
Town Mountain: “Comeback Kid”
Clip: 4/10/2025 | 4m 53sVideo has Closed Captions
Town Mountain performs “Comeback Kid,” a song about the challenges of working in the music industry.
Town Mountain plays “Comeback Kid,” a song about mandolin player Phil Barker’s difficult journey to work full time as a musician. In the tune, he recounts how hard it was to play for no pay and hope for a brighter future.
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Shaped by Sound is a local public television program presented by PBS NC
Made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the N.C. Music Office within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Town Mountain: “Comeback Kid”
Clip: 4/10/2025 | 4m 53sVideo has Closed Captions
Town Mountain plays “Comeback Kid,” a song about mandolin player Phil Barker’s difficult journey to work full time as a musician. In the tune, he recounts how hard it was to play for no pay and hope for a brighter future.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[mid-tempo country-rock music] ♪ Feels so strange ♪ ♪ Kicking around the town of my youth ♪ ♪ I was never gonna stay, always hated in truth ♪ ♪ The faces in the street, how they hid behind ♪ ♪ Barroom smiles and the empty eyes ♪ ♪ Since then I ain't found much to hold onto ♪ ♪ Couple drink tickets in a smoke-filled room ♪ ♪ I'm doing the best with the circumstance ♪ ♪ And telling myself they'll be one more chance ♪ ♪ I could do things better ♪ ♪ I just can't get my [muted] together long enough ♪ ♪ To keep from running round like a ragged dog ♪ ♪ Yeah, they cast their doubts, I can still remember ♪ ♪ Shout them down, man, it's now or never more to make ♪ ♪ The same mistakes that I did back then ♪ ♪ Man, I'm playing the part of the comeback kid ♪ [mid-tempo country-rock music continues] ♪ Yeah, rearrange the words on the page ♪ ♪ One more time ♪ ♪ Carving out a reason to fit the rhyme ♪ ♪ Hoping they might show you the shape I'm in ♪ ♪ Man, I'm tired and torn but then again ♪ ♪ Here I am in the crowd of the backstage door ♪ ♪ Pushing my way for an open floor ♪ ♪ When a shadowed hand called me to the side ♪ ♪ Says he's got a little something that I should try ♪ ♪ To put my mind at ease ♪ ♪ Just a little stem is all you need ♪ ♪ To take the edge off, boy ♪ ♪ Now the walls around me, they're starting to breathe ♪ ♪ Oh, dig in my heels and ready my aim ♪ ♪ Bet my life on every last refrain, not sure if I ♪ ♪ Could ever survive another hit ♪ ♪ Man, I'm too far gone for a comeback kid ♪ [mid-tempo country-rock music continues] ♪ My chest, it pounds like a distant drum ♪ ♪ Give into the heat that fills your lungs ♪ ♪ And try to maintain ♪ ♪ Though you're feeling so unsteady, so unsure ♪ ♪ Reach down deep, can you feel the fire ♪ ♪ To sing another song for the uninspired part of us all ♪ ♪ That'll drag you down if you let it win ♪ ♪ Man, there's one more shot for a comeback kid ♪ ♪ Yes, one more shot for the comeback kid ♪ ♪ One more shot for the comeback kid ♪ ♪ One more shot for a comeback kid ♪ ♪ Yeah, one more shot for the comeback kid ♪ ♪ One more shot for a comeback kid ♪ [mid-tempo country-rock music continues] [mid-tempo country-rock music continues]
Video has Closed Captions
Town Mountain pours a bit of grit and a lot of heart into a rousing country rock performance. (30s)
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Town Mountain plays “Down Low,” a song about the paranoia of being under the influence. (4m 43s)
Town Mountain: “Lines in the Levee”
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Town Mountain performs “Lines in the Levee,” a rallying cry that change is on the horizon. (3m 41s)
Town Mountain: “Ruination Line”
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Town Mountain performs “Ruination Line,” a song about times when the world appears insurmountable. (4m 16s)
Town Mountain: “Struck It Rich”
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Town Mountain plays “Struck It Rich,” a song about the pursuit of wealth and ambition. (4m 6s)
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Shaped by Sound is a local public television program presented by PBS NC
Made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the N.C. Music Office within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.