1. |
Stars
03:49
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Remember we could see the stars
At 2am so many stars
The sky was dense with glitter
The milky way was ours
Now they've taken back their shine
Left only empty sky behind
All our artificial light
Renders us night vision blind
The last glimpse of infinity
Flickers then its gone
When the last star dies of loneliness
What will we make wishes on
The small towns everywhere we go
Lit up like Times Square and Tokyo
Scattering reflecting rays
That alter rhythms with their glow
Oceans used to seem so vast
Night time there would surely last
But the fishing boats with all their rigging
Swallow darkness as they pass
Chorus
Remember we could see the stars
At 2am so many stars
The sky was dense with glitter
The milky way was ours
Chorus
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2. |
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Damned if I know how the whole thing came unwound
It was all smooth sailing then the ship just ran aground
Now we're stuck here in the doldrums until high tide and steady winds
Trying to make up our minds about each other again
Was a time I could read the sky
The way the clouds moved, how the birds would fly
I don't know the reason I don't think about it much
But there's a subtlety to seasons and I have lost my touch
We are at the mercy of the waves and of the tides
Sometimes the calm is worse than the storm
We are at the mercy of the waves deep inside
Sometimes the calm is worse than the storm
First I was angry at the sky and at the sea
Convinced that they had conspired to work against me
It was a strange way of thinking in the heat I had gone made
As my hopes were sinking rage was all I had
When my mind was still I could hear my own heartbeat
Feel the wind on my face the sand beneath my feet
Saw that it was my choice if this was hell or paradise
And if its up to me I will not think twice
Chorus
After nineteen days the tempest tipped her hand
Rains came down 'til the water reached the land
As quick as she was stranded my ship was on the main
Not as I had planned yet I was captain again
Chorus
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3. |
Prelude To The Fall
04:04
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Buzz buzz damn mosquito flying around my head
Torturing me with your tiny sound as I lie here in my bed
I should be sleeping I should be dreaming but I am wracked with guilt instead
How can I profess my love for all living things still wish that you were dead
Oh we are headed for a fall
We are no match for these creatures great and small
If the world is infinite grace after all
We are heading for a fall
Now wait a minute don't be so rash there is purpose to every thing
Reason beyond our knowing beyond the joy that somethings bring
They can't all be ponies, pigs, or penguins, bunnies, bears or birds that sing
In short I will not do it I will not make its death bell ring
You know you won't be happy if I don't get some rest
Get over here and get to doing that thing that you do best
Go on now kill it, end it, slay that beast leave a smudge where your hand pressed
It's just a tiny insect next to nothing to confess
Chorus
The deed is done, the die is cast I have destroyed part of creation
I am sure our evil ways have cursed us to damnation
But this can't go down in the book for future generations
Let's blame it on a big old snake the Devil's incarnation
Chorus
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4. |
The Price Of War
03:26
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The price of war is standing in your doorway
Looking at what used to be the house across the street
The price of was is crouching next to your feet
Looking up and wondering will there be enough to eat
Oh the price of war is your tear falling on his cheek
Not because he might be hungry but because there was a boy across the street
Luxury is tragedy unfolding
On a screen you can turn off when you can't take any more
Luxury is a heart filled with sadness
Over someone else's grief a kind that you have never felt before
Oh luxury is standing in your doorway
Welcoming a mother who has paid the price of war
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5. |
Smoke and Mirrors
02:52
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What if I'm just smoke and mirrors?
What if I'm just sleight of hand?
We try to fool each other the best we can
Damn, damn
I can tell a pretty good story
Talk about your misspent youth
Always end up with redemption
But there's never any proof
Truth, damn truth
Thought we played our roles quite nicely
Dressed up in suits and skirts
Acting like we meant forever
Trying to get out first
Hurts, damn truth hurts
Its hard to build a future
When your past is made of sand
Everything that we hold onto
Slips through our hands
Damn, damn
What if I'm just smoke and mirrors?
What if I'm just sleight of hand?
Damn
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6. |
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They call me “Side Trips” Quinn it's a name I've earned
For all the times that I have turned
From the main drag onto a tangential road
Now the interstate system is fast and efficient
For most folks A to B is sufficient
But I prefer a more circuitous mode
Oh the places we've been the things we've seen
The good the bad the in between
Most times it works out pretty well
We are perpetually late
Curiosity seals our fate
But oh the stories we could tell
Out where the pavement is unlined
Might be smack dab in the middle of sublime
But please keep this in mind
We wind up three blocks from sketchy from time to time
He took a wrong left turn and then another
So determined to discover
Mechanical creations of a strange french man
The neighborhood was looking mighty grim
He took one more left though the odds were slim
Saying two wrongs don't make a right but three lefts can
Well the neighborhood was in decline
But she's exaggerating its decline
And the man we met was brilliant and fascinating
He made a wind-up doll that took a drink
Turned and gave Christine a wink
It was amazing work he'd spent his life creating
Chorus
There's dinosaur world and miniature Graceland, art cars, Saltville, the button man
A beer can house made of empty beer cans, These guys have too much time on their hands
Giant garden gnome and a giant guitar, the toenails of Elvis on display in a jar,
A taxidermy dog as a tap in a bar, some folks take it just a little too far
Whirligigs made from recycled signs, the tiniest church, the biggest ball of twine
Airstream trailers all stood up in a line some of this stuff will really blow your mind
Teepee motel and a dog mausoleum, yards full of yard art ad nauseum
A teapot shaped teapot museum if you never leave the highway you're never gonna see 'em
If you think it's all about the stuff then you don't know me well enough
I want to meet the folks that create this roadside art
Maybe catch a glimpse or just a feeling the kind that sets my senses reeling
I want to know what's in their minds and in their hearts
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7. |
Dandelion
03:45
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Dandelion, you have earned all of my respect
Dandelion, you have learned how to thrive on neglect
The neighbors eye look at you with disgust as you bloom in the spring
They try to pull you out, mow you down, poison you with dust how do you survive everything
Deep roots and a sunny disposition
Ride on the wind
They call me a weed but I know I'm a flower
So I'm not giving in
Andy walks to the bus stop every working day
The idle boys yelling down the block, can't believe the things they say
Andy keeps singing, always smiles as he walks on by
When a couple of blocks can feel like miles how do you hold your head up high
Deep roots
Andy I just don't get why you try so hard
Its just how peoples minds are set, the way that they are wired
I don't do it for them I do it for me and everybody standing in line
If I'm gonna change other people's hearts I've got to start with mine
Deep roots
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8. |
We Can
03:56
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We can, we can make a difference if we try
We can, we can change the world you and I
There's a teacher at my daughter's school
Somehow she makes it seem cool
to like complex calculations and poetry
It's a shame how little she gets paid
But I show her that she makes the grade
When I vote to increase her salary
It's not much but it's something I can do
Just a little thing but if you do it too
We can...
A new couple moved in down the street
The neighbors haven't tried to meet
Because they look and act a little differently
I might not change how people think
But sharing dinner and a drink
Shows different is alright by me
It's not much...We can...
We blame corporations and the government
For how money is made and money is spent
The truth is both of them are us
So I will act the way I think
Help people swim instead of sink
Share the joy of being generous
It's not much...We can...
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9. |
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Your father and my father both fought in the war
They came from different tribes they came from different shores
They believed in god and country, family and pride
They swore they would protect us from the other side
Your father and my father have stories they could tell
About the burden of a soldier to survive a living hell
After what they've seen and what they've done they both feel justified
To swear they will protect us from the other side
From generation to generation we are told how it was when
Fear found evil in good and decent men
We are living in a world of wealth and wisdom wonders without end
If we can't make peace now then when
Your father and my father worked hard, they made plans
Everything the dreamed us has been placed into our hands
Let's honor and respect them, swear upon our lives
That we will never, ever be each other's other side
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10. |
Narrow Passage
03:43
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On a narrow passage, just above the James
The first week of November the leaves were red with change
A bitter wind blew from the east, cold steel through my heart
In a storm of angry voices can the healing start
Take comfort in the tall trees
They survive the cold
The can spread their branches
Because their roots take hold
I gathered up my tools to do the work that must be done
To build a place of refuge where all my friends can come
They will fill the house with kindness it will overflow with love
We have everything we need to rise above
Chorus
In time all of our neighbors will see what we created
Marvel at what's made by those who loved instead of hated
Will we lock our doors as others once had done
Or see they're on a narrow passage their journey's just begun
Chorus
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11. |
All This Living
04:36
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This is my heart
Still warm and beating
Placed in your hands
For safe keeping
Please be kind
Be forgiving
It's seen hard times
In all this living
Bwaga moyo
This is my heart
Missing pieces
Trusting in you
To bear witness
Please be careful
With your grieving
It's seen hard times
In all this living
Bwaga moyo
This is my heart
So tired of beating
Placed next to yours
For time keeping
Please be steady
With your rhythm
It's seen hard times
In all this living
Bwaga moyo
*bwagamoyo is a swahili word meaning lay down your heart
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