LYRICS

Menu:
Tangled in a Tree
Gemini Rising In a Patchwork Sky
City Girl
Faces
Songs On Purpose

Tangled in a Tree

1. Make It Right (4:06)

 Driving down a back road. Right in front of me I saw a winters moon it was tangled in a tree.
It shone the kind of silver that you seldom see. Parked my car and got out
So that I could gaze, at this crystal ball in its soft medieval haze.
An image that I carried in my heart for days.
There were places I should go - somehow I knew
That treasuring this vision was the best thing I could do.
The old man on the sidewalk Asking for my change, cannot meet my eyes, talking kind of strange.
I empty out my pockets give him what I can.
I’ve got bills, a bank account that’s thin. But I’m in better shape than the shape he’s in.

            We’re only here a moment so it seems like shadow puppets in somebody’s dreams.
            Dance out of the darkness, dance into the light
            You only get one chance so do it right.

Love is like that silver moon, that I saw one night. Gets tangled in a tree sometimes, and mist can hide its light.
But it’s still the greatest light there’ll ever be I know it’s hard, but it’s never too late.
Take somebody’s  hand, try to communicate.   

            Make it right. . . 
          
2. Humming Lake (2:42)

 My heart is heavy, my head is sore Sometimes I think that I can’t take much more.
Life can be hard; it wears you down Like a stone it has you tethered to the ground.
But Time will heal I know  So I guess I’ll take a walk and I know just where I’ll go
To the pines where the bright sun never shines There to cool my fevered soul
And listen to the music that they make On the shores of Humming Lake.

I’ve got a friend, lives in my town. Somehow we always bring each other down 
Through our faults, the things we lack. We say  words that we’d like to take back.
But Love will win I know  So for now I’ll take a walk and I know just where I’ll go

To the pines where the bright sun never shines There to cool my fevered soul
And listen to the music that they make On the shores of Humming Lake.
We could bear a grudge, could condemn and we could judge,
Bar our windows, slam our doors Say don’t’ come round anymore.
But life’s too short for that So I guess I’ll get my coat, why don’t you grab your hat

Head to the pines . . .

3. That’s Enough For Me (3:42)

Sometimes it’s hard to be a friend in a world that’s ever changing
People come and people go when life starts rearranging.
You have done a lot for me in ways only you can
And that is why there’s something I’d like you to understand.

            If all you’ve ever done for me is be there in my misery,
            If all you’ve ever done for me is come when I call.
            If all you do is take the time
            To put your feelings on the line
            Not knowing what I’ll say, not knowing what I’ll do.
            If that is all that you will ever do.
            I’ll always call you my friend.

I have done the giving and I have done the taking.
I have had the broken heart and I have done the breaking.
I have done a lot for friends and some have done for me.
And I believe that friendship is a great responsibility.
When the days are bright and clear, and the nights are cool and fine.
If you’re not standing by my side darlin’ I won’t mind

            Cause If all you’ve ever done for me is be there in my misery . . .


4. Daddy Was A Cowboy (3:20)

On the outskirts of town in a single wide, Just mama and me And not much pride.
Whenever we’d go into town No one said “hey”- They just looked down.
But daddy was cowboy, my daddy was a cowboy they say.
I found the picture I was lookin’ for
Buried in the bottom of her underwear drawer.
Long and lean in a pickup truck cigarette in his mouth And his sleeves rolled up.

Daddy was a cowboy. My daddy was a cowboy they say.

            No one told me how he died,  It must’ve been somethin’ big.
            Maybe he died savin’ some young girl From a wild horse stampede.
            Or maybe the levee overflowed and threatened to bury the town
            Daddy lit the fuse and saved them all just before he drowned.
            I guess it might’ve been that way
                   
Cause Daddy was a cowboy. My Daddy was a cowboy they say.

In and outta trouble since I been 10.Didn’t like school- didn’t fit in.
Mama she went out late each night didn’t come back ‘til morning light.
Never knew where she’d been away. 
But daddy was a cowboy, My daddy was a cowboy they say.

I left home at just sixteen loookin’ for adventure - Chasin’ a dream.
‘long came a man in a pickup truck cigarette in his mouth and his sleeves rolled up.
I hopped in and we pulled away.

Daddy was cowboy My daddy was cowboy they say.


5. One More Last Time (3:25)

I was young, just sixteen Wet behind the ears, kinda green
How was I to know He said he loved me so?
Woke up one morning and  he was gone, Left me all alone in the cold, cruel, dawn.
I made up my mind. Won’t happen one more time.
Made me a vow on a Gideon Bible This girl here, she’s not liable
To do it again. I was through with men. It’s the last time,        I’ll ever fall in love.

Years went by and I grew older, The world it turned a little bit colder.
Lost all my pretences, Down went my defenses.
Found that I could not ignore a curly haired fella in a plaid fedora.
He was sweet. Knocked me off my feet. woke up one morning and he was gone,
Left me all alone in the cold, cruel, dawn. That is when I knew I was finally through
Made me a vow on a Gideon Bible This girl here, she’s not liable To do it again.
I was through with men. It’s the last time,      I’ll ever fall in love.

            When we’re young we can be forgiven
            For actin’ wild and free
            But Fool me once shame on you
            Fool me twice, shame on me.

Now, I’m older than old enough to know better Ain’t in the market for no letterman’s sweater.
Proved I can live without a man. And if one left me at break of day
Well I’d be tired of him anyway. Just like fish in the kitchen sink
After three days men start to stink. I don’t need no Gideon Bible 
This girl here, she’s mighty liable, To do it again. Bring on the men.

I may be rusty but I’m solid gold And a little bit of lovin’ never gets old
Give me one last time to never fall in love.
I’d like one more last time To never fall in love.

6. He Believes In Love (3:36)

He believes that bells can ring our whole lives long.
He believes in every single word of every sentimental song.
He believes that what he sees in a lover’s eyes is real
and that the things she tells him indicates just how she feels.
Something’s wrong between us      that won’t go away.
It’s not is what we do, or in what we say.
The difference that’s between us , I just can’t ignore.
he believes in love and I don’t, anymore.
He believes that tender nights filled with blazing fire
symbolize a great deal more than yearning and desire.
And I believe infatuation, is just a wind that blows
doesn’t stay forever;  simply comes and goes.
Something’s wrong between us that won’t go away.
It’s not is what we do or in what we say.
The difference that’s between us, I just can’t ignore.
he believes in love and I don’t, anymore. 
I believe that he will always be my angel
flying me to places in his misty, loving eyes.
I believe that he will always hover near my shoulder,
whispering sweet nothings in the hope I’ll realize. But
Something’s wrong between us that won’t go away.
It’s not is what we do, or in what we say.
It’s just that I believe that love is rarely worth the cost
and he believes that love can save the lost.
Something’s wrong between us that cuts     me    to the core,
he believes in love and I don’t He believes in love and I don’t.
I don’t believe in love, anymore.

 
7. Snow Angel (3:09)

We were two freckled face kids on a farm in New England.
After a storm sometimes we’d slip out to the barn
And there on a blanket of new fallen snow
Flat on our backs, on the ground we would go
waving our legs and our arms in delight.
How I remember those nights!
Make a snow angel for me, make a snow angel for me
They’ll be no snow in the place where I go
Make a snow angel for me.
Remember the night when the blizzard
just buried our town?
There were no cars on the streets and all business shut down.
Out in the parking lot at the high school,
We didn’t care if we looked cool
Just two great big kids in the snow and the ice
When I am gone it would be nice if you’d
make a snow angel for me, make a snow angel for me
They’ll be no snow in the place where I go
Make a snow angel for me.
It’s darker than death tonight out here in the desert.
The air is too still and I’m feeling especially lost.
I took your picture out once more today
I shed a tear then I put it away
I sit all alone in this foreign land                                                                 
But I know you can hear me, and I’ll bet that you can
make a snow angel for me, make a snow angel for me.
You are my sister, my friend, and my twin.
You know me best, outside and in,
We share the same hair, the same eyes, the same skin.
So after the chores you know where to go –
Out to the barn in the new-fallen snow
Just think of me as you wave to and fro
And make a snow angel for me.

8. Peace (3:39)

My hand is soft and small. My Daddy holds it close.
His eyes crinkle down, mine smile up.
And the world is rich and sweet, like cocoa made with cream
that Grandma serves me from a china cup.
And I’d like to give this memory 
to all the hollow eyed and sad children of a thoughtless world.

            And I can’t be silent ‘til the world is singing,
            dancing to rhythms that will never cease.
            I stumble in shadows searching for the sunlight.
            I will be restless ‘til I see peace.
 
My Grandpa’s smile are sweet locked in that photograph.
His uniform is clean, his face unlined.
And I’d like to meet that smile but it left him on that day
he sailed across the sea to save mankind.
And I’d like to make it into a mask
for all the hollow eyed and sad survivors of a warring world.

            And I can’t be silent . . .

The world’s in need of hope. It needs a brand new birth.
peace. Raise your voices sing - I will be restless ‘til I see peace.
Now my little well-fed child sleeps in my arms tonight.
I hope that he’ll grow up to understand that his comfort comes at quite a price.
Oh yes, they’re paying quite a price.
All the hollow-eyed and sad, children of a thoughtless world.
Turn our swords into plowshares
Hang our speasr upon the wall
Let us fight no more forever
Answer not the trumpet’s call
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I will be restless til I see peace

9. Travelin Thru (4:43)

There are songs about highways, ramblin’ boys who won’t settle down.
Gotta keep moving, there’s  a girl in every town.
And songs about lonely, watching the West bound plane,
Tryin to get home, standing in the pouring rain.
Travelin through, seems the human race is always trying
To get to a different place
Travelin through, seems that we are seldom satisified.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
Reincarnation, the lowliest of the low
find consolation in know that we’ll grow
Our destination is a higher place
We will evolve, achieve a state of grace.
Travelin through  . . .
I’ll put my mind to stayin’ and  likin’ where I am
And the life I chose, lovin’ just one man.
And puttin’ down roots instead of chasin’ dreams
Cause the grass out there ain’t always what it seems.
Travelin through ….

10. Waiting On Oblivion (3:15)

He’s a rock star. Got it all. Got the big car.
Got a mansion on a hillside.
Got his share of thrills.
Doesn’t matter. When his head starts to shatter,
he’s gotta drown the sound in alcohol and pills.
Can’t abide the chaos that he’s livin’ in.
Darkness comes along you know that he’ll be givin’ in
just to find some way to ease the strain.         
He’s waiting on oblivion.
She’s a good mom. But she’s tickin’ like a time bomb.
House is like a jailor locking up her needs.
Orders out for pizza. Downs a quart of ice cream.
Snacks her way to midnight, swallowing her dreams.
She’s feeling so confined in the life that she’s living in.          
Darkness comes along you know that she’ll be giving in
just to find some solace for the pain.
She’s waiting on oblivion.

Life is filled with such confusion It can be hard to walk in the light
Sometimes we need a little help to get us through the night.

He’s the good son. Does what needs to be done.
But inside he’s a sailor. Deep down he longs to roam.
Laces on his sneakers. Goes out to hit the pavement.
Wind in his ears makes him feel at home.
Feeling tired of the life that he’s 
He’s waiting on oblivion –  Waiting on oblivion –
Waiting on oblivion
 
11. Foolish Pleasures (4:29)

Live it can be dreary, can make you fell so dog gone weary,
Keeps you from doing the things you want to do.
Kick back at your leisure, and pour yourself a great big measure
Of a little foolish pleasure it’s good for you.
Go grocery shopping with your jammies on
roll around naked on a new mown lawn
Do some things that grownups seldom do.
Sing a coupla stanzas of a silly song
Grab a friend, drag him a long
Share some foolish pleasures with him too.
Your job can get you down, turn your smile into a great big frown,
Pays the bills, your soul it does not feed.
Kick back at your leisure and pour yourself a great big measure
Of a little foolish pleasure, it’s what you need.
Drink all day from a garden hose, put jelly beans in your cheerios.
Croon yourself an old Sinatra tune.
Laugh so hard you cannot stop,
bay at the moon from a mountaintop,
Foolish pleasures just can’t come too soon

            So you’re having a bad day?         Here’s what I say to that:
            Find your inner Mel Torme and break out in some scat

Play hopscotch with the neighbor girl, Give her hula hoop a whirl,
A little foolish pleasure’s where it’s at.
If your brain is fried, if someone hurts your pride,
Here’s the the drill, you know what to do:
Kick back at your leisure and pour yourself a great big measure
Of a little foolish pleasure, it’s good for you.
A little foolish pleasure’s good for you.

 12. Talk To Me (2:31)

There’s a young man at a café Looking tenderly down at his new iphone.
See the young girl sitting across the way hugging her Android looking so alone.
In a minute I suppose, he will send her a text message and propose.
It’s not my imagination our communication has gone to hell.
I suggest that we should talk you say  you need a  walk I should text you or email.
How hard can it be? Look me in the eyes and talk to me.
I went to visit with a family There was a daughter and a son and a mom and dad,
One was playing games on the tv One was on her mobile, two on their new ipads.
They are aware I assume That I’m standing there right with them in the same room.

            I would like to look you in the eyes and tell you some things.
            That’s the only way I’ll realize exactly what you’re feeling.

I say I would like to talk to you so that we don’t misunderstand
Each other, let a little problem Get totally out of hand You say text me or call.
Or even better post it on my facebook wall.
It’s not my imagination our communication has gone to hell.

I suggest that we should talk you say you need a walk I should text you or email.
How hard can it be?  Look me in the eyes and talk 
Look me in the eye.Look me in the eye-
If I suggest you meet me Don’t  tell me you’ll tweet me
Look me in the eye and talk to me.

 

Gemini Rising In a Patchwork Sky


Give Me Grace

Give me grace, Lord, to guide my way, give me less load to carry.
For I fear the night has conquered day and I can’t afford to tarry.
As a child, I walked this land from the dust bowl to the sea
I saw struggle all around, hardship and poverty.
Life can be a mountaintop, life can be a canyon,
Keep the Bible at your side make laughter your companion.
I grew tall and I grew strong and even in my youth
Could take the measure of a man, tell his lies from truth.
I loved and wed a maiden fair, kept her with my labor.
Fed and clothed six children, was a good friend and neighbor.
Life is bitter, life sweet, I’ve seen it give and take.
a man cannot reach four score years without his share of heartache.
I’ve outlived a wife and child, I buried them with tears,
but still I thank the Lord above for granting me these long years.
And when I wake the sun it pours a halo round my bed
And through my window I can see the wild hawk overhead.
I know not my remaining years, the good Lord keeps me guessing,
but each sunrise that I see, I count it God’s great blessing.

It’s How Deep  
I saw a bank of clouds just the other day.
They were sitting on the city dressed in shades of blue and gray
and they reminded me of a lover that I used to know.
Oh, where does the time go.
Somehow they made me cry but I can’t tell you why.
There are things that we’ve forgotten make us laugh and make us weep;
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.
Edmund married Agnes, 60 years ago.
He takes the bus to see her down to the nursing home;
she knows she likes his face but she can’t recall his name.
Oh, she loves him just the same.
‘Cause he can make her smile and she’s happy when he comes to sit with her awhile.
There are things that we’ve forgotten make us laugh and make us weep;
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.

            Christmas smells like Grandma making pies
                        and the bright September skies
            shine like mama’s eyes of blue.
                        Some call it Déjà vu:
            Those moments  caught in time
                        The sights, the sounds, the signs
            blowing wide the doorways  and the windows of our minds
There was a lovely woman during World War II.
Newly married, life was happy, life was new.
Then her lover and her friend, went out into that wind.
never to come back again.
Now her grandson’s gone to war; she shakes her head and cries
“what has it all been for?”
There are things that we’ve forgotten make us laugh and make us weep;
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.

One Horse Town—© Jim Henry (BMI)

He was leaving home on a Saturday
So the whole town gathered at the picket gate
To wave him off cause he was New York City bound
And his momma cried when he pulled away
But his Daddy smiled as if to say
You’re the last of three to get out of this one horse town.
Then the wind picked up and the rain came down
Everybody headed for the center of town
Where there was cold beer and stories at the bar
And they forgot about the pouring rain
Before too long there was music playing
And the momma and the daddy danced til the pain was gone.
Living it up in a one horse town
A peck on the check when there’s no one around.
The squeak of the door at the general store, an old man’s smile
The kids want to leave this life behind
Discover the world beyond the country line
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
Now on the summer nights when the wind won’t low
The Daddy tunes in the radio to the cities close to where the kids have gone
Jennifer’s warm in Sanat Fe, Jesse’s all clear up in Portland ME,
But Jimmy in New York City can’t see the stars.
Living it up in a one horse town
A peck on the check when there’s no one around.
The squeak of the door at the general store, an old man’s smile
The kids want to leave this life behind
Discover the world beyond the country line
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
One day the daddy got a big surprise,
When the momma held him close and looked him straight in the eye
Said “It’s a long long time since we’ve been in this house alone.
We’ve spent our lives with kids to raise 
But now tht they’re gone and one their way
It’s you and me, we’re still in love in this one horse town.
Living it up in a one horse town
A peck on the check when there’s no one around.
The squeak of the door at the general store, an old man’s smile
The kids want to leave this life behind
Discover the world beyond the country line
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.

 
Don’t Forget to Forgive Me When You Go 
Don’t forget you left your wallet on the mantle – you always do.
Don’t forget to take your meds before breakfast – that works best for you.
I left your suitcase there in the hallway, packed it neatly for you one last time.
The Laundry is real good down at the hotel, set yours out by 10 and you’ll be fine.
Don’t forget to visit Bobby’s school on Friday. He’ll be so upset if you don’t show.
Don’t forget to take your lunch I made it just the way you like it
and don’t forget to forgive me when you go.
Don’t worry about the bills that came this morning –I paid them.
Don’t worry about your doctor and your dentist appointments – I made them.
I sent your mother flowers for her birthday, like I usually do I signed your name.
You’re taking her to lunch tomorrow -- 1 o’clock, downtown at St. Germaine’s.
Don’t forget you’re coaching Molly’s team on Friday.
She’s really psyched about it, guess you know.
Don’t forget to leave work early ‘cause the traffic’s really somethin’
and don’t forget to forgive me when you go.
Some say true love never dies, it just goes to sleep
But who can say why a stranger’s touch 
Can feel so good and hurt so deep.
Don’t forget I’ve always loved you, don’t forget that even though
You can’t forget the things I’ve done,
Don’t forget to forgive me when you go.
                                                  
Battles
How many battles can I fight? What kind of fighter lives me?
Should I take on each cause like some Scarecrow lost in Oz, or just let it be?
Is it worth the storm and strife, all the turmoil in my life
to face that evil stare of someone who doesn’t care where he sticks the knife?
You all know some guy at work, he really is a louse,
but he’s got the corner office, lives in a great big house.
And he’s cookin’ all the books, company never takes a loss.
And he rubs his greed hands, smiles his oily smile
and sucks up to the boss.
But how many battles can you fight, what difference would it make
to shoot one single rat swimming in a golden vat
when there are more out in the lake?
And I loved Jimmy Stewart in that movie Mr. Smith.
He fought the righteous fight, a sweet Hollywood myth,.
But if he tried today, and the thought it makes me shiver,
to be honest and be brave, he’d find a watery grave
in the Potomac River.

What kinds of battles should I fight?
Would it be a sin, if I put my mind to battles of the kind I think I just might win?
I know this PhD, he thinks he’s so much better
than everybody else since he got that extra letter.
But if he had 27 letters behind his name
he could pontificate, up and down, early and late –
and he’s be wrong just the same.
But how many battles can I fight? Guess I’ll fight the ones that matter.
Why should I spend my time on some ball of slime
that’s climbing up the ladder.
I guess I do more for the poor than just put money in a cup.
I’ll find the sick and lonely and I’ll try to cheer em up.
I’ll volunteer my time, teach a poor child how to read,
and do the things I can in the place where I am 
for those who are in need.
How many battles can I fight?  What can of fighter lives in me.
I guess I’ll pick and choose some I’ll win and some I’ll lose – some I’ll just let be.

Blue Dress with a White Collar

She wore a blue dress with a white collar.
It brought out the darkness of her eyes.
Young and sweet and eager – trying hard to please.
She forgot it was to be a surprise.
Soon to be married, they went driving into town.
She said “There’s an errand I must run.”
He said, “Sure, no problem. I’ll just sit and read the paper,
and I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”
She caught her reflection in the drugstore window,
paused a moment, checked her lipstick for smears.
Then posed for the camera, lips parted
smiling shyly. A gift for her lover through the years.
She opened up the car door, sidled over, squeezed his arm,
her deed still dancing in her eyes.
Then, without thinking, she just blurted out her story,
she forgot it was to be a surprise.
When champagne’s uncorked, the bubbles just start rising.
How could she suppress a thing so grand?
She blushed when she remembered it was meant to be a secret
until she held that photo in her hand.
60 years later he recalls it all with laughter,
trying hard to blink back the tears.
An empty chair, a presence gone,
all that’s left is a photograph –
a gift for her lover through the years.
She wore a blue dress with a white collar.
It brought out the darkness of her eyes.

 The Boy He Used to Be

Cheeks like apples; a great big laugh, a wholesome, happy lad.
They dressed him up, gave him a gun, sent him out to face a world gone mad.
Did what he was told to do, then quietly came home.
Left behind a shattered youth  in the trenches of Toluon.
Oh he did not speak about it ; he could not let them see
that he would never  be the same – the boy he used to be.
As a child when kids were cruel, he would not fight them after school.
He would turn the other cheek - believed that golden rule.
When death was his companion it tore him up inside--
The grim and ugly deeds of war he did just to survive.
Oh he did not speak about it and he could not let them see
that he would never  be the same,  the  boy he used to be.
 Went to church,  knelt to pray, read his Bible faithfully each day.
Raised a family, worked a job, seemed to get along ok.
Somewhere through the years, his prayers ran out of breath
 And this godly man slowly drank himself to death.
Oh he did not speak about it and he could not let them see
that he would never  be the same,  the  boy he used to be.

Run 

In the deep African plain, starved for food and peace and rain
lives a race of women, gaunt and hollow eyed.
Frail of body, strong of spirit, death knell rings
they will not hear it, will not hear it, will not break down and die,
hear their battle cry.

            Run my beauties, run my lovelies, run my sisters, mothers, wives.
            Run for the chance to save your children.
            Run my daughters. Run for your lives.

Beneath the unforgiving sun a woman’s life has come undone.
She does not own her body but she owns her soul.
Mother Earth rise up from slumber, listen to her, 
hear her thunder, hear her thunder.
You cannot ignore what she’s running for.

            Run my beauties, run my lovelies, 
            run my sisters, mothers, wives.
            Run for the chance to save your children.
            Run my daughters. Run for your lives.

Man steps up and says he wants to run, to help, can he come too?
Woman simply smiles, shakes her head no. 
Women all alone together must be like birds of a feather.
They must show the world that they are strong. But he can sing along.

Run run, … In the deep African plain, starved for food and rain and peace.

 
On A Country’s Winter Night

The flower of your love is fading, but at times it still seems clear.
It was exhilarating in the short time it was here.
You were the sunshine splashing in a pool around my feet.
You sent my hopes all dashing but the ride it was so sweet.
And when it’s time to go I’ll go
wearing that coat you gave me.
And I’ll walk away, colder than gray,
on a country’s winter night.
I’ll walk away, colder than gray
on a country’s winter night.
Memories are hinges, some are rusty, some are clean;
some squeak and give you twinges, you know the ones I mean.
You were the brightness held me like the eyes of a frightened deer.
The memory of you shall be in my heart from year to year …
And when it’ time . . .

Live and let live’s the story that you whispered in the night.
There is your sparkling glory you filled my mind with light.
You were the warming laughter melted my world weary soul;
echoing ever after, it’s a force I can’t control.
And when it’s time  . . .
Yes. I’ll walk away, I’ll walk away, I will walk away
on a country’s winter night.
Colder than gray.

Gemini Rising

Gemini Rising in a patchwork sky
I don’t know why we tend to pin our hopes on what we read in horoscopes.
Gemini Rising in a patchwork sky.
I don’t know why we seek our validation in a constellation.
I guess we long to know where we’ve come from where we’ll go
And find a little piece of who we are, buried in a star.
I know who I am – I’m a Gemini rising.
Gemini rising in a patchwork sky.
I don’t know why they say that there’s a part of me in the planet Mercury.
Stitched in the fabric of a deep blue eye.
I don’t know why the difference in my attitude depends upon the latitude.
They say that I relate, constantly communicate.
I’m curious, I’m quirky, and I’m smart – I like that part.
I guess that’s what I am – I’m a Gemini rising.

            Talkative, precocious, inconstant as the moon.
            They say that I sometimes give up too soon,
            Because I’m born a twin my yang struggles with my yin.
            I hear that it is common in my sign
            To flit between the human and divine.
          
Gemini rising in a patchwork sky.
They say that’s why our characters on earth are predestined at our birth.
On the horizon of a big blue night.
I guess that’s why I bloomed a bit too late, sometimes can’t concentrate.
I guess it’s good to know that this constant ebb and flow –
Our faults, our foibles, all the things we lack, are simply Zodiac.
I guess I’m glad that I’m a Gemini rising.
Gemini rising in a Patchwork sky. I guess that’s why.

Heaven Can’t Help You

The sea is a demon, it will swallow you whole,
it will take possession of your heart and soul –
lead you places that you can’t control where heaven can’t help you.
It will be your lover it will be your friend
it will be the means to your mortal end.
Winds may freshen and blow again but heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you, heaven can’t help you, heaven can’t help you now.
The mountain is a demon. In its dark confines
The dreary tombs of the worn out mines
where human kindness rarely shines and heaven can’t help you.
You dig and scrape the livelong day, then toss and turn the night away.
You’ll find peace come the judgment day
but heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help  you …
The field is a demon, ‘cause it seems so kind
when the sweet rain falls and the river winds.
But when the fruit withers on the vine, heaven can’t help you.
When the cottonwood cries and the dust blows free
and the corn’s not as tall as it should be
and the sun beats down relentlessly,
heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you …
The city is a demon made of mortar and steel
and it don’t give a damn what a woman feels.
You scrub its floors and you cook its meals and heaven can’t help you.
You feed the kids and you pay the rent,
before it’s made your money’s spent.
You’re looking for something that’s heaven sent
but heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you …
Oh the working woman and the working man,
just get by the best they can.
It’s a long, slow walk to the Promised Land where heaven can help them.
They do the work that most would spurn, jobs that make this old world turn.
There’s a lesson here we all should learn
or heaven help us, heaven help us, heaven help us now.

CITY GIRL


City Girl

Up with the frost and out to the barn.
Sweet soft nicker is the day’s alarm
Time to saddle up and hit the trail.
Hey little maverick, back in the herd.
But she knows how he feels:
wants to see what’s our there in that big wide world.
Knows every word to every country song
But still it’s where she don’t belong.
Sure as the sun sinks in the West,
sure as the red dust swirls.
Deep in her heart she knows she’s a city girl.
Tractor drones in the noonday sun.
Hours to go before she’s done.
She’d like a break but it don’t look like rain.
Dreams of a man in a clean, white shirt,
away from all the heat and dirt
where a women don’t grow old before her time.
Loves the smell of the new mown hay
but figures she’ll be on her way
Sure as the sun sinks in the West, sure as the red dust swirls,
deep in her heart she knows she’s a city girl.
She’s a city girl, in a country world
where the wind blows wild and free and
the stars shine bright above.
She’ll rest tonight from the life she’ll leave
in the arms of the land she loves.
She’s leaving in the morning on a big jet plane –
just why, she can’t explain.
Her future’s out there waiting;
she has a destiny.
Cries at the sight of a newborn foal
but stills she knows she has to go.
Sure as the sun sinks in the West, sure as the red dust swirls,
deep in her heart she knows she’s a city girl.
She’s a city girl in a country world.

Listen to It Snow

Some folks lose their hearing as they age.
Some have never heard too well at all.
Me – I hear a pin drop from twenty yards away
and I can hear that fly light upon the wall.
So if I don’t hear you, maybe it’s because I don’t want to.
I don’t hear your criticism, your negativity.
I don’t hear the list of things you want me to be.
I don’t hear your definitions of what’s right and wrong,
I don’t hear you analyze The lyrics to my song.
I just sit here by my window in the fire’s glow
And I listen to it snow. I listen to it snow
I don’t hear the angry snarl of that traffic in the night.
I don’t hear the road rage quarrels. Don’t hear people fight.
I don’t hear the bombs crash on the distant foreign shore.
Any kind of anger. I don’t hear it anymore.
I just sit here by my window in the fire’s glow
And I listen to it snow. I listen to it snow
Snowflakes are like people. No two are alike
And there are those who’ll tell me they don’t make a sound
When they fall. I think they’re wrong.
If you put away your anger. If you brush away your fears,
If you listen with your heart and not your ears.
You’ll find every tiny crystal has a little tiny voice
And it makes a little, tiny sound when it falls on the ground.
I don’t hear the hypocrites as they change their minds again.
I don’t hear the fiery preacher telling me the world will end.
I don’t hear the pleas of heaven, I don’t hear the rage of hell,
I don’t hear my future beckon, at least not very well.
I just sit here by my window in the fire’s glow
And I listen to it snow. I listen to it snow
So don’t go one step further, don’t you walk out that door.
Unbutton that resentment, drop it right there on the floor
And walk back here to me.
I’ll teach you how to hear a snowflake symphony.
Come and sit here by my window in the fire’s glow
And we’ll listen to it snow.We’ll listen to it snow.
Can’t you hear it snow?

Time After Time

Time after time, I know I told you just how it feels to be caught in the rain in a ghostly old ramshackle barn that smells of wet hay. Time after time.
Time after time, I know you’ve listened to all of my stories of gold winter wheat.
Chewing on grass roots and thinking they taste very sweet. Time after time.
Patience my dear if what I remember seems old to your ear. It’s just that September speaks to me somehow, the long, long ago is blending like water and wine with the here and the now.Time after time, holding on tight as the past it unwinds into the soft, silver twilight
of my memories, how you please me.
Time after time.Time after time, you’ve seen me crying looking out to the West at a sun that lying in colors beautifully rare, like the rose-golden face of a child kneeling in prayer.
Patience my dear if what I remember seems old to your ear. It’s just that September speaks to me somehow, the long, long ago is blending like water and wine with the here and the now.
Time after time, I know you worry at how I must feel to be caught in the hurry and bustle of these city days. The clatter of pavement, the rustle of grey scattered ways.
Time after time.
Come to the doorway and look at the rainbow
that comes to the city as well as the farm.
I’m here on your arm and glad you are mine.
Time after time. 
I’m so glad you’re mine, time after time. 

Forbidden Fruit

You’ve all heard this story, since you were two or three,
of Eve and Adam and the fruit of their favorite tree.
Well, Eve discovered new taste sensation and passed it on down to civilization:
Forbidden fruit, that’s what we call it now.
Forbidden fruit. Just one taste, ooh what a waste. 
Something in the corner I happen to see and it says, 
“hands off” well that’s for me.
I think about it every day and night.
Think I’ll die if I can’t have a bite of that
Forbidden fruit, that’s what we call it now.
Forbidden fruit. Just one taste, ooh what a waste.
We love it anyway you chop, shred or dice it. 
Take it any way you happen to slice it
You can serve it hot or you can ice it. Forbidden fruit.
Something on the shelf catches my eye and it looks so good as I pass by.
Devil on my shoulder says “Go, go, go.” 
Angel on my shoulder says, “No, no , no
Cause that’s forbidden fruit. Don’t you touch it now.
Forbidden fruit.
Just one taste, ooh what waste.
Eve was a good girl all her life. Never did nothin’ wrong.
Was a good little mother, was a good little wife.
Kept the garden lovely, always got along;
Along come a snake in the grass, winked his eye and he made a pass.
Eve was a girl who could be tempted, too bad it wasn’t tax exempted.
Forbidden fruit, she’s in trouble now. Forbidden fruit.
Just one taste, ooh what a waste.
We love it anyway you chop, shred or dice it. 
Take it any way you happen to slice it
You can serve it hot or you can ice it. Forbidden fruit.
Well, that same snake’s still around today
and every once in awhile he looks my way.
Devil on my shoulder says “Go, go, go.” 
Angel on my shoulder says, “No, no , no
Cause that’s forbidden fruit. Don’t you touch it now. 
Forbidden fruit.
Just one taste, ooh what waste.
Just one taste, ooh what waste. 
Just one taste, ooh what waste.
Just one bite?
Hiss.

He Deserves the Hat

I saw a cowby hat today on a celebrity.
She was looking cute and perky on the front of her CD
And I wondered if she’d ever fixed a fence out in the rain
Or kept a heifer company through her birthin’ pain.
Cause folks, if she ain’t done that
She don’t deserve the hat.
A banker in a cowboy bar in NYC. In his Stetson and his bolo tie
Was as cute as he could be,
And I wondered if he’d ever spent twelve hours at a time
Eatin’ trail dust, swattin’ flies, covered in grime.
Cause folks, if he ain’t done that, he don’t deserve the hat.
A cowboy hat’s the symbol of the ones who tamed the West.
It sheltered them from wind and sun and snow
and made a handy pillow when it cam time to rest.
He wore it for utility and not for show.
Now my daddy is a cowboy who’s paid his dues.
He has earned his spurs, his belt buckle, his jeans of blue.
With his barbed-wire scarred hands, his perpetual tan
and eyes that stay squinted when the sun has gone to bed,
Somehow I know he’s earned the hat he wears on his head.
I don’t know much, but I know that he deserves the hat.
Now cowboy gear is all the rage today, I realize.
For most folks it’s simply just how they accessorize.
I don’t mind that. Go out and have your fun.
But someday when you’re all alone and the partying is done
Take off that hat, put it over your heart, look up the heavens and say,
“I don’t know much but I know that I don’t deserve the hat.”
Now my daddy is a cowboy who’s paid his dues.
He has earned his spurs, his belt buckle, he jeans of blue.
With his barb-wire scarred hands, his perpetual tan
And eyes that stay squinted when the sun has gone to bed,
Somehow I know he’s earned the hat he wears on his head.
I don’t know much but I know that he deserves the hat.
I don’t know much, but I know that.

His Face (Psyche’s Lament) 

He came to me just like the wind on the night that we were wed
and wrapped his love like a soft cocoon around our marriage bed.
He left before the rosy brush of dawn could paint the sky
saying, “Mark my words my own true love, and do not ask me why.
“I will pour my songs of love so gently in your ear.
My scent it will caress your skin as you walk the day my dear.
And you may touch, and you may taste,
but you may never, ever see my face.”
For many months our hearts were one, our souls like limbs entwined,
our passion brighter than the sun, and older than mankind.
Before the day came knocking on our shutters as we slept,
he whispered to me softly as from my arms he crept.
“I will pour my songs of love so gently in your ear.
My scent it will caress your skin as you walk the day my dear.
And you may touch, and you may taste,
but you may never, ever see my face.”
*But nagging doubt as old as sin it would not let me be.
What kind of monster is this man that he won’t let me see?
I bought a lamp, filled it with oil, the flame it lit the room,
and I gazed upon the sleeping face of my beloved groom.
His form so noble and so rare. I turned my head and cried
to think that such an angel had lain there by my side.
Stabbed by guilt and flushed with shame, I quickly turned away,
but truth will out, and one small drop of oil did me betray.
With a cry of sharp alarm he wakened with a start
and in his eyes I saw the wound it reached down to his heart.
And there before my faithless eyes I watched him disappear
and what he’d said came back to me, “Please mark these words, my dear:
“I will pour my songs of love so gently in your ear.
My scent it will caress your skin as you walk the day my dear.
And you may touch, and you may taste,
but you may never, ever see my face.”
I sit here in this cold, dark wood, to my sad fate resigned.
What had brought me only bliss no longer would be mine.
For it was not enough for me that I could touch and taste,
No, I could not be content ‘til I had seen his face.

The Right Road

I met him on the beach on a summer vacation
– long time ago.
The kind of guy that makes every daddy nervous, makes all the girls say “Oh.”
Had a little edge, little body heat,
Kind of frightening, but kind of sweet
And he held my hand and looked my way and said,
“Don’t be scared of me, ‘cause

I’m lookin’ for the right road.
I’m searchin’ for the right way to go.
People like me have a hard time findin’ the right road.
Daddy is a junky – needs to score. Lives from hit to hit.
Mama doesn’t know what the daytime’s for,
she’s dying bit by bit.
Got a little girl, four years old, I see from time to time.
Says daddy won’t you buy us a house, I said, “Honey,
I got one in mind. It’s there on the right road.
I’m lookin’ for the right road.
I’m searchin’ for the right way to go.
People like me have a hard time findin’ the right road
Averil is my best friend. Likes to steal.
Set up a convenience store.
Said he’d cut me in on the deal.
Said I don’t need that stuff no more.
Got me a job, pushin’ broom down at local school.
It don’t pay much and it ain’t too fun; it sure ain’t cool,
But it’s there on the right road
.Looked at me with those sexy eyes
and sized me up with a glance.
Nice girl like you should be wearin’ a flower and down at some high school dance.
Instead you’re sittin’ here by me and it makes me wanna cry.
I feel five years older and innocent like maybe I could fly down that right road
People like me have a hard time findin’ the right road
Held me in his arms and kissed me once.
Made my virtue wince.
Hadn’t been kissed like that before. Maybe not since.
Said when you grow up you’re gonna
make some man a pretty happy guy
And I hope someone like you is there for me
On the right road.
I’m lookin’ for the right road
. I’m searchin’ for the right way to go.
People like me have a hard time findin’ the right road
Some people just have a hard time findin’ that right road.

If It Mattered To Me 

I guess that I could if so inclined
pick up the pieces of my piece of mind
and sweep up the crumbs that you left behind
if it mattered to me.
And I guess if I tried maybe I could
understand what was misunderstood
and sort out the bad that came from the good
if it mattered to me,
And I won, yes, I won, yes I won, yes I wonder
what matters to you now that we’re through
what’s your priority now that your free?
Does it matter to you that you matter to me?
And I guess that I could give it a try
and look my yesterday straight in the eye
to discover why nothing hurts more than a lie
if I mattered to me.
And I guess that I will eventually
spend hours and hours in therapy
to discover why you and I weren’t meant to be
if it mattered to me.
And I won . . . . 
Does it matter to you that you matter to me?
And I guess that I could find some other guy
lean on his shoulder and cry in his tie
and kiss all the pain adios and goodbye
if it mattered to me.
And I guess that I could binge out on desert
roam around town and learn how to flirt
in high heeled shoes and a short leather skirt.
If it mattered to me
Oh what is the matter with me that it matters so much
and my heart is in tatters at the thought of your touch
and my whole world it shatters when matters as such as this matter to me.
And I won . . .
Does it matter to you that you matter to me?
Does it matter to you that you still matter to me?

Lover's Hell

Darby was a great big man, his heart was like a child’s
He loved a lass, she was scornful,
she was wanton, she was wild.
She squeezed him like a serpent on a vine,
she crushed his soul, but he loved her so
And he could never, ever let her go.
There will always be a sun to rule the day. 
There will always be a moon to walk the night.
There’ll be lots of things we’re sure of – death and taxes
And the lure of power and might –
And there will always be a place in lover’s hell for those that love not wisely but too well.
Lila was a matron born to high society 
And she loved a charming scoundrel
from the wrong side of town.
He drank away her fortune, her friends
said he’ll bring you down
But she loved him so and she could never, ever let him go.
Every heart that’s bled, lovers everywhere know it’s true,
You can’t tell a heart where to love or what to do,
Or what to do.
Johnny had six children. He raised them on his own.
His wife had died when they were small
and left him all alone.
He did all he could for them, much more than
what was good for them
And when he died not even one
came round to watch him go.
Until the day he died he loved them all with all his heart;
but you know it wasn’t wise, and it may not have been smart
to love them so, because he could never, ever tell them no.
There will always be a sun to rule the day.
There will always be a moon to walk the night.
There’ll be lots of things we’re sure of – death and taxes
And the lure of power and might –
And there will always be a place in lover’s hell for those that love not wisely but too well. 

Whichever Way The Wind Blows 

Whichever way the wind blows
you can be certain that he goes.
Never makes up his mind he’s not the thinkin’ kind
goes wherever the wind blows.
She was a cute, little flower. She had a sweet scented power
and wherever she went yeah he followed her scent to some rose-covered bower.
But the flower must have wilted or else the fellow got jilted
and now my baby’s back and starting to unpack
I don’t know what to do.
‘Cause wherever the wind blows . . .
She was a hard-headed dame. Business card with her name.
With her no-nonsense face and her leather brief case
she took deadly aim. Ah, that was a fine mess.
She really gave him the business.
And now my baby’s back and starting to unpack
I don’t know what to do.
‘Cause wherever the wind blows . . .
She was a delicate lily – a fine and high-steppin’ filly
so he rented a tux, did it up real deluxe, 
yeah he knocked himself silly.
But that affair didn’t last. I guess the track was too fast
and now my baby’s back and starting to unpack
I don’t know what to do.
‘Cause wherever the wind blows . . . 
Well I woke up one morning, didn’t give any warning.
I took a new tack and I started to pack cause I knew what to do.
If some guy tries to take ya, ain’t no way he can make ya,
so I sold all the stocks and I changed all the locks
now I’m off to Jamaica.
‘Cause wherever the wind blows . . . 
Yeah wherever the wind blows, yeah wherever the wind blows.

Somewhere West

Touched down at the airport, never dreamed I’d come so far.
Cruised the Snake River in my new, rented car.
It’s been so long since I have seen the town and the valley 
Where I’m always seventeen.
And I don’t know who I’ll see and I don’t know what I’ll say.
Seems so strange to go, but it’d be much worse to stay.
Rekindling the fires of yesterday’s desires.
Goin’ home. Somewhere west of Boise, Idaho.
Guess I’d forgotten how big these highways are.
Crowded New England seems so very far
and I’m stuck here in between
The life that I’m living and my life at seventeen.
All of my thoughts then, all of my dreams
Live among your mountaintops and float along your streams.
It’s all so evergreen, the lessons that I learned when I was only seventeen.
And I don’t know who I’ll see and I don’t know what I’ll say.
Seems so strange to go, but it’d be much worse to stay.
Rekindling the fires of yesterday’s desires.
Goin’ home. Somewhere west of Boise, Idaho 
They’re calling it a city now. Maybe it’s grown.
But in my mind it always is the town that I have known.
Still, all things must change.
That’s why I feel somewhat familiar
but still feel a little strange.
I’m remembering the faces now
and scan the ones who came.
Despite the passing of the years,
somehow we’re still the same,
I think they’ll know just what I mean
When I say that when we meet we are forever seventeen.
And I don’t know who I’ll see and I don’t know what I’ll say.
Seems so strange to go, but it’d be much worse to stay.
Rekindling the fires of yesterday’s desires.
Goin’ home. Somewhere west of Boise,
somewhere west of Boise, somewhere west of Boise, Idaho.

Bugs for Breakfast

Bugs for breakfast in my scramble eggs, I like bugs for breakfast in my coffee dregs.
People as me how I stay so lean and mean.
I start every morning with arthropodan cuisine cause that means bugs.
Bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs.
Nothing like eggs benedict laced with lady bugs. Nothing like an omelet stirred up with slurpy, slimy slugs. I heard about some movie that called Mosquito Coast
well I done them one better. I made mosquito toast.
Yeah I like Bugs for Breakfast . . .
People say how can you eat those creepy, crawly things.
Sometimes they don’t creep and crawl.
Sometimes they got wings
I hear you like to put a little honey on your bread I simply skip the middle man eat the honey bee instead cause I like bugs. Bugs, bugs, bugs, I like bugs.
Did you know that insects are an aphrodisiac?
Buy your love a spider pie and you’ll get something back.
Yeah, drive your honey buggy and he’ll get all cute and huggy
and you just might end up his second snack.
Bugs for breakfast . . .
Now the next time your down in Kallispell Montana ,I want you to go 16 and 1⁄2 miles directly southwest
until you come to the Bug Stop Diner.
Now I want you to go into the Bug Stop Diner
and I want ou to ask for Marla,
Now Marla she’s the one with the
cute little antennae and 8 legs.
Oh, yeah, they’re real.
No Marla she’s gonna say, “Now honey, would you like a little bit of beetle juice syrup on those red ant pancakes, and you’re gonna say, Oh yeah Marla.
And Marla’s gonaa say, “Now honey, would you like some freshly ground caterpillar on that dragon fly hash, “ and you’re gonna say, “Oh yeah, Marla.”
The cockroach timable’s gonna make you say “By golly!” and the grasshoppe bread’s gonna make you gyratre. The deep-fried larvae fritters well they’re so finger lickin’ you’re gonna tell me the taste just like chicken and
you’re gonna wanna lick your plate.
Now they’re so full of protein Dr. Atkins would approve. Try a handful raw – they’ll really make you move. Shoppin’ for ems easy cause they’re right beneath your feet,
a dust pan and a broom gives you a tasty treat. And even more important, at leas it is for me they’re easy on the budget cause they’re absolutely free.
Bugs for breakfast in my scrambled eggs, I like bugs for breakfas in my coffee dregs.
Before you put me down, take a look at you:
that lobster that you’re eatin’ – that’s an insect too.
You like bugs.Bugs, bugs, bugs, you like bugs.
Take it Bing: Boo, boo, boo boo, Yeah!

New Hampshire Valley Girl

When it’s hot outside I like to hop into my little car
turn the AC up full blast, down the steaming asphalt fly
to the food court at the mall, eat sizzling fajitas and hot coffee
not noticing it’s hot outside at all.
That’s the vision from my hill, bending nature to my, bending nature to my will.
When it’s cold I should stay put
like nature’s wisest creatures do
but I know that the big, strong truck
will push the ice and snow away
so I can go to some small, chic café, sip my iced espresso, nibble on biscotti
until winter goes away.
That’s the vision from my hill, bending nature to my will, bending nature to my will.
Yes, I like my fruits and veggies,
especially when they’re free from flaws,
uniform in size and color through the use of chemicals.
Lawns should all be carpet like even where it never rains
and we should have Scots 4-step plan
in our groundwater and drains.
That’s the vision from my hill, bending nature to my will, bending nature to my will.
People were not meant to fly or we
would have been born with wings
but still I like to cross the ocean and
have croissant on the Seine
and buy a lot of duty free and fly right home again.
Mangoes and Papayas are not native to New England,
neither is Guava fruit, but I like it anyway
and grapes from Chile in December,
strawberries from California in May.
That’s the vision from my hill, bending nature to my will, bending nature to my will.
When I was a young girl I desired big, 
fat hair that I did not have
so I gave myself a headache half the size of Cleveland
sleeping in those great, big, pink sponge rollers over night.
Now that I am older if I see a line or furrow I do not like
can simply Botox it away, and
spend a minor fortune that could
feed a family of four in China for three weeks
and take a bath in Oil of Olay.
That’s the vision from my hill, bending nature to my will, bending nature to my will.
But of course I know that youth
won’t last despite what Cher and Suzanne Sommers
tell me in their infomercials on late night TV and I know I should leave this earth in used by good condition as a legacy.
But what can one small person do?
I know what—I’ll leave it up to you.
Bending nature has a risk, but it’s one that I will take.
When you bend a thing too much,
there’s a chance that it will break.
But that’s a risk that I will take,
And that’s the vision from my hill. 



Faces 


Beginnings 
Beginnings are hard for me you know --like finding strange footprints in the snow and never knowing exactly where they'll lead.
Beginnings are difficult you see.Like being the first to say "I love you" or like writing the first line of a letter that you're not sure you will even send.
Beginnings. First one foot must go down and then the other.
First thing you know you're walking then you're running and the wind is in your hair.
At last you're there.
Beginnings are necessary things but even so--beginnings are hard for me.
Just wanted you to know.

Rose Without Rain
In summer's golden fire, beginnings of desire.
Love is special, sweet and fine, tastes like sand and sea and wine
But love's misunderstanding can make it cool. A heart that's too demanding soon plays the fool.
I've heard the poet say, nothing gold can stay. Like a rose without rain, a love without pain can never grow, and I should know, because I've danced to the rhythm of the rain, and sung with a chorus of raindrops on my windowpane. 
In springtime's fiery hiss, a tender moment's kiss. Love is sunny, bright and breezy, life is cool and crisp and easy. But a pedestal gets broken, a knife can turn, a hasty word is spoken, too late we learn.
In winter's icy breath, love dies a frozen death unless the heart remembers all the warmth of love's Septembers.
A day in any season still ends in night.
Two wrongs for any reason can't make a right. 
My love's a little stronger, it can last a little longer, like rose without rain a love without pain can never grow and a lazy love gets buried in the snow. 

Colder Than Snow
Colder than, colder than snow. She has an ice cube where hearts usually grow.
Colder than snow as it drifts into walls that defend her, she buries her feelings I know. Love is asleep in the bright, shiny crystals of snow.
Colder than, colder than steel, he's crunching numbers where most people feel.
Colder than steel as it gleams in the dark city moonlight, strong to absorb all the strain.Building defenses to shelter the pain.
It takes a warm heart, a warm soul to know,
that there are things that the cold ones can't show,
hiding in caverns of ice 'til their smiles turn brittle and crack at the slightest touch.
It takes a warm heart, a warm soul to see, that some snow people just long to be free.They long to bask in the rays of our warmth and compassion and know that someone understands.
'Til like a snowflake they melt in our hands.
Colder than snow.
Colder than snow.

Cool Water
Was a time I thought that love was a fire burning out of control.
Fueled with pain and stoked with desire to incinerate my soul. 
So when I went looking for love I only knew one kind.
I went a searching for the fever, didn't dream that I might find cool water,
washing over me, cool, cool water washing over me.
Was a time I thought that love was a flame, a burning, searing dart.
Cupid poised to take his aim and to torch the tender heart.
So when I went looking for love I only knew one kind. 
I went a searching for the fever, didn't dream that I might find cool water,
washing over me, cool, cool water washing over me.
I remember when I saw it first, that sweet look in your eyes.
Liquid love that quenched my thirst.
It took me by surprise. While I'd be looking for love it crept up from behind.
Here I thought it was a fever, How could I have been so blind?
You are cool, cool water, Washing over me. Cool, cool water and you're washing over me 

Faces
Faces that I have seen somewhere still haunt me;
they bear the traces of and lines indicate where they've been.
I have seen faces that show they've been tossed about, bitten 

and scarred by the wind.
So why be hard? You've had it easy. You bear no scars. Why should it hurt just to please me?
I want to see a love with no boundaries between you and me so that we don't end up like the Faces. Faces so bitter and cold stir my memory,
they turned their backs on friendship and just walked away.
I have seen faces so tensed up and tightened,
they don't hear a word that I say. 
So why be cruel it's so detrimental. Don't be a fool. 
Who could it hurt to be gentle?
I want to see a love with no boundaries between you and me
so that we don't end up like the faces.
Faces that I have seen somewhere are smiling and laughing away their trouble, their grief, and their care.
I have seen faces so loving and open, always willing to share.
So why can't I teach you to trust me?
Faces that lie will never find truth or beauty.
If there can be a love with no boundaries between you and me,
maybe we can decide our own faces.

Giovanni's Song
Second hand clothes, from the bins. That's where the second hand love begins,
a little bit worn and a little bit thin.
But second hand clothes are necessary to keep me alive just one more day,
and all I can say is second hand love is okay.
Second hand food, from the bins. That's where the second hand love begins.
I'll never grow fat, I will always stay thin.
But second hand food is necessary to keep me alive just one more day
and all I can say is second hand food is okay.
Life is a mirror of justice.
Look in the glass, can we see our faces?
Life is a mirror of justice, reflecting on us.
Second hand clothes you don't need anymore.
Second hand clothes somebody's already wore.
You give them to me and I take them because they're free.
Second hand food, left over stuff you give away because you have enough.
You give it to me and I take it because it's free.
But the only thing I ever wanted, the only thing I've never had enough of, 
the only thing I've ever wanted is first hand love.
And all that I get is a hand out, all that I get is your second hand love
all that I get is a handout of love.
Second hand clothes, from the bins, that's where the second hand love begins.
A little bit worn and a little bit thin-- second hand love. 


He's Got Something
I don't know what he's got but he's got something and it's got me.
It could be his smile that thrills me so, it could be his eyes that make me glow.
It could be his cute, little dimpled knees or it could be his personality.
I don't know what he's got but he's got something and it's got me.
He's not gonna set the world on fire, he's not gonna break many hearts.
But he's got things every girl desires, no batteries needed and moving parts.
I don't know what he's got but he's got something and it's got me.
He's not gonna stop any traffic when he's walking down the street.
I have a hunch, he's out to lunch, but he's really very sweet.
I don't know what he's got but he's got something and it's got me.
He's not gonna win any contests and he's not much on the beach.
Day after day doesn't have much to say but he's really such a peach.
I don't know what he's got but he's got something and it's got me.
He doesn't have much money, doesn't drive no fancy car,
and it would seem that he's nobody's dream but he's still my shining star.
I don't know what he's got but he's got something and it's got me.
If he had something grand, I'm sure that I'd spot it.
Maybe I knew once and simply forgot it. But every guy on earth should find out where he got it, 'cause I don't know what he's got, but he's got something and it's got me. All that I know is I love him so, so like it or not, there's one thing he's got. He's got me. 

I'm In Love
You may not have two thoughts to rub together. You may not have the sense to come in from the weather.
You may think that cheese is what the moon is made up of,

 but if you can fix my car I'm in love
. If you can fix my car, I'm in love, we don't need the stars and moon above.
You're the man I want around when my sparkplugs let me down, if you can fix my car, I'm in love.
You may not have the looks of Patrick Swayze, the girls in town may not sigh, swoon or go crazy.
You may have a face only your mom could be fond of, 

but if you can fix my car I'm in love.
If you can fix my car, I'm in love, we don't need the stars and moon above
You'll win my devotion if you keep my wheels in motion, 

if you can fix my car, I'm in love.
You my have the shape of Roseanne's hubby, and even your ears might be looking kind of chubby.
You may be a wimp when push comes round to shove 

but if you can fix my car, I'm in love.
If you can fix my car, I'm in love, we don't need the stars and moon above.
You'll win my affection if you mend my fuel injection,

 if you can fix my car, I'm in love.
I get so excited when my engine is ignited. 

You know I'll see you later if you tune my carburetor.
You'll be my loving man if you clean my oil pan.

 Can you rotate a tire, well it sets my heart on fire.
If you can fix my car, I'm in love. 

Quiet Desperation

Joni was the prettiest girl in Cavanaugh County.
 Johnny was the only boy she ever knew.
Folks all around said that they'd be married some day,
and that's what they did the summer that high school was through.
Johnny got a car and a job and they were so happy,
for quite awhile things went along just fine.
But they were only living in a minefield, oh yeah, it was just a matter of time.
Deep in his soul there lurked the inclination,

 it was dark and ugly and crying out in pain.
Deep in her heart she felt the sad sensation: quiet desperation.
She could tell by the look in his eyes that she was in trouble.
She knew she should run but had no place to go.
So she just stood there and took it, oh yeah,
then covered the bruises with make-up so no one would know.
One day he slapped her hard and said she'd been unfaithful.
Joni protested and said that it just wasn't so.
But he cried if I can't have you nobody else will,
oh yeah, and this time when he grabbed her, he didn't let go.
Deep in his soul . . . 
Everyone came to the funeral said it was lovely and bitterly wept over Joni's motherless child.|
Johnny threw himself on the coffin and begged her forgiveness one last time. 
Said was only the drink that made him go wild.
Johnny got five years and was out on probation,
from what I hear today he's totally free and sometimes I wonder
if anyone remembers at all that Joni was the prettiest girl in Cavanaugh county.
Deep in his soul . . .   
  

Round and Round
If I asked you a question, would you fool me with a lie, 
and my innocent suggestion would it merit a reply,
and if logic is a season, why does your winter follow spring,
and is accident the reason for everything and I go round and round and round
Round and round and round, round and round and round with you.
I found you in the pages of this book I can't put down. 
Says your only rock of ages is a snicker and a frown.
But if life is just a fad that you're growing tired of
why do you look so sad when I mention love?
And I go round and round and round. Round and round and round
round and round and round with you.
You're full of cynicism, we live and then we die
and your brand of pessimism is in limitless supply. 
But if happiness is only for those who choose to car
we'll never be lonely 'cause we're everywhere
and I go round and round and round. 
Round and round and round,
round and round and round with you. 

 

Scenes From The Waterfront
Down on the waterfront I wanna go, taste the salt air, hear the wind blow,
who you might see well you just never know.
You might run into Marlon Brando.
Down on the waterfront, hand in hand, walkin' in a white-capped wonderland,
diggin' our toes into the gritty sand, down on the waterfront hand in hand. 
Down on the beach I wanna play frisbee and volleyball all day.
Maybe catch a wave, that's okay. Down on the beach, I wanna play.
Down on the beach gonna have some fun
in the cool, cool water and the hot, hot sun.
Kickin' around and feelin' mellow like
Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.
Down on the waterfront I wanna go,
taste the salt air, hear the wind blow,
who you might see well you just never know.
You might run into Marlon Brando.
Down on the pier in the misty mist,
leanin' on a lamp post, waitin' to be kissed.
Strange things happen, you might have guessed,
down on the pier in the misty mist.
Down on the pier some trench-coated guy with a tilted fedora and a sexy eye twitches his lips,
oh be still my heart, I just caught a glimpse of Humphrey Bogart.
Down on the waterfront I wanna go, taste the salt air, hear the wind blow,
who you might see well you just never know. You might run into Marlon Brando. 

Too Long,Too Blue
I met a man in Boston, heard him sing the blues in faded denim
and white T-shirt and ragged running shoes.
Said he had just one regret, the girl he'd left behind.
And no matter how he tried and believe me he had tried couldn't get her off of his mind.
I said if I had a telephone and you could call the girl today, and if you had a minute, 
just one minute tell me what you'd say: 
          Too long, too blue, baby, too lonely too, tonight. too much to do tomorrow,
           too late, too sad to write.
I meant a girl in Memphis, guitar in her hand,
said she was a back-up singer in a country/western band.
Said she had just one regret, the boy she's left behind.
And no matter how she tried and believe me she had tried couldn't get him off of her mind
I said if I had a telephone and you could call that boy today, 
and if you had a minute, just one minute, tell me what you'd say:
           Too long, too blue, baby, too lonely too, tonight. too much to do tomorrow,
            too late, too sad to write.
Got off the bus in Nashville, found a telephone, dialed your number and held my breath and prayed you'd be a home. Said I have just one regret, that I left you behind.
And no matter how I try and believe me I have tried can 't get you off of my mind.
So I found me a telephone and I'm calling you today, and if you have a minute, 
just one minute, here's what I must say:
           Too long, too blue, baby, too lonely too, tonight. too much to do tomorrow,
            too late, too sad to write. 

Ashes
Ashes that are cold can still retain a spark.
People passing through sometimes leave a mark.
And though our time together is through I will always remember you.
Little glances that seemed to promise more, something in you I could not ignore
Moth to a flame, and didn't I know it. Out of my league and didn't I show it, played the fool.
You were cruel. Oh, how long ago that seems, but now and then you turn up in my dreams.
|Ashes that are cold can still retain a spark. People passing through sometime leave a mark. 
And though our time together is through I will always remember you.
I was young and I was so naÔve. You were older and you taught me to believe,
you told me stand tall against the night, you held my hand and led me to the light.
You taught me things, gave me wings.
Oh, how long ago that seems, but now and then you turn up in my dreams.
Ashes that are cold can still retain a spark. People passing through sometime leave a mark.
And though our time together is through I will always remember you.
Some who were cruel and some who were kind.
Some who touched my heart, some who reached my mind.
Though our times together were few, I will always remember you.
Always remember-- I will always remember you. 


Songs On Purpose

Before The Fire (Rosewood)
My name is Fannie Taylor and in 1923
I lived next to a sawmill somewhere north of Cedar Key
In the little town of Sumner, divided by race
From the nearby town of Rosewood- such a peaceful place
Before the fire, before the noise.
Before I heard the Sheriff call "Let's go get him boys."
Before the deaths. Before the screams.
I walk the streets of Rosewood in my dreams.
A hundred angry men sent their dogs into the night
To find a black man that they said attacked a woman who was white.
They tortured and they killed and terrorized the town
They took their torches with them and they burned it to the ground.
The Rosewood I remember was a happy place to be.
With 3 churches and two schools, and a baseball team.
Houses always painted, roses everywhere,
And at night piano music filled the air, Before the fire.

    The South it was a hotbed of violence that year
    There were lynchings, there were riots
    Hearts and minds filled with prejudice and fear
     So you can not blame me.
 My husband went to work very early every day
And came home very late at night.
I also had a lover who came through my back door
One day he hit me hard with all his might.
To tell the truth about my bruises would have led to my disgrace,
So I said just what came quickest to my tongue
That it was a black man who hit me in the face;
God forgive me I was young.
Before the fire, before the noise.
Before I heard the Sheriff call "Let's go get him boys."
Before the deaths. Before the screams.
I walk the streets of Rosewood in my dreams.
One day it was a place where children went to school
The next I saw it burn before my eyes.
Once upon a time a community with pride,
Before the fire.
Before my lies.




Sweet Poison: The Fragrance Song 
He knew she was there when he walked in the room,
He got a whiff of her strong perfume.
A little Chanel, a little TABU,
He tried to talk but all he could do was achoo! achoo! achoo!
He excused himself and went to the loo,
To dab his nose with a soft tissue.
The place was spotless, quite pristine:
Smelled of Pine Sol, and Mr. Clean. Achoo!Achoo!Achoo!
We plug it into outlets, spread it on our skins,
Lather up the cleft of a poor man’s chin.
Those little pine trees, you’ve got one or two,
Dangling in your car from your rearview.
Why is it no one thinks, that it’s sweet poison –
And that’s what stinks.
She was cute when she said all right.
He wanted to say his love was true but
When he kissed her all she could do was achoo! achoo! achoo!
Her hair it smelled just like a rose,
His chin it smelled of musk.
When he started to propose
all that they could do was just
    Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!
We plug it into outlets . . .
These lovers made a sacred vow
Now that they’re man and wife -
To eliminate those things that smell
That can impact their life
Allergens and Phalates, Neurotoxins too,
All synthetic chemicals that just aren’t good for you.
Fragrance free they cuddle and dance the hootchie coo
Breathe easily beneath the sheets
But there is one thing they don’t do Achoo, achoo, achoo!
We plug it into outlets  . . . 
Yeah, it’s sweet poison and that’s what stinks.


Maggie (If You'd Like to Stay)
I found her on my lawn out in the rain.
Her hair was matted down, she was whimpering in pain.
She was feather light. She was so bone tired
she didn’t even notice when I laid her by my fire.
I called her Maggie, yeah Maggie, I don’t know where you been.
Maggie, yeah Maggie, looks like you could use a friend,
and if you’d like to stay, you can.
She ate my food but would not let me near.
She growled down in her throat, laid back her ears.
So I gave her space and I gave her time.
One day she wagged her tail - laid her head upon my thigh.
I called her Maggie, yeah Maggie, I don’t know where you been.
Maggie, yeah Maggie, looks like you could use a friend,
and if you’d like to stay, you can.

I’d like to find the ones who think it’s funny
to chain a dog and leave her starve out in the rain.
I’d like to look ‘em in the eye, have a chance to say,
“Did you know she nearly broke her neck, tryin’ to get away?”
Every day she babysits my son.
That’s a job I don’t give to just anyone.
But I know she’s bred to guard and take care of
those that need protection, those that give her love.
I called her Maggie, yeah Maggie, I don’t know where you been.
Maggie, yeah Maggie, looks like you could use a friend,
And if you’d like to stay,
well, Maggie, oh Maggie, if you’d like to stay, you can.
Highway 84 
10 miles from Port Jervis, on Highway 84
Can’t help but remembrin’ that I’ve passed this way before.
I drove a boy out to school and drove him back a man.
I can’t count the many times I’ve seen this stretch of land
Chorus
There are those who’ll say I could have spent my time more wisely;
I could have learned something new to help with my success.
I could’ve given him a car, I could’ve put him on a plane,
I could’ve packed up all his stuff, 
I could’ve shipped them both by train.
Instead we folded his long legs and most of his belongings
and filled my white Toyota door to door
and headed out on Highway 84.
We spent the time in talking sharing our philosophies
The world would be a better place left up to him and me.
Comfort when I took wrong turns and yelling at the trucks;
Getting stopped by roadwork and cursing our bad luck
Chorus
 In Blacksburg, Virginia today they shake their heads
and try to comprehend why 32 are dead.
A mama sent her babe to school and let go of his hand;
to a quiet and protected place to grow and be a man.
Out of his nest and on his own, 

So sad the bird that’s barely flown
that’s shot down from the sky  and never will fly home.

Yes  I might have used that time more wisely.Do
ne something that was more important I suspect.
But of all the things I’m thankful for, right there on my list,
are those long miles and those short years
I’m glad I didn’t miss.
Filling my Toyota door to door and heading off to college,
Him and me, and highway 84.


My Daughter 
Nightmares don’t come often anymore.
Don’t wake up with cold sweats every night.
But I cannot forget the horrors that I met
every murky Mekong Delta morning light.
I know you’ll do fine at Fort Jackson –
you’re smart and you’re strong and you’re tough --
but why can’t you see what you’re doing does to me?
I have had enough.
The jaws of war that lurk beneath the depths of hatred’s waters
took away my carefree youth. Now they want my daughter.
I left you on the sidewalk at the airport --
dropped your bags, slammed my door, and drove away.
And I knew that you were hurt and you were angry.
I’m sorry for the things I couldn’t say.
I know that I should stand there by the window
and wave as the plane taxis away,
but I’d put that uniform back on, though it might bleed me dry,
if I could only make you stay.
The war machine that feeds on greed 
and serves up senseless slaughter.
It took away my carefree youth.  Now it wants my daughter.

They stole years from my life. They blew my soul apart.
They ate away my peace of mind -- now they want my heart.
Now, they want my daughter.

I fed you and I clothed you and I worked the daily grind
to show you that I loved you -- never meant to be unkind.
But you don’t understand, I can see it in your eyes
why I cannot hold your hand and bid a fond goodbye.
It’s just I’m so damned angry – partially at you –
but mostly at this wicked world and the things it wants to do.
Do they have so many bombs and guns they can kill and mess up all our sons,
that they also need my lovely one?
Must they take my daughter?


Northern White  
For 80 years my family’s farmed this Wisconsin land,
Now a hydro-fracker wants to come and haul away our sand.
Mama said “We’re going down to Town Hall today,
To hear what this mining fellow has to say.”        
    But, you can’t eat gas and you can’t drink oil
Mama said that night.
    Business men in the clean gray suits,
    Hands all dirty with the northern white.
One 6 second weekly blast,” he said, “is all it takes.
You might be surprised how little noise we will make.”
But mama said, “Six seconds to foul our air and water,
And take away the future from our sons and daughters.”
    You can’t eat gas and you can’t drink oil
    Mama said that night.
    Business men in the clean gray suits,
    Hands all dirty with the northern white.
She turned and saw some friends look away.
Said I can hardly blame you, I know what they will pay.
Farming’s hard and sometimes, we cannot meet the bills,
But we should take a lesson from those West Virginia hills
You can’t plow gas and you can’t plant oil,
can’t live on that frac sand.
What will we do after they’ve gone
and hauled away the land?
Mama’s started coughing, sometimes she just can’t breathe.
from the gritty chemicals, that this mining leaves.
Between the coughs she tells me, with a rueful laugh,
Write this down my daughter, make it my epitaph:

   You can’t eat gas and you can’t drink oil
    Mama said that night.
    Business men in the clean gray suits,
    Hands all dirty with the northern white.
    Hands all dirty with the northern white.
    Pockets filled with the northern white.


Take Care of the Santa Fe 
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.

As a child, I fished along her banks - little cricket on my line -
Hoping for a catch as big as me - catfish  would suit me fine.
My daddy would watch me with a smile glad to see me play
`longside of the river that he loved. One day I heard him say
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
Daddy came to see me in a dream, Said “I am filled with fear.
Something is endangering our river. It’s getting near.
It smells of toxic chemicals and money and it rumbles underground,
travelin’ from its home in Alabama,  Eastward bound.
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
They say the pipeline’s safe, they call it progress.
But I think we could  find a better way.
We need clean water more than we need methane.
My daddy understood. One day I heard him say 
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
Sweet Amazon

Edimar lived in the jungle in a shack by a crystal clear stream.
But now that river is brown with silt and gone is his family’s dream
The deer that roamed the land  make way for the roads to the mines,
trees are uprooted, and rivulets run cross the forest floor, 40 miles wide.
    Take a breath, fill your lungs with that oxygen sensation
    Known as air  won’t be long I fear it might be rationed
    If we keep to the perilous path we’re on.
    I’m really gonna miss you when  you’re gone –    Sweet Amazon.
Kotok is an Indian Living deep within the Amazon
Smoke stings his eyes from the constant fires His way of life is gone.
And gone are  plants for medicine and food.There’s no way to stop it he’s afraid,
The white men come, they slash and they burn,
​There is just too much money to be made.


    We need land to feed the hungry,
        We need trees to clean our  air.
    But soybeans and cattle fill the pockets of the lawless, 
    and fires are burning everywhere.


Take a breath, fill your lungs with that oxygen sensation
Known as air  won’t be long I fear it might be rationed
If we keep to the perilous path we’re on.
I’m really gonna miss you,   Really gonna miss you
Really gonna miss you when you’re gone  Sweet Amazon


Uncle Tony (The Tofu Song)

Hey Uncle Tony, Go to lunch with me
Veggie Kitchen is the place I’d like to me
Try a little tofu, what do you say?
He said, A little bit of tofu goes a long way
A little bit of tofu goes a long way.

Hand me the sirloin and the apple pie;
Chicken fried. Potatoes mashed.
White bread and butter and lots of jam,
Don’t you forget the corned beef hash.
Don’t you forget the corned beef hash.

Hey Uncle Tony, here’s some brown rice.
Its good for you and it sure tastes nice.
Tony took a forkful, turned to say
A little bit of brown rice goes a long way.
A little bit of brown rice goes a long way.


Hey Uncle Tony, here’s a bean sprout,
Full of lots of good things without a doubt.
Tony ate just one, put the rest away,
Said a little bit of bean sprout goes a long way
A little bit of bean sprout goes a long way.

Hey uncle Tony I’m afraid you’ll die
If you keep on eating this way
He said everybody’s gotta go sometime
I’m gonna go with a smile on my face
I’m gonna go with a smile on my face.

Hey uncle Tony, gonna have the last laugh
Cause I’m gonna write your epitaph
He would still be here today
If he hadn’t pushed the tofu away.

So go easy on the sirloin and the apple pie,
Add a little celery and onion and beans,
Don’t eat quite as much chicken and spuds
Throw in blueberries and walnuts and greens.

A little bit of tofu goes along way
And I want you there on my wedding day.
I want you there on my wedding day.


Walking Wounded

Here’s to the walking wounded caught up in some purgatory place,
Void of time and space, 
longing for rebirth
as they wander on this earth.

A bomb goes off in Bagdad
and nothing’s left of someone’s baby boy.
A folded flag in his mama’s hands, as his daddy stands
his shoulders shake as he tries to forget the pain
and remember all the joy.
Somehow they’ll manage to go on
but with every breath they take they will always know
a part of them is gone.
        
And there’ s a hobo in an alleyway,
asleep beneath the front page news.
Target of the pelting rain,
wearing someone else’s worn out shoes
And hope is what is left inside some kid’s discarded Dixie Cup.
You swallow it like wounded pride, so hungrily you suck it up.

Though it’s only 10 am
her hand’s around a half gone bottle of Tangueray Gin.
Some how it seems to ease the pain, the day the planes 
brought down the towers on that September morning --
that’s where it began.
She still hears the crying through the haze
And she sits there in a daze because she’ll always know
 some of her faith is gone.

And there’ s a hobo in an alleyway,
asleep beneath the front page news.
Target of the pouring rain, wearing someone else’s worn out shoes
And hope is what is left inside some kid’s discarded Dixie Cup.
You swallow it like wounded pride, so hungrily you suck it up.

For 60 years right by his side
from the day she said she’d be his bride
To the day they put her in the ground
And he knows that she won’t be around.
Sometimes it makes him want to cry.
Somehow he knows that he’ll go on
But the days and nights are long when the only one you’ve loved
Forever will be gone.

Here’s --- to the walking wounded.

The Town of Sugar Grove

Leave at night when the wind is still
Leave when the clouds are hanging low.
I hear you can find safe harbor
In the town of Sugar Grove – Sugar Grove

At the end of Big Tree Road sits a woman at her door
She is sewing freedom clothes, her fingers they are strong and sure.
Comes a knocking in the night - a fugitive from slavery
trembling in the icy cold. “Oh mistress, have pity on me”
“Doctor, doctor”! she cried. “Help me save this dying soul
And we will put him back on the road to freedom
After we have made him whole.”
    Leave at night when the wind is still
    Leave when the clouds are hanging low.
    I hear you can find safe harbor
    In the town of Sugar Grove – Sugar Grove

There within her Mansion fine The Ladies Fugitive Society
Meets each week to sew for those who would be free.
There within her Mansion Fine she serves Frederick Douglas tea
He says ‘Thank you madam for your aid in time of need.
Here in Sugar Grove we can make the whole world see
There is no North, South, East or West
There is only equality

In the town of Sugar Grove across the Pennsylvania hills
Is a woman you should know, brave of heart and strong of will
Go to Sugar Grove quietly before the dawn.      
You may find she’s waiting for her patiently waiting.           
Giving strength to carry on.
    Leave at night when the wind is still
    Leave when the clouds are hanging low.
    I hear you can find safe harbor
    In the town of Sugar Grove 

Ask for Cythia Catlin Miller in the town called Sugar Grove.