Biography:
David Olney (born David Charles Olney in Providence, Rhode Island on 23 March 1948 ; died 18 January 2020) was an American folk singer-songwriter.
Olney moved to Nashville in 1973, attempted to sell his songs to record labels, and then formed the band "The X-Rays" who recorded two albums for Rounder Records, appeared on Austin City Limits, opened for Elvis Costello, and broke up in 1985.
Subsequently, Olney performed as a solo singer-songwriter, and released more than 20 albums over four decades, including 6 live recordings.
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Am Dm
Man, you shoulda seen me way back then
Am E7
I could tell a tale, I could make it spin
Dm
I could tell you black was white
Am
I could tell you day was night
E7
Not only that I could tell you why
Am
Back then I could really tell a lie
Am Dm
I'd hire a kid to say that he was lame
Am E7
Then I'd touch him and I'd make him walk again
Dm
Then I'd pull some magic trick
Am
I'd pretend to heal the sick
E7
I was takin' everything they had to give
Am
It wasn't all that bad a way to live
Am Dm
Well, I'm in this desert town and it's hot as hell
Am E7
But no one's buyin' what I've got to sell
Dm
I make my lame kid walk
Am
I make a dumb guy talk
E7
I'm preachin' up a storm both night and day
Am
Everyone just turns and walks away
Am Dm
I can see that I'm only wasting time
Am E7
So I head across the street to drink some wine
Dm
This old man comes up to me
Am
and says, “I've seen you on the street”
E7
You're pretty good if I do say so myself
Am
But the guy come through last month he was somethin' else
Am Dm
Instead of callin' down fire from above
Am E7
He just gets real quiet and talks about love
Dm
And I'll tell you somethin' funny
Am
He didn't want nobody's money
E7
I'm not exactly sure what this all means
Am
But it's the damnedest thing I swear I've ever seen
Am Dm
Well, since that time every town is the same
Am E7
I can't make a dime I don't know why I came
Dm
I decide I'll go and find him
Am
And find out who's behind him
E7
He's got everyone convinced that he's for real
Am
Well, I figure we can work some kind of deal
Am Dm
He offers me a job and I say fine
Am E7
He says I'll get paid off on down the line
Dm
Well, I guess I'll string along
Am
Don't see how too much can go wrong
E7
As long as he pays my way I guess I'll follow
Am
We're headin' for Jerusalem tomorrow
Man, you shoulda seen me way back then
Am E7
I could tell a tale, I could make it spin
Dm
I could tell you black was white
Am
I could tell you day was night
E7
Not only that I could tell you why
Am
Back then I could really tell a lie
Am Dm
I'd hire a kid to say that he was lame
Am E7
Then I'd touch him and I'd make him walk again
Dm
Then I'd pull some magic trick
Am
I'd pretend to heal the sick
E7
I was takin' everything they had to give
Am
It wasn't all that bad a way to live
Am Dm
Well, I'm in this desert town and it's hot as hell
Am E7
But no one's buyin' what I've got to sell
Dm
I make my lame kid walk
Am
I make a dumb guy talk
E7
I'm preachin' up a storm both night and day
Am
Everyone just turns and walks away
Am Dm
I can see that I'm only wasting time
Am E7
So I head across the street to drink some wine
Dm
This old man comes up to me
Am
and says, “I've seen you on the street”
E7
You're pretty good if I do say so myself
Am
But the guy come through last month he was somethin' else
Am Dm
Instead of callin' down fire from above
Am E7
He just gets real quiet and talks about love
Dm
And I'll tell you somethin' funny
Am
He didn't want nobody's money
E7
I'm not exactly sure what this all means
Am
But it's the damnedest thing I swear I've ever seen
Am Dm
Well, since that time every town is the same
Am E7
I can't make a dime I don't know why I came
Dm
I decide I'll go and find him
Am
And find out who's behind him
E7
He's got everyone convinced that he's for real
Am
Well, I figure we can work some kind of deal
Am Dm
He offers me a job and I say fine
Am E7
He says I'll get paid off on down the line
Dm
Well, I guess I'll string along
Am
Don't see how too much can go wrong
E7
As long as he pays my way I guess I'll follow
Am
We're headin' for Jerusalem tomorrow
David Paton
David Pedersen
David Peel
David Pereira
David Pettigrew