Glada
New canopies arise
From the crumbling framework
The remnants of fire
And you came as you are
And they said,
“Heaven’s a mystery, unless you’re a star.”
“Unless you’ve a crown.”
But they’re wrong
And you can walk this head around and gone
Or we can fly
———
Who am I?
Do I deserve the sea again?
The slow lapping waves
Bathing my face in light
In the night
Long after summer winds
In the last, diving in
Finding love and a friend
In the dawn
———
The blueberries arrive
Round the purpling nettles
The ramsons' empire
And you came from the stars
And you said,
“We are the prey that we seek in the dark”
———
But who am I?
Do I deserve the sea again?
Slow lapping waves
Bathing my face in light
In the dawn
For far and long, as I have been
The last time around
Now finding a friend
Who am I?
Why do I deserve the sea again?
After all I’ve done
And finding love in the end
For Sure
Perish the pain
I was impoverished
Those ties that wind
And stared into open lanes
Stared into long long nights
Howling and still
West of the Eastern Cove
Carving the wind
Dawn of your eyes
Dust off your smile
———
When you say ‘us’
You make me trust
———
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
That’s how much i feel in everything you are
You know, I know
———
Hot as the day
When we sat on stones
Watching the fish, run
Under our feet, and flow
And dove from the rocks
Scraping my knees and toes
And blood, with me, rose
Slow from the sea
And you were waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
You were waiting for me
———
It’s just how much
When you say ’us’
You don’t know just how much
You make me trust
———
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
That’s how much i feel in everything you are
I know, I know
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
I will never keep you from just who you are
cuz I know, I know
Born In A War
It’s all so temporary
Life’s work, don’t play that way
Life’s more than cash and carry
All your guns, to your grave
Is it too much to carry?
Is it too much to ask you why?
———————
I have a sinking feeling I know why
I have a sinking feeling I know
Born to an insensitive fool
You’ve been damned by
You’re scared
When a strong man cries
Is when a strong man dies
———————
Raised up in a town that’s 80 proof
Shotgun shells under every roof -- every jail
Didn’t learn a lot from public schools
All our books went off to wars -- they could sell
Is it too much to carry?
Is it too much to run and hide?
And what's too much to bury?
Is it too much to ask you why?
———————
I have a sinking feeling I know why
I have a sinking feeling I know
Swore you an impossible dream
You’ve been damned by
You swear
That when a strong man cries
Is when a strong man dies
You’re scared
That when a strong man cries
Is when a strong man dies
———————
But a strong man cries
A strong man cries
Just look into this strong man’s eyes
Look into a strong man’s eyes
Look into a strong man's eyes
Raised up in a town that’s 80 proof
Shotgun shells under every roof
Bloody hell
I Knew You
We walked into the pines
And sat amongst the graves
You told me you'd been fine
Since I poisoned your life
And it was so good to hear
After so many years
Not for the pain
But to hear you say anything real
Well I've been working nights
In and out of fights and flights
Kites in storms
Forgot this war
———
When I had to run
We didn't leave it all said and done
But will it be tonight?
Something in the cold of your eyes says, "Tonight."
I knew you
I knew you as you were, not as you are
You knew me too
But I'm not the same, it's not the way
The way, you're used to
———
You asked me to stay
Asked me to stay awake, 'til the morning breaks
In someone else's place
But I fell to sleep
Ashamed of where I shouldn't be
Woke to you shaking me
He drove all night to find you
I think that you knew
He'd drive all night
Cuz all that you sighed
Was, "what if ‘Long Flight’ was about you?"
But it was and it was about you too
———
Then I had to run
And now we'll leave it all said and done
What did you think he'd find?
Something in the cold of your eyes said, "Goodbye."
I knew you
I knew you as you were, not as you are
You knew me too
But it's not the same -- not the way
The way, you used to
I knew you
Not like I used to
City's Face
All those years
Just a shadow
Of a ghost
Of a memory -- at most
And how you strayed -- an arrow
Where you go
Where you been?
Where you came
———
This city I'm sick and tired
And wild
The city that I came to love
I'm leaving
Filled with paranoia inside
Trust left with the loss of my pride
I say, "so long."
———
It's so strange, how a person can change a city's face
A time and place
Who we know
And believe
I believed, for too long
What you did to me, wasn't wrong
I grew to hate you
And this place too
———
This city I'm sick and tired
Am I -- the one that I forgot to love?
I'm losing
Filled with paranoia inside
Trust left with the loss of my pride
I say, "so long."
———
It's so strange, how a person can change a city's face
A person can change
A person can change a city's face
And the strangers I came to know
They're all strange now
All the strangers I came to know
They're all strange now
Strange now
Strange now
It's strange
Waking
I’ve been sitting here thinking
What’s my purpose?
What’s the meaning?
And all the world just passed me in the night
As my body lies, weakened
Pins and needles
Wake me, I'm dreaming
And the blood began to push me back to life
———
My life, my truth
It’s all I have to give, I gave to you
———
To be yourself
To see yourself
To see the world — is to wake brand new
Do you hate yourself?
Break yourself?
Mistake yourself for the things that they say?
For the things that they do
———
(If you)
Give a little bit
You get a little bit
For you
Give a little bit
Give a little bit
Give a little bit
Give a little of you
You know it’s the truth
———
You know, my words have been a shield for all my life
I sang a swan — it gave me wings to fly
And in the absence of an echo, ego dies
And in the absence of myself I came to find
My life, my truth
It’s all I have to give
I gave to you
———
To be yourself
To see yourself
To see the world — is to wake brand new
Do you hate yourself?
Mistake yourself?
Break yourself for the things that they do?
What did they do to you?
———
If you give a little bit
You get a little bit
For you
Give a little bit
Give a little bit
Give a little bit
Give a little of you
The Painter
Fear of black and yellow
Is pushing in the blue
Here, I made a willow
Traces of you
Crushing a piano
The pieces in the yard
I can see the faces
Tracing your heart
Fear has made you shallow
Hiding in your tomb
I'm screaming at the dust, "Is this good by you?"
———
Calling out in space
Calling out for home
I once called you friend
Greatest fool, I know
Been around the city
And out in the country
Been around the world, now
I'm out in the water
I'm waving not drowning
What's lost in the painting?
———
Somebody y'all know
Somebody y'all know
Somebody
Somebody
Sienna yellow
Fire apple hue
I'm screaming at the dust, "Is this good by you?"
———
I'm calling out in space
On the canvas cold
On the pallet knife
Only red you know
Been around the world now
And out in the country
Been to every city
I'm out in the water
I'm waving not drowning
I don't need a savior
I'm waving not drowning
What's lost in the painting?
What's lost in the painting -- in the crimson holes?
What's under the shadows -- that you made your own?
Some can't see it all
Some can't see at all
Some can't see it all
Some can't see at all
Some can't see it all
Some can't see at all...
Plastic Beach
Spent a lifetime in the mirror
Always afraid of what someone else would say
I wanted to be strong
So it took some time to tell you
But you knew from the things I’d say
"Why do you say that babe?"
"You’re my beautiful, you’re my heart"
"And you’re beautiful just this way"
———
When I took the time to tell you
You took the time to listen to me too
Now I see, I see today
I see, I see my face
———
Spent a lifetime in the mirror
Picking apart, what i couldn’t change
But I saw my mother, my father, my brother
In my face
In my face
Most the time it was the only thing that kept me going
Other times -- just a grip of shame
You came along and showed me who I am
What it means
To be loved
To be one
To be loved
To feel some
Now I see, I see tomorrow
I see, I see tomorrow
And, "You’re my beautiful."
"And you’re beautiful just this way."
When I took the time to tell you
You took the time to listen to me too
Now I see, I see tomorrow
I see, I see tomorrow
I spent a lifetime in the mirror
Picking apart, what I couldn't change
Now I see, I see tomorrow
I see, I see tomorrow
I see, I see tomorrow
I see, I see tomorrow
I see, I see tomorrow
What you saw today
Moonlight
Here’s our chance -- to make it
Make this into something more
Here’s my heart
Don’t break it
It’s all that I ask
Nothing more
———
Breaking to your heart
Called from wild and far away
Can any fool learn love?
It’s all that I ask
Nothing more
Nothing more
———
So we just lay in bed all day
I couldn’t see
I’d a cloud in my arms
But if I asked you
Would you say?
“It’s only rain.”
Nothing more
Nothing more
———
Here I lay me down
Here I lay me down
Here I lay me down
Thrill
Blue water
Black bible
Old river
Come quietly
Just asking
A glass of water
They don’t know me
Don’t try me
—————
Nobody gonna pick me up
I’m falling down
And I’m 5th St. bound
Now nobody wanna fill me up
I’ve fallen down
None of my friends around
—————
Seen it on the news
Looked like me and you
Did they hear me calling?
——————
Blue water
Black rider
Keep on rolling
Keep on riding
Old silver
Old Tar River
Keep running
Black water
Old river
That old Tar River
Just keeps rising
Inside me
—————
Nobody gonna pick me up
I’ve fallen down
And I’m 5th St. bound
—————
Seen it on the news
Some never seem to lose
They say, the rest are fallen
I seen it on the news
It wasn’t mine to lose
Do they hear me calling?
——————
(Heavy this leans inside me)
Keep Rising
(The river seethes)
(Parting the ground beneath me)
Keep Rising
(Just like the sea)
O Tar River
(Watching it washing over)
Tar River
(The broken reeds)
It grows inside me
(Gambling the rushing water)
Keeps on running
(Over me)
Keeps rising
(Over me)
Keeps rising
(Over me)
(Over me)
Keeps rising
Keep Rising
Hit the Coast
I can’t feel
I can’t feel, for you
I’m just fine, as is
I don’t mind if that’s it
If I can’t feel
I can’t fight
For you
It’s not my right
If I can’t fight
I can’t lose
For you
So without you...
———
I’ll hit the coast
Hit the coast
Hit the coast
Hit the coast
———
Pressing play
On this old tape
Was a bad move
Reduced to hiss
Some record I loved
Some record I’ve missed
Just static -- an absence
And I heard you say
You didn’t need me
Or any of these things
These tapes
And these days
They’re frying in my backseat
But I’m flying and free
And I’m not crying
But I can’t even look to think
———
Hit the coast
Hit the coast
Hit the coast
Hit the coast
———
Driving, in silence
In my car
It’s all that I can take
And nothing I could do
I put my whole life
In my car
When you go
Just take what you can take
And change what you can do
I'll hit the coast
Days
I cross my heart to say
You never get to choose
And how hard it was today, just to muse
And slip out of the flow
The patterns and the news
Try not to fear or speak
Or repeat, “how are you?”
The death of me
Is but a play
And we’re actors in a way
We’re actors - every day
But it’s true
—————
And I knew you wanted to
Dance with me
I’ll dance with you
All that’s temporary
All we said we’d do
Just dance with me
I’ll dance for you
—————
Here in my arms
Fearing my grave
Death is the star
Here on the stage
I think too much
I ran so fast, I couldn’t move
My knees are weak and broken, bruised
The streets I knew are riddled too
On cobblestone, I ran for you
Feet don’t fail me now
Two lefts — out of tune
But song lives in the chance — to ask this dance
With you
—————
And I knew you wanted to
Dance with me
I’ll dance for you
All that’s temporary
All we said we’d do
Just dance for me
I’ll dance for you