'Are You Happy Now'
Music and lyrics by Sharon Bagozzi
(c) 2002 Sharon Bagozzi

Guess you thought you'd play with me
Try to have your way with me
I played right into your hand
Thought that I belonged

Was it all a game for you?
Did you plan to be untrue?
Thought you were the man I loved
Guess that I was wrong

Chorus:
Are you happy now?
Now that I'm in pieces on the floor
Are you happy now?
Is this what you wanted?
Bringing back familiar pain
What do you feel you have gained?
I just wanna know
Are you happy now?

Will you ever think of me?
Miss the way we used to be?
Will the choice that you have made
Be one you can live with?

Chorus:
Are you happy now?
Throwing all our dreams away?
Are you happy now?
Is this what you wanted?
Wiping me out of your life
Making someone else your wife
I just wanna know
Are you happy now?

I just need to know
Are you happy now?

DADDY/NAMESAKE

VERSE#1

I used to daydream that you were not dead

Just hiding from the mob in a government program

You would watch me sometimes from your car in my yard

Wearing one of those faces that protect the innocent

CHORUS

That was long ago but I still remember
I missed my Daddy
That was long ago but I still remember
I never saw your face

VERSE#2

No one talked about you way back when

Told me what kind of man you were or what you would say

I wonder now were they afraid of the truth

or

Much too much consumed in their pain

So you were what you were in my mind

When the hell outside was happening to my body

You were what you were in my mind

When the hell outside was happeining to my body

Tell me please, would you have been the same, if only I knew?

VERSE#3

I'm all grown up the wounds have all healed

None you left deliberatly

Forgiveness wrapped it's arms around my heart

The tentacles of love, they reach from there

But I'm still the daughter of the man...who never lived...for me

I'm still the daughter of the man...who never lived...for me

Still I wear your name proud

Living In The Light
Copyright 2000 by Jeffrey Noel Schultz

Chorus: Living in the light,
Don't you know that my spirit
is in flight,
Things will be alright,
Just as long as I keep living in
the light.

Verse 1: Started on a trip a long time ago,
That really gave peace to me.
Learned how to talk to my higher
mind.
Found out how to be free.
Since traveling down this road
and looking within,
I've had many insights.
Have chased away many dark clouds,
Now I'm living in the light.

Chorus

Verse 2: Since stepping on the path,
I've become aware,
There are many ways to feel good.
And realizing what was true for me
It was the first time it was
Understood
That being here now is the way to
live to stop feeling so uptight.
I finially know what it means
to be, living in the light.

Chorus

Verse 3: There are those who believe that
My head's in the clouds,
They say he's dreaming his life
away,
They don't realize this boy's just
doing what he needs,
to keep his blues at bay.
The inner truth of my very soul,
I welcome with all my might.
I'm creating my own reality,
'cause I'm living in the light.

Chorus

"I, TOO" ©Copyright Kim Dorell 2002

How love blossoms at the first
petals tall and firm
The singing of the angels
the turning of the worm -
you who'd wandered fatherless
home to broken home
cried out -- cried out --
so I guess I should have known

I, TOO would become the one you'd crave --
the elemental father; the jewel within the cave
I, TOO would become your brilliant dawn;
the one without whom you were sure
you never could go on;
deliverer of
all that once had
gone

Love, the archeologist
digs through every vein;
through the certain surface
and down into the pain -
mem'ries buried long ago
facing blinding skies
strike out -- strike out --
so I guess it's no surprise

I, TOO would become your enemy,
would assume the form of demon
in your dark cosmology
I, TOO would become that dreaded sight
from the deepest of your nightmares
in the darkest of your night;
in that place that we still
hold our mothers
tight

Of all desires that are born
and all that cease to be
none has quite the power
of the desire not to see -
not to see the rose's thorn;
the tiny drop of red
spread out -- spread out --
guess I could have seen ahead;

I, TOO would become a figure past
another one with whom you'd tried
but it somehow wouldn't last;
I, TOO would become a dull defeat
in that heavy chest
of bitterness
that you drag down every street,
inside which our
souls agreed to
meet;
I, TOO
have those ways that I repeat.......

(Thank you for reading!)

Copyright 2002© Mikki Jo Howard (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved

I JUST WANNA MAKE YOU DANCE

I hopped in my ol' chevrolet truck
And took off down the road
With a quarter tank 'a gas
A bag o' nuts and a bottle 'a cherry coke
The radios singin a redneck tune
And I acted like I was George
My baseball cap became a Stetson Hat
And my tennis shoes snake skin boots

CHORUS: All I wanna do is play a few tunes
Sing a song that'll paint a smile
A laugh a tear or a dance or two
And be a star for a little while
I just wanna make my world dance
I wanna hear them singin my song
If the good Lord'll give me half a chance
I just wanna make you dance

I've been savin' my spare change
In a chipped blue mason jar
I've been payin' on my ol' lay away
A one owner Gibson Guitar
Me and my Gibson walk out on stage
And my fans stand to their feet
Singing along and clappin' in sync
They begin dancin' to the beat

(Repeat Chorus)

My faithful fans made me so proud
As they danced on our front porch swing
My wife and Billy and Callie Sue
Made me feel like the Country King
I bowed as they applauded
I thanked God for the chance
Thankful for His blessings
I'd made my whole world dance

(Repeat Chorus)

By: Mikki Jo Howard
------------------
Homegrown Country

[This message has been edited by countrylovin (edited 08-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by countrylovin (edited 08-31-2002).]

Thanks For Reading!

All Aboard For Mars

I remember mama's man of a certain charm
Set me on his shoulders,saying all aboard for Mars
His legs would start to shaking, as lift-off saw me breaking
Through the atmosphere
Was a summer lover from on the beach boardwalk
Took me out for fishing and to "learn" me with his talks
He'd never be my daddy but he was so good at it
Summer last a year
All aboard for Mars, lift-offs very near
We've started up the countdown so soon we're out of here
Astronauts, life-like robots, courageous musketeers
Pirate ships and hieroglyphs each summer would appear
Mama never told me I didn't know he died
Then one day I found it-an old cemetary guide
I knew that I'd be going, a need in me for knowing
Soon to see his grave
So it was off I went, an old guide with her mark
To lead me through my life, like any walk in the park
I brushed off the moss to see
It was then that I saw we
Shared the same last name
All aboard for Mars..lift-offs very near
We've started up the countdown
So soon we're out of here
Life's like that, too hard to grasp
It's ended all too soon
With a wink I like to think
Dad's face is on the moon

Come Down to Earth
(c) 2000 Pramod Ninan

I lived life like a dreamer building highways to the sky,
I thrived in drawing blueprints of my castles in the air,
I visioned the impossible, believed that I could fly,
But when I groped toward the forms, the substance wasn’t there.
My aims, my goals, ambitions, dreams, I found were all in vain,
The castles up above were floating on a fickle breeze.
The higher were the dreams I dreamt, the greater was the pain,
Why didn’t I sooner turn my ears to earnest angels’ pleas?

“Come down to earth!” the sea of voices cried out as I groped,
“You’re only going to burn yourself the more that you expect.
“Don’t stretch your eager arms towards the stakes you haven’t roped.
“Come down to earth, it isn’t yet too late
to resurrect.”

I passed another phase in life I never would forget,
In part arising from the dreams I’d set before my eyes;
A run of never-ending failure, sorrow and regret,
Climaxing in the thoughts of what would happen when one dies.
God promised us we won’t be asked to take what we could not.
It seemed like this had slipped His mind with reference to my case.
But just before I took the step of giving up my lot,
The mirage of the mountains died and molehills took their place.

“Come down to earth!” The voices rent the veil before my eyes.
“The waters aren’t so deep that it’s impossible to swim.
“The storm is destined to subside and you will realise-
“Come down to earth! – it isn’t yet too late
to turn to Him.”

I grew up with a confidence that follows from success,
My youth was flanked by vain and foolish praises in my ear.
I put my hand to everything and fortunes were no less.
The confidence grew surfeit leaving not a trace of fear.
My luck had swept my feet away, I sat upon a cloud,
I lost all trust in everyone except myself alone,
But just as I was dreaming that the world to me had bowed
The shouts of warning shook me up, I saw the clouds had gone.

“Come down to earth!” Once more I saw the truth of where I was.
“Why do you get so carried off by what is given you?
“If not for your Creator you’d be nothing more than flaws.
“Come down to earth! It isn’t yet too late
to change your view.”

Bridge:

Why get distracted? Why get lost?
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
Of shallow dreams you make the most!
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
Why call the mist ‘finality’?
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
Bow down to stark reality!
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
Imaginations lead to lies.
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
The time has come to rationalise.
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
Opinions seldom are unflawed.
Come down to earth! Come down to earth!
Just leave the judgements to the Lord!
To the Lord…

So often have I wished that I could break free from this dust,
Put on a pair of wings and soar in rapture to the skies,
To leave behind the cares that grew upon me like a rust
And let my body and my mind to heaven’s state arise.
‘I would I were not part’ I said, considering the earth,
I needed less of earth and more of heaven deep within,
Then revelation struck, it struck in phase with second birth-
I did not need to move a step to let the heaven in!

“Come down to earth!” The whisper of the silent voice echoed.
“Don’t waste your time in fruitless search for heaven everywhere.
“It’s right here, now, with Me, that tastes of Paradise are stored!
“Come down to earth! – and taste in truth what life
is like up there!”

Final Chorus:

Come down to earth! Like good old earth there’s not another place.
Forget the elsewheres, start to live the joy of what is real.
The clouds and mists will vanish if you just unveil your face.
Come down to earth! There’s even a taste of heaven
in the deal!

Sometimes My Imagination Wins
copyright 2001 Brooks Allen

“The good seed and the bad seed get watered just the same.
One grows into poison; one into medicine.
One kills you with a touch; the other can save your life.
The rain falls and covers the land, flows down the river and out to the seven seas.”
Says the man of the cloth on TV.
Well-meaning words are meaningless to me.
Words that cheer for both sides and I’m on neither team.
I shut my ears, and close my eyes, and look down deep within.
I see good and the fruit it bears. I see the rest for what it is.
I feel the rain falling from the sky and I know that it waters me.
Yes, sometimes my imagination wins.

“Let’s fight for this minor charged with murder in the first degree.
He’s too young for prison, and let’s stop the death penalty.
And to the family of the victim, we are sad for you.
Things happen for a reason. Have faith, be strong, and accept your destiny.”
Says the student at the courthouse rally.
Well-meaning words are meaningless to me.
Words that cheer for both sides and I’m on neither team.
I shut my ears, and close my eyes, and look down deep within.
I look over a peaceful land and the rally that I see.
Are people seeking justice for victims and their families.
Yes, sometimes my imagination wins.

“You must learn how to grieve; let him go once and for all.
His killer’s freedom you won’t accept. You live in denial.
You are angry. You feel cheated. Closure is what you need.
You have wasted many years living for the day when they bring your brother’s case to trial.”
Says the twenty-something therapist to me.
Well-meaning words are meaningless to me.
Words that cheer for both sides and I’m on neither team.
I shut my ears, and close my eyes, and look down deep within.
And I look out of my window and I see what I want to see.
Little brother walking up the front yard, coming back home again.
Yes, sometimes my imagination wins.
Yes, sometimes my imagination wins.

LET ME DWELL IN ETERNITY TODAY

by Claudia Naila Schulte
(c) 2001

(Anyone know how to reach Emmy Lou Harris? I think she'd like it!)

It’s another precious morning, another rainbow dawn
There’s a peaceful song arising -- let me keep that music strong
May there be no creeping shadows, in your Light please let me stay
Let me dwell in Eternity today.

(Chorus 1)
Give me strength in my footsteps, give me wisdom in my words
Give me kindness and love in all I say
Oh, keep me from the dangers of the mind that knows no Light
Let me dwell in Eternity today.

Now I know there’ll be times when the pain will get too strong
And that fire will burn me to the bone
And when I cry out for mercy and the strength to see me through
Hold me close, let me know I’m not alone.

(Chorus 2)
Give me solace, give me comfort, give me hope and give me joy
May I choose to give thanks for every idol you destroy
And if you should see me crying, remind me there’s another way
May I dwell in Eternity today.

And when I’m looking for that someone to be a partner on the road
A friend for the journey of my soul
Won’t you keep my eyes wide open, let your light protect my heart
Keep me here, keep my clear, and keep me whole.

(Chorus 3)
Give me peace from my desires, give me peace from all I crave
Let your Light be all I hope for come what may
Let my longing be only for the Peace that frees my soul
Let me dwell in Eternity today.

Oh, may I keep remembering you with a prayer that never ends
With every step, every breath along the way
May each hour of the day be a time I choose to pray
May I dwell in Eternity today.

(repeat Chorus 1)
Give me strength in my footsteps, give me wisdom in my words
Give me kindness and love in all I say
Oh, keep me from the dangers of the mind that knows no Light
Let me dwell in Eternity today.

[This message has been edited by Naila786 (edited 08-31-2002).]

NOT FORGOTTEN
V1
Rainy days remind me of your laughter
Blue skies remind me of your smile
I'll always think of you when it's raining
I could always feel the sunshine in your eyes
I just wish we'd had a chance to say goodbye

v2
I wish I could have known that you were leaving
I'd trade all my tommorrows for yesterdays
I don't think an hour's gone by that I haven't tried to reason why
and a picture on the wall can make me cry
Because we never had a chance to say goodbye
c
Now you're gone but not forgotten
You still live on inside of me
You've moved on to higher cotton
But in my heart is where you'll always be

v3
It seems like yesterday that you were with me
I think about you every single day
I'll keep you in my heart until I meet you
We'll laugh until the sushine fills your eyes
In a big enchanted castle in the sky
c
Now you're gone but not forgotten
You still live on inside of me
You've moved on to higher cotton
But in my heart is where you'll always be
in my heart is where you'll always be

copyright Tony Lee Johnson 2001

BARBIE

I gave them up when I was 10
but I can still remember when
just to get away from all the noise
we'd lock our bedroom door for hours
pretend we were toys

CHORUS

If I be Barbie, will you be Ken
we'll have lots of parties
invite all our friends
we'll never have to say goodnight
and we won't fight like them
if I be Barbie, will you be Ken
let's pretend

We'll never have to worry
'bout paying bills or rent
wonder where the time goes
or where the money went
we'll decorate our dream house
and never disagree
dance in the lamplight
sit down to tea

CHORUS

I'll never have to worry
'bout when you're comin home
sit up watching TV
and listenin for the phone
we'll only play the games we like
the kind where we both win
you can hold the door for her
she'll always come in

CHORUS

We'll never have to worry
'bout what the other said
remember to say "sorry"
before we go to bed
we'll jump into my corvette
and drive around the room
walk me to the closet door
kiss under the moon

If I be Barbie, will you be Ken
let's pretend

copyright Kay-lynn Carew

re; lyrics 2002

'Rivulets run to the sea'

by johnniezart

don't be too sad
at funerals in the rain
when they are gone, they are gone.
it could be more than it seems;
after all, it's raining.

after all it's raining in space
after all it's raining in time
and after all, the rain is free
and after all, the rivulets flow to the sea

where they become the rocks
and the fish and trees
and then evaporate into steam
when the volcanoes flow
and the big comets glow
takes us all on another ride
twirling star stuff on the other side

so don't be too sad
at funerals in the rain
it may be more than it seems
after all it's raining in space
after all it's raining in time
and after all, the rivulets run to the sea.

"Sunday Girl"
by Pamela Vincent c1981
(Country-humor)

The phone rings and I try
to shake the cobwebs from my head
It's you on the line
asking if I'm still in bed
I try to explain
knowing it's just a waste of time
He doesn't understand
that Sunday's all mine...

(chorus)
Cuz,
I'm just your Sunday girl
with my little Sunday smile
we get dressed in our Sunday best
and you take me out cruising
in your Sunday car.

Well I don't know, (don't know, don't know)
if it's worth it for just one day a week
cuz Sunday baby is my day
to stay in bed and sleep.

Why don't you come to me
with your Sunday style
on Thursday or maybe Friday
we could go out and have a real good time
(I'm sure)
I'll switch with another girl
for any other day of the week
but, it's "always" Sunday
and honey that's my day to stay in bed
and sleep.

(chorus)
But, I'm just your Sunday girl
with my little Sunday smile
we get dressed in our Sunday best
and you take me out driving
in your Sunday car.
Well I don't know (don't know, don't know)
if it's worth it for just one day a week
Don't-need-you Sun-Day (bae, bae)
Cuz honey that's my day to stay in bed
and Sleep!

(fade out)
I'm just your Sunday girl, I'm just your...

[This message has been edited by Pamela827 (edited 08-31-2002).]

IF ONLY I’D KNOWN
© 2002
music and lyrics by Elaine Williams

If I had known I wouldn’t be seeing you anymore;
If I had known it’d be the last time you’d be walking out the door,
I would have said how much I love you,
Let you know how much I’d miss you.
I would have held you close; I’d never want to let you go.
Oh, but I didn’t know.

If I had known we’d have no tomorrow,
I’d have said I’m sorry for all your sorrow.
We’ve had some rough times, I know I’ve hurt you so.
I would have said how much I love you,
Let you know how much I’d miss you.
I would have held you close; I’d never want to let you go.
Oh, but I didn’t know.

If I had known it’d be our last chance,
I’d have asked you for one last dance.
I would have held you in my arms the whole night through.
I would have shown you how much I love you,
Let you know how much I’d miss you.
I would have held you so close you’d never want to let me go,
Oh, but I didn’t know .

(bridge)

Tell your friends, tell all your loved ones,
Tell your wife or tell your husband,
Let your children know the feelings in your heart.
Show them how much you love them,
Let them know how much you’d miss them.
Hold them close so there’s no regret if they should go,
Oh, ‘cause you never know.

If I had known there’d be no tomorrow,
Oh, but I didn’t know.

------------------
EBW

[This message has been edited by momster (edited 08-31-2002).]

Turn These Tides
Mary K. Shanahan & Renee French
copyright 2002

The tides will turn if we beleive
That we'll pass through this stormy sea
When currents change, the moon descends
This pain will end

TURN ME AROUND I WON'T TURN AWAY
OR STAND HERE WONDERING WHAT WE SHOULD SAY
TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS TONIGHT
WE CAN TURN THESE TIDES

Broken shells regrets and more
Have turned up on these shores before
The evidence of troubled times
We survived

TURN ME AROUND I WON'T TURN AWAY
OR STAND HERE WONDERING WHAT WE SHOULD SAY
TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS TONIGHT
WE CAN TURN THESE TIDES

We'll find our way somehow
Be my friend
My lover
My forever right now

TURN ME AROUND I WON'T TURN AWAY
OR STAND HERE WONDERING WHAT WE SHOULD SAY
TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS TONIGHT
WE CAN TURN THESE TIDES

© 2002 Terry C. Graham

ALL AHEAD ONE HALF

Verse 1

The neighbours, are callin' us up
They want to shut us down
We just get rollin'
The curfew comes 'round;
When it gets too late. . . to celebrate
We finally locate. . . that sound. .

Refrain:

Isn't it always, the way it runs
Move ahead two spaces
And go back one. . .

Isn't it always, the way it runs
Move ahead two spaces
And. . . go. . . back. . . one.

Verse 2

We could work harder
At playin' it straight
Take the time
To trust that state;
A spirit in need. . . but a body weak
We cast our seed. . . on stony ground. . .

Repeat Refrain

Bridge:

We could make it happen
In the early morn
Less chance we'd be chokin'
In the smoke from the joker's horn;
We'll see it through
Be forewarned
We'll be as alive as when we're born. . .
We'll be as alive as when we're born.

Verse 3:

Enthusiasm comes
A little too late for some
When we haven't got the strength
To get up off our thumbs;
By the time we've had. . . all we wanted to take
We're not able to make. . . for higher ground. .

Repeat Refrain
Ending is a slow-down of:
"And . . go. . .back. . .one."

[This message has been edited by blakeh (edited 09-03-2002).]

RUPHIES

Tryin' to find a reason for where I been
Tryin to find an explanation for who I am
Don't know, don't remember, lost track of time,
Don't recall, I couldn't tell you, nevermind

Money's all gone, clothes are gone too
Don't know where I been or what the hell I been through
Confusion takes places, it straps itself in,
Panic takes hold of me, it practically moves in

CHORUS
Who--its taken over me
Who--its completely controlled me
Who--Can't get around it
Who--I'm surrounded by it

Do you know where I been these last few years,
Can you see my deepest fears
That I won't know, won't remember, lost track of time,
Won't recall, I couldn't tell you, nevermind

Nevermind, Nevermind

CHORUS

YOU’RE GETTING WARMER--(FEMALE vocal) c2002, Rex Poindexter

You started out so cool
I wasn’t sure you’d ever find the way
But after one or two false moves
You started learning the game
Every woman is a mystery
But you’re unlocking the secrets I keep-- yea--

You’re getting warmer
Ooh, you’re getting warmer
You’re getting close to my heart
Reach out and touch me
Say the magic words and
We’ll let the fire start

I like the way you listen
When you ask me ‘Babe, how was your day?’
You’re like the sunlight through the clouds
After a cool summer rain
I wasn’t planning on making a sound
But you got me loving out loud-- ohh--

(repeat first chorus)

Yes-- that’s the way to love me
Yes-- you've been learning how
Yes-- this is how it must be
No baby, no baby-- don’t stop now--

(repeat first chorus, then continue into--)

You’re getting warmer
Ooh, you’re getting warmer
So I can give you a hint
If you’re looking for
The door to paradise
It starts here with a kiss.

CORPSE ON THE PILLOW
by GG HILL, copyright 2000

Cat, she leaves a corpse on the pillow
For the person she must please to survive
One small bird or perfect mouse on the pillow
A live one she captured
And carefully tortured
And killed for a special
Surprise

Me, I used to be the lucky fellow
She would bring her special gifts and secrets to
Back when I, I was the guy with the pillow
Cat's wicked tongue brought me
Her cruel, funny mockeries
Of everyone
She knew

Don't know whether to laugh or cry
Is the joke on Cat or me
Don't know whether to laugh or cry
Is it joke or tragedy
Don't know whether to laugh or cry
Don't know whether to laugh and laugh and laugh
Don't know whether to
Laugh or cry

Then I learned the fear they once felt
That small bird, that tender mouse on my bed
To be carried in Cat's mouth to someone else
A shrink, some new lover,
The ghost of her mother,
Or some other voice
In her head

Don't know whether they laugh or cry
Is the joke on Cat or me
Don't know whether to laugh or cry
Is it joke or tragedy
Don't know whether to laugh or cry
Don't know whether to laugh and laugh and laugh
Don't know whether to
Laugh or cry

You can tell when she's loving you
By the look in Cat's eyes
You can tell when she's loving you
There's a look in Cat's eyes
You can tell when she's loving you
You can tell when she loving, lov-, in love
And you can can tell when she's --
Look in Cat's eyes

Cat, she was afraid of the pillow
Though it took me far too long to realize
When she came it was her act of submission
I tried but I could not
Convince her my bed's not
An altar of blood
Sacrifice

Cat, she leaves a corpse on the pillow

GG HILL copyright 2000

[This message has been edited by gg (edited 08-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by gg (edited 08-31-2002).]

LOVE’S LESSON LEARNED
by Bob Leggett

When I was young, I thought I knew it all
I wouldn’t listen that I was headed for a fall
Until that day, when you came into my life
And the next thing that I knew, I had made you my wife

CHORUS
It was just a love’s lesson learned
I never saw it coming, ‘til the day that I was burned
Loving you was hard, but afterwards it turned
Into a Love’s Lesson Learned.

We started off with children, nine months down the road
I’d never have imagined, how they added to the load
But the things my children taught me, in their own special way
Were ultimately priceless, and I’m thankful for the day

CHORUS
It was just a love’s lesson learned
I found it through the places, where my heart made me yearn
I never saw it coming, never thought that it would turn
Into a Love’s Lesson Learned

Love slowly turned to hatred , and my life turned to hell
How can you be so taken, by someone you once knew well
But looking back I’m finding, despite the agony I knew
The fact that I needed this, for with my pain, I grew

BRIDGE
Life gives us many chances to learn its lessons well
We can either learn them, and make it worth the hell
Or we can be hard-headed, and do the same old thing
That didn’t work out for us, and miss just what life brings

CHORUS
They are just love’s lessons learned
You’ll find them when you’re happy, and even when you’re burned
The fact is we’re all students, so let your hurts be turned
Into a love’s lesson learned.

Written: October 29, 2001

All That's Left Of A Livin' Man

All that's left is a cold gray stone
Markin' the man in his grave
I never laid my eyes on him
But every day I carry his name

Don't know much about the man
'Cept what I've heard from my Dad
I've heard he was a hard-drinkin' man
A logger of cold-hearted timberland

A snapshot framed on a bedroom wall
There he stood as a young man
Turn of the century immigrant
A cog in the wheel of a foreign land

If his lonely grave could talk to me
If it's lonely soul could walk with me
What would he say if he could?
What could I say if he would?

I get the blues from time to time
Thinkin' 'bout that grave in a lonely land
A cold gray stone in a crossroad's plot
All that's left of a livin' man

Copyright August, 2002
Joey Nigro-Nilsen

------------------
Visit us at www.joeyandjohn.com

[This message has been edited by thetorchsinger (edited 08-31-2002).]

C.2002 Deborah Wellings

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Inside there is a woman
cryin in the dark
tryin to be strong although
her soul's been torn apart
Beyond the walls there are children
battered by big hands
beaten by those that should
teach them how to stand

In the bed there's a little girl
lying all alone
hiding from that dreaded touch
and the horror she's been shown
down the hall is a little boy
shivering from fear
searching for his innocence
blinded by his tears

Pre-Chorus

In this world we live in
we never see the unforgiven

Chorus

Behind closed doors
the hurt remains unseen
the pain and the suffering
will not disappear
despair so often disguised
by secrecy and shame
the silence hides the screaming
and blankets out the pain
the tears flow to the ground
and lay still like the rain
they lay among the shadows
Behind closed doors is where they remain

Outside there is a young man
walkin in the streets
chasing down the dollar bills
searchin for food to eat
Down the block is a young boy
standin on the curb
staggerin with glassy eyes
tryin to be heard

Outside are all the others
abandoned by the rest
trying to be normal
drowning in loneliness
Alone they sit and wonder
why were they born gay
denying who they really are
so lost along the way

In this world we live in
we never see the unforgiven

Chorus

Bridge

Can we see the eagle fly above
can we hold out our hands with love
can we find the island in the storm
can we make sure someone else is warm
can we see beyond what appears to be
so many living quietly
can we search high above the walls
and share the light that shines on us all

End Chorus

Behind Closed Doors
the hurt remains unseen
the pain and the suffering
need to be revealed
despair should not be disguised
by secrecy and shame
the silence hides the screaming
and blankets out the pain
the tears flow to the ground
and lay still like the rain
they lay among the shadows
Behind closed doors is where they remain

Losing Powell (Storm on the Wind)
by D. Mark Edmondson
Copyright 2001

There's a storm on the wind.
Is it bringing trouble?
Will it wash away our sins?

There's a storm blowin' in.
I don't know where it ends
or where it begins.

The dam's about to break.
Hear the river rising.
Feel the earth begin to shake.

Now it's pouring down rain,
I wander to the river,
look up into the rain,
my body starts to shiver.
All I know
is that this feeling comes and goes
and the river flows.

Now the storm is gone.
I'm feeling better
and I feel it won't be long...

LONELY HEARTS LOVE MISERY
Words (& Music) by Gary Dean - (c) 2002

I was down in New Orleans
old New Orleans town
Feelin like I'd had my neck wrung
from my head on down
Then she came a-walkin
She came a-talkin up to me
I knew that she was trouble
but LONELY HEARTS LOVE MISERY

We were both kinda dangerous
a little dangerous once
Lovin all the losin types
till we'd both had too much
One thing about trouble
Raises all the possibilities
You end up payin double
but LONELY HEARTS LOVE MISERY

She wasn't doin no dance
No hard-to-get stance
Holdin center floor
Lookin so fine
Didn't deserve some old line
I'd used before

It was then she took me
took me by the hand
Not lookin for attention
but she knew I'd understand
One thing I'm sure of
Someone knows what's gonna be
I'd have to do some guessin
but LONELY HEARTS LOVE MISERY

I was seein trouble
far as I could see
Trouble was that curious
had got the best of me
Sometimes all fate leaves you
is a little bit o' dignity
I caught myself off guard
but LONELY HEARTS LOVE MISERY

------------------
Wordman

[This message has been edited by Gary Dean (edited 08-31-2002).]

The Fool
by Dave Smith
Copyright 2002

All my pick-up lines are tied-up in knots
the jukebox is playin' forget-me-nots
nothin' here moves me, you still stand in my way
it's gettin' harder and harder to get through the day

You promised me heaven, I'd settle for hell
how many others have fallen under your spell
the word around town is I was one of a crowd
whose hearts have been shattered whose souls cry out loud

Bridge:
The traits of a fool, yeah I've got 'em all
they all seem to surface at your beck & call
so I guess I'll go crawlin' back into the night
go runnin' with the shadows away from the light

You'd think by now I would've called it quits
moved on with my life but here I sit
like the fool-of-all-fools who hasn't a clue
about what I want or what next I should do

I know in the end I'll sing a sad song
but like a lovesick puppy I'll tag along
I know where we're goin', it's called Nowhere
it's miles from reality, this Fool lives there

“Love Letter”
by Chris Mac Vittie 2002/BMI/MacVitties

Looking for words for a letter to write, looking up, down, to the left and the right
Got my dictionary just in case I need a little help in the spelling department.
Takes a little time to get into the flow, Pen to the paper and away we go,
I got the ink sliding and a lot riding on the empty space below.

I’ve got punctuation, like the exclamation, to tell you all about my situation.
But there nothing here for the pain in my heart, we’re so far apart.
I need a comma to add to the drama, I’ll list all the ways that I’ll love you if you wanna - Read em slow by candlelight, just thinking about it makes it hard to write.

Oh, no “How’s The Weather” here, got to get down to it.
I wanna tell you how I feel, I wanna say,

No voice on the telephone line could ever express this kind of emotion
I may be wasting my time. Until I can make you understand.
Here’s a love a letter, to hold in your hand.

Time to start new paragraph, wish I could think of something that would make you laugh.
But I’m no Shakespeare, I’m no Blake, I’m just a man with a heart that aches.

To find a way to fit my elation in between these little quotations
I speak the words, I like the way they sound but they look so funny when I write them down.

No adjectives, I’ve ever heard, no conjugation of any verb
– is ever gonna tell you the way I feel about you.
No metaphors, no similes, no nouns or words of imagery, could capture, this feeling of a love so true.

Now the sun is setting as the room get’s dark, So here’s where I’ll put the quotation mark.
I say “I love you simple, I love you sweet, just wanna kiss you from your head to your feet.
I’ll try to please you anyway I can – if you’ll be my woman, I will be your man.”

End point, I put the period down – read this to me when you come around.

No voice on the telephone line - could ever express this kind of emotion
I may be wasting my time. No voice on the telephone line - could ever express this kind of emotion
I may be wasting my time.

Until I can make you understand.
Here’s a love letter, to hold in you hand
Here’s a love letter to hold in you hand
Here’s a love letter, to hold in you hand

BEYOND BLUE

Maybe you’re feeling blue
maybe your dream has gotten somehow, so far away from you
it’s beyond view, beyond blue

Maybe you’re angry all the time
maybe it’s all that is keepin’ you from losing your mind
it’s not hard to do, beyond blue

Maybe you’re all by yourself
maybe you wonder how or why anyone else
would want to be with you, beyond blue

Hold on, don’t go
this hell may be all you know now
but down there you’ll find this too
I love and believe in you

Maybe you lay there at night
maybe you know that on the way to getting it right
you wasted your life, beyond blue

Maybe you think of the end
maybe you know you are a burden to your one true friend
you hate being you, beyond blue

Hold on, don’t go
this hell may be all you know now
but down there you’ll find this too
I love and believe in you


Maybe you’re afraid of the fall
but maybe falling is better than nothing at all
I’ll fall with you, beyond blue

© 1999, Don Denaburg

The Perfect Son
©2001. Erica Groshens

When Daddy left my mom and me
It hurt so much I couldn't even cry
But I'd hear Momma crying
As I lay in bed and tried to sleep each night
I never knew just why he left
Thought it must be something that I'd done
I know he never would have gone
If only I had been the perfect son

Momma had to work so hard
I never heard her laugh or saw her smile
I knew that she was lonely
Since Daddy'd packed his things and said goodbye
I tried to make her happy
To be the boy she'd want me to become
I knew that I could be enough
If only I could be the perfect son

Then one day Momma said she'd made a friend
And I noticed that she'd started smiling again
And when we met, I never would have dreamed
How much that man would someday mean to me

When he and Mom got married
He said I didn't have to call him Dad
But what else would I call
The greatest friend that I have ever had
Don't know how I got so lucky
When it comes to Dad's, he's the perfect one
And just the way I am
He thinks that I am the perfect son

[This message has been edited by rickigirl (edited 08-31-2002).]

Some Of My Best Friends Are Songs

People will move...they'll pass on, look around one day they're gone
leaving you to make it on your own
folks told me it was risky, to be alone with whiskey
but I never had to drink alone

'cause some of my best friends are songs
some of my best friends are songs

though a man needs things near him, he must watch who he lets in
dogs will die, women run away
and I've long since discovered, after your dogs n lovers
have left old records still play

now some of my best friends are songs
some of my best friends are songs
they love me for better or worse
rich or poor, right or wrong
some of my best friends are songs

songs I wish would never end
that squeeze life from ev'ry minute
songs by long forgotten men
who learned the ground's the limit

midnight walk down rainy streets, no women...no one to meet
I duck in a dark saloon
though I've been feeling lonely, I quit drinking...I'm only
here for a Hank Williams tune

'cause some of my best friends are songs
some of my best friends are songs
they love me for better or worse
rich or poor, right or wrong

some of my best friends are songs
some of my best friends are songs

(c)2002 Robert George

We Spat Grape Hulls on the Hole
(by that old arbor pole)

Copyright 2001, Dusk Wilson-Weaver(BMI)

We spat grape hulls on the hole
By that old arbor pole
And we thought that stomachaches
From eatin' too much grapes
Was the worst that could happen at the most
But when that hull-plugged hole did bulge
Then blew off our grapey lid
Well, God forbid!
What had been hid
Made us call on the Heavenly Host...

CHORUS
For it was Yellow Jacket City
It was a town without pity
That sent out every resident in flight
What to chase us till we cried
What to sting us deaf and dumb
And to give us all one heart-stopping fright

So we took off 'cross the yard
One man, one boy, one dog
And we pumped our legs
Like Mark Twain's jumping frog
Yeah, we really hauled some ass
We were traveling first class
Till that swarm of bees
Caught us near the trees
In a horrible yellow fog

BRIDGE
We must have looked like homemade sin
We must have made one hellish din
As we flailed and hollered
"Jesus, help us please!"
For if you ever have been stung
By the awful likes of them
Then you must know
It's like a hammer blow
Then an aching, quaking quease

CHORUS

But the Good Lord smiled on us
At least the boy and me that is
'Cause every one of those
Yellow jackets flew
Right to the jet-black coat
Of our faithful, fleeing pooch
And they tried and tried
To nail his hide
Through that long, long hair he grew

So my boy and I we raced
To the coiled-up garden hose
And we turned it on
We let that water rip
And we damn near drowned our dog
Blasting off that yellow fog
But blast we did
And it's no lie, kid...
Back to that pole we took a hikin' trip

For it was Yellow Jacket City
And we gave that town no pity
That'd sent out every resident in flight
Yeah, we burned the whole thing down
Hey! we burned it underground
Then we ate and ate another ton o' grapes
Till the coming of the night
Oh, we ate and ate another ton o' grapes
Till the coming...of the night

(segue into chorus of early evening crickets)

[This message has been edited by Dusk Wilson-Weaver (edited 08-31-2002).]

Come September
Kaley Willow
C2002

Now..we..are..here
Touching tomorrow
We've tasted sorrow
And laughed away..all our fears
A curtain call
And darkness dances
As summer's chances
Fade into Fall

Chorus
But.....Come September, I'll remember
How the breeze blew through your hair
No golden splendor could compare
To such beauty sweet and rare
Come September, fiery embers
In my memory will live on
I'll see your tear-drop smile
Long after September's gone

Trees..lose..their..leaves
To Autumn meadows
Like them, I'll let go
And take the time..to grieve
One silent night
Or misty morning
Though you gave warning
We'll face goodbye

Chorus
But.....Come September, I'll remember
How the breeze blew through your hair
No golden splendor could compare
To such beauty sweet and rare
Come September, fiery embers
In my memory will live on
I'll see your tear-drop smile
Long after September's gone

I'll see your tear-drop smile
Long after September's gone

The Hollow
music and lyrics by C. Ashleigh Caldwell
All rights reserved..
Crazy Ash Prod. Copy 2002

(inspired by the Los Angeles club scene)

Confetti lights flicker down in gold and calm
A passing high, passing it into your palm
Behind the stall are three or four
Glasses crashing to the floor
You coat a shade of red
You stare into looking glass
Blackness thickens in your head
But this will pass
Uou know it will pass

You return to confetti lights
Now raining down in silver hue
Keeping time all skin and bones
In feathered trends and denim blue
This one says you’re beautiful
It hits you with a ghostly air
Deadly still you plead the truth
Grasping to his hollow stare
There is nothing there
Only hollow there

Chorus:
Behind the ropes a crowd awaits
The chosen passing through these gates
Behind the leather, leopard fluff
I call the hidden phantom’s bluff
So high, so low
So high, so low

One hit, Two hit
Red hit, Blue hit
So High, so Low

Showered in confetti bright
Now I have discovered you!
A tranzic path bathed in light
The darkest black comes splashing through
I curse your empty promise land!
I curse your beat that I obey!
I curse them all that led me here
Yet I return and here I stay
I return and I will stay

Chorus:
Behind the ropes a crowd awaits
The chosen passing through these gates
Behind the leather, leopard fluff
I call the hidden phantom’s bluff
So high, so low
So high, so low

One hit, Two hit
Red hit, Blue hit
So high, So low

Confetti lights flicker down
In gold and calm
A passing high passing it into your palm
Only hollow here
Only hollow here
Only hollow here
In the Hollow

JUST ANOTHER DAY
© Copyright Graham Henderson 2002
Heavy Metal Thrash @132 BPM

Waking up is a strange thing. When I thought to sleep forever.
Foggy brain won’t reason. Just wants to sleep for ever.
Tumbled thoughts crawl mind-ward. Searching for release.
I know a new day’s coming. But all I want is peace.

Last time I woke up. You were nowhere to be seen.
Just an open closet. Where your case and clothes had been.
No note but the message. Of the fragrance that you wore.
And the key I gave you. On the hallstand by the door.

Chorus
Just another day. Just another day. I want to sleep for ever.
Just another day. Of wasted dreams. I want to sleep for ever.
Don’t you try to wake me. Just to say hello.
Let me sleep forever. If you think you have to go.

Just another day. Just another day, Just, another, day.

I walked the streets. And tried the bars. Searching for your face.
Fruitlessly I rang around. Couldn’t find you any place.
Went home to a cold room. With a bottle for a
friend.
Sat up to God knows when. Talking to my friend.

Chorus
Just another day. Just another day. I want to sleep for ever.
Just another day. Of wasted dreams. I want to sleep for ever.
Don’t you try to wake me. Just to say hello.
Let me sleep forever. If you think you have to go.

Just another day. Just another day, Just, another, day.
Instrumental

What is life without friendship. What is life without love.
What is life without reason. What is life without love.
Why should I wake up. To face another day.
Why should I bother. For just another day.

Chorus
Just another day. Just another day. I want to sleep for ever.
Just another day. Of wasted dreams. I want to sleep for ever.

Don’t you try to wake me. Just to say hello.
Let me sleep forever. If you think you have to go.

Just another day. Just another day, Just, another, day.

Maybe there is hope yet. That I will find my way.
Maybe I should have a go. For just another day.
Maybe there is someone. Headed right my way.
Better give it my best shot. For just another day

Changed Chorus
Just another day. Just another day. It could mean forever.
Just another day. Of building dreams. No more to say never.
Thank you for waking me. Even though you will not stay.
Guess it’s time to face the world. And build a brand new day.

Just another day. Just another day, Just, another, day
Just another day. Just another day, Just, another, day

------------------
http://www.songramp.com/homepage.ez?Who=grahamhenderson

The Time of the Phoenix
by Renee Alper

When your world has crumbled and your life seems like it’s cursed
And everywhere you turn you see destruction at its worst
In the ashes of the chaos is the place of the rebirth
It’s the time of the phoenix

When you’re feeling like a lab rat in a race that never ends
And enemies appear in faces that you thought were friends’
When change seems like the only thing on which you can depend
It’s the time of the phoenix

CHORUS:
It’s the time of the phoenix--
Are you ready for your new life to begin?
It’s the time of the phoenix--
Can you face the fact this time you’re gonna win?

Sometimes it takes the closing of a door for you to see
A better way has opened for you unexpectedly
Just when you think you’ve bottomed out’s the time you’re really free
It’s the time of the phoenix

CHORUS:
It’s the time of the phoenix--
Are you ready for your new life to begin?
It’s the time of the phoenix--
Can you face the fact this time you’re gonna win?

BRIDGE:
The phoenix only rises when your life is in despair
The fire’s finished burning, and your world seems past repair
It springs up with its outspread wings and soars into the air
Flying high, flying high

So keep your spirits lifted and your eyes turned toward the skies
Remember that a hardship’s just a lesson to the wise
And as the metamorphosis begins, you realize
It’s the time of the phoenix

CHORUS:
It’s the time of the phoenix--
Are you ready for your new life to begin?
It’s the time of the phoenix--
Can you face the fact this time you’re gonna win?

Copyright (c) 1999 by Renee Alper All Rights Reserved

[This message has been edited by reneealper (edited 08-31-2002).]

"AMERICAN DREAM"

Lyrics by
TIMOTHY DEAN WATSON, DDS (c)2002

How grand a statue,
Silent lighthouse of liberty,
With a torch in her hand,
Beaming hope to each land,
Whether near or across the sea.

How grand a statue,
Born a gift from another shore.
Copper robe, copper hair,
Leading souls to repair,
Always longing for even more,

And yet ...

So strong a lady,
Who stood firm in the light of day,
With a pain in her side,
And a blow to her pride,
Knowing still what she had to say.

That all men should be free,
Peace forevermore,
Harmony, serenity,
And love at every door.

So onward she'll guide us,
Through storms that would hide us,
And help the world understand,
The way we dream.

How grand a statue,
Standing for our dream.
Ever standing for our dream.

I Was There

copyright (c) 2002 by Peter Spotts

>verse

Wound down isn't it so
Wound down in the hole
Found out why I am low
All I should have known
Found out where I should go
Millions and millions of years ago

>chorus riff

Prehistoric
Can't ignore it
Thank the gods I've discovered fire
Painting cave walls
What if she calls
Stone Age gonna make me a liar
Higher

>verse

Calm down don't you know
Just a kiss before you go
Pterydactyls break
On the inventions that I make
Hang on to my hair
I'll take you everywhere

>chorus riff

I've been drawing on the cave/I've been kicking in the womb
I've been writing nasty words/In the Pharoh's tomb
I was there to meet the boat/there to make it float
I've seen them come I've seen them go
You'd think I oughta know

Got the rhythm I got the rap/bit my leg off in a trap
I set the Word to music/sat on the real Santa's lap
I took Remus off the teat/taught him to cook wolf meat
Sat upon the grassy knoll/Watching Dallas rock 'n' roll

>verse

Vampires take me to lunch
Hoping to prove that hunch
Dry up with a touch of the blunt
Tears interfere with the hunt
Drill down in your soul
Thrill town's always ready to roll

BREAK

>chorus riff

I've been reading all the books/I've been looking up the rules
Taking in the instant wisdom/And throwing up in school

I've been practicing my craft/Jacking in the sack
Waiting for the quiet moment when I hear the membrane crack
I've looked around a time or two/Ans found most anything will do
It only stings a little bit/When they slip it into you

From the cradle to the grave
From the oven to the plate
From the hello to the bed
From the TV in your head

You may be wiser than I am
You may be wise but I was there
You may be wiser than I am
You may be wise but I was there
You may be wiser than I am
You may be wise but I was there
You may be wiser than I am
You may be wise but I was there

-----------------------

Pretty wordy I know. It actually times in about 4 minutes.

Peter

We will open voting in the next few days. Until then, please read all the posts, take notes on your favorites and get ready to help nominate the best lyrics!

I am in the process of numbering the entries here. For a short time, there will be no posting allowed. Remember, no further lyrics entered after this post are eligible for this years Lyric Awards.

Thanks to all who entered! Good luck to everyone,