Ferron's "Cactus" has already been detailed here so it's time to branch out with a few other faves from her musical tree. she is such a poetess.
Girl On A Road
My momma was a waitress, my daddy a truckdriver. The
thing that kept their power from them slowed me down
awhile. I remember the morning that was the closing of
my youth, when I said goodbye to no one and in that way
faced my truth...and a walk along the river... and a
rain a'coming down...and a girl on a road.
There's a rhythm to a highway to match the rhythm of
your fears. My shopping bag possessions scattered with
my splattered tears. A string of nights in truck stops
and in darkness and in lies and a man they all called
Tigerboy...he just had to show me why. He just had to
give me something I'd forever understand...as a girl on
a road.
Rain upon the water makes footprints sunk in sand.
Anger upon angry hurt, take me by the hand. Take me by
the heartstrings and pull me deep inside and say I'm
one with your forgiveness and separate from my pride.
I don't know what it's like for you but here's what
it's like for me... I wanted to turn beautiful and
serve Eternity and never follow money or love with
greasy hands, or move the earth and waters just to make
it fit my plans. My eyes would be the harbor, my words
the perfect place for a girl on a road.
I met you in the Summer, I left you in the Fall. In
between we did some living...I like to think that's
all...but now I see words can be like weapons no matter
that they're small, and I used three tiny words on you
and then beat it down the hall. Does this road go on
forever? Does this terror know no end...for a girl on a
road? Would you like to sing it with me?
Rain upon the water makes footprints sunk in sand.
Anger upon angry hurt, take me by the hand. Take me by
the heartstrings and pull me deep inside and say I'm
one with your forgiveness and separate from my pride.
You cannot measure what it takes to mend a withered
heart. They'll tell you at the onset everybody does
their part. I did my best to follow the calling of my
soul. But, it's like that first guitar I played...at
the center is a hole, at the center is a...longing...
that I cannot understand as a girl on a road.
But if music be a boulder, let me carry it a long
while. Let it turn into a feather, let it brush against
my smile. Let the life be somewhat settled with the
life that song has made. Let there be nothing I am
longing for in some plan I may have made, in some story
quickly written during a long forgotten time as a girl
on a road.
Rain upon the water makes footprints sunk in sand.
Anger upon angry hurt, take me by the hand. Take me by
the heartstrings and pull me deep inside and say I'm
one with your forgiveness and separate from my pride.
+++++
Snowin' In Brooklyn
I thank you your letters though they come to me slowly
I hear the city's in a panic with its first foot of snow
I want to answer you quickly having read you again
'Cause it sounds like you're dancing
with time's favorite friend
And it's everyone's secret and muttered refrain
That for all of our trouble we be lonely again
It's old human nature,
It's cold or it's hot
But if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
You say it's snowin' in Brooklyn
Well if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
I'd say snow's what we've got.
It won't pay you to think that your move caused the break
Sweet love has its chemistry
sometimes it don't take
But you sound lke you whip yourself
you sound like you hurt
How long do you plan to sweat it in that mouldy hairshirt?
If you're thinking of coming back
then come back you will
If you're afraid of them talking, friend
They're all talking still
It's old human nature,
It's cold or it's hot
But if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
You say it's snowin' in Brooklyn
Well if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
I'd say snow's what we got.
It'll be cold as the ocean if you don't take the train
But I hear if you know where you're going
You can beat half of the pain
So don't mind but I called your sister
and she'd glad take you in
You're thirty years old, admit pride doesn't win
Life moves so mysterious with its cute little spins
And it's everyone's koan and door to get in
It's old human nature,
It's cold or it's hot
I think of you often, I like you a lot
But if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
I'd say snow's what we've got.
And it's everyone's secret and muttered refrain
That for all of our trouble
For all of our trouble
For all of our trouble
We be lonely again.
+++++
Ain't Life A Brook
I watch you reading a book
I get to thinking our love's a polished stone
You give me a long drawn look
I know pretty soon you're going to leave our home
And of course I mind,
especially when I'm thinking from my heart
But life don't clickety clack down a straight line track
It comes together and it comes apart.
You say you hope I'm not the kind
To make you feel obliged
To go ticking through your time
With a pained look in your eyes
You give me the furniture, we'll divide the photographs
Go out to dinner one more time
Have ourselves a bottle of wine
And a couple of laughs
And when first you left
I stayed so sad I wouldn't sleep
I know that love's a gift, I thought yours was mine
And something that I could keep
Now I realize that time is not the only compromise
But a bird in the hand could be an all night stand
Between a blazing fire and a pocket of skies
So I hope I'm not the kind
To make you feel obliged
To go ticking through your time
With a pained look in your eyes
I covered the furniture, I framed the photographs
Went out to dinner one more time
Had myself a bottle of wine and a couple of laughs
And just the other day
I got your letter in the mail
I'm happy for you, its been so long
You've been wanting a cabin and a backwoods trail
And I think that's great...me...
I seem to find myself in school
It's all Ok, I just want to say
I'm so relieved we didn't do it cruel
But ain't life a brook
Just when I get to feeling like a polished stone
I give me along drawn look
It's kind of a drag to find yourself alone
And sometimes I mind
Especially when I'm waiting on your heart
But life don't clickety clack down a straight line track
It comes together and it comes apart.
Cause I know you're not the kind
To make me feel obliged
To go ticking through my time with a pained look
In my eyes
I sold the furniture, I put away the photographs
Went out to dinner one more time
Skipped the bottle of wine
Had a couple of laughs
And wasn't it fine....
+++++
Shadows On A Dime
This window makes a perfect frame
For New England leaves like painted rain
They hold me as I hold this train
All shadows on a dime.
You move forward fast by holding back
You gauge your steps and you don't look slack
Me I'm looking backward down the track
To see us dreamers in our prime.
I poured my soul in Santa Cruz
I ached all night,
Next day I lost my shoes
It's so optional what you may or may not lose
in this pattern we call time.
Fifteen years ago I worked the line
With a thousand more all doing time
While a foreman smiled complicit crime
We were strangers to the plan.
An old old woman ran the gears
She couldn't move
They said she'd been there forty years
...I think that's rude...
'Cause forty years is forty years
And I was only fifteen then.
The work waged war upon our backs
But we gauged our steps and we didn't look slack
One day the old woman didn't come back
I couldn't work so well and they let me go.
But I don't forget about the factory
I don't expect this ride to always be
Can I give you what you want to see?
Can we do it one more time?
Ten years have worn this guitar down
Its ivory whites are now mustard brown
Its face bears cracks from every town
Still it resonates with age.
Where would I be without its ring?
Who would I be if I didn't sing?
For half a chance you spare nothing --
A tethered bird to a tethered cage.
I sing to you to feed the dream
I call to you 'though it's a muted scream
We're one on one projected beams
Translucent future be our sage.
Five years have blazed since she warmed my side
She is my gift I've loved and cried
With her level look she is my guide
A spirit on the wing
Our love has jostled like this train
Or like the moon to wax and wane
But to know somebody worth the strain --
Me I have one gift to bring
I cried for here then I let her down
She let me go and then we came around
I felt us new and I felt the ground
And I felt myself believing.
And now a tired conductor passes by
He takes my ticket with a sigh
I don't think he meant to catch my eye
But he doesn't turn away.
He says "I have a daughter as old as you
And there's really nothing anyone else can do
Do you play guitar...well good for you
Me I play the violin"
I imagine him with his hair jet black
Does he hide his fiddle in the back?
He gauged his words as the train went slack:
The New York train stops here
But I don't forget the factory
I don't expect this ride to always be
Can I give them what they want to see
Let me do it twice --
The second time for me.
'Cause these windows make a perfect frame
For New York buildings like upright trains
They hold me as I hold the rain
Fleeting shadows on a dime.
+++++
Shady Gate
When I was young the mom next door would
have tea at our house and she said her heart was
broke and she told me that life was based on faith in
the Evermore but me I was always trying to find a way
to get a dime and go outside and play. It was pretty
weird my childhood years, especially with the
transference of those dreaded adult fears that I
remember a song the moms would sing and we'd
sing along...
"If you go through that Shady Gate
Have soneone near who is for you
Someone who will not mind to wait
As you go slow through shady gate."
He left my mom when I was ten. She said she
didn't give a damn...that they'd never amount to
anything and they woke me up one night in the
middle of an awful fight and I heard him yell 'What
about my needs?' and her hiss back "Why don't you
wake up all the neighbours too but please just leave
me be, another kid would finish me" and in the
morning while I ate my cereal he left...I didn't look
so I
didn't see...and she got a better job in the new
department store and me I had to rush right home
from school and feed the kids...they didn't ask about
him much.
But I asked her once about 'Shady Gate'. It was
late one night whiel we were hanging out the laundry
and she said that Shady Gate was when sweet time
won't wait, it's like when a choice gets made like a
deck been laid and maybe the sun will shine or
maybe it won't at all but whatever is coming for you
you get to have it all. And I wanted to ask her then
exactly what he'd meant by 'needs' but we had to
rush inside the winter made her fingers split and
bleed.
And he knocked upon the door before my next
birthday and my mom looked real upset and she sent
us out to play and when we came back in it looked
like she'd been crying hard and him he tried to hug us
then and he said he loved us all. He said, "Anything
you want all you have to do is say" and my mind
raced to the brand new pair of jeans I'd seen at
school that day but you know that night when we
slept the monsters didn't come and I dreamt we sang
the song out loud only this time with a drum...
"If you go through that Shady Gate
Have soneone near who is for you
Someone who will not mind to wait
As you go slow through Shady Gate"
...I like the way you held your head and how you
muttered right out loud...the things you said...you
were so serious and I didn't believe at first you
saying there was still some place you had to go and still
something you had to know. "Well, wash your face"
my good friend tells me and "Clean your house in
troubled times"...I must admit it helps an awful lot to
go on loving what you love you see I've even trained
my mind, I'm not afraid to look behind. It's a cool
night falling with the night birds calling and I dare not
wonder where you be. But it's times like this I wish I
had a line to mother love or even just another word
for Eternity.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Lucy Kaplansky "Guinevere" "10 Year Night" "Land of the Living"
Here are a trio of Lucy Kaplansky's best (in my humble opinion).
Guinevere
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Am I some dancing Lancelot who only falls in love
With a woman who belongs to someone else
Is it just the blood of Paris running through my veins
That sees and takes a woman and myself I can't restrain
Is this knight of cups in his noble stance
Just a jack of clubs with an eye askance
On the queen of hearts in her royal blue
I may shield the poor but I can't save you
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Golden apples on the mountain this one fell to me
We are planets in a heartless gravity
I never chose to make a choice
It felt like someone else's voice
Saying all those crazy things down on one knee
Cassandra never cast a shadow now it's heading to the shore
Oh the face that launched a thousand ships is sailing one more
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
+++++
10 Year Night
There is no one else around the road is quiet, the only sound
Is wind that sounds like cars that sound like breathing
The desert air is hot and dry two lanes weaving earth and sky
The stars are all that's keeping time till morning
And I turn and look beside me and you're sleeping like a baby
And you haven't heard a word that I've been saying
And the way you look tonight fast asleep in the dashboard light
Well I can't speak that's how I feel
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
We're ten years older, I know we are
Than the night we met in that downtown bar
You thought I was some kind of star
That's what you said
I felt your skin, I felt the heat
As you pulled me out into the street
And you kissed me there till I was weak
'Cause I asked you to
And later on your kitchen floor
Two flights above the grocery store
I felt things I never felt before and I still do
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
Going eighty on the highway
We're all rushing somewhere
But the way I feel tonight
It's like I'm already there
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
+++++
Land of the Living
Late afternoon back in New York town
Waking up as the wheels touch down
Pick up my guitar and walk away
Wish I was going home to stay
Line of taxis, I wait my turn
Tar and asphalt, exhaust and fumes
Beside the road on a patch of ground
Taxi drivers are kneeling down
Beneath the concrete sky I watch them pray
While the people of the world hurry on their way
I think they're praying for us all today
And the stories that fell from the sky that day
CHORUS:
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Back home fire's still burning, I can see it in the air
Pictures of faces posted everywhere
They say "hazel eyes, chestnut hair
Mother of two missing down there"
I pass the firemen on duty tonight
Carpets of flowers in candlelight
And thank you in a child's scrawl
Taped to the Third Street firehouse wall
There's shadows of the lost on the faces I see
Brothers and strangers on this island of grief
There's death in the air but there's life on this street
There's life on this street
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Then I got in a taxi, said "Hudson Street please"
He started the meter and he looked at me
I glanced at his name on the back of his seat
And I looked out the window at the ghost filled streets
I noticed cuts on his hand and his face
And I said "You're bleeding, are you okay?"
He said "I'm not so good, got beat up today
And I'm not one of them no matter what they say
I'm just worried about my family
My wife's in the house and she's scared to leave"
And I didn't know what to say
I didn't know what to say
But I said a prayer for him anyway
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Guinevere
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Am I some dancing Lancelot who only falls in love
With a woman who belongs to someone else
Is it just the blood of Paris running through my veins
That sees and takes a woman and myself I can't restrain
Is this knight of cups in his noble stance
Just a jack of clubs with an eye askance
On the queen of hearts in her royal blue
I may shield the poor but I can't save you
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Golden apples on the mountain this one fell to me
We are planets in a heartless gravity
I never chose to make a choice
It felt like someone else's voice
Saying all those crazy things down on one knee
Cassandra never cast a shadow now it's heading to the shore
Oh the face that launched a thousand ships is sailing one more
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
+++++
10 Year Night
There is no one else around the road is quiet, the only sound
Is wind that sounds like cars that sound like breathing
The desert air is hot and dry two lanes weaving earth and sky
The stars are all that's keeping time till morning
And I turn and look beside me and you're sleeping like a baby
And you haven't heard a word that I've been saying
And the way you look tonight fast asleep in the dashboard light
Well I can't speak that's how I feel
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
We're ten years older, I know we are
Than the night we met in that downtown bar
You thought I was some kind of star
That's what you said
I felt your skin, I felt the heat
As you pulled me out into the street
And you kissed me there till I was weak
'Cause I asked you to
And later on your kitchen floor
Two flights above the grocery store
I felt things I never felt before and I still do
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
Going eighty on the highway
We're all rushing somewhere
But the way I feel tonight
It's like I'm already there
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
+++++
Land of the Living
Late afternoon back in New York town
Waking up as the wheels touch down
Pick up my guitar and walk away
Wish I was going home to stay
Line of taxis, I wait my turn
Tar and asphalt, exhaust and fumes
Beside the road on a patch of ground
Taxi drivers are kneeling down
Beneath the concrete sky I watch them pray
While the people of the world hurry on their way
I think they're praying for us all today
And the stories that fell from the sky that day
CHORUS:
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Back home fire's still burning, I can see it in the air
Pictures of faces posted everywhere
They say "hazel eyes, chestnut hair
Mother of two missing down there"
I pass the firemen on duty tonight
Carpets of flowers in candlelight
And thank you in a child's scrawl
Taped to the Third Street firehouse wall
There's shadows of the lost on the faces I see
Brothers and strangers on this island of grief
There's death in the air but there's life on this street
There's life on this street
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Then I got in a taxi, said "Hudson Street please"
He started the meter and he looked at me
I glanced at his name on the back of his seat
And I looked out the window at the ghost filled streets
I noticed cuts on his hand and his face
And I said "You're bleeding, are you okay?"
He said "I'm not so good, got beat up today
And I'm not one of them no matter what they say
I'm just worried about my family
My wife's in the house and she's scared to leave"
And I didn't know what to say
I didn't know what to say
But I said a prayer for him anyway
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Terence Martin "The Way It Didn't Go"
The late Terence Martin has two especially exquisite songs -- "Waterproof" and "The Way It Didn't Go" but only the former is on YouTube. Enjoy.
where is the life the life we might have led
it started on the corner where we never met
I nearly turned to you you nearly turned to me
at the intersection of what is and what could be
what would have happened we'll never know
that's the way it didn't go
I saw a child who might have had our name
he passed me in a crowd just the other day
he spoke some words but none of them were clear
our shadows nearly touched as he disappeared
did he have your eyes?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
i'm not myself today & you're not who you are
we're one lane over riding in that car
they read a map but they don't recognize the road
and if they think about us they don't let it show
where did they turn?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
the door you didn't walk through
the girl you didn't talk to
the light you didn't run that day
the call you didn't answer
the unrequited dancer
you met her glance and turned away
put it down lightly
you know how things can break
I can't forget the love we didn't make
the sun that didn't rise
through the window that's not there
the way it didn't fall
on your face and on your hair
what did you dream?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
What might have been?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
+++++
Below are the "Waterproof" lyrics:
it’s the middle of the country
it’s the middle of the year
it’s a little too much sunlight
for anyone to bear
there’s a thousand miles between us
of unbroken sky
and a thousand crooked questions
along for the ride
we sleep together
we dream all alone
and I wake up beside myself
in the half light of dawn
and I wish at that moment
that i were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
it’s the curve of love
it’s the rise and the fall
it’s a frame that we keep
around a hole in the wall
the problem’s in the human
in the flesh & the bone
‘cause if love were the measure
we’d never come undone
a woman is a window
a man’s a revolving door
one foot’s always moving
the other’s nailed to the floor
and the walls keep them together
and they keep them apart
and it’s all just graffiti
in the chambers of the heart
the sheets hold the imprint
of your lover after dawn
and the bed remains unmade
long after she’s gone
and you wish at that moment
that you were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
where is the life the life we might have led
it started on the corner where we never met
I nearly turned to you you nearly turned to me
at the intersection of what is and what could be
what would have happened we'll never know
that's the way it didn't go
I saw a child who might have had our name
he passed me in a crowd just the other day
he spoke some words but none of them were clear
our shadows nearly touched as he disappeared
did he have your eyes?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
i'm not myself today & you're not who you are
we're one lane over riding in that car
they read a map but they don't recognize the road
and if they think about us they don't let it show
where did they turn?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
the door you didn't walk through
the girl you didn't talk to
the light you didn't run that day
the call you didn't answer
the unrequited dancer
you met her glance and turned away
put it down lightly
you know how things can break
I can't forget the love we didn't make
the sun that didn't rise
through the window that's not there
the way it didn't fall
on your face and on your hair
what did you dream?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
What might have been?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
+++++
Below are the "Waterproof" lyrics:
it’s the middle of the country
it’s the middle of the year
it’s a little too much sunlight
for anyone to bear
there’s a thousand miles between us
of unbroken sky
and a thousand crooked questions
along for the ride
we sleep together
we dream all alone
and I wake up beside myself
in the half light of dawn
and I wish at that moment
that i were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
it’s the curve of love
it’s the rise and the fall
it’s a frame that we keep
around a hole in the wall
the problem’s in the human
in the flesh & the bone
‘cause if love were the measure
we’d never come undone
a woman is a window
a man’s a revolving door
one foot’s always moving
the other’s nailed to the floor
and the walls keep them together
and they keep them apart
and it’s all just graffiti
in the chambers of the heart
the sheets hold the imprint
of your lover after dawn
and the bed remains unmade
long after she’s gone
and you wish at that moment
that you were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
Cheryl Wheeler "Gandhi/Buddha" "When Fall Comes To New England" "Arrow"
Cheryl Wheeler is the funniest live show singer-songwriter I've witnessed while also producing song after wonderful song.
Gandhi/Buddha
Feel this wind blow, scatters all these leaves like paper rain.
Feel these days roll, back into our winter lives again.
The tangle at the garden fence is brown and dry.
You call me out and point to your November sky.
chorus:
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
And when the cold comes and you are by your fire and fast asleep,
I'll turn a light on, to watch the snow outside fall soft and deep.
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue,
We'll watch the dogs run through the fields like children do.
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
I suppose stranger things have come to pass,
Many's the forest I can't see.
I was so down and lost and fading fast.
How did you find your way to me?
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
There is an alternate version (not sure if it was ever recorded
Man this wind blows, scatters all these leaves I've raked all day
And your snot nosed little cat keeps getting in the way
I've got to take that f-ing garden fence back down
Just so your local yokel friend can plow the ground
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, beat some nuns up too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
And when the cold comes and you have turned the heat to 95
I'll put some shorts on, and wonder how the cats and dogs survive
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue
I'll tell you how it was when you get up at two
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, drowned some puppies too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
+++++
When Falls Comes To New England
When fall comes to New England
The sun slants in so fine
And the air's so clear
You can almost hear the grapes grow on the vine
The nights are sharp with starlight
And the days are cool and clean
And in the blue sky overhead
The northern geese fly south instead
And leaves are Irish Setter red
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
And the wind blows off the sea
Swallows fly in a perfect sky
And the world was meant to be
When the acorns line the walkways
Then winter can't be far
From yellow leaves a blue jay calls
Grandmothers Walk Out In Their Shawl
And Chipmunks Run The Old Stone Walls
When fall comes to New England
The frost is on the pumpkin
The squash is off the vine
And winter warnings race across the sky
The squirrels are on to something
And they're working overtime
The foxes blink and stare and so do I
'Cause when fall comes to New England
Oh I can't turn away
From fading light on flying wings
And late good-byes a robin sings
And then another thousand things
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
+++++
Arrow
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly, just to feel I was
In love, in love
I wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
(Chorus)
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Only last night in the winter dark
I dreamed of how you loved, in all your innocence
And I've never known a softer warmer feeling since, or a truer heart
Maybe these dreams are leading me
Maybe love is not as gentle as my memory
Maybe time and wishful half-remembered fantasy are the greatest part
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly just to feel I was, in love
+++++
If It Were Up To Me
Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books
Maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks
Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents
Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin
Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the last one
Maybe it's the one before that, what he done
Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers
Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers
Maybe it's the Bible, maybe it's the lack
Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack
Maybe it's the hairdos, maybe it's the TV
Maybe it's the cigarettes, maybe it's the family
Maybe it's the fast food, maybe it's the news
Maybe it's divorce, maybe it's abuse
Maybe it's the lawyers, maybe it's the prisons
Maybe it's the Senators, maybe it's the system
Maybe it's the fathers, maybe it's the sons
Maybe it's the sisters, maybe it's the moms
Maybe it's the radio, maybe it's road rage
Maybe El Nino, or UV rays
Maybe it's the army, maybe it's the liquor
Maybe it's the papers, maybe the militia
Maybe it's the athletes, maybe it's the ads
Maybe it's the sports fans, maybe it's a fad
Maybe it's the magazines, maybe it's the internet
Maybe it's the lottery, maybe it's the immigrants
Maybe it's taxes, big business
Maybe it's the KKK and the skinheads
Maybe it's the communists, maybe it's the Catholics
Maybe it's the hippies, maybe it's the addicts
Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the sex
Maybe it's the homeless, maybe it's the banks
Maybe it's the clearcut, maybe it's the ozone
Maybe it's the chemicals, maybe it's the car phones
Maybe it's the fertilizer, maybe it's the nose rings
Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing.
If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns.
Gandhi/Buddha
Feel this wind blow, scatters all these leaves like paper rain.
Feel these days roll, back into our winter lives again.
The tangle at the garden fence is brown and dry.
You call me out and point to your November sky.
chorus:
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
And when the cold comes and you are by your fire and fast asleep,
I'll turn a light on, to watch the snow outside fall soft and deep.
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue,
We'll watch the dogs run through the fields like children do.
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
I suppose stranger things have come to pass,
Many's the forest I can't see.
I was so down and lost and fading fast.
How did you find your way to me?
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
There is an alternate version (not sure if it was ever recorded
Man this wind blows, scatters all these leaves I've raked all day
And your snot nosed little cat keeps getting in the way
I've got to take that f-ing garden fence back down
Just so your local yokel friend can plow the ground
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, beat some nuns up too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
And when the cold comes and you have turned the heat to 95
I'll put some shorts on, and wonder how the cats and dogs survive
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue
I'll tell you how it was when you get up at two
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, drowned some puppies too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
+++++
When Falls Comes To New England
When fall comes to New England
The sun slants in so fine
And the air's so clear
You can almost hear the grapes grow on the vine
The nights are sharp with starlight
And the days are cool and clean
And in the blue sky overhead
The northern geese fly south instead
And leaves are Irish Setter red
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
And the wind blows off the sea
Swallows fly in a perfect sky
And the world was meant to be
When the acorns line the walkways
Then winter can't be far
From yellow leaves a blue jay calls
Grandmothers Walk Out In Their Shawl
And Chipmunks Run The Old Stone Walls
When fall comes to New England
The frost is on the pumpkin
The squash is off the vine
And winter warnings race across the sky
The squirrels are on to something
And they're working overtime
The foxes blink and stare and so do I
'Cause when fall comes to New England
Oh I can't turn away
From fading light on flying wings
And late good-byes a robin sings
And then another thousand things
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
+++++
Arrow
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly, just to feel I was
In love, in love
I wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
(Chorus)
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Only last night in the winter dark
I dreamed of how you loved, in all your innocence
And I've never known a softer warmer feeling since, or a truer heart
Maybe these dreams are leading me
Maybe love is not as gentle as my memory
Maybe time and wishful half-remembered fantasy are the greatest part
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly just to feel I was, in love
+++++
If It Were Up To Me
Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books
Maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks
Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents
Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin
Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the last one
Maybe it's the one before that, what he done
Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers
Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers
Maybe it's the Bible, maybe it's the lack
Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack
Maybe it's the hairdos, maybe it's the TV
Maybe it's the cigarettes, maybe it's the family
Maybe it's the fast food, maybe it's the news
Maybe it's divorce, maybe it's abuse
Maybe it's the lawyers, maybe it's the prisons
Maybe it's the Senators, maybe it's the system
Maybe it's the fathers, maybe it's the sons
Maybe it's the sisters, maybe it's the moms
Maybe it's the radio, maybe it's road rage
Maybe El Nino, or UV rays
Maybe it's the army, maybe it's the liquor
Maybe it's the papers, maybe the militia
Maybe it's the athletes, maybe it's the ads
Maybe it's the sports fans, maybe it's a fad
Maybe it's the magazines, maybe it's the internet
Maybe it's the lottery, maybe it's the immigrants
Maybe it's taxes, big business
Maybe it's the KKK and the skinheads
Maybe it's the communists, maybe it's the Catholics
Maybe it's the hippies, maybe it's the addicts
Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the sex
Maybe it's the homeless, maybe it's the banks
Maybe it's the clearcut, maybe it's the ozone
Maybe it's the chemicals, maybe it's the car phones
Maybe it's the fertilizer, maybe it's the nose rings
Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing.
If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns.
Garnet Rogers "Night Drive"
Garnet Rogers is a Canadian singer-songwriter who composes both tender love songs while simultaneously creating ripping, guitar-driven melpdies.
His all-time best is "Night Drive" about his musical travels with his brother and the persona created by others for Stan after his untimely death:
How bright the stars
How dark the night
How long have I been sleeping?
Sleep overtook me on my westward flight
Held me in its keeping
I had a dream; it seemed so real
Its passing left me shaking
I saw you're here behind the wheel
On this very road I'm taking
Hurtling westward through the prairie night
Under the spell of motion
Your eyes were clear and bright in the dashboard light
Dreaming of the western ocean
The dusty towns left far behind
Mountains drawing ever nearer
Your face was then as it was tonight
Ever young
Ever clearer
I know this road
And its every curve
Where the hills commence their climbing
We rested here
If my memory serves
The northern lights were shining
You lit a smoke
We shared some wine
We watched the sky in wonder
Your laughter echoes after all this time
In that high and wild blue yonder
I don't know why I write these lines
It's not like I could send you the letter
It's that I love your more after all this time
It's that I wish I'd shown you better
Years have slipped
Beneath my wheels
Dwindling in my rear view mirror
As time has passed
Your life has seemed less real
But these night drives bring you nearer
So tonight I'll wish upon these stars
As they rise upward to guide me
That I'll see you here just as you are
Now, as then, beside me
Scares me how the years have flown
Like the leaves drift in September
They've lost sight of you as your legacy's grown
But this road and I
We remember
His all-time best is "Night Drive" about his musical travels with his brother and the persona created by others for Stan after his untimely death:
How bright the stars
How dark the night
How long have I been sleeping?
Sleep overtook me on my westward flight
Held me in its keeping
I had a dream; it seemed so real
Its passing left me shaking
I saw you're here behind the wheel
On this very road I'm taking
Hurtling westward through the prairie night
Under the spell of motion
Your eyes were clear and bright in the dashboard light
Dreaming of the western ocean
The dusty towns left far behind
Mountains drawing ever nearer
Your face was then as it was tonight
Ever young
Ever clearer
I know this road
And its every curve
Where the hills commence their climbing
We rested here
If my memory serves
The northern lights were shining
You lit a smoke
We shared some wine
We watched the sky in wonder
Your laughter echoes after all this time
In that high and wild blue yonder
I don't know why I write these lines
It's not like I could send you the letter
It's that I love your more after all this time
It's that I wish I'd shown you better
Years have slipped
Beneath my wheels
Dwindling in my rear view mirror
As time has passed
Your life has seemed less real
But these night drives bring you nearer
So tonight I'll wish upon these stars
As they rise upward to guide me
That I'll see you here just as you are
Now, as then, beside me
Scares me how the years have flown
Like the leaves drift in September
They've lost sight of you as your legacy's grown
But this road and I
We remember
Eliza Gilkyson "Rose of Sharon" Hard Times In Babylon" "The Beauty Way" "Tender Mercies" "Man Of God"
Eliza Gilkyson is another artist with a lifetime of superb songs -- here are a few of my selections:
Rose of Sharon
I am a rose of Sharon
A lily of the valley
As a lily grown among the thorns
Love in this world has found me
As an apple tree among the trees
That grow deep in the forest
My lover's form in comely
With life and limb most joyous
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
His gentle hand lies under my head
His shoulders turn to face me
I shall not stir him from my bed
While he doth so embrace me
Oh bring me wine to pass the time
Though none but him can soothe me
I am my beloved's and he is mine
Desire for his pleasure moves me
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
+++++
Hard Times In Babylon
I light a candle in your name
Long past midnight, memories bright in the freeze frame
And I'm asking myself why
I see at the Marriott, funny little grin
Driving those drums like a chariot
Did it hurt too much to try?
Woody you were my hero
A shoulder to cry on when I bottomed out at zero
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
O.K. so you had to go
Take a walk on the wild side
Down to the valley of the shadow
But it just don't seem like you.
Well you could have called out
There's not a man or woman gathered tonight in the big house
Wouldn't run to pull you through.
An incident so grievous
20 years ago you would have thought this is the way you
would leave us
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
Got to hang together when the air's this thin
Hand out the masks for the oxygen
Live for something
We're coming upon a time in our lives
When the little dreams live but the big dream dies
Not for nothing, Not for nothing
I know that love don't end
Nothing I can do is gonna bring you back or let me see
you again
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
+++++
The Beauty Way
My father made a pretty damn good living
Playing music on the Beauty Way
He’s gonna die with some money in his pocket
Wish I could do the same today little darling
Wish I could do the same today
Doe eyed kid and a little transistor
Tuned into Wolfman jack
I picked up a guitar heard the sirens whisper
And I never looked back little darling
And I never looked back
I worked the clubs along the Sangre de Cristos?
Polished the diamond in the rough
By the time I hit L.A. I was hotter than a pistol
But you’re never hot enough little darling
You never really hot enough
I felt the lights on the big, big stages
The fire burning in my soul
I’ve had those nights when my guitar rages
But it’s not something you control little darling
It’s not something you control
Redtail diving for a rat on Sunset
Coyote picking through the trash
Oh I wish I was lying like a cat in the sun
‘stead of working like a dog for the cash little darling
I’m only working for the cash
Sometimes I wish I could unplug this cord
And my soul or my money I could save
Oh but every time I say I’m gonna quit the Beauty Way
I hear my bones just turning in their grave little
darling
Bones turning in their grave
hey yeah yeah
hey yeah
hey yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
+++++
Tender Mercies
Across the world she tapes explosives to her chest
steps into a shopping mall
a life devoid of all of mercy's tenderness
really isn't any life at all
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Down below the factory along the riverside
children swimming in a poison pool
playful afternoon of unintended suicide
gone before they ever knew
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Across the world she holds her loved ones to her chest
lays them down and listens at the door
everybody safe and warm among the truly blessed
how can we even dare to ask for more
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
+++++
Sanctuary
Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow thou
thou art with me
though my heart's been torn on fields of battle
thou art with me
though my trust is gone and my faith not near
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through desolation's fire and fear's dark thunder thou
thous art with me
through the sea of desires that drag me under thou art
thou art with me
though I've been traded in like a souvenir
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through the doubter's gloom and the cynic's sneer
thou art with me
in the crowded rooms of a mind unclear
thou art with me
though I'll walk for a while down a trail of tears
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
++++++
Man Of God
The cowboy came frm out of the west
With his snakeskin boots and his bulletproof vest
Gang of goons and his big war chest
Fortunate son he was doubly blessed
Corporate cronies and the chiefs of staff
Bowin' to the image of the golden calf
Startin up wars in the name of god's son
Gonna blow us all the way to kingdom come
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Coalition of the willing and the judgmental
Patricians, politicians, and the fundamentalists
You never have to tell them how the money's spent
You never have to tell them where their freedom went
Homophobes in the high command
Waitin' for the rapture like it's disneyland
Hide all the bodies from out of view
Channel all the treasure to the chosen few
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where moses stood
Look out people now we're gonna get fleeced
By a wolf masquerading as a man of peace
Jesus said blessed are the meek
Jesus said you gotta turn the other cheek
Jesus said help the poor and the weak
If he lived today he'd be a liberal freak
All the money changers would be out on the street
Weepin and wailin and gnashin their teeth
Me I'm waitin on the reckoning day
When the whole world gonna rise up and say
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Rose of Sharon
I am a rose of Sharon
A lily of the valley
As a lily grown among the thorns
Love in this world has found me
As an apple tree among the trees
That grow deep in the forest
My lover's form in comely
With life and limb most joyous
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
His gentle hand lies under my head
His shoulders turn to face me
I shall not stir him from my bed
While he doth so embrace me
Oh bring me wine to pass the time
Though none but him can soothe me
I am my beloved's and he is mine
Desire for his pleasure moves me
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
+++++
Hard Times In Babylon
I light a candle in your name
Long past midnight, memories bright in the freeze frame
And I'm asking myself why
I see at the Marriott, funny little grin
Driving those drums like a chariot
Did it hurt too much to try?
Woody you were my hero
A shoulder to cry on when I bottomed out at zero
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
O.K. so you had to go
Take a walk on the wild side
Down to the valley of the shadow
But it just don't seem like you.
Well you could have called out
There's not a man or woman gathered tonight in the big house
Wouldn't run to pull you through.
An incident so grievous
20 years ago you would have thought this is the way you
would leave us
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
Got to hang together when the air's this thin
Hand out the masks for the oxygen
Live for something
We're coming upon a time in our lives
When the little dreams live but the big dream dies
Not for nothing, Not for nothing
I know that love don't end
Nothing I can do is gonna bring you back or let me see
you again
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
+++++
The Beauty Way
My father made a pretty damn good living
Playing music on the Beauty Way
He’s gonna die with some money in his pocket
Wish I could do the same today little darling
Wish I could do the same today
Doe eyed kid and a little transistor
Tuned into Wolfman jack
I picked up a guitar heard the sirens whisper
And I never looked back little darling
And I never looked back
I worked the clubs along the Sangre de Cristos?
Polished the diamond in the rough
By the time I hit L.A. I was hotter than a pistol
But you’re never hot enough little darling
You never really hot enough
I felt the lights on the big, big stages
The fire burning in my soul
I’ve had those nights when my guitar rages
But it’s not something you control little darling
It’s not something you control
Redtail diving for a rat on Sunset
Coyote picking through the trash
Oh I wish I was lying like a cat in the sun
‘stead of working like a dog for the cash little darling
I’m only working for the cash
Sometimes I wish I could unplug this cord
And my soul or my money I could save
Oh but every time I say I’m gonna quit the Beauty Way
I hear my bones just turning in their grave little
darling
Bones turning in their grave
hey yeah yeah
hey yeah
hey yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
+++++
Tender Mercies
Across the world she tapes explosives to her chest
steps into a shopping mall
a life devoid of all of mercy's tenderness
really isn't any life at all
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Down below the factory along the riverside
children swimming in a poison pool
playful afternoon of unintended suicide
gone before they ever knew
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Across the world she holds her loved ones to her chest
lays them down and listens at the door
everybody safe and warm among the truly blessed
how can we even dare to ask for more
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
+++++
Sanctuary
Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow thou
thou art with me
though my heart's been torn on fields of battle
thou art with me
though my trust is gone and my faith not near
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through desolation's fire and fear's dark thunder thou
thous art with me
through the sea of desires that drag me under thou art
thou art with me
though I've been traded in like a souvenir
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through the doubter's gloom and the cynic's sneer
thou art with me
in the crowded rooms of a mind unclear
thou art with me
though I'll walk for a while down a trail of tears
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
++++++
Man Of God
The cowboy came frm out of the west
With his snakeskin boots and his bulletproof vest
Gang of goons and his big war chest
Fortunate son he was doubly blessed
Corporate cronies and the chiefs of staff
Bowin' to the image of the golden calf
Startin up wars in the name of god's son
Gonna blow us all the way to kingdom come
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Coalition of the willing and the judgmental
Patricians, politicians, and the fundamentalists
You never have to tell them how the money's spent
You never have to tell them where their freedom went
Homophobes in the high command
Waitin' for the rapture like it's disneyland
Hide all the bodies from out of view
Channel all the treasure to the chosen few
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where moses stood
Look out people now we're gonna get fleeced
By a wolf masquerading as a man of peace
Jesus said blessed are the meek
Jesus said you gotta turn the other cheek
Jesus said help the poor and the weak
If he lived today he'd be a liberal freak
All the money changers would be out on the street
Weepin and wailin and gnashin their teeth
Me I'm waitin on the reckoning day
When the whole world gonna rise up and say
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Thursday, October 25, 2012
More Gretchen Peters
Understated resonance (if that isn't an oxymoron) just pours from "Five Minutes" -- another offering from Gretchen Peters on her "Hello Cruel World" release.
I've got five minutes to sneak a cigarette
Five minutes to myself
Back behind the screen door of Andy's luncheonette
And I ain't got time to worry 'bout my health
My boss Andy says I smoke myself to death
Andy he reminds me some of you
Back when you were Romeo and I was Juliet
West Texas Capulet and Montague
Now I don't think too much about you anymore
We weren't much more than kids
It was nearly twenty years ago I shut and locked that door
Now I've got five minutes
Not much time to reminisce
Most nights I come home from work and I pour a glass of wine
Sometimes it's three or four before I stop
And Jessie makes a sandwich if I sleep through suppertime
And she leaves me on the couch to sleep it off
Now Jessie just turned 17 and she's wild as she can be
And there ain't nothin' I can do
Last weekend she ran off to meet a boy in Tennessee
Just like I used to run to you
I gave her hell when she came home this afternoon
Mascara runnin' down her face
Seems like history repeats itself, and it ain't up to you
And in five minutes
Your whole life can change
Andy he's good to me, and I can see it in his eyes
He'd love to take your place
But somethin' deep inside me just withers up and dies
To make love to him and only see your face
Somehow I've let myself go gently down the stream
A fine example I have set
Between the working and the livin' and the ghosts that haunt my dreams
I've got five minutes and I'm gonna smoke this cigarette
+++++
Here's the title cut "Hello Cruel World":
haven’t done as well as I thought I would
I’m not dead but I’m damaged goods
And it’s gettin’ late
I’m a rusty hinge, a squeaky wheel
at the bad end of a shaky deal
cursed by the hand of fate
and ooooooh – I’m a very lucky girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
I’m a ticking clock, a losing bet
a girl without a safety net
I’m a cause for some concern
You don’t live this long without regrets
Telephone calls you don’t wanna get
Stones you’d rather leave unturned
but ooooooh – the grain of sand becomes the pearl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
some folks go the easy route
numb the pain or put the lights out
either way they got to go
me I’m gonna stick around
in for a penny in for a pound
cause I hate to miss the show
and ooooooh – I’m a very stubborn girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
hello cruel world
+++++
We'll close with "St. Francis" -- again on the "Hello Cruel World" release:
St. Francis walking on the water
All his lambs have gone to slaughter
All the creatures who receive his grace
you can see them all
in his haggard face
St Francis begging at your doorway
you want to let him in but what will the neighbors say
you know you can’t go on but you can’t give up
And he answers you
with his begging cup
St Francis sitting at your table
a cup of tea among the faithful
behind a wall that’s made of little lies
much to your surprise
you start to cry
by these wounds you will be whole again
by these signs you will know
you’ll feel a stirring in your soul again
’til sweet amnesia takes a hold
Saint Francis sleeping in the meadow
His halo is a raven’s shadow
He’s been sleeping for 800 years
In a potter’s field
Full of sparrow’s tears
And while we sleep and dream of heaven’s gates
down here on earth
the old man waits
Peters is simply one of those singer-songwriters who not only has lived what she writes about but captures those experiences in exquisite verse.
I've got five minutes to sneak a cigarette
Five minutes to myself
Back behind the screen door of Andy's luncheonette
And I ain't got time to worry 'bout my health
My boss Andy says I smoke myself to death
Andy he reminds me some of you
Back when you were Romeo and I was Juliet
West Texas Capulet and Montague
Now I don't think too much about you anymore
We weren't much more than kids
It was nearly twenty years ago I shut and locked that door
Now I've got five minutes
Not much time to reminisce
Most nights I come home from work and I pour a glass of wine
Sometimes it's three or four before I stop
And Jessie makes a sandwich if I sleep through suppertime
And she leaves me on the couch to sleep it off
Now Jessie just turned 17 and she's wild as she can be
And there ain't nothin' I can do
Last weekend she ran off to meet a boy in Tennessee
Just like I used to run to you
I gave her hell when she came home this afternoon
Mascara runnin' down her face
Seems like history repeats itself, and it ain't up to you
And in five minutes
Your whole life can change
Andy he's good to me, and I can see it in his eyes
He'd love to take your place
But somethin' deep inside me just withers up and dies
To make love to him and only see your face
Somehow I've let myself go gently down the stream
A fine example I have set
Between the working and the livin' and the ghosts that haunt my dreams
I've got five minutes and I'm gonna smoke this cigarette
+++++
Here's the title cut "Hello Cruel World":
haven’t done as well as I thought I would
I’m not dead but I’m damaged goods
And it’s gettin’ late
I’m a rusty hinge, a squeaky wheel
at the bad end of a shaky deal
cursed by the hand of fate
and ooooooh – I’m a very lucky girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
I’m a ticking clock, a losing bet
a girl without a safety net
I’m a cause for some concern
You don’t live this long without regrets
Telephone calls you don’t wanna get
Stones you’d rather leave unturned
but ooooooh – the grain of sand becomes the pearl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
some folks go the easy route
numb the pain or put the lights out
either way they got to go
me I’m gonna stick around
in for a penny in for a pound
cause I hate to miss the show
and ooooooh – I’m a very stubborn girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
hello cruel world
+++++
We'll close with "St. Francis" -- again on the "Hello Cruel World" release:
St. Francis walking on the water
All his lambs have gone to slaughter
All the creatures who receive his grace
you can see them all
in his haggard face
St Francis begging at your doorway
you want to let him in but what will the neighbors say
you know you can’t go on but you can’t give up
And he answers you
with his begging cup
St Francis sitting at your table
a cup of tea among the faithful
behind a wall that’s made of little lies
much to your surprise
you start to cry
by these wounds you will be whole again
by these signs you will know
you’ll feel a stirring in your soul again
’til sweet amnesia takes a hold
Saint Francis sleeping in the meadow
His halo is a raven’s shadow
He’s been sleeping for 800 years
In a potter’s field
Full of sparrow’s tears
And while we sleep and dream of heaven’s gates
down here on earth
the old man waits
Peters is simply one of those singer-songwriters who not only has lived what she writes about but captures those experiences in exquisite verse.
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