1. |
Luna's Song
04:13
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All the beads of glass have shattered … All the ships in Bottles Battered All the sails torn and tattered, driftin out to sea
All the brides left on the alter, all the rocks left on Gibraltar, All the old salts start to falter, bending at the knee
And your Heart, was a great responsibility, Do you sense how ill-prepared I was to take it
And My fear, is a heavy yoke that’s crushin me… Do you sense how much I hoped that you would break it.
Pale Sunlight dissipating, flocks of northern birds migrating Tiny creatures hibernating.. ‘neath the autumn moon
Smell of raindrops in the breeze, red and yellow piles of leaves Soon the shallow pond will freeze, winter’s comin soon
And your dreams, were a great responsibility Do you sense how ill-prepared I was to take it
But my dreams are the only thing protecting me Do you sense that sometimes I confuse the sacred
Souveniers of lost vacations… smiling photographs untaken Undeveloped expectations, locked inside a chest
All the love appreciated, always just a bit belated Nothing left but sad clichés, ‘it turned out for the best’
And your heart, was a great responsibility Do you sense how ill-prepared I was to take it
But your love, is part of me forevermore, Every wave that meets the shore helps to reshape it
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2. |
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She bought a tape near Boise Some woman singing country blues
It was 4 in the morning between the old and the new
The sun was barely rising the silence cold as steal
The only sound between us the sound of turning wheels
You thought that I was sleeping I thought that I was too
But when that tape started singing, suddenly I was wide awake with you
And the voice said We can be together
And still stand on our own
And I can put my arms round you
And still leave you alone
And every mile left behind is one more chance for me and you
To leave them things that trap our minds between the old and the new
She was a hard hat’s daughter she wore one on her heart
She liked to drive on cruise control but ove it ain’t no car
We got a bite near Reno, nuveau cowboy chinese
Her fortune said Have patience Mine just said Release
So once again I must set free what I crave most which is you
And if you’re patient you’ll come to see between the old and the new
Chorus
Relationship disaster is what she said she was
I said just you can answer if you want more for us
And taking off that hard hat is sometimes the toughest thing you’ll do
Sometimes it’s just as simple as telling the old from the new
And it made us tremble the way young children do
Some place we’ve never been before.. between the old and the new
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3. |
Dominoes All Day
04:48
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The waves were as high as me, When Miami came in view
And the luxury resorts, were like a string of tarnished jewels
And I held my blanket close, though it smelled of salty foam
It was the only thing… that I had left… from home
And the old men in Havana, they play dominos all day
And they used to buy me flavored ice from the vendors by the bay
But those memories grow dim, with each video game I play
Like my mother’s cries, smothered by the waves
And the old men in Havana, they play dominos all day
While the dream of the golden arches is just a hundred miles away
And they tell me here I’m better off, and they tell me here I’m free
But they only speak of money, when I ask them what that means
And they never speak of laughter, or just passing time away
Like the old men in Havana, playing dominos all day
The Yankees are my team, but I’ve never seen a game
We used to listen in the dark when the signal blew our way
My father jumped for joy, when Martinez hit one out
I guess I’ll never play… a game with father now
And everybody says that they know what’s best for me
They’re in a tug-of-war, but I’m the one who’ll bleed
I’m gonna get myself a boat, and sail away one day
I’ll be free at last, somewhere beneath the waves
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4. |
Mercy Stream
05:30
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Perfect concentration in her stare, perfect lines like michaelangelo
Clack the pool balls scatter everywhere, some find shelter some will miss the boat
Searching for a kinder shore… in the mercy stream
Fear and desperation in his eyes, see him struggle not to let it show
Wanting most the thing he is deprived, skin on skin or else he will explode
Searching for… a kinder shore… in the mercy stream
In the mercy stream… all the losing hands will be washed clean
In the mercy stream.. all the lonely souls will be set free
All the poison daggers that are sharpened on the fear within your heart
And keep us apart…. Will be redeemed… in the mercy stream
Earth and walls that rattle in the night… black machines that recognize no kin
Sent by well fed men with dripping smiles, learn to kill with just a stroke of pen
Ancient footprints vanish in the sand Stranded by the thoughtless march of time
Progress is a fist that shakes your hand.. Mere existence is your only crime
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5. |
Bus Stop in the Night
06:50
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The Streetlamp threw an amber ring around the bus stop in the night
And the small town silence shook her nerves like inverse dynamite
It was our last altercation, she grabbed her guitar and took off
For a 3 am weigh station, where all roads lead to lost
Well her hands were long and slender, they used to flutter just like moths
On our last night at the diner with the checkered tablecloth
Well I broke her heart again that night, I used to break it all the time
It was the only way that I knew how, to keep from breakin mine
There’s a small town in the Midwest, could be any town you please
There’s a slammin of the screen door, there’s a shuffling of the feet
There’s a soft cry in the lamplight, another old song dies
A new song struggles to be born, at a bus stop in the night.
Well she used to order apple pie but she only ate the crust
I just had black coffee, cause that’s all that I could trust
And some folks sleep on feather beds while the world sleeps on hot coal
I become uncomfortable when I’m too comfortable
And her daddy was her hero, he never came back from the war
So I took up the battle, but I could not lift his sword
And her soft skin burnt my fingertips, I should have known it would not work
Still I offered up my indigence while she played with her dessert
The soft mud on the riverbank swallowed up our naked feet
And she talked about all the things she’d get but she did not mention me
We could never share our realities, I felt my heart sink in that mud
And the highway screamed like an angry dream we’re stuck in long enough
Cuz the world sometimes gets so big and fast It makes me feel so small and slow
But swallows still next in the overpass while trucks roar by below
And so I ordered more black coffee, and then I ordered apple pie
And I thought I heard a song somewhere, at a bus stop in the night
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6. |
Lunar Highway
05:29
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am just an Indian, my father was a crow
He sold the family land away many moons ago
He moved to Philadelphia, the hunting there was good
He bought himself a Pontiac, because he finally could
He made me ride up on the roof with my arrows and my bow
At night we’d cruise the interstate in search of buffalo
And if you don’t want me it’s your loss baby
It’s true I’m crazy, but I’m still quite sane
Under that lunar highway if you’re going my way
We can join the march of the sick and lame
Well I met a man in utah, he could walk right through the fire
He’d learned to turn off all the pain of feelings and desire
But when he died he died alone, he told me in the end
Son, I’d gladly trade this power for a few good friends
And if you don’t want me it’s your loss baby
It’s true im crazy in the moon and the wine
Under that lunar highway if you’re going my way
We can join the dance of the lost in time
Well I feel as if I know you, maybe in some other life
Perhaps you were my mother, or possibly my wife
Perhaps we shared some common bond like blossoms in the snow
Perhaps we’ll save each others lives, perhaps we’ll never know
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7. |
Billy
03:08
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8. |
City of Angels
07:55
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You can still back out of this
Its still not that serious
You can stab me in the back
And still keep your front intact
All your tears like table wine
Hope is dying on the vine
Honesty’s a feast for some
Compassion, just a fallen crumb
And the sea was a mirror, flat and gray
And the ship sailed on oblivious to her own wake
And the patterns of chance are the only patterns she makes
And the distance from the deck
To the deep blue sea below… is just a sigh
And as dreams are tossed by the waves
Illusion surrenders her slaves
As the city of angels draws near
The city of hope disappears
You held my heart to the flame, now I am free
Glowing letters on the screen
Barricade yourself in dreams
Hide behind the quick retort
Love is a full contact sport
Days that burn like rusty nails
Nights fall by like dragon scales
Any bus can go downtown
You get high on just a sound
And you open the door, life comes back, rushing in
And the ship sailed on but the passengers never spoke
And you said “Im going up top to light up a smoke”
And as I watched you strike, your existential pose, I knew
It was the end of our road
… chorus, “Now I am free.. but I don’t want to be
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9. |
A Heartbeat is so Long
05:47
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10. |
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The billboard said welcome up ahead, just 3 more miles on the left
200 more before the next gas, youre in the 13th most visited town in texas
I thought that I would just roll on past, but sure enough I was runnin low on gas
The radio was playin some cracklin song
But as I crossed them city limits well a voice come on
It said Our texas hospitality will fulfill your every need
We got 95 motel rooms just so you can get some sleep
Visit gilmore’s feed and seed where you will be surprised to see
The fascinating history of the humble tumbleweed
Of the humble tumbleweed, please observe the posted speed
And this recording will repeat… this recording will repeat…
10 am was already too hot to drive, lord just lemme git out of this truck alive
I found a cheap motel called the Cat Nap inn,
well I drew the shades and turned up the air conditionin
I woke up to the sound of poundin rain, big funnel cloud comin straight up main
The radio alarmclock was set for 10,
But as I dived for the floor this voice come bustin in
It said Be sure to see our county fair, the biggest melons anywhere
The biggest pigs the biggest deer, We’re mighty big on big down here
We are the 13th most you know, we were the 12th before Waco
But you will love our small town style, kick off your shoes and set a while
For information next 3 miles, tune to 610 on your dial…
looked for my truck which I finally found clear crcss the street layin upside down
I felt the walls of that town come creepin in,
like I was trapped in a room full of real estate sales men
found the greyhound bus, put my money down,
don’t care where I go, long as it’s out of town
the bus driver was playin some cracklin song
you know I nearly had a heart attack when his voice come on
He said Now how the hell boy have you would Up in this greasy one horse town
Greasy spoons and greasy slobs, and hail the size of gearshift knobs
Did you think you’d get away, everything today’s the same
Mini marts and taco bells, everything is buy and sell
There’s only one priority: develop the economy
From texas maine to Tennessee, the same commercial will repeat
The same commercial will repeat, your sorry ass life will repeat…
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11. |
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12. |
Broken Watches
05:42
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13. |
Patch of Beauty
04:17
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14. |
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15. |
Whiskey Angel
07:02
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16. |
Needles in the Hay
06:34
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October meant the storm windows go up again
But he’d kept them in the barn, where the skunk had been
He didn’t notice till his wife came home and it was too late
The heat vent by the window sucked that skunk all through that place
So he took them windows off again and he washed em down with vinegar
Cause he didn’t have no tomato juice, but he figured the acid was the thing
And he wonders if his wife and kids can see how hard he tries
And how each year it gets harder to take them windows down in spring
There was a field full of ripe corn, was a child on a swing
There was the glow in the eyes of the woman who wore his ring
There was the future, there were dreams, and bills had to be paid
Now all them irons in the fire, are just needles in the hay
He got a son up in Alaska, bout as far away as he could go
A daughter wants to sing the blues in a box in Chicago
His youngest girl is back at home with a degree that ain’t worth shit
And he never liked a drink after dinner before, now he looks forward to it
But he tells himself it’s ok, he’s earned a little rest
After all his kids still love him, and that’s what feels the best
And his family’s been in this same county a hundred years at least
He might not get the Nobel prize, but he might find a little peace
His first son runs the farm now, working every wakin minute
His wife works over in an office in lasalle, but he aint never been in it
She collects Persian poetry cooks Indonesian food and practices acupuncture
Makes him feel a little bit guilty sometimes just for lyin there on the sofa
So he carves out his defenses by takin potshots at her faith
Chews extra loud at the dinner table while she sits trying to pray
And they pass in the hall just like two strangers riding the same train
They been on it so long they’d both be lost, if they ever got off again
And when he’s gone the sum of all his work will flow like rain
Right back down into that ground, runnin off the old storm drain
And them come next October, when the harvest rolls around
His son will pull that old man’s sweat right back out of that ground
Ah, but if he’s scared of leaving, he don’t admit at all
He just worries who will put… them windows up next fall…
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Jay Williams Bainbridge Island, Washington
Grew up in L.A., next door to Rodney King. Foster kid, on welfare, muttsville. Heard John Prine at the Roxy when I was 16, changed my life. Stumbled into KROQ in the 1980s, got my 15 mins of fame. Moved to the Northwest, found community, then lost them when compassion became their justification for fascism. I'm over humans. These songs feel like phantom limbs. Cats are my gurus now. ... more
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