Learning How to Stay by “Bubba and Darlene in The Holler”

[Intro — Martin guitar, then full band]

[Bubba — Spoken]
Darlene, you ready?

[Darlene — Spoken, female]
Ready. You gonna stand still long enough to sing?

[Bubba — Spoken]
Well, I’m learning!

[Verse 1 — Bubba]
Used to leave before the coffee,
Had my reasons, had my keys.
If a conversation got too close,
I’d find somewhere else to be.
Now I pull up to the table,
Let that screen door swing shut slow.
Turns out sitting down with somebody
Beats another place to go.

[Verse 2 — Darlene, female]
You can take a little ribbing,
You can hear another side.
You can say, “Well, I was wrong there,”
And somehow you still survive.
You ain’t got to win at supper,
You can pass the butter down.
Leave a little room for laughing—
It’s a good thing having you around.

[Chorus — Both]
I’m learning how to stay,
Put my running shoes away.
Keep a promise, pull a chair up,
Show up for another day.
Let the band kick up a little,
Let the front porch floorboards sway.
Got my feet beneath the table,
And I’m learning how to stay.

[Horn turnaround]

[Verse 3 — Bubba]
Other evening Heather told me
Something I’d forgotten twice.
I was halfway to explaining,
Then I thought I’d better try
Just to hear what she was saying,
So I let her finish first.

[Darlene — Sung, female]
Did the roof fall off the kitchen?

[Bubba — Sung]
No, ma’am. Could’ve been worse!

[Instrumental — Bubba harmonica solo, then Darlene saxophone solo]

[Bridge — Darlene, female]
Staying takes a little doing,
More than saying, “Here I am.”

[Bubba]
Sometimes it’s washing dishes,
Sometimes lending someone a hand.

[Darlene, female]
Sometimes making that appointment—

[Bubba]
Sometimes making that phone call—

[Both]
Taking one good step this morning,
We don’t have to know ’em all!

[Final Chorus — Both, energetic]
I’m learning how to stay,
Put my running shoes away.
Keep a promise, pull a chair up,
Show up for another day.
Let the horns blow through the window,
Let that Martin lead the way.
There’s a whole lot here worth loving,
And I’m learning how to stay.

[Tag — Call and response]
[Bubba]
Still got miles of road before me—

[Darlene, female]
Still got things to learn each day—

[Both]
But tonight we’ve got some music,
And I’m learning how to stay!

[Outro — Spoken]
[Darlene, female]
You can stay and help stack these chairs.

[Bubba]
I walked right into that one.

[Full-band ending]

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[Intro — Martin guitar, then full band] [Bubba — Spoken] Darlene, you ready? [Darlene — Spoken, female] Ready. You gonna stand still long enough to sing? [Bubba — Spoken] Well, I’m learning! [Verse 1 — Bubba] Used to leave before the coffee, Had my reasons, had my keys. If a conversation got too close, I’d find somewhere else to be. Now I pull up to the table, Let that screen door swing shut slow. Turns out sitting down with somebody Beats another place to go. [Verse 2 — Darlene, female] You can take a little ribbing, You can hear another side. You can say, “Well, I was wrong there,” And somehow you still survive. You ain’t got to win at supper, You can pass the butter down. Leave a little room for laughing— It’s a good thing having you around. [Chorus — Both] I’m learning how to stay, Put my running shoes away. Keep a promise, pull a chair up, Show up for another day. Let the band kick up a little, Let the front porch floorboards sway. Got my feet beneath the table, And I’m learning how to stay. [Horn turnaround] [Verse 3 — Bubba] Other evening Heather told me Something I’d forgotten twice. I was halfway to explaining, Then I thought I’d better try Just to hear what she was saying, So I let her finish first. [Darlene — Sung, female] Did the roof fall off the kitchen? [Bubba — Sung] No, ma’am. Could’ve been worse! [Chorus — Both] I’m learning how to stay, Put my running shoes away. Keep a promise, pull a chair up, Show up for another day. Let the band kick up a little, Let the front porch floorboards sway. Got my feet beneath the table, And I’m learning how to stay. [Instrumental — Bubba harmonica solo, then Darlene saxophone solo] [Bridge — Darlene, female] Staying takes a little doing, More than saying, “Here I am.” [Bubba] Sometimes it’s washing dishes, Sometimes lending someone a hand. [Darlene, female] Sometimes making that appointment— [Bubba] Sometimes making that phone call— [Both] Taking one good step this morning, We don’t have to know ’em all! [Final Chorus — Both, energetic] I’m learning how to stay, Put my running shoes away. Keep a promise, pull a chair up, Show up for another day. Let the horns blow through the window, Let that Martin lead the way. There’s a whole lot here worth loving, And I’m learning how to stay. [Tag — Call and response] [Bubba] Still got miles of road before me— [Darlene, female] Still got things to learn each day— [Both] But tonight we’ve got some music, And I’m learning how to stay! [Outro — Spoken] [Darlene, female] You can stay and help stack these chairs. [Bubba] I walked right into that one. [Full-band ending]

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