1. |
Self Portrait (part I)
02:17
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Tell us a story, oh how the people request a tale
of hardened redemption
through toil and travail.
Oh won't you oblige us you singer of song you cantor of dream
Weave one together and mend the frayed edges
And worn out seams
Display a garment thats fit for a king
Buts been on the front lines and fought in the trenches
In every battalion in every regime
Come gather around
There's a story I'd like to tell
It may sound familiar to those of you
Who know me well.
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2. |
If I Were A Bird
04:48
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If I were a bird
Well I'd unfurl my wings
And fly back north to you
At the first sign of Spring
Never to leave your side
No matter what next winter brings
If I were a bird
Well I'd unfurl my wings
If I were a song
For everyone to sing
Would you sing along
And hum the melody
As the major drifts
To a minor key
If I were a song
For everyone to sing
Won't you join me now
And walk with me a while
Anything to be by you
Anything to see you smile
Each step we take together
Puts behind us miles
Won't you join me now
And walk with me a while
If you were a bird
Flying high and free
I'd gladly watch you glide
And let my mind carry me
Up into the sky
To fly in close proximity
If you were a bird
Flying high and free
If you were a song
You bet that I would sing
At the top of my lungs
Every note would ring
Every word for you
sung wholeheartedly
If you were a song
Lord, I would sing
Joined together now
In loving harmony
Hand in hand we dance
Cheek to cheek
Sing our song together
Ever since I took a knee
All that's left is us
No longer you or me
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3. |
Stayed Alive
06:20
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Traveling along this weary road
The jagged rocks they cut me to the bone
In troubled times it hurts to be alone
And home sometimes just don’t feel like home
I ask myself a million times
Where was God when it went awry
And his life stole into the sky
I’m still waiting for a sign
A dark cloud hovers over me
It blocks the light and I can’t see
The only thing I have that keeps me company
Is the bottle that I use to kill my memory
Things ain’t never gonna be the same
Ever since that day everything has changed
And you yourself are shouldering the blame
Even though we share the loss and the pain
And it hurts — It hurts my heart
This feeling whole — Wish it would start
Its about time to turn around
And start walking back into town
The clouds are breaking — I can see the light
We’ll make it though with all our might
We’ve been in darkness blacker than night
Trembling — Frail and white
Afraid to live — Live our lives
If we could talk just one more time
What would I say to you now
If we could talk — Talk somehow
I’d lie to you — Say I was doing fine
I’d rehearse it all down to the last line
So I wouldn’t let on that since you died
That I fell apart, but I stayed alive
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4. |
Dance With Me
03:01
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The days are cool and the nights are warm
Our days of labor are all through
With you by my side we’ll weather every storm
Together there ain’t nothing we cain’t do
So come on over here and dance with me
Pick me up, give me a try
Take your time and take a chance with me
I’m yours babe won’t you be mine
I’m in love and I don’t care who knows
Shout it to the heavens above
Ear to ear my smile always shows
My heart it flutters like a dove
So come on over here and dance with me
Pick me up, give me a try
Shufflin’ and sweet romance with me
I’m yours babe say you’ll be mine
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5. |
Self Portrait (part II)
02:17
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A painted picture worth a dozen words
Hangs in the parlor among decorative dishes
And seldom is heard
With its imperfections it may seem out of place
By chance if you listen you may even hear
What it has to say
For even the lowliest things have beauty to tell
To those that will listen with eager young ears
And hunger to quell
Come gather around
There's a story I'd like to tell
It may sound familiar to those of you
Who know me well.
So please lend an ear to this story I'd like to tell
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6. |
Breathe Into Me
04:17
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I never thought I'd be
This old but low and behold
as each day unfolds
My age does increase
I never thought I'd see
The light shine down tonight,
But there you are glowing bright
For all to see
I always knew returning home to you would bring on love that never ceased
Breathe into me
I never thought I'd sleep
Till dawn with the new day coming on
And the light through curtains drawn
Illumining
I never thought I'd dream
In bright bold colors of light
But through the night I walk in lands I've never seen
I always new I'd wake up next to you with waves of love that never cease
Breathe into me
I never thought I'd need
To quit but bit by bit
I'll be the first one to admit its beyond me
I never thought I'd bleed
This much from such
A minor cut, but the world goes dark as the blood it does leave.
I always knew that I'd come back home to you greeted by love that never ceased
Breathe into me
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7. |
Silver And Gold
04:41
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Try in vain to find terrain and regain a sense of control
As the sea does rage and the waves they roll
The ship has sprung a leak the hull it creaks as in the water flows
From bow to stern at every turn as you keep filling holes
You can take your silver and you take your gold
You can trade it in for things to try and fill in all the holes
No matter how you try you'll never be able to buy something to satisfy your soul
It cannot be bought 'cause it ain't ever sold
Bit by bit the plot it shifts every time the story's told
The theme remains unchanged as the fabric it unfolds
To unveil a tale that's as fair as any maiden from the legends and myths of old
That make one long for home where they're loved and where they're known
You can take your silver and you take your gold
You can trade it in for things to try and fill in all the holes
No matter how you try you'll never be able to buy something to satisfy your soul
It cannot be bought 'cause it ain't ever sold
Search to find the silver lining in every hardship you're bestowed
Make no mistake all you'll ever know
Is filling in holes dug by what God only knows
You can take your silver and you take your gold
You can trade it in for things to try and fill in all the holes
No matter how you try you'll never be able to buy something to satisfy your soul
And make yourself complete as you have always longed to be
'Cause Love ain't bought or sold
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8. |
Burnin' In Me
03:54
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For the first time in a long, long time
I woke with the dawn
Stepped outside to greet the day
As the dew covered the lawn
Took a walk down the street as the world came alive
And burst into song
Try to keep up with the rhythm and rhyme
As I sing along
As I sing with the birds
Aloft on the breeze
As I sing with the love I have for you burning in me
As the day it got older and gray and
The morning chorus had ceased
The melody fled and left in my head
A moment of blistering peace
That moment of clarity fraught with austerity
Brought me to my knees
For the first time in a long, long time
My heart began to sing
And fly through the air with the greatest of ease
With the courage and grace of the flying trapeze and
Sing for the world
And what I wish it to be
For the love that's growing inside of you
And burning in me
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9. |
I Ain't Ready
01:51
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Aquariums recommends:
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Great Freak-Folk record put out by my good friend Jeb Morris. Wonderfully quirky and a great listen.
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somebody had to
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The gentle lo-fi songs on the latest phoneswithchords LP develop their granular sketches of childhood and coming of age into full portraits.
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