Words

The Lights of Brigantine

Eisenhower Summer 1952

Diner

Hard Love

The Path of Least Resistance

Cross the Wide Missouri

Promises and Rain

Radio Road

Steel and Stone

Old Dancing Fool

Better Man

The Lights of Brigantine

(All songs ©George Wirth, Rosie's Cafe Music)

EISENHOWER SUMMER, 1952

Saturday morning, 10:00 AM, she’s walking out the door

Her old man is still in bed sleeping off the night before

She’s heading up to Main Street on this warm July

She's off to see another side of life go marching by

A thousand 48-star flags are waving up and down the street

Cops in full-dress uniform, standing in the heat

With hot dog stands and marching bands, it’s all red, white and blue

It’s an Eisenhower summer, 1952

Old folks are lined along the curb, parked in folding chairs

Kids are climbing lamp posts and running everywhere

It’s a symphony of sight and sound on a perfect summer day

And the crowd down here lets out a cheer as the band begins to play

Xylophones and snare drums set the rhythm and the rhyme

Majorettes spin steel batons and step in perfect time

And the high school band is wailing, man, they’re just about in tune

They’ll be playing in the park tonight beneath that summer moon

Here comes the new Miss Rheingold in a brand-new Cadillac

She’s waving at the people and they’re all waving back

And she looks just like her picture, up on that billboard sign

Five foot two, eyes of blue, lips like cherry wine

There’s that brand-new fire truck, an adolescent’s dream

The chrome is polished up so bright, it makes it hard to see

And the driver makes that siren sing with a face that’s filled with pride

Kids are lining up around the block to take her for a ride

Now the boys from the VFW come by with new recruits

In uniforms that fit too tight and worn-out combat boots

Some of them are looking back and some look straight ahead

And some look like they’d rather be somewhere else instead

Jaycees and Young Republicans are marching to the beat

Democrats for Stevenson are staring at their feet

When even little kids sing “I like Ike” there’s not much left to lose

In an Eisenhower summer, 1952

Now everybody gathers in the square once they get downtown

There’s nothing left but speeches, things start winding down

And she doesn’t speak much English, but she stays until the end

Then she heads back down Grove Avenue on that long walk home again

On Monday she’ll be back at work at the factory down the street

Hands burning from the acid wash, all day on her feet

She’ll close her eyes and visualize a sky of perfect blue

From an Eisenhower summer day, 1952

DINER

I’m sittin’ right here in my usual seat

In this diner down on Water Street

Gus is in the back, you can hear him shout

He says “Pick em’ up, pass em’ out”

The mornin’ crowd they come and go

The radio is playin’ low

The girls turn it up, Gus keeps turning it down, down, down ....

And I’m sittin’ here, watchin’ the world go ‘round

Baby got a brand-new diamond ring

She’s walkin’ up and down showin’ off that thing

Buddy gave it to her when he got off work

He’s a two-time loser, she loves the jerk

He’s pumpin’ gas down at Super Dave’s

Workin’ nights at the Shop n’ Save

He says this time he won’t let her down, down, down ....

And I’m sittin’ here watchin’ the world go ‘round

You drive a Cadillac or a pickup truck

Everybody wants to change their luck

You can search and search your whole life through

For what’s sittin’ right there in front of you

It might be sittin’ right there in front of you ….

Now Rita says “What can I get you, Babe?”

She calls everybody Babe

She’s been workin’ this joint since God knows when

Up every mornin’ at five AM

She’s got a two-pack habit, graveyard cough

Four more hours till she gets off

She’ll get a little sleep and then she’ll go out on the town, town, town ….

And I’ll still be sittin’ here watchin’ the world go ‘round

Well you can get knocked down, you can get back up

You can hide behind your coffee cup

You can lose your step, you can miss your stride

Or you can get on board and take that ride

Get on board and take that ride, yeah ….

Now Baby and Rita put on a good show

From the last goodbye to the first hello

I love a girl in a uniform

They’re not the ones I come here for

You’re the one I’m here to see

I got an empty stool right next to me

Nothing else I can offer you

Just a love that’s real and a heart that’s true

So honey sit awhile as the day goes down, down, down ….

And we’ll both watch this world go ‘round

HARD LOVE

Standin’ on the platform, Jersey Coast Line station

Wonderin’ what she ever did to end up like this

Suitcase with a broken latch, a roll of singles in her pocket

And the bitter taste of blood and tears from last night’s Judas kiss

A tattoo underneath her eye to remind her of her virtue

And one that’s burned into her heart to remind her of her sin

And she tells herself that this time when that train pulls from the station

She’ll ride it like a memory and she won’t be back again

And it’s hard, hard love, hard love you know

It’s hard, hard, hard ….

And it’s hard, hard love, hard love you know

And it’s hard, hard love ….

Ocean County boatyard, pallets and a forklift

A hammer poundin’ in his head and a fire down below

And last night’s just an echo from another lifetime

Like some old broken melody on a dime-store radio

Now it’s bloodstains on a dirty shirt and pockets full of nothin’

And a coat that’s made of guilt and shame, worn for all these years

And he tells himself that this time when he steps into the kitchen

He’ll find the man he used to be reflected in her tears

And it’s hard, hard love, hard love you know

It’s hard, hard, hard ….

And it’s hard, hard love, hard love you know

And it’s hard, hard love ….

Standin’ by the window, day-old cup of coffee

A suitcase with a broken latch underneath the bed

Headlights in the driveway, footsteps in the alley

And a train pulls in a station a hundred miles away

And it’s hard, hard love, hard love you know

It’s hard, hard, hard ….

And it’s hard, hard love, hard love you know

And it’s hard, hard love ….

THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE

There’s an old faded picture somewhere down inside a shoebox

Of a ragged lookin’ kid standing underneath a windmill

Cigarette hangin’ from his mouth, grinnin’ at the camera

He's all of sixteen tryin’ to look like thirty-two

All of sixteen tryin’ to look like thirty-two ….

Back in 1937 my old man sailed across the ocean

With a friend of his named Ollie who had relatives in Holland

With a seven-dollar suitcase and an eighth-grade education

He shipped out of New York City to go and see the world

By the time he got back home again the world was full of thunder

And it wasn’t too long after that he shipped back out again

This time he had a rifle, dog tags and a number

And a knot of fear he did his best to bury deep within

Now some folks say that everything in life is what we make it

Some folks say that every step we take is preordained

I think mostly we all walk a path of least resistance

For the good we take the credit and for the bad we pass the blame

Now the old man died some time ago and I never thought I’d miss him

But sometimes late at night I feel him underneath my skin

He had an emptiness he tried to fill with medicine and whiskey

But they just fed the fire that finally did him in

Sometimes I wish that I could step inside of that old picture

Maybe sit and talk awhile with that sixteen-year-old kid

And I wouldn’t ask no questions, I’d just listen to his story

And the sound of that old windmill in its never-ending spin

Back in 1937 my old man sailed across the ocean

With a friend of his named Ollie who had relatives over in Holland

With a seven-dollar suitcase and an eighth-grade education

He shipped out of New York City to go and see the world

He shipped out of New York City to go and see the world ….

CROSS THE WIDE MISSOURI

My father’s father, he was a sailor

As my father was before me

And I was baptized in these waters

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

Now as a young man I courted Annie

One early spring we were married

And our love did grow as the river flowed

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

Side by side we sailed together

Through sunny days and stormy weather

We swore that one day we’d sail forever

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

Last night I woke to distant thunder

I called Annie’s name but I got no answer

Just the sound of one heart beating

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

Now as I sit here in these shadows

And as I look out from my window

I can hear that thunder rolling

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

Tonight I’ll walk down to the water

And let that river take me under

And when I wake I’ll be delivered

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

Shenandoah, I long to see you

Far beyond this lonely river

Where I know my heart lies waiting

Away, far away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

I’m bound away ….

Cross the wide Missouri

PROMISES AND RAIN

Summer town, shut down, January night

Last one out turns off the light

Red light, green light, that’s a joke

You can go through red, you can go through green

You can go through anything in between

Cars blow through this town like it was made of smoke

Up above a storefront, third-floor room

Sleepin’ in your clothes by the light of the moon

Heat lamp, red glow, got the radio on

Christ this goddamn place is cold

Plastic on the window snaps when the wind blows

Atlantic City station is playin’ a country song

Promises and rain, promises and rain

Fallin’ all around this town, some things never change

All we get are promises and rain ….

The wind kicks in from across the lake

Rain so sharp it’ll cut your face

One false move tonight and it’s goodbye John

Pizza joint, gin mill, Redman’s Lodge

Paper store, Texaco, Harold’s Pool Hall

They’re all locked up tight, they got the radio on

It goes on and on ....

Promises and rain, promises and rain

Fallin’ all around this town, some things never change

All we get are promises and rain ….

Louie got arrested, who knows why

Holly got killed on the Fourth of July

Davy’s still tryin’ to pass the civil service exam

Sandy says he’s gonna move way down south

If that AC Electric job don’t pan out

And everybody’s talkin’ about some place called Vietnam

Trouble’s on the way, it’s just a matter of time

Talk that talk, you better walk that line

Dance with the devil, man, there’s gonna be a price to pay

So take that punch, baby, taste that blood

Do it for hate, do it for love

The fire’s lookin’ better than the slow burn anyway

No matter what they say ….

Promises and rain, promises and rain

Pick one or the other, man, it all comes out the same

All we get are promises ….

Promises and rain, promises and rain

Fallin’ all around this town, some things never change

All we get are promise and rain ….

RADIO ROAD

When I was a young man I thought I was a rolling stone

No connection, no direction home

I spoke the words of other men

I thought that I was just like them

I looked for answers in the wind ....

I met her one night out on Radio Road

The band was playin’ loud, people dancin’ slow

The singer called out “Just one more”

I never felt so alone before ....

She walked up to me and asked if I wanted to dance

I looked away, she said “Come on baby, take a chance”

Then she took me by the hand

We started swayin’ with the band

She moved in real close and then ….

She kissed me in a way I’d never been kissed before

I wanted that kiss to last forever

I told her I was no James Dean

She just smiled and said “You coulda’ fooled me”

Then she whispered in my ear

Something only I could hear

And everything got real clear ….

She kissed me in a way I’d never been kissed before

I wanted that kiss to last forever

Well it’s been a lot of years since she walked up to me that night

One look in her eyes and I know I must have done something right

Sometimes at night on the radio

They play that song that we both know

She smiles at me and away we go ….

She kissed me in a way I’d never been kissed before

I wanted that kiss to last forever

Now when I was a young man I thought I was a rolling stone

And that I’d always walk this world alone

I tell you boys, it’s strange to see

Just how wrong a man can be

I got my baby right here with me ....

She kissed me in a way I’d never been kissed before

I wanted that kiss to last forever

STEEL AND STONE

They used to roll these streets up in the fall

You could drive from Maine to Chelsea and never stop at all

Street lamps burnin’ low this time of night

Signals down, flashing yellow lights

Now they bus ‘em in from outta state

They come in early and they come in late

The neon burns and the clocks don’t run

You can spend your whole life here now and never see the sun

Steel and stone, steel and stone

It don’t fall apart like flesh and bone

Steel and stone, steel and stone

Still be standing when I’m gone

I worked this beach just like my father did

Before the war when he was just a kid

A union man down to the bone

He traded sand and sea for steel and stone

Now shadows fall on the promenade

Cast by buildings that my father made

Built to last, foundations strong

They’re still standing, he’s all gone

Steel and stone, steel and stone

It don’t fall apart like flesh and bone

Steel and stone, steel and stone

Still be standing when I’m gone

Tell my sister that I’m doing well

Tell my brother only time will tell

Tell my baby not to cry

Tell my friends I’ll see ‘em down the line

Steel and stone, steel and stone

It ain’t no substitute for flesh and bone

Steel and stone, steel and stone

Won’t make no difference when we’re gone

OLD DANCING FOOL

Well I ain’t no dancer, I never have been one

Some let it all out, I keep it all in on the inside

Down in the dark, right where it belongs

I know that a dance is the one thing you’ve wanted

To glide round the floor, unshackled, undaunted

Holdin’ each other and hummin’ along with the song

Now I might be mistaken, but ain’t that a waltz they’re playin’?

The dance floor is full, couples are spinin’ and swayin’

They’re swayin’ ….

If a dance was a diamond I would have bought it

Anything honey, you want it you got it

Whatever it takes, I’ll do my best to come through

So hold on sugar, here it comes baby

I’d be delighted if you would accompany me

Out on the floor for a turn with an old dancin’ fool

Now I might be mistaken, but ain’t that a waltz they’re playin’?

The dance floor is full, couples are spinnin’ and swayin’

Yeah they’re swayin’ ….

Well if we close our eyes and hold on to each other

Who knows baby, we may discover

The world slips away and we can dance without movin’ at all

So let the night go by, let the lights turn blue

You hold on to me and I’ll hold on to you

We’ll let it all slip away and dance without movin’ at all

Let it all slip away and dance without movin’ at all

BETTER MAN

The house is dark and the hour’s late

I watch you sleep and each breath you take

Is stirrin’ up old memories

Someone like you, someone like me

A cold wind blows against our door

Honey let it blow, I don’t care no more

There ain’t no place I’d rather be

Than here with you, here with me

I played the fool so many times

I broke your heart and I made you cry

Tell me baby, can you see

A better man inside of me?

The night is cold, this bed is warm

And as I hold you in my arms

I fall into the mystery

Someone like you, someone like me

Someone like you, someone like me

THE LIGHTS OF BRIGANTINE

I see you sittin’ in the kitchen in your mother’s house

It’s a hot summer night on Holly Lake

The cards are on the table, your little sister's on my knee

She holds her breath, waits to see who’s gonna make that first mistake

And everybody’s laughin’ when the cards come tumblin’ down

Your little sister’s rollin’ on the floor

Your mother leans against the counter with that secret smile

Your sister's pickin’ up the cards, she says “Can we play one more?”

Just one more ….

Your mother sits and taps her toe, we got Motown on the radio

Levi Stubbs got the Detroit Blues

He says he just can’t help himself, says it’s you and nobody else

And I believe every single word he says is true

He says sugar pie honey bunch, you know that I love you

I can’t help myself, it’s you and nobody else

Nobody else ….

One more round it’s time to go, I’m out the door and down the road

Behind the wheel of that old Chevrolet

I got a brand-new set of retreads, half a tank of gas

Point that Chevy south and head out toward Great Bay

Down the boulevard

Great Bay Boulevard ….

It’s a two-lane stretch of blacktop, starts at Highway 9

And it ends out where the asphalt turns to sand

Ten miles through open meadow, reed grass growin’ high

You can see the lights of Brigantine if you step out on the strand

Cross the seven bridges, past the old boat yard

There's a burned-out Coast Guard station on the right

Everybody says it haunted and I believe it’s true

But I don’t care about no ghost tonight

Not tonight ….

And the Seven Island factory is lit up like a Goddamn Christmas tree

Seagulls chase the fishin’ boats as they come ‘round the bend

You can hear them diesels scream for oil, get 'em in before they spoil

And the voices of the deck hands, they carry on the wind

They say haul away ….

Haul away boys ….

Haul away ….

In the sound, the waves are crashin’, Holgate buoy lights are flashin’

You can smell the salt and seaweed on the breeze

Look out across Great Thorofare, past Little Bay, way out there

Man, you’re lookin’ at the lights of Brigantine

The lights of Brigantine ….

They shine like diamonds ….

Look like stars on the horizon ….

Get that Chevy turned around, don’t get stuck, head back to town

The tires on the asphalt are slappin’ out a tune

Radio waves are bouncin’ tonight, I got a Boston station clear and bright

And a Dylan song comes on, sounds like he’s howlin’ at the moon

He says I want you ….

Honey I want you ….

Honey I want you ….

So bad ….

Well I’m thinkin tonight about all those miles

Your sister’s laugh and your mother’s smile

I’m thinkin’ bout the music and the house of cards

Thinkin’ bout the things that make us what we are

I’m thinkin’ bout the future, thinkin’ bout the past

Thinkin’ bout the water and the tall reed grass

Thinkin’ bout the Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Thinkin’ bout the things that we fear the most

I’m thinkin’ bout the old, thinkin’ bout the new

And I'm thinkin’ about time

I’m thinkin’ bout you ….

And I just can’t help myself

After all this time ….

It's still you and nobody else

Nobody else ….

Nobody else ….

Nobody else .... 

The Last Good Kiss

I Will Not Go Down Easily This Time

The Great Wide Blue

The Last Good Kiss

Make You My Home

The Weight of Sin

Water on Water

In Your Arms

Heaven’s Gate

Power Lines

That’s Alright

Easter

A.P. Blues

Memorial Drive

(All songs ©George Wirth, Rosie's Cafe Music)

I WILL NOT GO DOWN EASILY THIS TIME

There’s a hard storm comin’, it’s gonna blow right through this town

It’s gonna rumble down the boulevard and knock your buildings down

You can try to run for cover, but there ain’t no place to hide

And I will not go down easily this time

I was born under a cold moon on a late December morn

I left this world of trouble with a crown made out of thorns

I climbed the hill to Calvary and I became the secret sign

But I will not go down easily this time

I tried to be an honest man and to be my father’s son

I never asked for divinity or to be the Chosen One

But you play the cards they give you and you put your money down

Now it’ll take a better man than you to put me in the ground

I have stumbled through the wasteland, I've stepped on sacred sand

I've waited for this moment to show my face again

I’ve served my time behind the veil and I learned to walk that line

But I will not go down easily this time

So if you see me on the avenue you better turn yourself to stone

I’m not like any other man born of flesh and bone

You can choke on Holy Sacrament, get drunk on Holy Wine

But they will not go down easily this time

There’s a hard storm comin’, it’s gonna blow right through this town

It’s gonna rattle your convictions and knock foundations down

You can try to run for cover, but I will not be denied

And I will not go down easily this time

I will not go down easily this time

THE GREAT WIDE BLUE

North of the great Black Forest on the banks of the river Saale

I stood in a soldier’s uniform, beside the wall of the old canal

Polished streets of cobblestone, spit shine on my shoes

Far from home, over the Great Wide Blue

I fell in love with a factory girl with sand under her skin

She had nothing left to lose, I had nothing left to win

I carved her name into my arm in a razor-blade tattoo

And I carried it with me over the Great Wide Blue

My father died with nothin’ and on the day they laid him down

I signed my name on the dotted line and left for higher ground

But time runs in a circle and it brought me back again

Here to the street where I was born, where the sidewalk ends

Spring turns into summer, summer turns to fall

Another year, standing here with my back against the wall

Some days I think about her, most days I never do

Sometimes I just stare into the Great Wide Blue

Now I work out in Hightstown, bendin’ wrenches for my pay

I keep a friend in my back pocket to chase the ghosts away

Sometimes that tattoo on my arm burns down through my skin

And I think about the price I paid and the kind of fool I’ve been

So take me down to the Elmwood Tavern, down to The Devil’s Hole

Let the alcohol and the dirty water sanctify my soul

I want to make those windows rattle out on Pompton Avenue

I want to disappear into the Great Wide Blue

THE LAST GOOD KISS

The lights are all out over Grand Street tonight

And the transformers hum in the dark

Midnight to morning and the snow keeps on falling

And the only thing moving is me and the wind

And we roll across town with our own rhyme and reason

On a shroud made of silver and white

The high beams and flashers illuminate crystals

Diamonds in motion, sparkle and spin

And the only thing I think about on a lonesome night like this

Is the look in your eye when you said goodbye

And the taste of the last good kiss

The taste of the last good kiss

When we were together I lived for the moment

In a fog made of whiskey and smoke

I watched my reflection in a blue-colored mirror

And I burned all my bridges just as fast as I could

I treated you bad, hell baby I know it

I worked hard for the trouble I’m in

And all this bad luck, well I had it all comin’

I got all that I asked for, again and again

Now the only thing I think about on a cold night like this

Is the look in your eye when you said goodbye

And the taste of the last good kiss

The taste of the last good kiss

Well if I could move time with this plow and this wheel

I’d push it aside like the snow

I’d uncover that road that led me to here

I’d find you and I’d never let go

Well a dream is just something you say to yourself

When the truth is too hard to bear

You know it’s a lie the minute you hear

The bittersweet words as they hit the air

I’ll never be more than what I’ve become

I wouldn't change if I had the chance

I’d just break your heart all over again

And leave you standing alone at the end of the dance

Now I’m high in the cab of this yellow six-wheeler

Cutting lines through water and air

The wind fills ‘em in as fast as I clear ‘em

We count up our markers and start over again

Now the only things I think about are the chances that I missed

The look in your eye when you said goodbye

And the taste of the last good kiss

The taste of the last good kiss

MAKE YOU MY HOME

On a vagabond road, unbound by rules

Over desert sands, past mountain pools

Through the towers of men with their sharp neon glow

Between darkness and light, the rain and snow

Past the whispers of doubt, the spin of the wheel

I swear by all that I own and all I can steal

I will follow that road until flesh turns to stone

I will lay myself down ….

And make you my home

Memories fade like a train going south

Like a sigh on the wind

But I can still feel your breath on the side of my face

And the taste of your skin

And if time is a road I will see you again

Where the hobos dream, under silver skies

And our shadows fall on the fears and lies

Where we mark our gain by the choices we make

And we measure our faith by the chances we take

Past the whispers of doubt, the spin of the wheel

I swear by all that I own and all I can steal

I will follow that road until flesh turns to stone

I will lay myself down ….

And make you my home

THE WEIGHT OF SIN

Jesus went out walking on a gray and windy morning

And when he hit the Sea of Galilee, he kept right on going

When they asked him how he did it and why he didn’t drown

He said there ain’t nothing to it, anyone can do it

You just learn to leave the weight of sin back on solid ground

You gotta learn to leave the weight of sin back on solid ground

He said this world will keep you guessing and the road will take its toll

And the residue of living will leave its mark upon your soul

When the wages of temptation get underneath your skin

You can let them turn your heart to stone or leave them in the wind

Now I will never walk on water and I’ll never lose these blues

But I swear sometimes I feel a little lighter in my shoes

I am not a true believer, but baby I believe in you

And when I see myself reflected in your eyes I’m resurrected

And I swear sometimes I feel a little lighter in my shoes

I swear sometimes I feel a little lighter in my shoes

Well Jesus kept on walking through the lightning and the thunder

When he hit the Sea of Galilee, it did not take him under

And when they asked him why the water didn’t pull him down

He said there ain’t nothing to it, anyone can do it

You just learn to leave the weight of sin back on solid ground

You gotta learn to leave the weight of sin back on solid ground

You just learn to leave the weight of sin back on solid ground

You gotta learn to leave the weight of sin back on solid ground

WATER ON WATER

It’s rainin’ down like bullets, goin’ on two weeks

This house might just make it if she don’t spring a leak

And it’s water fallin’ on water, that's a lonesome sound

Someday all this water is gonna wash away this town

I’m gonna steal the old man’s johnboat and pack up all I own

Sail away down Main Street and when they wake up I’ll be gone

And I promise to take you with me if you promise to be good

And do everything I tell you, just like a good dog should

And it’s water fallin’ on water, it just keeps comin’ down

Someday all this water is gonna wash away this town

We can light out for the country, just like ol’ Huck Finn

And build ourselves a brand-new home out of earth and sky and wind

We’ll keep each other warm at night, sleepin’ underneath the stars

And we’ll make our own good fortune no matter where we are

And it’s water fallin’ on water, it just keeps comin’ down

I wish that all this water would wash away this town

Now the light of day is fadin’ fast and the room is turnin’ gray

So get yourself a good night’s sleep and we’ll be on our way

I’ll carry you down these crooked stairs and out that kitchen door

We’ll say goodbye to all this rain and we won’t be back no more

And it’s water fallin’ on water, it just keeps comin’ down

Some day all this water is gonna wash away this town

It’s water fallin’ on water, man, it just keeps comin’ down

All this goddamn water is gonna wash away this town

IN YOUR ARMS

I was standing to my waist in the cold and muddy water

Stone across my shoulders, chain around my heart

I turned away from friends, turned away from strangers

I took all their good intentions, tore ‘em all apart

I saw you standing on the shoreline with your shine and your silver

And you never said a word, you just raised your head and smiled

I was sinking deeper, but I reached out for your lifeline

And I let the river take me, trusted in your eyes

Now I’m lying in your arms again, lying in your arms again

I’m lying in your arms again, in your arms again

Well if anyone had told me I’d be in this situation

I’d have told them they were crazy, man, that’s not how this story ends

Now it’s all these years and counting and when I look into your mirror

I see a man who is a stranger to the one he was back then

Lying in your arms again, I’m lying in your arms again

I’m lying in your arms again, in your arms again

It was raining on Sunday and the radio was playing

A song about America in a language made of tears

We were counting pennies in the kitchen, spread across that old table

And you said we’d laugh about this, somewhere down the years

Now the night is filled with silence, just the sound of your breathing

The beating of your heart, my head against your breast

And baby if I was a thief, I’d steal the words to tell you

Everything I’m feeling if it took my dying breath

To be lying in your arms again, lying in your arms again

Lying in your arms again, in your arms again

HEAVEN’S GATE

We stood in formation on the sunbaked macadam

Surrounded by banners and patriot pride

The marching band played the Final Full Measure

And in colors of glory we stood side by side

I once had a picture, I never kept it

But I can go back there whenever I try

The sound of the music, the smell of the blacktop

I can still see their faces when I close my eyes

And we carried a promise we would all be remembered

We carried a promise, our cause it was great

We carried a promise we would all stand together

And march with the righteous through Heaven’s Gate

In the heart of the country we banded together

And pledged our allegiance by word and by deed

Leading our children down the path we had chosen

Spreading the message, planting the seed

Finding our purpose in dark manifestos

Taking our comfort in the naming of blame

We loaded our trucks with a cold sense of justice

And with a last benediction the weapon was aimed

And we carried a promise we would all be remembered

We carried a promise, our cause it was great

We carried a promise we would all stand together

And march with the righteous through Heaven’s Gate

The snap of the briefcase, the latch on the backpack

The fuse and the plastic, the timer in place

The jacket that covers the belt and the wire

The mirrored reflection of another man's face

Farewell to my brothers, farewell to my children

Farewell to my family, farewell to my friends

God he is smiling, God he is weeping

God he is waiting at this journey’s end

And we carried a promise we would all be remembered

We carried a promise, our cause it was great

We carried a promise we would all stand together

And march with the righteous through Heaven’s Gate

We stood in formation on the sunbaked macadam

Surrounded by banners and patriot pride

The marching band played the Star-Spangled Banner

And in colors of glory we stood side by side

POWER LINES

I work the high wires, transmission towers

Suspended by faith over shadows and light

And I never look down, but I keep my eyes open

Where the skeleton spires touch God's open sky

Sometimes in the silence I can hear the steel singing

And I can feel the vibration through the sweat on my skin

And the big wires hum like the voices of strangers

The lost and the lonely, lovers and friends

And everyone’s looking for that one connection

To keep them from feeling alone

Let the power lines that run between us

Carry me home ….

When I was younger I hit the ground running

And I fed my desires on what silver could buy

I’d heard all the stories, but I did not see it coming

When the fire inside of me died

The road that I traveled was wide and unbounded

I lived on excuses and lies

I ran with no purpose and no destination

Until the day I looked into your eyes

And everyone’s looking for that one connection

To keep them from feeling alone

Let the power lines that run between us

Carry me home ….

The first time I saw you was the first time I loved you

The last time I touched you was when you went away

And I still miss you baby, I wish you were with me

I wish that I’d told you what I didn’t say

Now silhouettes sway behind white cotton curtains

And a radio plays from a second-floor room

Couples are laughing, the pylons are buzzing

And I’m high on a wire on a late afternoon

And everyone’s looking for that one connection

To keep them from feeling alone

Let the power lines that run between us

Carry me home ….

Carry me home ….

THAT’S ALRIGHT

Broken wheels and gone-south deals, lyin’ on the side of the road

Opportunity’s knockin’, nobody’s home

Copper penny on a cold steel rail, waitin’ on a sundown train

That train has been through here and gone

Second chances and circumstances, spinnin’ way out of control

Whistle blowin’ on the other side of the hill

Crossed wires and dead-end streets, chasin’ that lonesome sound

I never caught it and I guess I never will

But that’s alright, that’s okay

If I could do it all over again

I’d do the same things anyway

That’s alright, that’s okay

Take me here to where I am

I wouldn’t trade a single wasted day

Steel piers and ferris wheels, promises and rain

Rock and roll and Memphis soul, Moondog Matinee

Broken rhymes and Dylan lines, pick ‘em up where they fall

Never thought I’d ever get this far, still be standin’ at all

Still be standin’ at all ….

Listen to that rumblin’ sound, everybody’s out on the road

Chasin’ down a highway without end

White lines, one-way signs, waitin’ for the hammer to fall

Up in the morning and you start all over again

Got a little somethin’ I can call my own, friends who take me as I am

I got a good guitar and a dog named Rosalie

Got a woman who can make me smile every time she calls my name

I don’t know what she sees in me

But that’s alright, that’s okay

I took every wrong turn that I could

Comin’ down that Lost Highway

That’s alright, that’s okay

Take me here to where I am

I wouldn’t trade a single wasted day

Right here to where I am

I wouldn’t trade a single wasted day

EASTER

The ocean and the sky tumble into one another

There is no horizon between the water and the air

A fog rolls in like dirty smoke and there is no sense of distance

Everything feels far away and everything feels near

And the lights from the casino run like watercolors

Incandescent candles in the rain

And the boardwalk here tonight is just as empty

As all the promises we made …. on Easter

We’d ride that Jersey Coast Line bus every Easter Sunday

From dying towns down Route 9 to this city by the sea

Decked out in thirty-dollar suits, skinny ties, Beatle boots

Dressed up like the Bandstand kids we thought that we could be

We walked this beach and boardwalk till the last bus left the station

Watched those city lights fade from our view

And the only thing we left with

Was the creosote and sand beneath our shoes …. on Easter

Now the streets are washed in golden light, but the pier has turned to rust

The only thing that hasn’t changed down here is the distance between us

I can see you standing on the shore, I can hear you call my name

And I can feel you next to me again ….

Jesus rolled away the stone on that first Easter Sunday

And turned his eyes up to the bluest sky he’d ever seen

I wonder how it must have felt to step out of that shadow

I wonder how it must have felt to get away that clean

Now I might go to New Orleans or up north to Alberta

Someplace where nobody knows my name

Or I might stay here with these things that haunt me

Another ghost out in the rain …. on Easter

A.P. BLUES

I’m walking after midnight down Monroe Avenue

I’m walking after midnight down Monroe Avenue

Keep a candle in the window, baby

Till I get back home to you

I got more miles behind me than I got left to go

Got a lot more miles behind me than I got left to go

I don’t know how time got to moving so damn fast

When it started out so slow

I never looked for fortune and I never looked for fame

I’m just another tired soldier, playin’ a young man's game

These torn and tattered stories, they're the only thing I own

I’m gonna leave ‘em with you, baby, when I go

But I’m gonna sing this song till I got nothing left to say

I’m gonna sing this song till I got nothing left to say

Then I’m gonna lay down where I’m standing

And let time carry me away

So put a nickel on my tombstone when I’m dead and gone

Put a nickel on my tombstone, boys, when I’m dead and gone

Let some other fool put it in his pocket

And carry on, carry on

I’m walking after midnight down Monroe Avenue

I’m walking on the dark side tonight, down Monroe Avenue

Keep a candle in the window, baby

Till I get back home to you

Home to you ….

MEMORIAL DRIVE

The sparrows are lined up like soldiers

On the telephone wires they stand

One hears the call and they all fall together

And they lie at your feet until you raise your hand

Then they rise up and scatter like ashes

And leave you holding nothing but time

And the western sky is on fire tonight

Out on Memorial Drive

Dark-eyed girls with ebony curls

At the end of a hard working day

Words spoken in Spanish fill the air just like music

Till the outgoing train blows them away

With American dreams and romantic schemes

Roses and a bottle of wine

Till they’re back on the platform on Monday

Down on Memorial Drive

And we all fall down, and we all fall down

And the world keeps spinning around and around

And we all fall down

The saints and the sinners on Main and Monroe

They're all juiced up for Saturday night

The singer is singing, but nobody’s listening

It’s the smash and the burn that gets ‘em feeling alright

With barbed wire tattoos and working-class blues

They need something to let ‘em know they’re alive

Till 3:00 AM when they go home again

Down on Memorial Drive

Now the hot dog man’s holding court on the sidewalk

He’s working the all-night crowd

With Red Bull and tube steaks and political science

Advice for the lonely, the sad and put down

And he can tell you some stories about winners and losers

The departed and those who survived

The ones who got out and the ones who got lost

Out on Memorial Drive

And we all fall down, and we all fall down

And the world keeps spinning around and around

And we all fall down

The muscle boys are out making noise   

They’re all pumped up and ready to go

To the all-night clubs on the east side of town

Where the bass line is thumping and the lights are down low

Some are looking for love, some are looking for trouble

Some will wake up only to find

A half-empty bed and a memory

Of a night on Memorial Drive

On Cookman the poets are spilling their secrets

And hiding behind two-dollar words

Some whisper, some dance, some stand in a trance

Some scream out their message to make sure they’re heard

Some try to make sense, some are full of pretense

Some just want to make it all rhyme

But there’s not much rhyme or reason

Down on Memorial Drive

And we all fall down, and we all fall down

And the world keeps spinning around and around

And we all fall down

That kid from the Yards got in a scuffle last week

For walking too slow after dark

They left him battered and bleeding in front of his house

With two broken ribs and a smashed-up guitar

When the cops finally showed they said he should have known better

Maybe he’s learned his lesson this time

It’s all part of the game, the victim’s to blame

Out on Memorial Drive

There’s a little man down on the south side of town

Who wears a hat too small for his head

With custom-made suits and high platform boots

To make him look taller, but looks foolish instead

Some say he’s connected, some say he's just lucky

With deep pockets where the cops all reside

But his diamonds and rings won't mean a thing

When he's out on Memorial Drive

And we all fall down, and we all fall down

And the world keeps spinning around and around

And we all fall down

Well this town almost burned right down to the ground

On a red-hot Fourth of July

Squad cars and fire trucks closed off the highway

Everyone stared and acted surprised

And when the verdict came down the solution was simple

Stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine

Till we all come crashing together again

Out on Memorial Drive

Now the powers that be pulled their heads from the sand

To decide what to do with this town

Like an old broke-down car, they’ll sell it for parts

And let names without faces buy everyone out

Welcome to gentrification

Let me show you right where to sign

‘Cause money talks and bullshit walks

Out on Memorial Drive

And we all fall down, and we all fall down

And the world keeps spinning around and around

And we all fall down

Now the railroad tracks are the color of blood

And the northbound is pulling away

The tall grass catches the trash and the garbage

That comes rolling and tumbling down the empty highway

And suicide’s out of the question

Since the trains have stopped running on time

There’s just death by misadventure

Out on Memorial Drive

The sparrows are lined up like soldiers

On the telephone wires they stand

One hears the call and they all fall together

And they lie at your feet and await your command

And if God’s keeping score, He’s not saying a word

Bets are off till the end of the line

And the sun's coming up, the moon's going down

Over Memorial Drive

And we all fall down, and we all fall down

And the world keeps spinning around and around

And we all fall down

The Long Road Home

Townie

Jackson Girl

Faded Rose

Righteous Man

Get Up Joe

Great Big World

Light of Mine

The Prisoners Song

Loose Ends

For Your Love

American Dream

The Last Song

(All songs ©George Wirth, Rosie's Cafe Music. "Townie" co-written with Rod Picott.)

TOWNIE

The days are getting shorter and the leaves are turning brown

And the weather is the only thing that ever changes in this town

Rise up in the morning light, everything’s the same

When everybody ‘round here knows your name

I’m gonna hitch myself a ride tonight and maybe sleep out on the tracks

Or steal the car from my old man and never bring it back

I’ll leave a dirty cloud of blue hangin’ over Main

And find someplace where they don’t know my name

Well you do just like your old man, boy, keep your head down low

Hold your cards close to your chest and you never let ‘em show

Dreams are just for dreamin’, learn to keep ‘em hid

Don’t you rise above your raisin’, son, you’re just a townie kid

Just a townie kid ….

Paul’s workin’ down at the Stop and Go, he’ll be stockin’ shelves all night

Maybe we can get some Irish Rose and a pack of Marlboro Lights

The Johnson boys they got some weed, at least that’s what they claim

You don’t tell no lies when we all know your name

The cops ‘round here don’t do too much, we only got one light to run

Rearview mirror flashing blue, you don’t know what you’ve done

This town’s too small to disappear and make your getaway

There’s no place to hide when they all know your name

Well you do just like your old man, boy, keep your head down low

Hold your cards close to your chest and you never let ‘em show

Dreams are just for dreamin’, learn to keep ‘em hid

Don’t you rise above your raisin’, son, you’re just a townie kid

Just a townie kid ….

Now ivy crawls on hallowed walls way up on Berwick Hill

You wish that you could tear ‘em down, but you know you never will

They stand as a reminder of your place here in the game

And even way up there they all know your name

I swear if I could find myself enough guts and gasoline

I’d burn that bridge to 95, man that’s the last they’d see of me

So let ‘em take the credit, boys, I don’t mind the blame

They can kiss my ass, they don’t know my name

You do just like your old man, boy, keep your head down low

Hold your cards close to your chest and you never let ‘em show

Dreams are just for dreamin’, learn to keep ‘em hid

Don’t you rise above your raisin’, son, you’re just a townie kid

Just a townie kid ….

JACKSON GIRL

There is a line that runs between us

A tie that binds us to each other’s heart

Should life’s travails rise to defeat us

We shall prevail and never drift apart

There is a path that we must follow

On our own, unto our last reward

But should we cross each other’s shadow

You’ll hear my footsteps echo next to yours

May all your dreams and wishes guide you

As you wander through this world

And may the flame that burns inside you

Light your way, my Jackson Girl

There will be times so bright they’ll blind you

And darker times when you might lose your way

Trust in your voice and it will not deny you

And you will wake to the dawn of a better day

There is a home you can return to

When the road becomes too hard to bear

There is a friend that you can turn to

Just close your eyes and you will find me there

May all your dreams and wishes guide you

As you wander through this world

And should you fall, I’ll stand beside you

My special one, my Jackson Girl

My special one, my Jackson Girl

FADED ROSE

A radio is playing low, On the Dark End of the Street

You know there’s something about the rhythm and the blues

The story never changes much, but every word rings true

Reminding us of all we have to lose

Standing underneath your window, outside of your door

I can see you dancing upstairs in your room

You were never one to let a broken heart keep you off the floor

And for you the song was always done too soon

A nickel for your dreams tonight, I’ll say a prayer for them

And bury them away where the wild grass grows

And should there come a time when you might need them back again

I will gather them together and wrap them in my own

And leave them on your doorstep with a faded rose

Now the night is running backward and the stars begin to fade

It’s funny how things slip away just when you need them

And wise men say that fools rush in and time is a charade

It’s just an illusion, but you never did believe them

A nickel for your dreams tonight, I’ll take good care of them

And bury them away where the wild grass grows

And should there come a time when you might need them back again

I will gather them together and wrap them in my own

And leave them on your doorstep with a faded rose

I will leave them on your doorstep with a faded rose

RIGHTEOUS MAN

There’s a dark cloud in the distance, risin’ black on blue

You think that sound is thunder, man, I got some news for you

There’s a stain out on the highway where the shoulder turns to sand

It might be oil, it might be blood spilled by the devil’s hand

One more fool who tried to take a stand

Ain’t no place out here for a righteous man

Heat waves over desert sand shimmer in the sun

Checkpoints mark the line between the bullet and the gun

I take the loads they give me and I haul ‘em where I’m told

I tell myself I’m not to blame for the misery they hold

It’s hard times in the land of Abraham

Ain’t no place out here for a righteous man

I want to stand on the rock where the prophets preached

Where faith was tested, temptation breached

I want to feel them standin’ by my side

When I step across that great divide

I want to rise in a sea of silver light

Where the mighty fall and wrongs made right

I want to wash these sins off of my hands

And hold you in my arms again

I’m thinking about the day I left and the shadow in your eyes

The things we said and didn’t say and the truth we tried to hide

And I’m thinking how our lives reflect the weight of our mistakes

And how a promise you make to yourself is the easiest to break

Just one more lie in a broken promise land

Ain’t no place out here for a righteous man

Now the fire lights are burning bright up around the bend

Dump this load, fill these tanks and it’s on the road again

It’s a long way to the border, but I know a trick or two

It’s a long way back to the man I was, it’s a long way back to you

I’m gonna drive all night and make a brand-new plan

Ain’t no place out here for a righteous man

There ain’t no place out here for a righteous man

GET UP JOE

Can you hear that lonesome whistle, can you feel that steel rail hum?

She’s burnin’ in from a border town like a bullet from a gun

You better get your shit together and pack up all you own

She’ll be rollin’ in like a hurricane come to take us home

It don’t matter what your name is, it don’t matter where you’re from

It don’t matter if you’re black or white, it don’t matter what you done

When the train pulls in the station and they roll back that big door

Step on board, thank the Lord, we ain’t comin’ back no more

Get up Joe, there’s a big moon risin’

Comb your hair and wash your face, we got miles to go

See the mighty fall and the wicked hidin’

When we all sing let freedom ring on that Glory Road

There’s a dead man on the handle and he’s bringin’ her in hard

Past the drummer in the alley, up across the switchin’ yard

By the time we hit Stone River, she’ll be wound up like a spring

Crossbuck stops and railroad cops can’t do a goddamn thing

So get up Joe, the stars are shinin’

Grab your hat, grab your coat, the night is getting cold

Keep your eyes on a new horizon

Where we all sing let freedom ring on that Glory Road

Now there’s a glimmer in the distance, she’s runnin’ right on time

On a downhill grade through the palisades, across that border line

When they come for us tomorrow they’re gonna find out that we’re gone

They’ll be dancing down in Shanty Town when they see what train we’re on

So get up Joe, no time for cryin’

Grab my hand and hold on tight, we got miles to go

See the mighty fall and the wicked hidin’

When we all sing let freedom ring on that Glory Road

When we all sing let freedom ring on that Glory Road

GREAT BIG WORLD

Well I don’t know how it happened, don’t know how it came to be

That another’s path should cross my own and put them here with me

It’s a mystery, a mystery ….

I was born after the big war and on Independence Day

They wrapped me in the Stars and Stripes and carried me away

To America, America ….

Well some folks say the universe is random

And that no one gets the credit or the blame

And the choices that we make are just a gamble that we take

We put our money down, spin the wheel and play the game

She was born outside of Mobile, under an Alabama sky

The keeper of her mother’s heart, the apple of her daddy’s eye

A little girl, in a great big world ….

You know I read somewhere that particles sometimes become entwined

And like two hearts they begin to beat as one

Unbound by time and distance, they reflect off one another

And forever they go on and on and on ….

Well I’m not the one to tell you what to think or what to do

But if you believe in me, baby, I’ll believe in you

And you know it’s true, I think you know it’s true ….

Now every morning when I wake up and I remember where I am

And all the miles we’ve left behind, I reach out for your hand

To touch the mystery, between you and me

The mystery, between you and me ….

The mystery, between you and me ….

LIGHT OF MINE

The cards are on the table, the crows are in the corn

The scarecrow’s on a southbound in disguise

The wind beneath the window sill, the candle and the flame

The unseen hand of fate and compromise

Shadows sway like dancers on the walls and window shade

Throwing silhouettes down to the street below

The heat pipes spit and rattle, the dancers move in time

And the host is getting ready for the show

Light of mine, light of mine

Let me rest inside the shelter of your clean hard shine

Light of mine, light of mine

Let me stand inside your fire one more time

Rainbow-colored bottles with pills that only make you numb

Wash ‘em down with whiskey and a sigh

Close your eyes and say your prayers, wait for sleep to come

And provide you with the perfect alibi

Light of mine, light of mine

Let me rest inside the shelter of your clean hard shine

Light of mine, light of mine

Let me stand inside your fire one more time

Well they say it’s a start

And if you take it to heart

You can turn this whole thing around

Or you can swallow the pain

Give it a name

And wear your disease like a crown

Marianne came by on Sunday, just like she always does

To spend some time and see if I’m okay

And we sit and talk of nothing as blue turns into grey

Then kiss goodbye and make our getaway

Light of mine, light of mine

Let me rest inside the shelter of your clean hard shine

Light of mine, light of mine

Let me stand inside your fire one more time

Stand inside your fire one more time….

THE PRISONERS SONG

I have burned all my bridges, I’ve been digging up bones

I’ve been trying to trace the lines in my face

To the seeds I have sown

Electricity surges, wires glow in the dark

In this mansion of steel nothing’s concealed

In the strike of the spark

And in these final moments, it’s hard to pretend

That hearts were not broken and the bitter words spoken

Can be called back again

The truth is a whisper, but it was there all along

For better or worse, in the chorus and verse

Of the Prisoners Song

You were the one who made it all real

I was just there for what I could steal

The roar of the gun, the blood on the floor

The cops in the alley, ghosts at the door

Behind the walls of Saint Martin’s, they used to pray for our souls

They said faith was a test for those who were blessed

And did what they were told

They said that salvation was just a prize to be won

And that the measure of sin was the trouble you’re in

And not the damage you’ve done

Tell me my brother, can you hear them now?

Were the prayers that they said for the quick or the dead

When they lowered you down

When the night meets the morning, they will know that I’m gone

But I can always be found, shackled and bound

To the Prisoners Song

They say nothing matters and nothing is best

And every man standing is just like the rest

Wine into water, blood into rust

Ashes to ashes, dust into dust

Do you remember that dark ride, down at the Palace Arcade

We’d climb up on board, break through that door

And be on our way

Ghosts made of newspaper, black lights on the wall

I covered my eyes till the end of the ride

But you laughed at it all

You were always the soldier, I was never that brave

But I practiced the part till I knew it by heart

And never gave us away

We had all the answers, but we got ‘em all wrong

Now at the end of the line we’re just another bad rhyme

In the Prisoners Song

Brothers in arms, brothers in blood

It all fell apart when push came to shove

You were the engine, I was the wheel

You took the glory and I took the deal

LOOSE ENDS

Let’s have another round, boys, and put this night to bed

One more round to wash out every trace

Then it’s upstairs to my room to find my last clean shirt

And that stupid tie she gave me when I was staying at her place

Take me down to the station before the night turns into day

And put me on that early morning train

I’m gonna let the rhythm rock me all along those rusty rails

Till I’m standing there in front of her again

Call it loose ends if you want to

Call it something different, I don’t care

You can all me crazy, baby, but when I turn out the light

I swear that I still feel you lying there

All these early morning riders, you know they don’t have much to say

In their city clothes, still looking half asleep

With their overcoats and wingtips and that shitty railroad coffee

And pockets full of promises to keep

All these stops along the way, man, they can really wear you down

But time don’t matter all that much to me

I just want to hear that hollow sound my feet make when they hit the ground

And the echo of my boot heels when I walk down her street

Call it loose ends if you want to

Call it something different, I don’t care

You can all me crazy, baby, but when I turn out the light

I swear that I still feel you lying there

There are things that we hold on to, things that slip away

The sins we learn to live with and the debts that we can’t pay

Sometimes the only line between a blessing and a curse

Is never really being sure which one of them is worse

Now the winter sun is sinking low and this bench is getting cold

I can feel it creeping down into my bones

And if you were here beside me, we could keep each other warm

And walk out of here together past these memories carved in stone

Now the gatekeepers are on their way, gonna shut this whole place down

But I got some ideas of my own

So goodnight to you baby, there’s a southbound on the line

And when you hear that lonesome whistle, you’ll know I’m comin’ home

Call it loose ends if you want to

Call it something different, I don’t care

Let ‘em call me crazy, baby, but when I turn out the light

I swear that I still feel you lying there

I swear that I still feel you lying there ….

FOR YOUR LOVE

There’s a hot sun beatin’ on a blacktop line

Broke-down cars and detour signs

Bust my balls just one more time

And they can kiss my ass goodbye

Make it to the end of one more day

Wash these workin’ blues away

Don’t even ask ‘cause I can’t stay

I got somethin’ else on my mind

I’ll pick you up when you get off work

So bring along some of your clothes

Climb in back, make that change

We got rock and roll music on the radio

I would walk on fire for you,

Burn my feet, wreck these shoes

There ain’t nothin’ I won’t do …. for your love

I would walk on fire for you

Hold my breath till my face turns blue

Make all of your dreams come true …. for your love

For your love ….

Bobby’s at the bus stop waitin’ for Jane

With a pork pie hat and a bikers chain

The weatherman says that it might rain

But there ain’t a cloud up in the sky

There’s a full moon risin’ up above the sea

Steppin’ down the boardwalk you and me

This is how we’re meant to be

At each other’s side

We can head on over to Marnie’s joint

And watch the day go down

Play a little music, tell a few lies

Make a little bit of that Jersey Sound

I would walk on fire for you,

Burn my feet, wreck these shoes

There ain’t nothin’ I won’t do …. for your love

I would walk on fire for you

Hold my breath till my face turns blue

Make all of your dreams come true …. for your love

For your love ….

Well you get a little older and you get a little slow

The good times come and the good times go

Like an old time movie on the late, late show

It all goes by so fast

Sometimes you lose and sometimes you win

There’s no such thing as an original sin

And baby I’d do it all over again

But you can’t live in the past

Now the night is warm and the moon is bright

Honey can I have this dance?

Take my hand, hold on tight

This might be our very last chance

I would walk on fire for you,

Burn my feet, wreck these shoes

There ain’t nothin’ I won’t do …. for your love

I would walk on fire for you

Hold my breath till my face turns blue

Make all of your dreams come true …. for your love

For your love ….

AMERICAN DREAM

Thunder rollin’ round my grandfather’s house

On the day of that terrible storm

The walls were shakin’ and the lights went out

In the room where I was born

My old man was a soldier

My mother, she was the prize

I was the one lookin’ over his shoulder

On their long hard bumpy ride

I got the better part of my education

After the lights were down low

Under the covers with an AM station

On a Japanese radio

I learned to take all the things I could use

Left all the others alone

I walked for miles in a dead man’s shoes

Wore ‘em till they felt like my own

They said that there was an American Dream

And you could make it come true

But things are never quite the way they seem

Behind the red, white and blue

You do your best to believe it

But when the deal falls through

It’s down to take it or leave it, boy

Between the rhythm and the blues

I got my notice when I turned eighteen

And a ticket on a bus out of town

Too many boys who were just like me

Ended up in a hole in the ground

Some got their names up on a big black wall

Others just faded away

Some found a way to make some sense of it all

Some looked for somethin’ to blame

Too many roads, too many dead ends

Can leave you lost and confused

So you just screw it up all over again

When you don’t know which one to choose

There’s trouble creepin’ round your back door

But you still don’t have a clue

So you just keep on goin’ back for more

Between the rhythm and the blues

I settled down and tried to make us a home

But dirty water runs deep

Our life together was a fallout zone

Of all the promises I didn’t keep

Now I hear she’s married with a couple of kids

Livin’ somewhere up the coast

I don’t know how she took it long as she did

I hope she found the things she needed the most

I used to think if I could do it again

I’d make all the right moves

I think about the way it might have been

And the things that I didn’t do

Time’s a highway that don’t ever end

We’re just all passin’ through

There ain’t no tellin’ what’s around the bend

Between the rhythm and the blues

Now I live in this little shore town

And I mostly keep to myself

Some old Tom Handy helps the night go down

And I pretend that I’m somebody else

Sometimes I feel it all slippin’ away

Out of time, out of place

And when I look in the mirror these days

I swear I see my grandfather’s face

Some days are diamonds, some are broken glass

It’s all in your point of view

Either way you better grab ‘em fast

Or they’ll slip away from you

I took the hits and I played all my hunches

Till I had nothin’ to prove

Now I just do my best to roll with the punches

Between the rhythm and the blues

THE LAST SONG

When the last words have been spoken and the final song is sung

And the echo of the chorus fades into the beating of the drum

I will rage against the darkness and there I will remain

Till I hold you next to me again

When the mighty storms of winter roll across this frozen ground

I will listen for a whisper and take comfort in the sound

Of the one I’ve come to know so well and the mention of my name

And I will hold you next to me again

A radio was playing on the night when we first met

There might be better songs out there, but I ain’t heard em’ yet

And when the fog is finally lifted, we will meet in the refrain

And I will hold you next to me again

When the desert turns to water and the ocean turns to sand

I will mend these broken promises and lay them in your hand

And all the vows that lie between us will not have been in vain

When I hold you next to me again

They say we’re bound by fate and all that heaven will allow

I was never one to think too much and I ain't startin’ now

And the road may not be easy, but I’ll walk it just the same

And I will hold you next to me again

When the last breath has been taken and the final race is run

I will rise with the forsaken with your name upon my tongue

And on the day you stand before me, I will break these rusty chains

And I will hold you next to me again

When the final curtain falls on all you’ve ever loved or feared

And there’s nothing left to hold you, baby, I’ll be waiting here

And when the flame that burns within us explodes into the day

I will hold you next to me again