Since Matthew has lived so far from his family for the past six years, the Christmas season has been particularly hard on him. Every year it’s a choice between long, crowded flights or spending the holiday season alone.

Originally recorded live around Christmas 2004, Matthew has re-recorded a tune that captures his need to be with his family. Even if it takes a long, long time to get there.

Download audio file (Walk%20a%20Thousand%20Miles.mp3)

Lost on Block Island - 4.8MB MP3

Lyrics:

Red-eye flight come down to me,
I got somewhere else to be.
I’ll be leaving here at 3 AM
to see my family.

All my sweaters, they’ve been packed.
December cold won’t make me crack.
Once I get there I don’t know,
I don’t care how I’m coming back.

‘Cause I would walk a thousand miles.
I would walk a thousand miles
through the snow or rain or
winter storms to be back home
for Christmas.

I been gone to long to say,
but I’m coming anyway.
Any way I can to leave this town
and get back home today.

Let the snow fall through the air-
I got eight long hours to spare.
I’ll be waiting at the airport bar
for three, but I don’t care.

But this long flight don’t bother me,
Wise men and Shepherds came to see
a baby born this morning
miles away from their locality.
An angel singing clear,
“Halelujah!” Christ is coming here
with no plane, with no train,
just a will that’s still
determined to find me.
(You know He found me.)

So I would walk a thousand miles.
I would walk a thousand miles
through the snow or rain
or checkout lines or traffic jams…

For those following the Ex-closure posts, you may have noticed we’re still getting used to this system. So far, the only real damage that’s being done is we’re making some iTunes users have to download a couple of tunes manually from the website.

For those poor souls, we’ve found a solution courtesy of one of our VIP subscribers (Frosty, you are full of awesome).

If iTunes downloads the wrong file [because we put the wrong enclosure in the feed], you can force iTunes to re-download a podcast episode this way:

1. Delete the offending podcast episode (the wrong file that you downloaded).
2. In iTunes’ Podcast list, close the little triangle next to the podcast title (they call it a “turnbuckle”).
3. Mac users hold down the option key, Windows users hold down control and shift.
4. Re-open the triangle. You should now see the complete list of available downloads for the feed.
5. Click “get” next to the file you want to re-download.

Hopefully that will help make up for our lack of feed knowledge. We’re going to add this to the FAQ page since it’s obviously hit a few people. We’ll try to keep this from happening again!

Download audio file (They%20Got%20The%20Money%20Intro.mp3)

A little spoken introduction to Matthew’s latest song. Had to be moved to its own post since it was apparently confusing both Wordpress and Feedburner.

Occasionally Matthew plays for a crowd that’s not entirely human. One recent show was earlier this year in Jacksonville, FL at Megaplex 2008. The event organizers didn’t realize that the hotel had placed an anniversary party in the ballroom next door, so the two parties actually managed to spill into each other a little!

Download audio file (Ebel-Live-at-MP08.mp3)

Matthew Ebel Live at Megaplex 2008 - 85.4 MB MP3

(Also available as individual tracks.) - 85 MB ZIP

Sometimes WordPress and Feedburner seem to conspire against us. If you just tried to download “They Got The Money” via RSS or iTunes, you may have actually received nothing more than the spoken intro instead. Apparently the feed only runs with the first audio link in the blog post, even if we set a specific enclosure tag.

It should be fixed now. If not, PLEASE let us know in the comments!

If you can’t get it through iTunes because you already downloaded the wrong track with the right name, try downloading directly from the website. Once again, sorry for the inconvenience!

Download audio file (They%20Got%20The%20Money.mp3)

They Got The Money - 4.5MB MP3

Another new song inspired by recent economic events, this one features a spoken intro from Matthew himself:
EDIT: Audio file has been moved to its own post since it apparently was screwing up the feed. You can hear the intro here.

(Even if you’re not a Member, you can still hear the intro. Take a listen!)

Lyrics:

They got the money, we got the shaft.
They got the trust funds but we’re just second class.
They’re kissin’ babies while we’re still kissin’ ass.
As long as they got the money, we gotta make it last.

They got the money, we got the bills.
They’re poppin’ champagne corks while we’re poppin’ pills.
We’re headed towards black holes while they head for the hills.
As long as they got the money, we gotta have the will.

They got the money, we’re in the hole.
They got the numbers but we get crowd control.
They get around but we’re just goin’ round the bowl.
As long as they got the money, we better have the soul.

They got the money, we got the blues.
We’re on the night shift but they got time to snooze.
They get the payoff while we’re still payin’ dues.
As long as they got the money, they got a lot to lose.
As long as they got the money, they got a lot to lose.
As long as they got the money, they got a lot to lose.

That’s right, the first song available through this new service is now available for podcasters across the world. The song that launched this revolutionary new club can be found at the Podsafe Music Network for immediate release.

Normally Matthew asks that people link back to his website when they play one of his tunes, but for this song we’re asking podcasters and bloggers to link right back to Matthew Ebel dot net. After all, if any podcasters want to sign up for free as an affiliate, they can use their affiliate links to earn some cash in the process! If you’re not signed up yet, you can do so Right Here!

Some of you might wonder if we’re just giving away music that’s supposed to be exclusive. While we wish there was a way to keep every song just for the members, we still need to spread the word somehow and the best way is through the music itself! Just like any album, there has to be a few songs that are passed around as free samples… otherwise, nobody will know there’s anything there worth listening to!

If you just tried to download “It’s Raining Bankers” via RSS or iTunes, you may have actually received “Lost on Block Island” instead. That was our fault, sorry. We set the wrong enclosure info on that one.

It should be fixed now.

If you can’t get it through iTunes because you already downloaded the wrong track with the right name, try downloading directly from the website. That, at least, we got right!

A lighthearted tune inspired by recent economic events.

Matthew Ebel:
When I saw the Dow fall about 22 million points in one day, I had this image of bankers tossing themselves from their windows in New York. I imagined a song where a young man like me takes a stroll through the park, marveling at the beautiful leaves or raindrops that drift gracefully to the ground. Only instead of raindrops, it’s guys and girls with briefcases. I wonder what kind of umbrella you’d need for that kind of fallout…

Download audio file (Its%20Raining%20Bankers.mp3)

It’s Raining Bankers - 4.5MB MP3

Lyrics:

Seems it’s happening again
when the weather turns on Wall Street.
As the year draws to an end
you can hear them like a heartbeat
as they pound the pavement,
one by one,
from on high they’re heading down.
It’s raining bankers in my town.

You would think they grow on trees;
they’re everywhere, the air is thick,
and as each one takes their leave
from a tower made of steel and brick
it would seem a golden parachute
doesn’t help to slow you down.
So it’s raining bankers all around.

La da dee dee da da daaa…

It’s a hurricane of pinstripe suits
and leather attachés.
It’s raining bankers everyday.

Maybe I could catch a few
on a cushion of internal revenue.
Though I spent my money wisely,
still it’s fun to hear them whine,
“will someone bail us out this time? (Please?)”

So I stand and speculate-
Maybe I should just rephrase that…
How ’bout this, I contemplate (yeah, that’s better)
how we’re going through this phase that
everybody knows ain’t permanent.
But still the Dow is down,
so it’s raining bankers in my town.

This is the first studio track available at Matthew Ebel dot net!

Matthew Ebel:
I wrote this one over the summer of 2008 while living on Block Island, RI. All I could think of was getting back to the mainland to be with someone special, but I still had a blast on the island regardless. This song’s a tale of both the beauty and the bad of Block Island, of wanting to stay but wanting to hurry home.

Download audio file (Lost%20On%20Block%20Island.mp3)

Lost on Block Island - 5.2MB MP3

Lyrics:

It’s hard to get lost out on Block Island.
Nine miles of dry and that’s all you see.
But somewhere between Water Street
and the drunks I meet
I lost my feet and got
caught in a current pulling me out to the sea.

It’s hard to find peace out on Block Island
‘cept the peace you make, and that ain’t no lie.
Everywhere there’s tourists honking at me
and it makes me want to cry.
But still I try, try, try…

I try to get lost out on Block Island.

It’s hard to stay dry out on Block Island–
dry like a mudslide at The Oar.
Well if I can just numb the pain
with the rum and the rain
I might stay sane,
but I don’t think that I can drink much more.

Can I get lost out on Block Island?

And all that I can think of is being in your arms.
All that I can think of is being in your arms.
All that I can think of is your arms.

So can we get lost out on Block Island?