Lyrics Only

Here's where I keep lyrics for which I have no yet provided music.

Ballad of Murphy Monroe	Broken Promise	Early Morning Train
Ain’t No Fool	All You Gotta Do Is Call	As Long As We Can Get Along
A Part of It All	Q and A	Silver Linings
Because It Goes Around	Bee Blues	Before the Cart
Better Than	Boiling Winds	Breezeway Blues
Can I Dial 9?	Carries You To Me	I Didn't Mean To Do It
Don’t Say I Did Not Try	Final Breath	Find Another Way
Finito, Benito	Front Door	Go All Out
Golden Afternoon	Good Ol’ Armageddon	Hallelujah Train
How Do You	How Far	I Know More Than Ever
In Between Times	In the Fire	In the Same Vein
Kind of Girl	Lilies	Living On the Leavings
Long Hard Climb	Love Story Song	Make You Believe
Maybe Different	Me and You	Missed a Road
Morning Coffee	Move Aside	Moving On
No Love	Play My Song	Point of View
Remember Me	Respect the Man	River Woman
Running Road Blues	Saint Caffeine	Salome
Seed Corn	Sensitivity	She's Afraid
Some Songs Will Never Fade Away	Stand Inside the Thunder	Take It As It Comes
Talk About Love	Telling Me What To Do	The Here and Now
Thinking Really Doesn’t	'Til Then	Together
Two-sided Coin	Whaddaya Know?	What I’m Saying
What’s It Gonna Take	What’s the Matter with Kansas?	When I Go a Little More
Who Do You Think	The Wind in My Name	You Tell Me
Genius	Put It Out	Never Said I’d Never Go
Something Amiss	No Surprise

Ballad of Murphy Monroe

My name is Murphy Monroe

I’m a gambler when I can

I’ll bet an ace held up my sleeve

And hope my luck will stand

I am not too proud to shake your hand

And I’ll do by you what you need me to

That’s the kind of honor that I understand

I was heading out for Vicksburg

On a cold November day

For a job that might be there

At quite a good day’s pay

And yes I guess I never planned to stay

I’m strong & fit, I can work a bit

Though truth be told, I’m a man who’d rather play

Not a soul was at the station

When I rolled into the town

Down the bluff the Mississippi

Was flooding, dark and brown

And the sun was sinking low, about to drown

Could a used a friend to take me in

But no one let me in, no one friendly come around

She was standing near the shadows

In the bar when I walked in

She looked me up, then stared me down

Like she wanted to be friends

If I knew now everything she knew back then

What she had in mind to pass the time

I’d been long gone and not come back again

She said her name was Melody

And her last named rhymed with sweet

She asked me did I want a drink

And would I like a seat

I sat down beside her, and I felt her heat

We drank some wine till half past nine

Then I followed her go walking down the street

We came to the Yazoo River

Sometime past one o’clock

The moon was almost new

When we sat down on a rock

I tried to read her mind, but that highway was blocked

I had no idea why she’d led me here

But then I heard the crowing of the cock

Now my name is Murphy Monroe

And I’ll bet with honest men

But I wouldna bet a nickel

I’d ever see what I saw then

Up from the water’s edge, from the devil’s den

Rose a serpentine river queen

And she looked like something made from homemade sin

That apparition smiled at me

Then she began to hum a tune

That river queen commenced to sway

Beneath that newborn moon

I thought my time to die might be real soon

In the dead of night in that hellish light

She would hunt me down just like a coon

Her hair hung down like kudzu

Her teeth were sharp and bright

Her dress was made of mill weed

She shone with a wicked light

There was nothing in her eyes but the dead of night

She gave a scream that was high and mean

Then I closed my eyes up coffin tight

I don’t know if I ran

Or if I was born away

All I know is that I woke up

At the first light of the day

Melody had vanished, gone until this day

And there’s not a soul who believes the whole

Story Murphy had to say

My name is Murphy Monroe

I’m a gambling man of means

And I’ve lived too many years

To tell you all I’ve seen

But I know what is real and what’s a dream

So you best beware if you go down there

To that quicksand land where dwells that river queen

Broken Promise

Tomorrow always makes a promise

It never means to keep

Tomorrow wants to be today

And plans to while you sleep

Today is always absent-minded

Leaves the keys locked in the car

It falls asleep at the wheel

Until you’ve crossed a bridge too far

The promise of time

Is an empty threat

It’s temporal crime

It’s a blue regret

It’s the way back home

On a washed out road

It’s the urge to roam

With a heavy load

Tomorrow offers you large rewards

If you sit back and relax

It whispers things will stay the same

But that don’t square with the facts

The fact is change is all there is

If you want some guarantee

Just try reliving yesterday

Then come tell me what you see

We’re all marking time with IOUs

That we never will repay

There’s no deposit in any bank

That can make up for today

Tomorrow is just a fiction

Meant to ease your troubled mind

It’s a loan with no good credit

For the things you left behind

Early Morning Train

I hear the train down at the yard

I hear that whistle’s moaning call

I hear the rumble on the tracks

As she is heading out of town

The sun will be up soon

But it ain’t gonna shine on me

‘Cause there ain’t no going back

And there ain’t no turning ‘round

The tracks go across the bridge

And the river rolls out west

All roads are heading out

And they only lead one way

I could jump aboard that freight

Ride as far as she will go

Ride until there is no doubt

That I’m gone away to stay

I remember years ago

Walking north along the tracks

Walked across that river bridge

Walking barefoot in the rain

Things have changed since then

But then again, they’ve never changed

I’m still standing on a ledge

I’m still waiting on that train

Ain’t No Fool

Ain’t no fool feel this way

After all you say and do

Don’t be cool, that don’t play

Look at who you talking to

What’s the plan? Where’s the thing

We both really want to do?

Who’s the thief? Where’s his sting?

Will we get what’s coming to?

Ain’t no fool felt this fine

Anyway, he wanted to

Got no rule, you gimme mine

It’s just me and it’s just you

All You Gotta Do Is Call

It's not like you don't know the way,

'Cause you do, you just don't recall

And its not like you don't have the number,

'Cause I've seen it written on your wall

Now all you gotta do is call

There's a race that's being run every day of every year

And the runners jump the gun every time that they hear it.

You'd like to take your place on the line, without fear

You could probably save your face but you can't get near it.

There's a phone inside your head and all the wires touch your eyes

Though your eyelids made of lead, you still might surprise them

Go ahead and call him up, it'll make your spirits rise

You just might be in luck if you can only recognize him.

A bastard and his mom walk by you on the street

Though you don't know where they're from you want to beat them

Just imagine your surprise when they turn to you and speak

You discover they are wise yet you don’t want to meet them

Mountains, you wanna go to the mountains

Because that's where you think that peace may be

Fountains, you wanna wash in fountains

Because you think your sin can wash away for free

Oceans, you wanna swim in oceans

Out beyond the shores, upon the sea

Motions, you go through the motions

Try so hard to be yourself so endlessly.

There are children in the road and they play like you aren't there

The weather's turning cold and you can't bear it

To see them without shoes and all the bullets in the air

There's nothing here to lose, so why not share it?

As Long As We Can Get Along

Can I come around and see you sometime?
When the sun is down and I’ve had some wine
I believe we could have a real nice night
When the moon is nice and bright

Can you wait up until the cars go past
I can throw a rock at your bedroom glass
You can climb down here on your mother’s lawn
We can sit here quiet ‘til the break of dawn

We can sit here quiet, or we can shout real loud
We can dance real slow or we can draw a crowd
We can do whatever you think is right
Just as long as we can get along
Tonight

You’re the sweetest thing that I ever saw
You make me want to step outside the law
You’ve got some hold upon the way I breathe
I don’t ever want to leave

Can we sit on the porch in your daddy’s swing?
Tell him that we won’t do anything
That he and your mama wouldn’t ever do
I bet he won’t believe it’s true

An old man drives an older pickup truck
Or at least thats how it seems to be.
But then trucks just grow simply old
While some men grow old gracefully.
A cigarette is clenched between his teeth
He's hunched down staring out the glass
He's looking at the road that's coming up
But he's seeing the road that's gone past.

He's just a Part of it All,
But he hasn't heard the call.
Not too big and not too small
Yeah we're all a part of it all
Though we can't get over the wall
All in all in all in all.

A fat woman works in a 7-11
She's the same one behind every till
She used to think there was a thin girl inside
But lately she's simply lost the will.
Now she sits and stares at gaudy magazines
And believes that things must someday change
She's looking at the next car that drives up
But she's seeing what's driving her insane.

The opportunities they knock and then they're gone
Discontinuity lies between the notes and the song.
If only small mistakes didn't roll into a ball
And the ball didn't smash the human will
Between the hard place and the wall.

A dirty child plays in front of a dirty house
And picks up dirt and throws it at the air.
She hasn't yet evaporated inside
She still smiles whenever grownups stare.
It doesn't matter that her home is small
Or that love is something she might never know
She's looking at the road before her house
And she's wondering where that road could go.

Q and A

Who do you believe

Him or your lying eyes?

Do you want to leave

Or just wear a good disguise?

Looking for a reason

That things turned out this way

They hang a man for treason

But no one hangs today

There’s got to be a question

That someone answers true

There’s got to be a judgement

That evil answers to

There’s got be an answer

‘Bout how we make it through

There’s got to be somebody

Who knows what we should do

How ‘bout you?

How ‘bout me and you?

Looking for the exit

This road goes on too long

Keep trying to fix it

But it keeps going wrong

Some things are certain

We know what is right

If they bring down the curtain

It’s gonna be a long night

Are the questions just too hard to ask?

Are the answers just too hard to do?

No one said this would be an easy task

So tell me, who is gonna pull us through?

How ‘bout you?

How ‘bout me and you?

Who do you believe

Your senses or what somebody said

Do you want to leave

Or roll over and play dead?

Looking for a reason

That things turned out this way

They hang a man for treason

But no one hangs today

Silver Linings

I’m gonna be blinded by silver linings

Got a feeling things’ll turn out fine

That’s a whole lot of sun that’s shining (down)

To ease my worried mind

Look at all those drifters who are moaning in the rain

Got troubles piled up high, got those blues on the brain

Yeah, the clouds are mighty dark, things going down the drain

But far above the stormy clouds is a place where there’s no pain

Desperation’s got a way of sneaking in your soul

Seems there’s no way out and you’re heading down a hole

The darkness all around you starts to take its toll

Look past the cloud for words of hope writ on a silver scroll

You may not see silver linings

Every time you raise your eyes

But I swear they’re always there

Just beyond the darkest skies

You may think that it’s all over,

That the end is coming fast

But it’s all good in the end

And it’s not the end ‘til then

When silver linings shining through at last

If you always look for trouble, trouble’s always there to find

It’s easy when you lose and you can lose most any time

It may take some work to find those silver linings

He never said things would be easy,
He said things would turn out fine

Because It Goes Around

I can't begin to think about
A world without your face
Without the way you talk to me
Without your special grace
No, nothing is for certain
All things have their odds
But if you close the curtain
I'd forever curse the gods

Just because it goes around
Doesn't mean it comes back here again
Just because you turned around
Doesn't mean you'll come back home again

I hate it when those frightened thoughts
Make a prisoner of my mind
The scenes where I am losing you
Where the terror strikes me blind
When I can't control my thinking
And I taste that metal taste
I may see your body sinking
But I cannot reach your face

You know, love can die a death
But it can resurrect itself
Our souls may be immortal
So is love
But if you should breathe your last
I could not face the past
I don't think I said I love you
Quite enough

I can't begin to live without
Your loving, caring soul
I've never lived without a doubt
I've never felt as cold
As I would feel by losing you
I could not walk that road
Be careful when you're gone from me
Be careful where you go

Bee Blues

Sitting around waiting,

Waiting on your telephone call

Sitting around my house,

Waiting on your telephone call

Might have to wait forever,

Might not have to wait long at all

When I left you this afternoon,

Seemed like everything was allright

When I took my leave this afternoon,

Seemed like everything was just about allright

Now I ain't heard from you honey,

And it's getting on about midnight

It's hard for me to believe

That it was something that I said

We were doing so fine,

I can't believe it was something I said

Maybe I said too much,

Gonna cut my mouth off of my head

Before the Cart

He's running short of phrases
To describe the human condition
She's running short of patience
A step shy of perdition
He's become a shell so empty
Echoes run aground inside him
Been so long since she was tempted
To do nothing but stand beside him
He's so strange
He'll never change

What do they have in common?
Besides the fiercest pride
That's ever burned inside
A human heart
Why do they keep on walking
Down that tarnished, tandem road?
Each other's heavy load
The hardest part before the cart

Before they were not lovers
They were not the best of friends,
Before them there were others
Who had tried to make amends
Tried to stop the endless longing
That kept them from being whole
It's a lie there's nothing wrong in
Losing every last shred of soul
She's so odd
She thinks she's God

What do they have in common?
Why do they keep their faith?
They learned it from their moms and
Dads who were bound by their mistakes.
He's not trying to escape her
He's just refusing to cave in
She thinks he wants to trap her
And she only wants to save him
They've been frozen
In the lives they've chosen

Better Than

Can’t think of much that’s better than

This empty autumn eve

The golden light is in my hand

And runs along my sleeve

Tomorrow’s nothing more than smoke

Yesterday’s a dream

Tonight the burning leaves

Are exactly what they seem

Can’t hope for nothing better than

The hope that we all share

Precisely in this moment

With the burdens we all bear

Wait and will and wanting what

No one knows for sure

Just left it on the bleeding spot

And walked off feeling pure

Can’t hope for something other than

The something that I start

If nothing worries in my head

It can’t disturb my heart

And not a wrinkle, not a thought

No thing behind my eyes

The brilliance in the autumn sun

Reminds me what is wise

Boiling Winds

It was two pm when the sirens screamed

The sky was low, almost touched the ground

They screamed six more times that afternoon

The day the boiling winds kept coming ‘ round

It’s one thing when the air comes alive

It’s another when it comes alive and hates you

When the air comes alive and tears apart

The living soul within you

Boiling winds, the screaming, boiling winds

Snakes in the sky they ate their tails

They crushed the earth with Cain’s own mark

They stole our daughters, sons and wives

Snatched them from our arms into the dark

And the fires burn

And the oceans churn

And the twisters turn

And the boiling winds return

Breezeway Blues

You make me hungry

You make me weak

It's just like you, baby

You got a hurting streak

We're riding down the highway

We're looking mighty fine

Yeah, the sun is shining,

But I feel so blue inside

It's time to tell you, honey

Something you should know

You can't keep hurting me

That ain't no way to go

We're walking down the street,

Baby, side by side

Yeah, the sun is shining,

But I feel so blue inside

It's a shame on you, mama

The way you treat your man

You make him look real good

Then you kick him in the can

Trucking down the road

Baby, side by side

Yeah, the sun is shining,

But I feel so blue inside

Can I Dial 9?

Can I dial "9" and get outta here?

Can I transfer the phone?

Can I transfer the tears?

Can I put you on hold

While I forward the call?

Can I dial "9" and get an outside line

To anybody at all?

I'm a Southern boy

You're a Southern belle

But our Southern love

Is in Southern hell

Now I need a way

To get away from it all

I'd like to pick up the phone

Hear the dial tone

And make an outside call

This has come to be

A little hard on my soul

I feel like I'm stuck

On top of a pole

If I could just phone home

With a little luck

I could take a trip

On the mother ship

Scotty, beam me up.

Now I tried real hard

To get through to you

I get the busy sound

And I can't get through

I guess I'll dial direct

Reverse the charges, hon

Yes I do suspect

I'm a nervous wreck

Get me 911

Carries You To Me

There is something that flows just beneath you
As strong as a wild, surging sea
It’s a river that springs up inside you
And carries you ever to me

It carries you ever to me
Carries you ever to me
Through the spring’s flood of tears
Past autumn’s gray fears
Down the slope of the years
It carries you ever to me

There is something that rises inside me
As sure as a song written to
Your river that rises to meet me
It’s the song that I sing just for you

The song that I sing just for you
A song that I sing just for you
In a key we both know
Every word soft and low
Every note sung “just so”
It’s the song that I sing just for you

We’re a sight to behold, you and I
We’re a tangle that holds every thread
You’re a river that leads me, and I
Want to go evermore where I’m led

Go evermore where I’m led
Want to go evermore where I’m led
Down the stream where I’ll be
Close to you, and there we
Will dissolve in the sea
Away from all sorrow and dread

It carries you ever to me
Carries you ever to me
Through the spring’s flood of tears
Past autumn’s gray fears
Down the slope of the years
It carries you ever to me

I Didn't Mean To Do It

Sitting in the courtroom, waiting for the judge

My lawyer fell asleep and the D.A. wouldn't budge

The jury had a problem when I plead insanity

I didn't mean to do it, it was not in first degree

Twelve folks on the jury, they won't look me in the eye

I'm starting to get worried, 'cause it looks like I might fry

When they hand the judge the verdict, he starts laughing right out loud

Gives the rope to the sheriff and says, "throw him to the crowd"

Damn, I didn't mean to do it, I swear I'm innocent

I didn't mean to do it, would it help if I repent?

I didn't mean to do it, did the police not report

That I didn't mean to do it? Give me mercy in this court!

It was just a little party that we threw in my back yard

To celebrate and rest since we'd been working mighty hard

Selling drugs down at the high school and dope down at the gym

Hell, we sold it to the principal - it didn't bother him

Then we got a little rowdy, this I must admit

And we got a little hungry so we dug a big ol' pit

We made ourselves a barbeque, we built ourselves a fire

And then we started looking for something to expire

Okay, I guess I'll grant you that I'm really not that wise

'Cause when someone suggested we should chow down on our wives

Well, I took him very literal and went to get my axe

Before they ever knew it I dispatched 'em to the max

Now, it never did occur to me when chow came on my mind

That he meant it to be sexual and not the cooking kind

It's too late to deny it, we just went ahead and cooked

Then we ate 'em for our supper, now you want to throw the book

Don’t Say I Did Not Try

Pieces of the puzzle, useless artifacts
Easy way to lose me
Too bad, I’m coming back
Deadlines on the highway, push hard and try to pass
They tried hard to buy me
Too bad, it did not last

It’ll all make me a little stronger
Just as long as I do not die
And, yes, it might take me a little longer
But Lord, don’t say I did not try

Branches in the darkness, could be I’ve lost track
Bright light tries to mark me
Too bad, I’m coming back
Rope burns on my ankles, tied tight to the mast
Cold iron are my shackles
Too bad, they did not last

Now nothing’s gonna change the way they do things
Nothing never has and never will
But something’s gotta change the way we view things
‘Cause I don’t think I can go on
Like this and not get killed

Make way for the angels, see them flying high
Someone said there would be danger
Too bad, nobody cried
One chance in a million, one chance is all I need
Last time nobody heard me
But this time, I’m guaranteed

Final Breath

It does no good to say it now

That I could make it up somehow

But I wouldn’t do it anyhow

And no one would believe my vow

To stand my ground

Never seemed to figure out

And things were always left in doubt

What was it that we fought about?

All we did was scream and shout

And stomp around

Who pays for all the crimes

We commit but do not feel?

Many were the times

Things got really real

Many were the escapades

That led to blood and death

The memories won’t ever fade

Until that final breath

I always thought we could go back

But the past is under some attack

And now I know I’ve lost the track

Of whatever used to hold me back

And staying cool

The seeds were left to germinate

But now it seems it’s much too late

And no one wants to sit and wait

When it’s easier to imitate

And act a fool

Find Another Way

Too many folks are angry

Not enough of them awake

Not one soul is willing

Not one chance will they take

Safety lies in numbers

Comfort's being numb

Intelligence is dangerous

It's better being dumb

Waiting in the bushes

Lay down on the job

Sleeping at the switch

Hiding from the mob

Torches in the courtyard

Somebody's gonna pay

You'd think they would avoid this

And find another way

Gotta find another way

When your dogmas don't agree

When everything you say is wrong

Just because you are not me

It always comes to push and shove

Take aim and fire away.

To somehow get past all this

Better find another way

Nothing short of shouting

Will ever satisfy

A man who feels he's got to say

What he thinks of the other guy

The other side is evil

With the devil on their team

They're ugly and they're stupid

What they want is just a dream

Now our guys got the answer!

What's the question? Hey, who cares?

It's our courage that will save us

We've better hearts than theirs

We're the only ones who realize

What God himself would say

But what he says, if we only knew

Is to find another way.

Tomorrow it gets quiet

Tomorrow's looking bad

There's no one left to argue

'Bout what the other said

There's not a man left standing

They've all been blown away

That's the best we can expect

If there is no other way

Finito, Benito

It's the end of the line

And the end of the day

We've had too much wine

And too much to say

It's been a good time

And we wish we could stay

But I guess we'll be moving along

The moonlight has gone

Behind the last hill

We can almost see dawn

And we probably will

We've been here too long

We could stay longer still

Till the last little star has expired

Finito, benito

It's over and done

Finished forever

Goodnight, everyone

Finito, benito

They're closing the door

We wish it was endless

Cause we always want more

I know you are tired

And I know I am, too

If we stoke up the fire

Wonder what would that do?

Given all that's transpired

Between me and you

It's a wonder we could ever go home

I wonder if we’ll ever go home?

Front Door

I stole this song before it was even wrote down
Made up the words just exactly like they were mine
Some of them were true, some were just words that I'd found
Don't make no difference now, you see there's been so much time

Faced with a tough choice back when I was too young
Hard to make the right one, before the song is all sung
It all comes down to one small thing I am sure
Better know what's right when you walk out your front door

I stole my life from folks that knew how to live
Took everything 'till they had no more to give
For a long time I tried, but now I can't give it back
What you steal you must bear forever, yes that's a fact

Don't you think a young man should deserve one more chance
Maybe he'll take it, maybe he won't get no more
He might get lost, but he might find his romance
Can't ever tell till you take it on out your front door

Take me home (Take me home) back to the place I began
Help me see (Help me see) what I need, clue me into the plan
Give me strength (Give the strength) to do whatever I came here for
Give me strength to take the first step out my front door

I stole this song before I even knew what I'd done
Don’t make no difference now, you see, I've had too much fun
Can't take it back, and there's no reason to try
Did what I did, Lord, and I never asked why

Don't you think an old man ought to stay off the road
Obviously too tired and he can't go no more
Looks like he got lost looking for his pot of gold
Can't ever tell when you take it on out that front door

Take me home (Take me home) back to the place I began
Help me see (Help me see) what I need, clue me into the plan
Give me strength (Give me strength) to do whatever I came here for
Give me strength to take the first step out my front door
Give me strength to take the first step out my front door

Take a chance when you take the road that leads from your front door
|All the roads become the same, leading from your front door
Every street, every avenue leaves right from your front door
Might get lost, might find your way walking through your front door

Go All Out

You gotta go all out until it’s all gone

You gotta run the race ‘til the race is done

You can’t say quit when there’s things to do

There’s a world out there that is carving you

Like a statue

This world is carving you

If you get hit while you’re standing still

It’ll knock the wind right outta your sails

When the lightning strikes time to have some fun

When the thunder rolls it’s too late to run

It’s the thunder

That knows what must be done

I’m talking about

Going all the way out

With your life on the line

And nothing left in doubt

Make a claim upon your name

Take the spoils or take the blame

You’ll never know what it’s all about

Unless you give it all and gone all out

Nothing matters much

Until you’ve gone all out

Don’t believe you’re through when the whistle blows

You may be running last, with a ways to go

But every race isn’t won by the swift

Sometimes it’s the ones who just won’t quit

Yeah the winner

Is the one who will not quit

Golden Afternoon

The afternoon was made of gold
Gold sun streaming down
Reflecting off the dusty air
From walls standing all around
Walls standing all around

Can't get in, so we must go out
As if a choice was made
But ain't no choice been offered up
Just a note left in the shade
A word to the wise in the shade

It said, "Hey, you know me",
We've heard as much before
Well, I don't think that I know them
OR what they're standing for

An afternoon of endless gold
Makes a trap so well
It looks so nice, but it's got a price
What it is, you can't ever tell
Lord, you can never tell

A piece of gold is as cold as ice
From the time of the Neanderthal
It's always had the same allure
You can hear those voices call
Just hear those voices call

The voices say, "You know us",
They've said as much before
Well, I don't think that I know them
Or what they're standing for

The gate is closed, it always is
Never been opened wide
You take a chance when you walk out
That you'll be left on the other side
With your gold standing right outside

Wish I had me a handle, yes
Wish I had me a real good friend
Wish I had a real good guess
About how this tale should end
What's the point if it has no end

Something said, "Hey, you know me",
It's said as much before
Well, I don't think I've got it straight
Or what it's standing for

Good Ol’ Armageddon

Read it all in the morning news
Yesterday in the eastern sky
Came a sign everyone could use
Clouds of glory, we’re all gonna die

Life’s a bitch, null and void
Heaven’s rich, full and free
What we need’s an asteroid
Landing in the deep blue sea
Deep blue sea, deep blue sea, deep blue sea

Here’s the way to get rid of it all
Stop the moaning, do not weep
The wicked washed in that waterfall
Here is hoping you’re one of the sheep

What’s the point of sticking ‘round?
Clean the joint of the trash
Sinners all will be drowned
Comets make a hellish splash
Hellish splash, hellish splash, hellish splash, hellish splash

Good and bad got to separate
Clean the place, just sweep ‘em out
If you’re bad, baby, waited too late
If you’re good, you never had a doubt

Here’s to us, glad we’re saved
Caught the bus, took us home
Here’s to them, in their graves
We’re better off now they’re gone
Now they’re gone, now they’re gone, now they’re gone.

Hallelujah Train

I want to ride up on that train
'Cause I don't know if I can stand this pain
Miles and miles and miles of track
Mighta walked here' but I won't walk back

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train

Lord, you know it's the train to ride
Jump on board, 'cause you just can't hide
You won't get on by holding back
Just ask the Man if you can ride his track

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train

That train to glory leaves right now
You want to ride but you don't know how
I'm about as tired as a man can be
Now that train's a-gonna carry me

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Train
Hallelujah Glory, Glory, Hallelujah Train

How Do You

How do you justify

What you’ve done so you’re secure

How do you rectify

All the sins that made you pure

How do you identify

Anyone who stood in the way

There’s no way to tell a lie

That makes the lie okay

How do you hope to be

The man who never lied

How do you set them free

All the thoughts kept deep inside

How does a person see

What they never thought was true

The truth lies in the ground

And it’s calling out to you

Make me a vessel of your justice

Make me a toy of what’s divine

Tell me there is nothing you call freedom

And nothing’s what I thought was really mine

Just cut the vine, prune back the bloody vine

How do you verify

The things that went before

Why not crucify

The man that asked for more

Where does the moral lie

When no tale explains what’s right

No sane man can identify

The darkness in the night.

Who holds the key that

Will not open any door

Where is the guarantee

That someday there’ll be more

How could we ever see

The truth that’s plain to see

Nobody ever promised

Any truth to you or me

How Far

Don’t this road seem long to you
Like we’ve been traveling since the dawn of man
Don’t it feel like we should get somewhere
Instead of sinking in this windy sand
I hate to complain, but it’s plain to see
That we ain’t getting anywhere
It was simple when we started out
Now I really wish we were still back there

How far are we from heaven?
How close are we to hell?
How soon will we get there
And how do we tell
If we’ve made it to the station
If the train is pulling in
How far do we have to go
Until we get to the end

I could use a drink of water
Something to quench this bone-dry thirst
But there ain’t no water nowhere
This forsaken land has surely been cursed
Is that a sign there up ahead
Does it say where the hell we are?
Is there anybody here at all
Who has a clue about just how far?

The Fisher King has abandoned us
With no excuse in a world of doubt
In a wasteland that’s so empty
There’s not a hope and no way out
And nothing left but keeping on

I Know More Than Ever

It’s at least a life to learn to love
And youth’s been wasted on the young
The lies that were born upon our tongue
Are not what we are made of

I know more than ever now
That I love you more than ever
And more and more forever
I will love you more and more.

There’s no way to know what love can mean
Until the threat of loss is real
If I’d kept pure the sacred seal
Who knows what could have been

I know more than ever now
That I love you more than ever now
And more and more from now on
I will love you more and more.

It takes a life to learn regret
But life can teach that nothing’s lost
If we can just absorb the cost
Then we’ll be happy yet

I know more than ever now
That I love you more than ever now
And more and more from now on
I will love you more and more.

So, take my heart and soul and mind
I give them free, I give them clear
I hold you much more than dear
Until there is no time

I know more than ever now
That I love you more than ever now
And more and more from now on
I will love you more and more.

In Between Times

You and I, we stand upon a void

You and I, we can’t see either shore

Behind us there are lives we can’t avoid

Before us are the lives we can’t ignore

Every moment we breathe in

Is the moment we breathe out

And in the very center

Of that moment when we enter

Is an infinite encounter

With a cosmic sacrament

In the space between the tolling of the chimes

Lies the mystery of in-between times

You and I, we think we stand apart

You and I don’t recognize the bridge

A bridge above the canyons of the heart

Where we can see each other on the other ledge

Every moment we breathe out

Is the moment we breathe in

And in the very center

Of that moment when we enter

Is an infinite encounter

With a cosmic sacrament

In the space between the tolling of the chimes

Lies the mystery of in-between times

The times in-between

Are never clearly seen

Until they’ve joined the times

That have already been

The times that lie ahead

Are never clearly read

Until we ring the bell

And someone lets us in

You and I, divided by no veil

We wonder what think we might have seen

If ever we could set foot on the trail

That leads us to the times that lie between

Every breath we give and take

In the moment when we breathe

We are at the very center

Of the moment when we enter

In an infinite encounter

With a cosmic sacrament

See the space between the tolling of the chimes

There’s the mystery of in-between times

In the Fire

We took what we could use

But we left a little on the table

Not because we didn’t need it

‘Cause Lord knows we do

We did what could be done

Hell, we did more than we were able

We spent the last we had

For that one moment in the sun

Put your life upon the line

Hang your life out on the wire

One day you may be feeling fine

Next day burning in the fire

Who knows what’s in store?

Nobody knows for certain

Sometimes things work out

Sometimes they’re not so hot

You hope that something more

Might be hid behind the curtain

But you’ll never know for sure

About the things you think you’ve got

Yes, the fire will burn your soul

And purge away your doubt

The fire can make you whole

Or it can turn you inside out

It can push you to the edge

It can drive you past your fear

You can stand out on the ledge

And never care how you got here

And the fire is coming near

We made our peace with fate

And then we drove beyond the omens

Out to where the air was clear

Out to where the world was clean

There’s a price for running late

There’s a cost for never knowing

What you need to make your life

More than a faded, empty dream

In the Same Vein

I believe our blood flows in the same vein

I believe it because we always feel the same

If we were more alike it'd be easy to explain

Still and all and through it all

Our blood flows through the same vein

I bet we were separated at the moment of our birth

In some accident you'd see on TV

Some freakish whim of fate

Some unlikely act of God

A hurricane in the nursery

And I was left out in the yard

And you were left lying in your pile of earth

That might just explain the mystery

You can bet we won't be put apart again

Ain't no way, no buddy, not no how

Our blood has run together

Our lives are just like glue

I realize you're a part of me

Like I'm so much a part of you

Our lives are coursing around inside our veins

We're definitely all together now

Kind of Girl

She's the kind of girl

You don't often see

She reminds me of eternity

She reminds me of me

She's the kind of girl

You don't see every day

Then think of in a thousand ways

I wonder if she prays

[bridge]

When I see her now and then

She stays inside my brain

Her picture clear and bright

Like a Colorado rain

She's the kind of girl

You wish you could find

You could discover a thousand times

I hope that she is kind

She's the kind of girl

You would always miss

She knows the very name of bliss

How does she kiss?

Lilies

Those lilies don’t work

Those lilies don’t sweat

Those lilies don’t worry

Those lilies don’t fret

They’re all dressed up

Wearing silk and lace

Every color is perfect

Every petal’s in place

I say, do not worry ‘cause tomorrow is coming

Do not worry ‘cause tomorrow is coming

Nothing you do gonna keep it at bay

Nothing you do gonna keep it away

If I were you I wouldn’t worry today

Those mountains don’t fall

Those mountains don’t climb

Those mountains do plenty

Just taking their time

Been standing so tall

Since the world began

They’ll still stand there

When there ain’t no men

What do you think you could add or detract?

In a manner of speaking it’s a matter of fact

That all you do with your worrying ways

Is to make life blue for the rest of your days

That wind’s gonna blow

That wind’s gonna fuss

That wind must know

What’ll happen to us

And if the wind don’t care

And I’m sure that it won’t

Then it just seems fair

That the rest of us don’t

Living On the Leavings

Living on the leavings of your love

A little long on losing

A little short of just enough

You give me just a taste

Of what I’m always thinking of

But then you leave me here with nothing

But the leavings of your love

Are you playing me or teasing me?

And does it really matter?

‘Cause the way that you are using me

Is a game I always lose

Are you planning to be leaving me

A wiser man but sadder?

If you can’t give me all your love

Give me nothing but your blues

Am I coming or am I going?
It feels about the same
Are you leaving any clues
As to where to put the blame?
I'm not tired, I'm only aching
From the pain I get from you
Are you staying with me, honey
Or are you going someplace new

Living on the leavings of your love

A little long on losing

A little short of just enough

You give me just a taste

Of what I’m always thinking of

But then you leave me here with nothing

But the leavings of your love
In the end, leavings are better than nothing

Long Hard Climb

I wanna tell you something

You already know quite well

It's a long hard climb to glory

But a real short drop to hell

Work like a slave in the galley

Slave though you want to rebel

It's a long hard climb to glory

But a real short drop to hell

Seems like you can spend a lifetime

Scrambling up the side of a hill

Every rung on the ladder

Is just a step away from taking a spill

You can give it every ounce of your being

You might get everything that you ask

On the other hand you might write a story

Where the hero burns out fast

Love Story Song

These are easy words, this is a simple truth

It’s a thing I’ve known so long from the time I was a youth

There’s a story that I heard when I was just a child

About a princess sound asleep and she had a special smile

In the middle of a forest underneath the silent trees

She’d been waiting there for years in a bedroom made of leaves

Till a man would come along who would agitate her heart

Since no else was here, I thought I might play the part

I know I love you

I would wake you if you wish

I know I love you

Yes, and everybody knows

That I love you

I could wake you with a kiss

At least that’s how the story goes

In a tower far away, they say a woman combs her hair

She’s imprisoned by her fear that’s why she’s hiding there

She would leave if only someone came to carry her away

Someone brave and someone handsome, someone to save the day

I’ve been looking for that tower for so long I don’t know when

That I started on the quest for a lover and a friend

Now I’ve found the secret path and I hoped you might agree

Since no one else was here I thought it might be me

I know I love you

I would help you to climb down

I know I love you

Yes, and everybody knows

That I love you

I could bear you to the ground

At least that’s how the story goes

There’s so many stories about love that’s hard to find

There’s a lot of villains who are anything but kind

There’s a lot of heroes who come in the nick of time

But there’s only one of you and I want you to be mine

A girl who sits by the fire and wants to dance the night away

Her sisters treat her cruel, make her work both night and day

A prince might come or maybe not, these things are hard to see

But since I’m here I’d like to take you dancing out with me

I know I love you

I’d love to take you far away

I know I love you

Yes, and I guess it shows

And I love you

Forever and a day

And that is how the story goes

Make You Believe

[chorus]

Ain't nobody gonna tell you

That they don't know what to do

Ain't nobody gonna let you think

That they're not thinking, too

Might make believe that it's all right

When everything's all wrong

Might try to act like they're moving fast

When they're taking way too long

What a man may say has never had

Much bearing on what he means

How a man might feel is never plain

In the way that that man seems

If he wants to go, why won't he just leave?

What's going on down deep inside

Can make a man so scared

So it's something that a man will hide

It's something never shared

What you see is what they make you believe

The businessmen and engineers

Got a language all their own

They can talk for days and never say

What's itching on their bone

If they need to moan, there's no need to deceive.

The presidents and congressfolk

Discuss things days on end

They'll never say the system's broke

Even when it's caving in

What you hear is what they make you believe

If it's someone's fault, forget the blame

'Cause blame's embarrassin'

Just call it opportunity

To be what's always been

When you're ashamed, no reason for you to grieve

It's nurture, not your nature

That's causing all the woe

Whatever caused the thing to fail

All happened long ago

What you know is only what you believe

Maybe Different

Well, it may be different

It may be the same

You never know

When you play the game

Lot a times you gotta come around

Hold on

Everything is crazy

Everything is unusual

And I don't mind saying

That I don't play it like I used to

Everything that I used to know

May be what it was

Before it is over

Well I don't mind praying

But I don't believe

I don't mind saying

That I want to make you see

I can't stay here anymore

They don't tell me everything

I need to get along

Well, it may be different

It may be the same

I'll never know

Cause I refuse to play the game

Everything I used to know

Runs before me in the flow

It's maddening even though

It is over

Me and You

Take a bow before the curtain

Falls down on your toes

Don’t you know it’s not for certain

How the story goes

Make amends for all desires

That you wish undone

How it ends is in the fire

That cleanses everyone

Fire upon the holy mountain

Fire upon the hill

Fire that fills you like a fountain

And it always will

Flames of passion ride the crest

Over waves of deepest blue

Blame is passing like a torch

Lit inside of me and you

Of me and you

Leave a path no one can find

Then follow where you lead

Laugh a laugh of any kind

And then forget to bleed

All tomorrows blend together

Falling off of every vine

All your sorrows cannot weather

All this wearing down of time

Take a seat and drink your wisdom

It tastes like new-made wine

Don’t repeat the action that is done

Just to make your glory shine

Shout your name the first time ever

That you ever see the sun (that the world is new)

You’re not the same and it is never

Going to be ever when you’re done [through]

Missed a Road

Missed a road somewhere, yeah, I sure as hell
Lost my way back there, on a lonesome trail
But it’s hard to see when it’s late at night
Which road to take to get you back all right
Every road you see on a highway sign
Is as clear as day, but you still might find
That the choice you make won’t take you home
At least not to any home you’ve known
In fact it never does, and it never will
All the roads you ride lead into the hills

Be careful when you’re starting out
In the early dawn, without a doubt
You’ll be sure as shit that you know the way
But one false slip can lead you astray
It’s a funny thing, that familiar road
It leads everywhere, but do you wanna go?

Highway goes past my front door
I’ve traveled it a thousand times before
It seems that the wind is always blowing
Opposite to whichever way I’m going
Coming or going, it’s hard to see
What all these things shoulda meant to me
All it took was one wrong turn
You’d think that a man my age would’ve somehow learned
You’d think sure by now, that I would have learned

So here’s the facts, and they’re not too tough
It only takes a nudge, and that’s enough
Just a little slip, you try to take it back
But it’s way too late, and you’re way off track
And the road is black and it’s late at night,
And then you miss the turn, and then you lose the light.

2005 Chuck Puckett

Morning Coffee

From Berkley Bob’s Web page:

“A day without coffee is a day without a dawn
A day without music and we miss life’s song
A day without love is a day gone wrong”
Berkeley Bob

I woke up this morning and fixed me a pot

Sat on the porch, read my papers and mail

Watched the joggers run by, and those who did not

Sipping my coffee and taking my time

It’s a good way to start, it just never fails.

A day without coffee is a day with no dawn

A day without music and we can’t sing along
A day without love is a day that’s gone wrong

There’s nothing as good as a cup of hot joe

When you’ve got the time just to sit there and sip

With someone you love, sitting watching the show

The world puts it on, it don’t cost a dime

Just drinking my coffee and not giving a rip

A day without coffee is a day with no dawn

A day without music and we can’t sing along
A day without love is a day that’s gone wrong

My papaw just to love to drive down the highway

We’d leave in the morning morning, drive to Birmingham

And, Lord, that man would stop

At every single coffee shop

And every waitress got a tip,

And a real sincere, “Thank you kindly, ma’am”

Pull up and visit, I’ll get my guitar

We’ll sit here and strum and sing the old songs

All things being equal, this is just how we are

Good friends who’ve known for such a long time

That music and coffee and love should be strong

A day without coffee is a day with no dawn

A day without music and we can’t sing along
A day without love is a day that’s gone wrong

Move Aside

Is tomorrow gonna be a better day?

You think that yesterday deserves to get a medal?

You think there’s got to be a better way?

You think somebody else is pressing too hard on the pedal?

I’ll be glad to move aside

I’ll open this here window wide

You can crash or you can slide

It’s all the same

The door’s not locked, just give a shove

Don’t wait for lessons from above

Don’t claim you did it all for love

I’m not to blame

I tell you I am really not to blame

Did someone pay your way into the park?

Or did you make it here all by your lonesome?

Did someone try to rob you in the dark?

Or did they ask politely if they could have some?

Are these the words you’d use to make your point?

Did you make them up yourself or merely read ‘em?

Is this place what you’d call your kind of joint?

Or did someone say it was and you believed ‘em?

Nothing’s gonna work before you earn it

Nothing’s what you give if you want nothing

Something’s gotta give before you learn it

And then the thing you learn is really something.

Moving On

How many times I got to tell you

How many times you got to see these hands

Washing themselves of everything

You and I ever planned?

I don’t think it’s too much to ask

For you to pay a little closer mind

To the pieces of this puzzle we have

Or to the clues we need to find

Look at that bird flying over that hill

Wonder if he knows where he will

Be tomorrow when the sunlight dawns

Of if he’s got nothing but moving on

Maybe he’s only got his moving on

Lord have mercy, but it’s sweet

When the left and the right hands get along

Pulling out the stops and pushing hard

Trying to play this song

This place looks like a place we knew

When we changed the world, made it our own

Yeah, something’s changed, too bad, okay

And the world we knew is gone

No Love

You're a sight to see, you're the apple of

It's a tragedy I don't have your love

But I might as well just admit the fact

I know good and well you ain't coming back

Please don't make me beg,

Although begging ain't that bad

But it's mighty bad to behave like a little boy

Who's never had no love

No love is like the kinda love you gave

Make the daytime night, raise 'em from the grave

Yeah, it's sad to say that I'm outta luck

You just walked away and now I'm really stuck

You make me stand and shout

you make me dance and swing

Yeh, I'm crazy 'bout the way you do your thing

I keep you on my mind, I keep my fingers crossed

Now I come to find that you're really lost

Please don't make me beg,

Although begging ain't that bad

Baby, I would rather beg than to be alone

And to've never had no love

Once we tied the knot mighty happy to be tied

I guess we'd rather not live quite so satisfied

Once I thought I knew the best thing this life brings

Now I'm living blue without you I got no strings

Not a thing

Hey, looky here, now whaddaya say

Do think it's fair leaving things this way

Let's try again, take it from the top

'Cause the love we're in is mighty hard to stop

No love, your love

No love (Is like) your love

Your love (Is like) no love

Play My Song

The devil threw an apple down

Said, “You best pick that up.

It’s all you need to understand

What’s right and what is wrong.”

Well it’s not my favorite food

I can pass it by okay

But don’t you offer me

The chance to play my song

I’d fall down on my knees

For a chance to play my song

I want to play my song

I got to play my song

It’s the only thing I want

It’s the one thing that I need

It’s why I walk this earth

And why I live and breathe

So until I play my song

Don’t bury me

Saint Peter was at the gate

Asked me to come on in

“Got plenty room in here

And there’s a place for you”

I told him that’s all right

Someday I might be back

But until I play my song

I got better things to do

I’ll fly away today

And come back when I am through

Yeah the devil and the angels

Pull me ‘round most all the time

I should prob’ly choose a side

Where I belong

But there’s nothing they might have

That would make me want to sign

Unless they give me a chance

To play my song

Point of View

You’re thinking about Frisco

When the fog comes rolling in

I remember London

That’s the way it’s always been

I want to sit and rest awhile

You, you want to walk the dog

Sometimes it seems the things we know

Are lost out in the fog

Got a different slant on living life

A different point of view

It’s a miracle we get along, we two

You’d like to visit friends

I’d like to take a snooze

You’ve made some other plans

Maybe I’ll drink a little booze

There’s a book I need to finish

You’ve got the garden on your mind

Sometimes a common occupation

Is the hardest thing to find

Got a different slant on living life

A different point of view

It’s a miracle we get along, we two

Still there’s no one I would rather have

Beside me, thick and thin

There’s no one knows me better

And I know there’s never been

And I think you’d probably say the same

If they put you to the test

The world we see is not the same

But it’s best of all the rest

You want Laura Nyro on the radio

I’d prefer the Grateful Dead

I’d like to watch some Doctor Who

You prefer the talking heads.

You’ll want to eat some healthy food

I’ll settle for a snack

But even when we drift apart

It’s so good when we get back

Got a different slant on living life

A different point of view

And still we get along, me and you

Remember Me

Remember me when you have gone

Gone to that place where you belong

To that place I’ll never know

Remember me when you go

Hand me down a sign, throw me a line

Pull me right along,

Sing me a song

Something’s coming,

It won’t be long

I don’t know what, but the feeling’s strong

Send me back some word that I’ve been heard

Throw me down a rope,

Give me some hope

You’ve gone ahead, you know the way

So light the path and I will not stray

We’re not so different, you and I

You have seen the sun

I want to learn to fly

We were bound to end up, by and by

On a road that’s bound for glory

Far beyond the western sky

Take me hand in hand

To the promised land

Nothing more to say,

Just lead the way

I won’t get lost but if I do

Please remember me like I remember you

Remember me when you have gone

Gone to that place where you belong

To that place I’ve never been

Remember me now and then

Respect the Man

He thought, “Nobody dreams of me

I don’t wake someone up in a sweat.

There’s no heart racing faster no more

‘Cause I remember or I forget.

No one notices when I walk by

No girl giggles when I’m gone.

They respect the man that I’ve become

But I’m not anyone’s new love song.”

There’s many kinds of marks you can make on your soul

There’s nothing that will take them away

There’s a million little dots you put by your name

Once they’re there, they always remain.

There’s a record of the things that you've never achieved

There’s a list of the wrongs you have done.

If you checked out tomorrow would they believe

That your race was a race you never won

Take a chance, try to dance

Give it up for adventure and romance

Take the dive, make it live

Go ahead, man, take a little chance

On life

River Woman

Her mother’s womb was from Mississippi
Her daddy hailed from Tennessee
She never saw his face or felt his hand
And the Delta below Memphis
Is the place she longs to be
Resting in that gentle, curving land
There is something about the river
Something deep that won’t let go
From New Orleans up to Vicksburg
From Reelfoot down to Natchez
Those muddy waters keep rolling in her soul

River woman, never leave me
Keep me close inside your heart
Walk beside me on the levee
Lay beside me in the dark
Touch your lips with delta honey
Dip your fingers in a muddy stream
We’ll sleep in Mississippi moonlight
Wide awake inside your dream

How can a person seem to know things
Things no mortal soul could tell
From before the world awoke and looked around
How can she know just what I need
Before I even know myself
Hears my thought before I ever make a sound
She’s got wisdom that’s almost magic
Feels the truth and makes it whole
From the children to the grayhair
She holds the threads and weaves the tale
Those waters keep on rolling in her soul

Running Road Blues

We don't have to be this a-way

Don't see why we never have nothing good to say

Nothing good to do

You for me or me for you

That's why I wanna go for a walk

Why I think I just wanna run away

Everytime it gets tough, I just wanna get going

Leaving's what I think about

Running down some empty street

Starting over somewhere, on the other side of sundown

Where we aren't weighted down

By you being you and me being me

It's always the same old same old

I walk in and we start in, seems like everyday

We each got a chip

Knock it off and let 'er rip

That's why I wanna go for a walk

Why I think I just wanna run away

It's a case of the running road blues

It's a matter of one of those things

I just wanna put on my flying shoes

I just wanna put on my walking wings

I know that we still have love

Down inside, the deep abiding love that has no name

But it's so far below

Can we find it? I don't know.

If we don't both locate it pretty soon

It's a bet we'll go insane

Saint Caffeine

I can see the face of Jesus

Etched in the creme of my latte

Does that mean that I'm a saint?

Virgin Mary in my creme brulee

I'm writing to the Pope

See what His Holiness has to say

Better see what His Holiness has to say

Saint Caffeine, what does it mean?

Who’s behind my bitter dreams?

I’m wide awake and wondering where I’m bound

Saint Caffeine I’m losing sleep

And this cup of joe’s too deep

For me to tell what might be coming round

They say you can read the future

In a cooled down cup of tea

But I can’t see the future

That’s waiting there for me

In a pile of steaming wet hot coffee grounds

Salome

Forces whirl in dark and light
Meeting on the other side of night
Beckon with the beacon -- then bite!
Hooked on the surge of Other Sight

Oh, see me, subtle serpent:
I taste the One Tree's fruit
And soar beyond the Other Tree
And feel the first one's root.
Oh, hear them, subtle serpent
They are beating on the one
The echo's gone, the mirror's cold
The lost ones wander from the fold
And wonder who forgot their gentle Son

Mention mystery or might
You might find yourself lost inside the light
Pounding in a pattern -- so tight
Hooked on the surge of Other Sight

With the tambour and the bell
With the whirling belly dream
There's the beat she knows so well
There's the prophet's final scream
Salome! Salome!
What did Johnny ever do to you?
Salome! The Seven Veils!
What did the Baptist ever do to you?
Truth is hidden by a veil

What's true is often hard to tell
Turning in the tempest -- it fell
Fell in the ancient prophet's well
The women dancing wild by the well

Seed Corn

Lotta people want to throw away the best things that they own

Some people know they'll have to stay 'till the cows come home

If you hang around a bit

You get to figure out most of it

And the truth is that we don't live by bread alone

Better hold on to your seed corn

It's all that'll get you by

If you eat up all that seed corn

Some day you'll wonder why

If you don't have nothing left to plant

If springtime comes and you just can't

About that time, you'll remember that

You used up all your seed

Some things taste so good just because they're all that's left

Even when you know you should put 'em back up on the shelf

Nothing sweet as corn on the cob

There's an awful lot of future you can rob

But if you look ahead, you'll wish that you had kept (a little seed)

Your children's children's kids can probably make it on their own

They won't remember what you did, and besides, they ain't even born

Let 'em find their own seeds

Let 'em take care of their own needs

Probably they wouldn't even want none of your corn

Sensitivity

She sees more patterns in a painting

Than the painter painted there

She knows exactly what you’re thinking

When your thoughts don’t go nowhere

She is sure of every nuance

When you’re screaming it out loud

She can sense when it’s unbalanced

From the middle of a crowd

She is sensitive, so sensitive

Walk on egg shells, don’t be blind

She is sensitive, so sensitive

There’s very little she don’t mind

He’s as wary as a cat

When the conversation slows

He knows exactly where he’s at

And who’s impressed by what he knows

He’ll retract all that he’s said

If he is challenged just a bit

Let someone else get out ahead

He don’t want no part of it

He is sensitive, so sensitive

And insecure he’ll fall behind

He is sensitive, so sensitive

There’s very little he don’t mind

They’re as clever as the indigo

Children waiting for the change

They’re as edgy as the men that know

That nothing’s out of range

It’s not kind to be disrupted

By the ordinary folk

A genius interrupted

Thinks that nothing is a joke

That it could all go up in smoke

If the gifted ever choke

They’re sensitive, so sensitive

Walk on mine fields cautiously

They’re sensitive, so sensitive

There’s very little they don’t see

They’re so more than you or me

She's Afraid

She's got a little cough

She wants codeine for her cough

Life's a little rough

She wants the edges soft

She's living in a pillow

If you take the covers off

Her life is pure vanilla

She's afraid to add the sauce

She always comes with friends

But she always leaves alone

She'll be bitter to the end

She'd be better off alone

She cries when she's nervous

And she's nervous all the time

She's just a whirling dervish

And she's twisted in her mind

Twisted in her mind.

She's so afraid

She's so frightened

Scared of what she's made

Scared to be enlightened

She keeps her makeup on

When she takes her panties off

She's bashful to the bone

She needs a Molotov

She's living in a pillow

She needs a looking glass

A good look in the mirror

Cause there's nothing more to ask

Some Songs Will Never Fade Away

Heard a man sing a song from a long time ago

And it spoke to me plain as day

Had a tune that was clear and it won’t let go

And the words just won’t go away

It was pure, it was real, it was good as gold

And I guess I have to wonder why

Such a song never made the world take note

When he sang it the very first time

Some things take a hold, some things churn deep

Some songs are the songs that’ll make us weep

Some things are so solid that they can’t fade away

Some songs will never fade away

From the rubble of a city that lies in ruins

Came a poem from great-souled man

In the heart of disaster, love was always doin’

What it does, over time and again

There’s a flame in the bottom of a deep, cold well

Where nobody ever thought to explore

Where the dirt and the water have a tale to tell

Where we keep coming back for more

Better live with the pain that the next day brings

‘Cause it’s better than living with a lie

Catch a fire from the eyes in the angels’ wings

Burn it up, leaving nothing inside

In the ash, when it’s cold, on a Sunday dawn

Kick the coals, you will hear no complaint

Pick it up, pick it up, hold it high overhead

Now you’re looking at the soul of a saint

Stand Inside the Thunder

He used to stand inside the thunder
And stare the lightning down
He’d wail against the wind
When the storm clouds came around
Let a darkness in the afternoon
Be a doorway into power
|The fatal light of a harvest moon
Would name the witching hour

Stand inside the thunder
On a night that knows no end
God knows he’s down under there
Waiting to begin
Or waiting for a sign
I guess it all depends
But neither one will ever come
Until the thunder ends
Until the thunder ends

Standing on a high place
In a grove of ancient oak
Shadows in the corners
Lets him know it’s not a joke
There’s a mark engraved in granite
It’s a name he’s never seen
He’s not a coward, damn it,
But he wants a death that’s clean

Is there something past the grave
Does your name go on and on?
Is there something you can save,
That you’ve never really known?
Or is it just a notion
You can hurl against the night?
If it stops with your last motion
Will that really be all right?

2004 Chuck Puckett

Take It As It Comes

Got a hard thing I'm talking about

I might be a fool

Think I'm talking about God

I'm only talking about you

I want to be something

But I don't know what

All I can feel

Is that it's just too damn hot

Take it easy, baby

You got to take it slow

Take it as it comes

Before it decides to go

I made up my mind to be

Just as good as I could

I did everything, Lord

That a poor man should

I made some promises

That was too hard to keep

Now I find myself

Hard pressed to go to sleep

I'm sure thinking about you, baby

With every breath I take

Every minute I'm asleep

Every moment I'm awake

I'm thinking 'bout you every instant

That I have to give

Don't know if I can die, Lord

But I know what it takes to live

I was talking to God last night

In the usual way

Seem like he had my voice

He sure had a lot to say

He wanted to make me feel good

Tried make me feel all right

He said that I would

If I could just get through tonight

I don't know what he meant

But then I never do

There's only thing I'm sure about, baby

And that one thing is you

Talk About Love

I’d like to talk about love

But something holds me back

Like to discuss what I feel

But feeling is what I lack

You’re stuck with a man without an ounce

Of sensitivity

Oh, how did you end up with

A heartless soul like me?

I wish I could but I just can’t

It’s foreign soil to me

My life has been one long attempt

To scrape away the paint

To try and show what’s underneath

But in the end I can’t

There’s something in my soul

I put there long ago

It’s a block or a pain or something else

I guess I just don’t know

You’re tied to a man who talks a lot

Keeps the rest of it inside

I guess that I could chalk it up

To a foolish stupid pride

Whatever the cause or reasons are

We shouldn’t really care

I’d like to tear it all apart

And lay my heart out bare

Telling Me What To Do

I wish I had a direct line

To the throne of God like you

I wish I had a voice in my head

Telling me what to do

It tells you what you need to know

What to think, where to stand

It tells you where you need to go

How to act, what’s the plan

I been blue for so long now

Not knowing what to do

But finally it’s all fixed up

Just listening to you

Everything was hard before

But it’s so easy now

If I do things the way you say

Yeah, that’s my row to plow

We’ll do our best to persevere

Try and hold up and be brave

But that might be hard to do when

You’re dancing on our grave

It’s real hard work for mere mortals

It’s so hard to understand

But look at you, you got an inside track

To get to the Promised Land

This life of doubt is a road to hoe

It’s a hard life, yes it is

You’ve taken care of all your doubts

That must be perfect bliss

You know what the Almighty wants

You don’t mind telling the rest of us

You alone know what it takes

To ride that heavenly bus

I’m glad you’ve got a simple truth

No need to compromise

It’s all laid out in black and white

You’re immune to the devil’s lies

I’m glad you got a ticket to

Heaven’s fine front row

It’s not easy standing here

In the back where we don’t know

The first thing of the perfect life

That you are bound to have

It’s tough in hell, but you’re doing well

And I bet you’re gonna laugh

When you see all the sinners fry

When the saints rise on a cloud

We’ll wave goodbye and weep and moan

Us sinners’ll cry real loud

The Here and Now

Nobody takes exceptions

To the sins nobody sees

Nobody gets impressions

Of things they could not be

Somebody once discovered

Every motion ricochets

Turning one way, then the other

Where it ends up, who can really ever say?

Better off without the knowledge

Better off not knowing how

The story ends

Or even if you’re in it at the end

Better off just living in the here and now

We see what we’ve been used to

People amplify their past

Going nowhere is not news to

Anyone who believes that things will last

It’s a lovely apparition,

So Ulysses wants to hear

Then he screams in desperation

‘Cause he knows that he came so very near

I’m not making no excuses

For the way I choose to be

I’m not a man who refuses

Facing facts when facts are right there plain to see

But it’s not necessary

To remind me when I fail

Since every mem’ry that I carry

Left a marker on the road out of hell

Thinking Really Doesn’t

Just because we are talking

Doesn’t mean we understand

Just because our mouths are moving

Doesn’t mean we give a damn

Just because you think you know me

Don’t mean you know who I am

Thinking really doesn’t make it so

Just in time I hear you crying

So I pull my hanky out

I can wipe your tears away

Before you concrete up your doubt

Tears are kind of like a lubricant

They’re better than a word

They’ll make me think I’ve been reprieved

Though I know that that’s absurd

Thinking really doesn’t make it so

I guess we could pretend we know

What each of us has sought

That’s better than ignoring all

The signs that we’ve been taught

I’d rather have your heart in mine

Than some empty, distant thought.

Thinking really doesn’t make it so

'Til Then

I've been thinking about
How this all came about
How we fell into love
How we cannot fall out
It's been with us a while
It'll stay with us a while
'Till the stars up above
Fall down in a pile

[Chorus]
'Til the heavens come crashing
Around us, 'til then
'Til the mountains have fallen
To ashes, 'til then
'Til the last voice has spoken
The last thing that is true
'Til then I will always love you

You believe we can do
Anything, and it's true
We believe in a dream
And we'll dream the dream through
I will always be yours
Our dream will endure
We're together each scene
You can always be sure

[Middle]
This is not just a passing thing
No amore just invented in spring
This is deeper and longer and true
The years will go passing by
And with each passing year I know I
Will find more that I love there in you

I've been thinking about
How this all came about
How we fell into love
How we cannot fall out
It's been with us a while
It'll stay with us a while
'Till the stars up above
Fall down in a pile

Together

Won’t you take me

For one more time

Past whatever comes

I know that there’s no one who

Thinks the same as we do, still you

When you change, you

Must remember

What we were last September

I am not leaving ever again

I’m not deceiving you my friend

You must believe me

There’s no end to

What we can do

You and I, together

I’m not leaving ever again and

You must believe me there’s no end to

What we can do together

Together, Together

Do it together

I’m not leaving you my friend

There’s no end to

What we can do together

Together, Together

Two-sided Coin

The old men are nodding, their faces like sand piles

Years on their shoulders and the hour so late

They wish they were dancers, bowing and courtin'

It's easy to see that they can't take their fate

Just look at the children, all tie-died and dancin

Stars in their minds and the evening so young

They look just like fireflies, winking and glowing

It's hard to believe you can have this much fun

[chorus]

Flip it over, can't you tell

That it works just as well

As it did before it fell

In the mud and in the ice and on your blues

It's a Two-Sided Coin

It's the gristle and the loin

And it always must be chosen

But it never has to choose.

My father is certain his story is over

He'd just as soon leave if he had his own way

He smokes and he drinks so no one can tell him

That he's not as good as he once heard them say

My daughter don't know any words that describe her

She leaps at the chance to try anything

Her laughter may leave her someday if she's careful

But she knows without words what the future will bring

Out in the fields the men are all working

Bringing home sweat and blood on their brow

Their women have tried, but they just can't desert them

Though they might for a moment if they only knew how

Back in the town, they think they are lucky

To have all they have, and to never need more

But their faces are pale, and their hands are still clutching

Wanting and waiting and wanting some more.

[middle]

The greatest joy I have known rings from the sweetest bell

It flows around and through me,

Making me part of something that's great

The hardest grief I remember draws from the deepest well

It cuts a blade right through me

Aching until I can't see straight

Sometimes when I'm sane I can see

The room where my wisdom must be

And over by the door

Is Joy, asking for more.

And Joy calls it home

Joy calls me home

I'm going home

Each of these people is someone who's breathing

The air that they drink feeds someone inside

Someone sincere, and watchful, and needing

Someone who all of their life has to hide.

All of these scenes are etched in a painting

Just one brush was used, just one canvas bleeds

From the root to the leaf, the twig and branches

The tree is the same, we all are the seeds

Whaddaya Know?

Whaddaya know? It’s looking pretty good again

Who would have thought this would ever return

Here is the thing: no one had expected this

Now the heart is beginning to burn

Now the tide is beginning to turn

Now is the time we’re beginning to learn

Give us a break, we’re looking for some kind of sign

Something to tell us the best way to go

What does it take to find some way that’s wonderful?

Now our eyes are beginning to glow

Now the truth is beginning to show

This is the place we’d been meaning to go

We’ve been lost a long, long time

Now the road is finally clear

I’ll sing the song, you bring the wine

The celebration’s finally here

Whaddaya know? Just like I remembered it

Starting to fly like a robin in spring

Under the snow, the jonquils kinda dancing

Now is bell is beginning to ring

Now the choirs are beginning to sing

Now is the time everybody should sing

La, lala, lala, lalalala

What I’m Saying

chorus:

That’s not what I’m saying

I’m not saying what I mean

I mean that what I’m saying

Doesn’t mean a blessed thing

It’s what I think and what I feel

And what I do that makes me real

Words are clever traps

They make you think you understand

It’s not what you talk about that matters

It’s what you hold inside your hand

The silent words inside your heart

That’s what this world demands

I have a lot to say

But not much that’s worth your time

And it’s the time we’ve got that matters

And what we do is what’s sublime

What we mean by the things we do

Brings the reason to our rhyme

What’s It Gonna Take

[chorus]

Everybody here better hold on to something

Everybody here needs to get things right

Sometimes a little bit is better than nothing

What’s it gonna take for you to see the light?

What’s it gonna take before you give up your crying?

What’s it gonna take before you find what you seek?

Nothing in the world is worth the grief that you’re giving

Nothing in the world satisfy what you need

Take a little time and figure out for yourself:

Is it fame? Is it fortune? Is it power and wealth?

What’s it gonna take before you stop all your demanding?

What ‘s it gonna be before you finish your run?

Nothing in the world is big enough for your hunger

Nothing will be left when you’re finally done

Take a little bit, maybe last a little while

Or grab for all the rest and throw it onto your pile

Who’s your daddy, who’s your mommy?

Who is paying your bills?

Where’s your sugar, where’s your honey?

Is your belly all filled?

What’s the problem, indigestion?

Must of ate it too fast

You could try this suggestion:

Make some of it last

Make just a little of it last

What’s it gonna take before you eat up your tomorrows?

What you gonna leave when you’ve let it all rot?

Nothing’s gonna make up for the pain and the sorrows

Nothing’s gonna pay for all the stuff that you’ve got

Put a little back before you find it’s too late

Leave a little something on the side of your plate

What’s the Matter with Kansas?

He’s got a smokestack brain and a cornfield heart
He’s going insane ‘cause it’s tearing him apart
Red state, blue state, what’s his state of mind?
Is it a red state mad or a blue state whine?
Is he lost in the middle or somewhere on the fringe?
He better solve the riddle or he’s gonna come unhinged.

What’s the matter with Kansas
Is what's wrong with Illinois
And all those western women
And all those Southern boys
|And up in Massachusetts
And down in Texas, too
Everyone’s as mad as hell
Think there’s nothing they can do

She’s as sure as hell that the terror
Will be the undoing of us all
And she knows that she will lose her choice
She sees the writing on the wall
He’s lost his job to a Chinese slob
But he’ll vote with the CEOs
Cause he really doesn’t understand
Where all his money goes

2004 Chuck Puckett

When I Go a Little More

[chorus]

It's a different kind of homesick

When you haven't got a home

Though I know someone is waiting

If I ever quit the road

It's a different kind of heartache

When your heart don't hurt no more

Lord, I hope someone is waiting

When I go a little more

Well, I reach into my pocket

I pull out twenty-seven cents in change

I count it once again

It still comes up the same

I guess I've got my dreams

That's all I ever wanted

Except someone to share them with

A little farther down the road

The outer space and inner state

Lead nowhere when I travel to tomorrow

I travel just the same

'Cause it's about the only thing I know

Never pausing to relinquish

Any portion of the soul that I'm becoming

Though I realize that loving

Is the only saving grace that there can be

The sun comes up all purple

Like a boxer whose been beaten and forgiven

I could leave this place tomorrow

Never think twice 'bout why I came

Except maybe all the feelings

I was hoping I could feel before forever

Though I keep hoping maybe

They're a little further down the road

Who Do You Think

Who do you think is screwing with you?

Who’s got your head in a vise?

Who do you think is screwing with you?

Whatever they’re doing, it’s not nice

They have ruined your very way of life

They have stolen your children and your wife

They’ll be coming for you with a knife

Who is it has you screwed?

I bet it’s someone who’s tatooed

All your rights have been left out

Who do you think took ‘em?

Your balls of manhood are in doubt

Who was it that shook ‘em?

All your money

All your stock

They took it all, honey,

Then they changed the lock,

Lock, stock and barrel

I bet it was Steve Carrell

I bet it was Will Farrell

Your mighty god suffers sacrilege

Who was it took his sceptre?

That promised land has been reneged

We’ve been fooled by the Great Deceptor

Being washed of sins

That you love to do

If a gay guy does it

It won’t work on you

You ain’t no martyr

You don’t like Jimmy Carter

Compromise is a non-starter

The Wind in My Name

We were steady and believers

That the way we took was right.

In retrospect, I must suspect

That luck was something we neglected,

'Cause it got a bit too tight,

On that sad September night.

An orange moon was bringing harvest

And other things in the dark.

The field ablaze and autumn haze

Was wrapped around your youthful face

And kept us right upon the mark.

[chorus]

Keep on running, pagan lady,

Keep your pace and keep your wings.

I'm not sure of all the lyrics

That you sing of when you sing.

Winds of autumn, blowing briskly

Breeze around your auburn hair.

I've got songs I'm sure you've heard

Long ago and way back there.

Signal fires on the mountains

Something calling on the wind.

In calmer times and milder climes,

We were safe by the courthouse chimes.

Now there's a danger where we've been.

Things look different in the morning

But I'm sure it's all the same.

In wilder nights and weirder lights

I've seen much more stranger sights.

Nothing like this can I claim

You Tell Me

You tell me that you want some simple words
Uncluttered, unqualified, and true
You tell me that it's surely not absurd
To say just exactly how I feel about you
You tell me you don't require poetry
Tell it straight, straightforward, straight from the heart
Well, I'll tell you exactly what I know for sure
If you tell me exactly where to start

[chorus]
You tell me how we fit together
You tell me how we fall apart
You tell me time and time and time and time again
How I got into your heart
You tell me why we need each other
You tell me why we come and go
You tell me time will fall into eternity
Before you tell me why you know it's so
Before you tell me why you told me so

I'm the person who simply is not capable
Of telling without telling just why I tell
When using words I'm really quite insatiable
Though I guess that fact's just as clear as a bell
You're a person who needs a simple fairy tale
With a moral, on a mural, on the wall
Well once upon a time there was a lonely man
Who fell in love with you, and that's all

It's telling on you how this tale is being told
In the telling, by an idiot, like I said
It's a telling moment when we finally grab a hold
To the tail, to a tiger, by the head
I'll tell you in the morning how I really feel
Let's sleep on it, give it a rest, let it be
Let's let it rest till every word is sleeping
Every spoken syllable can dream of being free

Genius

Cold rain is falling from a November sky

In the darkness you wave at each sad passerby

Running for cover, keeping their powder dry

A warning shot across the bow, but that’s all for now

Whose mind perceives?

Whose mind believes?

Broken eyelashes fall to the street below

Sunset flashes in colors no one ever knows

A dream with no words to tell that so and so where to go

You’re on your own it’s true, with no one to show you

Whose world is this world?

Where did you find this pearl?

Leo tells a joke, she cries, and then she smiles

Genius fades too fast, but then in a little while

The flame grows high again

Somewhere, someone waits to breathe it in

The trick is not to fade too fast

The trick is to try to make it last

In the diner, the losers drink from a broken cup

The soup of the day will never fill you up

On the sidewalk outside, the bus never seems to stop

Lightning cracks the clouds, you’re dressed in shrouds

Whose soul is crying?

Whose soul is lying?

Mathematical symbols written across the board

Metaphorical travelers forget the unspoken word

Songs nobody ever heard are now preferred

You’re on your own it’s true, it hasn’t occurred to you

Where did this begin?

What door opened and let you in?

Put It Out

Might have been hotter, hot’s what I remember

Summertime standing on a sidewalk hell

Steam rising up from a concrete pavement

Thunderstorm rain cools it down for a spell

But it comes back hotter, so you might as well

Put it out, put it out, put the fire hose out

Jump up in the water in your pants and shoes

Put it out, put it out, let me stand and shout

And try to lose a little of the summertime blues I got

Put out the fire in the middle of July

‘Cause I tell you right now this is too damn hot

Only thing better than some ice cold water

Is some ice cold beer, now that can’t be beat

Only thing hotter than the sun beating down

Is the heat coming up from my barefoot feet

We’re sleeping tonight on top of every sheet

Put it out, put it out, put the deep fire out

Leaping up like Indians with their war paint on

Put it out, put it out, cooling down’s what I’m about

I’m tired of temperatures in the heat stroke zone

Turn off the sun before we burn in hell

There’s nothing left to do but to toss and moan

Nothing left but ashes when we’ve burned to the bone

Never Said I’d Never Go

I’m walking
Don’t pretend I’ll turn around
I’m walking out of here
Down the street, out of town
Down the road because you know
I never said I’d never go

I’m leaving
It’s not that hard to explain
I’m leaving you alone
Catch a ride, hop a train
Maybe I never told you so, but
I never said I’d never go

This is not that big a deal
Lovers leaving all the time
Just pretend it isn’t real
Have a smoke, drink some wine
Just pretend I never left
If that will ease your mind
Or pretend that I am deaf
And I didn’t hear you cryin

I’m driving
Down a road I do not know
I’m driving in the rain
Through the sleet, through the snow
Where I’m bound I do not know
But I never said I’d never go
No, I never said I’d never go

Something Amiss

I’ve got the card and the flowers

I’ve got the wine and the song

I’ve been waiting here for hours

How could anything go wrong?

I’ve got lines I’m rehearsing

So they’ll always ring true

I’ve got everything planned out to a “T”

The only thing missing is you

I’ve got reservations for dinner

At a café downtown

I’m sure that it’s a winner

It’s a quiet little place I found

I can meet you there at eight

You’ll be late like you always do

I’ve got the night and our lives all planned out

The only thing missing is you

I am not really hoping for

A chance to reconcile, but you’re

Mistaken if you thought I wouldn’t try

You’re not where I thought you’d be by now

But it doesn’t matter anyhow

‘Cause I think you’re gone forever, and so I

Called cab and bought a ticket

For a plane that leaves at ten

I’ll be able just to make it

If I hurry, but ‘til then

I’ve got lines I’ll be rehearsing

For a scene we’ll never do

I had our whole lives planned

I thought you’d somehow understand

We’d be together ‘till the end

Now the only thing that’s missing

Is you.

No Surprise

When it all goes crazy
And the climate change is real
We'll have a world warmed by wood fire
But without the cozy feel
When we've pumped the final barrel
When that final engine dies
The only consolation
Is that it comes as no surprise

There'll be a haze on the horizon
And lots of water underneath
With everybody hungry
And no one there to send relief
Too late to use the sun
Or the winds that cross the skies
A world can't run on empty
And it comes as no surprise

There won't be no surprises
No rabbits from the hat
No hail Mary ending
You won't be seeing that
No hero running in
And the villain finally dies
'Cause we are all the villains
And that comes as no surprise

There might have been a chance
If we had done a little more
When we all saw in advance
What the future held in store
Now the future is upon us
See it in our children's eyes
Now there's nothing left to do
But it comes as no surprise

© 2015 Chuck Puckett

Publishing the works of Chuck Puckett since 1999...