Keegan McInroe

Talking Talking Head Blues  

I was awoke last night from a beautiful dream / The world had finally come together it seemed / There were men and women of varied faith and color / Laughing and singing and loving each other / Ah but then I’s awoke / Into what some have dubbed our pseudo-modern age / A real waking nightmare. // It was a talking head on TV / Ranting and raving and informing me / That woke me from my beautiful slumber / Catching me up on these attacks we’re all under /Yeah the world’s a mess / And here to tell me all about it was a bonafide newsman // He said: “Terrorism is the scourge of our day / And they want us all dead, make no mistake / And if we don’t kill ‘em away over there / They’ll be coming to kill us away over here! / Crossing the border in droves  / With sex-crazed Mexi-cans stealing jobs, no less / Time to build a wall!” // And he continued: “Terrorists hate us ‘cause we’re the land of the free / The home of the brave, yeah let freedom ring!  / They hate all our churches and movies and music / They hate you for not bowing five times in public. / Gonna win this War On Terror!” / I noticed he didn’t mention all our bombs or coups or drones or secret prisons or CIA or killin’ / They must like them just fine. // He reminded me of how freedom ain’t free / And ain’t nobody safe unless we let the government see / With a camera on every road and street corner / And an ear in each phone and a nose in each drawer. / “That’s right friends! Big Brother needs to sniff your drawers!” / Well ya never know what might be hiding out in the medicine cabinet at Grannie’s / Might be something terribly holistic or natural or a terrorist or an unsanctioned glass of milk!” // He proceeded to race wars right here at home / How the blacks and the whites can’t get along / How the browns and the reds and the greens and the scarlets / Hate all those yellows and oranges and violets / “Let the Rainbow Wars begin! / And look, Bob, now the gays and the straights are having it out in the streets. / What a fantastic distraction of a circus!” // “And the men hate women and the women hate men / And there’s a battle concerning where a trans can go piss,” / And the small tiny text scrolls beneath his desk / With news of a wedding party blown up in Iraq. / Ah I’d sure like to change the channel. / But this man…has…such…beautiful…teeth… // Then he cried:  “The Left and Right can’t stand each other. / We’re a dee-vided nation of bickering brothers / And though approval has sunk to an all time low / The incumbents have won the majority vote.” / Blow the horn and stamp your feet! / Give me more of these smoke and mirrors. / I think I just saw Edward Bernays laughing doing somersaults in the parking lot of a Ford dealership! // He shouted: “Now listen up friends ‘cause this is important! / There’s unsanctioned news, and it’s spreading like poison. / So if you don’t hear it from this horse’s mouth / Or if it conflicts with what I spit out / Just know it’s fake! / Yeah the worlds amuck with truth-threatening conspiracy theories, foreign propaganda, and the meddlings of Russian secret agents like that albino pederast Julian Ass-ange! // Now my head and my heart were heavy with fear / And his voice continued its assault on my ears / When Providence graciously intervened with a favor / “We interrupt this report with breaking news of Justin Bieber.” / Seems he’s been a bad, bad boy /Driving too fast somewhere round Florida in a black, suped up sports car / Stop the presses boys! What’s that? / Turns out he was wearing women’s underwear at the time?…lace?…looks to be indigo in color…just one string going all the way up…. 

Big Old River 

It’s a big ‘ol river, got mud on the bottom, / Got mud on the bottom, get mud on your shoe. / It’s a big ‘ol river so you better get to walking. / It’s a big ‘ol river and a long way, too.  / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // There’s smoke on the land and mirrors in the water. / There’s smoke on the land and fire in the streets. / There’s smoke from the hand of the uniformed magician,  / Turns his own crimes into another man’s pain.  / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // There’s plenty of food, and there’s plenty of money.  / And there’s plenty of hunger, and there’s plenty of greed.  / And there’s plenty of reasons they’ll tell you that there isn’t,  / While there’s plenty who die with nothing to eat.  / Yeah it’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // There’s plenty for war and there’s plenty for killing. / Yeah there’s plenty for taking another man’s life. / And there’s plenty of reasons they’ll tell ya that we got to, / While their profits are counted far from the light. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // It was a great big world, but now it’s getting smaller, / It was a great big world but now we can see / It’s a great big world and we got sisters and brothers / Love in every country and prayers for peace. / But it’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // It’s a big ‘ol river, got mud on the bottom, / Got mud on the bottom, get mud on your shoe. / It’s a big ‘ol river so we better get to walking. / It’s a big ‘ol river and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. 

Bombing For Peace 

Bombing for peace is like a chainsaw to a melody / Ice cream on a diet or a future-father vasectomy  / Sewing shut one’s eyes to see more clearly than before / Bombing for peace is like a chainsaw to a melody // Bombing for peace is like oil spills for purity / Switchblades for children’s safety or orgies for monogamy / Strangling the future while hoping for tomorrow / Yeah bombing for peace is like oil spills for purity // Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity / Cocaine for sleeping pills or whiskey for sobriety / Strangling the future while hoping for tomorrow / Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity / Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity // Why do people still believe the lie? / How come it still works every time? / I don’t know why but / One thing’s for certain / Killing ain’t loving / And if love is the road to peace / Then bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity // One thing’s for certain / Killing ain’t loving / And love is the road to peace / Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity. 

Christmas 1914 

It’s Christmas 19 and 14 / And I’ve been fighting two months / In what they’ve called  / The Great War // And the horrors I’ve known  / In these trenches / No man should know / And certainly no boy. // But yesterday  / We awoke to the Germans  / Singing old carols  / We all know so well // And we joined them / In song and in greetings / And we met in the middle  / Were many friends fell // And we exchanged / Simple gifts with each other / I got some tobacco  / And a nice German schnapps // And a game of football / Was played there / In the cold bloodied soil  / They call no man’s land. // And it got me to thinking / The enemy is not here / Killing and dying / Tired and scared / But the ones who have sent us / Those who’ll never know war / Those who sent off their children / They’re the ones we should kill. // Well it’s Christmas 19 and 14 / And I just met some boys they want me to kill  / It’s Christmas 19 and 14  / Too small a break from this terrible hell. // Well it’s Christmas 19 and 14  / And I just met some boys they want me to kill / It’s Christmas 19 and 14 / Too short a peace in this terrible hell.  

Bastards & Bitches  

All the bastards and bitches in suits and dresses / Bicker and spit in public spaces  / Posture and cluck over feigned offenses / Fondle each other in private places. // Yeah the bastards and bitches in suits and dresses / Crow and bark with twist-up faces / Strut while extolling empty expressions / Fall down on their knees, and not for confession.  // Ah the bastards and bitches in the world’s high places / Posing for pictures, posing as saviors / Wagging their fingers while creating messes / Whoring for power to those with no faces. // Yeah the bastards and bitches in the world’s high places / Don’t blink twice at the hell they’re creating / Self-righteous pricks robbing all generations / Stroking each other while the world lies bleeding // Hey you bastards and bitches in your suits and dresses  / Choking our future with wars and oppression / Playing a game where there ain’t no winning  / Bunch of lust-crazed cowards with your holes greased open // Hey you bastards and bitches in the world’s high places  / You criminal lot of deranged, damned sadists / If there is a Hell you’re why it was created / Go shove your agendas up your worn-out asses. / Yeah you can shove your agendas up your old worn-out asses. 

The Ballad of Timmy Johnson’s Living Brother 

Poor little Timmy Johnson / Will never grow to be a cowboy / And he’ll never live to hold a body tight / Cause the government of Egypt / Thought there might be someone plotting / In the general vicinity that night // So they rained down hell and murder / On some unsuspecting houses / And Timmy’s baby brother also died / And his mother and his father  / And his grandad in from Texas  / And some neighbors and their friends  / From junior high // But their government assured us / That though, yes, it was most tragic / They killed a man who threatened all our lives / And he threatened their whole country / And everything they stand for / And his death was a great progress in their fight // What a catastrophe! / Can you imagine such a world  / Where such a thing could ever be viewed normally? // Or justified! / Could it really be the people / There’s lives are worth so much more than mine? / How is this civilized? // Timmy had another brother / Who was only slightly older / And now found himself an orphan overnight / And his dog was also killed there / In a series of explosions / And the truth is I’m not sure how I survived. // But some family back in Egypt / Sent some money and a ticket / And told me I could with them there if I like / But their government denied me / Said I’s old enough for fighting / And they couldn’t trust I wasn’t radic’lized. // Now I’ve been eight long years an orphan / And my city’s now a war zone / And I’ve buried everyone / I’ve loved or known / And I’ve lost all hope and reason / And I’m filled with rage and poison / And I want revenge / And care not if I die. // What a catastrophe! / Can you imagine such a world / Where such a thing could ever be viewed normally? // Or justified! / Could it really be the people / There’s lives are worth so much more than mine? / Do they not recognize / They’ve made me what I am? // What a catastrophe! / Can you imagine such a world / Where such a thing could ever be viewed normally? // Or justified! / Could it really be the people / There’s lives are worth so much more than mine? / Do they not recognize / They’ve made me what I am? // They’ll recognize. 

Nietzsche Wore Boots 

Nietzsche wore boots and came down from the mountain / He opened his mouth and his mustache started shaking / He bellowed, “God is dead! And you’re the ones who killed him. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him.” // “‘Holy’ and ‘Sacred’ have lost all meaning. / It’s the Murder of Murders, and you’re all still sleeping. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him.” // A crowd gathered round, scoffing and bleating / There were priests and queens and kings there among them / Bankers and rabbis, imams and politicians, / Mothers and fathers and business men and women, / Citizens and slaves of the world’s many nations, / Mocking and snarking, no hint of comprehension. // Again, Nietzsche cried out in a voice big and booming: // “You who feed the hungry with stones and derision. / You who love your neighbor with bombs and oppression. / You who only mourn when it’s your dead children. / You who rape and destroy what you’ve called Creation / For money and power, control and dominion. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him. // “You who’d rather not see than be bothered with action. / You who’d rather not know than be burdened with compassion. / You who close up your ears to the cries of your neighbor / While washing your hands as the earth groans, plundered. / Robbing yourselves and future generations / Of health and wellness and peace and forgiveness. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him.” // The people all roared, “Listen to this madness!” / Beating their chests and rending their garments, / Ripping and tearing and gnashing and clawing, / Stomping and snorting and spitting and pawing. / The people roared: “BLASPHEMY! BLASPHEMY!” // They grabbed at the man, but their hands passed right through him / They kicked at his knees just to find themselves falling / They picked up sharp rocks to stone him and kill him / The mob formed a circle to keep him from leaving / Tighter and tighter it closed in around him / Closer and closer they pressed down upon him / But he slipped through all their raging and violence / Ducked through the crowd as if no one could see him / While the people continued their raging and writhing  / Frenzied and thrashing, nostrils now flaring, / Blind and forgetting their mustached accuser  / Lusting for blood they turned on each other. // Nietzsche wore boots and walked back up the mountain. // Overlooking the unfolding mayhem below him / He shook his head / And sighed. // Raising his eyes to the heavens he said:  / “I told you so.” / And he burst into flame and disappeared. // And the people devoured each other / And the field turned crimson / And the day turned to night / And the night turned to day / And the vultures got their fill of flesh / And the maggots grew fat,  / And the earth drank the blood of the masses. / And after a brief time / Made a full recovery  / And lived  / A very long / And happy / Life. 

The Love That We Give  

The old man started singing / As he closed his eyes, / “If there’s plenty for three / There’s plenty for five. / So gather ‘round my table  / And I’ll share what I have, / Both the food for your bellies, / And my words for your heads.” // “It’s a crazy cruel world  / Yet so full of beauty / So wrapped all in mysteries  / So horribly lost.  / But the love that you give here / Can drive away darkness,  / Give hope to the hopeless,  / And keep a hungry man fed.” // He looked to his wife,  / And he began laughing, / “If there’s food here for five / There’s food here for seven. / Pop open a bottle / And stoke up the fire. / Then lend me your ears,  / I’ll just be a while. / Lend me your ears, / I’ll just be a while.” // “It’s a crazy cruel world  / Yet so full of beauty / So wrapped all in mysteries  / So horribly lost. / But the love that you give here / Can drive away darkness,  / Give hope to the hopeless, / And keep a hungry man fed.” // His hand came to rest / Atop the old mandolin. / He said, “If we can feed seven, / We can feed ten.” / And the flames from the fire / Danced in his eyes. / And he laid down his head / In the lap of his wife.  / He laid down his head,  / And that’s where he died. // It’s a crazy cruel world  / Yet so full of beauty / So wrapped all in mysteries  / So horribly lost. / But the love that you give here / Can drive away darkness,  / Give hope to the hopeless, / And keep a hungry man fed. / Give hope to the hopeless,  / And keep a hungry man fed. 

Keegan's Beautiful Dream 

We’re rising and waking / Across every nation / With brothers and sisters / Of all different hues / We’re lending our voices  / To the songs sang before us / And from the shoulders of giants / We’ll ring in the new  // There is a change that is coming / And a shift long past due  / There’s a frequency humming  / A harmonious tune / And we are the instruments / Set to be played / That’ll move us from darkness / Out into the day // We’re standing and marching / Resisting and talking / We refuse to be quiet / And we won’t go away // We’re shining a light / So bright there’s no hiding / And our sleepiest of sleepers / Will soon be awake // There is a change that is coming / And a shift long past due / There’s a frequency humming / A harmonious tune / And we are the instruments / Set to be played / That’ll move us from darkness / Out into the day // Fear and division / Will no longer blind us / And we’ve all grown tired / Of the bread and the circus / And we’ve got the truth on our side / With love and compassion as guides / And we’ll no longer go fight and die  / In these wars for money, power, and pride // We’re rising and waking  / Across every nation / We’re laughing and dancing  / With hearts open wide / For the world’s failing systems / Lie broken and dying / And the future we’re willing / Will not be denied // There is a change that is coming / And a shift long past due / There’s a frequency humming / A harmonious tune / And we are the instruments / Set to be played  / That’ll move us from darkness  // Out into the day.

I Don't Mind

I don't mind if a blizzard falls down over us, / And we're holed up in some one-room shack. / Tossing cards as the minutes roll into days, / And the snow falls at such a pace that we're stuck inside…no I don't mind. / Mozelle laughs, and our child moves close to me. / Nowhere I'd rather be. Nah, I don't mind. // When we first met I was rounding out my rougher ways, / Or so it seems since you took their place and changed my life…ah, but I don't mind. / I love to play with you. You're my best friend, ya know? / It makes me feel about three years old just to make you smile. / Some might say that to choose one is to throw away / What comes along on other days, but I don't mind. // When I met you I met the dream I never thought of dreaming. / Forgot myself and poured into you, Love, from floor to ceiling. / Consumed, I breathed your light and danced a rhyme to you the reason. / And I'm dancing still today, and though I'll never be the same, it's ok. I don't mind. // And I don't mind if I never see another girl, / Sail the seas or explore new worlds, save those we find. / The sun don't rise that I don't fall down on my knees, / And gives thanks for the love you've breathed into my life…and I don't mind. / And if you leave, babe, I'll treasure every day / As our little eternities run through my mind…and I don't mind.


If I Can't

If I can't love you, baby, / I don't know what I'll do / 'Cause already I've forgotten / Myself without you. / And if I can't hold you, darlin', / I won't find no one new / 'Cause there's much more in holding / Than simply touching you. // And I've perceived a steady flow / Of dreams and echoes of you. / A song which I have always known / But am only now receiving, so now I'm singing... // If I can't love you, baby, / I don't know what I'll do / 'Cause already I've forgotten / Myself without you. / And if I can't be there, honey, / Know these words are true: / Every road I travel / Leads back to your door. // And I've perceived a steady flow / Of dreams and echoes of you. / A song which I have always known / But am only now receiving, so now I'm singing... // If I can't love you, baby, / I don't know what I'll do /  'Cause already I've forgotten / Myself without you. / But if this ain't right, sweet darlin', / Lets don't push or pull / 'Cause the last thing I would want / Is to keep you from being you.


Old Lover's Arms

Fly in from the east coast, baby, / I'll be there waiting, shoot ya straight to Dallas, / Take ya to the finest parts of town. / And we can sing our hearts out thumping' / With both fists raised and our spirits soaring. / Ain't no place I'd rather be. // I said I would marry you / After you woke up and said the same. / We must have moved too fast and scared you / Right back to your old lover's arms again. // And no I guess it don't take long / To fill me up when you're pouring on / Fill my head with fantasies. / You're like some mythic creature / I'd dreamed in dreams, I never thought I'd meet ya. / Oh forgive me for being weak. // I said I would marry you / After you woke up and said the same. / We must have moved too fast and scared you / Right back to your old lover's arms again. // How often can I hope to meet someone like you? / Who captivates like you? And sparkles like you do? / Trying to let go of a thing I never had / It's silly and it's sad…it's silly and it's sad… //  I still adore you, baby, like I said I did / Before what you said twisted / And caused me all this misery. / I'd hop the first plane to Boston / If I could only be all ya ever wanted. / It still makes a pretty dream. // I said I would marry you / After you woke up and said the same. / We must have moved too fast and scared you / Right back to your old lover's arms again.


Don't Ya Never Leave

Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave /  Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave.


Purple Silence

Joni wasn't happy in Austin so she moved back home. / His 'ol life repeating had got down in her bones. / With those cold words still ringing, she sat down all alone. // She said, "You can keep your drama, you can keep your gun." / Tell me when the hammer falls, to which god will you run? / Tell me when the flooding starts, just which way is up? // Like a big, lone rock above the setting sun / Out amongst the dancing waters, the night falls with a song. / But if she had to sing it now, she just might come undone. // Joni let go a cry but not to anyone. / She knows she is the singer, she knows she is the song. / She knows she is the painter and the canvas painted on. // In her purple silence she sits. / A vision of self-reflection on mirrors starlit / Trying to make sense…of this. // Joni threw away her words and took a long, deep breath. / Leanings of the heart and mind often conflict. / She wondered where leaping falls in common sense. // With her arms flung back and her eyes shut tight, / Joni leaned out into the void, and she listened with all her might. / She felt the rush of fate and her eyes popped open wide. // Joni let go a laugh and threw away her fear, / And though she started singing softly, there were no words to hear. / Floating like a melody, she closed her eyes in prayer. // In her purple silence she sits. / A vision of self-reflection on mirrors starlit / Trying to make sense…of this.


Home

When are you coming back home, babe? / It's getting ugly on my own. / I can hear your song, love / Lighting my way from your honeyed throat. // All the strings are cut, babe. / The aprons fallen to the floor, / And there it burned to ashes. / Ashes, ashes, now the roofs the floor. // Home don't have to be Texas, / Home don't have to be the u.S.A. / Home is where our love is, / Long as we're together, it'll be okay. // Stop wasting, stop wasting our time. / Ten years is too long, and even if you had nine lives, / You'd never find a home like mine. // Lost a lot last year, babe. / Don't have much left to my name, / But as long as I got breath and a heart that beats / I'll sing your name. //  Some folks search for riches. / Some folks search for fortuned fame. / But I've found all my treasure. / Yeah the light in your eyes is gold to me. // Each new days a blessing. / Ain't no breath that's guaranteed. / Don't you think we both have / So much to learn, so much to teach. // Stop wasting, stop wasting our time. / Ten years is too long, and even if you had nine lives, / You'd never find a home like mine.


A Thousand Dreams

You can come home anytime you want to / I'll have your supper sitting on the stove / And you can come home when He calls you yonder / I'll be here waiting like you hoped I would. // I heard my song and I came a'running / I stood beside you but you couldn't see / While there I lay in the dress you bought me / Outshone the diamond on my wedding day. // Hear those church bells ringing / Like every sad song that you know / Does it help you to know that I'm singing? / Does it help you to carry the load? // I heard ya saw me and began to wonder / If it was me or something on the wall / Hard to tell with the shadows falling / Hard to know when your baby's gone. // I missed your talking so I went to find you. / I didn't find you where I thought you'd be. / A thousand dreams just to flash before you. / A thousand dreams now which one was me? // Hear those church bells ringing / Like every sad song that you know / Does it help you to know that I'm singing? / Does it help you to carry the load? // So dream of me my sweet, sweet darling. / Dream of me my only one. / Dream of me and beg my pardon / For leaving you before your race was run. // Goodnight my love I hope you sleep well. / Goodnight my love when the day is through. / Goodnight my love and goodbye my darling… / Which one was meant when I last kissed you? // Hear those church bells ringing / Like every sad song that you know / Does it help you to know that I'm singing? / Does it help you to carry the load? // You can come home anytime you want to. / I'll have your supper sitting on the stove, / And you can come home when He calls you yonder. / I'll be here waiting like you hoped I would. / I'll be here waiting like you knew I would.


How Long

How long, Lord, must I lay here / While this old body slowly dies? / And how long, Lord, must I stay here / Staring up into the pain in my loved ones' eyes? / How long, Lord, must I wait here / While my love calls to me from the other side? / And how long, Lord, must I grieve here / 'Til I walk with her along that golden shore? // It's a long hard life if you're lucky. / You live and learn just to die and forget it all. / But as I take these shallow breaths, / And this strong, old heart slows in my chest, / I look back on life with no regrets. / I'm just ready. // How long, Lord, must I lay here / While this old body slowly dies? / And how long, Lord, will you let me / Fight this battle when I've lost the war? // It's a long hard life if you're lucky. / You live and learn just to die and forget it all. / But as I take these shallow breaths, / And this strong, old heart slows in my chest, / I look back on life with no regrets. / I'm just ready. // How long, Lord, must I suffer, / Suffer along with those I'll leave behind? / And how long, Lord, must I wander / Through this shadowed land between their world and Yours? // It's a long hard life if you're lucky. / You live and learn just to die and forget it all. / But as I take these shallow breaths, / And this strong, old heart slows in my chest, / I look back on life with no regrets. / I'm just ready.


Time Goes By

I never felt that look in someone else's eyes, 'til I felt it / And I'd always wondered why, so I guess I should thank you. / But then I heard you wrote 'bout when I cried / Probably wrote several clever lines. / Well I could hardly blame you, I do it all the time / It's just funny to see it happening to me. / And I can't say I never been good at goodbyes / I say 'em all the time and then I keep on moving / And time goes by…and time goes by. // And time goes by and finds me wrestling with myself. / Seems the sun won't set unless I got spiders on my shelf. / Heartache and tragedies 'bout to strangle my last breath, / And here comes that condescending train roaring down the tracks. / Yeah I guess I would have been fine / Leaving closed what you opened up in me. / I guess I need more time to go by / 'Cause each tomorrow still greets me with your smile. // Now ya tell me ya got somebody new, / Well that makes two you chose over me / And everybody is wondering why I can't see…I don't know why. / I guess I must be thinking 'bout those times / We sat staring into each others' eyes, and you spoke to me / And I spoke to you things I never wanted to say to no one new. / But I'll put on my biggest smile, / Guess there's really only two things left to do, / Get up and fly or lay down and die, either way, time goes by… // And time goes by and finds me wrestling with myself. / Seems the sun won't set unless I got spiders on my shelf. /Heartache and tragedies 'bout to strangle my last breath, / And here comes that condescending train roaring down the tracks. / Yeah I guess I would have been fine / Leaving closed what you opened up in me. / I guess I need more time to go by / 'Cause each tomorrow still greets me with your smile. / And I can't say I never been good at goodbyes / I say 'em all the time and then I keep on moving / And time goes by…and time goes by.


The Ballad of the Romantics

We flew to Amsterdam singing our songs / Cross hazy canals we walked arm in arm / When we met in Dublin, I'd never have dreamed / What started that evening would lead to today / What started that evening would lead to this day. // Through city and country our footsteps would fall / Through rain and through sunshine, winter and snow / You didn't move that my shadow would feel. / You were my angel, other people my hell / You were my angel, other people my hell. // The weeks passed as minutes on a dusty old clock / That no one dared look at lest the good times might stop / And I lived a lifetime each day in your arms / Born new every morning, we spent our nights in the stars. / Born new every morning, we spent our nights in the stars. // Flew into New York from shores far away / We bought an old van and toured round the States / We lived in our senses and got carried away / Our vagabond living paving the way, / Our vagabond living paving our way. // Adventure and romance led to Old Mexico / To a dusty cantina long forgotten by roads / And save for the bartender we were alone / 'Til a handsome young stranger stepped into the room / A handsome young stranger stepped into the room. // The stranger and bartender nodded and grinned / And the stranger moved close, laid his hand on your leg / Then I took your hand and we made for the door / But the stranger was quicker, and I hit the floor / The stranger was quicker, and I hit the floor. // With a knife that he carried, he opened my throat / And I heard you scream as you clung to my clothes / The last thing I felt were your lips on my face / As the handsome young stranger took you away / As the handsome young stranger took you away. // We flew to Amsterdam singing our songs / Cross hazy canals we walked arm in arm / When we met in Dublin, I'd never have dreamed / What started that evening would lead to this day / What started that evening would lead to this.


Always Someone Else

Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time? // Big, full moon flood the tide / Diamond-sparkling batted eyes. / Who mentioned love? Whose got the right? / Swept under the rug to enjoy tonight. // Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time? // The cards were dealt to divine the truth, / And multiple readings eerily stayed in tune. / What is this magic? What will the Spirit do? / I couldn't believe it, looks like neither can you. // Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time? // Blacker the night, Blacker the song I sing. / Blacker than coal or fallen angels wings. / To cure the lonely such an easy thing. / A fleeting moment might just last all week. / Just an object, just a pill to take. / Just a reason to self-medicate. / A savage release will keep the dogs at bay. / Leave for tomorrow whats wrong with today. // Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time?


I'm Still Here

Oh what a year… / Ushered in with such a sin. / To sit with children and then spin. / Not the father I would be, / But just a friend whose tongue refused to speak. // I felt it then, / But how could I have ever known / What scars my heart would show / After walking that hard road, / Covered in new sorrows head to toe. // A precious gift / That I prayed the Lord to take / If it wasn't He who gave. / Deny myself and have Your way, / But still she haunts me in the home she made. // But I'm still here / Through all these tears / With so much less, yet so much more of me / Stripped back and open bare. / Yes, I'm still here. / No worse for wear, / With so much less, yet so much more of me / To face the coming years… / Yes, I'm still here. // My oldest fear / Played out while I napped unaware, / After he prepared our last meal. / When needed most during his hell / I was fast asleep and late to help. / The greatest man / That I will ever know on earth. / A teacher, father, friend and more, / Who blessed me with his final breath. / Oh how I wish I could have eased his death. // Our family home / For over fifty years stood strong. / Whose walls saw each year of my mom's, / Caught fire and burned down to the ground. / Charred brick and ash is all there is left now. // But I'm still here / Through all these tears / With so much less, yet so much more of me / Stripped back and open bare. / Yes, I'm still here. / No worse for wear, / With so much less, yet so much more of me / To face the coming years… / Yes, I'm still here. 


Annie

Annie…Annie…. // Annie you grew into quite a woman, child. / How I hate to see you cry. / Annie we'll see you in the bye and bye. / Dry your eyes. // I know you've had your doubts, / And Lord knows it wasn't easy, / But I had you right there by my side. / So don't you ever doubt. / I watched you try and save me. / But it was time for this old man, / So Annie…live… // Annie you gave all there was to give. / Your love was our greatest gift. / Annie you brought such joy into our home. / You lit our faces with your own. // I know you've had your doubts, / And Lord knows it wasn't easy, / But I had you right there by my side. / So don't you ever doubt. / I watched you try and save me. / But it was time for this old man, / So Annie…live… // I still remember, Annie, when you were just a girl. / You followed me all over, staring up in wonder. / But as you grew, child, the roles reversed, / And it was our turn, to stare up in wonder and in hope… // Annie…Annie… // Annie you learned all I had to show, / So don't be scared you're not alone. / Annie I'm so proud you are my own. / You'll come through this fire pure as gold. // I know you've had your doubts, / And Lord knows it wasn't easy, / But I had you right there by my side. / So don't you ever doubt. / I watched you try and save me. / But it was time for the old man, / So Annie…live…


Christmas in Levelland

It's Christmas time in Levelland / And snows been falling on the ground / And that don't happen too often here / Had to write a song before it disappears. / It's Christmas time in Levelland / Got my Christmas Bell close at hand / Waggin' her tail like a fuzzy dog / And that's what she is so you can't go wrong. / And little brothers stuck up north, ya know, / Where the cables out and it hadn't even snowed / While way down south in this level land / We got snow drifts rising from the level ground. // Merry Christmas, I hope you've had a good year. / Merry Christmas, pass the bottle, spread the cheer. // It's Christmas time in Levelland / Got the little baby Jesus in his manger bed / And a big 'ol star on the Christmas tree / With Christmas lights and Christmas wreaths / And we might even have a little mistletoe / But it wouldn't really matter cause don't ya know / I ain't got no one here to kiss or hold / Just a fuzzy little dog and a yard full of snow. // Merry Christmas, I hope you've had a good year. / Merry Christmas, pass the bottle, spread the cheer. // It's Christmas time in Levelland / And the sun's come out but the snow is sticking 'round / And with any kind of luck when the sun goes down / And the temperature drops more snow'll drop down. / It's Christmas time in Levelland / And my momma's coming over and I got the old man, / Sitting in the living room watching Fox News / Moaning 'bout the government, whatcha' gonna do? // Merry Christmas, I hope you've had a good year. / Merry Christmas, pass the bottle, spread the cheer.


Gonna Be My Bride

Well I love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / Love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / I love ya, baby, gonna be my sweet, sweet wife, / And I'd sacrifice myself to have you by my side. // There ain't no part to your body I love anymore / Than any other part I might find next door. / I've searched you over, I love to explore / Every inch of my love and there's always more / Every inch of my love and there's always more. // Well I love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / Love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / I love ya, baby, gonna be my sweet, sweet wife, / And I'd sacrifice myself to have you by my side. // There ain't no flaw in ya, baby, not a blemish one. / You're distinct, unique, and it's my heart you've won. / You'll make a spotless bride, I'll wash you in my blood. / So don't ya never worry there's no end to my love / No don't ya never worry there's no end to my love. // Hard to wait so long with you so close to me, / But waiting on your love is sweet, babe. / And when I think of you the whole world fades away / 'Cause it could never hold my love for you, babe…hold my love for you babe. // Well I love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / Love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / I love ya, baby, gonna be my sweet, sweet wife, / And I'd sacrifice myself to have you by my side. // When I come to meet ya on the air we'll soar / On lovers' wings above the whole wide world. / Then I'll bend to kiss the one I adore, / And pour my love out on ya forevermore. / And pour my love out on ya forevermore.

Dogs

The dogs don’t like small children, / They can’t tolerate small folk. / And it chaps their bones a’knowing / They gotta become just like them if they want to go. / And though it sure sounds awful foolish, / Some worldly dogs may never know. // Nah the Master wasn’t taken / By all the old tricks them dogs could do. / In fact, He scolded them like a bunch of mixed breed pups / Who’d just chewed up and slobbered in His shoes. / Then He left them indoors while He went outside, / Started dancing with cats and prostitutes. // And you know dogs, they’re always fighting, / Dog sense of justice nearly force them to. / Territory and prized possessions / Ideals perverted’ll bind the pack like glue. / Then en masse they can be persuaded / To kill another they once loved and knew. // Our brothers’ blood is crying up from the ground, / But like good dogs we just keep lapping it down. / Mindless beasts we just accept what we’re fed, / Neglect the prophets and distort whats been said. / The days are coming when we won’t have the chance / To play both sides while we bark and we laugh. // The dogs don’t like small children, / They can’t tolerate small folk. / And it chaps their bones a’knowing / They gotta become just like them if they want to go. / And though it sure sounds awful foolish, / Some worldly dogs may never know.


Genesis 6 Blues

When men began to increase in number on the earth, / And women were with them and they were giving birth / To beautiful daughters. / And the sons of God who were standing near the edge, / Took notice and one of them said, / “Might be worth the fall to go lay down beside them.” // Oh cover your heads below. /Someone’s creeping through the kitchen door. / Someone’s creeping through the kitchen door. // Of course creation will never be the same, / corrupted natures, / Yeah the whole damn thing. / And children being born to beautiful daughters. / But these aren’t just the children of men. / They’re the sons of the sons of God and you know what that means…/ They’re responsible for many a myth and legend. // Yeah man will rattle in his grave, / a few years younger than he did before. / Ain’t no man gonna make it past six score. // It’s an old, old story. / And it’s just like old, old stories. / Yeah it’s an old, old story. / Floods and visitors from above kind of story. /Between the lines of words in stone / and pictures carved in ancient tombs, / Exists a truth now lost, still true. / Can you see it now? / How bout now? // And the world was a wicked place. / No sign of light or love on any face, save for Noah’s. / Noah was a righteous man. / And God’s heart was grieved. / From dark inclinations in every thought and deed, save for Noah’s. / Noah was a righteous man. // Hey Noah get yourself in the boat, / and you can take your family with you so make sure it floats. / You can take your family with you so make sure it floats.


Revolution

Ten beard covered wagons came down from the hills to eat. / With their rosaries a'glow, "Hail Mary!" Fear the virgin saint. / And there were demons in the corner wearing hooded cloaks, / three politicians on the street telling dirty jokes, / and everyone of them scattered when the birds clamoured for their meat! // And all the babies cried for country as their families bloodied up the streets. / Little brother call for Momma, Little Johnny's lost his mangled feet. / And the wagons overtook them as they beat them down, / but a fierce opposition brew in their mouths / and where's a savior when you need one? Come quick, give us hope for peace! // Confusion gather round the shoulders like a blanket from the freezing rain. / Don't let the booze slip from the bottle! "Tell the truth!" Lies can be explained. / That's when the madman from the mountain came running down, / the fear and loathing from his belly came rumbling out, / and all the people stood there laughing, too dumb to even see his pain! // All the victims jumped up shouting, wagging fingers cross their pointy beaks. / And the government delivered quite a show of unyielding faith. / The drunken monkey danced for quarters to the beat of the drum / and all the children gathered close to watch the end go down, / and the silence from the army echoed cold off the lifeless streets! // And you can bury your mother in the hole that you dug last week! / Pass the blame onto your brother, you worthless hack! Fall down on your knees. / And the last thing you'll be hearing as they lay you out, / is the rattle from the wagon wheel circling round. / Since you won't stand up and fight it, numb the pain. Pour another drink!


Chowder

Down the pipes goes the phatty boomer /All the walls fall down as it creeps up to you / And perception grows just a little strange…/ And when your stomach grows a little tight / You lose control as your mind takes flight / And you can tell this trip chose a whole new way…/ So you sit down for a little while / As the mind’s eye wanders several hundred miles / Too far to reach with anything you thought you knew before. / You let the trip drip from your brow / You’ve got too much truth just to let go now / And that’s when the bottom really starts to give. / Who knew it’d really give? I can’t hold me, if you don’t lift. //Hey did you try to burn the wall? / Did the colors run or did you let them fall, / Melting down between the pores of everything you thought you knew before? / As the rabbles raised you laugh to yourself / Such a clear bright shine that the stars come out / And you just sit there grinning / Trying not to break the wave…/ And as the world clicks by at a steady pace / The words pour out meaning lost in space / And, “What a shame!” you think, to lose it all right at the brink. / But the chowders taken full effect / You’re short of breath but you ain’t dead yet /And just then your mind explodes / Kaleidoscopes in swaddling clothes. / Gotta watch her blow! / Well I can’t stay sane here, so I let it grow. // Just when you think the train might stop / The heat extends and the vessels pop / Looks like this night has just begun…/ You fall back fast into your chair / The wind chime echoes through the new blown air /And the water drops and drips /Between the rocks the demons sent…/ You lose your sight and you start to feel / With newborn eyes the pores come unsealed / And the world floods in and out and in and out and out again…/ And the Doc flicks fire from the written word / A burn so deep that your chest explodes / And you scream and claw the air, / The spreading sickness has bred despair! /He says he’s got the Fear! / But I can’t help him, my mind has disappeared…


In the City

A rich man dreams a dead man’s thoughts / Fear and trembling have beset me, / For all the riches that he’s got / Will never pacify his cravings. // Our old friend attacks his brothers, / Of which I am just a number. / With words so soft, the bar is shifted. / I’m on the fringe, o sweet asylum! // Wellsprings of violence and despair, / Destructive forces wage their war in the city. / Day and night they prowl the walls, / Oppression and deception line the streets in the city. / If I had wings I’d fly away. / This horror is overwhelming me. / Let death take them by surprise. / Let them go down to the graves alive. // Expensive suits in shadowed rooms / Decide the wars and plagues of nations. / Lusting beasts with age-old dreams / Of world control and domination, / And in this land the leaders speak / With words as smooth as oil and butter. / Yet war and death are in their hearts, / Their words are swords drawn for mass murder. // Wellsprings of violence and despair, / Destructive forces wage their war in the city. / Day and night they prowl the walls, / Oppression and deception line the streets in the city. / If I had wings I’d fly away. / This horrors overwhelming me. / Let death take them by surprise. / Let them go down to the graves alive.


Witching Hour

Now the sun has gone so let me creep inside, / To your heart of hearts to where your secrets hide. / And don’t you know it won’t do no good to run? I can read your soul through the scars you’ve won! // ‘Tis the witching hour, tell me where would you go / With no sign of courage or your hooded cloak? / I can feel the fear rising deep down in your throat / As your eyes glaze over, you shiver all alone. // Now the wind blows cold through your bedroom door, / As you sit hunched over staring down at the floor. / And your blood-stained eyes they grow too full to cry / As you sit and contemplate your living lie. // And in your wooden box you feel the termites swarm / Too close to flesh not to fill secure, / But bound and gagged you see no prayer for escape, / So you let the evil bore right through your face. // Then the question is posed and it opens up your eyes / From the storm you’re living to more hopeful skies, / But still you sit with your ears clenched tight, / Too proud and lonely to break through tonight. // So just go throw yourself back into your grave, / And let the undertaker put the coins in place, / And when you reach the river won’t you look for me. / I’ll wave you under with the pain I breath.


Down to the Pit

O Lord, I call to you, come quickly to me. / Hear my voice when I call to you, YHWH. / May my prayer be set before you like incense and flame / As I lift up my hands and I die in Your Name. // Set a guard over my mouth, / keep watch over my lips. / Let my heart not be drawn to evil, / To take part in dark deeds with those who are dead, / Let me not drink the wine from their table. // Now the serpent pursues me and crushes me down, / And my flesh, sinful nature, wallows deep in the ground, / But my spirit cries out beneath the mud and the grit, / “Lord, don’t hide Your face or I’ll fall—down to the pit.” // Let a righteous man strike me, it’s oil on my head / For it’s pride that gives birth to all of my sins, / And I pray ‘gainst dark powers, throw ‘em down from the cliffs. / Show the wicked my words are well spoken. // O my eyes are fixed on You, the Light of the world. / My Rock it’s in You I take refuge. / I’m crying for mercy, Lord, save me from Death. / May Your grace protect me from judgement. // Now the serpent pursues me and crushes me down, / And my flesh, sinful nature, wallows deep in the ground, / But my spirit cries out beneath the mud and the grit, / “Lord, don’t hide Your face or I’ll fall—down to the pit.” // I have often dwelt in dark places, / Traded Truth for illusions of gold, / But Your voice reached my ear, just as Death hovered near. / Now I reach for You out of the cold. // O Ancient of Days, mysterious and vast, / I meditate on all that Your hands have done. / As I mourn for the loss of our innocence, / My soul thirsts for You like the parched desert sands. // Let the morning bring word of Your unfailing love, / For I have put all my trust in Jesus. / Just show me the way, Lord, that You’d have me go. / I’ve surrendered my spirit, now I lift up my soul—to You. // Now the serpent pursues me and crushes me down, / And my flesh, sinful nature, wallows deep in the ground, / But my spirit cries out beneath the mud and the grit, / “Lord, don’t hide Your face or I’ll fall—down to the pit.”


Stiff-Necked People

The I AM spoke to Moses from the burning bush, / “You’re gonna lead my people to the milk and honey. / Milk and honey flowing in the promise land, / And you’re the one to lead them, you’re a humble man.” // Signs and wonder flow from Moses’ staff, / And the people are freed from Pharaoh’s shackles. / Pharaoh’s shackles fall down to the ground, / And Moses meets the Lord on Sinai Mountain. // Now the people all grumble, “He’s a long time coming.” / So they melt their golden jewelry form a golden calf. / The golden calf ignites the fire of God’s great fury, / And he says, “Let me destroy them, they’re a stiff-necked people.” // The Lord, the Lord, most gracious and compassionate God. / Slow to anger, abounding in faithfulness and love, / Forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. / Yet He does not leave the wicked unpunished…// The fathers die out in the desert and the mothers, too. / Not even Moses gonna make it cross the Jordan River. / The Jordan River is quite a distance from the old man speaking. / “If you rebelled while I was with you, it’s going to worsen with my leaving!” // So the Lord rules the people through His chosen prophets, / But their hearts are hard, they want to serve a king. / A king like other nations, not the King of all Glories. / The people choose enslavement. Hear the echo ring. // The Lord, the Lord, most gracious and compassionate God. / Slow to anger, abounding in faithfulness and love, / Forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. / Yet He does not leave the wicked unpunished… // The old Hebrews weren’t chosen on account of being righteous, / And back and forth they went serving God and man. / God and man came to them in the Christ called Jesus, / But their stiff-necked teachers refused to suffer Him. // Still the Lord’s heart yearns for His chosen people. / Who ever heard of a nation being born in a day? / In a day the curtain opened on this ages’ last chapter, / And time began marching towards the Lord’s great day. / Now Israel was chosen, but we’re all God’s children. / Bent to self-destruction save for the Lord’s great mercy. / The Lord’s great mercy is the sweet salvation / This world of stiff-necked people would be damned without. // The Lord, the Lord, most gracious and compassionate God. / Slow to anger, abounding in faithfulness and love, / Forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. / Yet He does not leave the wicked unpunished…


Everybody Knows

Everybody knows there’s a war going on, everybody knows there’s a war. / Everybody knows about the kids that don’t come home. / Yeah, I heard it’s gonna be a long war. // Everybody knows about the bodies in the streets, everybody knows there’s a war. / Everybody knows about the mothers and the beasts / Bloodying the Babylon floor. // But could you help us see the reason, / ‘cause it sure ain’t to keep the peace. / For every civilian that we’re slaying, / there’s another war-torn family rising up in hate. // Everybody knows there’s a war going on, everybody knows there’s a war. / Everybody knows about the money being made / By the men behind the closed, locked doors. // Everybody knows we like meddling in affairs, everybody knows there’s a war. / Over seven-hundred bases in one-hundred-and-twenty different countries / Makes you wonder what we’re staying for… // Can you imagine what we’d do here / if some foreign power occupied our soil, / And tried to tell us how to live here, / as their bombs ripped through our boys and girls? // Everybody knows there’s a war going on, everybody knows there’s a war. / Everybody knows you gotta reap what you sow, / So get in line for the fruits of war! // Everybody knows it’s the Christian thing to do, everybody knows there’s a war. / Why Jesus Christ, Himself, would probably blow ‘em straight to Hell, / While pissing on the golden rule! //And it don’t matter who is in office. / Or are you still too blind to see? / This war machine rolls on undaunted. / How long before you think it rolls over you and me?


We’re Gonna March

We’re at a unique point in history / Where we don’t have to listen to the things we see / We just listen to what we’re told to believe / We let it pass for news every day. / We’re gonna march on Washington, / we’re gonna march on St. Paul / We’re gonna let the Grand ‘Ol Party know that we can’t be bought. // So take our fathers’ old document / And set it on fire / The leading politician’s of the day would argue / That the message has expired. / We’re gonna march on Washington, / we’re gonna march on St. Paul / We’re gonna let the politician’s know just where their fight comes from. // The place to hide has always been out in open spaces / And what is, really isn’t, it’s called reality creation / And if you think for one minute we’re independently governing this nation / Well then friend embrace the messanger, you are badly mistaken. / We’re gonna march on New York City, / up to the U.N. / And to the Council on Foreign Relations. Speak up! Illuminate their plans. // It’s a sad truth, but liberation is often disguised occupation / And it don’t take no prophet to speak out against the road that we’ve taken / But if ever was a day that the people needed a beacon / To shine light on the truth that we’ve become an imperialistic nation, it’s now! /We’re gonna march on New York City, / up to the U.N. / And to any office bent on mass manipulation against which we’ll take our stand. // But this is bigger than our empire failing, / this is bigger than all our freedoms they’re taking. / For even now the very heavens are shaking, / the kingdom advances, hear the whole of creation moan. // I’ve heard about a church towards the end of days / Drunk on the saints’ spilt blood / And about a certain mark they’ll make / Or just inject into your arm. / We’re gonna march for liberty, / we’re gonna march for our souls / For this war that we’re here to wage ain’t just ‘gainst flesh and bones. // So let us keep our eyes open wide / The seasons are changing that’s hard to deny / Don’t wait for the day when you’re shackled and chained up inside / To stand up for your country, your Savior, your rights. / We’re gonna march for liberty, / we’re gonna march for our souls / We’re gonna cast dark powers of this world down to the pits below.


Prepare the Way

Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. / Prepare the Way! / Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. / Prepare the Way! // Bob Dylan and John the Baptist having supper. / One says to the other, “How’s your head?” / John smiles at Bob, says, “You know I never / Really felt the blade like I felt compelled to…” // Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. / Prepare the Way! / Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. / Prepare the Way! // “What happened to your good faith Mr. Dylan? / Did the slow train coming simply take too long?” / Dylan shakes his head, says, “It’s a heavy burden / To wear my soul on the sleeves of my songs.” // Up from the table, into the city. / Their voices pound like thunder against the gates of Hell. / All creation squirms in anticipation / As the holy angels shine the wedding bells. // Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. / Prepare the Way! / Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. / Prepare the Way! / John don’t tell Bob just where they’re going. / The ‘ol Baptist just talks about where Bobs been, / And in a flash there’s illumination / On Dylan’s every step towards Jeruseleum. // “Hey John, you been talking crazy! / And I just can’t hardly believe my ears.” / “Believe it Bob! You’ll look good in sackcloth.” / Then they began to preach for three and one-half years. // Won’t be long until He comes back. / Won’t be long until He comes back! / Won’t be long until He comes back. / Won’t be long until He comes back! / Won’t be long until He comes back. / Won’t be long until He comes back! // Prepare the Way! For the dead and the living. /Prepare the Way!


Moutain of the Lord

Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost / request your presence where it matters most. / Don’t refuse Them. / The days are dark, and the air is thick / with deceiving spirits from the Devil sent, / To Destroy you. // Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / For the kingdom of God is not a matter or talk, / It’s a matter of power, so child get up and walk. / Christ can heal you. / The signs and wonders we’ve read of in the Book / Are just a whisper to the Spirit’s next work. / Won’t you join Him? // Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? // For with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, / And He’s been patient so that we all might hear. / Now open your heart and set your eyes on the Son, / The seasons are changing, and the birth pains have begun. // Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / The Christ who came and shed His blood for our sins, / Came as a servant and came back as The King. / Death can’t hold Him. / Now we ain’t nothing here but filthy rags, / And it don’t take no prophet to see these are evil days. / Stop your boasting. // Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord? / Won’t you come on up to the mountain of the Lord?


The Beast Is Here

“The end is near,” I hear the children singing. / The other children cry, “Take ‘em away!” / It’s hard to know why we couldn’t see this coming. / The ends been written on the wall for an age. // Don’t take no eyes of faith, just lines of reason. / Don’t take religion to read a history book, / And there discover power’s inclination / Towards corruption, destruction and control. // And with each new day we just move closer and closer / To that New World Order they’ve been dreaming about. / Now are the days of world tax and regulation, / no more sovereignty of nations. / The Beast is here! // From the wall I see the storm that’s coming. / Down in the city it’s hard to even hear. / The forked-tongues of our politicians / Distorting truth while preaching a doctrine of Fear. // They create a crisis, then they snatch up power, / While hordes of people beg they take a little more, / But those that’d sacrifice their freedom for safety / Don’t deserve neither, our Fathers warned. // And with each new day we just move closer and closer / To that New World Order they’ve been dreaming about. / Now are the days of world tax and regulation, / no more sovereignty of nations. / The Beast is here! // “The end is near,” I hear the children singing. / The other children cry, “Take ‘em away!” / It’s hard to know why we couldn’t see this coming. / The ends been written on the wall for an age. / The ends been written on the wall for an age.


Come and Take It

Let’s cut the fat and throw the trash out of the kitchen: / A bag of greedy, lying, rotten politicians. / There’s fire in Texas and flames burning ‘cross the nation, / Setting fire to apathetic resignation. // It’s time the Fed discover we know ‘bout the power that they’re taking. / And those that had a hand in all this power thieving should be shaking. / The rights of States are being trampled by this once great nation. / It’s time Big Brother face the music of our Constitution. // We’re tired of watching all the makers of the messes pose as saviors. / Make no mistake about it, it isn’t random chance; it’s met agendas. / The path we’re on is the path which they have chosen. / But the tide is turning on this mass manipulation. // The money changers know that powers held by the purse strings. / And they’ve got their pearl fangs deep in the hearts of all they need. / But there are those who’d stand our ground to fight ‘em, / So let’s unite behind them, for the cause of Liberty. // Concentrated power never fails to lose concern for people’s interest. / And the more the power grows, the less it cares, the more it cries out for new taxes. / But the government that governs least is sure to be the greatest. / And those who forget the past are destined to repeat it. // So Come and Take It if you think you want to try and catch us sleeping. / We’ll send you back to where you came from, but you’re gonna take a beating. / Before you smile and bob your head you should do some thinking. / We’re gonna start off with the wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. // The money changers know that powers held by the purse strings. / And they’ve got their pearl fangs deep in the hearts of all they need. / But there are those who’d stand our ground to fight ‘em, / So let’s unite behind them, for the cause of Liberty.


The Ships Going Down

Aboard a ship called, “History,” / The world crawled in and set for sea, / And dancing knowing smiles agreed: / The ships going down. // And turning circles round about / Each others’ asses they all cried out, / In deafening and bestial shouts, / “The ships going down.” // And in a lonely corridor, / there sits a spirit that’s sat before, / Whose fate depends on filthy whores. / An unfair hand. // The captain bellowed and monkeys ran / To the highest places in the land, / And its been this way since pride began. / The ships going down. // And the last four monkeys between these coasts, / Who fight in public, but kiss alone, / Have trumpeted the funeral march. / The ships going down. // They throw the children overboard, / and pin the spirit to the floor. / The captain cries for more and more. / The rape begins…again…and again… // Shut out the lights and strike up the band. / There’s a storm raging, straight ahead, / With no intention of veering left or right. / We’d all be doomed if He waited one more night! // Now are the days when War is Peace, / Freedom, Slavery, and Ignorance, Strength. / The systems largely put in place. / The ships going down. // When asked the captain will smile and say, / “The whole of History led to this day, / And the future’s a boot on the human face!” / The ships going down. // But as the Darkness pierces Light, / and Death attempts to conquer Life, / The Truth begins to turn the knife, / and the world writhes in pain. // Shut out the lights and strike up the band. / There’s a storm raging, straight ahead, / With no intention of veering left or right. / We’d all be doomed if He waited one more night!

The Time Is Now – a poem

they laid there a couple of bags of concrete grey dust their inner souls choking air they sought to breathe they labored to simply do anything more than enjoy themselves their lying their comfortable alloted space next to the power drill the ladder the hammer the nails comfort belonging amongst familiar friends familiar tools all very useful all very singular all very important completely occupied walking duties in this space quite content quite disinterested quite assure

they sat flipping pancakes with their cell phones knowing exactly where they were due to the finest in GPS informed of all comings goings scorings dyings cryings winnings losings findings recent rage of the age performings never have to look for them already found already located a big star marking the spot a big star a piece of flare lit up like neon flipping pancakes laughing with shortened phrases of expression life is too busy move along here i am here i am

they shrugged crows screaming dogs howling explosions rattling bodies ripped apart meat bone organ music bloody swaddling clothes dangling on golden rims gets good mileage green of course bass thumping good times what to wear what to wear

distance closes wide is narrow gaps now here here never happen here what to wear i am here hear hear what move along shovel throwing dust performing organ music holes to dig on your knees on your knees easy to find easy to lead easy place upon the earth a tool better in the earth a fertilizer explosions near blinding moving blood grey matter meat bone drippings into a pillow for your head

Mozelle

I met Mozelle in the twenty-second year of my life. / It was the days of the social, drop the handkerchief, who do you like? / And though her beauty was striking, I feared that I best not think twice. / Cause with six years between us, I figured her father would never let his young daughter date an old rounder like me. // Six months would go by ‘fore I seen the young maiden again. / I’d been stood up to the movie, she was standing alone with no friends. / And as she awaited her ride, I approached her and so it began. / Cause her father would let her, and the woman I stood with would soon be my wife, my one love, my best friend. // Chorus -> Whether hard times or good times, you never once changed who you were. / You stood faithful beside me, and you never did question my worth. / You were thankful for little, you were gracious with much. / And though my eyes are old now, I see clear as a bell, that the Lord sure don’t make ‘em like you anymore…if he ever did more than once, anyhow. // She was ready for children, and in the winter of ’45 he was born. / So we sold off a calf to pay the doctors for him to come home. / And in our years together we’d have one more boy and two girls. / And when the Lord took the first one, the one thing I stood on was knowing I had you right there by my side. // Chorus // Looking back on it all, I thank the Lord for such a blessed life. / For the joy that you brought me in sixty-three years as my wife. / And though we can’t live forever, I sure thought I’d have you tonight. / But I know someday soon, we’ll stand side by side, staring out over our next paradise. // Chorus // I met Mozelle in the twenty-second year of my life.


Sweet By and By
Sanford F. Bennett

There's a land that is fairer than day, / And by faith we can see it afar; / For the Father waits over the way / To prepare us a dwelling place there. // Chorus -> In the sweet by and by, / We shall meet on that beautiful shore; / In the sweet by and by, / We shall meet on that beautiful shore. // We shall sing on that beautiful shore / The melodious songs of the blessed; / And our spirits shall sorrow no more, / Not a sigh for the blessing of rest. // Chorus // To our bountiful Father above, / We will offer our tribute of praise / For the glorious gift of His love / And the blessings that hallow our days. // Chorus.


The Oak Tree Song

Sit right here, my friend; it’s about that time again. / We can stay up all night and take a look at our lives. / So many things that are going on, and even more of them are going wrong. / Try not to think about all the worry and the doubt. / This road we’re on keeps getting longer and longer; the end in sight keeps growing farther and farther. / I hit my knees each and every night; pray to God to make things right. / And I know that I can lean on you after all the things that we have been through. / We’ve known each other for a long, long time; you’ve seen me up, and you’ve seen me crying through // Chorus -> Broken hearts and smoke filled pipes, pointless talk that will last all night; / The loss of loved ones, the loss of friends; crazy fights that we got in; / Disappointment and bottles of beer; wild women throughout the years, / And where we’re going, neither know. It’d sure help to have somewhere to go. // Swirling in this sea of unknowns, we’ll enjoy the calm before the storm comes, / And brace ourselves in this ship of fools, though our slippery grip we may lose. / We’ll try not to waste a breath of air, and let those around us know that we care. / Take a trip and get away from the pressures that we face each day. / Spend a week in a snowy cabin, engulfed in trees and beautiful mountains / Where we can appreciate all the things which He hath made, / But all of this is just a small delay, cause in the end there can be no way / To avoid the inevitable, where we sit and just remember… // Chorus // Staring out our window, watch the oak shake as the wind blows. / Time takes his toll on us all, as each of us have to answer his call. / The sun sets on our time together; the end draws near as we all scatter. / Hard to tell where we will all be, just as the seasons change so do we, / But just as sure as the falling rain, pouring down on a loved one’s grave, / I’ll always be here for you, to help you through all that you do. / So though the wind may take us different directions, it can never break the connection / Between the hearts of two old friends; I’ve sang it twice and now I’ll sing it again, we’ve been through // Chorus.


Dreaming 'Bout New York

I’ve been dreaming ‘bout New York, dreaming ‘bout Pittsburgh, too. (repeat 2x) / But it ain’t that I want to go there. Baby, I just been missing you. // I’ve been thinking ‘bout Mexico, first time we met. / You came up to me, barefoot in a black silken dress. (repeat) / Now I know many years have gone by, but, baby, I’m still missing you. // Chorus -> Now I ain’t had a reason to hold onto our love since the day I left your side, / And you could even argue that it never was. / You know those last few days was none too satisfying. // Still, I keep dreaming ‘bout New York, dreaming ‘bout Pittsburgh, too. / I keep wishing to myself I’d known then what I learned from you. (repeat) / But like a simple twist of fate, I was born too late, and you were born a little too soon. // They say distance makes the heart grow fond, and time can heal all things. / So what happened to your heart, and why is it that I still sing? (repeat) / Cause it ain’t like I’m a fool for love. You’re the only woman I can’t shake. // Chorus // Still, I keep dreaming ‘bout New York, dreaming ‘bout Pittsburgh, too. / I’m just moaning down in Texas, wondering what I’m gonna do. (repeat) / No, I can’t even get you to lead me on, and still I just keep missing you. // Well, I’m sure you’re happy, baby, sure you found someone new. / I’m wishing you well, this ain’t nothing that I’d ever choose. (repeat) / Now I spend each day trying to forget you, but my dreams may never turn you loose. // Chorus.


Comforts

Sitting in the comforts of my room, / Barefoot tapping on a hardwood floor, / I let me guitar carry the tune. / Speaking words for a worn out heart / Through a elody soft and true, / And now I’m safe in the comforts of my room. // Strumming songs and killing time, / Each new breath takes me closer to death, / But I’m in no way eady to die. / And I feel I can’t go on like this, / But I sure as hell got to try, / So I'm strumming songs and killing time. // Chorus -> Old memories swirl around me like a hurricane, / And teardrops they fall just like rain, / And I see your face each night when I close my eyes to sleep, / And I hope that you’re feeling just about the same. // Stare into the faces of the heroes from my past, / Wise eyes and knowing smiles are staring back. / “Why’s life got to be so tough?” I ask, / When I stare into the faces of the past. // Now they’re collecting dust and I’m moving on. / A guide can only show you the path, but it’s your feet that have to walk, / And for the first time in my life, / I see that I’m all alone. / Now they’re collecting dust and I’m moving on. // Chorus // Still, strumming songs and killing time, / Each new breath takes me closer to death, / But I’m still not ready to die. / And I feel I can’t go on like this, / But I sure as hell got to try, / So I’m strumming songs and killing time // Chorus 2x.


Grandfather's Boots

Grandfather bent down to the earth, / Placed her flowers on the fresh dug dirt, / Closed his eyes, and he said a prayer, / “Life’s so hard, Oh Lord.” // “These days I know more in the grave / Than I know up and walking straight, / And I mean that in a couple of ways. / Now do you know what it is that I say?” // And I trailed behind Grandfather’s boots / Just stepping in time in my softer shoes. // The cemetery was cold and grey, / But Grandfather wouldn’t let it stay that way. / With wide, young eyes I watched him smile and say, / “Ah-cha-cha chica-lie chica-lay.” // As the years passed by, I learned and grew / In the shadow of the man with the thundering boots, / No, it wasn’t too long ‘fore I was a big man, too. / He handed them down, I set aside my shoes. // But I went backsliding in Grandfather’s boots. / The wide world sashayed; I had no stomach for the Truth. // Now I’ve been walking down many roads, / Wide and full of gods and ghosts. / I’d never blush, I’s a pride-filled host. / Now that’s lowdown, lowdown. // But now it seems I’ve found my way. / These boots are stepping towards the narrow gate. / And it was no small part that the old man played. / Won’t you search me, Lord, and wash my sins away. // I go out walking in Grandfather’s boots. / My soul rejoices bouncing to the rhythm of my roots.


The Jesus Song

I was sitting on my porch last evening singing songs and feeling high. / I had all the neighborhood dogs a busy barking, / Even the stars were dancing in the sky. / And I was reeling, face beaming, / Feeling this life that I was living couldn’t get much better / When an old friend knocked on my door to pay a visit / I hadn’t seen in several winters. // I said, “Hey Jesus, come on in. How you been? Won’t you take a seat?” / And right then a little dog walked in and she proceeded to lick his feet. / Well ‘ol Jesus, he let out a laugh and said, / “Lord knows it’s good to see you. / It’s been an age since we talked about faith / And I’m beginning to feel we need to.” // I said, “That’s all well and good, but let’s get to the first things first.” / And then I poured him a glass of sangria / From my jug to quench his desert thirst. / Jesus smiled as he sipped his wine, / And he started in on a joke, / “Have you heard the one about Pilate, Judas and the drunken pope?” // Now there’s a thing you won’t find, no matter how hard you look, in all those Biblical stories. / That Jesus, he’s a funny man, and when he talks you forget your worries. / So there we sat, just thinking and drinking with our eyes pointed up toward the sky, / And ‘ol Christ he kept rambling on about the things he’d seen in his time. // Somewhere in his tale between the first World War and the first Woodstock, / Jesus asked me to play him a song, he said, “Show me what you got.” / I said, “That’ll do just fine, now just what would you like to hear?” / He shouted out, “Some ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ would make me grin from ear to ear!” // When I finished the song Jesus let out a sigh and he shook his head, / And then a smile broke across his face as he looked at me and said, / “That ‘ol Satan had his chance in heaven, but in defiance he decided to fall, / But I never did like the man that much, and when he left it didn’t bug me at all.” // As the hours waned on and the bottle waned low, my eyes began to droop, / And Jesus looked me square in the face, and said, “Now, son, it’s time to choose.” / But I was drunk and couldn’t speak or barely think, / And mumbling said I didn’t think I could start. / Jesus smirked sitting back in his seat, and we communicated with our hearts. // Lord only knows what time it was when Jesus finally decided he should go. / The last thing that I remember seeing was Christ laughing, standing near the door. / And I passed out on the porch, it must have been near dawn / When I laid down my head. / But I woke up inside confused and wondering / If it was Christ who’d tucked me into bed.


White Elephants

Have you ever seen the circle of white elephants, / Dancing round the new born boy? / A whole damn herd of elephants, / Just dancing around for joy. / Now they know something I don’t know, / And it’s something they want to tell, / But seeing as they’re elephants, / I couldn’t understand them even if they yelled. // And then the head one spoke right up, / Through eyes both old and wise / And when he lifted up his trunk, / I saw your face twist and come to life. / And then I felt his words take my pride, / Like ashes on the wind, / A message both true and tried, a message from a friend. // Chorus -> You got to learn to slow on down, and take your time. / There’s no such thing as there, there are just points along a line. / So take all the things you got, take all you know, / This old world won’t last that long, you might as well enjoy the show. Put on a good show! // Alice asked a real good thing, when she spoke to the rabbit in blue, / Which way to the bunny hole, which way should I choose? / And the Mad Hatter he did his dance, I saw the Cheshire in a tree, / And I still got this elephant, that won’t stop talking to me. // Chorus // And then I saw her standing there, like a beacon in the night. / An empire in a woman’s stare, an empire poised to strike, / But a love that’d take your breath away and a gentleness in touch, / A braveheart you couldn’t quite explain or ever love enough. // Chorus.


On My Own

I’ve been on the road for several days / Chasing round the good times, staying out too late / And I met a lot of good people, you know / But still I wind up sleeping alone after every show. / Ohio is nice this time of year / Lots of rain and lots of fog, very little cheer. / I’ve spent a mile or two today on the road / With a tune in my head and a hum in my soul. // Chorus -> Let’s head South tonight / I can hear those guitars singing / And the crowd just gathers round tight / Can’t wait for the band to start playing. / I can’t make it on my own (repeat)…on my own. // Now the sun sets low on another day / Time finds me out in West Virginia staying out too late. / Well hey lady won’t you pour another drink in my glass. / This dark brew and mellow mood are gonna get me tight fast. / And it won’t be long until I’m up on that stage / Half drunk, just singing and playing my blues away. / And on the air of every note I hit / I got a girl from Mexico, another girl here I haven’t met quite yet. // Chorus // I wake up in the pouring rain round bout noon / With the songs of yesterday’s evening dancing around in my room / And this indecision just killing me. / I got to hop in the van and start driving soon, I can barely think. // Chorus.


Hey Jovan

Hey Jovan, where’d you get that orange dress you got on? (repeat) / How’d you ever make it all the way to twenty-seven still alone? // Lord, she moves just right. She sends the shadows dancing with the fading light. (repeat) / She’s a dangerous woman, and she knows it. A man had better keep his wits close and his eyes shut tight. // Dead and gone, was the memory of every woman I had known. (repeat) / But they all came flooding back home to greet me at the handling of my heart by Ms. Jovan. // I didn’t mean to stay alone that long, or maybe I did, but, no, it didn’t feel wrong at the time. / Now the thunders rumbling in the sky, I’m seeking shelter as I play in the rain awhile. // She’s so lovely sweet, the only kind of woman almost give you peace. / So lovely sweet! She’s quite a woman, almost makes you feel at ease. / But there’s a long, hard stretch of highway, freezing over from the lack of traveling feet. // Hey Jovan, where’d you get that orange dress you got on? (repeat) / How’d you ever make it all the way to twenty-seven still alone?


Little Fishes

Well as the wise saying goes, well there’s a distance you know / Between the line and the pole, and when the fish they bite, / You know they bite really slow. / Well you may wait up all night, and you may wait your whole life / Beneath the starry moonlight with your heart in the mud, / And your eyes sewed shut tight. // And just as Dick chases Jane up down small county lane, / Driving Janey insane, well you can hear Daddy scream / Much to poor Dicky’s poor shame. / But due to pure innocence and naïve common sense / He’s gonna get him that kiss and there ain’t no way round that / Not even Janey’s parents. // Chorus -> And as the pitch gets higher, everybody feelin’ finer / Little girlies start dancin’ a little closer round the fire. / As the booze start flowing, everybody goes to hoping / Giving sly grins and knowing, little fishes be growing, but for who? // And like a big city bum, under hot July sun, whose pride’s got nowhere to run / You just sit palms up waiting for your next one. / And with the dirt on your face, your beauty shows not a trace, and you accept your disgrace. / With a bitter heart turned old toward the whole human race. // And though the glass looks half empty, you keep drinking up quickly / Your soul grows haggard and sickly, with no cure for the cycle / That keeps you chained up yet free. / But when you see all those others, you just have to discover / The seeming truth they’ve uncovered with a temporary fix in the arms of your lover. // Chorus // And as the old man will tell, there is no escape from this hell, / No way of breaking that spell, it’s a walk in the dark ‘til you fall down the well. / But that’s the price that gets paid, when putting all faith in today / And walking on paths that are paved, with no roots in the Truth / Our passions carry us away! // Chorus.


The Yank

He came from the North, but he talked of the South, / With a ragged old pipe, God’s gift in his mouth. / And he never did complain about the choices he made, / He just looked to the world with the same disdain, / And every time on the farm, when things got slow, / With a rifle and a knife to the field he’d go. // And the sky was clear, and the moon was high, / When his blade caught the beam of the cold dark night. / And every step he took was as silent, soft /As the chill black air o’er the fields he crossed, / And it was no good luck, that the poor town drunk, / Chose the old man’s field to go wandering drunk in. // It had a dizzying effect, trying to trace the steps / Of the young man’s walk through the old man’s patch. / But the one sure thing, that was clearly seen, / Was the cotton marred by the crimson stain, / And when the law showed up, with their guns untucked / It was the old man’s son that lay bloodied and dead there. // Then a cry went up all across that land, / That the Yank took his son with his own two hands, / And the men dug deep, found what courage they had, / Guts and grit whimpered slowly towards the old man’s house, / And the old dirt road told the story so / There’d be no doubt ‘bout who they’d find holed up there. // Life leads death on the tic of the clock, and we’re all too alive to see what our choices have bought, / And at the end of the road, there’s no pot of gold, just truths untold. Just truths, untold. // The men drew near; the house was dark. / The Law drew a circle round the old man’s farm. / A light flashed bright; a shot rang out. / The Yank stumbled, reeling down his front porch steps, / And the gun that smoked clutched the dying hand / Of a tortured soul who’d done its own self in.


Waiting

Sitting in Edinburgh waiting for you, and I’ve been here so long what more can I do but wait longer? / I’ve searched the old city, I’ve searched the new. Climbed castle wall just to gaze upon blue, felt your song there. / But time wouldn’t hurry, Lord, I’d have to wait, revolutions of seasons, unfurlings of fate, / I grow stronger/ Just waiting on you. // Through the cathedrals of Paris and Rome, sculpture in sorrow, man against stone. / Swept like a paintbrush, violets explode. They bleed into water and sink far below. / A mother embraces, resemblance resounds. The world pushes back, rejecting the Word / that you gave them / They’re still waiting on you. // Chorus -> Heaven knows that I’ve been all around this world / But romance grows cold, and my freest thought can’t break the chill. / Bought and sold along the same lies that I tell / You’re always here. Will this heart of stone ever yield? // Like a whispering prophet, a sophist, it seems, / A poser of questions with no Truth to claim / I’ve travelled the highways and slept in the streets. / I’ve wished upon stars and sang to the trees. / I’ve walked in dark places and savored the smell of morals decaying, / Oh where are you now? / I’m still waiting, still waiting on you. // Chorus.

The Way

A voice in the desert calling, “Prepare the way.” Wild honey and locusts was all that he ate. / Around the Jordan, the kingdom was preached, but the teachers all thought he was crazy. / “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee? The ax is already at the root of the trees. / One is soon coming who is greater than me, whose sandals I’m not worthy to untie.” // The twelve year old child sat amongst the old men, listening intently, posing questions to them. / In the courts of the temple for three days he amazed, with his wisdom and his great learning, / When his mother came anxiously searching. / “Why would you worry, dear, why would you search? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house, / But he left the old men in those temple courts, and his mother treasured these things in her heart. // Tested and tried, through the desert he went, led by the Spirit forty days without bread, / But he was not alone, for the prince of this world was persistently there to entice him, saying, / “Come turn these stones to bread, come kneel before me and the world will be yours, / Throw yourself from this temple, embrace who You are!” / “Away from me, Satan, I know your plan. The bread that sustains me, you spit from your mouth, / And I serve one Lord, and my faith needs no test,” and the devil fled from his side. // With love and compassion he traveled the land, rejecting the doctrines and traditions of men. / Revealing God’s heart and fulfilling His plan, but the world did not understand him. / No they clung to the Law that condemned them, and they took him and beat him and hung him up on a tree. / “Don’t grieve for me, I’m going home. I tell you the truth, it’s good for you that I go, / ‘Cause I’m sending the Spirit when I take up my throne,” for he knew that Death could not hold him. // I’ve heard you calling, calling my name. O’er the great waters, down south through the plains, / Cross emerald green meadows, your voice reached my ears, wet with the dew of morning, singing, / “Come home my boy, come home my son. This world that you’re living in, it ain’t your home. / And I know you’re tired and I’ve seen your pain, rest easy in the freedom you’ve gained.”