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Louisiana Stories, Vol. 1

by Highway 80 Stories

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1.
Shreveport, 1963 04:05
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Twenty-five cent a gallon gasoline ’53 Studebaker, three on the tree The Kokomo drive-in onion rings Shreveport, 1963 Strawberry icebox pie at Strawn’s My big brother Luke and me Southern Maid donuts at dawn Shreveport, 1963 The radio dial was set to KEEL or KOKA Windows down, crusin’ the streets “Louie, Louie” and “Surfin’ USA” Shreveport, 1963 The Cub drive-through liquor store A couple of Coke’s and a pint of Jim Beam Watchin’ the planes at the airport Shreveport, 1963 My brother Luke died in ‘Nam Time seemed to stop for me No matter where I am It’s Shreveport, 1963 The radio dial was set to KEEL or KOKA Windows down, crusin’ the streets “Louie, Louie” and “Surfin’ USA” Shreveport, 1963 © 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.
2.
Vivian, Louisiana 03:05
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Down on Pine St. folks will stop and say hello To Sarge and D.W. at the Texaco When Sarge lost Marie they all came by With their fried chicken and strawberry pie Big hearts in a small town Big hearts beating on and on Town seems bigger when they are around Smaller when they’re gone Vivian’s called the “Heart of the ArkLaTex” Just a little town without enough paychecks Louisiana Redbud Vivian celebrates Every March with a parade and pancakes Big hearts in a small town Big hearts beating on and on Town seems bigger when they are around Smaller when they’re gone Big hearts in a small town … © 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.
3.
Water Fountains 03:12
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It was 1960, I was twelve years old My brother and me went to the picture show My mother dropped us off gave us each a dollar To see John Wayne in “The Alamo” Outside The Strand were two water fountains side by side One was marked “Colored” the other one, “White” I didn’t know Bobby Ghio all that well He’d just moved to Shreveport that year He was Sicilian, from New Orleans And was different from the kids ‘round here He went to the wrong fountain, he didn’t want to wait in line My mouth was wide open, it kind of blew my mind It was exceptional Incredible To question what we thought was unquestionable Exceptional Like climbing a mountain Or just drinking from a water fountain Big Mama raised three generations of Broussards She seemed to me as old as Moses Taught me right from wrong, and a lot of other stuff She was black but I didn’t seem to notice It was an age old line that Bobby Ghio crossed But when he did it a light bulb went off It was exceptional … It was 1960, I was twelve years old My brother and me went to the picture show © 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.
D.W. Washington 03:07
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I wanna tell you about my friend Sarge We met each other in Vietnam His real name was Mike Broussard D.W. Washington is who I am Sarge was white and I am black But we were the best of friends Did our tours and we came back To a one pump station in Vivian We ran that shop him and me Just fought once in over forty years It had to do with his wife Marie Of the two sides I chose hers She needed me more than him Well Sarge didn't see it like that But I saved his life back in 'Nam That's the only reason he came back Figured I didn't owe him a thing Ah, but Marie needed my help She couldn't take anymore of that cancer pain Couldn't do what she wanted by herself So the truth is I saved his life Helped her to slip away Sarge blamed me for his wife Right up to my dying day I can still se him under the hood Chewing on a ten cent cigar I'd do it all the same, yes I would My best friend was still Sarge My best friend was still Sarge © 2021 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.
Mike Was a Soldier 03:39
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Mike was a soldier He’d just joined up Off to Vietnam To work on trucks Nineteen sixty-six Just turned eighteen, Doing his duty Like his brother done Just a teenager Nineteen sixty-five Mike and Marie Said their goodbyes Made some promises Like getting married That is, if Mike made it Back alive Not like his brother No, all too often Families just have the flag That draped the coffin And some memories Of him on a bus Thumbs up, and laughin’ Just laughin’ Mike was a soldier Barely breathin’ It was D.W. got him home To Vivian After forty years They ‘re still friends Down on Main At the filling station Mike was a soldier And a husband Was a good friend To dozens They called him Sarge And said he was A pretty good guy Yeah, Mike, he sure was one Mike was a soldier He’d just joined up Off to Vietnam To work on trucks © 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.
6.
Mike and D.W. 04:28
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D.W. Washington worked for Mike Broussard Mike was his sergeant back in the war They been best friends since 1965 But ain’t spoke a word since Marie died Mike owned a filling station and repair shop Mike worked on the cars, D.W. worked the pump D.’d go to Bossier Fridays and get a little drunk Monday mornin’ Mike’d roll by and pick him up Marie was the only love of Mike’s life D.W. was her friend, but she was Mike’s wife They weren’t romantic but she and D were close She’d tell things to him she’d never want Mike to know As the cancer took its toll Marie made up her mind She had D.W. swear to help her if it came time Marie hid from Mike what was in her heart But made sure that D.W. would do his part Mike never forgave him for his role at the end He didn’t blame Marie, no, he blamed his friend Mike wanted every minute there was with Marie D.W. robbed him just like that disease Thirty years went by without a single word Then D.W. got “old-timers”, was what Mike heard Mike set aside his pride, set aside the past Two old friends shared a bottle and a few laughs Marie was the only love of Mike’s life D.W. was her friend, but she was Mike’s wife They weren’t romantic but she and D were close She’d tell things to him she’d never want Mike to know D.W. Washington worked for Mike Broussard Mike was his sergeant back in the war © 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.
7.
Let Her Run 03:43
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Rosalie Broussard just turned sixteen She likes movie magazines Spends hours in her room alone But Rosalie’s barely hanging on She hasn’t told her parents yet Robert Abbott said it’s either him or it Under her pillow there’s a list of names She circled in red Jenny and James Tully Tate drove a log truck From Hosston to Bastrop Rosalie met Tully one Friday night For once everything felt just right Tully was from Alabama He and Rosalie left Louisiana Got in his truck and drove all night After leaving James with her daddy Mike Rosalie’s restless as it gets dark Listening to the wind outside and a dog bark She’s stir crazy in that little town Bellamy, Alabama’s all shut down Tully works at the WestRock paper plant Rosalie’ll wander off when she feels trapped Leaving eggs frying in the pan Tully just can’t understand Rosalie don’t know why she has to roam Tully always found her and brought her home Later she hates the harm she’s done One day Tully’s just gonna let her run © 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.
8.
James 03:52
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James was Wednesday’s child, full of woe His mama left when he was just three years old Rosalie was only sixteen when she had him Left him with her parents; he was raised by them James grew up wondering if he’d done something wrong That made his mama leave him at his grandpa’s home His father was a shadow, a name that wasn’t said But Mike and MaeAnn did their best When James played catch with Mike For a little while everything seemed alright A peaceful feeling settled in with the dimming light On those summer days when James played catch with Mike He overheard bits and pieces about his mama’s life She was living in Mobile, a truck driver’s wife At Christmas she might visit but wouldn’t stay too long Gave James some toy he’d long ago outgrown MaeAnn said he had twin sisters in Mobile James really hoped that they had a better deal But soon Rosalie would run off from them too It seemed that’s all his mama was cut out to do When James played catch with Mike For a little while everything seemed alright A peaceful feeling settled in with the dimming light On those summer days when James played catch with Mike © 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.
9.
Hosston to Bastrop 04:19
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I used to make my living driving a log truck Hauling timber for the pulp paper mill Take Highway 2, Hosston to Bastrop Double back and unload at Springhill The paper mill shut down, jobs all dried up That stink it made, naw we sure don’t miss Hear they gonna bring in a cross tie plant Now we can smell them creosote pits A case of beer on a Friday night Fill a washtub with boiled shrimp and ice We sure like get drunk and try to dance We may be way up north but it’s still Louisian’ Gets real hot ’round here in the summer August heat will melt the asphalt Didn’t even hurt Randy Boucher when he got run’d over His head was hard, the road was soft A case of beer on a Friday night Fill a washtub with boiled shrimp and ice We sure like get drunk and try to dance We may be way up north but it’s still Louisian’ Like to take my truck out One-Fifty-Seven Stop at the Shongaloo Dairy Cup Three-Seventy-One to Coushatta, then One to Powhatan Just drive around where my daddy grew up A case of beer on a Friday night Fill a washtub with boiled shrimp and ice We sure like get drunk and try to dance We may be way up north but it’s still Louisian’ Betty Broussard brought her fiddle and bow Someone gave a washboard to Greg Thibodaux We sure like get drunk and try to dance We may be way up north but it’s still Louisian’ © 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.
10.
I'm Still in Love With You 03:32
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I want to forgive you But I can’t I want to forget you But I ain’t I’m still in love with you I want to hate you But I don’t Move on and replace you But I won’t I’m still in love with you If you were still around We would talk it out And set it right as the sun came up But I’m here all alone Staring at a cold headstone And then I’ll climb back in my truck Someday I’ll forgive you But I ain’t ready yet I’ll never forget you Long as I draw breath I’m still in love with you © 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.
11.
Out on Cross Lake 03:28
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Out on Cross Lake rain is fallin’ down Out on Cross Lake rain is fallin’ down Today we laid D.W. in the ground Out on Cross Lake rain is fallin’ down Ol’ D.W. was a pretty good guy Ol’ D.W. was a pretty good guy No one can tell me why he had to die Ol’ D.W. was a pretty good guy Out on Cross Lake passin’ a bottle around Out on Cross Lake passin’ a bottle around Today we laid D.W. in the ground Out on Cross Lake passin’ a bottle around D.W. worked for Mike forty year D.W. worked for Mike forty year Mike’s lookin’ in the tub for another beer D.W. worked for Mike forty year Out on Cross Lake th’ sun is goin’ down Out on Cross Lake th’ sun is goin’ down Today we laid D.W. in the ground Out on Cross Lake th’ sun is goin’ down Now D.W. was a good ol’ boy Yeah D.W. was a good ol’ boy Even if he was born in Detroit D.W. was a good ol’ boy Out on Cross Lake rain is startin’ to pour Out on Cross Lake rain is startin’ to pour Might as well go in, they ain’ bitin’ no more Out on Cross Lake rain is startin’ to pour © 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.
12.
Barrow 03:42
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He grew up a poor boy in Texas A little smarter than the rest, and restless He looked around and didn’t see no justice The cards were stacked against a poor man Told himself he’d not be poor again She had honey golden hair and was so cute Got away with anything she’d do Loved the movies and said she’d be in one too The dreams of a poor girl ain’t free But nothin’ could dent her belief He stole cars and robbed grocery stores Then bigger crimes that could not be ignored Killed a lawman, when they sent him down he swore They’d never take him alive again He’d die before he went back to the pen When she met him she sure liked his flash For a time they ran wild and fast But even they knew it couldn’t last A Texas Ranger was on their trail Said he’d chase ‘em all the way to hell Blamed for crimes they didn’t even commit Magazines and newsreels reported it Didn’t matter if the facts didn’t fit That Ranger was closin’ in There was just one way it could end 1934 saw widespread trouble Folks started rooting for the fugitive couple The Law staked ’em out with a lot of muscle They never really had a chance Those bullets sure made ’em dance © 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.
13.
Elegy for Dred Scot Lee 05:05
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Bossier City nineteen-aught-three Joy Brown met Dred Scot Lee Forbidden love never seemed so right They saw each other despite the risk Only when they wouldn't be missed 'Cuz Dred was black and Joy was white It began when they shared a Coke The glacial ice was broke They crossed a line and could not go back When her lips touched where Dred's had been She felt a thrill, a first taste of sin Their lives were changed with that one act Joy was ashamed about who had raped her Never said it was Uncle Gaither She named the only negro boy she knew Silhouetted in the setting sun For two days Dred Scot Lee hung And into a darkness Joy withdrew Fannin Street, nineteen-aught-four Dooky turned Joy into a whore When her belly began to swell up Dooky said, "if you can't earn on your back, You have to pick up the slack Changin' chamber pots, pushin' a mop" Gaither's boy looked at Joy and laughed Then she drowned him in his bath Lit a candle and stared at the flame The water was cold, the boy was blue She boiled double junk in her spoon Thought of what Gaither done and who she named Before he died at age eighty-eight Gaither had to set the record straight Finally tell the truth about Joy Slowly in a shaky scrawl He wrote his story, told it all "It was me who raped that girl, not that nigra boy" Gaither despised the man he'd been Did what he could to make amends For the rape and his role in the mob Donated the money he had saved What he owed could not be paid He did his best to get right with God Bossier City twenty-twenty-three A marker was placed beneath a tree These words were carved into the slate: "Here Dred Scot Lee was hung For something he never done Lynching Number 328

about

The songs and stories on Louisiana Stories, Vol. 1 are about the Motts, Robison and McLemore families. However, some of these stories also take place in Georgia and Texas, so not all of the songs are collected here.

© 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.

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released December 3, 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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