HAUNTS & WANTS Lyrics
1. INVOCATION
In the witching hour, by the candle light
Hell-bent, I labored through the night
And as I dozed on the pages of that very spell
Her spirit yawned awake in its mortal shell
I didn’t know what time it was
When stirred by the storm in the window pane, I
Was astounded, did I see?
She was standing right in front of me!
Some say you can’t will to life what you crave the most
Even if it haunts your soul like some demon ghost
And looking back now, I guess they’re right
Still I remember how we met that night
She was an angel in the flesh
But I the modern Prometheus
With blind ambition and vanity
How could it all end happily?
All the townsfolk
And their hounds woke
To the downed oak’s smolder
Such a swell joke
When the spell broke
Or was it something that I told her?
I didn’t know what time it was
I saw the swarm ‘round the windmill vanes
Their torches blazing, spirit free
How could it all end happily?
Lalalala-la-ta-da
Lalalala-la-la-la-la-la-la
Lalalalala la-la-la la-la-la
2. NEXT BEST THING
Make your stand
Next to me
I’ll give you everything you need
We’ll make a love
Made to last,
Lash our bodies to the mast
Now it’s beyond me
What this love will bring
As we shimmy along
To the songs that the sirens sing
But what you saw
In that crystal ball
Was just the next best thing
I gave it up
I gave a lot
But I never gave more than I got
Got to get enough
When the gettin’s good
And hope you never got more than you should
‘Cause It’s beyond me
What this love will do
And I know that you told me so
It’s beyond you
While next to me
In our front row seats
To see the next best thing
Oh I’m lying
In waiting
New to love
But it’s not too late
With all this
Heartaching
Do you feel the same?
Oh I’m lying
In waiting
Still new to love
And it’s not too late
With all this
Heartaching
Do you feel the same?
3. WHAT AM I GONNA DO?
Raúl was drifting into space
When he turned off his little screen
Far off look upon his face
And one that I’ve so often seen
He said that’s how they say
That dreams go down
Get stripped away and come apart
But do they really matter
To me now?
Those cryptic matters of the heart
(Chorus) What am I gonna do
With my life?
What am I gonna do?
Janet wiped the tables down
Swept the dirty kitchen clean
And you could hardly hear a sound
Save for the hum of some machine
She comes across those crumbs called memories
Thinks how the days pass like the clouds
Says I can’t pretend those changes don’t change me
I’ll sing the quiet part out loud:
(Chorus) What am I gonna do
With my life?
What am I gonna do?
Graham grinds those days with grit and gratitude
The humdrum mind-numb of routine
But seldom speaks in more than platitudes
And returns scrolling on his screen
(Chorus)
4. ALL THE TIME
(Chorus)
All the time
All the time
I need your love
All the time
All the time
I need you love, baby
All the time
When I play the joker
And when I play the fool…
I was never good at poker
I was never good at pool
But love is on the docket
Of games of skill and chance
And you’re calling every pocket
And I’m all in on romance
(Chorus)
Tonight I want to hold you
That’s all I really want to do
How many times have I told you
All I really want is you?
Darling, there ain’t nothing
Can match your healing touch
To my blues, it is a bludgeon
And I use it oh so much
(Chorus)
(Bridge) I need it when I’m empty
I need it night and day
I need it good and plenty
I need it right away
All the time, time, time!
5. WE’VE NEVER MET BEFORE
(instrumental)
6. JETSAM
I was born in the water
Washed ashore a barren coast
And I sailed the Marauder
But I came back home a ghost
Now my shipwrecked bones reside
Where no bars of light can go
The vessel rusts in tide
And her mem’ry rusts in tow
And now every waking hour
Of every endless day
I sink further without power
In the depths that wash away
Through the gales she bade me cast
Out the weight of shame and guilt
But those glimpses of the past
Have settled in the silt
At the bottom of the ocean
On a dark and quiet floor
Ever anchored to the notion
I just can’t wash ashore
7. BLOWN AWAY
I wish that you could see
Just how it’s going to go
And how it’s going to be
I’m sure with time
We’ll surely know
The seasons have their say
But wasting all the while
And wasted all the way
Oh stay with me
A little while
(Pre Chorus) The wind blows
Behind my windows
When I just can’t seem
To find the words to say
They must have
Blown away
(Chorus) Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blow Away
They’re gone
And all that used to be
Or never really was
Oh stay here with me
A little while
Well just because
Their remnants come to me
Like ghosts in the reveal
They haunt the in-betweens
Of what is false
And what is real
(Pre Chorus) The wind blows
Behind my windows
When I just can’t seem
To up and walk away
It’s left me
Blown away
(Chorus) Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blow Away
I’m gone
(Pre Chorus) The wind blows
Behind my windows
When I just can’t seem
To fight the urge to stay
Before I’m
Blown away
(Chorus) Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blow Away
I’m gone
8. LONG LOST LOVE
Whiskey’s on the table
Won’t you come on in?
I’ve picked upon the label
But I’d say you were a friend
Ah, but time
Well who knows where it’s going
Or where it’s been?
Yes, and I’m
Just figuring that I’m owing
This one to my
(Chorus) Long lost love
And will I ever find you again?
Long lost love,
And if I were inclined to
Would you let me in?
Would you like me to refill it
And do away with doubt?
And I’m sorry if I spill it
Can’t seem to neatly pour it out
We’re apart
Well, could there be a re-connection
With new insight?
Oh the heart
So complicated with affection
Pain and spite for this
(Chorus) Long lost love
And will I ever find you again?
Long lost love,
And if I had a mind to
Would you let me in?
(Bridge) I dreamt last night
That I lay cold and shaking
And aching
From a fast
The years slipped by
And I was old and quaking
For upon waking,
At long last
Was my
(Chorus) Long lost love
And would you really find me again
Long lost love,
And thou I sometimes pine thee
Would I really let you in?
9. I WILL NEVER FORGET
I will never forget
All the things we have done
All the places we’ve been
All the battles we’ve won
Saw you coming my way
Your radar seemed to work too
And I’m glad it was early
And I’m glad it was you
Who stood beside me in Eden
And when the apples came down
We weathered the seasons
Kept our feet on the ground
And saw the shimmering diamonds
Among the shivering coal
Watched them light up the night sky
Felt them piercing the soul
And Moby Dick is still swimming
The blind captain in tow
And he watches for angels
As he plunges below
And when I forget to remember
Or can’t hyperbolize
When there’s only the embers
Left to smoke up my eyes
There’s still a flame in the distance
And it burns through the night
And it fuels its insistence
From the wrongs that we right
Oh all the things we have done
I could never forget
All the places we’ve been
And those we haven’t been yet
And I wrote you this song
Capoed on the twelfth fret
Oh all the things we have done
I could never forget
(repeat first verse)
10. EMPATHY
So many times I feel an anger
Swelling up inside of me
But now I’m focused on the danger
That it blinds a part of me
So I’m not here to bless you out
To try and change your core beliefs
So let’s put our fingers down
And let’s show a little empathy
We’ve got our tribes, we show our branding
Sometimes for all the world to see
But with truth and understanding
Lies a greater loyalty
And I don’t have it figured out
And I don’t aim to be the priest
Who thinks he’s holier than thou
Oh no, I’m just preaching empathy
(Bridge)
‘Cause you’ll be wrong and so will I
But we can help each other see
When we can find each other’s eye
Reveals sincere humility
So let’s put our fingers down
Before we light another tweet
Have we really thought it out?
And could it spread a little empathy?
So let’s put our fingers down
Before we smoke that bitter meme
Feeling righteous and proud
Well there’s a higher pride in showing empathy
Hope hasn’t died when there’s still empathy
I’m still on your side, the side of empathy
Least we can say we tried to show some empathy
When I get cruel and snide, I hope I will remember…(a little empathy)
Help me to remember…(a little empathy)
Please help me to remember…(a little empathy)
11. ONE STEP
(Repeated Chorus)
Taking it one step now!
Taking it one step now!
Taking it one step now!
You know I can see the answer
It’s taking it one step at a time
Learning from what the wounds are revealing
Holding out hope for their healing
Keeping an eye on forgiveness,
Tolerance, kindness, tenderness
Scaling the plates of perfection
Breaking it down into manageable sections
Laughing at all of the weirdness
Keeping track of the child in the wilderness
Releasing when it’s time to let go
Learning when to say yes and when to say no
In the witching hour, by the candle light
Hell-bent, I labored through the night
And as I dozed on the pages of that very spell
Her spirit yawned awake in its mortal shell
I didn’t know what time it was
When stirred by the storm in the window pane, I
Was astounded, did I see?
She was standing right in front of me!
Some say you can’t will to life what you crave the most
Even if it haunts your soul like some demon ghost
And looking back now, I guess they’re right
Still I remember how we met that night
She was an angel in the flesh
But I the modern Prometheus
With blind ambition and vanity
How could it all end happily?
All the townsfolk
And their hounds woke
To the downed oak’s smolder
Such a swell joke
When the spell broke
Or was it something that I told her?
I didn’t know what time it was
I saw the swarm ‘round the windmill vanes
Their torches blazing, spirit free
How could it all end happily?
Lalalala-la-ta-da
Lalalala-la-la-la-la-la-la
Lalalalala la-la-la la-la-la
2. NEXT BEST THING
Make your stand
Next to me
I’ll give you everything you need
We’ll make a love
Made to last,
Lash our bodies to the mast
Now it’s beyond me
What this love will bring
As we shimmy along
To the songs that the sirens sing
But what you saw
In that crystal ball
Was just the next best thing
I gave it up
I gave a lot
But I never gave more than I got
Got to get enough
When the gettin’s good
And hope you never got more than you should
‘Cause It’s beyond me
What this love will do
And I know that you told me so
It’s beyond you
While next to me
In our front row seats
To see the next best thing
Oh I’m lying
In waiting
New to love
But it’s not too late
With all this
Heartaching
Do you feel the same?
Oh I’m lying
In waiting
Still new to love
And it’s not too late
With all this
Heartaching
Do you feel the same?
3. WHAT AM I GONNA DO?
Raúl was drifting into space
When he turned off his little screen
Far off look upon his face
And one that I’ve so often seen
He said that’s how they say
That dreams go down
Get stripped away and come apart
But do they really matter
To me now?
Those cryptic matters of the heart
(Chorus) What am I gonna do
With my life?
What am I gonna do?
Janet wiped the tables down
Swept the dirty kitchen clean
And you could hardly hear a sound
Save for the hum of some machine
She comes across those crumbs called memories
Thinks how the days pass like the clouds
Says I can’t pretend those changes don’t change me
I’ll sing the quiet part out loud:
(Chorus) What am I gonna do
With my life?
What am I gonna do?
Graham grinds those days with grit and gratitude
The humdrum mind-numb of routine
But seldom speaks in more than platitudes
And returns scrolling on his screen
(Chorus)
4. ALL THE TIME
(Chorus)
All the time
All the time
I need your love
All the time
All the time
I need you love, baby
All the time
When I play the joker
And when I play the fool…
I was never good at poker
I was never good at pool
But love is on the docket
Of games of skill and chance
And you’re calling every pocket
And I’m all in on romance
(Chorus)
Tonight I want to hold you
That’s all I really want to do
How many times have I told you
All I really want is you?
Darling, there ain’t nothing
Can match your healing touch
To my blues, it is a bludgeon
And I use it oh so much
(Chorus)
(Bridge) I need it when I’m empty
I need it night and day
I need it good and plenty
I need it right away
All the time, time, time!
5. WE’VE NEVER MET BEFORE
(instrumental)
6. JETSAM
I was born in the water
Washed ashore a barren coast
And I sailed the Marauder
But I came back home a ghost
Now my shipwrecked bones reside
Where no bars of light can go
The vessel rusts in tide
And her mem’ry rusts in tow
And now every waking hour
Of every endless day
I sink further without power
In the depths that wash away
Through the gales she bade me cast
Out the weight of shame and guilt
But those glimpses of the past
Have settled in the silt
At the bottom of the ocean
On a dark and quiet floor
Ever anchored to the notion
I just can’t wash ashore
7. BLOWN AWAY
I wish that you could see
Just how it’s going to go
And how it’s going to be
I’m sure with time
We’ll surely know
The seasons have their say
But wasting all the while
And wasted all the way
Oh stay with me
A little while
(Pre Chorus) The wind blows
Behind my windows
When I just can’t seem
To find the words to say
They must have
Blown away
(Chorus) Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blow Away
They’re gone
And all that used to be
Or never really was
Oh stay here with me
A little while
Well just because
Their remnants come to me
Like ghosts in the reveal
They haunt the in-betweens
Of what is false
And what is real
(Pre Chorus) The wind blows
Behind my windows
When I just can’t seem
To up and walk away
It’s left me
Blown away
(Chorus) Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blow Away
I’m gone
(Pre Chorus) The wind blows
Behind my windows
When I just can’t seem
To fight the urge to stay
Before I’m
Blown away
(Chorus) Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blown Away
Blow Away
I’m gone
8. LONG LOST LOVE
Whiskey’s on the table
Won’t you come on in?
I’ve picked upon the label
But I’d say you were a friend
Ah, but time
Well who knows where it’s going
Or where it’s been?
Yes, and I’m
Just figuring that I’m owing
This one to my
(Chorus) Long lost love
And will I ever find you again?
Long lost love,
And if I were inclined to
Would you let me in?
Would you like me to refill it
And do away with doubt?
And I’m sorry if I spill it
Can’t seem to neatly pour it out
We’re apart
Well, could there be a re-connection
With new insight?
Oh the heart
So complicated with affection
Pain and spite for this
(Chorus) Long lost love
And will I ever find you again?
Long lost love,
And if I had a mind to
Would you let me in?
(Bridge) I dreamt last night
That I lay cold and shaking
And aching
From a fast
The years slipped by
And I was old and quaking
For upon waking,
At long last
Was my
(Chorus) Long lost love
And would you really find me again
Long lost love,
And thou I sometimes pine thee
Would I really let you in?
9. I WILL NEVER FORGET
I will never forget
All the things we have done
All the places we’ve been
All the battles we’ve won
Saw you coming my way
Your radar seemed to work too
And I’m glad it was early
And I’m glad it was you
Who stood beside me in Eden
And when the apples came down
We weathered the seasons
Kept our feet on the ground
And saw the shimmering diamonds
Among the shivering coal
Watched them light up the night sky
Felt them piercing the soul
And Moby Dick is still swimming
The blind captain in tow
And he watches for angels
As he plunges below
And when I forget to remember
Or can’t hyperbolize
When there’s only the embers
Left to smoke up my eyes
There’s still a flame in the distance
And it burns through the night
And it fuels its insistence
From the wrongs that we right
Oh all the things we have done
I could never forget
All the places we’ve been
And those we haven’t been yet
And I wrote you this song
Capoed on the twelfth fret
Oh all the things we have done
I could never forget
(repeat first verse)
10. EMPATHY
So many times I feel an anger
Swelling up inside of me
But now I’m focused on the danger
That it blinds a part of me
So I’m not here to bless you out
To try and change your core beliefs
So let’s put our fingers down
And let’s show a little empathy
We’ve got our tribes, we show our branding
Sometimes for all the world to see
But with truth and understanding
Lies a greater loyalty
And I don’t have it figured out
And I don’t aim to be the priest
Who thinks he’s holier than thou
Oh no, I’m just preaching empathy
(Bridge)
‘Cause you’ll be wrong and so will I
But we can help each other see
When we can find each other’s eye
Reveals sincere humility
So let’s put our fingers down
Before we light another tweet
Have we really thought it out?
And could it spread a little empathy?
So let’s put our fingers down
Before we smoke that bitter meme
Feeling righteous and proud
Well there’s a higher pride in showing empathy
Hope hasn’t died when there’s still empathy
I’m still on your side, the side of empathy
Least we can say we tried to show some empathy
When I get cruel and snide, I hope I will remember…(a little empathy)
Help me to remember…(a little empathy)
Please help me to remember…(a little empathy)
11. ONE STEP
(Repeated Chorus)
Taking it one step now!
Taking it one step now!
Taking it one step now!
You know I can see the answer
It’s taking it one step at a time
Learning from what the wounds are revealing
Holding out hope for their healing
Keeping an eye on forgiveness,
Tolerance, kindness, tenderness
Scaling the plates of perfection
Breaking it down into manageable sections
Laughing at all of the weirdness
Keeping track of the child in the wilderness
Releasing when it’s time to let go
Learning when to say yes and when to say no
CONGERIES Lyrics
1. LIGHTNING BOLTS AND HURRICANES
Little Darling,
Who is it wears the ball and chain?
Take these shackles from my neck
That I might breathe again
A storm is raging,
The ceiling drips with rain
But summer breaks through
With lightning bolts and hurricanes
Now, on the pastures,
The prairies, and the plains
Sunlight bathes the lowing cows
And dries the window panes
"It's one or the other,"
Old man leans upon his sugar cane
He says, "Pour us another round
Of lightning bolts and hurricanes"
The green buds swellin'
In the merry month of May
Rough winds shake my darling, true
But life teems from decay
These violent delights
Must end with violent pangs
For summer breaks too
With lightning bolts and hurricanes
2. THE MOUNTAIN
I'm going up on the mountain
Don't know when I'll be back
All my old friends and lovers
They welcome me back
They welcome me back
And some say the New River
Is as old as the Nile
Like that name they give her,
I hope to stay young awhile
Through the last brackish mile
Going up on the mountain
O'er the valleys and hills
Reaching out for new beauty
In the palms of old thrills
As it drains from the hills
Going up on the mountain
No, I ain't coming back
Leaving old cares behind me
Like a ramshackle shack
On a hill gray and black
3. FEATHERTOP
And with these words
I breathe the spark of being
Upon my latest design
Dressed so neat
a pipe, a hat and feather,
And a coat so fine
And a coat so fine
Wooden arms start to animate
His pipe begins to glow a flame
He feels hunger he can’t satiate
He likes the fact he’s got a name
The papers show our newborn star
“Hay Man Sweeps the Countryside”
He stumps in cornfields near and far
With promises to change their lives
One day a wind comes and blows right through him
(His cares had long blown away)
And left him feeling
hollow, torn, and jumbled
So he had nothing left to say
Ah yes, he threw it all away
Blind seers exposing the lies
They hate to say they told you so
“Couldn’t we see through the disguise?”
“He’s nothing but a scare-crow!”
In dried-up cornfields near and far
Now the crows do as they please
The papers show our fallen star,
Riots burning effigies
An instant heap of sticks and straw
Has left a sense of innocence
Perhaps more human than us all--
This paragon of emptiness
The papers show our risen star
Lit up on holy funeral pyre
An elegy called “Straw Martyr”
Is carved into his sepulchre
And with these words
I breathe the spark of being
Upon my latest design
Dressed so neat:
a pipe, a hat and feather,
And a coat so fine
And a coat so fine
4. ALONG THE TRAIL
You took my hand
And away we went
Along the trail
As the twilight hit
In the wooded hills
Where chaos sleeps
And our souls are kept
Where the love runs deep
And your mildness is
March’s dawning hold
On a barbwire fence
That is now turned old
But it looks alright
By the living stream
Where the trees grow high
Toward stars that gleam
And all the Springs we’ll see
On our ancient hill
While your eyes they shine
As they always will
And you plant yourself
Right next to me
And the sun goes down
Here we’ll always be
You took my hand
And away we went
Along the trail
As the twilight hit
In the wooded hills
Where chaos sleeps
And our souls are kept
Where the love runs deep
5. ON THAT HILL
Swathes of leaves on that well-worn path
In their earthen gully graves
The woods grow dim, the beasts come out
From their hidden mountain caves
His old plank shack in shadows black
In sweat and pride was built
Veiled in vines, the once straight lines
Did sag and drag and tilt
Chorus:
The grass grows high
And in the wind it sways
And the sun beats down on that hill
On that hill they call his grave:
There’s a creek runs down, springs from the ground
Not too far, where he would drink
In the summer heat he’d soak his feet
And rest awhile and think
And he held the girl he called his wife
They tilled and grew their crop
And when the harvest finally came
She was about to pop
Chorus
There he died at a ripe old age
His son grown, his wife gone
Next to her he was buried
On that hill they both called home
His shack--no room-- an empty tomb
And the trail would disappear
But the spring would flow, and it would know
At last that he was here
Chorus
6. MAD PRANKS AND MERRY JESTS
Mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
I should have seen them coming
They were just like all the rest
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests
Mistress toying with my heart
Mistress toying with my heart
The cat that maims the rabbit
Cruelly waits to rip apart
Mistress toying with my heart
Mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
Your shoe’s untied, the sugar’s salt
There’s something on your vest
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
But the merriest of all
Was when you said you loved me best
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests
7. WHISPERS
Whispers
The wind on the plains
Restless
The eternal remains
They all will rise up at the omen
Snow-covered kings, yearly frozen
Sprung from the hills like new children
From the stone-laden tombs long forgotten
Clad in a cold fallen cotton,
They’ll emerge to the fields that they fought in
8. THE WITCH'S FAMILIAR
9. THE HARBINGER
When will they show
The moonlight's glow?
When will they say
The world's ok?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
How I wonder?
How?
When will they fall
The curtain tall?
When will we soar
The heavens' floor?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
Twinkle, twinkle...
10. DANCE AGAIN
Let's dance
Sometimes, you gotta celebrate
Let's dance
Like you made it to the Pearly Gates
Let's dance
Tomorrow's gonna have to wait
Darling, I've been waiting
For this chance
when we could dance again
One glance
Like a tractor beam, she pulled me in
One glance
And I knew I'd have to glance again
One glance
I knew we'd have this dance again
Darling, I've been waiting
For this chance
When we could dance again
11. THE SHRINE
Through the woods up ahead
The trail forks off
At the top of the hill
A tree sticks out
Marking the split
And that’s where we put
The cool stuff we find
You see we go on walks
And sometimes find something neat
And our trek becomes
A pilgrimage
We pledge our gifts
All about the tree
At the branches,
Roots, and trodden leaves
And each new ring
Brings sundry new things
To adorn the wood
Relics, knicks, knacks,
Assorted artifacts
Like Dali meets O’Keefe
Tacked to the bark
Is an old rusty blade
On the handle hangs
A watch that still ticks
A nail up above
Holds half a cow's skull
And it’s missing some teeth
Feathers from crows,
Hawks and bluejays
Are placed with care
An old whiskey bottle
Props a tiny doll’s head
Keeping watch in the night
And the few who pass through
No matter which path they choose
Must face up to the shrine
Yes, and I only hope
That grazing deer at night
Don’t turn their gaze
From the eerie sight
And it brings them peace
Little Darling,
Who is it wears the ball and chain?
Take these shackles from my neck
That I might breathe again
A storm is raging,
The ceiling drips with rain
But summer breaks through
With lightning bolts and hurricanes
Now, on the pastures,
The prairies, and the plains
Sunlight bathes the lowing cows
And dries the window panes
"It's one or the other,"
Old man leans upon his sugar cane
He says, "Pour us another round
Of lightning bolts and hurricanes"
The green buds swellin'
In the merry month of May
Rough winds shake my darling, true
But life teems from decay
These violent delights
Must end with violent pangs
For summer breaks too
With lightning bolts and hurricanes
2. THE MOUNTAIN
I'm going up on the mountain
Don't know when I'll be back
All my old friends and lovers
They welcome me back
They welcome me back
And some say the New River
Is as old as the Nile
Like that name they give her,
I hope to stay young awhile
Through the last brackish mile
Going up on the mountain
O'er the valleys and hills
Reaching out for new beauty
In the palms of old thrills
As it drains from the hills
Going up on the mountain
No, I ain't coming back
Leaving old cares behind me
Like a ramshackle shack
On a hill gray and black
3. FEATHERTOP
And with these words
I breathe the spark of being
Upon my latest design
Dressed so neat
a pipe, a hat and feather,
And a coat so fine
And a coat so fine
Wooden arms start to animate
His pipe begins to glow a flame
He feels hunger he can’t satiate
He likes the fact he’s got a name
The papers show our newborn star
“Hay Man Sweeps the Countryside”
He stumps in cornfields near and far
With promises to change their lives
One day a wind comes and blows right through him
(His cares had long blown away)
And left him feeling
hollow, torn, and jumbled
So he had nothing left to say
Ah yes, he threw it all away
Blind seers exposing the lies
They hate to say they told you so
“Couldn’t we see through the disguise?”
“He’s nothing but a scare-crow!”
In dried-up cornfields near and far
Now the crows do as they please
The papers show our fallen star,
Riots burning effigies
An instant heap of sticks and straw
Has left a sense of innocence
Perhaps more human than us all--
This paragon of emptiness
The papers show our risen star
Lit up on holy funeral pyre
An elegy called “Straw Martyr”
Is carved into his sepulchre
And with these words
I breathe the spark of being
Upon my latest design
Dressed so neat:
a pipe, a hat and feather,
And a coat so fine
And a coat so fine
4. ALONG THE TRAIL
You took my hand
And away we went
Along the trail
As the twilight hit
In the wooded hills
Where chaos sleeps
And our souls are kept
Where the love runs deep
And your mildness is
March’s dawning hold
On a barbwire fence
That is now turned old
But it looks alright
By the living stream
Where the trees grow high
Toward stars that gleam
And all the Springs we’ll see
On our ancient hill
While your eyes they shine
As they always will
And you plant yourself
Right next to me
And the sun goes down
Here we’ll always be
You took my hand
And away we went
Along the trail
As the twilight hit
In the wooded hills
Where chaos sleeps
And our souls are kept
Where the love runs deep
5. ON THAT HILL
Swathes of leaves on that well-worn path
In their earthen gully graves
The woods grow dim, the beasts come out
From their hidden mountain caves
His old plank shack in shadows black
In sweat and pride was built
Veiled in vines, the once straight lines
Did sag and drag and tilt
Chorus:
The grass grows high
And in the wind it sways
And the sun beats down on that hill
On that hill they call his grave:
There’s a creek runs down, springs from the ground
Not too far, where he would drink
In the summer heat he’d soak his feet
And rest awhile and think
And he held the girl he called his wife
They tilled and grew their crop
And when the harvest finally came
She was about to pop
Chorus
There he died at a ripe old age
His son grown, his wife gone
Next to her he was buried
On that hill they both called home
His shack--no room-- an empty tomb
And the trail would disappear
But the spring would flow, and it would know
At last that he was here
Chorus
6. MAD PRANKS AND MERRY JESTS
Mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
I should have seen them coming
They were just like all the rest
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests
Mistress toying with my heart
Mistress toying with my heart
The cat that maims the rabbit
Cruelly waits to rip apart
Mistress toying with my heart
Mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
Your shoe’s untied, the sugar’s salt
There’s something on your vest
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
Mad pranks and merry jests
But the merriest of all
Was when you said you loved me best
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests
7. WHISPERS
Whispers
The wind on the plains
Restless
The eternal remains
They all will rise up at the omen
Snow-covered kings, yearly frozen
Sprung from the hills like new children
From the stone-laden tombs long forgotten
Clad in a cold fallen cotton,
They’ll emerge to the fields that they fought in
8. THE WITCH'S FAMILIAR
9. THE HARBINGER
When will they show
The moonlight's glow?
When will they say
The world's ok?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
How I wonder?
How?
When will they fall
The curtain tall?
When will we soar
The heavens' floor?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
Twinkle, twinkle
How I wonder?
Twinkle, twinkle...
10. DANCE AGAIN
Let's dance
Sometimes, you gotta celebrate
Let's dance
Like you made it to the Pearly Gates
Let's dance
Tomorrow's gonna have to wait
Darling, I've been waiting
For this chance
when we could dance again
One glance
Like a tractor beam, she pulled me in
One glance
And I knew I'd have to glance again
One glance
I knew we'd have this dance again
Darling, I've been waiting
For this chance
When we could dance again
11. THE SHRINE
Through the woods up ahead
The trail forks off
At the top of the hill
A tree sticks out
Marking the split
And that’s where we put
The cool stuff we find
You see we go on walks
And sometimes find something neat
And our trek becomes
A pilgrimage
We pledge our gifts
All about the tree
At the branches,
Roots, and trodden leaves
And each new ring
Brings sundry new things
To adorn the wood
Relics, knicks, knacks,
Assorted artifacts
Like Dali meets O’Keefe
Tacked to the bark
Is an old rusty blade
On the handle hangs
A watch that still ticks
A nail up above
Holds half a cow's skull
And it’s missing some teeth
Feathers from crows,
Hawks and bluejays
Are placed with care
An old whiskey bottle
Props a tiny doll’s head
Keeping watch in the night
And the few who pass through
No matter which path they choose
Must face up to the shrine
Yes, and I only hope
That grazing deer at night
Don’t turn their gaze
From the eerie sight
And it brings them peace
ROAM Lyrics
1. ROAM
From the driveway
Her gaze afar
To the highway
Beneath the Morning Star
She folds the paper
And turns the key
And baby you were made to roam
A weary traveller
A fume-lit dream
The lonely highway
The open sea
To gain your freedom
You take some liberties
But baby you were made to roam
The wallet empties
As the spirit climbs
New towns and people
But only fives and dimes
She’s going to make to make it
She’s found her home
For baby you were made to roam
2. THE REASON
And oh that we could be free
To find the way to
Peace and Harmony
To find the reason
...
So I wondered ‘til I found that far somewhere
Watched an apple rolling down the village square
Past the laundries on the streets of stone and clay
I drank coffee in a dusty street cafe
And when I heard the shipyard’s horns in seaside caves
I brushed the honey orange to the berry waves
And when the shadow o’er the easel finally set
I started over and I haven’t finished yet
And oh that we could be free
To find the way to
Peace and harmony
To find the reason
3. SEE IT COMING
A little story about the way things used to be
How I was dreaming on a four-leaf clover
And when I plucked it from among the hungry thieves
I didn’t even think it over
How all at once I felt a storm form around my heart
I felt the thunder from the bass drum drumming
As wolves and buzzards came to pick me part from part
And I didn’t even see it coming
I withered as the fourth leaf up and left
And drained in crimson ‘round the headless clover
Delusion’s cleaver clipped me bare, blind, and bereft
But I didn’t have to bleed all over
Guess I didn’t even think it over
Sometimes it’s only when the lights go out
That you can look around and really see things clearly
Beyond the shadow of a vampire doubt
I never needed my former dreams so dearly
Just merely…
Severely
And I was awoken by the glow of a burning light
I fluttered swiftly to the flicker humming
For the brilliance of a plan lit up the night
And I didn’t even see it coming
4. LEVEL-HEADED BLUES
Last verse is an amalgam of Bob Dylan Song Titles
If you're starting down the road
Or even if you're down the road a-ways
...
Count your lucky stars, honey
Not the number of your days
We were half-way down the homestretch
When the motor started into flames
...
I guess the previous owner
Thought it was just fun and games
(Chorus)
She's my level-headed woman
Lord, she does the best she can
...
She's my level-headed woman
I'm her topsy-turvy man
We got a pocket full of problems
Mama, won't you hear me out?
...
We got a pocket full of problems
And a barrel full of doubt
I know it's one side or the other
But darling, can't we find some common ground?
...
When we can look beyond our differences,
You know that hope and confidence abound
(Chorus)
"The times they are a-changing"
"And a hard rain's a-gonna fall"
...
"It's blowin' in the wind"
"Like a rolling stone" wall
(Chorus)
5. THROUGH THE WINDOW
Through the window
Four riders in the falling snow
And I wonder
Where the night will go
Grab a poncho
And an apple for Geronimo
Does he wonder where the night will go?
And we ride hard
Chasing the fresh trod tracks of snow
Over hills and frozen plains
I’m seeking more than what I know
I’m never staying home again
Frost’s ghost--
He’s with me when I need him most
To turn the pellet sleet to downy flake
The tracks end
They ambush from a hidden den
And I’m tied up, the victim of the raid
And they ride on
I’m frozen in my tracks of snow
They’re over hills and frozen plains
I’m seeking more than what I know
But I’m never leaving home again
6. PENELOPE GOES TO SEA
Open water, open skies
When you gonna open up your eyes?
Though your journey’s long and vast
Nothing easy ever lasts
You say all you do is wait
But don’t wait ‘til it’s too late
The sea is in a constant spin
But don’t let it pull you in
(CHORUS) Row, my sister, row
Keep rowing to the sound of the ocean
No, my sister, no
Heaven’s just a-waiting on
Heaven’s just a-waiting on you
In her lonesome bedroom throes
The City Sacker’s mistress sews
Verona youth write poems in blood
I guess they never understood
Certain forces take their toll
But they’re out of our control
(CHORUS)
The grey-eyed goddess on your side
But Poseidon’s fit to be tide
Sinbad’s faced his wrath before
And now he’s heading back for more
Open water, open skies
The salty mist has glazed your eyes
It’s all so strange; it’s all so vast
Change and nothing ever last
Keep your mind’s eye on the shore
Remember what you’re rowing for
And since I’m in this boat with you
Rowing is all I care to do
7. ROLLERCOASTER
She rides a rollercoaster through the winter sunny weather and the rain.
She lifts her arms and, with closed eyes, she tells herself, "This pleasure will kill pain.”
And ‘round the bend she feels the wind ignite the flame of her head aglow,
For love’s a rollercoaster it keeps rolling through the rain and snow.
She remembers when she stood in line and waved her ticket proudly like a flag.
After such exhilaration, exhalation from a cigarette drag.
Yes, what a thrill to scale the hill then plummet in a rush of ecstasy,
For love’s a rollercoaster when it’s young you feel so wild and free.
And though it’s sometimes curvy, topsy-turvy and it has its ups and downs,
She prefers the wild sensation to the desolation of the icy ground.
It winds and winds forever, but the test will be kinetic energy.
She says, “Let Love the rollercoaster keep on rolling just not over me.”
8. HORSE TO WATER
I’m gonna love you a little bit harder
I’m gonna lead this horse to water…
Cold and empty the lonely sink
Spill over when you don’t drink
But I’ll hold you till the ceiling drowns
And the walls come tumbling down
I’m gonna train this beast of labor
I’m gonna lash it with my sabre
Though you say that it needs a fix
This old dog still has his tricks
And I’ll track you
Till the scent is gone
And I’m lost
In the eyes of a fawn
I’m gonna love you a little bit harder
I’m gonna lead this horse to water…
And make it drink
And make it drink
And make it drink
And make it drink
9. SOUL BURNING
Soul burning to the rhythm of this song of yearning
Love brimming as it’s flowing to our hearts a-learning
Still it’s burning, always turning, we’re discerning
The feeling of the volume of the soul
10. FLIGHT
I’m heading back to Carolina
I’m leaving here today
To let that wind through the pines
Blow my blues away
And I don’t need a reservation
‘Cause I’m travelling there to stay
No more cold winter mornings
Only Carolina days
I got off track in East Virginia
Spotting patterns in the clay
Must have lost my way in the fog
And I knelt to pray
With all these voyages I’m ending
That home ain’t leaving me behind
Guess the only place not changing
Is this worried state of mind
11. IF I EVER LEFT THIS TRAIN
Caught a freight train out of Memphis
Found my way into San Anton
I ramble ‘round this here wide country
Just to keep on travelling on
Town after town keeps passing by
Like a song with no refrain
I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train
Feel the wheels a moving under
Watch the sky keep rolling on
In the distance there is thunder
But the lightning from our past is gone
Sometimes letting go is harder
So you try and outrun the pain
And I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train
Sit and think about it all
As we roll on down
Maybe searching for something
That was already found
A thousand miles down this track
With nothing more to gain
I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train
From the driveway
Her gaze afar
To the highway
Beneath the Morning Star
She folds the paper
And turns the key
And baby you were made to roam
A weary traveller
A fume-lit dream
The lonely highway
The open sea
To gain your freedom
You take some liberties
But baby you were made to roam
The wallet empties
As the spirit climbs
New towns and people
But only fives and dimes
She’s going to make to make it
She’s found her home
For baby you were made to roam
2. THE REASON
And oh that we could be free
To find the way to
Peace and Harmony
To find the reason
...
So I wondered ‘til I found that far somewhere
Watched an apple rolling down the village square
Past the laundries on the streets of stone and clay
I drank coffee in a dusty street cafe
And when I heard the shipyard’s horns in seaside caves
I brushed the honey orange to the berry waves
And when the shadow o’er the easel finally set
I started over and I haven’t finished yet
And oh that we could be free
To find the way to
Peace and harmony
To find the reason
3. SEE IT COMING
A little story about the way things used to be
How I was dreaming on a four-leaf clover
And when I plucked it from among the hungry thieves
I didn’t even think it over
How all at once I felt a storm form around my heart
I felt the thunder from the bass drum drumming
As wolves and buzzards came to pick me part from part
And I didn’t even see it coming
I withered as the fourth leaf up and left
And drained in crimson ‘round the headless clover
Delusion’s cleaver clipped me bare, blind, and bereft
But I didn’t have to bleed all over
Guess I didn’t even think it over
Sometimes it’s only when the lights go out
That you can look around and really see things clearly
Beyond the shadow of a vampire doubt
I never needed my former dreams so dearly
Just merely…
Severely
And I was awoken by the glow of a burning light
I fluttered swiftly to the flicker humming
For the brilliance of a plan lit up the night
And I didn’t even see it coming
4. LEVEL-HEADED BLUES
Last verse is an amalgam of Bob Dylan Song Titles
If you're starting down the road
Or even if you're down the road a-ways
...
Count your lucky stars, honey
Not the number of your days
We were half-way down the homestretch
When the motor started into flames
...
I guess the previous owner
Thought it was just fun and games
(Chorus)
She's my level-headed woman
Lord, she does the best she can
...
She's my level-headed woman
I'm her topsy-turvy man
We got a pocket full of problems
Mama, won't you hear me out?
...
We got a pocket full of problems
And a barrel full of doubt
I know it's one side or the other
But darling, can't we find some common ground?
...
When we can look beyond our differences,
You know that hope and confidence abound
(Chorus)
"The times they are a-changing"
"And a hard rain's a-gonna fall"
...
"It's blowin' in the wind"
"Like a rolling stone" wall
(Chorus)
5. THROUGH THE WINDOW
Through the window
Four riders in the falling snow
And I wonder
Where the night will go
Grab a poncho
And an apple for Geronimo
Does he wonder where the night will go?
And we ride hard
Chasing the fresh trod tracks of snow
Over hills and frozen plains
I’m seeking more than what I know
I’m never staying home again
Frost’s ghost--
He’s with me when I need him most
To turn the pellet sleet to downy flake
The tracks end
They ambush from a hidden den
And I’m tied up, the victim of the raid
And they ride on
I’m frozen in my tracks of snow
They’re over hills and frozen plains
I’m seeking more than what I know
But I’m never leaving home again
6. PENELOPE GOES TO SEA
Open water, open skies
When you gonna open up your eyes?
Though your journey’s long and vast
Nothing easy ever lasts
You say all you do is wait
But don’t wait ‘til it’s too late
The sea is in a constant spin
But don’t let it pull you in
(CHORUS) Row, my sister, row
Keep rowing to the sound of the ocean
No, my sister, no
Heaven’s just a-waiting on
Heaven’s just a-waiting on you
In her lonesome bedroom throes
The City Sacker’s mistress sews
Verona youth write poems in blood
I guess they never understood
Certain forces take their toll
But they’re out of our control
(CHORUS)
The grey-eyed goddess on your side
But Poseidon’s fit to be tide
Sinbad’s faced his wrath before
And now he’s heading back for more
Open water, open skies
The salty mist has glazed your eyes
It’s all so strange; it’s all so vast
Change and nothing ever last
Keep your mind’s eye on the shore
Remember what you’re rowing for
And since I’m in this boat with you
Rowing is all I care to do
7. ROLLERCOASTER
She rides a rollercoaster through the winter sunny weather and the rain.
She lifts her arms and, with closed eyes, she tells herself, "This pleasure will kill pain.”
And ‘round the bend she feels the wind ignite the flame of her head aglow,
For love’s a rollercoaster it keeps rolling through the rain and snow.
She remembers when she stood in line and waved her ticket proudly like a flag.
After such exhilaration, exhalation from a cigarette drag.
Yes, what a thrill to scale the hill then plummet in a rush of ecstasy,
For love’s a rollercoaster when it’s young you feel so wild and free.
And though it’s sometimes curvy, topsy-turvy and it has its ups and downs,
She prefers the wild sensation to the desolation of the icy ground.
It winds and winds forever, but the test will be kinetic energy.
She says, “Let Love the rollercoaster keep on rolling just not over me.”
8. HORSE TO WATER
I’m gonna love you a little bit harder
I’m gonna lead this horse to water…
Cold and empty the lonely sink
Spill over when you don’t drink
But I’ll hold you till the ceiling drowns
And the walls come tumbling down
I’m gonna train this beast of labor
I’m gonna lash it with my sabre
Though you say that it needs a fix
This old dog still has his tricks
And I’ll track you
Till the scent is gone
And I’m lost
In the eyes of a fawn
I’m gonna love you a little bit harder
I’m gonna lead this horse to water…
And make it drink
And make it drink
And make it drink
And make it drink
9. SOUL BURNING
Soul burning to the rhythm of this song of yearning
Love brimming as it’s flowing to our hearts a-learning
Still it’s burning, always turning, we’re discerning
The feeling of the volume of the soul
10. FLIGHT
I’m heading back to Carolina
I’m leaving here today
To let that wind through the pines
Blow my blues away
And I don’t need a reservation
‘Cause I’m travelling there to stay
No more cold winter mornings
Only Carolina days
I got off track in East Virginia
Spotting patterns in the clay
Must have lost my way in the fog
And I knelt to pray
With all these voyages I’m ending
That home ain’t leaving me behind
Guess the only place not changing
Is this worried state of mind
11. IF I EVER LEFT THIS TRAIN
Caught a freight train out of Memphis
Found my way into San Anton
I ramble ‘round this here wide country
Just to keep on travelling on
Town after town keeps passing by
Like a song with no refrain
I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train
Feel the wheels a moving under
Watch the sky keep rolling on
In the distance there is thunder
But the lightning from our past is gone
Sometimes letting go is harder
So you try and outrun the pain
And I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train
Sit and think about it all
As we roll on down
Maybe searching for something
That was already found
A thousand miles down this track
With nothing more to gain
I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train
Forgotten Lyrics
1. FORGOTTEN
A ghost had entered his domain
A haunted soul, mind, and brain
All that made him sane
Was forgotten
I told him that she was a lie--
Stains of love bled from his eyes
Their past he chose at no surprise
To be forgotten
All your dreams seem to fade
Like ruby eyes to slits of jade
When all before the masquerade:
Forgotten
All that’s yours becomes mine
A strand of thread to spool of twine
The sapped grapes of your vine
Become rotten
He turned to me one day and said:
“What causes you to rule my head?
I feel as if I’m nearly dead
Or at least forgotten”
I came to be when it was through
A diamond made of glass and glue
That shattered to reveal untrue
This you’ve forgotten
And all your dreams seem to fade
Like ruby eyes to slits of jade
When all before the masquerade:
Forgotten
And all that’s yours becomes mine
Like the girl who lost her mind
2. I WILL SAIL AWAY
I will sail away
Across the deep blue sea
I will find away
To be with the one who waits for me
In the morning I'll be gone
I'll be on my way
And I'll sing my parting song
For no longer can I stay
To her arms once more I'll go
That’s where I long to be
Where my native flowers grow
Far from the deep blue sea
The stars will guide the way
When darkness smothers me
I’ll sail through night to day
Heartsick and sick at sea
Until my eyes do see the shore
And my feet do meet the soil
Beside the one I’m longing for
Then no longer will I toil
She told me long ago
She'd always wait for me
No matter how far I go
There's only one place I'll be
I will sail away
Across the deep blue sea
I will find away
To be with the one who waits for me
3. SILVER MOONLIGHT
Outside the room where I seek rest
There’s a bird that makes its nest
In a tree, safe from the snow
In the day as it flakes down
Into drifts and frozen ground
He dusts off his wings for to go
To that fair lady in the town
She casts seeds and he swoops down
Chirping songs that he’d thought up in his tree
Then he flies home each night
In the silver moonlight
And whispers her name to me
Man you should see him fly
‘Cross the moon-slick cobalt sky
In the cloudless frost-bit night
Coasting through the golden beams
Frosted hills and glassy streams
Donning shadows of his flight
When the stars flicker above
He returns from whom we love
Cooing lullabies on the way back to his tree
Yes he flies home each night
In the silver moonlight
And whispers her name to me
4. PATMOS
He was up all night, howlin’ ‘til the break of dawn
Up all night, and he couldn’t find his way back home
Stammering and stuttering, trying to find the words to his song
But if all he had were words, then he knew he’d get the whole thing wrong
He said “I’m gonna do the best I can”
I’m gonna do the best I can”
I’m gonna do the best I can”
But he couldn’t find his way back home
When the woods opened up, he found an old snaky railroad track
He saw the glow of a train in the fog and heard it hum, scream, and clack
As it bolted on by, he started chasing for to jump on the back
And when he’d pulled up inside, reached in his pocket for a bottle of Jack
An old man beside him sighed,
“I guess we’re all just along for the ride
But soon there’ll be no place to hide
When the train runs out of track”
Time speeds up when you’re dreaming in a far-off land
You see the day turn to night and the night crumble right into sand
And time, it won’t sit still when you try to hold it by the hands
It just pulls on its course and you’re stretched just like a rubber band
You still spin and circle round
But your orbit can’t be found
Just like you’re plunging toward the ground
In a heave of gravity
In a town by the shore, he saw her walking on the golden beach
Like a dream where the thing that you want is just right out of reach
Like Mars or the spheres beyond stars or the loftiest peach
And the wheels on the train of his heart seemed to come to a screech
But when the day had lost its sheen
She was nowhere to be seen
And the smoke that fed his dream
Turned straight into fog
Looking back from the hill, he saw the lights in the city fade
And the stars rearrange and converge into a cosmic parade
And the moon turn to blood and a flood, and he was shocked and afraid,
Wishing God would put off once more what was so long delayed
Would he live to see the morn?
Or his soul and flesh be torn-
By a rough beast newly born?
Would he die that very night?
And when the sun came up, he was lying on his back in the sand
The waves folding in and a light breeze sweeping the land
Things kept on just exactly as they’d all been planned
It’s nice to have peace even when you don’t understand
He said “I’m gonna do the best I can”
“I’m gonna do the best I can”
“I’m gonna do the best I can…”
“To try to find my way back home”
5. HOMO REFLECTUS
The legend of the hominoid/ Plagued the primatologist
So he headed out into the field/ To find out if he did exist
He’d heard tales of an elusive ape/ Half-man, half beastly innocence
A creature in its animal state/ A man in sheer intelligence
Deep within the trees he spied him there/ The beast he’d waited long to find
The sight it gave him quite a scare/ But something told him that he could not hide
The eyes-- they seemed to say “I know you well/ And I get the feeling that you know me too
And it’s eerie but I cannot tell/ Just who’s speaking--me or you?”
The beast he said “I am alone/ For I’m the last one of my kind
And I feel as if I can’t go on/ The soul is scarce and hard to find”
The doctor now had lost his fear/ And so tried to alleviate (the pain):
“I’ll bring you food and girls right here/ So you may recharge and procreate.”
The beast he said “That sounds like fun/ And that’d really make me feel alive,
But I really need to find The One/ ‘Cause it takes more than that to survive”
The doctor finally understood / The thing that bound them and all things
He’d try to find her if he could/ For he knew the pain of heartache stings
“Fare thee well now you must go”/ Said the beast from somewhere in the night
“And when you find her I will know/ I’ll be hiding right here in plain sight”
6. HOLD ON TO ME
You better hold on to what you’re given
You better let go and give yourself to me
‘Cause your time is short-- better keep on living
You better give yourself up and hold on tight to me
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Let the bonds of love set you free
When you hold on to me
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Or you’ll never know how sweet it can be
To see the rain come and wash away the street
To feel the sun come and shine upon your feet
The rush of wind come and glide across your cheek
The switch from pain to joy, to hope from bleak
And you’ll never know how sweet it can be
Unless you hold on to what you’re given
And let go to give yourself to me
You know your time’s short- better keep on living
You can give it all up-- just hold on tight to me
A ghost had entered his domain
A haunted soul, mind, and brain
All that made him sane
Was forgotten
I told him that she was a lie--
Stains of love bled from his eyes
Their past he chose at no surprise
To be forgotten
All your dreams seem to fade
Like ruby eyes to slits of jade
When all before the masquerade:
Forgotten
All that’s yours becomes mine
A strand of thread to spool of twine
The sapped grapes of your vine
Become rotten
He turned to me one day and said:
“What causes you to rule my head?
I feel as if I’m nearly dead
Or at least forgotten”
I came to be when it was through
A diamond made of glass and glue
That shattered to reveal untrue
This you’ve forgotten
And all your dreams seem to fade
Like ruby eyes to slits of jade
When all before the masquerade:
Forgotten
And all that’s yours becomes mine
Like the girl who lost her mind
2. I WILL SAIL AWAY
I will sail away
Across the deep blue sea
I will find away
To be with the one who waits for me
In the morning I'll be gone
I'll be on my way
And I'll sing my parting song
For no longer can I stay
To her arms once more I'll go
That’s where I long to be
Where my native flowers grow
Far from the deep blue sea
The stars will guide the way
When darkness smothers me
I’ll sail through night to day
Heartsick and sick at sea
Until my eyes do see the shore
And my feet do meet the soil
Beside the one I’m longing for
Then no longer will I toil
She told me long ago
She'd always wait for me
No matter how far I go
There's only one place I'll be
I will sail away
Across the deep blue sea
I will find away
To be with the one who waits for me
3. SILVER MOONLIGHT
Outside the room where I seek rest
There’s a bird that makes its nest
In a tree, safe from the snow
In the day as it flakes down
Into drifts and frozen ground
He dusts off his wings for to go
To that fair lady in the town
She casts seeds and he swoops down
Chirping songs that he’d thought up in his tree
Then he flies home each night
In the silver moonlight
And whispers her name to me
Man you should see him fly
‘Cross the moon-slick cobalt sky
In the cloudless frost-bit night
Coasting through the golden beams
Frosted hills and glassy streams
Donning shadows of his flight
When the stars flicker above
He returns from whom we love
Cooing lullabies on the way back to his tree
Yes he flies home each night
In the silver moonlight
And whispers her name to me
4. PATMOS
He was up all night, howlin’ ‘til the break of dawn
Up all night, and he couldn’t find his way back home
Stammering and stuttering, trying to find the words to his song
But if all he had were words, then he knew he’d get the whole thing wrong
He said “I’m gonna do the best I can”
I’m gonna do the best I can”
I’m gonna do the best I can”
But he couldn’t find his way back home
When the woods opened up, he found an old snaky railroad track
He saw the glow of a train in the fog and heard it hum, scream, and clack
As it bolted on by, he started chasing for to jump on the back
And when he’d pulled up inside, reached in his pocket for a bottle of Jack
An old man beside him sighed,
“I guess we’re all just along for the ride
But soon there’ll be no place to hide
When the train runs out of track”
Time speeds up when you’re dreaming in a far-off land
You see the day turn to night and the night crumble right into sand
And time, it won’t sit still when you try to hold it by the hands
It just pulls on its course and you’re stretched just like a rubber band
You still spin and circle round
But your orbit can’t be found
Just like you’re plunging toward the ground
In a heave of gravity
In a town by the shore, he saw her walking on the golden beach
Like a dream where the thing that you want is just right out of reach
Like Mars or the spheres beyond stars or the loftiest peach
And the wheels on the train of his heart seemed to come to a screech
But when the day had lost its sheen
She was nowhere to be seen
And the smoke that fed his dream
Turned straight into fog
Looking back from the hill, he saw the lights in the city fade
And the stars rearrange and converge into a cosmic parade
And the moon turn to blood and a flood, and he was shocked and afraid,
Wishing God would put off once more what was so long delayed
Would he live to see the morn?
Or his soul and flesh be torn-
By a rough beast newly born?
Would he die that very night?
And when the sun came up, he was lying on his back in the sand
The waves folding in and a light breeze sweeping the land
Things kept on just exactly as they’d all been planned
It’s nice to have peace even when you don’t understand
He said “I’m gonna do the best I can”
“I’m gonna do the best I can”
“I’m gonna do the best I can…”
“To try to find my way back home”
5. HOMO REFLECTUS
The legend of the hominoid/ Plagued the primatologist
So he headed out into the field/ To find out if he did exist
He’d heard tales of an elusive ape/ Half-man, half beastly innocence
A creature in its animal state/ A man in sheer intelligence
Deep within the trees he spied him there/ The beast he’d waited long to find
The sight it gave him quite a scare/ But something told him that he could not hide
The eyes-- they seemed to say “I know you well/ And I get the feeling that you know me too
And it’s eerie but I cannot tell/ Just who’s speaking--me or you?”
The beast he said “I am alone/ For I’m the last one of my kind
And I feel as if I can’t go on/ The soul is scarce and hard to find”
The doctor now had lost his fear/ And so tried to alleviate (the pain):
“I’ll bring you food and girls right here/ So you may recharge and procreate.”
The beast he said “That sounds like fun/ And that’d really make me feel alive,
But I really need to find The One/ ‘Cause it takes more than that to survive”
The doctor finally understood / The thing that bound them and all things
He’d try to find her if he could/ For he knew the pain of heartache stings
“Fare thee well now you must go”/ Said the beast from somewhere in the night
“And when you find her I will know/ I’ll be hiding right here in plain sight”
6. HOLD ON TO ME
You better hold on to what you’re given
You better let go and give yourself to me
‘Cause your time is short-- better keep on living
You better give yourself up and hold on tight to me
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Let the bonds of love set you free
When you hold on to me
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Or you’ll never know how sweet it can be
To see the rain come and wash away the street
To feel the sun come and shine upon your feet
The rush of wind come and glide across your cheek
The switch from pain to joy, to hope from bleak
And you’ll never know how sweet it can be
Unless you hold on to what you’re given
And let go to give yourself to me
You know your time’s short- better keep on living
You can give it all up-- just hold on tight to me