OVER AND OUT

AARON JOHNSON'S FIFTH ALBUM

1986: It was a busy time and the decade of 80s rock and roll was in full swing. Aaron Johnson was playing in the Voyager band and had just completed the FIREHOUSE 400 live project with the Stiffwater band. All this while simultaneously pursuing his solo career and raising a family. Over and Out was the first album in which Aaron played all of the instruments, including the use of a Korg DDM-110 drum machine, a new "instrument" of the time that was mired in controversy. Employing the device aided in controlling the costs of studio time, but concerns of putting drummers out of the picture overshadowed the music industry, a view Aaron correctly disregarded.
Recording Over and Out became a challenge and studio time was harder to schedule during the competitive era of professional recording in the 80s. Pressure to complete the album in a brief period mounted, and Aaron felt the songs did not get the attention they deserved from himself or the studio. Problems with the overall sound of the album compelled numerous attempts at correction in the years following the initial release. By the turn of the century, Aaron had moved on and figured Over and Out would be consigned to the fate it was given.
2026: Forty years later, with the AJP Project underway, Aaron had the opportunity to re-record Over and Out properly. In the spirit of the original effort, Aaron plays all of the instruments. Every song, with notable exception of The Nightshift, was re-recorded to today's standards, finally giving these songs their due. The Nightshift was left intact due to its unique sound, atmosphere and historical significance concerning use of the classic Maxikorg K3 synthesizer. Aaron enjoyed the experience of breathing new life into these songs and appreciates the opportunity of presenting them to a new world of enthusiasts looking for a varied musical experience.
The Over and Out website includes lyrics for the songs, period photos from the original album artwork, "then and now" photos, new photos made expressly for this web site and notes discussing the interesting background of the music.

1986 Epiphone Acoustic Guitar

2026 Takamine Acoustic Guitar

2026 Classical Acoustic Guitar

2026 Taylor 12 String Guitar

2026 Johnson Mandolin

2026 Cameo Bass

2026 Music Man Saber Guitar

2026 Fender Custom Starcaster

2026 Fender Jazz Bass

2026 National SG Guitar

2026 1986 Custom Fender Stratocaster

2026 Yamaha SX290Maxikorg K3 Synthesizer

OVER AND OUT 2026

LEFT: 2026 1973 National SG and model Lisa Hansen
PRODUCED BY AARON JOHNSON for AJPExecutive Producer, Artwork Assistance, AJP Project Management: Ellen Ritt-JohnsonRemastering by Blair Ashby
INSTRUMENTS PICTURED ON THIS WEB PAGE APPEAR ON OVER AND OUTAll lyrics, music and instrumentation by Aaron Johnson with exception of Ellie Mae, title and lyrics from a poem by Colorado writer and historian Inez Hunt.
ABOUT THE PHOTOS THIS WEB SITE
The photos above were made with AI technology. Ellen was able to take various poses of Aaron and place him in the original scene featured for the cover work of Over and Out (top upper left photo). Aaron struck a similar pose as seen in the 1986 photo, taken by his friend Mark Anderson. Despite angle differences and shadows in the 2026 photos, the artificial technology was able to make the necessary corrections and achieve the renditions seen here.
Photos below were sourced from original album artwork or produced during the course of the AJP Project in 2026. For more information, go to the AJP PROJECT page.

LYRICS

Lyrics and background information for each song below!

CODA

SOUNDTRACK "INSTRUMENTAL"

NOTES ON CODA

The original album began with bombs going off, forming the introduction of the first track "Who Speaks For Earth," an-anti-nuke proclamation. Despite the Cold War ending long ago, the world is ever closer to such an event taking place. Aaron decided to start the 2026 album off in similar fashion, but "composing" a more realistic rendition of what it may be like to "hear" a nuke going off, the approaching impact wave and the immediate destruction that ensues. It is certainly a wake-up call. A very different type of composition, Aaron utilized his own generated sound effects such as car alarms, spraying water and screams in addition to synthesizers. The decision was made to distinguish this stunning introduction with its own track, in the spirit of the original album's introduction.

STAND UP FOR LIFE

People, they say the end is nearWe're tired of living in fear.Will they see their first morning?Their future's in our hands right now! Right now!
Give me love, give me peace on earth.Give me life without fear for what it's worth.Give them their chance to be alive.Who speaks for life?
Nations running the bombing race,The prize: Cynder of a world in space.What will they have when they push the button?Who will live to carry on? No one! No one!
Give me love, give me peace on earth.Give me life without fear for what it's worth.Give them their chance to be alive.Stand up for life!
You should believe prophecy. Believe what you want but it's plain to seeIt doesn't look good in the end. We must save our world, we must save our children.
So close to zero ground.They say we're Armageddon-bound.No more killing the little ones!We gotta make a stand today! Today! Yeah!
Give me love, give me peace on earth.I'll take life without fear for what it's worth.Give them their chance to be alive.Stand up for life!

NOTES ON STAND UP FOR LIFE

This song was originally titled "Who Speaks for Earth." Composed in the 1980s in the waning days of the Cold War when nuclear proliferation was a concern, the song was a pointed anti-nuke proclamation. Over the years the pro-life/abortion issue has taken prominent stage in America's society, so the song now reflects this concern as well in our increasingly unstable time of wars and rumors of wars. Potentially a political hot potato, the subject demanded attention, and the lyrics went through a series of rewrites to adequately address both of these complex and contentious issues.

THE CHOICE

This is no dream, you're standing at the crossroadsWith baited breath your world is in suspense.You can't afford to make one more mistake.This time your life hangs in the balance.
Some of us go far and some of us fall down.Choices never stop, they just send us round and round.Confusing our lives, simple and complexAnd always the same in the end,You'll have to make the choice.
We are faced with choices every day,No one knows which road to take.There are those who guide you on your journey,But you alone must choose your final way.
Some of us move fast and some of us move slow,Some know where they've been, some don't know where they'll go.Right or wrong, important or absurd,Rest assured my friend,You'll have to make the choice...again.
Some have chosen to go it alone, some need help along the way,Others brave the great unknown, some need love to face the day.But we all share the same moment, once upon a time paths meet,And once again the choice must be faced, with fate you must bargain.All depends on decisions now. You must make the choice...again.
For all of us a final hour is shared.Each of us will hear the calling voice.Prisoners of life will be set freeAnd no one then will have to make the choice.
But until then, the game remains the same.There are no rules with only you to blame.Don't try to escape, don't fool yourself my friend.It's always the same in the end.You'll have to make the choice...again.

NOTES ON THE CHOICE

The Choice was originally composed for the album in 1986. Voyager performed the song during that time, transforming it from a folk-rock tune into a progressive rock showcase. The song was a staple during Aaron's solo career as he felt it was one of his best compositions. The Choice appears on the 2022 Voyager album, so for the 2026 release of Over and Out, Aaron decided to transform the song into the bluegrass format. The key has been changed, but the lyrics remain unchanged from its initial composition.

COOL SHADES

Summertime! The heat is on, the traffic's bad.But there's one thing that makes it all worth while...The ladies are so scantily clad.Out for a drive, got the tunes and my cool shades on.Watching close, I stay alert.I'm amazed to see what they don't have on.
Beautiful strutters, gorgeous Miss Cosmos,Look but don't touch, that's the name of the game.Lovely ladies, dangerous cougars,They certainly know they're going to drive us insane!
You'll find them at the pools in the heat of the dayCruisin' the streetsWith all their wares on display.I'm just a guy, proudly politically incorrect.I like'em all, I love'em all!Be sure to treat them with respect.
Skiing the mountain naked a jaybirds,Smoking hot groupies waitn' back of the stage.Skinny dipping down at the river,Mini skirts and tights are all the rage.
Torn jean shorts, long tanned legs that won't quit,In the night out on the town, an evening gown that barely fits.They're everywhere, the parks, the parks,The grocery mart.I make sure I got my cool shades onTo appreciate these works of art.
Don't be coy, we know what you're doing!Do it on purpose! That's the name of the game!Beautiful women know what they're after,We men are happy to never complain.

NOTES ON COOL SHADES

Composed in 1986, the subject matter was initially about the art of watching women with a leering perspective. At the age of 70, Aaron rewrote the lyrics to make the subject matter more appropriate with due consideration to both male and female sides of the issue. The extensive guitar solos in a variety of tones are musical characterizations of the wide variety of women and personalities encountered in a "viewing excursion." Aaron adds to the fun with some complimentary asides throughout this extensive coda. He found it challenging to recreate his lead guitar work from the 80s, reproducing the song as closely as possible to the original performance.

EVERYTHING I AM TODAY

(I OWE TO ROCK AND ROLL)

I've been through the bad times and the high times,I've seen an done it all.I'll never get enough, you know it's in my blood.I've known success and I've known failuresAnd the glory of the stage.I don't know where I'm goin',But I'd do it all again.
Everything I am today I owe to rock and roll.In the end this crazy business will surely take its toll.If nothing else gets through your head I want you all to knowEverything I am today I owe to rock and roll.
I love the power, I love the womenAnd I grant you my toys aren't cheap.That's how I am, there's no sense in tryin' to change me.I'll never grow up, I will always rock,I was born with guitar in hand.My memory may fade from your mind,But rock and roll will never die.
Everything I am today I owe to rock and roll.In the end this crazy business will surely take its toll.If nothing else gets through your head I want you all to knowEverything I am today I owe to rock and roll.

NOTES ON EVERYTHING I AM TODAY

The lyrics and the music remain unchanged, other than being recorded in 2026. Aaron once again found recreating his lead guitar work to be a challenge, along with the thundering bass playing he used to rattle off without a second thought. Another challenge was to maintain and in fact increase the intense "live feel" of the piece. Considered one of his best rock compositions, the song further illustrates Aaron's prowess on the electric and bass guitars. The song aptly represents the loud attitude required for being in the rock and roll business. The song was originally inspired by the poster on the left.

THE NIGHTSHIFT

Pullin' the nightshift again...pullin' the nightshift again...
Insomnia strikes again, I should be dead and done in.Never mind the cause, forget about the cure.Contemplate the things of the night,All the wrongs we cannot right. Food for thought, reasons not to sleep.-The nightshift-
Pullin' the nightshift again...
A hot wind blows tonight, songs buzz from the neon lights.Violence seethes in the barren streets of the city.A life full of memoriesGone stale with forgotten dreamsOf long lost loves in pastures of young green grass...-The nightshift-
Time to spare, time to reminisceTime to waste, time to forget,Time for truth to deal with the lies,Time to live and love, a time to-die-
Paranoids and suicides and women of the night,So many share the darkness, yet I am alone.Just me and a waning moonAnd I know I'll be a zombie soonAnd the night don't care, it just goes on and onand on and on and on and on and on-The nightshift-
Pullin' the nightshift again...

NOTES ON THE NIGHTSHIFT

A departure for Aaron both in musical scope and subject matter, The Nightshift was a result of many sleepless nights while composing his many musical statements, and this song was one of them. Little did he know that in his later years, sleepless nights would become routine and further establish this song as an integral part of his life. The song explores the world beyond the solitary existence of music composition, examining the dark underside of society that exists only the twilight hours. The result is a song that is unlike anything else in Aaron's repertoire. The Maxikorg K3 synthesizer is the star here, one of the most revered analog synths from the 70s era. Featured on many Stiffwater songs and throughout Aaron's career, the Maxikorg, or "Max" for short, continues to function amazingly well despite its advanced age. However, this song was not redone for the Over and Out reissue to preserve the historical significance of the piece, both in preserving the sounds Max could generate, but also the original recording of the album to maintain the unique atmosphere of the song, something Aaron knew could not be replicated.

ELLIE MAE

The night is clear and the wind is still and I hear a cry on Heartbreak HillAnd I recall in my memory just such a night and a girl and meThe wind was sharp and the leaves turned brown the night I rode into Cattle TownSaturday night at the Bar Magrue, rocked with gin and a square dance too.
I was new in town and I thought I'd glance at who was swingin' at the danceSo I shuffled in to the fiddler's time to find a dancin' gal for mineWhen suddenly I turned to see a gal a smilin' up at meShe was pink and white and gold-haired too-so what was a guy like me to do?
She fit into my good right arm and I fell a victim to her charmA locket hung from her throat so fair and a rose smelled sweet in her golden hairWe do-si-doed and Texas-starred and that gal caught me off my guardAnd then the caller called out this: "Round that couple and steal a kiss."
So I fell in love while we danced the night but it wasn't meant to turn out rightAs I good-night waltzed her past the door, she slipped away to return no more
And the night grew calm and the night grew still and a coyote wailed on Heartbreak HillI asked all over the valley side where they thought a girl like this might hideSome folks laughed and thought me queer, said I was drunk on gin and beerBut one old timer told me then a tale forgotten by most men
The story was of Ellie Mae who came to Cattle Town one dayHer step was light and her face was fair and she wore a red rose in her hairShe fell in love with a certain lad, a handsome buck by the name of ChadBut a dance hall gal named Molly Dee shot her dead from jealousy
And they carried her so white and still to the graveyard up on Heartbreak HillAnd it's lonely there for Ellie Mae when the dancers swing and the dancers sway
And sometimes when the leaves turn brown, Ellie Mae comes back to townSometimes when the wind is still, you can hear her cry on Heartbreak Hill
It's many years since I came to town and I should have left but I've hung aroundAnd I still go back to the old dance floor to look for her but she comes no more
The fiddlers play and sometimes I sing and I search each face as I weave that ringAnd they say I'm queer and perhaps that's true but I do what it seems that I have to doAnd I drink too much as an old man will and I wander up on Heartbreak HillAnd the past grows dim and the old dreams go-how much is real, I do not know
But I always keep inside my pocket a faded rose and a tarnished locketAnd I hold them tight as my heart stands still when I hear a cry on Heartbreak Hill

NOTES ON ELLIE MAE

The lyrics are by a Colorado historian and poet named Inez Hunt. Aaron's music compadre Mike Kloepfer gave him a book by Ms. Hunt in the early 80s and the song came to Aaron while glancing through and reading the poem "Ellie Mae" (no relation to the character on the popular 70s show Beverly Hillbillies). Initial attempts to contact Inez Hunt were fruitless. A recent research effort for this web site revealed Ms. Hunt passed away in 1983, three years prior to Over and Out's first release. The words lent themselves very well to a folk-rock rendition. For the 2026 version Aaron expanded the song into the bluegrass genre with inclusion of mandolin, banjo and harmonica. Aaron's trademark three-part harmonies remain intact from the original, influenced heavily by the old western vocal group Sons of the Pioneers and the popular 60s folk band The Kingston Trio.

OVER AND OUT

You know it's been so long ago but I can still recall the dayAt a loss you needed me, asked if I would play.Things were much more simple then, there was no wrong or right.The gift of music was with us, we'd play all through the night.But old loves change as time goes by 'till they play a different song.The time has come to put the torch down and it's best to be movin' on.I'm over and out.
Our lives together have been so good, I surely can't complain.There's no denyin' we've seen it all through the triumphs and the pain.Yeah we dazed'em, we were hot, now and then that's how it goes.Through the laughter and the rain we always guaranteed a show.Now time's passed, we've moved on and the course is not as clear.So as it ends I'll cherish the sweet memories of all those years.I'm over and out.
I trust I met your expectations, I know we performed so well.Sometimes we weren't exactly in tune, sometimes we gave each other hell.But wasn't it worth it? Can you ask for a better friend?Everybody loved us, we thought that it would never end.It's only appropriate that I say it in a song.It can't be done again, things have changed and it's time to be movin' on.I'm over and out.
I'm over and out.
I'm over and out.
Over and out.

NOTES ON OVER AND OUT

Originally composed to reflect the stirring emotions of leaving the Stiffwater band to pursue his own creative endeavors, the lyrics have gone through a number of revisions. The words not only reflect that special time in Aaron's life, but any time a musical collaboration ends. This also would include the culmination of Aaron's own career, which is drawing to a close in 2026. What awaits him afterward is anyone's guess. The song was originally eight minutes long with the main theme being repeated, much in the same spirit as "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. The entire array of instruments Aaron is capable of playing are appropriately displayed on this important number. He has trimmed the song to six minutes and fashioned a more dramatic ending, suitably culminating with his dad's old nylon classical guitar playing the final notes, and capping it in light hearted style with a sign-off that puts a grin on the listener's face, reassuring that Aaron doesn't take himself too seriously.

SING TO ADONAI

BONUS TRACK

Sing to Adonai a new song, sing to Adonai all the earthSing to Adonai and bless His nameProclaim the good news of His salvation day to day
The heavens declare his glory, proclaim His wondrous deeds among the people,Give the Lord the glory due His nameWorship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness
Adonai made the heavens how awesome are his works on man's behalfFor he will judge the world with righteousnessTremble before him, let the earth sing out and praise His name
Sing to Adonai a new song, sing to Adonai all the earthSing to Adonai and bless His nameSing to AdonaiPlay for AdonaiDance for AdonaiSing to Adonai and praise His name

NOTES ON SING TO ADONAI

Composed in 2019 for his Messianic synagogue group, this song was initially rejected and ended up languishing in Aaron's unproduced inventory. This 2026 arrangement led to the song's rebirth and regular playing at services. Aaron felt it was good enough to include as a bonus track for the 2026 reissue of Over and Out, as it showcases his command of synthesizers and electric guitars. The song lifts up Almighty God, creator of the heavens and the earth, and is a forecast of what will likely be Aaron's main musical calling after completion of the AJP Project, that is composing original material and arranging music for his Messianic music group.

THE AJP PROJECT

The AJP Project is an ongoing effort to release all of Aaron Johnson's music in today's digital age while simultaneously educating supporters past and future on the issues of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it is fundamentally changing the music industry, and to foster support of local musicians and live music. The project's charter encourages folks to put down their phones, get away from their screens and listen to music again, and do so with friends and loved ones. This practice, dating back to the 1970s, is a great way to relax, it's good for you and strengthens social bonds through a shared experience of taking a musical journey together. Try it! Discover what you've been missing!

MIDNIGHT MOUNTAIN HOUR

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More releases coming in 2026!

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