Mike Mangione

Fields of Evermore

Lonely is the shadow lit by the moon
Heavy is the burden that comes too soon
The fields are hot and heavy and filled with stone
I’m going to work the land of my father ‘till the seed has been sown

I’m going to make it rain somehow
I’m gonna make it rain somehow
On the fields of evermore

My hands have learned from watching, my heart from pain
When the bundle falls we’ll burn ‘em all to refine the yield again
My cracked hands hold the rhythm
I walk the furrow with an offering
I cant wash my hands too often boys on account of the burn and sting

I’m going to make it rain somehow
I’m gonna make it rain somehow
On the fields of evermore

Mercy come and hold me now and get behind the plow
Mercy come and hold me now get behind the plow
Mercy, mercy hold on get behind
the fields of evermore

Can You Love Me Falling

Lover, will you pardon me
Will you let me sing to you
Can you hear me singing
In the moment of decision
I tremble dear
I pace the steps that fell from where I’ve come

Nothing here can save me now
Just say the words I’m yours
But can you love me falling

I remember when, I could rest with ease
I could love and please my brother
Did I please you
And the strength of emotions
Can make a man divine
To sacrifice himself for love, but they also make me crazy

Nothing here can save me now
Say the words I’m yours
But can you love me falling

Can you love me falling
Because I need I need I need I need
Through the veil your heart bleeds to mine

Cold Cold Ground

Cold cold ground, don’t you ever come around
Cold cold ground, don’t you ever come around

I heard a songbird hanging from the willow tree
I was tongue tied and stumbling on a whisper in my teeth
I threw back my head boys to catch the bird to see
As the branches we’re swinging there was no one there but me

Cold cold ground, don’t you ever come around
Cold cold ground, don’t you ever come around

I dreamt of you girl, singing out my song
Nothing between us, my words upon your tongue
We were flesh to flesh babe, I traced you with my trembling hand
When I awoke I was nothing of a man

Cold cold ground, don’t you ever come around
Cold cold ground, don’t you ever come around

Everyone suffers, everyone steals
No one can tell me not to feel this way I feel
So I’m leaving Kansas, I’m leaving my memory
I’m running west girl, where the ground meets the sea

Weather & Stone

Weather and stone, we reach for protection
Weather and stone, an echo of rejection
Weather and stone, let your water heal
You gonna make me lose my mind, going to make me feel

Weather and stone, Every prophet needs protection
Weather and stone, the rock hollowed by the water’s direction
Weather and stone, they claw and they scream
You gonna make me lose my mind, going to make me tear the seam

’cause I wanna be someone, I want to leave this town
Dust on an open road, I’ll float above the ground
Where the flowing waters bound
And the singer’s song is sound
Where my hang ups are falling down
With the cares I throw around

Fire and stone, burn me and the troubles I’ve known
Fire and stone, wind my flesh around the truth of the bone
Fire and stone, purify the death I’ve grown
You gonna make me loose my mind, gonna make me run back home

Cause I wanna love someone, I want to hear my name
Beyond the city limit line, only words remain
But someone else feels the same
And their touch will cure with pain
Lips that set my chest aflame
To burn this heart of shame
And I have no one but myself to blame
For the weeds that choked the grain
And we’ll surrender before the weathers aim
And with the rock it will reclaim

Burn In My Belly

Roll along the river in a police car
Though the water flows you won’t get very far
She rocked my soul and taught me to swim
But a rock sinks fast and I’m wearing thin

Fields of brown and sky of grey
butterflies have all been chased away
Nothing left here to say
But am I in love with you or what I think is true

She knocked me right between the eyes
Yeah I got a burn in my belly that I realize
She left me hanging not once but twice
Now I got a burn in my belly and it’s feeling nice
Amber waves and fields of grain
There must be joy around the corner cause I’m feeling pain
I fight myself to keep me sane
So am I in love with you or what I think is true

Lights are flashing red and blue
Well moments pass, and this one too
Every day we breath we have to choose
I got a burn in my belly and so do you
Yeah I got a burn in my belly and so do you

Red-Winged Blackbird Man

I was born from my mother with a second wind
so that’s when my thoughts turn on
I can balance charm on a barbed wire
with a mouth like a golden gun
That horizon there been smokin’ for an hour now
It’s best I get moving on

Something about you I can’t run from
It keeps me from going wild
They sell low grade goods for a high price
They don’t want the man they want the child
That horizon there been smokin’ for an hour now
If I die I might regret it for awhile

You stood on a flame in a white dress
I got blood dripping off my hands
I aint no phoenix rising
I’m the red winged blackbird man
That horizon there been smokin’ for an hour now
we should run while we can

All is quiet on the western front
My feet are shuffling on my grave
I’ll take a bullet for beauty baby mama
They might even call me brave
That horizon there been smokin’ for an hour now
If we move we might be saved

I think I’ll go back to the Midwest
In those fields where I can see
I don’t think its that I ain’t forgotten you
It’s you ain’t forgotten me
That horizon there been smokin’ for an hour now
I think its time I go see my family

American Martyr

I can’t even hear no more and nothings coming back
I took the low one cause the high road was painted back
Seventeen when I left my home, running from nothing
Cigarettes and alcohol swaying to my mood
The ground will rise to slap you while your dancing with its moon
Whats to lose when there’s no time to think
And I have been drinking

Oh American Martyr

She was running from something big and I had found a car
We’d spit out drunken dreams, how she would be a star
She gave me fever, I kept her warm at night
I called her my baby
There was nothing like the next town always something to see
But he liked her dancing then she forgotten me
Around a pole she makes enough to eat
Hell I didn’t know she was hungry

Oh American Martyr

It must have been Warrensburg or the town before that
He held a job for me tapping tanks and fixing flats
I brushed my teeth in a meth bed bucket
And dreamed of my baby
The cracked riddled windowpane could blow back your hair
A unisex bathroom with names scratched everywhere
Its hard to build a dream on a rotting frame….he said
at least I’ve been trying

Somewhere Somebody

Well things grew tired and we left there quick
We couldn’t find a place to stick
Circling ‘round from town to town where the money was coming in
And the times were right for a sabotage
Hearts were heavy as the wounds were large
We ached to move but we were really starved for something to keep us still

We’d say someday somebody, somewhere somehow
Somewhere somehow
Someday, somebody
Someday

We could eat so much that we would get sick
Jimmy had the money but his money was quick
And the music grew heavy it was all around we started to go deaf
The back stage betties held the curtains wide
Truth was a flake and he often lied I found truth was nothing but a passerby who believed what I wanted

Id say someday, somebody, somewhere somehow
Somewhere somehow someday somebody
Someday

She could move around her room off her instinct
Played her music where the boys would drink
And her lace hid nothing but the truth that she had everything to lose
She was from the west where the sun laid down
Her feet burned for familiar ground
I held her hand and her body was found as I whispered her her name

I said someday, somebody yeah somewhere somehow, somewhere somehow, someday somebody

Hands Are Stained

There was water in the air when the verdict came
Three men are hanging out on county cane
They said don’t give a damn about the men we hanged
Because they were looking for trouble and their trouble came

His mother stayed standing by her baby’s side
And I can handle anything but that look in her eyes
As the storm came coming her baby died
I took my boys hand and pushed him off inside.

I can’t explain everything I saw
When the water fell I felt it fall
I held the feet of a Nazarene
My hands are stained I want them clean

It had to be three when I heard them call
That storms coming lets remove them all
His mother’s knees fell to the ground
And the sky was the color of a wedding gown

The soldier walked up to the condemned mans side
To test his wounds to assure he died
When his spear came up the sky it cried
The earth moaned and split open wide

I can’t explain everything I saw
When the water fell I felt it fall
I held the feet of a Nazarene
My hands are stained I want them clean

I remember what the third man said in his dying prayer
You took him in and you affirmed him there
In those last words I echo his plea
When this storm is through will you remember me

Dream of Home Once Again

It was many years ago when the signs did show
And the people all reacted the same
With each year that past, the longer it last
One by one we lost our titles and names

You could see in our eyes the memories had died
The stories never started the same
We searched for some reason and the changing of season
As we’d dream for home once again

Father take hold of your son’s hand
Mother to your daughter remain
Brother hold dear your sister in fear
For those days we’re returning again

Contradiction will reign when your led by insane
And the base of the well will run dry
They torture the weak and turn their cheek
An eye for and eye as were all going blind

We fight to protect live to die with respect
They say we’re free to choose all but the same
But the echo it grows as we yearn for the rose
And we dream of home once again

Mother take hold of your sons hand
Father to your daughter remain
Sister hold dear your brother in fear

The Offering

I’ll never doubt the rain again.
I’ll never doubt the cold.
I’ll never doubt the possibility of really growing old.
I’ve never felt distance like the distance through a phone.
So tonight I’m close enough, baby, tonight I’ll be coming home.
So goodbye…

I’ve never felt loneliness like the hands of killing time.
I’ve never heard the word of ridicule like from the voices in my mind.
I’ll never take for granted the power of a hand.
So tonight I’m close enough, baby, tonight you’ll see your man.
And goodbye…

I never doubt the offerin gmy father laid for me.
It is nothing short of sacrifice that gives a man his family.
I never doubt you love me in the words that you sing.
It don’t mean a whole lot, baby, it means everything.
So goodbye…

Are We Going To Rise?

There ’re some things in this world that won’t ever change.
The ink that drips through on to every page
As borders flood, and rearrange.
But are we going to rise?

There is writing on the wall I want to punctuate.
Planes don’t fly they tend to levitate.
And the pills won’t decide what they alleviate.
But are we going to rise?

Are we going to rise?
Are we going to rise?
We can stand there together and throw our thoughts there forever on the rise.

Well the mystery shoppers think that they figured out
Who the secret Santa was and what he’s all about.
But the jury called, they said they got their doubts,
And you can see it in their eyes.

There’s redemption in the streets with all the alibis.
When freedom don’t ring we’re free to criticize.
Then entitlement grows and accountability dies.
But are we going to rise?

Chorus

I can’t sing another word until it’s written out.
But to sing another word I’ll have to learn to shout.
Truth be told, all I should care about is…
Am I going to rise?

At Your Gate

Come out, come out,
Come meet me.
I’ve been poisoned, I’ve been used.
And now I’m standing at your gate.
I am hanging on your gate.
And I’ll be standing at your gate.

In my days I ruled deception.
I was king; I had control.
But I deceived all those I hold,
And they flanked and dug a hole,
And now I’m standing at your gate.

I was lost in my intentions
But they were bleeding out your side
While I was blinding out my eyes.

When I left I had direction.
I had protection; I was free.
But they do not compromise.
No they did not compromise.
And now I’m standing at your gate.

I did not come to take you;
I came to let you take me in.
And we are born where we begin
And this fever burns within.

There’s a Song of Songs you’re singing
And I’ve been bleeding every line.
How I want to harmonize.
Yes, I need to harmonize.
And I’ll be singing at your gate.

Born To Build a Home

I left on a Sunday to find what seemed I’d never own.
My steps took root in the glory and its cost.
Like coal, their words they burn me, and they fuel this direction I roam.
They said that I was born to find a way to build a home.

And I was grabbing on to nothing,
I let nothing pierce my lips.
I’ll taste the blood that flows when I am ready.
Commander of my footsteps, I’ll be thorough to the bone.
They say I am born to find a way to build a home.

So many steps before me speak of what little that I’ll leave behind.
I’ll bend these knees when I am good and ready.
Please move on, my dear, ignore the picture’s fading tone.
You know we were born to find a way to build a home.

Between this rock and your place I step around your holy stone,
My ears too numb to hear the words that you’re pleading.
I’ve grown nothing, mama, from the something that I own.
Is it true you had nothing but your hands alone?
‘Cause I want to learn how to build myself a home.

Darling Little Sister

I never thought I’d have the time to tell you this.
I never thought you had a care in the world.
You see, Miss Holly’s got a picture in a little book
And she says you’re such a pretty little girl.
I returned all my dreams at the counter.
I cashed in all my pride for the sleep.
Even Luka got a name for you, mama;
He said that he could sell it to you for a small fee.

And I never meant to look when you called me.
I never meant to look at the past.
But the truth won’t hurt when you pull it off really fast.

Darling little sister, where you gonna run to now?
You hear the parade’s been passing and you got your hand stretched out.
You hear the drum line coming, and baby that won’t be long.
Oh, come on, little mama, and bring your love back home.

Little Ricky got lost on the double date,
He took the congregation with him too.
They say he’s got something special in his back pocket
Ever since he learned to tie his little shoes.
Now I’m grasping at the frame for the picture.
I’m gonna ship it overseas somewhere.
They can stamp it with a pretty little accent
Sell it to all the kids over here.

Well I never meant to be such a pushover,
I never meant to be such a tease.
And the truth won’t hurt when you tell it to me from your knees.

Darling little sister, where you gonna run to now?
You hear the parade’s been passing and you got your hand stretched out.
You hear the drum line coming, and baby that won’t be long.
Oh, come on, little mama, and bring your love back home.

You Were Beautiful Once

You were beautiful once, before skies fell to gray.
So beautiful once, in the fallen words you give away.
Now hopelessness and ache, I can taste the pills you take.
You were beautiful once, now it’s all slipped away.

You were beautiful once, you’re so quick to lose your smile.
You were giving everyone a chance to feel what was real, and what was worthwhile.
Now you’re stumbling, and you’re ashamed. I helped you up baby and you walked away.
You were beautiful once. I wish there was something else to say.

I won’t ever go away. Don’t ever go away.

You were beautiful once in your pale, perfect skin.
So beautiful once, when you were open to take me in.
Because it was my gift, and that was my land; I reached out baby and you bit the hand.
You were beautiful once but now it’s time to surrender in.

Alternate Verse
You were beautiful once, how you listened, how you pleased.
So beautiful once, you could summon deception straight to its knees.
Your beauty tested true by the fires of what you let get to you.
You were beautiful once but now I’m sorry to say it’s through.

Somewhere Between

They said first thing in the morning and they came the night before.
They were running from salvation, and I was standing in the door.
And you know I aim to be thorough yet I always miss the end.
And you stood there waiting for me; I was running with my friends.
You ask me where I’ve been, because I’ve been nowhere to be seen.
But you are looking far and wide baby; I’m somewhere in between.

You were talking about the river, how it could wash the city clean.
And I was staring at the bridge and the other side I’ve never seen.
Yes you know I love you, baby, and I’ll always ‘till the end.
But the highway’s built in directions that I have lost so many friends.
And you ask me for an answer – I either burn or I come clean.
But you’re asking too much because I’m somewhere in between.

You push me to surrender; you say the walls of men are thin.
But I have beaten brooms against the rugs and rooms that you have carried yourself in.
Yes, I know these trees their haunted since Eve left me in the fall.
But you either think for yourself, baby, or you don’t think at all.
And you ask me to come with you to these places few have seen.
But you’re going far and wide baby; I’m stuck here in between.

You give yourself bare-handed, I take what’s left with shame.
I heard Vinny came back from the desert but that boy don’t look the same.
You can count my hairs, they’re numbered, leave the tally at the door.
I heard the mother’s milk has gone sour but the fools they’re begging more.
You beg me to surrender, to make a perfect offering.
But you are asking too much baby because I’m stuck here in between.

Woman In Gown

There is frost on the sheets when the sun went down
There’s no place to lay your head.
You stand in this valley of tears all around
As he stands as your jury instead.
He holds you in bribe as you try to hide
What is sacred; he objects to dismiss.

Oh, woman in gown, you were made for much better than this.

We fashion our breath to the lowest of depth
And let pleasure be the host of what’s real.
But I say let’s sacrifice, boys, and we’ll smother their noise
As the goods they’ve been fixing to steal.
And I am only a man so please understand but won’t you take my hand, I insist.

Oh, woman in gown, you were made for much better than this.

Oh sleep, my dear, may you rest ‘till disorder has been fixed.
Oh, woman in gown, you were made for much better than this.

They try to deceive to make you believe
That you can be held and dropped on a dime.
But nothing, my dear, should be held in the fear
That a drop is just natural with time.
And know: you can not be taken, nor your value forsaken.
Please deny their Judas kiss.

Oh, woman in gown, you were made for much better than this.

Stand tall, my bride, and never compromise.  Let me show you what their promises miss.
Oh, woman in gown, you were made for much better than this.

Endless

As a child in need of help,
No matter what was felt,
I could find love…

And in the garden of the fruit
Where fate took root,
There was still love…

An endless love.
An endless love.

Won’t you find me this time?
Love, won’t you find me this time?
Oh, love, won’t you find me again?

With sinful steps: despair.
I hear voices everywhere.
I reply love…
Temptations, how they dwell,
In my weakness, they know me well.
And I pray love…

Wear My Name

My love she says to me: come home to family.
And I never wanted nothing but that girl to wear my name.

My love she says to me: come home, come to me.
And I never wanted nothing but that girl to wear my name.

To wear my name
Against the breaking of the day.
To wear my name
As the night fades away.
To wear my name
As the good begins to sway, I will find a way.
And I will find a way to you.

My love she says to me: come home to family.
And I never wanted nothing but that girl to wear my name.
My love she says to me: Michael, come home, and come to me.
And I never wanted nothing but that girl to wear my name.

It’s Me Not You

I remember what you said the very first day that we met:
“Oh baby it’s me, not You”
And I was with you when you left behind each and every step
Cause oh baby it was Me, not you

Oh baby can you live
with the thought of Me instead?
To ask for love is to ask for someone too
With every broken glass
behind every shattered past
Oh baby it’s Me, not you

I’ve been in and out of every room walking like this bleeding groom
With a broom I’ll sweep away dust and devils
But you heal every hurt by recycling your dirt
And through your eyes I can see your heart disheveled

Oh baby why you pretend
to hold Me in your hand?
Yet when you rise I’m the first thing you let go
And in the cold desert land
I fingered in the sand
Cause oh baby it was Me, not you

There’s a healing wound that cries for every man that brushed your thigh
But you cover it up and play it all again
You flinch with every touch hoping he won’t take too much
But there’s a Nova Cain that Abels you to go

Oh baby look inside
it’s in My heart you’ll find
riches worth more than gold or silver
Yes I’ve laid before them all
and I’ll be there when you fall
Cause oh baby it’s Me, not you, yeah
Baby, baby it’s Me and it’s true

The Killing Floor

Tonight I’m coming back for you
To free the dove like you want me to
All good draws pain without birth she fly’s in vain
And I see we’ve been running for the killing floor

The pure we’ve twisted till profane
I’ll break the tide if you blow out the flame
To fill these hearts full we reach and grab for more
But I’ve found we’ve been reaching for the killing floor

But we can sing Halleluiah

And the vulnerable have been crowned insane
We hide our burns in the colors of the flame
And the consensus conceal what these tender wounds reveal
And were surprised when our knees feel the killing floor

And the night my love has had its ways
My eyes have seen the secrets of where we lay
Wrapped deep in pride we take what’s never been denied
And with each step we bandage our sides to the killing floor
With each step we abandon our sides to the killing floor

But we can sing Halleluiah

First Time: Please Forgive Me

Please Sir take cover I’m about to discover a lesson in sin
You could run for the door but you have been forewarned there’s a storm coming
Yes I’ve been courted, my plans thwarted by the crossing guards eyes
And the placebo I chose because it’s the smell not the rose that gets me high
And oh my tears they flow rivers from streams
And my eyes they flow to you
Sisters please, please forgive me
Sister please, please forgive me
Sister please forgive me
And I’ll see you for the first time
I doubted love so I push and I shove to replace these needs
But the pain how it grows now I’m yearning for the rose of a mother so sweet
But oh my love won’t you lay with me once again
In this union we hold forever
Sisters please, please forgive me
Sister please, please forgive me
Sister please, please forgive me
And I’ll see you for the first time

You Don’t Wanna Leave

I took five days in Memphis but Memphis was taking me
So I drove to Chicago to study the city streets.
I saw my girl, my lover, she said she’d wear my ring
But as I kept on walking to my back I could hear her sing

Big wheels lay you down in the chords of another town
And you’ll sing yourself to sleep
And if that mockingbird don’t care for a single word
You’ll just change your melody
But you don’t wanna leave

Little Robby was a lover but his picture was his biggest muse
He had all the gifts of Heaven but he traded for a pair of shoes
And his girl how she loved him but he never want to let her in
So when I heard that he left her I said, “Robby did you hear her sing?”

Big wheels lay you down in the chords of another town
And you’ll sing yourself to sleep
And if that mockingbird don’t care for a single word
You’ll just change your melody
But you don’t wanna leave

Well the night’s busted open on those two lanes to anywhere
There’s a kiss on my cheek and it burns so I leave it there
I step on the gas and something begins to shake
It’s my heart and it’s singing, boy, this is more than you can take

Big wheels lay you down in the chords of another town
And you’ll sing yourself to sleep
And if that mockingbird don’t care for a single word
You’ll just change your melody
But you don’t wanna leave

Slowdown

Her neck moves with the rhythm of her eager beating heart
She says the soul can lose its way sometime but it never moves too far
With my voices pounding heavy there was no room to let her in
But this night the loudest voice I heard was the beating of her skin

I look down to the floor and up into the trees
I look everywhere to avoid the stare of when our two faces meet
In the stillness of a moment she cut through me with her words
She said there’s something deeper going on and it’s time that it gets heard

I said, “oh slow down baby, baby slow down”

I never been one to worry, I never traded something stolen
But regrets have staked their claims and now I question all I own
In this heart of darkness she said that she would stay
She said “I won’t go but you got to show me that there’s another day”

I said, “oh Woman, yes come and take my hand
But in my broken fall my strides are small lets take it slow if we can”
Bitter hands of forgiveness, it was a bosom for a bed
I felt the breathing of a Savior as she knelt and kissed my head

I said, “slow down baby, baby slow down”

It’s A Hard Road To Crawl

If ever you feel
that tomorrow might not even come
Well I’ll urge you on down the line
‘Cause the many they’ll hold you down
But you only need one to lift you up
And that’s a hard road to crawl

And some too
are still chasing the sun
Under its westward bow

But the twilight can never be undone
And all suns are made to set
Over the wayward road below
And also in your eyes
I can see a fading light
As you take to the road alone

Winter’s cold
and the nights are long
But if we travel south enough, We’ll find

that the summer’s just begun
And there will always be a place for us
Down this long road we’ve come
And don’t you forget
I will always be your friend
I ask for nothing in return

It’s a hard road to crawl
But you won’t crawl it alone

Now That It’s Done, Won’t You Come Back

Lay me down easy, love,
lay me down
Lay with me tonight
before you leave town

Because I’ve made decisions, love,
I’ve been plagued from the start
Regrets bleed when my memories go
from my head to my heart

But now that it’s done won’t you come back?
Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
And I will surrender to your heart again

I left home early, love,
with each step the wind
And I’ve been burned more at my front door
yeah I am ready to come in

And I wanted freedom
so I broke their laws
But freedom don’t come from rejecting them,
it’s from not being tempted at all

Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
And I will surrender to your heart again

If you kiss me, love,
please do so slow
It’s been said you can save the wicked, depraved
and I wanna know

I know it ain’t easy
to pardon what I have done
But addiction don’t run from the sight of a gun
and I need someone

Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
Now that it’s done won’t you come back?
And I will surrender to your heart again
I will surrender to your heart again
I will surrender to your heart again

I’m Sorry Again

I don’t question that you left me
I just question where you’d go
I can’t put this night to rest
I though you should know

I see traces from the past
In every window of every home
I see reflections of a man I used to know
I’m sorry, I’m sorry again

There’s no metaphor tonight
There’s no place for me to hide
I can see clearly now those things that I used to do

And I’m sorry, I’m sorry again
That I’m sorry, I’m sorry again

Leaves will sway before they die
Beneath that auburn harvest sky
And I’ll follow them to the ground
Free from any questions why

So please look back at me once, my love
Look back as you walk away
So I know that you can hear me when I say

That I’m sorry, I’m sorry again
That I’m sorry, I’m sorry again

Great Divide

And if I said to you
Please stop me as I’m leaving
Will you follow through or leave me for a lesson
A mystery turned blessing
Left to wonder and miss my message ring
I can barley sing these thoughts that I’m confessing
The words that I’m expressing
To one day walk and see the great divide

And if I said to you
I can’t hear your words there broken
Will you kiss my ear and teach these words you spoken
Show me life is but a token
And that forever makes then and now collide
But why do you hide when I just yearn to hold you
And do these things I’m supposed to
And have a chance to walk and see the great divide

And if I said to you
You can’t stop me now I’m leaving
Will you follow me and protect me from disaster
And everything there after
Pulling strings where ever my feet lay
You don’t have to say
But surprise me as I’m walking
Through homily or talking
And give me a chance to walk and see the great divide

A Requiem For The Trash: Damnatio Memoriae

I don’t remember when you left
I’ll admit those days were miles from sober
I was not myself and so I’ll share the blame
But no one told me the eleventh hour had come and passed

So you should have kissed me one last time
I wish you had hovered over me
And even if I had turned away
You should have held me a little longer that day

For the night is lonesome enough
And what are mornings made but for mourning?
When at dawn I dreamt life was a breaking wave:
We suffer upon the shore before rolling back to the sea

And the shore that breaks all form
Is the same shoreline that shapes each beginning
And when I awoke your side of the bed was made
But you were long gone as if on the ebb tide of the sea

Never mind the garbage you left behind
Forget the direction you’re traveling
Most haunting has been the silence of solitaire
And that to you I could become as light as nothing at all

And the garbage dump is nearly full
And your closet is all but empty
And though I still have some pictures of you on the wall
Your beauty has dimmed and your smile has lost its bite

As if a requiem for the trash
Remembrances linger casting long shadows
Just like your side of the bed still accosts to your warmth
Yet, the dead can never rise again and your side of the bed shall, forever, remain unmade

Mama, Be Not Afraid

From a dirt road I come from, storm from the past
Dust twirls in cyclone curls and lays me on the grass
As steady as a heart beat, and as fleeting as a wave
I break crest on newborn shores from everlasting graves

I walk the seems of night and day amidst tears of all unknown
Please turn and face night fall because in the darkness light is shown

Oh mama, be not afraid

Sticky hands and crooked hearts have scattered all your things
And read you lines from wicked poems that empty searching brings
With my hands I’ll feed you bread and they’ll complain its just toast
And search the trees for spirits and then claim they saw a ghost

Well they’ll try and sell you happiness and then sell it to you for a fee
I can sell you everything, I’ll just sell it to you free

Oh mama, be not afraid

When poets breathe indifference
When a singer loses breath
When politicians rid their land and retire for the rest
When eyes of heads of relevance cast their shadows on your hands
And draw their inspiration off the backs of younger men

Yea I can tell you something from the grey we must choose
And if you don’t learn how to give your life there’s no life for you to lose

Oh mama, be not afraid
Oh mama, be not afraid

Girl From the Midwest

When autumn comes
With the leaves’ last breath
We’ll walk the orchards
At dusk we’ll rest
In all my times, I’ve had the best
Beneath the willow tree
With my girl from the midwest

When winter’s touch
Rests upon the land
We’ll blaze the fire
I’ll hold your hand
In the warmth of lovers
We’ll fall back and nest
With my little girl from the midwest

You’re my little girl

When spring comes rising
In the fields of birth
We’ll go walking
Through the luscious earth
I’ll lay you down
From heaven I’m blessed
You’re my little girl from the midwest

You’re my little girl

When summer’s sun
Warms the sweat it takes
We’ll dip our bodies in the Great Lakes
Our lips touch lips
Your love I ingest
You’re my little girl from the midwest

Miles On My Mind

With the sunset clear and glowing
Water’s keen reflection
Pines fresh and breathing
Eyes set in north’s directions
In a world so far in beauty
I feel so far behind
Even five hundred miles away
She’s miles on my mind

It’s the northern refuge of nature
That can hold my soul so deep
Although this force is so strong
It’s in her arms I sleep
With all the riches it sets for me
I feel there’s nothing to find
Even five hundred miles away, she’s miles on my mind

When day comes, dreams are over
And truth stands by my side
Roads I’ve walked through
Lips I’ve talked to
Say that I’m alone tonight
Just give me your sweet touch
I won’t ask too much
Heal the wounds so bare
Outside’s haunting, beauty’s flaunting
Five hundred miles I stare

The road will lead me farther
It’s lessons always roll
This trip will mark its scars on me
And truth will take its toll
With all there is to learn from it
And the great path it will wind
Even five hundred miles away
She’s miles on my mind

Even five hundred miles away
She’s miles on my mind

Tonight

Tonight
It’s been us two
Not just you
I’ll try
There’s only so much I can do
And it’s hard to drop the piece of you
But I’ll try, no I won’t I lie tonight
Right next to you
And In the wind that blew
You didn’t know that was me
I’ll always be along with you
Along with you
Along with you

And I know I got to
I go to go
But it’s hard to say goodbye
And every day that shines
Ends in a darkened time
But I, I don’t wanna sleep yeah

So tonight
Don’t you close your eyes
Don’t you realize
That it’s been us two
Not just you
I’ll try
But there’s only so much I can do
And it’s hard to drop that piece of you
But I’ll try, no I won’t I lie tonight
Right next to you
In the wind that blew
You didn’t know that was me
I’ll always be along with you
Along with you
Along with you

I know I got to
I got to go
But it’s hard to say goodbye
And everyday that shines ends in a
A darkened time
But I don’t wanna sleep yeah

So tonight
I’ll realize
Close my eyes

Closer

I’m leaving this town
There ain’t much behind me
Except my name and those I spoke it to
With the lights all around
I leave back through the alley
Past the filth and mistakes I shouldn’t do

Oh no, with the twilight comes the night
It’s easier to do in the dark
What’s not right in the light
But I need something closer
So much closer to me

With the cars going by
My head up high hands to my side
There’s no need for a taxi
They wouldn’t know where to go
Past the whores and the trade
The drunks and the smack grenades
You can hear salvation’s whisper
Drowning death on the latest show

Oh no, with the twilight comes the night
It’s easier to do in the dark
What’s not right in the light
But I need something closer
Yeah so much closer to me

I need something closer to me
Wrap me up and take me home tonight
Sleeping eyes can’t see
I’m bruised by the things in front of me
Set me up on my knees tonight

Heres my gift from me to you

The midnight calls my name
I catch it with the AM train
To keep from going insane
So I’m leaving this town
And there’s so much behind me
With the day, a chance to redeem my name

With the twilight comes the night
It’s easier to do in the dark
What’s not right in the light
But I need something closer
So much closer to me

Moonshiner

I’ve been a moonshiner
For seventeen long years
I’ve spent all my money
On whiskey and beer
I go to some hollow
And set up my still
And if whiskey don’t kill me
I don’t know what will

I go to some bar room
And drink with my friends
Where the women can’t follow
To see what I spent
God bless them pretty women
I wish they was mine
Their breath is as sweet as
The dew on the vine

Let me eat when I’m hungry
Let me drink when I’m dry
Lend me dollars when I’m hard up
Religion when I die
Cause the whole world’s a bottle
And life is but a dram
When the bottle gets empty
It sure ain’t worth a damn

Exordium

Moonshine dances round this room
With her golden skin and silver neck
With her gypsy feet she’ll dance round this world
With Shiva hands she’ll pull it all down
And then she’ll mold you into the shape you’re in
With her lotus mind and Beatrice lip
With your pirate mouth you speak stolen words
She says to me you aim to wound but you scratch the surface
and only coughs and love
You cannot hide
The rest is tattooed on the dark
And then she’ll join the sky
Shine brighter than the stars

Moonshine dances round this room
With her golden skin and silver neck
With her gypsy feet she’ll dance round this world
With Shiva hands she’ll pull it all down
And then she’ll mold you into the shape you’re in
With her lotus mind and Beatrice lip
With your pirate mouth you speak stolen words
She says to me you aim to wound but you scratch the surface
and only coughs and love
You cannot hide
The rest is tattooed on the dark
And then she’ll join the sky
Shine brighter than the stars

Until We Meet Again

So far away yet as close as a candle
A door is to handle
A child is born
She says to me I always come to you
But it’s not just what I do
I said I will I will I will

Don’t lie to me
You lied to me
Why?
You ride with me
You ride with three
It’s I Am
I’m dying to see
I’ve died to see until we meet again

It’s hard to swim
In books littered with pages
Sleepy eyed rages
Through a blaring night sky
She kisses my lips and says
Before I speak I kiss you
But if you kiss back you must speak too
And I said I will I will I will

Don’t lie to me
You lied to me
Why?
You ride with me
You ride with three
It’s I Am
I’m dying to see
I’ve died to see until we meet again

And in her light I am awoken
There is only one shown
And I’m not alone
And in the night I’ll be the moon
And reflect his sun’s rays
Til the new day

Take heed
Take heed
To my lukewarm tan
Righteous man
A king, a king grows
a family tree equally

Don’t lie to me
You lied to me
Why?
You ride with me
You ride with three
It’s I Am
I’m dying to see
I’ve died to see until we meet again

In the light I’m awoken
There is only one shown
And I’m not alone
And in the night I’ll be the moon
And reflect his sun’s rays until the new day

Diamond Eyes

Oh diamond eyes
How I wanna see you tonight
Draped across my beating heart’s valley
So our eyes can meet again
Oh beautiful sun
How I bask in the rays of one
You dry my tears form falling
Every time our eyes meet again

How I wish to feel your hands on mine

Have your hair wrap the shades of time
Watch the morning paint across your face
As the crazy world rushes by
We’ll stand there in place

Oh angel dear
You give flight to all my fears
It’s through you grace touches my morning
Every time our eyes meet again
Ohhh my love
How I hate to say bye tonight
Every step I’ll always be thinking
Of when our eyes will meet again

How I wish to feel your hands on mine

Have your hair wrap the shades of time
Watch the morning paint across your face
As the crazy world rushes by
We’ll stand there in place

Now it’s time for me to go
There’s so much for you to know
But for now hush and don’t you worry
For our eyes they will meet again

Going to Be With You

You ask me are you going on the road again
Will we have time to spend?
Don’t you get lonely for a friend?
I said baby, I’m going to be with you
You ask me you think we’ll make ends meet
Have something good to eat
Or swallow our defeat
I said baby, I’m going to be with you
You ask me do I look ok tonight
Saying everything alright?
Should I just stay out of sight
I said baby, I’m going to be with you

And you ask me have I changed at all with time
Seen the passing of my prime
What’s in store down the line
I said baby, I’m going to be with you
And you ask me what if your dream runs out
Are you able to go about
Will you just fizzle out
I said baby, without a doubt
Because I’m going to be with you

Down the Road

Down the road
I’ve walked my share of footsteps down the road
Covered my own ground down the road
And I’ll cover so much more
Down the road

Down the road
I’ve seen the stories of many passing down the road
Heard the deafness of being lonesome in the cold
Between the snowy banks I walk
Down the road

Down the road
I’ve been warmed by the golden rays of a summer sun
Felt the love of several hundred and the heart of one
That my soul will always know
Down the road

Down the road
I’ve been stung by the sweeping hollow needles of the wind
Felt the helpless shameful guilt of being pinned
As I watched the truth unfold
Down the road

Down the road
I’ve been Drenched by the soaking rain of other’s hate
Dried by the wise words of one so great
That my mind attempts to mold
Down the road

Down the road
I tasted a sweet tongue of a devil down the road
The pain and sweat of working for my gold
And the truth with growing old
Down the road

Tears of joy
Came with my meeting of a mother and her boy
With a father whose wife’s flaws could not annoy
As my eyes flood big and bold down the road
Walk with me
Come on take my hand
Show me sights to see
Through the biggest cloud and the deepest bluest sea
With the Lord’s hand we’ll hold down the road
Shine on light
Shine in to the latest hour of the night
With your gleaming power my feet will soon take flight
As my body moves pushed and pulled
Down the road

Persistence

My heart speaks persistence
To its muse in the distance
But truth shows up
And messes hope up
Cause I know your next word will be goodbye
Under streetlights I cry

With the sun I rise
And pray when I open my eyes
It’s you asleep
Your touch warms me
But I know
Your next word will be goodbye
Under streetlights I cry

And though you resist
it’s you that I miss
With the days gone by
Comes my pain

Cold street, Chicago
Under dirt, grime and black snow
Lies a young man’s dream
Of what love can bring
Cause I know your next word will be goodbye
Under streetlights I cry

And I
And I
I love
I love
I love
I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you

Bow Down To You

There it goes again
You’ve done your best
You shine through your darkened tide
The rose across your breast
I do bow to you in this time of need
But there’s no sympathy
It’s your fighting light
I wanted to address

So I do bow to you
I bow down to you

I have walked the earth
For such a short time
But the weeds of fate
They know my legs
And Pulled off the perfect crime
I’ve fallen down in the dirt I know
But when stricken down
You turn it upside-down
From there it’s where you grow

So I bown down to you
I bow down to you
I bow down to you
I bow down to you

When you feel small
And nothing at all
And the rain seems to drench the things
You hold so deep inside
I saw the water soak
And I saw pride choke
In the dripping rain
You grew from pain
Your beauty cannot hide

So I bow down to you
I bow down to you
I bow down to you
I bow down to you

I bow down
I bow down to you
I bow down
Bow down to you
Bow down to you
I bow down
I bow down to you