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Poetry & lyrics that I've written throughout my journey along with some of my photos.
What others are saying -

"Bright blasts of mystical wisdom reminiscent of Emily Dickinson"
 
 Doug Mcgill - Founder / Rochester Meditation Center
All works copyright 2021 - Gary Bares

I AM

I am a secret that I couldn't keep

The dreams of the dreamer who talks in his sleep

Safe but unseen in the depths of the night

I am the shadow that longs for the light

I am the answer, still trying to learn

The reason that fire can never be burned

Born into riches, like the prodigal son

I wander the earth as if I have none

Naked and hungry, I cover the land

In search of a beggar with a bowl in his hand

He'll know who I am

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Unanswerable Riddle   (Lyrics)

My faith & my doubt

Roll around on the floor

They’re still fighting it out

But I don’t know what for

... Just can't leave it alone

It’s a dubious prize

For whichever one wins

Truth is hard on the eyes

End up trading it in….

... Then they'll do this again

​​​

It's a delicate balance

Between the Yin and the yang

A dungeon, a palace

The pleasure and the pain

(So) we live in the middle

Guess the Gods prefer grey

An unanswerable riddle

Holds the whole thing in place

.... So we leave it alone

Cloud # 8

I'm really not lost

Though I am running late

Got tired of the climb

So I stopped at Cloud 8

How high should I go?

This place is just fine

And I bet it gets crowded

On cloud number 9

& The view here is nice

Couldn’t ask for much more

But it’s not twice as good

As I had on Cloud 4

So, I’m starting to doubt

If higher is better

Maybe throw out the numbers

& just use some letters

Yeah, I think I’ll just rest

I don’t mind being late

If they’re looking for me

I’ll be here on cloud ‘H’

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Primal Scream  (Lyrics)

There's a monster, there's a martyr, a serpent & a saint

The love of the Carpenter but there's nails & there is pain

​​

Swirling contradictions, in some strange cosmic stew

I always thought I knew myself, but now

I haven't got a clue
​​​​

The moon is climbing high, now

The moon is climbing high..........(pause)......

Don't close your eyes   ///​​​
​​

So, what's gonna happen now, that the veil's been stripped away

Should I run, should I scream, should I be, kneeling down to pray

Something calls me closer, as the flames are climbing higher

But you can see the light and still not know just who lit the fire

[Chorus]

The moon is climbing high, now

The moon is climbing high..... (pause)

Don't close your eyes   ///

Is it heaven, is it hell, is it up to me to choose

There's just a fine line sometimes, between a halo and a noose

Cause there's chaos in the cauldron, & its boiling up again

There'll either be a feast tonight, or just a helluva lot of pain

Heart of Darkness

(Tribute to Joseph Conrad -

Spoken word with Synth)

The Mystery, the Horror,

They're hardly around anymore

Been sanitized, sterilized, & stuffed in a bottom drawer

We’re afraid of the sharp side of the knife

The edges of our lives

The ledges we have inside

So we huddle together, & smooth each other out

Live on the surface of ourselves

With our tame desires, and our flameless fires.

& the Mystery, when the Mystery does call

We have our teachers and gurus

Our spiritual books up on the shelf

Comforting concepts

To protect us from the thing itself

..... And, so we live, half alive

Sure, there’s the occasional rebel, who wanders out past the edge of the herd

Dressed defiantly, staring boldly into the night, laughing at it all

As long as the others are somewhere in sight

But the Mystery,

It knows us much too well

Better than we know ourselves

See's right through all of this

Just waiting & whispering

Waiting & whispering

But someday if we’re ready

If we’re truly ready

It’ll take us to the realm of transformation

Of trials and tribulations

Through valleys and forests

Past prisons and palaces

And finally, to face the Horror

It'll lead us to the room where darkness dwells

The discarded hopes and dreams,

The corpses and smells

It's the den of monsters and madness

Whatever your terror, it’ll find you there

And it’s no longer you, anymore when you look in the mirror

It's like distinction itself disappears

Virtue and vice are closer than identical twins

Swear they’ve traded places when you look back again

Just confusion and chaos

Confusion and chaos

Then suddenly there’s a strange calm

And you think maybe it’ll be OK

You turn back towards the door

Take a cautious step,

And fall through the floor

Falling for what feels like forever

into the mouth of the darkest darkness

It leaves you defenseless

Stripping your senses

And still your trying to taste

What's swallowing you whole

But down here it's all gotta go

And when you’ve given it up

When you've given it all

Yourself and your soul

Your beliefs and your doubt

Something catches you, breaks your fall,

Raises you up and ushers you out

Leads you out into the light

Like you’ve never seen before

And you feel like you can finally live

For the first time,

You feel like you can finally live

No longer afraid of the day or the night

Of death or of life

But for that you need the Mystery,

And you have to face the Horror

Yet they're hardly around anymore

Been sanitized, sterilized and stuffed in a Bottom drawer

We're afraid of the sharp side of the knife

The edges of our lives

The ledges we have inside

And so we live, and so we die

Endless Flight

Complete dependence, the soul's release

Temptation and pain, the guiding forces

A jagged path that leads to peace

Through sacred lands go untamed horses

Panting struggles on perilous hills

Workers enslaved by works, at birth

And storms that breed the earthly thrills

Now wash the trail of crumbling earth

Collapse, despair, the throbbing terror

As hooves sink deep in earthly pain

The gasps of lungs that thirst for air

But find instead, the blackened rains

Unconscious mouths then drink of wine

Now flowing from a distant world

Revealing man to the divine

And to divinity, the soul unfurled

Deathly shudders release the spirit

Now swirling in the morning light

The weakened soul, drawing near it

Collapses into endless flight

In the Shadows

(Jungian shadow work i.e. reconciling the polarities within and integrating the released psychic energies. Not referring to external gods & demons. Quote from Jung - "the one arose from the melting together of the two" )

 

A battle was raging

& My soul was unwell

It was reckoning day

Between heaven & hell

 

So, I called up my demons

And I summoned the gods

I just couldn’t see that

They weren't really at odds

 

They came to my temple

To be formally wed

But I preached about purity

And divorced them instead

 

They went off in silence

Estranged from each other

& with night setting in

They had to take cover

They now seem like ghosts 

If they even exist

But there's nothing so real 

As the things I resist

They wait in the shadows

Until I come to see

That my demons & gods

Are just fragments of me

 

When I’m done casting stones

They’ll come out of hiding

They’ll join hands together

& become one inside me

 

A Soul undivided

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Dancing in the Graveyard   (Lyrics)

Late one night I'm out tiptoeing

My way through the wilted tulips

My shirt's ripped, I'm spilling scotch,

Don't know where the hell my other shoe is

& I'm looking around thinking of all the death

That's happened in this place

Like the garden of Eden is one big grave

Don't think the devil carries a pitchfork, think he's got a big ol' spade

(Pre)​

The whole thing don't make sense sometimes

Like we're on some twisted carnival ride

And you can't get off, nowhere to hide

Chorus/

Stranded, empty handed

So I'm living lightly and i'm playing hard

Dancing round the graveyard

(Repeating ?) //

The cosmos seems like one big, cold machine

Most of the time its stuck between gears

Once in a while it throws off a spark

And we get a Mozart, or a Shakespeare

But usually it's misfiring like my dad's old Buick

Spitting out smoke and leaking gas

And the only quantum mechanic in town

Is off at a conference in St Louis

Chorus/

Stranded, empty handed

So I'm living lightly and i'm playing hard

Dancing round the graveyard

//

I passed a guy, he was whistling Dixie

on his way to the North Pole

Try and catch a glimpse of heaven or

Squeeze some prayers through the ozone hole

He said the universe really is lawful

I guess, but a part of me is not convinced

So I'm gonna keep stealing the night away

& try not to leave any prints

Chorus/​

Stranded, empty handed

So I'm living lightly and i'm playing hard

Dancing round the graveyard

(Repeating ?)  //

Water into Wine   [Lyrics]

 

Thought I’d try & part the sea

As a nice little test of faith

But when I got up past my knees

Guess I saw it a different way

 

So I figured I’d start smaller

Maybe turn water into wine

Brought a glass into the shower

Get my money’s worth this time

Three tries & I quit trying

 

(spoken word chorus //)

Seems like I’m always confusing God’s role & mine

Biting off too much, chewing too little

Feeling low, trying to get high

But it's just so boring

In the middle

//

So I had to try again

This time the fishes & the loaves

Turned a fat guy into twins

But that's not really how it goes

Still I gave it one last try

Raise some fella up from the dead

But at the funeral they did have wine

So I raised a glass instead

 

(Spoken word chorus)

So, I finally learned my lesson

Just play my part & keep it small

A leap of faith, but no more ledges

Just don’t have as far to fall

Poetry.....

It's a question that starts...

In the depths of our hearts...

Where the pain's paired with word...

That it finally be heard...

By the heavens above...

That it may ask of love...

"Why must you remain,

Both healer and pain?"

Begging For Change

 

The lame and the wicked

Are left minding the store

With the old hound of heaven

Asleep by the door

 

& The artists, the poets   

The sultans of strange

Are handing out treasure    

While they're begging for change

 

[Chorus will go here]

 

They're the terminally gifted

The tragically blessed

No crime's been committed

But still they confess

 

The light in the darkness

The yin to the yang

Just fill the blank canvass

With a bloody red stain

Guess we've done it again

I’m no Angel   [Lyrics]

 

I once was lost

Now I’m just running late

It’s not the speed so much

As the path you take

And yes I learned

About the early bird

(but) They don’t tell you

About the early worm

[Chorus]

& I’m no angel

Thought you’d be surprised

Guess that’s the trouble

With such a thin disguise

If I was an angel

I would’ve pawned my wings

Traded in my halo

For some other things

[End Chorus]

If there’s a heaven

Doubt they’d let me stay

I’d be like graffiti

With nothing much to say

So, I won’t hurry

Toward the pearly gates

(but) Don’t get worried

They know I’m running late  

Beautiful Screams

Wrote this about artists protesting with screams of beauty.. Often, the deeper the ugliness, the louder & more beautiful the screams. It may be societal or personal ugliness. i.e. Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ being inspired by the view out his asylum window..

 

Beautiful screams, in nights of despair

While ugliness dreams, with hardly a care

Breeding with light, engulfing with pain

The dark of the night, now tortures the sane

Muffling the cries, with an ironclad hand

The darkness can rise, to conquer the land

With no hope in sight, they swallow their dreams

In the depths of the night, come beautiful screams

Stuck

A river above

A river below

I'm in between

With nowhere to go

A stagnant scene

While everything flows

What keeps me here

Trapped like a tree

I don't have roots

So maybe its me

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I Know Who You Are  [Lyrics]

In sadness, in silence

I know who you are

Try to run from the whispers

But you never get far

And I’ve met all your demons

I’ve seen where they hide

I know that you feed them

And I understand why

[Transition/Chorus]

But I think that there's more

It's just hidden from sight

I guess maybe we find it

When the moment is right

[End Trans]

In satin and shadows

I know where you’ve been

Always diving for covers

As the night crashes in

& I heard the confession

From your small crowd of sins

I was there at the temple

As you ushered them in

[Transition/Chorus]

But I'm sure that there’s more

Somewhere deep in the night

Where the secrets all go

When the moon is too bright

[End transition]

And the dark-hooded thief

That ran off with your smiles

Well, I know where he lives

(&) why he’s living in style

​ 

Yes, I stood by the gallows

With your future in doubt

And I heard all the screams

That could never get out

[Transition/Chorus]

But I know that there’s more

It just waits in the night

I guess maybe alone

It’s afraid of the light

[End transition]

The Prisoner

The soul has a wondrous story to tell

Of an innocent child locked deep in a cell

He's told he is sentenced because he is broken

A verdict returned before he had spoken

With the judge and the jury thinking they knew

That acceptance demands you mustn't be you

They left him in darkness, trying to find

A kingdom existing solely in mind

The child is most patient, his sentence not death

He'll wait here in silence, a voice without breath

He knows they'll return since peace is forbidden

To those seeking treasure beyond where it's hidden

They'll search for their kingdom but won't understand

That the key to its entrance is here in his hand

In time they will tire with a weariness of mind

And then in their depths, his secret they'll find

Returning at once, with contrition and pleas

But all that he asks, is the trading of keys

Awareness

Desire is a bandit

And thoughts can be thieves

Will they leave empty-handed

That's all up to me

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Something I’ve Lost    [Lyrics]

 

I feel like I’m looking for something I’ve lost

It’s vague and its shy but the scent fills the air

Yet there’s always a void that I can’t get across

Seems like some part of me is already there

 

It feels like I’m losing, even if I win

Like the game that we’re playing, just isn’t mine

The curtain goes up and its showtime again

But I can’t act the part, no one gave me the lines

Chorus //

It feels like I'm lost though I've traveled so far

Wandering & wondering where the hell we are

Looking for clues, of how it might've gone down

But I don't think that I'll find them on this side of town

End//

Not sure why I search for the meaning at all

Never comes into focus, it's never quite clear

When you wait by the phone, seems like nobody calls

And the louder I question, the less I can hear

I feel like a pilgrim, can’t find my way home

And the dark lonely streets, no longer have names

Some look familiar, and some are unknown

But they never lead back, not the way that I came

A Different Drummer    [Humorous Lyrics]

I never fell in love

But I slipped on lust

As far as I can tell

It just don't hurt as much

And I never really cared

To have the world on a string

Not like some friends of mine

What would I do

With such sad little thing

Maybe twirl it around just to kill some time

Chorus//

I march to the beat of a different drummer

& I dance to the music of the spheres

See a shooting star, stick out my thumb

Can I get a lift, I never liked - it - here

End//

And who are  the jones’

& why should I keep up

Bet they’re going pretty slow

Carrying all that stuff

And I’ve never felt

I had to keep the faith

Where would I put it

My pockets are full

Get some later, saw it on Ebay

Have it delivered when I'm getting old

Eddy in the Flow

At  the intersection of spirit and matter

A fallen branch

An eddy in the flow

A holding on that gradually grows

A persistent tightness

A painful informing

Calling out

For me to let go

Control

I did not initiate my entrance into this world and I shall not control my exit. I didn’t choose the color of my hair nor the shape of my mouth. I didn’t create the mechanism of voice nor the words that I speak. A beating heart has sustained me long before I was conscious of life. The air so necessary for my survival was awaiting my first breath. The nourishment of the land predicting the exact form of my hunger. Yet, somewhere along the way, the reigns of control have found my hands. Suddenly, I alone must steer myself and others to prosperity, to safety, to harmony. And, if the outcomes will not submit themselves to me, then at least the understanding must be mine. How did I go from being the wild, free colt to grasping these reigns with such clenched desperation?

control

The loss of control

The gains of the soul

The terror of the fall

To the heart of it all

The bluest of skies

The purest of cries

The darkest of nights

The heavenly sights

The birth of a soul

In the death of control

Art

Art is a lonely question

Cast upon the land

A longing in reflection

Flowing through the hand

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Poets's Dance

(Finding a very old book of poetry on a dusty bookshelf)

The cover opens, the pages turn, a book that rested high

The poets wake and one by one, they dance before my eye

They move with joy that must have come from such a hellish wait

Like soul's whose death is spent in doubt before the pearly gates

Their heaven's not a place or time, but just another soul

To share the dance of hope and grief, oh, how love takes its toll

The ink, the page, the joyous phrase, the beauty and the beat

With steps in time to nature's rhyme, they dance with lettered feet

They take my hand and lead me on, it's they who know the way

These unsealed lips have kissed the past and have so much to say

Their echoes ring throughout the hall, with spins from page to page

Each poet shares the dance of time, then exits from the stage

But far from gone, their spirits last, and soon will join the next

Then hand in hand, the dance will grow, this ballroom of the text

The heaven's saved the depths of time, they lingered in the air

'Til winds of truth blew poets near, and trusted to their care

The secret dance of souls gone by, with steps we'd all forsake

Had love and joy not made demands, it's these that we must take

The night draws on and soon of course, the cover must be sealed

Like a coffin lid that once had hid these poets since revealed

Though on these faces laid to rest, I thought I sensed a smile

Perhaps this time has been just fine, if only for a while

The cover falls and once again they're hoisted to their grave

But rot they won't, for nature yields, her secret theirs to save

'Til some fair soul, again may pass, perhaps like me, by chance

And come across this treasured past, still longing for a dance

The Desert   [Lyrics]

I wasn’t there the day lost control

Heard about it from some friends I've known

Helpless crowd, they just watched me go

Now I’m

Wandering the desert tonight

Why do the gifted and the good die young

& hope just seems like a setting sun

If you don’t know could you find someone

I'll be 

Here in the desert tonight

Chorus/

I'm down on my knees

But I'm all out of prayers

& I don't think a bottle's gonna get me there

End//

I have a feeling that the deck is stacked

A slight of hand, and a vanishing act

All I heard, is he was dressed in black

I bet he's,

Out in the desert tonight

Can you tell me where the innocence goes

The things we lose are what we need the most

I’d ask my priest, but I don’t think he knows

I just,

Saw him in the desert tonight

Chorus/Again

No one's leaving this world alive

Kinda looks like the perfect crime

Take the stand & blame the other guy

Now he's

wandering the desert tonight

I wish I knew where nirvana was

I'd get some friends and a big old bus

But the road is hidden from most of us.

So we're

Still in the desert tonight

Painting the Town   [Lyrics]

Said she'd call me by nine tonight

It's about quarter to eleven right now

But she doesn't worry 'bout time,

Says, the hands always come back around

She's the kind of girl, who walks on a wire

tell you there ain't nothing to it

Wild & free, light as a bird

And she's got the scars to prove it

Chorus/

Said she'd love me forever

Her forever just isn't that long

More like June to December

& I'm just trying to hold on

November is already gone

End//

Was a starry night, when she caught my eye

(She) was there by the carnival booth

Said you gotta be this tall to go on this ride

But the rest is all up to you 

Didn't take long & I fell for the girl

Spent our nights out painting the town'

But it ain't no paint by numbers with her

(it's) Like Van Gogh ran into a clown

Colors flying all around

Chorus Again/

End/

Like fireworks in the summer sky

Some things just don't last that long

That's how it feels when she lights up my night

But I'm just trying to hang on

Long Gone   [Lyrics]

He laid down his laws

In matter & physics

He couldn't stay long

but I hear he still visits...

I bet he stops by

On Christmas and Easter

Maybe one other time

If we're having a leap year

But I don't think he sleeps here

Doubt he likes what he sees here

​Chorus//

​Long gone, I guess he's long gone

(I) Heard he rarely comes back

Long gone, I bet he's long gone

Really don't blame him for that

End//

He lit a bush for old Moses

& left the plans for the ark

Said hey, what do you know

I should be home before dark

But I bet he's looks down

& thinks what have I done

Looks like a circus and clowns

But they're not having much fun

Well, goodnight everyone

Pursuits, Substitutes, & Ghosts

 

I’ve been swinging at shadows

Throwing punches at ghosts

But they’re always behind me

So I never get close

I went chasing a rainbow

Found a big pot of gold

But it’s sure hard to carry

When you’re out there alone

Didn’t bring that much home

I sought the ocean of love

Found my other half first

But there’s never enough

When you’re dying of thirst

So, I looked to the preachers

Had such fine things to say

Thought words were like windows

To some brighter place

But they just got in the way

Finally gave up the chase

 

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The Time Has Come

Time… I think the time has come

The past…. I think it's just begun

This winding road, it doesn’t take us far

It just leads back to wherever we are       

Time….. I think the time has come

 

Our way…. I think we lost our way

The path..... You know, in time it fades

Got turned around, & upside down

Got the outside in, and the inside out

Our way… I think we lost our way

/// Chorus - YTD ///

Pain….. I’m seeing so much pain

It goes…. but the it’s back again  

The medicine seemed to work so well

But in the end, (it) makes us sick as hell

Pain…. I’m seeing so much pain

 

Home….. I think it's calling us home

Deep down….. I think we’ve always known

Turned our back went we walked away

(But) I get the feeling that a part of us stayed

Home, I think it's calling us home

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Here In The Night

Waiting wearily
Beyond the weathered door.
His body still, his mind pacing.
Which way shall it open and when.

Flight has been futile
As hunter grows larger to prey.
Two forever one yet strangers
Wind blowing silence away.

Here in the night.

Hell must be ambiguous he thinks
Unsure of himself.
Recalling the prisoner's journey.
Both ends through the same door.

Inertia charges by the hour,
Scattered bottles attest.
Emptiness growing in shadows
More painful than he.

Time demands its release
If only to the light.
The latch rises slowly
Dreaded foe or numb hand

Here in the night

Light in the Distance (song)

What's hidden in that darkness

What ghosts have come to call

Who chased away your sunlight

The shadows growing tall

What's there within your winter

The heart's barren veil

What secret pain still guards you 

In that secret jail

Whose hand was on the switch

That dimmed your brilliant light

Who closed the weathered door

That keeps you in this night

If the screams could find an exit

What stories might they tell

What restless mob of sorrows

Waits outside your cell

If I told just how special

And beautiful you are

Would you lift your weary eyes

Of keep them on the scars

Now the story needs an ending

Like stories always do

A canvas lies before you

What colors will you choose

USA - USA     [Lyrics]

So much pain in the world today

I hope we can find us another way

But the darkness tells me it's getting late

USA – USA

Battle lines on a lonely street

The angry mob needs an enemy

I pray to god that it isn’t me

USA – USA

​​

Broken windows and a shopping cart

A blue light special by a police car

Can someone tell me who the bad guys are

USA – USA

Chorus/

& I don't know how we ended up here

The un-united states

Started out towards the promised land

Got lost along the way

& Sure is getting late //

We make an altar out of dollar bills

Sacrifice truth to relieve our guilt

Pray that it works but I doubt it will

USA – USA

Hey, come on over and join our side

You know, truth on its own can still survive

But it takes a village to raise a lie

USA – USA

Chorus Again //

​​

We raped the land but we left our prints

& now the law is finally closing in

Guess who's back on the run again

USA - USA

(poss Bridge)

And you say that, - you have, - someone to save us

Right along party lines

But I aint, gonna wait, for some new messiah

Cause I don't think we have time

Think the job is yours & mine

Dragons Den  -     [Lyrics]

Friday night about half past ten

Walked into the Dragons Den 

Just a little place, but friendly folks

Light on dragons, heavy on smoke   

[Figured I’d stick around, I'd heard good things]

​​

Guy in the corner with a snakeskin pipe

Waved me over, he needed a light

Said hey there friend, (have) you tried this stuff

Said, once or twice, But it didn’t do much

[He said you haven't had this particular brand, & offered me some]

​​

So I grabbed the pipe & I thanked the guy

Took a hit and then I closed my eyes

Heard a sound like an avalanche

& reality didn't stand a chance                       

[You know, the guy wasn't kidding about this stuff]

​​

Cause the roof & the walls just disappeared

Found myself in a house of mirrors      

All alone, but there were 20 of me

Got to pick who I wanted to be

[Third guy from the left & I went walking]

​​

There was a wooden arch by a magic shop

‘For madmen only’ written across the top

I’d been called alot worse before

So I went right in where there wasn’t a door

[And they were waiting for me]

​​

There was a slightly manic coat check girl

By the 7 wonders of the underworld 

Pointed at the map, while holding a beer     

This dot on top, well ‘you are here’

[& it’s all downhill after this, I’ll show you around, so we walked]

Saw a purple pigeon in a pickup truck

(He) pulled on over to pick us up

Said howdy folks, where you headed

I’ll get you there, for a loaf of bread    

[You know the pigeons do like their bakery products, even down here]

​​

​​(She) said we’re going to Poseidon’s place

Got a little trailer with a private lake

Guess all the gods downsized a bit                

You know, the market crashed, they took a hit

[But, when we got there, turned out he wasn’t home, so we just kept going]

​​

Saw a hideous creature with a dozen mouths

Had been the meanest monster in town

But now he's working at the lumber mill

Trying to make a dent in his dental bills

[That's the side of monster-hood you don't hear about - maintenance costs]

So she took me to a museum of sorts

See a bunch of stuff that happened before

Main exhibit was the Holy Land

Not a whole lot of peace, (just) a whole lot of sand   

[… saw a little scene happening with Moses] 

He was arm wrestling an octopus

Didn’t turn out like I thought it would

Moses was tough, but he was just a man

& The other dude kept changing hands

[If your gonna part this sea, you have to go through me]

& the Jews & the Christians were at it again

About the empty tomb, & the guy that went in

The Jews said it was all just a magic act    

Like pulling a Rabbi from a hat

[Said, that’s a bit much, so we were heading out, but we saw a little skirmish off to the west.]

It was God & the devil playing basketball

Devil had a shot to win it all

Would have made it, I have no doubt

But he tripped on his tail & time ran out

[Never read about that in the bible.. Then I said how about somewhere less biblical…]

So, she took me to a tiny little town

Hookah pipes being passed around

The dormouse looked at me and smiled

Said reality's just a stubborn child

[Deep little critter but we had to keep moving on]

​​

Saw Buddha sitting by a burned out tree  

Said the best things in life really are free

But hey, can you spare a buck or two

Got child support & the rent is due

[Guess he didn’t think that one all the way through… but we were flat broke so we kept going]

Saw a kangaroo riding an elephant

Swerving all over, think they both were drunk

Went in the ditch after hitting a deer

Trunk flew open.....peanuts & beer

[Didn't see that coming.. That was fun but I figured we should be getting back..]

 

.......the stuff it was starting to wear off,

and it was getting late....

Actually I have a confession to make

The truth is I never did go in

To a little place called the Dragon’s Den

Didn't need drugs to get me high, had everything right here inside

Sacred Fire     [Lyrics]

 

Holy ghosts creeping in

(your) kicking up the

The past again

 

Sacred fire

Consuming me

Burning down

What I used to be

 

But I never made it out

Couldn’t find the shrinking door

Guess now I'll finally know

What the night is really for​

 

What are you supposed to do

When the ashes and the residue

Were once the biggest part of you

 

Just dance to the deathly rattle

Slide across the blackened floor

Try being light for once

See what all the death was for

its best to just stay silent

In the temple of the beast

You wouldn’t know who to call

The demons or the priest

 

Falling through the flames

There's noting to cling to

Better let go of sanity

Before it lets go of you

 

 

Castle Walls     [Lyrics]

 

Castle walls, I stumble & fall

When I come up on my dreams

Forty feet high, shiny and bright

They don’t look much like me

 

Spoken word chorus/

Sometimes dreams are friendlier when they’re farther away

When I get up close, I realize why I made them so big to begin with //

 

So I back away, find somewhere to stay

Make a house in the fallen trees

And most nights

That’s where you’ll find me

 

[Break]

 

Wounded dove, collided with love

Fell out of the sky

Now it wanders around, makes friends on the ground

And forgets that it can fly

 

(Spoken word chorus) /

There’s a fine line between not being able to do something

And being afraid to try.

And the lines gets even more blurry at night

Cause that’s the same color as my bruises  //

 

So it looks away, finds somewhere to stay

Makes a nest in the fallen trees

And most nights

That’s where you’ll find me

 

 

UNION

It's the enchanting flame for the proverbial moth

Drawn to the light, doesn't realize the cost

It's the final temptation for the journeying soul

Wanting to taste what is swallowing it whole

Wishing on the Stars

Looking up at the sky tonight

(And) wondering where I'm from

All those stars seem small and shy

So different from the sun

They look so peaceful as they float

On a dark and silent sea

I wonder if there's anyone home 

Maybe someone just like me

All those stars just hanging around

Yet none look out of place

So many miles between us now

And so much empty space

All those lights left on, it seems

There must be someone home

I might be wishing on the stars, 

(but) It makes me feel less alone 

Inspiration

You hide enough 

To leave a choice

It comes in whispers

Your sculpting voice

Afraid To Go In     [Lyrics]

Gonna climb up the mountain

And find Noah’s ark

With no one around

He picked a strange place to park

Got a new submarine

It'll seat 20 of us

Has a sign on the back

Says 'Atlantis or Bust'

At a pawnshop in Cleveland

Someone spotted the grail

There was a unicorn too

But it was missing its tail

We dredged up the Nile

Looking for Moses' raft

Got a hundred foot pile

Full of crocodile crap

Chorus//

We’re searching for God

All over the place

Now I even hear

That we're digging in space

I think he’s hiding out,

Where he’s always been

We’ve had him surrounded,

We’re just afraid to go in ///

We camp out at Cavalry

With our shovels and pails

Quick, stop the presses

Found a rusty old nail​

We've cleared out the temples

Deciphered the old texts

Got our television shows

About where to dig next

Lets go back to Peru

Or maybe even Tibet

Think we just haven't looked

High enough yet

Chorus //

We’re searching for God

All over the place

Now I even hear

That we're digging in space

I think he’s hiding out,

where he’s always been

We’ve had him surrounded,

We’re just afraid to go in. ///

My Black Cloud & Me   (addiction)

I met him when I was twelve years old

I was sitting by a lonely tree

Looked pretty dark, as far as clouds go

But he seemed OK to me

 

He asked if he could tag along

Said he didn't have much else to do

Then he said, don’t get me wrong

It’ll also be good for you

 

See, the summer sun, it sure gets hot

You won’t always have a tree for shade

It made perfect sense, said thanks a lot

To this new friend that I just made

 

He also said, I'd be free from rain

See as a cloud he was rather dry

He had no need for joy and pain

And clouds like that, they just don’t cry

 

Ah, those summer days, such a splendid time

Didn’t need no friends or family

Just kept playing, come rain or shine

My black cloud and me

 

But time went by, and I should’ve known

That nothing in this life is free

Cause my black cloud, he just kept on growing

& took the whole world away from me

So, now we go from town to town

And walk the empty streets

Sure is quiet, with no one around

Just my black cloud and me

Red, White & Blue

 

Red, white, and blue

Is that really you

So clearly defined

By the edges and lines                  

 

And the cash and the cars

Do they take you that far

The things that you own 

And all that you know

Is that who you are      

 

[Chorus will go here]

And the world that we see               

Through the mental debris

The battles and scars

Is that all we are

 

The flesh and the skin

That are holding us in           

Can I ask you, my friend                  

If that’s where we end                                          

Where do we begin        

 

[Chorus again]                                 

 

The prize that we chase  

While we're running in place

What’s this hunger we feed

This insatiable need

Is it a memory we taste?

Hymn of the Pearl     [Lyrics]

Yeah, I’ve got a secret

cause I’ve seen the truth

But I’m not meant to keep it

So I’m sharing it with you

See, I lived in the fast lane

Asleep at the wheel

Weighed down by the gold chains

Guess my fate had been sealed

Had a thirst deep inside me

But I drank/chose the wrong wine

I grew weak, I grew weary

But It was all by design

[Chorus – children’s voices]

I’m gonna live forever, I’m gonna find the sea

The question is now whether, you can all find me

(or - you will follow me) //

I awoke in a castle

So far from the world

& the song that they sang there

Was about a lost pearl

 

Said it waits by a dragon

& it waits in the night

But if you can claim it

It can fill you with light

 

& The words and the music

(they) Just sounded so true

So I knew in that moment

Just what I’d have to do

 

Chorus Again

 

So I fought with the dragon

And I fought with myself

& The pearl, it was waiting

In the place where they fell

 

When at last I could hold it

It was well worth the fight

Cause it filled me with music

And it filled me with light

 

It’s then that I remembered

All the words to the song

And the music was perfect

So I just sang along

 

Have a Little Faith in Me     [Lyrics]

Had a little visit with my Father today

A bit one-sided, he had nothing to say

Got so many questions running round in my head

I try praying louder but the line has gone dead

(Trans)

Been awhile since we talked

I forget what he said

Something about...

Chorus//

Have a little faith in me

Can't you just wait and see

Things are gonna turn around

Never gonna let you down

End//

The world is getting louder & the devil chimes in

He's so damn clever, I don't know that its him

I get lost in my darkness, can't find my way out

Playing blind man's bluff with the shadows & doubt

(trans)

It's a still, small voice

But i wish it would shout

instead of

Chorus//

How 'bout Having a little faith in me

Can't you just maybe just wait and see

Things are gonna be turning around

You know i'll never let you down

......

I'm never gonna let you down

Crumbs

All the things I want

Seems they don't want me

So the cage is open

But I'm still not free

I'm too weak to fly

I'm too tired to sing

Just getting by

On the crumbs they bring​

Someone stole the sky

But they forgot to run

Now they spend their time

Just blocking out the sun

​​So, the night grows heavy

On these dusty wings

I forgot my song

I can't hear a thing

... Just getting by

On the crumbs they bring

Simple As Can Be      [Lyrics]

I went searching for God

Thought I'd find where he hides

But when I finally slowed down

He snuck up from behind

Now I'm learning some things

They didn't teach me in school

Like the mind's a great servant

It's just not fit to rule

& It's a beautiful ride

If you don't hold on too tight

& possessions are prisons 

If you pile them too high

Chorus//

Hey, Hey look at me

I’m hanging out like a leaf on a tree

Hey, Hey,

Simple as can be

I always wondered what it was like to be free

End//

& Desire is a bandit

And thoughts can be thieves

Will they leave empty handed

That’s all up to me

& I saw how the vine

Both gives and receives

Guess, from water to wine

There's a lesson for me

& Time’s just a thread

But it's tight as a noose 

'Til the moment arrives

Ends up cutting me loose

Chorus//

Hey, Hey, look at me

I’m hanging out like a wave on the sea

Hey, Hey,

Simple as can be

I always wondered what it was like to be free

End//

In The Middle     [Lyrics]

Turned on the evening news

Whole world is black & blue

What the hell’s happening here

Everyone's drawing lines

Something to hide behind 

& light aint making it in

….. Where do we even begin

/Chorus/

I’ll come over your way a little

If you move my way too

Maybe we’ll find some peace in the middle

God knows there’s plenty of room

…. Gotta do something soon    /End

Blocking the sunlight out

Scared of our shadows now

Screaming at everyone else

Yet nobody hears a thing

Cause no one is listening

End up repeating ourselves

I know that story too well

Chorus again / End

​But, their views are heresy

Just fueling polarity

 Maybe try looking again

….. I am what I’m pushing against

Certain where truth resides?

There’s a little in every lie

Careful ‘bout holding too tight

Chorus Again / End

Chorus again / End

Loving your enemies

That’s really not meant for me

Just isn't practical now

​​

Really don’t need a mirror

The problem is very clear

At least I have someone to blame

…… (but) reflections are sure hard to change

Take It Slow          [Lyrics]

You know I’m such a lucky guy

I cast my prayers up to the sky

Rarely have to ask him twice

I’m truly blessed, just me I guess

I gave my cares up to the wind

You know I haven’t seen ‘em since

I doubt they’re coming back again

Such a lucky guy, hardly have to try

 

Think I’ll climb a mountain top

Come so far, why should I stop

You say that's brave (well) thanks a lot

​That's just me, got more to see

[Chorus]

(You know)

If you didn’t fly so high,

Then you wouldn’t sink so low

Learn to take your time

Enjoy the winding road

See where it goes

Take it slow

End//

I guess I thought I had it made

I thought that peace was here to stay

You know I didn’t see it wave

But I know it left, probably while I slept

Cause now the storms are rolling in

The rain is falling once again

Guess I should probably start to swim

Cause its getting deep & it’s coming for me

Seems like I’m always tossed around

I’m either up or else I’m down

Need to find some stable ground

But not today, not with these waves

 

[Chorus]

If you didn’t fly so high,

You wouldn’t sink so low

Learn to take your time

Enjoy the winding road

See where it goes

Take it slow

End//

 

And now it feels like judgment day

Can’t keep my head above the waves

My hands are too damn busy to pray

I’m going down, without a sound

Next thing you know I feel some sand

Washed up on some foreign land

Then somebody takes my hand

Then I know, & then I know

[Chorus]

He says,

If you didn’t fly so high,

You wouldn’t sink so low

Learn to take your time

Enjoy the winding road

(Take it slow)

See where it goes

End//

The Dark Night        [Lyrics]

 

Approaching clouds and dark footprints

The nights speak loud, they don’t drop hints

The shades are pulled but the night sees in

With senses dulled, let the feast begin

The broken shadows unleash the rain

While the men in robes are all insane

 

Chorus

Even the past has a past

If you know what I mean

It just gets recast

And we.re caught between

 

Every night has a night

Where it’s already been

Think you’ve seen the light

Better think again

[End Chorus]

There's wounded doves and twisted steel

And God knows what is still concealed

The crowded halls feed empty rooms

Where darkness breeds what it consumes

Chorus Again

A Thousand Little Deaths

 

I was leaving my home back in ‘94

Strangest thing, I couldn’t find the door

Something gave & I fell through the floor

….. Just like a dream

Found myself out on a forest path

My demons were there, about to attack

Turned around but I couldn’t go back

….. Only one way

Been awhile since these guys were fed 

If I stayed around, I might just end up dead

Stood my ground, & they became my friends

….. Its not as it seems     

Chorus/

Through the darkest nights

Kinda…. had to lose my mind

All I could do was feel my way through &

Look to the sky   //

Then the path went down to some wooden steps

Had a feeling what was coming next

Not scared of the heights, just afraid of the depths

Still I went on

They led me down into the darkest place

All the parts of myself I just could never face

Made our peace & went on our way

That's all that I'll say

 

[Chorus Again & brief instrumental]

 

Then I was sailing out on an endless sea

Loneliest time, no one around but me

Can’t believe what it takes to get free

Guess everything goes

Gotta die a thousand of those little deaths

Float between on a sea of breath

Find yourself in the life that’s left

….. It's more than you know

 

Chorus/

Through the darkest nights

Kinda…. had to lose my mind

All I could do was feel my way through &

Look to the sky   //

Coming out the other side

So much lighter for the things that died

Feels so good just to be alive

Coming on home.....

Time For Sleep   (WIP)

 

(C) It’s time for sleep, she (Em) said

(Am) Come & rest your weary (C) head

(Em) The hour is late

(Am) & They’ve closed the gates

(F) The kingdom's gone to (C) bed 

I pretend I'm falling asleep

Then she softly kisses me

You curious child

Just rest for awhile

She Leaves and takes the key

 

But something just isn’t right

I look out and it’s still light

But there's a growing haze

The world's in a daze

In a night that isn’t night

Chorus //

Dream away

We're all just, all just, dreamin away

Is anyone still awake  //

I know what must be done

Break the door down & I run

Find a hidden hall

Rarely used at all

And I don't see anyone

Make it onto the lawn

The shades have all been drawn

The people that are there

Have an empty stare

& they're mumbling about the dawn

Now it's sleep that rules the day

In a frenzied, wandering way

People moving around

Eyelids half(way) down

& they can’t hear what I say

/Chorus Again //

Their hearts have grown so hard

As they push their shopping carts

Like they're under a spell

They don't look well

And they’re tearing up the yard

It’s the loneliest time I’ve known

Lights are on but no one's home

If I disturb their sleep

They start cursing me

I’ve learned to leave them alone

Instead, I just sing my song

It’s a different path they’re on

I hope someday

They’ll all be awake

Maybe come and sing along

Chorus//

If You're Selling Your Soul 

 [W.I.P - C-F-C-G ?]

(Humorous i.e. John Prine)

Sold my soul to the devil last Saturday night

For eternal youth & a case of Bud Light

​​

Woke up on Sunday, I was still old & gray

What the hell happened, not the deal that we made

As I looked in the mirror, I was kicking myself

Think I mighta sold my soul to somebody else

I Don’t think that fella was the devil at all

Just some guy with a pitchfork, wearing overalls

Chorus/

You can’t trust the devil, guess it's true what they say

And there are so many devils out in the world today

So, you gotta be careful about the company you keep

And if you’re selling your soul make sure you get a receipt

Maybe ask for ID

End//

​What can you do, I guess you live and you learn Some dude got my soul, I didn't get much in return

​I bet he hangs out down on Broadway at night

Selling second-hand souls by a neon light

​Maybe I’ll go down there & see about getting it back

Probably in a pile out on the discount rack

​Chorus/

You can't trust the devil, guess it's true what they say

And there are so many devils out in the world today

​So, You gotta be careful about the company you keep

And if you’re selling your soul make sure you get a receipt

Maybe ask for ID

End//
 

Here Comes The Rain

(W.I.P.)

Found the letter that you wrote to me

When we were first going out

All the love that you were feeling 

That you're not feeling now

It was hidden in the corner 

Of our old, oak dresser drawer

And now all the feelings that I hid/tucked away

Aren't hiding any more

So much promise in the words you wrote 

It was just such a happy time

I guess something has to give way

When the present and past collide

(pre)

I didn't realize my world had turned, 

So dark and grey

It's been cold & cloudy for months (now, but)

Here comes the rain

(Chorus continuing w/)

Here comes the rain, a falling

Here comes the rain

Lightning from the past & now 

Here comes the rain

Here comes the rain

Thought this one was gonna last, but now

Here comes the rain   //

You said that we meant for each other

That you, found your other half

Time has a way of changing things

I don't  -  have to tell you that

I've been going through the motions 

Saying that I've been doing OK   (just fine)

But the feelings that I'm fighting back

Have something else to say    Tell me I mighta been lyin) see it another way

I didn't realize my world/sky was

So (damn) dark and gray

It's been cold & cloudy for months now

But here comes the rain

[Chorus continuing]

Here comes the rain a falling

Here comes the rain

Lightning from the past & now

Here comes the rain

Thought it was gonna last & now

or

Tonight your ghost came calling, now

Here comes the rain

(repeating)

Stumbling Along

(G-C-Am-C)

Went down to see my shrink today

Find out what is wrong with me

Wouldn't you know, the sign said closed

Heard he's back in therapy

So, I'd tried to find a professor of mine

Was the wisest guy in town

But he traded his diplomas for Oklahoma

& he's now a rodeo clown

Chorus //

I don't know whether

Anyone's got it together

Think we're all just stumbling along

So maybe I'm......

Doing just fine

End //

Had a heart to heart at the local park

With all my feathered friends

It was nice to have someone listening 

At least, 'til I ran out of bread

 

So, I went down to church & tha's when I heard

That they busted Father Joe

He was in a nuns outfit, made a habit of it

So they had to let him go

Chorus //

I don't know whether

Anyone's got it together

Think we're all just stumbling along

So maybe I'm......

Doing just fine

End //

Been walking around, my head hanging down

Thought it was time that I looked up

That's when I tripped over a four-leaf clover

Just my kind of luck

Laying there I yelled up a prayer

Tell me, what's it all about

He just laughed, said I can't tell you that

We're all just trying to figure it out

Chorus //

I don't know whether

Anyone's got it together

Think we're all just stumbling along

So maybe I'm......

Doing just fine

End //

(Alternate verse)

So I went to see an old ex-priest

Who hears confessions at the bar

But I caught him doin some unholy communing

In the backseat of his car

Into The Mystery   (W.I.P - & G/C/Am  right now)

 

I was walking by myself one day

Thinking, life had let me down

When I came up to the forest edge

& I, heard the sweetest sound

It was like the angels were singing to me

& Music filled the air

& I swore I heard the song before

But I, can't remember where

Then I saw a vision wave to me, up

Where the trees begin

When I got up close, she raised her hand &

Wouldn't let me in

(pre-chorus)

Said you're carrying too much

What'll you give up

I said, how about half

& She just laughed, ...said

(chorus)

If you wanna be my partner, if you're gonna

Come and drink my wine

To walk with me in the mystery

You gotta leave it all behind

.... but the things that you will find...  /End//

So I emptied out me pockets and I

Gave her every cent

I appreciate the gesture, she said

But that wasn't what I meant

If you're gonna come into my world

There can't be any doubt

If i'm gonna fill you with music. first

You must be emptied out

Gotta, offer up your hopes and dreams,

All the, precious things you've learned

Build a sacrificial fire &

Prepare to watch them burn

(pre)

Do I have to do that

I (just) gave you my cash

(She just laughed, & said ) ?

(chorus)

If you wanna be my partner, if you're gonna

Come and drink my wine

To walk with me in the mystery

You gotta leave it all behind

.... but the things that you will find...  /End//

I'd never found my place in this world, & I'd

Knocked on all the doors

Was tired of wandering the lonely streets

My hands were getting sore

I'd always felt like a stranger here

Traveling all alone

But when I heard that voice of hers

It finally felt like home

(it felt like i'd come home)

She had me convinced

So, I said i'm all in

She just grinned

& said

[Chorus again

r

Rockabye

(W.I.P. - main verses rock back and forth between C & F)

(C) Rock-a-bye, (F) little child

(C) Close your eyes,  (F) For a while

(C) Sail away, (F) on the sea

(C) Leave your cares (F) all here with me

Chorus/

(C) Though I'm so much older now

(Am) I gotta find that peace somehow

(?) Casue the is world is getting heavier all the time   //

(C/F Aagin)

There are fields, That i've known

Where dreams and flowers grow

And like clouds, up in the sky

My worries passed me by

C/Am

Though I'm so much older now

I gotta find that place somehow

Casue the is world is getting heavier all the time   //

(Bridge)

I'm not sure if it still exists 

I just know there's something more than this

Somehow, some day, some way

I'll make it there

/End//

(C/F again)

I believe, that its real

I don't see (it), I just feel

I just pray that I can find

The place that I left behind

C/Am

Though I'm so much older now

I gotta find my way somehow

Casue the is world is getting heavier all the time   //

Another Way?

There’s a young man reading Dante late at night

Feels the heavenly words much more than the hellish sights

Hasn't seen enough of the darkness yet in his life

Got a shiny love right now but it’s bound to rust

Ashes turn to ashes and dust to dust

He'll try his best to (just) sweep ‘em under the rug

And I know what my preachers gonna say

The soul has to get lost before it gets saved

Just seems there could have been another way  ///

A newborn baby cries at it takes a breath

Let me tell you child you aint seen nothing yet

Have they told you how the whole things gonna end

Yet the bluebirds sing & it sounds like a symphony

They lift us up just high enough to see

Truth walks hand in hand with absurdity

// (chorus)

And I know what the teachers are gonna say

Need black and white or else it all turns to grey

Just seems there could have been another way  ///

Poets hold the dark and turn it just a bit

So maybe people will see another side of it

Better still if the light would’ve just stayed lit

But the morning sun comes up like a ray of hope

And maybe the gods are finally gonna drop us a rope

Or be kind enough at least, to let us in on the joke

// (chorus)

And I know what my Eastern friends will say

Light & dark are dancing in a cosmic play

Just seems there could have been another way  ///

Keep Travelling On

(CFCG or Am in place of F 2nd time?)​

40 days and 40 nights?

I've been in the desert my whole damn life

My stomache empty, satan tempting me

Thought by now I would've seen the light

Most of the time i've felt like Job

Watching my dreams go up in smoke

If the holy fire, got any higher

It'd be burning the moon I suppose

Chorus/ C/G

But i'll just keep traveling on

I'll just keep traveling on

.... it takes so long //

& I've fallen under the siren's spell

Tumbled down an old wishing well

Clothes got soaked, but now I know

I can't always be trusting myself

I've spent some time in the belly of the whale

& Couple a nights on a bed of nails

Yeah it hurt, but what makes it worse

Is I'm stumbling along like a drunken snail

Chorus/

But i'll just keep traveling on

I'll just keep traveling on

.... it takes so long //

They say that you gotta die to be reborn

But I thought I died a couple of times before

Now they tell me, I'd just been sleeping

What gave me away was the heavy snoring

Chorus/ 

But i'll just keep traveling on

I'll just keep traveling on

.... it takes so long //

Tiger, Tiger

(William Blake Tribute)

(Am-Dm-Am-Em)​

Tiger, Tiger burning bright

In the forest of your life

I've felt your hunger/anguish

And I heard all your cries

You thought you were alone

In the quiet of your room

But I was hanging out that night

With the soft August moon

Chorus - YTD

The vast, empty canvass

And the blank, virgin page

They listened to you endlessly

But never had much to say

And the crowd of familiar strangers

That talked of seeing the light

But they'd never really known

All the colors of the night

Chorus YTD

You spoke of timeless beauty

To those who (just) didn't know

That the solitary moon, it

Has no light of its own

Yet you held the cosmos

In a single grain of sand

And with the night setting in

You let it fall from your hand

The Crossroads

(Am-Dm-Am-Em)

Saw a fork up in the road

So I asked the lonely moon

Tell me which way should I go

He said that's all up to you

But don't take it lightly

& don't trust the man in black

Every choice can change your life

& there aint no going back

See, you're always at a crossroads

But there's someone else there too

The devil will be waiting

And he'll be whispering to you

Chorus /

He still remembers

The choice before he fell

So you better choose well / (pause)

heaven or hell //

Your life aint set in stone

It's not written in the stars

Just a million little decisions

That happen right where you are

Yes or no, stay or go

And your whole world splits in two

You try to avoid making a choice

& it gets made for you

See, you're always at a crossroads

But there's someone else there too

The devil will be waiting

And he'll be whispering to you

Chorus /

He still remembers

The choice before he fell

So you better choose well / (pause)

heaven or hell //

Dancing in the Graveyard

Late one night I'm out tiptoeing

My way through the wilted tulips

My shirt's ripped, I'm spilling scotch,

don't know where the hell my other shoe is

& I'm looking around thinking of all the death

That's happened in this place

Like the garden of Eden is one big grave

Don't think the devil carries a pitchfork, think he's got a big ol' spade

(Pre)​

The whole thing don't make sense sometimes

Like we're on some twisted carnival ride

And you can't get off, nowhere to hide

Chorus/

Stranded, empty handed

So I'm living lightly and i'm playing hard

Dancing round the graveyard

(Repeating ?) //

The cosmos seems like one big, cold machine

Most of the time its stuck between gears

Once in a while it throws off a spark

And we get a Mozart, or a Shakespeare

But usually it's misfiring like my dad's old Buick

Spitting out smoke and leaking gas

And the only quantum mechanic in town

Is off at a conference in St Louis

Chorus/

Stranded, empty handed

So I'm living lightly and i'm playing hard

Dancing round the graveyard

//

I passed a guy, he was whistling Dixie

on his way to the North Pole

Try and catch a glimpse of heaven or

Squeeze some prayers through the ozone hole

He said the universe really is lawful

I guess, but a part of me is not convinced

So I'm gonna keep stealing the night away

& try not to leave any prints

Chorus/​

Stranded, empty handed

So I'm living lightly and i'm playing hard

Dancing round the graveyard

(Repeating ?)  //

No One Told Them That They're Kings   - 

Chorus

We've have wandered so far from

and the land we had known

It's like we've forgotten everything

No one reminds us that we're kings //

Saw Fred today at the corner of 3rd and main

Didn't know the guy, but hey, he was wearing his name

Had it pinned right there on his fancy little argyle vest

This guy, even his shadow was nicely dressed.

But something was missing you could see it his eyes

Whatever he was thinking of, it was probably super-sized.

And his poor little dreams, well they were all dressed in rags

Following behind, bottle of wine stuffed in a paper bag

Once in a while they catch a glimpse ​of the stars

Have this feeling they're not who they think they are

Chorus

We've wandered so far from home

and the land we had known

It's like we've forgotten everything

& No one reminds us that we're kings //

There's a heaviness that hangs in the air these days

People looking up but damn sure not to pray

Bookies taking bets of when the whole thing's gonna crash

At the House of Gifts for the Apocalypse, heard they're only taking cash

The roads round here are all lit with neon signs

Folks are lost but lost damn they're making good time.

Once in a while they catch a glimpse of the stars

Have this feeling they're not who they think they are.

Chorus

We've wandered so far from home

and the land we had known

It's like we've forgotten everything

& No one reminds us that we're kings /

​​​​​​​​​​​​

Spoken Word

I was in a lucid dream

I heard Lucifer scream

Saw the angels weeping

And this old man

was keeping watch - over a hidden cave

As I got up close he raised his hands

Said save yourself, don't go in that cave yourself

But it was too late

I had to know

what it was that they saw

I had to feel what they felt

Had to kneel where they knelt

So I went in

and I never came out

And Icarus, he was warning us 

about flying where the angels fly

But this isn't a spark - leaving the flame behind

It's about burning,

It isn't arrogance, or even vanity

Its fully embracing the beauty and horrors of humanity

And all that's in me

And with that fire

In that light

The demons and angels, will all draw close

And we will know

What is is to die

And be fully alive

Short, Simple, & Sweet

SPOKEN WORD

{Wrote this in response to a 'modern' poet criticizing my simplistic words and rhyme. & I actually do like flowery words sometimes, just not that day.]

Poetry, I don’t know that much about poetry

If I need to laugh, or something hurts,

I get out a pen, throw down some words

Maybe work in some rhythm, add a little rhyme

Help the soul get its footing in time

But I won't use a bunch of flowery words

To me they're like leprechaun turds

Just smell up the place, & they’re not real anyways

I try to get down to the heart of a thing

Strip away everything....

Stay light on my feet

Short, simple and sweet.

Love, Life, Laugh, Truth, God, Joy, Birth

All short, little words

One syllable words

But "devil", now for the devil you need two

He’s one step removed

Complicating the truth

That guy can't go anywhere

Without putting on airs

Seems a bit overdressed to me

I’ll go to the ball,

Wearing nothing at all

They might ask me to leave

But they’ll know I was there.

And poetry, what is poetry anyways

It doesn’t really tell you anything

Just a nice little way of remembering

It’s what the words are pointing to,

And you only feel that

If it’s already in you

So, I’ll keep writing as I do,

My own little words

Step 'round the leprechaun turds

Stay light on my feet …

Short, simple, and sweet

Heart of Darkness

(Tribute to Joseph Conrad -

Spoken word with Synth)

The Mystery, the Horror,

They're hardly around anymore

Been sanitized and sterilized, stuffed away in a bottom drawer

 

We’re afraid of the sharp side of the knife

The edges of our lives

The ledges we have inside

 

So we huddle together, & smooth each other out

Live on the surface of ourselves

With our tame desires, and our flameless fires.

& when the Mystery, when the Mystery does call

We have our teachers and gurus

Our spiritual books up on the shelf

Comforting concepts

To protect us from the thing itself

..... And, so we live, half alive

Sure, there’s the occasional rebel, wanders out past the edge of the herd

Dressed defiantly, staring boldly into the night, laughing at it all

As long as the others are somewhere in sight

But the Mystery, the Mystery

It knows us too well

Better than we know ourselves

See's right through all of this

Just waiting & whispering

Waiting & whispering

But someday if we’re ready

If we’re truly ready

It’ll take us to the realm of transformation

Of trials and tribulations

Through valleys and forests

Past prisons and palaces

And finally, (finally/pause) to face the Horror

It'll lead us to the room where darkness dwells

The discarded hopes and dreams,

The corpses and smells

The den of monsters and madness

Whatever your terror, it’ll find you there

And it’s no longer you, anymore when you look in the mirror

It's like distinction itself disappears

Virtue and vice are closer than identical twins

Swear they’ve traded places when you look back again

Just confusion and chaos

Confusion and chaos

Then suddenly there’s a strange calm

And you think maybe it’ll be OK

You turn back towards the door

Take a cautious step,

And fall through the floor

Falling for what feels like forever

into the mouth of the darkest darkness

It leaves you defenseless

Stripping your senses

And still your trying...to taste

The thing that's swallowing you whole

But down here it's all gotta go

And when you’ve given it up

When you've given it all

Yourself and your soul

Your beliefs and your doubt

Something catches you, breaks your fall,

Raises you up and ushers you out

Leads you out into the light

Like you’ve never seen before

And you feel like you can finally live

For the first time,

You feel like you can finally live

No longer afraid of the day or the night

Of death or of life

But for that you need the Mystery,

And you have to face the Horror

Yet they hardly exist anymore

Been sanitized, sterilized and stuffed away in a Bottom drawer

We're afraid of the sharp side of the knife

The edges of our lives

The ledges we have inside

And so we live, and so we die

Prometheus  

(G&C fingerpicking right now. Needs other chords for 3rd & 4th lines)

(1st two lines of each stretched out vocally)

(Maybe Dylan like, no chorus and just harmonica breaks in between each one or after 2 sections?)

Pro-me-the-us

Pro-me-the-us

Stolen fire from the angry gods

Gave it to us 'fore he was caught

A thief, but what a thief he was

They say, he should have known

Yeah they say, he should have known

Pass the gifts on down the line

Just gonna be a matter of time

Should have stayed amongst his own

They thought, he might confess

Admit that he caused a mess

Aint no use in pleading a case

With the mortals burning down the place

Yeah they thought that he might confess

They chained him to a rock

Yeah, they chained him to a rock

Thought he hadn't hurt no one

Look around the damage is done

No turning back the clock

Then Zeus, comes down one day

Old Zeus, he comes down one day

Said he'll let Prometheus go

If he (just) gives back the thing he stole

What do you think he should say

What do you think he should say

He's still thinking to this day

Morning at the U.U. Church

I met a Hindu, Jew

Who was a native Sioux

& oh, yeah, part Christian too

I said,

I'm confused

Isn't your soul split all apart

When you pray to a God,

Where do you start

He said they all meet up

In the heart

I said what about all those holy days

Where to go, what to take

How do you keep everything straight

He, said

I just honor every day

Well I've never met a Hindu, Jew

who's a native Sioux,

And a little bit Christian too

& I'm still confused

But I like his views

I might just,

Become one too.

'

Six Deadly Sins  (Work in progress)

Laying in my bed late one night

Heard a noise so I flicked on the light

I don’t know how they got in

But there were my six deadly sins

 

Guess one had hid behind gluttony

Who was huge, his shirt kept un-buttoning

I said how long are you gonna be staying

This is when I usually do my praying

 

They just looked at me like I was clueless

Had a change of clothes and a toothbrush

 

I said tell me what I have to do

If I want to be finished with you

 

Chorus/

They said

Aint about trying to be good

Aint about doing what you should

That’s nice but it won’t get you far

Gotta remember who you really are

(Trailing off/slowing?)

But any words would just be lying to you

Go in silence and you’ll find the truth

 

Envy and greed, didn’t say that much

Lusts, he just looked at me and blushed

& Sloth, well he was too tired to talk

Couldn’t believe they all made him walk

 

But pride, pride had plenty to say

He was still talking late the next day

And they finally finished with wrath

He got angrier if they skipped him till last

I said tell me what I have to do

If I want to be finished with you

 

Chorus/

They said

Aint about trying to be good

Aint about doing what you should

That’s nice but it won’t get you far

Gotta remember who you really are

(Trailing off/slowing?)

But any words would just be lying to you

Go in silence and you’ll find the truth

Song About Absolutely Nothing

(Buddhist)

Imagine a world that is stranger than this

The only way that it's real is if it doesn't exist

Am I just a thought, that ran off with itself

But if that's really the case, who would I tell

So, am I living a lie, or just lying to live

Guess the whole world depends on the answer I give​

I wandered the earth, & I searched for the truth

I was getting the feeling, it's an empty pursuit

In the end I found nothing, or was it that found me

I thought, isn't that something, & so I had to leave.

Raven's Call

I heard something in the raven's call

Said, we're not that different after all

You have your song and I have mine

But it's foolish to think they're a different kind

Cause there's a longing that we both know

And we sing the loudest when we're all alone

-

I heard the raven calling to me

Across the forests and the lonely sea

Said, we're not that different, you and I

We have the oldest song deep inside

It's the only one we've really known

And we sing the loudest when we're all alone.

Eternity

There's a coastline in the mind

Where our thoughts meet the endless sea

Looking out at eternity

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