JPF Home Page Forums Mid North US Chapter Message Boards Indianapolis Chapter Message Board 2009 Lyric Nominees Listed

Please do not add to this thread.

Lyric Nominee #1

RHAPSODY FROM SIXTH AVENUE


The Empire Diner is located just off Times Square
Not far from Manny’s Music and The Radio Shack
Chilling out with Joe Buck and Ratso on a Downtown train
Grooving in a movie as you cruise along the tracks
The one armed barber has a shop on Broadway
With his scissors and his combs
And a chair that tilts back
A late night snack at The Carnegie Deli
With a sandwich that is stacked
Turn out the light and hit the sack


“Visions Of Cody”,“On The Road” with Neal Cassidy
There must be a shrine somewhere in Denver
Jack Kerouac likes to drink at The Colburn Hotel
In Charlie Browns Bar & Grill
Later he hangs out in some dive and jive on Larimer
With a waitress named Sizzling Ruth
They drove all the way down to Mexico City
On a single tank of gas
And then they fell asleep in the back
While the jockey and his racehorse
Wore wreaths of flowers around their necks
And placed bets out at the track


You can close your eyes and look at everything you are remembering
Or get froze to the bone by the air-conditioning
Everything you see is incredibly fancy
Yeah, it‘s like Liberace riding in a Filipino taxi
Some real gone cat blows a wild solo
On his tenor saxophone
And he wears a moonlight tuxedo
Hey, how about a drink
A freezing martini with diamonds in the glass
So your first sip won’t be your last

Copyright 2008
John Vaughan

Lyric Nominee #2

"What’s genocide?" Copyright 2005-2009 Carlos Andrés Gómez


their high school principal told me
I couldn’t teach poetry with profanity
so I asked my students,
Raise your hand if you’ve heard of the Holocaust.
in unison, their arms rose up like poisonous gas
then straightened out like an SS infantry
Okay. Please put your hands down.
Now raise your hand if you’ve heard of the Rwandan genocide.
blank stares mixed with curious ignorance
a quivering hand out of the crowd halfway raised,
like a lone survivor struggling to stand up in Kigali
Luz, are you sure about that?
No.
That’s what I thought.

Carlos – what’s genocide?

they won’t let you hear the truth at school
if a person says [naughty word removed]
can’t even talk about [naughty word removed] even though
a third of your senior class is pregnant

I can’t teach an 18 year-old girl in a public school
how to use a condom that will save her life
and that of the orphan she will be
forced to give to the foster care system –
Carlos, how many 13 year-olds do you know that are HIV positive?

Honestly, none. But I do visit a shelter every Monday and talk with
six 12 year-old girls with diagnosed AIDS.
while 4th graders three blocks away give little boys blowjobs during recess
I met an 11 year-old gang member in the south Bronx who carries
a semi-automatic weapon to study hall so he can make it home
and you want me to censor my language

Carlos, what’s genocide?

Your books leave out Emmett Till and Medgar Evers
call themselves World History and don’t mention
King Leopold or diamond mines call themselves
Politics in the Modern World and don’t mention Apartheid

Carlos, what’s genocide?

you wonder why children hide in adult bodies
lie under light-color-eyed contact lenses learn
to fetishize the size of their ass and simultaneously
hate their lips my students thought Che Guevara
was a rapper from East Harlem still think
my Mumia t-shirt is of Bob Marley how can
literacy not include Phyllis Wheatley?
schools were built in the shadows of ghosts
filtered through incest and grinding teeth
molded under veils of extravagant ritual

Carlos, what’s genocide?

Roselyn, how old was she? ¿Cuántos años tuvo tu madre cuando se murió?

My mother had 32 years when she died. Ella era bellísima.

…what’s genocide?

they’ve moved on from sterilizing Boriqua women
injecting indigenous sisters with Hepatitis B, now
they just kill mothers with silent poison stain
their loyalty and love into veins and suffocate them

...what’s genocide?

Ridwan’s father hung himself in the box
because he thought his son was ashamed him

...what’s genocide?

Maureen’s mother gave her skin
lightening cream the day before she started the 6th grade

...what’s genocide?

she carves straight lines into her beautiful brown
thighs so she can remember what it feels like to heal

...what’s genocide?
...what’s genocide?


Carlos, what’s genocide?


Luz, this…
this right here…

is genocide.


----------------------------------------
Carlos Andrés Gómez

http://www.myspace.com/carlosandresgomez
http://www.cdbaby.com/carlosandresgomez

Lyric Nominee #3

The Graveyard of Songs

For every song that’s written there’s a thousand thrown away
They catch a passing breeze and off they fly
They spin and shimmer hopefully, some lucky ones are found
But most are left to shrivel up and die

In the graveyard of songs
Where the orphan tune belongs
And abandoned melodies are laid to rest
What we write is often wrong
Some are weak and some are strong
And sometimes, at our worst, we’ll send our best
To the graveyard of songs
The graveyard of songs

When my restless heart goes roaming through its misbegotten dreams
In search of some forgotten sweet refrain
If the minutes turn to hours till the night devours the day
I’ll give up the ghost and leave it to remain

In the graveyard of songs
Where the orphan tune belongs
And abandoned melodies are laid to rest
What we write is often wrong
Some are weak and some are strong
Sometimes we even send our very best
To the graveyard of songs
The graveyard of songs

I can fish that flowing river
Feel my line rise and shiver
Yet never hook the songs I used to play
But my battered old guitar
Knows exactly where they are
It trembles when I let them slip away

To the graveyard of songs
Where the orphan tune belongs
And abandoned melodies are laid to rest
What we write is often wrong
Some are weak and some are strong
And sometimes we commend our very best
To the graveyard of songs
The graveyard of songs


(Copyright 2008 by Mark Kaufman)
_________________________
http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman
http://twitter.com/Mark_Kaufman

Lyric Nominee #4

"PLAN B"
(C) 2009 by Stan Good, BMI

Those Loftier Goals
& The Wildest of Dreams
Have Yet to Get You Ahead..
& What You Hoped-For
Lies at Your Feet
(So Hard-to-Admit that "It's Dead")

(CLIMB)
It's Tough Being-Human
Admiting.."You're Wrong"
But If You Got a Backbone
It's Time to Move-ON..To...

(CHORUS)
"PLAN 'B'"
Your..NEXT..Strategy
Get UP, Stand ERECT..Walk-AWAY..
"PLAN 'B'"
Life..Has..OPTIONS
You'd Better..Adopt ONE
DON'T Fall-Down, This AIN'T Yesterday..
There's HOPE..You Can CHANGE..AND Break-FREE
With "PLAN 'B'"--

A Glass that's Half-Full
Thank God..ISN'T Empty
("Perception's" a LOT of The GAME)
& Those-Who-Don't-Help-You
Aren't Always "The Enemy"
(TRY Callin'-UP a Few Names!))

(CLIMB)
Here Comes a New Journey
Here Comes Your First Step
(When Making New Friends
Always START..With Yourself..&)

(REPEAT CHORUS)

(BRIDGE)
"PLAN 'B'"..Should Be OPTIMISTIC
(Remember "PLAN 'A'" Failed You)
So BE REALISTIC!--

(SOLO)

The Sun Rises Up
On The East-Side Each Day
Warms-Up D.C., then The Whole USA
Every New Morning,
Life Gives You A Chance
To Give "OLD PLAN 'A'" a Big KICK-IN-THE-PANTS

(CLIMB)
It's Tough Being-Human
Admitting You're Wrong
But If You Got a Backbone
It's Time to Move-ON to

(REPEAT CHORUS)
"PLAN 'B'"
Your NEXT..(& BEST)..Strategy
Get UP..Stand ERECT..Walk-AWAY..
"PLAN 'B'"
Life..Has OPTIONS
You'd Better Adopt One
Don't FALL-DOWN, This AIN'T Yesterday!
There's HOPE, You Can CHANGE and GET FREE
With "PLAN 'B'"

(TAG)
You Can Stir-UP Some NEW Chemistry
With "PLAN 'B'"--

(C) 2009
(All Rights Reserved.)

Lyric Nominee #5

ON THE RUN


On a scale from one to ten Tom was a zero
And his mother was there to remind him the times he forgot
By the time he was 16 he was less than the sum of his virtues
Being mostly aware of a whole lot of things he was not

Tom was a little too short and shy around women
He was in love with a fold-out he kept in the drawer
To his dad he was worthless to his mom just some more dirty linen
He took his first breath the day that he walked out the door

CHORUS:
It’s hard to grow up when you live in a shadow
And the bigger trees take all the sun
He couldn’t grow up as the family disaster
So he learned to grow up on the run, up on the run.


Joyce was born uninvited a pain and a problem
And her father were there to remind her the times she forgot
By the time she was 16 her face and her breasts were her heroes
In backseats with boys she could forget the things she was not

Joyce got into trouble so she went to Cleveland
Tom joined the army and fought hand to hand in the war
He won some medals and learned about love from a waitress
Joyce started working and she learned about love from her child

CHORUS:
It’s hard to grow up when you live in a shadow
And the bigger trees take all the sun
She couldn’t grow up as the family disaster
So she learned to grow up on the run, up on the run.


On a hot August night in an army bar outside of Cleveland
Tom was on furlow and Joyce was on nine until two
They felt like old friends the minute that they started talking
His eyes said, “I know you,” her smile said, “I’ve waited for you”

They talked of beginnings, of losing and winning
And lessons they learned on the run
They grew up crooked together they shook it
In the sunlight they found in the love that they won

CHORUS:
It's hard to grow up.......


Byron Walls
Copyright: 2002

Lyric Nominee #6

SHE STILL CRIES
c.2009 Lori Clevenger

there are flowers pressed inside a frame
sitting on her chairside table
the petals are of blue and yellow
she looks at them when she is able
and she recalls a time and place
the shining eyes, the smiling face
the memories she cant erase
the kind that break her heart

theres a shoebox full of photographs
the corners bent, the colors faded
the eyes look back into her own
expressions seem exaggerated
her fingers brush across their skin
as if theyll come to life again
the pain is in remembering when
then the teardrops start

chorus:
there are nights it all comes back
and she still cries sometimes
wishing she could follow
when it leaves again
the ashes of the bridge she burned
lead back to where shes been
and she tells everyone shes fine
but she still cries sometimes

theres a telephone she cant pick up
a number she cant seem to dial
so she finds something else to do
to keep her busy for a while
but she still hears two laughing voices
above lifes other daily noises
and weeps for life and all the choices
she felt forced to make

chorus:
there are nights it all comes back
and she still cries sometimes
wishing she could follow
when it leaves again
the ashes of the bridge she burned
lead back to where shes been
and she tells everyone shes fine
but she still cries sometimes

she still cries sometimes

Lyric Nominee #7

Midnight In The Swamp


(v1)
It always makes me nervous
When I look into the sky
I see that full moon rising
As the daylight starts to die
That Loosi-ana Bayou
Takes on a whole new face
As shadows and black magic
Take o’er that haunted place

(v2)
Your skin will crawl with goose bumps
Your hair will stand on end
Static charges through the air
As the midnight sun sets in
The swamp takes on an aura
Like no man could ever know
As the Mistress of the Darkness
Casts her spell of ebb and flow

(Chorus)
Moonlight weaving shadows
As the critters play and romp
Bayous all flow backwards
When it’s midnight in the swamp
When evil spirits moan their chant
Their sonnets chill and daunt
No mortal man should be there
When it’s midnight in the swamp

(v3)
Nothing like you’ve ever heard
Wind passing through the threads
Plays its arcane symphony
On the silken spider webs
The swamp goes spooky silent
Just before it starts to shake
And in a pirogue left behind
Alligators dance with snakes

(v4)
When the moon starts falling
‘Fore night breaks into day
A hush spreads cross the bayou
As the magic fades away
The eerie frolic ceases
As the daylight filters in
But it’s just a few short hours
‘Til the madness starts again

(Chorus)
Moonlight weaving shadows
As the critters play and romp
Bayous all flow backwards
When it’s midnight in the swamp
When evil spirits moan their chant
Their sonnets chill and daunt
No mortal man should be there
When it’s midnight in the swa


© January 2007 Alan D. David, BMI
All Rights Reserved
_________________________
If I were but half as good as Dawg...I'd be twice as good as most.


Al David on Soundclick

Al David's Music Web Site

Al David's Bandcamp Site

Lyric Nominee #8

The Secret
(A song about D.B. Cooper)

Brian Merritt 06/2009

Winters in Florida he liked to fish
Summers in the mountains out west
You lead a great life people would say
But a secret weighed deep in his chest

He was getting old ,tongue starting to slip
He was afraid one day It’d let go
World would come crashing in around
And everybody would know

Secrets weigh heavy they’ll wear you thin
The ones buried deep in your soul
Secrets will want out and eventually win
Become just another secret told

I answered an ad in the local press
Help wanted for an old man
Come work for me I’ll pay you well
Deal struck with the shake of a hand

Helped him into his wheelchair took care of his house
Sometimes I’d take him to town
But I always thought there was more to old Joe
As I wheeled him and his secret around

Secrets weigh heavy they’ll wear you thin
The ones buried deep in your soul
Secrets will want out and eventually win
Become just another secret told

Then one night with his light fading dim
His tongue rolled and his guard fell
And as he lay there taking his last breath
I said don’t worry D.B. I won’t tell

Winters in Florida I learned to fish
Summers in the mountains out west
I’d spend my time hiking along the trails
Carrying this weight in my chest

Secrets weigh heavy they wear you thin
The ones buried deep in your soul

Lyric Nominee #9

Hook You Up
© 2009 Schantell Wharton/ASCAP

V1
My friends are always saying
Girl, I’ve got the perfect man for you
He’s 6’2 and loads of fun
And his dancing no one can out do
He’s a good guy and comes
With all that you require
He’s a man you can admire
Why don’t you let me

Ch
Hook you up
Let you get a look
At this hunk of a man
He’s divine and got so much
I don’t know where to begin
If you’re tired of looking
Let me help you I’ll
Hook you up

V2
My friends I appreciate
What you’re doing
But its true love I’m pursing
And if he’s so great
Why don’t you want him?
Did you leave him out on a limb?
You’re my best friend and just because
I’m single please don’t

Ch
Hook me up
Let me find my own man
I don’t need your permission
This is my secret plan
Tell me if you can
Let me decide
Please don’t
hook me up

Bridge
Don’t you know
I’m willing to wait
True loves never late
But I still hear you saying
I want to

Ch
Hook you up
Let you get a look
At this hunk on man
He’s so divine and
I don’t know where to begin
If your tired of looking
Let me help you I’ll
Hook you up

Hook you up—2x fades out
_________________________
“What come from the heart touches the heart”

Lyric Nominee #10

Doug Allison

Chocolate Chip Cookie
Copyright 2005 by D.A. All Rights Reserved.

To explain: the second verse is from a Readers' Digest story about an older women a church pastor tried to set up with a widower. She made him some cookies, ran up to him and gave him the plate, and then ran off too shy to talk to him. They did eventually hook up and marry...

The third verse comes from a famous car dealership known for having cookies around the office. I was in to get my oil changed, it did take two hours, and as I was semi-complaining to the manager, he looked at me deadpan and said "Have a cookie!" HA! It worked however...

<Verse 1>
Melt the lard and the butter
With the sugary stuff
Add the chips, eggs, and flour
And mix it all up
Set the oven to 375
They come out gold and crispy
It ain't no jive

<Chorus 1>
Chocolate chip cookie
You're a big, BIG hero to me!
You melt in my mouth
You're so, soooo yummie!

<Verse 2>
Read a story
'Bout a dame in distress
Couldn't get a guy to notice
Her smile or her dress
Slid him a plate of cookies
Then she ran away
Well guess who called her
The very next day...

<Chorus 2>
Chocolate chip cookie
You're a big, BIG hero to me!
You melt in my mouth
You're so, soooo yummie!
You're the secret weapon
In Cupid's love army
You make the world a safer place
For you and me

<Instrumental Bridge>

<Verse 3>
True story...
Went to the garage
To get my oil changed
They said it'll be half-an-hour
Just like we arranged
Two hours later
I was kinda kooky
Sir we don't have an answer...
But have a cookie!

(A R G H !!!!!! I don’t want no stink’in cookie, I want my car fixed! Thinking, thinking......sigh, oh well crunch, crunch, crunch...)

<Chorus 3>
Chocolate chip cookie
You're a big, BIG hero to me!
You melt in my mouth
You're so, soooo yummie!
You're the secret weapon
In Cupid's love army
You make the world a safer place
For you and me

Chocolate chip cookie
You’re a big, BIG hero to me!


Edited by Doug/Liszt Laughing (30/06/09 11:46 AM)
_________________________
Boo...my name is Doug

Lyric Nominee #11

Here's my entry. It's the last song from my new CD:

GOOD NIGHT MARY
(c) 2009 Jim Offerman

From her hospital bed she asks me
"Is everything alright?
How's your mother and your sister?"
Oh, her little inquiries
They last and last
And I barely get a chance
To tell her I'm there just for her
Before she closes her eyes

chorus
Good night Mary
It's okay
Sleep tight Mary
You're on your way
To that safe place you've been dreaming of
All day

Can't imagine what it must be like
To be taken from your home
Never to return
She took it with such grace
Always a smile
And always those cares for everyone she knew
Until one day the phone call came
That Mary passed away

chorus
Good night Mary
It's okay
Sleep tight Mary
You're on your way
To that safe place you've been dreaming of
All day

(solo)

chorus
Good night Mary
It's okay
Sleep tight Mary
You're on your way
To that safe place you've been dreaming of
Reunited with the one you love
And there's no need to worry anymore

From her hospital bed she asks me
"Is everything alright?"

(thanks Ricki for prompting me to enter these awards - I had missed them entirely!)
_________________________
Jim Offerman ~ inspirational piano pop for you
blog - follow me twitter - get my music on bandcamp - join the fan club!

Lyric Nominee #12

This was inspired by magician's assistants..

Girl in the Box
by
Wendy DuMond

I am the girl
In sequins and pearls
I've lived my
Whole life as your prop
With a sleight of hand
I'm at your command
I am your girl
In the box

But that's how things go
In this magic show
I never know what you'll pick
And it's hard to see
Which victim I'll be
Until we perform the trick

So I'll step inside
And go for my ride
And fold myself up in knots
Then you saw me half
While I try not to laugh
I am your girl
in the box

(Bridge)
I spin on the wheel
As you throw your steel
And the colors pass by in a swirl
And if you're remiss
And you happen to miss
Will you find
Some other girl?

When I'm in this chest
I cannot rest
Because things are not what they seem
Your magic's too strong
But I play along
All the while I scream

I am the girl
Who tumbles and twirls
never escaping your locks
My life is mismade
I live in my grave
I am your girl
In the box
_________________________
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=796147

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. - Miss Piggy

Lyric Nominee #13

Inside The Moment
Copyright Timothy A. Perry 2009

Verse 1:
I still recall those autumn days
Punkin seeds and burning leaves
Cookies cooling on the tray
Young son hanging on my sleeve.

A hint of flurries in the air
Wind had laid the trees all bare
Shorter days, just dont seem fair
Or so I once believed.

Build 1:
Time so marked, as heaven-sent
Marks the age of innocence.
Scanning pages on the fly.
As chapters of our life go by

Chorus 1:
(I tried to) live inside the moment.
And not just mail it in.
Swore off moving way too fast,
So I could take it in.
As I document the memories,
The ones that families share,
I was there inside the moment,
Every moment you were there.

Verse 2:
Young son now is growing up
I try to watch, and not take charge
Fiddle with my coffee cup
Smile easy, swallow hard.

I understand how freedom calls
He wants it now, he wants it all.
So different from when he was small
Future looming large.

Build 2:
Time so marked, as heaven-sent
Marks the last of innocence.
Growing up means moving on
My sunset is your early dawn

Chorus 2:
Can you live inside this moment?
And not just mail it in?
Keep from moving away too fast
In time to take it in.
If you bookmark every memory
Like hanging up a sign
Can I be inside your moment?
Cause you were always there in mine.

You were always there in mine.
_________________________
http://www.soundclick.com/timperry
http://www.soundclick.com/oxfordperryproject

Metaphors be with you!
(okay...I stole that ;-)

Lyric Nominee #14

I Want To Run Beneath The Raindrops
Kaley Willow
©2009 (Revised)

I want to run beneath the raindrops
Feel them dance upon my skin
I want to take in every sunrise
See each new day begin
I want to memorize the smiles
Share tears with those who cry
I want to hold a new born baby
Embrace the old while there's yet time

For life speeds on...
The eye blinks once...Yesterday's gone
And spring-time's child...is no more

I want to run beneath the raindrops
Watch them flow into a stream
I want to trace the watercolored path
Of a rainbow to the sea
I want to frame each tender moment
My children share with me
I want to walk close to my Maker
He knows my every need

For life speeds on...
The eye blinks once...Yesterday's gone
And spring-time's child...is no more

I want to run beneath the raindrops
Celebrate the gift of life
Lord..let me run beneath the raindrops...raindrops
Each new raindrop...I can find

I want to run beneath the raindrops
I want to run beneath the raindrops
I want to run...beneath the raindrops

Edited by Kaley Willow (01/07/09 05:49 PM)
_________________________
NEW Web Site Start
http://kaleywillow.com/
Miss Willow's Fence Row
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kwwg2
Andy & Friends
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kwwg
Piano & more
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=8404&content=music
Kids..
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=6469&content=music

Lyric Nominee #15

WHEN I GET OUTTA BED
Writers: Gracie Hollombe Vandiver & David Rivers

Didn't call in sick when I woke up
Didn't burn the coffee but
I could use something strong to clear away the static
I haven't said an angry word
Laid on the horn or flipped the bird
While battling the traffic

(Chorus)
It's been an easy day so far
I've had no worries yet
But God I'm gonna need a little help
When I get outta bed

I haven't tried to stretch the truth
Raised my voice or come unglued
I don't know but somehow I'm holdin' it together
I haven't had to screen my calls
Haven't stepped beyond these same four walls
So I can't complain about the weather

It's been an easy day so far
I've had no worries yet
But God I'm gonna need a little help
When I get outta bed

(Bridge)
It'd be easy to roll over and pull the covers up
And lose another day by feeling like I'm stuck

Haven't listened to that desperate voice
That leads me to a desperate choice
I haven't had a drop to drink
Haven't sacrificed my own success
Been paralyzed by my regrets
I'm stronger than I used to be

It's been an easy day so far
I've had no worries yet
But God I'm gonna need a little help
When I get outta bed

Copyright 2007 Mother Knows Best Music (ASCAP) and Clay River Music (ASCAP)
_________________________
http://www.gracievandiver.com

Lyric Nominee #16

Cranberry Lake

By Richard MacLemale, Copyright 2008

The summer of 75 I was ten
My grandparents owned an old cottage back then
It sat by a lake that was quite hard to find
The drive was a long one but we didn't mind

And every morning my grandma would make
A weak cup of coffee I'd gratefully take
And we'd watch the sunrise and when it was through
We'd plan out our day and the great things we'd do

Chorus
And everything seems so much fun when you're ten
We'd swim to the float, and we'd swim back again
We'd go to the old store and buy cherry soda and gum
The grownups would sit in the shade in July
And they'd watch us play and they'd desperately try
To not think about the adults we'd eventually become

My grandfather taught me to fish on that lake
We'd go out before everyone was awake
We'd sit there for hours and catch two or three
And I know that it was a big deal to me

And I had my first crush on that lake, way back when
I was so young, she was 16 then
To her I was only a kid, and I know
I thought she was pretty and I told her so

Chorus
And everything seems so much fun when you're ten
We'd swim to the float, and we'd swim back again
We'd go to the old store and buy Coca Cola and gum
The grownups would sit in the shade in July
And they'd watch us play and they'd desperately try
To not think about the adults we'd eventually become

Bridge
My father, he failed when he thought that he could
Find the old lake where the old cottage stood
It hid from my Dad but could not hide from me
And satellite photos and technology

I drove to the lake that we'd all left behind
I wasn't prepared for the sight that I'd find
A small pond of water, a hundred yards wide
I slowed down the car and I pulled to the side

Chorus
And this is the place where the old store should be
And that lake looks more like a small pond to me
The cottage is gone, all that's left is an empty space
And this little pond couldn't possibly be
The place where I had all those great memories
But it's so familiar, I know that I'm in the right place

Our memories color events of the past
The cottage is gone, but my memories will last
And deep down inside you, you know that it's true
It's people, not places, that matter to you

Lyric Nominee #17

I got a phone call yesterday
©2008 Bill Robinson ASCAP

V1
I got a phone call yesterday
Wish I hadn’t that's all I'll say
Didn’t know Joe was over there
Didn’t know he’d gone anywhere

V2
It’s only been a couple years
We hung out and drank some beers
Remember him throwin’ a touchdown pass
The cross town team still kicked our ass
I got a phone call yesterday

Chorus
I was changing plugs on my brother’s car
When the cell phone rang I banged my head
trying to reach it It’ll leave a scar
Funny how we go out of our way
To grab the telephone when it rings
I got a phone call yesterday

V3
Long tall Joe was his high school name
My brother Sam named him at that Game
Sam and Joe went over there
Couple of days they’ll get back here
I got a phone call yesterday

Repeat Chorus

Bridge
Couldn’t think of a word to say
Mom was crying Dad punched a hole
in the kitchen wall
Sam sure liked old Chevrolets
White crosses will mark where they lay

Repeat Chorus

Tag
I was changing plugs on my brother's car
_________________________
My Own Little Studio
No Studio yet But we can still record

I have a standing open invitation to anyone in the Nashville area to get together at my home for Songwriting, Jam Sessions and recording our collab/Cowriting efforts.

Bill

Lyric Nominee #18

AMANI

Verse One
God created us a people of diversity
Not a people of adversity
Too long we've been fussing and fighting
Too much bloodshed in Africa

Chorus
Amani Amani Amani
Means peace and we need it right now
Amani Amani Amani
Our children want to play together
Amani Amani Amani
Equal rights to all the people
Amani Amani Amani
Peace and love to everybody
Amani Amani Amani

Verse Two
Together we can say no to racism
We can say no to tribalism
There's a brutal war in the Middle East
War in Europe, war in Asia

Chorus
Amani Amani Amani
Means peace and we need it right now
Amani Amani Amani
Our children want to play together
Amani Amani Amani
Equal rights to all the people
Amani Amani Amani
Peace and love to everybody
Amani Amani Amani

Verse Three
Politics doesn't have to be dirty tricks
Inciting the youth with hate speech
We want to see justice in the world now
No nuclear war, no genocide


Chorus
Amani Amani Amani
Means peace and we need it right now
Amani Amani Amani
Our children want to play together
Amani Amani Amani
Equal rights to all the people
Amani Amani Amani
Peace and love to everybody
Amani Amani Amani

Bridge
You could have wronged me
I could have wronged you, but
This is the time to forgive and move as one

Chorus
Amani Amani Amani
Means peace and we need it right now
Amani Amani Amani
Our children want to play together
Amani Amani Amani
Equal rights to all the people
Amani Amani Amani
Peace and love to everybody
Amani Amani Amani

Copyright (c) 2009 Francis Juma (a.k.a. Fabrizzio)

Translation:
Amani is a Kiswahili word from Kenya meaning Peace

Song Genre: Reggae

Lyric Nominee #19

"800 Voices"
Copyright Danny Ellis

800 voices echo, across the gray playground
Shouts of fights and God knows what, I still can hear that sound
With their hobnail boots and rough tweeds, angry seas of brown and green
The toughest God forsaken bunch that I'd ever seen

I was taken 'cross the schoolyard, in the cold December morn
Through the games of ball and the wrestling kids, all fighting to stay warm
There I handed in my trousers and my khaki gabardine
Farewell to the last reminders of a home in smithereens

Well they marched us down to breakfast, and they marched us up to bed
And the hobnail boots on the iron stairs was enough to wake the dead
And after mass on Sundays, with the brass band playing fine
We would march with the rebel battle hymns, sending shivers up your spine

"How long will you be here for?" said the big lad on the wall
"I've got 8 more years to go", said I, and he laughed till I thought he'd fall
"Well I'm outa here next week", said he,"but before your time is soon"
"There'll be raisins in the holy communion, son, there'll be walking on the moon"

"I'll be back for you this Christmas", I could hear my mammy say
And the bitter truth within that lie I've yet to face today
When it gets too much for feeling you just bury it somehow
And that 8 year old abandoned lad still waits for her right now

The Jesuits came round now and then, to sing their songs of hell
And we'd be pissin' in our britches, for we knew that place right well
But a spark of sweet devotion found me, it sings in my heart still
Though it took me years to shake the guilt of the cross upon the hill

Marked black by the Christian brothers, who stole away my breath
Marked black by their straps of leather, an inch away from death
Some were only lads themselves, one or two were saints
But too many grim abusers had no compassion or restraint

Then there was brother Joe O'Connor, gave me music, strength and pride
He was almost like a father, though he was quick to tan your hide
And the memories now are bittersweet,I've dropped that heavy load
And 800 voices cheer me on as I'm walkin' down the road.

Lyric Nominee #20

Shut Your Mouth (lyrics by Ali Handal and a girl named jaen)

You say you wanna make time for me but tonight you have to work late
You say you wanna lose ten pounds while you butter the bread on your plate
that cigarette you're smoking is sure to be your last
But I can't even count the times you've quit in the past

I'm tired of hearing you
Why don't you try something new?

The ones who talk the loudest always have the least to say

You claim I'll be a household name if I sign on your dotted line
You claim that you're the only game I can play to make my star shine
Oh, you've got big plans but you never follow through
And the only one believing the hype that you create is you

I'm tired of hearing you
Why don't you try something new?

The ones who talk the loudest always have the least to say
The ones who talk the loudest always have the least to say

Shut your mouth and do something
Promises they don't impress me
Talk is cheap and way too easy
I prefer to wait and see

The ones who talk the loudest always have the least to say
The ones who talk the loudest always have the least to say
The ones who talk the loudest always have the least to say


(c) 2009

Lyric Nominee #21

Spin Around

Iraq, heart attack
can't get your money back
land fill, over kill
gotta pay the gas bill
oil and medicine
runnin' through the roof again
humankind, pipeline, Columbine...
there's your sign
steam risin' from the pot in the kitchen
the swing gets faster but the bat keeps missin'
& don't let up 'til you've been let down
spin around

This world will spin you around
and love will spin you around
your faith will spin you around
spin around

Enron, Elian, futon come & gone
Leno, Letterman
don't trust the weatherman
good day, good night, 9-11 Fahrenheit
hurricane oversight, immigration stoplight
watch your weight, get a date
regulate, love-hate, checkmate
find a job, too late
they closed off the south gate in this town
spin around

[Chorus]

Schiavo fiasco, motel Guantanamo
rock & roll side show
who owns the radio
real TV, fake news
small feet, big shoes
new pope, God we trust
devil rides a school bus
internet, DVD, mp3, TV
watchin' them, watchin' you, watch me
while spin alley spins right, left, up & down
spin around

This world will spin you around
and love will spin you around
the truth will spin you around
spin around

David Brake (c)2006 (ASCAP)

Lyric Nominee #22

Something Original
Judy Hollier
Copyright 2003&#61651;

V1
You’ve prob’ly heard I love you
A thousand times or more
How many guys have told you
You’re what they’re looking for
I’d tell you that you’re perfect
But you hear that every day
So when I hold you close to me
I wish that I could say……..

Chorus
Something original
Something that you’ll only hear from me
Something original
But I can't find it in the diction’ry
There has to be some words
A phrase you’ve never heard
Uniquely individual
Something Original

V2
I wish I could explain my love
A new way to define
A from the heart description
You don’t hear all the time
I want to whisper tender words
You've never heard before
That make you feel so breathless
You’ll keep coming back for more

Bridge
I’m in Heaven when I’m holding you
Wish I could say I love you the way the Angels do

Chorus
Something original
Something that you’ll only hear from me
Something original
But I can't find it in the diction’ry
There has to be some words
A phrase you’ve never heard
Uniquely individual
Something Original
_________________________
[img]http://www.geocities.com/moody_joody/Lasting_Lyrics.html[/img]

Lyric Nominee #23

HE RIDES
©2006 Ricki E. Bellos

Daddy came from a broken home
Shattered hearts and fractured bones
Just a matter of time before he’d move on down the line
Worked real hard to buy his first bike
Cherry red with loud straight pipes
Left without warning on a sunny Sunday morning
Knew he’d never be sorry
Just him and his Harley

He rides
Out of the blue into Mama’s life
He rides

Mama said when he rode to town
Made her weak and her young heart pound
It didn’t take them long though her pa said it was wrong
She’d wrap herself around him tight
Holding on with all her might
Loved to ride behind him with loving arms to hold him
Never said he’d stay
But made it to my tenth birthday

He rides, he rides
Into the night out of our lives
He rides
My Daddy rides

I think about him more and more
Wondering what he left us for
Mama said as she died I had his likeness in my eyes
Now I have a child of my own
Who holds me in this one horse town
Dreamed I followed in his steps and headed for the west
I still have this photograph
Of the bike, them and me in his lap

I ride, I ride
Just ahead of the storm for the rest of my life
I ride
Watch me ride

Wonder if Mama would have felt the same
If Daddy rode up in a pickup truck
_________________________
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=830133

One door closes, another opens

Lyric Nominee #24

Copywrite 2008
Blaine Lusk

Time goes by

They wheel him out each morning
To the big Mimosa tree
That old man was always there
And it always bothered me
One day I just had to stop
And sit with him a while
He said" forgive me if I know you "
Then he smiled

He was'nt always sharp
But if his mind began to clear
We'd sit for hours
And while away the years
Sometimes laughed like Hell
Sometimes fought the tears
His heart was always spoken
His truth was always clear

(Chorus)
He said time goes by like the wind
Today is one more day you won't ever see again
Tomorrows aint worth livin
Without yesterdays forgiven
Cause time goes by like the wind

He met his wife at Mardi Gras in 1953
Purple flowered dress, hazel eyes, purple beads
They danced that night in Jackson square
Made love above Desire
Raised a son together
Then he lost her in a fire

"Nurses say that boy of mine's
Livin here in town
Blames me for the way things went
So he don't come around
Seems eighty years of livin
was twenty years too long
Gettin old aint for sissy's son
And I just as soon be gone"

(Chorus)

(Bridge)
"I aint worth a damn no more-are you married boy?
You don't wanna go through this thing alone"
Memories thoughts and heartache passed down like a song
It was there just for the askin on the lawn

Out there by the road
Stands a lone Mimosa tree
Reminded him of a girl he met
One night in New Orleans
Reminds me of a friend
Forgiven way too late it seems
We became the best of strangers
My ol' man and me

(Chorus)

Lyric Nominee #25

Feather In A Hurricane

Michelle Malone

I cannot find this...