(mellow music) [Announcer] Recorded live at the University of North Alabama in Florence.

The Salt & Pepper Roots Music Celebration presents Americana artist Pierce Pettis.

♪ Time's are better there I'm told ♪ ♪ 'Cause I got them deep river blues ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Tourist's stop for gas ♪ ♪ All headed southbound for Orlando ♪ ♪ Wondering how we ever stand it here ♪ ♪ Stuck in this dry county, no Budweiser ♪ ♪ No Black Label ♪ [Announcer] This program is made possible in part by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Additional support provided by the Alabama Folklife Association.

This thing is like 20 miles long.

It's the second biggest hole in the ground east of the Mississippi after Niagara Falls, which is kinda a big deal, you know?

In fact, I think it's a national park now they've made it into.

But when we were kids it was just a canyon, you know?

And all we knew it was, it's where we'd go play hooky from high school, you know, 'cause they could never find us down there, you know?

So any rate, I was thinking about that and I wrote this little song with my friend Heidi Higginson.

(gentle music) ♪ Little River Canyon, swimming with the snakes ♪ ♪ Pretty green water so cold it makes you ache ♪ ♪ Even on the hottest Alabama days ♪ ♪ All the girls would lie on terry cloth and bake ♪ ♪ So deep into the landscape, we did not realize ♪ ♪ That we had been talking in accents all our lives ♪ ♪ Just a vague sense of the world passing us by ♪ ♪ Like those out of state tags rolling down I-59 ♪ ♪ This song, it's just an echo ♪ ♪ Hey, this song is just a ripple from a stone ♪ ♪ That was tossed into the water long ago ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ At the height of adolescence, totally insane ♪ ♪ With heads more full of hormones than brains ♪ ♪ Straightening out the curves and flying down those hills ♪ ♪ We were driving so fast its a wonder we weren't all killed ♪ ♪ Cars parked on the canyon rim any weekend night ♪ ♪ Why, you could hold your baby like a flotation device ♪ ♪ Bobbing to the surface, coming up for air ♪ ♪ In a tangle of tongues and teeth and hair ♪ ♪ This song is just an echo ♪ ♪ Hey, this song is just a ripple from a stone ♪ ♪ That was tossed into the water long ago ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh ooh ♪ ♪ Hoo hoo ♪ (gentle music continues) ♪ Ah ah ah ♪ ♪ Ah ah ah ♪ ♪ Some left for college, same could only dream ♪ ♪ I see 'em hanging around ♪ ♪ They're still wearing their high school rings ♪ ♪ I avoid their faces when I come to town ♪ ♪ 'Cause man I still don't know which one of us ♪ ♪ Has let the other down ♪ ♪ Little River Canyon is in a crazy quilt of trees ♪ ♪ And I'm looking at that smokey water ♪ ♪ Choked with fallen leaves ♪ ♪ Fallen like a million childish dreams ♪ ♪ All washed away like nothing in that frigid stream ♪ ♪ This song is just an echo ♪ ♪ And this song is just a ripple from a stone ♪ ♪ That was tossed into the water long ago ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh ooh hoo ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ ♪ Oh oh ♪ (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music brightens) (gentle music fades) (audience cheering and applauding) I actually live on top of the mountain in a little place called Mentone.

Claire and I wrote the song and it's really about Mentone but Claire lived near a town called Moon Town.

And Moon Town was just such a cooler name, you know, so we called it "Moon Town."

(bright music) ♪ Every day these hills all turn to indigo at twilight ♪ ♪ That's the time I like to sit outside ♪ ♪ Heaven is a place that everybody here believes in ♪ ♪ Why, we have every reason here in Moon Town ♪ ♪ Moon Town ♪ ♪ You don't have to wait for good times ♪ ♪ To come 'round ♪ ♪ When all the shooting stars ♪ ♪ Come falling down ♪ ♪ We'll just pick 'em up like ♪ ♪ Pennies from the ground ♪ ♪ Here in Moon Town ♪ ♪ Tourists stop for gas ♪ ♪ All headed southbound for Orlando ♪ ♪ Wondering how we ever stand it here ♪ ♪ Stuck in this dry county, no Budweiser ♪ ♪ No Black Label ♪ ♪ But we can dream you under the table ♪ ♪ Here in Moon Town ♪ ♪ Well I've been all the way to Birmingham ♪ ♪ And even to Atlanta ♪ ♪ And I've seen the way those lights shine at night ♪ ♪ Yeah, but the city never sleeps ♪ ♪ No, not like we do here ♪ ♪ Where peace falls like a blanket from the sky ♪ ♪ Over Moon Town ♪ (bright music continues) (bright music continues) ♪ Oh, Moon Town ♪ ♪ You don't have to wait for good times ♪ ♪ To come 'round ♪ ♪ Oh, when all the shooting stars ♪ ♪ Come falling down ♪ ♪ We'll just pick 'em up like pennies from the ground ♪ ♪ Here in Moon Town ♪ ♪ Here in Moon Town ooh ♪ (bright music fades) (audience cheering and applauding) Thank you.

(smooth upbeat music) ♪ Well let it rain, let it pour ♪ ♪ Let it rain, a whole lot more ♪ ♪ 'Cause I got them deep river blues ♪ ♪ Let the rain drive right on ♪ ♪ Let the wave sweep along ♪ ♪ 'Cause I got them deep river blues ♪ (smooth upbeat music continues) (smooth upbeat music continues) (smooth upbeat music continues) ♪ Well my old gal she's a good old pal ♪ ♪ And she walk like a waterfowl ♪ ♪ When I got them deep river blues ♪ ♪ There ain't nobody gonna cry for me ♪ ♪ Fish all go out on the spree ♪ ♪ When I got them deep river blues ♪ (upbeat harmonica music continues) (upbeat harmonica music continues) (upbeat harmonica music continues) ♪ Well gimme back my old boat ♪ ♪ I'm gonna sail if she'll float ♪ ♪ 'Cause I got them deep river blues ♪ ♪ I'm goin' back to Muscle Shoals ♪ ♪ Times are better there I'm told ♪ ♪ 'Cause I got them deep river blues ♪ (upbeat harmonica music continues) (upbeat harmonica music continues) (upbeat harmonica fades) (audience cheering and applauding) ♪ Here's how life seems to me ♪ ♪ Life is like therapy ♪ ♪ Real expensive with no guarantees ♪ ♪ And as I lay on the couch ♪ ♪ With my heart hanging out ♪ ♪ Well I was frozen in fear ♪ ♪ Like a rock in the ground ♪ ♪ Oh you moved me ♪ ♪ You give me courage I did not know I had ♪ ♪ Oh you moved me ♪ ♪ I can't go with you and stay where I am ♪ ♪ So you moved me ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah yeah you moved me ♪ (tender music) ♪ Here's how love was to me ♪ ♪ I could look and not see ♪ ♪ Going through the emotions ♪ ♪ Not knowing what they mean ♪ ♪ And it scared me so much ♪ ♪ That I just would not budge ♪ ♪ I might have stayed there forever ♪ ♪ If not for your touch ♪ ♪ And you moved me ♪ ♪ Out of myself and into the fire ♪ ♪ Oh you moved me ♪ ♪ Burning with love and hope and desire ♪ ♪ And you moved me ♪ ♪ Ah, yeah yeah you moved me ♪ ♪ You go whistling in the dark ♪ ♪ Making light of it, making light of it ♪ ♪ I will follow with my heart ♪ ♪ Laughing all the way ♪ ♪ Oh you moved we ♪ ♪ You got me dancing and you make me sing ♪ ♪ Oh you've moved we ♪ ♪ And I take delight in every little thing ♪ ♪ 'Cause you moved me ♪ ♪ You moved me ♪ ♪ See how ♪ ♪ See how you've moved me ♪ ♪ How you moved me ♪ ♪ See how you moved me ♪ ♪ How you moved me ♪ ♪ See how you moved me ♪ ♪ How you moved me yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ How you moved me yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ How you moved me ♪ ♪ How you moved me ♪ ♪ Yeah, oh you moved me ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ (upbeat music crescendos) (audience cheering and applauding) Thank you.

This next song is called "She Walked Away Just Like Jim Brown" and Jim Brown's one of my heroes.

I'll tell you, I love Jim Brown because when he quit football, he just quit football.

He didn't whine about it, he didn't give 50 interviews, he didn't go into other sports.

You know what I mean?

He was like, "I'm out here.

Bye."

And I love that.

This man, I dunno if you know this, but "Sports Illustrated" a few years ago they chose the greatest athletes in every field for the entire 20th century.

He was for football the greatest football player ever.

(mellow music) ♪ She walked away, just like Jim Brown ♪ ♪ When he laid that football down ♪ ♪ And walked away because he could ♪ ♪ All the way to Hollywood ♪ ♪ She walked away so sure and fast ♪ ♪ Into her future, into my past ♪ ♪ Just like I should have known she would ♪ ♪ It was just too true to be good ♪ ♪ She is history; let her go ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ ♪ She is history; let her go ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ ♪ An axle spins this world around ♪ ♪ Rolling over rocky ground ♪ ♪ No shock-absorbers on that wheel ♪ ♪ For us to ease the way it feels ♪ ♪ Well, she really caught me off my guard ♪ ♪ Sometimes those bumps can hit you hard ♪ ♪ No shock-absorbers on that wheel ♪ ♪ Well at least this way we know its real ♪ ♪ And she is history; let her go ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ ♪ She is history; let her go ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ (mellow music continues) (mellow music continues) (mellow music continues) ♪ Jim Brown was something, that's a fact ♪ ♪ The all-time greatest running back ♪ ♪ But Jim knew something fools don't know ♪ ♪ He knew when it was time to go ♪ ♪ And she is history; let her go ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ ♪ She is history; oh, let her go ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ ♪ We are all in this together ♪ ♪ We are all in this alone ♪ (mellow music continues) (mellow music fades) (audience cheering and applauding) Thank you.

(gentle music) ♪ Let me be an instrument of your peace ♪ ♪ Let me be a tool in your hand ♪ ♪ Crooked and warped though I might be ♪ ♪ Let me do some good here while I can ♪ ♪ Let me be a vessel for your grace ♪ ♪ Let me be the first one to forgive ♪ ♪ Though the world may curse me to my face ♪ ♪ Let me learn to bear it like you did ♪ ♪ Let me be a kindling of your light ♪ ♪ Fan the flame until it blazes through ♪ ♪ So if anyone should pay me any mind ♪ ♪ Let 'em catch a little glimpse of you ♪ ♪ Let me grow in love that knows no fear ♪ ♪ Till every tear is wiped away ♪ ♪ And when the night is drawing near ♪ ♪ I can look forward to the day ♪ (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) ♪ Make me faithful ♪ ♪ Make me grateful ♪ ♪ Make me useful in this life ♪ ♪ All my living without giving ♪ ♪ Give me one more chance to try ♪ ♪ Let me be an instrument of your peace ♪ ♪ Let me be just a tool in your hand ♪ ♪ Crooked and warped though I might be ♪ ♪ Let me do some good here while I can ♪ ♪ Let me do some good here while I can ♪ Thank you so much.

Thank you guys.

God bless.

Thank you for listening.

(audience cheering and applauding) [Announcer] This program is made possible in part by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Additional support provided by the Alabama Folklife Association.

(mellow music) -(mellow music continues) -(audience cheering) (mellow music continues)