American Broadsheet Ballad

Against the Odds

2010-04-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna preach
Cause often I don't
March is here and we're still young

I'm not gonna bind
Your little mistakes
But you should know that I do care

Against the odds of our peers

So lead us astray
Or have it all
Whichever you'd like, whichever you choose

Give me a dream
Remember it when you wake
I dream a hundred dreams
I threw 'em all away

Against the odds of our peers
Against the odds

Buy Yourself A Rose

2010-04-09T12:42:00.001-07:00

We laugh about the past
And listen to the rain hit
The clothes against our skin

You know we're gonna be drunk
Stumblin' through the fields with
A bouquet in our hands

Oh

We save all of our wishes
And hang 'em out to dry while
The horse goes on for miles

When you find the time
I bet you'll change yer name to
Mrs. Rosemary

Buy yourself a rose
Put away the past
Buy yourself a rose

[...]

Quitting Your Daydreams

2010-01-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

I'll take your punches
I'll take on your faults
While you roam around in search of what's wrong with the
World and it's people who are living at large
I'll sever what's mine in the unselfish act of my
Life and my time, Oh righteous me

You'd never look at me
The same way again

I'm out selling roses
On a Sunday afternoon
I'm thinkin about things that give me a new found res-
Pect for the blues and the comforts we seek
When we cease to amaze me my knees will go week and I'll
Fall on my face and breath into the ground

Would you ever look at me
The same way again

Cause I have a place in mind
Where we could spend the rest of our time
Go West, young man, Go West
It's where it all began.

In Our Arms

2010-01-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

You are so stealing my thunder
You're giving us all away
And we don't know how much more we can drink

You are known in a couple of very small circles
For building an anime scene
In the tree above the bulldog

Maybe my hands are on the wheel
Maybe your dreams are more real
Maybe your dreams are more real

We will carry you, then we'll throw you aside
In our arms remains the weight of what you left behind

You were so stealing my thunder.

Italian Nights

2010-01-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

I am dreamin of a foreign land
Through these streets that should be buried
I'm thinkin of another woman's man
When I cry
The first tears of summer
Time slows down

There are no tears in my holiday
I drink the night while I can
I grab me a piece of land for an hour or two
And I think of you
And the same moon
That I can't find

Have you ever been lonely?

Well the old men around here they stay up real late
They're tryin to change the rules to everything
Their great debate holds social and political weight

They're never lonely

Here they are again, they're in this together
And everything they say is gonna matter to them
They're never lonely
They'll never be alone

She'll Run Her Farewell (rollout)

2009-07-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

She told her problems so long
She sold her apartment to a couple in the city, in the city

She sold them out, started alone
She made her way through the pressing demands of a life on the run

She never stopped to think about the way that she'd get by
So she'll run

We found the leaves to be changin'
There's a patio outback surrounded by Christmas lights
Still strung up in the neighbors back yard

She never stopped to think about the way that she'd get by
So she'll run
Her farewell

(a rollout in progress)

This Is The Burden

2009-07-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

I can't follow you anymore
My mind needs a break that's well deserved, yes it is
It's taken me so long just to get to this point
I'm askin' will you take my burden on

Many nights I've sat and listened to you cry
Many times I've thought to cry on my own, yes I have
You know I always smile through the doubt
Now I've got this burden to smile through

You see I blame myself for lettin' it all add up
A man can go mighty far on his own, yes he can
It may be selfish of me layin' this all out
I'm askin' will you taken my burden on

Yes at times it's heavy
Yes at times it'll hurt
Remember now you're the one who said this'll work

When you get a chance to rest yourself a while
Think about this burden of mine
This is the burden you are takin' on

You know I always smile through the doubt
This is the burden you are takin' on
This is the burden you are takin' on, yes it is
This is the burden you are takin' on

My Mind Games

2009-04-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Waiting is the worst time to find the right surprise
You hear the crickets laugh as they pass you by
But no one is around, no to define the sound
Everybody's uninvited

Soon I'll find the strength to tell the end of the anecdote
On the block at 26, the same at 42, I'm gettin' slow, so slow
But no one is around, no to define my sound
Everybody's uninvited

I'm waiting on the porch when I'm struck from behind
Everybody else is drinking, sharing in the wine
No one is around, no one to pick up my mind
Everybody's uninvited

The Surrender

2009-01-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

I'm raising the stakes on the name in my hand
I'm writing in down just as soon as he can behave
And get on, and on and on

I walk in the blues, I walk in his room
And nobody notices me walk in to the "Red Moon"
But it's on, it's on, it's on

I found out by phone that this brother of mine
Was dining with his men when they fell under attack
It went on, and on and on

He was preachin' the words he's known,
Preachin' the words they've grown to listen to

They drove 'em from Memphis to Mobile on New Years
And threw down their handle on the war, while everyone cheered
It went on, and on and on

He was preachin' the words he's known,
Preachin' the words they've grown to listen to

Wonderful

2008-08-17T09:54:00.001-07:00

They say that falling in love
Is Wonderful, So Wonderful, so they say

And if you're not lost on the trail
Of Longing or Lust, then you're ok, yea you're ok

Because there are feelings in life only known
By those in love
And to say, "I love you," each day
For those, life is wonderful

If you can find someone
Come home to love, to her

It's better than being alone, trust me
I know the desire to want much more, so much more

But there are feelings in life only known
By those in love
And to say, "I love you," each day
For those, life is wonderful
So Wonderful

(indebted to Irving Berlin's "They say It's Wonderful")

To Blog About

2008-07-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

Fall into the arms of a woman who cares
Look in her eyes and tell her what you see there
She'll love you forever.

The good Lord never said to prey upon the weak
He said give 'em the news and be there when they weep
They'll love you forever.

Anyhow, it's not anything to blog about.

Another lonely white boy in a black man's world
Where the Goddess is dark and the sun plays well upon her
She'll haunt you forever.

Ain't it a shame, Ain't it shame
You tell it on the mountain, but there's nobody listening
They'll haunt you forever.

Anyhow, it's not anything to blog about.

A lot upon the ashes, A lot upon the leaves
I'm dreamin' I'm the captain and I'm sippin' on my favorite drink.
I'll be here forever.

So take me by the hand and walk me along
Keep me on the edge of your tongue when I'm gone.
And I'll be here forever.

God Only Knows Me

2008-06-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

I will carry myself
Down to the ocean
To fall in love
With you once again

When I know, that the water's too warm
And I am so weak
That I can't even stand
To not hold myself

I know that some days are better than others
I know that some ways are easier

I have never been one
To follow or give you
The things that I
Am supposed to give

When you are the reason that I
Am real in this life
God only knows me
When I'm with you

I've learned that some ways are easier than others
I've learned that some days are better

So I'm gonna change the way I sing
Yes I'm gonna change the way I dream

City Love is Strange

2008-02-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

I've grown some
on this broken train track
When it seemed a while
all we did was get high
And it must've been a year or two
before we made any friends

All of these days were so beautiful
It's crazy to say goodbye
I'll be gettin' out

Unless the band breaks down
and everybody goes their own way
Hey, maybe I'll quit my job
just so I can sit around and watch movies
Or maybe I'll fall in love
and try to live the dream again

All of these days were so beautiful
It's crazy to say goodbye

Love is strange
So is Vegas
You're better off if you
never leave your bedroom

Followed By The Blues

2008-02-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

Emily and I again...

Don't be long to abandon me
And cheers to the weirdness
We can beat this mentally
Out on those avenues we see

Tell me I'm wrong and tell me why
Lord knows I could use the help
It's not that He knows about my life
Cause I'm just not His kind of guy

If I'm followed by the blues
Then I'll know it's comin' after you too

I feel that I've been cheated by joy
And it drives me up a wall
Here I was ready to sing my love song
(this ain't no love song)

If I'm followed by the blues
Then I'll know it's comin' after you too

(Here it comes, won't be long)

Like a Beatles Fan When the Beatles Landed

2008-01-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

This song is by Emily Easterly and myself

Oh, don't you wish it was a little bit more
Like it was in 1964
That's what I think when I see you cry
Like a Beatles fan when the Beatles landed

Now, don't you wish I would've kissed you when
You said you was leavin' forever
That's what you'll think when I say goodbye
And in your mind my eyes were cryin'

You'll catch me cryin'
You'll catch me cryin'
Tears of happiness

Oh, don't you wish it was a little bit more
Like it was in 1964

Ragin' Glory

2008-01-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Forget about the flames and glory, my lovely sin
Oh, how we'll sing with a flickering twang
The starlings come out at night
Mysterious scenes of brassy light

Forget about the page you land on, my drying gin
Oh, how we'll drink to celebrate the stains
We've got tomorrow to lie around
And creepier things are going down

Forget about the ragin' glory

Maybe I'll die for my country or maybe I'll survive
Only if we could fall in love, I'd have my desires
My one desire

But forget about the ragin' glory

Spirits On Ice

2008-01-08T19:49:00.001-08:00

I have seen rain in six counties
I hear the valleys a'flood
But if there was trouble, how could we be dry?
When we're all here in cold blood

I don't care where they found me
I suppose they've grown me up
But the life we commune is making us cry
And I think the valley has had enough
Yep

My spirit's on ice and no man gets hung
With his hat on

We all lived in beauty and peace
At least we can say we've tried
Now I see the rain and the terribly wrong
The beauty and peace ain't alive

I lost a wife and a child
And I wore my clothes inside out
If I could leave and let the change in me hang
Then I'd be allowed to die proud
Nope

My spirit's on ice and no man gets hung
With his hat on

Get Behind the Muse

2007-06-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

For weeks now, I ain't learned nothin' yet
There ought to be laws against singin' that
I'd roll 'em over easy if there were
They're sisters, they're talkin', they may be strange
But thats how you draw it and thats how they change
To have that living reason why...
You got to get behind the muse

Nobody wants to be sad
Especially when you're the one who's been bad
Now it's you spillin' all the news
Me, I just can't face to tell 'em
It's like we're on some kind of emotional level
Poor ol' me, maybe i'm confused
You got to get behind the muse

Now I'm all soaked in suspicion
It's like all of my finer marks are in question
But at least I know I've got a relief
So let's shoot to see who plays the piano
We could aspire another age of sorrow
And age that we all could believe
You got to get behind the muse

Heaven Knows

2007-04-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

The secrets of the universe are comin' true
To ruin what we're seein' through
It happens to be paradise
That's ready to just say good bye
Oh I'll try I know
Heaven knows I'll lie
Oh I'll try you see
Heaven will you believe me?

You've filled the pages of my mind
With the beauty of just passing time
And the laziness of an afternoon
With an evening of just loving you
Oh you'll cry you see
Heaven believe me
Oh you'll cry I know
Heaven break down and you die

The world is rolling thunder out to see
What anyone really means to me
Is it ringing in disguise?
Or will you see me cry tonight?

Everyman Righteous (You'll Love to Play That Part)

2007-04-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Everyman righteous
For soul and sinful heart
Everyman righteous
Oh, you'll love to play that part

And when it comes easy
You'll do it and breathe and be
Everyman righteous
Let all the other people see
You show 'em

Goodness, your own kind
Goodness gracious you'll look so fine

Goodness, your own kind
Goodness gracious you'll look so fine

Everyman righteous
For soul and sinful heart
Everyman righteous
Oh, you'll love to play that part
To play that part
To play that part
Everyman righteous
Everyman righteous

The Amen Blues

2007-02-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

I made my trip to heaven
To meet you Lord
I don't know what'll do
I made my trip to heaven
To meet you Lord
Tell me what can I do for you?

I've given up on things
That make me feel
T'was said this is paradise
I've given up them things
That make me feel
I left 'em all behind for you

Even Sunday mornings
I hear your name
When I'm restin' my weary bones
Even Sunday mornings
I hear your name
Sayin' look at what the Lord has done for you

Well, my woman she has left me
I got no job
No wonder my Sundays are free
All my friends sit around
Gettin' high
Sayin' tonight I'll have two or three for you

I took this trip to heaven
To please you Lord
Show me you know its true
I took this trip to heaven
To please you Lord
Tell me what else can I do for you?

What Have I Done?

2007-02-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

What have I done? What have I done? I stole my woman.

First I had a plan and that tramp, she explained,
"it's against all my rules."
"Well, we're not staying in that union."
So I packed her things into saddle bags and stole
some of her booze.
Enjoying new tastes and her fruits.
The cover of the night
made the bright, young moon
seem so obvious.
He's got his light on us.

What have I done? What have I done? I stole my woman.

With morning comes a day where everything is new,
I remembered we're on the run.
She's inviting, yes, but I put my clothes on.
"Daisy is your name, now girl, can you dig
this whole new life?"
"Why yes I can and I will be your wife."
"Well I took you out
of your misery,
don't you go sour.
We'll be wed within the hour."

What have I done? What have I done? I stole my woman

Now justice and revenge had a way with the men
I took her from.
They sniffed around 'til they smelled some.
See Daisy turns tricks and there's rules to the game:
you can't just leave.
There's money there and she gets it made.
"She didn't run," I said.
"I took her away,
please, just let it be."
That's when they pointed guns at me.

What have I done? What have I done? I stole my woman.

Pulonium 210

2007-02-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Strained, two countries' relations
There's poison in the air, it's everywhere
At the hotel, on the planes, in the tea they drank
There's poison in the air, it's everywhere

Found, a writer was gunned down
There's poison in her words, she's a mocking bird
In the news, on the ground, in the dirt she moved
There's poison in the air, it's everywhere

Dead, a Russian spy in bed
There's poison in his veins, he's not the same
Another country, a bald head, a homegrown enemy
There's poison in the air, it's everywhere

Lies, two suspects in disguise
There's poison in this case and it's been traced
Through one man's alibi and those trips he made
There's poison in the air, it's everywhere

Laughs, the Kremlin just sits back
There's poison at their door and that's for sure
Says the victim, "it's an order that they gave."
There's poison in the air, it's everywhere

[note: this is the most interesting news story i've ever kept up on...the BBC is keeping a daily timeline on the events in this case]
[note2: for a similar, yet not as captivating story, see Jill Carroll of the Christian Science Monitor kidnapping]

This Morning...

2007-02-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

So many times I tried to carry you through the fairness
So many times I tried to wish you a happy birthday
Even though the whispering broke my glimpse of silence
I remain unsober in language & demeanor

There was wincing when other ways to cope had failed
There was a stance that was converted nearly on your behalf
Aside from torture and a domestic way of living
I remain unsober in language & demeanor

Think of how I rested myself on the rails of the chateau
Think about worldly and naked positions of faith
Now the question has a pulse to be reckoned
I remain unsober in language & demeanor

You Were Loved

2007-01-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

The doors of the galley swing open
Now i'm standing in a bed of blues
There's no noose around my neck
Cause years ago I managed to cut it loose
I guess she's gone high and mighty
And figured out what that'll get
I'm the first stranger to have a light
But no one's smoking cigarettes
So maybe i'll start

Let's peel back some layers of paint
And see how many pictures we've tried
I've been inside of this world
If we dig deep we'll be on the other side
Neither of us know the language there
And besides, we've sanctioned them
But why not trade for skins and spice
And spark the buds that you condemn
I'm speaking of taste

A band rehearses in a church
Just look both ways before you cross the street
It should of been the two of us last fall
Going there to do our political deed
Well it turns out we won anyway
Maybe a sign that colors have changed
If you come around and I've moved on
Just listen for that band to arrange
My simple melody

There's a queen for me on every card
But I'm done with the one of crimson hearts
So deal me in the lucky club
Or better yet the one who's dark and sharp
I've no patience for the one who shines
Cause she too is a bloody mess
And my time here is not forever
I think i'd like to keep the rest
Oh, you were loved.