnin’ red Johnny took her hand, they went walkin’ She couldn’t tell you a word of what they said She seen the look in his eye … © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
3.
Ransom Raney 03:55
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This is the tale of a mountain man Lot of grit, lot of sand Ransom Raney’s his name From Scotland his people came He was Lonsom Raney’s oldest son 1848 he was born Stood at his daddy’s right hand Taught to be a mountain man Keep your mouth shut, your head down Live off what comes from the ground Make your shine, dig ginseng root Live your own truth When he was fifteen he went to war Butternut was his uniform Fought for what he could understand Get the blue basterds off his land Chickamauga; Second Vicksburg Mansfield was the call he heard But Ransom slipped away From the fighting of the blue and grey His year was up so he went back home Grateful to get through it whole In the winter of ’64 Ransom Raney was done with war Back at the farm what he found It had been burned to the ground His daddy rebuilt the barn While the ground was still warm Lonsom had buried his copper still Set it back up on same hill The first batch after the war Was his best he swore The Raneys are a real hard bunch Won’t be stopped, not by much A war ain’t nearly enough The Raneys are a hard bunch Ransom Raney loved one wife She gave his seven children life He taught his two eldest sons To do what their grandpa done He lived long enough to see A brand new century He was satisfied In 1905 he died Ransom Raney stood alone But he could be counted on When you needed a friend Against flatlanders or gov’mint men © 2019 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
4.
My Brother Ransom 12:10
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My Brother Ransom (F.D. Leone, Jr.) My brother Ransom was older than me He'd inherit Grandpa's recipe We both helped Pap make our shine Ransom was ten, I was nine Handed down, father to son Our copper pot came all the way from Scotland Family is everything to us Blood is only thing you can trust Ransom liked to hunt and fish Chewed ginseng like licorice He was rough and pretty wild My brother Ransom was a mountain child Each year I'd plow a patch of land Squash and beans the work of my hands Ransom might come back with a buck he'd killed Drag that carcass through my plowed field Ransom looked at my farmin' with disdain He and I were Abel and Cain If I stayed I knew we'd come to fight I had to move and did one night For a few years I did fine Worked the land and made it mine I married Mattie and brought her home But Ransom wouldn't leave her alone Mattie was a sweet, innocent child Melt your heart with her mysterious smile I was never sure what she saw in me I guess for her I was security But Ransom was always there Like a shadow everywhere Her softness was drawn to his strength Her eyes followed wherever he went Mattie changed bit by bit She became remote and distant I gave her time hoping it would pass I didn't know how or what to ask Side by side in bed we lay like logs I couldn't name it but something was wrong She told me it was all in my head But I didn't believe a word she said It got so we would hardly talk She spent time taking long walks One day I thought I'd spy out where she went And discover her devilment There's a river that borders my land Where Ransom built a deer stand Could that really be her destination Why that place in all of creation? The answer was soon to be known Ransom drank her in like she was all his own She ran and leapt into his arms And offered him every one of her charms I stood there rooted like a tree Afraid of what I might see I watched her walk into his shack And with a bitter heart I turned back Best place for thinking is behind a plow I sure had things to think about now How would I act, what could I ask? Too late to stop her from slippin' from my grasp She came home to the same routine Living the lie as if I'd never seen What I saw was seared on my brain When I close my eyes the images remain Ransom needed me for a whiskey run I wouldn't let on I knew what they'd done Knowing Ransom he'd not feel any guilt He wasn't one to cry over spilt milk Back home I got my rat gun I shot Mattie, that's what I done Sent for the sheriff and waited there Never denied what I did to her I was hanged in 1874 I killed my wife for acting a whore Not Ransom; it was her I shot Ransom was blood, and she was not .© 2022 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
5.
Lyin' In Bed 04:28
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After this winter it's nice to see some green The season could be turning to spring But there's something I can't shake from my head It's a feeling she been lying in bed When I met her she had an innocent smile In the ways of the world she was but a child But she grew up fast and it all went to her head Now I'm feeling she been lying in bed Lying in bed Lying in bed My soul is filled with a cold dread Can't put my finger on it Ain't nothing she said Just a feeling she been lying in bed I saw her getting close to my brother Ransom She always said she thought he was handsome It wasn't something that I misread It's a feeling she been lying in bed I ain't real sure what I will do I sure don't like being played for a fool Then an idea came busting in my head I told the Sheriff I left her lying in bed Lying in bed Lying in bed My soul is filled with a cold dread Can't put my finger on it Ain't nothing she said Just a feeling she been lying in bed They're gonna hang me a week from today I won't have any last words to say But when we meet in hell and we're both dead I'll tell her we're here 'cause she was lying in bed © 2022 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
6.
The Orphan Son 03:52
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My name is Wyatt Raney I'm an orphan son They hanged my Pa for killing Ma When I was a child of one Raised by my uncle Ransom Some said he was really my Pa That talk made Pa angry Was why he shot my Ma I'm an orphan son Grew up with my cousin August In the Fannin County hills Up and down the hollers We honed our hunting skills Spring we went for turkey Deer in the fall Summers we'd help wi' th' whiskey Th' most fun of all I'm an orphan son Orphaned by a gun I am but one An orphan son 1898 me and August Fought at San Juan Hill I lost my left leg But August he was killed I limped back to Georgia To Belinda I'd left behind Our first son Charles was born In 1899 I'm an orphan son Charles was just like Ransom He was his grandpa's son Spending weeks out hunting Always with his gun That stubborn Raney streak Just like Ransom and Pa Brothers, fathers, 'n' bad blood Like a natural law I'm an orphan son Orphaned by a gun I am but one An orphan son Charles joined up in '17 What was he was fighting for After Vicksburg and Gettysburg Where's the glory in war He's buried there on the hill Another Raney sacrifice My forebears fought for honor And were proud to pay the price I'm an orphan son When I came into this world Death defined my life When my daughter Charlotte was born I lost my wife 1934 and I'm tired Ready to leave this world behind If there's a god in heaven He's deaf, dumb, and blind I'm an orphan son Orphaned by a gun I am but one An orphan son © 2022 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
7.
Between Here and Gone 03:11
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No one dreams of bein’ manager at Dollar Town But life happens, there’s worse around A stick of spearmint’ll hide whiskey on her breath Might as well open up she’s out of cigarettes Snowed eight inches overnight the air is crystal clear They’ll be buying extra bread and eggs and beer Just sittin’ and thinkin’ in her car out there alone She’s stranded between here and gone She could just drive away free as the breeze Start over somewhere, just leave Don’t matter no more what’s right or wrong She’s stranded between here and gone Checking her makeup she sees a new grey hair She don’ know that woman who returns her stare The day’s first shopper pulls in the parking lot She still has time for one more shot There’s nothing in this town for her to stay She used to find little things that kept that thought away Like goin’ to the Blue Bonnet for a lemon custard cone She’s stranded between here and gone She could just drive away free as the breeze … © 2017 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
8.
Feel Like Dirt 03:45
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She got on the Greyhound with her suitcase And her little patent leather bag Had two Cokes, a package of peanuts, And a fifth of Ancient Age She nursed that bottle all across Texas, But she was sober when she crossed the Georgia line, in fact Lord, she cried those first few weeks But she didn’t look back; couldn’t look back It was either kill the man or leave Killin’ was more trouble than he was worth Gettin’ on that bus was a relief First time in a long time she didn’t feel like dirt She left everything in the house And nothing of herself behind Dropped her keys on the kitchen table Along with the reason why It was a matchbook she’d found in his jeans There was a heart with a phone number inside All those loads of laundry The dreams she compromised It was either kill the man or leave … She got on the Greyhound with her suitcase And her little patent leather bag Had two Cokes, a package of peanuts, And a fifth of Ancient Age © 2018 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
9.
Say Roy 04:05
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Say Roy, get my walking stick I want to take a look around the place Get up boy, and you best be quick I’m old ‘n’ ain’ got time to waste Come on Roy, find your sense I want to see that stretch o’ fence Did you mend it right? Let’s go, it’s almost light Get up and make your bed Boy don’ keep me waitin’ long Ain’ you heard a single word I sed? I want to sweep off your Grandma’s headstone It looks like it might storm Gonna stick my head in the barn Did you milk the cow? I wanna go and go now […] I can see it just like yesterday Walkin’ with my pap just like this I was just about your age And wanted a walkin’ stick just like his Pap cut a branch, gave it to me He cut it from a hickory tree Said, “when that dries it’ll be good” We’re standing where that hickory stood Say Roy, let’s head back home I done looked around the place Come on boy, get a move on I’m old ‘n’ ain’ got time to waste Light the lamp, trim the wick Here, take this walkin’ stick It’ll be yours from now on Come on Roy, let’s go home © 2019 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
10.
That Night in Columbus 03:33
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Sonny had his guitar and was singing the blues It really hit the spot for us The power had gone out from a storm that passed through That night in Columbus They opened up that bar and let us in Some beer was iced down in a wash tub It sure felt good getting out and seeing friends That night in Columbus A lot of rain, oh boy, the wind sure did blow But we were all right in that dark club Listening as Sonny sang in the candle glow That night in Columbus It could have been worse, least nobody died As it was the storm just hurt some stuff We passed the time safe and dry inside That night in Columbus Bad weather comes and then it goes Go ahead shake your fist and cuss Made you feel a little better I suppose That night in Columbus Sonny’s packing up, his guitar’s in the case The lights are on, but we ain’t in a rush The storm turned that old bar into a sacred space That night in Columbus © 2020 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
11.
Tybee Island 03:16
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Billy Wainwright was from Savannah Ruthann Robison was his girlfriend July ’68 they took East 80 And drove to the highway’s end Billy built a fire near the lighthouse As shadows began to grow They shared a bottle of Mateus And sang songs like “Ode to Billy Joe” On Tybee Island, Tybee Island The waves sparkle like diamonds The sand on the beach The salt and the sea Billy picked a Georgia peach on Tybee Island Ruthie spread out the tattered blanket That Billy kept in that old truck They talked underneath the starlight Until the sun came up On Tybee Island, Tybee Island The waves sparkle like diamonds The sand on the beach The salt and the sea Billy picked a Georgia peach on Tybee Island Ruthann said she wanted ten children Billy told her all his deepest dreams They kissed and the world stopped spinning That’s how love is when you’re seventeen On Tybee Island, Tybee Island The waves sparkle like diamonds The sand on the beach The salt and the sea Billy picked a Georgia peach on Tybee Island The sand on the beach The salt and the sea He picked a Georgia peach on Tybee Island © 2020 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
12.
Jess Harper Returns to Macon 04:44
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Jess Harper threw some clothes into a suitcase Took what she could but left a lot behind She’s been thinking ‘bout leaving Macon Got an early start ‘fore she changed her mind She didn’t tell nobody not even her mama Just got on 80 heading west She’ll try and call Dooley from Alabama The first chance that she gets Her mama said they were asking for trouble She could love a black boy just as easy as one who’s white Plenty of Georgia don’t like to see a mixed couple Jess began to think her mama was right Jess met Dooley Johnson in first grade They’ve been best friends ever since He opened up her mind to new things Like no other boy ever did When Dooley was sixteen and had his license He took Jess to see the Indian mounds Left there by the great Mississippian people A thousand years before the white man was around Many nights Dooley told Jess stories About the Choctaw and the Creek and their fate Dooley’s family’s been in Georgia for generations Jess knows Dooley’ll never leave this state Jess pulls off the highway at Columbus Stands at the river as a warm rain starts to fall Her destination remains undecided Dooley never did get that call Forty years will pass before Jess returns to Macon From California back to the land of her birth In his Georgia drawl Jess hears Dooley talking As they lower his body into the blood-red earth © 2020 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
13.
Sing With th' Devil in Hell 05:37
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Sing With th' Devil in Hell (F.D. Leone, Jr.) Shotgun shells In my vest Tonight Richard McQuayle Will meet his death Blood feud Decades old My resolve is shrewd My blood is cold His belly out Thumbs in his bib Wanted us out Burnt the corn crib Pap was a poor man Him and Pa Farmed McQuayle land Who made their own law My sister, Maysee We'd run to the trees Eyes wide with stories Sacred mysteries How hard we worked The crop still failed Didn't pay the third We owed to McQuayle Might of been sincere Claimed he didn't know The loft was where Lil' Maysee would go A private nook Away from the boys With her book Away from the noise Burnt up Along with the corn McQuayle'll know what When you burn a barn The start of a tale Tonight it'll end Richard McQuayle Will meet my friend Pap's 12 gauge It's old but it works Buck shot sprayed Across his night shirt Tonight, I swear, Richard McQuayle Gonna send you there To sing with th' Devil in Hell Night air blazes Black powder smell Justice for Maysee, and Slick Dick McQuayle © 2023 Frank David Leone, Jr./Highway 80 Music (ASCAP). The songs and stories on the Highway 80 Stories website are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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released December 4, 2020

Guitar, vocal: David Leone

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Highway 80 Stories Whitleyville, Tennessee

Frank David Leone was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and has lived in the South his entire life with the exception of eight years in NYC.  Leone has also lived and worked at music in Dallas and Nashville.  He currently resides in rural Tennessee with his wife and three cats.
His songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Chris Knight, Rebecca Lynn Howard, and Joy Lynn White, among others. ... more

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