Romancing the Moon
I got a message from the wife, of an old close friend,
An old mill hand from way back when
His father won't be making those fishing dates
They found him in his easy chair, aces and eights.
An invitation from the past, to spend some time
With them good old boys from the Tiverton line.
All them shots and beers, belly laughs and tears
Only romance those hard nosed years.
I'm on my knees again, praying to the Lord, Amen
Light this lamp, show the way to us my old friend
All that's left intact, when you're looking back
At that old coal train is that old train track
A whistlin' tune, romancing the moon.
From the Watuppa Pond, where the water spills
Into the Quequechan River, down a granite hill
Under the Cotton Kings, from stone cutters hands
Rose four hundred mills, on promised land.
Now the river's been buried, and the mills shut down
And the people got poor, and the rich left town
In the local bars the story's told
Of how the looms in the mills turned cotton to gold.
I'm on my knees again, praying to the Lord, Amen
Light this lamp, show the way to us my old friend.
All that's left intact, when you're looking back
At that old mill town is that old train track
A whistlin' tune, romancing the moon.
Winners lose, and heroes cry
Wise men listen, let sleeping dogs lie.
The same is easy, it's hard to change
Although the parts are there, just rearranged.
When things get old and they lose their salt
And it's time to go, ain't no one's fault.
It's hard to let go, harder to remain
Like old mill towns, and old coal trains.
I'm on my knees again, praying to the Lord, Amen
Light this lamp, show the way to us my old friend.
All that's left intact, when you're looking back
At that old coal train is that old train track
A whistlin' tune, romancing the moon.
Roller Coaster
Twenty years ago
Life seemed so easy
We didn't have to try
Nothing but blue skies.
Cruisin' with the radio
No particular place to go
You were my best friend
When did that all end?
It isn't how it's supposed to be
Living on a roller coaster
The valley's too low and the hill's too steep
It isn't how it's supposed to be.
I don't want to fly
I just want some peace
I don't want a war
I just want relief
I can't right what's wrong
I'll just say so long.
In the shadow of your frustration
Living up to your expectations
I can't do nothing right
All we do is fight.
Stamping feet, slamming doors
Daily battles without a cause
We had more time to listen
When we didn't have a tent to live in.
It isn't how it's supposed to be
Living on a roller coaster
The valley's too low and the hill's too steep
It isn't how it's supposed to be.
I don't cry no more
I got nothing to lose
I can't seem to win
I just want a truce
I can't right what's wrong
I'll just say so long.
It isn't how it's supposed to be
Living on a roller coaster
The valley's too low and the hill's too steep
It isn't how it's supposed to be.
I don't want to fly
I just want some peace
I don't want a war
I just want relief
I can't right what's wrong
I'll just say so long.
Am I just company
For you and your misery
Or is it just a cover
Now do you have a lover?
Don't think I haven't tried
Shoveling sand into the tide
Heartbreak hill is all
Hot damn I've hit the wall.
It isn't how it's supposed to be
Living on a roller coaster
The valley's too low and the hill's too steep
It isn't how it's supposed to be.
I don't want to cry no more
I got nothing to lose
I can't seem to win
I just want a truce
I can't right what's wrong
I'll just say so long
Ricky The Kid
Where the sun sets upon the hill,
On the brick mansions by the sea
That surrounded the playground of hell
My country 'tis of thee.
Where we drank dreams from a paper bag
And Jack Frost paints the sky in drag
Blood red and gold on a deep blue sea
On purple skies of majesty.
Ricky the Kid he ain't no more
He's a casualty of the Social War.
Some say he ran his life to hell.
Yeah, but me, I say, he slipped and fell.
A hole in his boat cut short his time
Now he's hanging with some friends of mine.
He washed up on God's Golden Shore
From a pool of blood in a jewelry store.
Is there mercy for me?
I know it's hard to understand
From the viewpoint of a disciplined man
Who's never known the slight of hand
To be taught never to trust.
When the kids run wild in the dark
And the bullets fly across the park
Where the kids play life like war
And the devil keeps the score.
Ricky the Kid he ain't no more
The police came prepared for war.
And Ricky got caught in the crossfire
And a bullet killed the man next door.
And when the smoke cleared, nobody won
Was just a crazy kid and an empty gun.
And a friendly fire casualty
Is there mercy for me?
Where the sun sets upon the hill,
On the brick mansions by the sea
That surrounded the playground of hell
My country 'tis of thee.
Where we drank dreams from a paper bag
And Jack Frost paints the sky in drag
Blood red and gold on a deep blue sea
On purple skies of majesty.
Is there mercy for me?
Four Boats Down
I was taken back in a shiver
When an old hand said to me
Did you hear about the Beth-Dee-Bob
Being swallowed by the sea?
They were steaming low, with a full boat
Green water filled the hold
They were taken down like Jonah
In the January cold
Four men lost their lives
One poor boy was found
Lifeless in a life-ring
Where the Beth-Dee-Bob went down.
Four Boats Down, Ten lives lost
In the course of thirteen days
More than ends meeting ends
Are riding on them waves.
Fortune seekers, bottom reapers
Love slaves of the sea
The widow maker father taker,
Can steal your breath away.
Two more days would pass,
Two more boys would pay
The price of life to reap the sea
In the mouth of Buzzards Bay
The Cape Fear was the big boat
Impressive at the dock
She was sure to win your confidence
The stature of an Ark
In an open sea, to a southern gale
All hell would erupt
Three out of five escaped alive
When the boat went belly up
Four Boats Down, Ten lives lost
In the course of thirteen days
More than ends meeting ends
Are riding on them waves.
Fortune seekers, bottom reapers
Love slaves of the sea
The widow maker father taker,
Can steal your breath away.
Now the Ellie B got lucky
Her crew survived the shock
As the Adriatic steamed on by her
Sitting on the rocks
Calm weather would determine
Salvation the next day
A storm blew in and two more boats,
Got pounded by the sea.
Now the Ellie B's in splinters
For miles around the shore
And the Adriatic road her crew
Down to the ocean floor.
Four Boats Down, Ten lives lost
In the course of thirteen days.
More than ends meeting ends
Are riding on them waves.
Fortune seekers, bottom reapers
Love slaves of the sea
The widow maker father taker,
Can steal your breath away.
Jacinta's Song
Teach me how to love, like a rolling river,
A constant love giver, to the sea.
Teach me how to give, like the sun delivers,
A constant light giver, like you give me.
I was a lost child, caught in a rolling tundra,
Held down deep under, the falls of tears.
You were my lifesaver, you cause my soul to cope,
You fill my chest with hope, all these years.
Teach me to forgive, so I can let down this weight,
Hate can wear down, the strongest man.
Fill my eyes with light, so I'll know the causes,
And realize the forces, and understand.
I've seen myself, swinging wild in the night.
In the dimmest light, killing my fears.
I've made my sword, visible on the shelf.
I've only cut myself, all these years.
Cause my soul to heal, so I can carry my load,
This old rocky road, twists and turns.
Straighten out the road, turn up the light,
Take the wheel on those starless Saturday nights.
Clear my head, make me your concern,
Watch my fire, so I don't burn
And if I fall, don't let me beg.
You be my legs, carry me too.
And if I lose sight, you be my eyes
You choose my steps, see me through.
Blue Moon
Blue moon riding on high,
Reaching for the stars,
Pulling on the high tide.
A full bloom light in the sky,
Over the horizon,
Chasing the sun.
A night light lullaby romancing the sky.
I've been over the horizon time after time,
And every time I do, I leave a sliver behind.
I slip into the shadows every time I fall.
Soon there'll be no moon at all.
I'll pick myself up a day at a time.
Pull my head out of the shadows where the sun don't shine.
I'll put my thoughts together in time to the bar,
And I'll sing them to the stars.
A new moon, riding on high
Reaching for the stars,
Pulling on the high tide.
A full bloom light in the sky,
An all night twilight
Big stone satellite,
Over the horizon, chasin' the sun.
Lordy, Lordy, have mercy on me,
Scatting scales like a cat up a tree
Call the dogs off if I fall
Light me up like a big moon ball.
Let the angels carry my tune,
A man of the moon.
Riding on high,
Reaching for the stars,
Pulling on the high tide.
A full bloom light in the sky,
An all night twilight
Big stone satellite.
A night light lullaby, romancing the sky.
Damien
Damien, Don't you mind,
Fatherless boy, lay down your crosses, behind you.
Aunt Georgie'll be coming,
There will be cake and pastry, tomorrow.
Damien, Don't you cry,
Poor Wednesday's child, leave all your trouble, behind you.
Behind these cold walls,
Nothing but time, will find you.
Shot that boy, with his own twenty-two,
No man got the right, to talk about my mama, that way.
He should had said nothin',
Could be walking to church, come Sunday.
Pride and joy, mama's blue eyed boy,
Behind these cold walls, nothing but time, will hold you.
Years harden your heart,
And tears salt the wounds, that mold you.
Damien, don't you mind,
Fatherless child, lay down your crosses, behind you.
Aunt Georgie'll be coming,
There will be cake and pastry, tomorrow.
Dream Chaser
Ya want to make some headway,
Ya gotta catch the wind.
When where you're going
Looks a lot like where you've been
I'm a good dream chaser,
I've caught a few.
I'm going to catch me a dream
I'm going to share it with you.
When you're way down in the valley
In a ravine off the road.
In a mud bog, in a thick fog,
And the devil's touched your soul.
And there's nothing left but reason
To climb out of that hole.
Cut the causes loose and take control.
Ya want to make some headway
Ya gotta catch the wind.
Ya got to make some changes,
Every now and then
I'm a good dream chaser
I've caught a few
I'm gonna catch me a dream
I'm going to share it with you
When the side of the mountain
Is all that you can see,
Just keep on climbing
Til you're where you want to be
And then find yourself a resting place
Where you feel satisfied.
And take the good view in off the mountainside.
Dreams are alot like candlewood,
On a warm lit fire, on a cold, dark night
Dreamers are mostly misunderstood.
The green-eyed monsters running from the light.
When things are unfamiliar,
And illusion shadows fact.
When the chilly winds of cheap talk
Keep crawling up your back.
And your thoughts are standing naked
And you feel inclined to hide,
Take the good view in off the mountainside
And you'll catch a dream
If you catch the wind.
You got to take some chances
Every now and then.
I'm a good dream chaser
I've caught a few.
I'm gonna catch me a dream
I'm gonna share it with you.
The Love Song
I never wrote you that love song.
You know that never, could ever be my style.
To be with you, then without you,
I'd walk on hot coals, a country mile.
There's a place out in heaven,
Where the rainbows begin.
Far across the Great Divide
Where the colors ride the wind.
There's a ship out on an ocean
Reserved for faithful souls,
On a molten sea of gold.
If I go on before you,
I'll be with you, every step of the way.
And if you begin to tire,
I'll be behind you, you can lean on me.
When all the world's against you.
And the mountaintops keep swallowing the sun.
And the roads too steep before you,
Just put your head down, and keep on keepin' on.
There's a place out in heaven,
Where the rainbows begin.
Far across the Great Divide
Where the colors ride the wind.
There's a ship out on an ocean
Reserved for faithful souls,
On a molten sea of gold.
When the world's cold and lonely
And that cold breeze, chills you to the bone.
I'll be there your one and only.
That warm spot in your heart, you won't be alone.
When the world turns to winter.
And you start to think that you won't smile again.
And those old coals turn to cinder,
Think of me, and I'll warm you from within.
There's a place out in heaven,
Where the rainbows begin.
Far across the Great Divide
Where the colors ride the wind.
There's a ship out on an ocean
Reserved for faithful souls,
On a molten sea of gold.
I never wrote you that love song
You know that never, could ever be my style.
Scare Crow
Scare crow out in the field,
Who will let you in?
Faith filled one hung in the sun,
And driven by the wind.
The work's done,
The planters are gone,
Where nobody knows.
And seedlings reach for the sun,
And the guardian scares crows.
Furrows, holding the rain
Are like steps on a hill.
And seedlings reach for the sun
And I guess they always will.
God only knows, what harvest will bring,
Little birds tell why.
And haters of life,
Hide in the wings,
And victims pass by.
Who will be your confidant,
When the towers of Babel tumble down?
Who will sift the broken hearts,
From the pieces on the ground?
Who will lift these spirits up?
Who can mend this broken cup?
Who can see a reason why,
When straw pierces the eye?
Shadows roll over the hills,
Cloud spills fill rivers with rain.
The wind blows like lost souls,
Avenging presumptuous gain.
You'll snap like a twig,
If you stand toe to toe.
Have a drink,
And say what you think,
And bend with the blow.
Who will be your confidant,
When the towers of Babel tumble down?
Who will sift the broken hearts,
From the pieces on the ground?
Who will lift these spirits up?
Who can mend this broken cup?
Who can see a reason why,
When straw pierces the eye?
Scare crow out in the field,
Who will let you in?
Faith filled one hung in the sun,
And driven by the wind,
Furrows are holding the rain,
Like steps on a hill.
And seedlings reach for the light
And I guess they always will.
The Thief
I lit me a smoke, I was riding my cloud
Admiring the trees, riding the breeze.
And I looked around and I saw me a town
I couldn't believe what was going down.
I saw big white house mansions, and little humble shacks.
There were people in rags, with bags on their backs.
Some walked in a straight line and some walked intact,
Some wandered way off the track.
And I asked my father, "How can this be,
In a land of such promise. In the home of the free?"
He said, "Don't make conclusions and don't be naive,
There are givers, there are takers, and there are thieves."
I lowered my cloud for a closer look.
I took a robe and some sandals and a history book.
And I walked on the beach with a curious eyes
I was watching the fish boats go by.
I saw men hard at work, drowning in sweat.
And there were men on the beach, mending their nets.
The best dressed were buyers, grooming their tales.
I could see that the money was in sales.
I asked my father, "How can this be?"
And he said, "What you're thinking, ain't what you see.
Some are lost, some are found, some will never be pleased.
Some are winners, some are snoozers, some are thieves."
I took a long thoughtful walk and a bottle of wine.
I was feeling confused. I needed some time.
I met a salesman in the desert who could sing like a lark.
I said, "I'm hungry." He sold me a rock.
I said I needed direction and he led me to a cliff.
He said, "Show me what you're made of boy. I know you can fly.
All this can be yours, as far as you see.
I'll do for you. You do for me."
And I asked my father, "How can this be?
Rocks to eat, cliffs to fly. What's he selling me?
Can you send me a cloud? I'm in need of relief.
I'm in the palm of the hand of the thief."
I opened my book to read for awhile.
To take my mind off my dilemma, the hunger and the heat.
Then I noticed in the distance an angel-hair cloud,
And that the salesman beat feet.
My father approached and I fell to my knees.
I said, "Thank you for coming. You've kept me alive."
We floated away in an angel-hair ark.
And the thief ran away with the rock.