Tags
Jacob Salzer conducts haiku poet interviews and here were my responses to questions
he asked:
https://haikupoetinterviews.wordpress.com/2022/08/01/tom-clausen/
30 Tuesday May 2023
Tags
Jacob Salzer conducts haiku poet interviews and here were my responses to questions
he asked:
https://haikupoetinterviews.wordpress.com/2022/08/01/tom-clausen/
26 Friday May 2023
sidewalk sale-
wind twists a lifetime
guarantee tag
Woodnotes
***
taking me back…
water laps gently
at the shore
Dim Sum
***
our turn
to stand here-
falls overlook
Frogpond
***
mountain brook-
the indistinguishable spring
of voices
Mayfly
***
in the garden
sitting alone-
who i am now
Dim Sum
***
in the dark
through the window light
my wife and child
Modern Haiku
***
daybreak-
the spider centered
in its web
Dim Sum
***
long wait alone
in the parking lot…
a dog in the next car
Raw Nervz
***
on the way home
more geese
on the way home
Frogpond
***
returning the water
from the vase
to the flower garden
Dim Sum
***
letting her
walk all over me
– ladybug
bottle rockets
***
potluck luncheon
a yellow jacket cleans
its antennae
Dim Sum
***
the cat’s eyes
so wide…
for a gnat
HN 2001 Members Anthology
***
undefended:
in the cold raiN
their snow fort
Frogpond
***
the way
rain takes
the mountain
Frogpond
***
Ducks riding the lake
brushed rough by wind;
pilings rimed with ice
Modern Haiku 1988
***
mountaintop:
giving back
each breath
Brussels Sprout v.XI : no.1 Jan. 1994
***
lunch alone
without a book
i read my mind
Brussels Sprout v.XI : no.1 Jan. 1994
***
rushing
to the zendo to sit
still
Brussels Sprout v.XI : no.2 May 1994
***
daybreak-
rubber duck alone
in the empty tub
Haiku Quarterly summer 1994
***
on the trail again…
walking deeper
into myself
Frogpond summer 1994
***
autumn moonlight
folded in
the clothes on the floor
Modern Haiku summer 1994
***
the way
the light bulb rests
in the rest of the trash
Modern Haiku fall 1994
***
day break-
from the bread truck’s roof
frost swirls
Woodnotes #25
***
one tree
one bird, one song
the dusk
Frogpond 1995
***
x-ray room
they remove
her crucifix
Modern Haiku fall 1995
***
alone in the waiting room
checking the plant
for reality
Woodnotes 1996
https://livinghaikuanthology.com/index-of-poets/213-c-poets/134-tom-clausen.html
24 Wednesday May 2023
One poet featured each month with a new haiku or senryu
posted at the Mann Library, Cornell University home page
each day. There is an archive that dates back to 2007 when
the feature began online.
https://haiku.mannlib.cornell.edu/
19 Friday May 2023
Global Haiku Tradition
Millikin University, PACE Summer 2003
I picked Tom Clausen as my essay subject. I really like Tom’s haiku, they are very real and easy to understand and see the message he is portraying. He writes about events or moments that probably happen to most of us, but we just don’t realize it. Most of us, including myself, are so busy rushing around; we don’t stop to ‘smell the roses’. Tom’s haiku let me do just that. Reading some of them I thought to myself, ‘oh yeah I never realized that’. It was great. Tom has a way of capturing all the little events in life.
Tom Clausen grew up in Ithaca, New York. He works at his alma mater (1969-1973), Cornell University in the library. Before settling down with a family, Tom traveled Central and North America for 10 years. He did this by bicycle, bus, canoe, trains, cars, and by foot. Tom had always loved to write, but after having two children, he didn’t have the time to write as much and that is when he turned to haiku. He has published three chapbooks “Autumn Wind In the Cracks” (1994), “Unraked Leaves” (1995), “A Work of Love” (1997), and “Standing Here” (1998).
I have chosen nine of my favorite, and discussed why I like them and what they mean to me.
park twilight—
a light comes on
by itself
I like this one because I can just feel myself there alone, deep in thought, not noticing anything around me, and suddenly the park light comes on and you realize you have been there for quite awhile. Maybe even what I was in such deep thought about, finally becomes clear and I have and answer or understanding to the problem at hand. The light could represent the light going off in your head and you are say, “oh-yeah”.
standing here
at this window, remembering mother
standing here
This one is quite sad because he is remembering his mother who probably stood at that window many, many times. Maybe it is the kitchen window in her house and now she has passed on. This could be right after the funeral and he goes back to the house and is remembering all the things mother did. I have done this before when my daughter is at her dad’s house for the weekend. I am missing her so I will go sit on her bed and replay some of things she does in her room and it makes me smile. Hopefully this guy was smiling from happy memories of his mother standing there.
on the trail again . . .
walking deeper
into myself
This one is probably my favorite. I love going hiking in the woods; the smells, the sounds, the peaceful serenity of it. Even when I am with someone I find myself going into deep thought, and the more I walk the deeper in thought I go. Walking in the woods is very meditating for me. I find myself thinking of all kinds of things. Relationships, or what I want to do with my life. It’s great. I can just feel the coolness of the shade and the sunlight peeking through the trees every now and then. I can feel the bumpiness of the trail and having to concentrate on where I am walking or I will probably trip on a tree root and fall on my face. I can hear the birds singing and talking to each other, and something crackling in the leaves on the ground. I get nervous because I don’t know what or who is out there, but then it stops and I go on my merry way again. I feel as if summer is almost over and fall will soon begin because I can see the leaves turning colors slightly. Tom puts me in such peaceful mood reading this one. Good job Tom!
one tree
on bird, one song
the dusk
This one gives me the feeling of spring. The days are getting later and the birds are coming out and it is getting warmer. I can just hear the one bird singing his favorite song to me as the sun is going down. Maybe the bird is looking for a mate? I can see this being a pretty bird like a yellow finch, or a bright red cardinal. His brilliant colors making him stick on in this tree. After thinking about this one, I realized you usually only hear one bird at a time. I have a tree right outside my bedroom window and one bird usually serenades me. Only the bird is loud and doesn’t have a very pretty song to sing me at 6:00 in the morning. Tom gives me a sense of peace with this haiku also. I like the way he stops to notice the little things and to let his readers go there with him.
reading her letter—
suddenly aware of the look
on my face
I really like this one also. It paints a very vivid picture in my mind of a man reading a “Dear John” letter and his mouth is wide open with shock and despair that she is leaving him. He probably is rereading that one line over again that put that look on his face and then he thinks about it and realizes that he mouth is wide open and he hasn’t blinked for a minute. He shakes off the initial shock and then starts rereading again. I have done this people watching before, where I find myself staring at someone and then realizing my mouth is wide open, so I look around to see if anyone saw me and then I shake it off and try not to stare again. I get the feeling this is not a good newsletter and I feel sorry for the man reading it. He probably has to sit down to stop his knees giving out on him. I get the feeling his life is going to change drastically and that although sometimes that is good, I am not getting that feeling here.
back at the office
after sick leave—
watering her plant
This one is my office. If I were gone for a while, I would be lucky if my co-workers even noticed I was gone let alone water my plant. I don’t have any plants at work, but if I did they would be dead by the time I got back. This haiku made me chuckle. I can just picture this poor women coming back and the last thing she wants to see is her poor plant dying even though there is a sea of people around, no one was thoughtful enough to take care of her plant. Just goes to show that people are inconsiderate. I hope I am not this person and would water someone’s plant if they were gone.
twilight
the only car ahead
turns off
I picture this one as someone driving a long time to go see a loved one maybe and it is getting dark and they are in the middle of nowhere on a highway. They have been following this car for quite a ways and then this person has finally reached their destination and gets off and the driver of this car now is all by themselves; wishing they were at their destination. It is a very lonely haiku and we probably all know how this driver feels to be the only person on the road, just you and your thoughts. I do like this haiku though. It reminds me of when I drive the 5 hours to go see my mom and dad. It is light when I leave here and dark when I get there. By the time it hits twilight, I am ready to be out of the car and with my family.
a child standing guard
over a last little bit
of snow
This haiku reminds me of me when I was a kid and it had snowed and spring was coming so you knew this could be the last snow of the season. The sun is out and the snow is melting and this could be the snowman that was made and now the last of him is about to melt away. It represents to me a changing of the seasons, a long cold winter is turning into spring. I like this haiku because it has such an innocence to it. Like the child looking at the snow doesn’t realize that the snow will once again come next year. The child is probably sad that the snow is leaving us for warmer weather.
waiting to see
the odometer’s big change . . .
missed it!
I really like this haiku, it cracks me up because it is so true. I have done this many times before and have missed the big change and then I have to wait for the next big change. I don’t even notice how many miles are on my car, and then one day I will notice that I am close to another 10,000 miles, but then will forget to look again and the next time I look it will be over. I like this haiku because it tells me that I am not the only one who notices these little things in life.
Tom’s haiku have such an insight into everyday life. Most of us just go through the day without stopping to smell the roses, but Tom points these little things out, and it makes me stop to think about these little things of life. That is what I like. I have noticed since taking this class that I try and take notice of the little things that happen during the day, just to see if I can make a haiku about my day. I think that is what Tom has done, and I want to thank him for reminding me that it is the little things in life that are important.
—Michelle Ground
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Tom selected favorites
inChorus:
I wish you love
I wish you love
Look to the heavens
Thank your lucky stars
Your feet are on the dance floor
And your head is in the clouds
The sky is opening
Your face wears a grin
You just can’t believe the way
It makes your head spin
Oh Lordy Me, Oh Lordy My
See you when you haven’t got a dime
Troubles are so deep, you can’t even sleep
See you when your troubles are like mine
See you when your troubles are like mine
Red, red bird, wings in the sky,
Mother Nature, Father Time
Up above a moonlight sky
Here’s a star for everyone who lied
Here’s a star for everyone who lied
Oh Lordy Me, Oh Lordy My
See you when you haven’t got a dime
Troubles are so deep, you can’t even sleep
See you when your troubles are like mine
See you when your troubles are like mine
***
Like a single feather light, drifting on the wind
No one knows where the feather blows
Where it stops and where it begins
Where it stops and where it begins
Oh Lordy Me, Oh Lordy My
See you when you haven’t got a dime
Troubles are so deep, you can’t even sleep
See you when your troubles are like mine
See you when your troubles are like mine
***
Oh Lordy Me, Oh Lordy My
See you when you haven’t got a dime
Troubles are so deep, you can’t even sleep
See you when your troubles are like mine
See you when your troubles are like mine
Run(ning) w/Sciszors: At the Rongo (1997)
Rockin' In the Weary Land (1998)
First setlist 3/29/96
Outside in the middle of a field
I can hold a finger high in the air
Under the sky in the middle of it all
I can feel the wind blow the same for us all
In the middle there's a lot to know
In the middle there's a lot to see
Of a world that can be so cold
Of a world with a heart of gold
Chorus:
Sailing, Sailing
Sailing, Sailing
So many ways the world does live
So many ways the world does give
So many ways the world does make
So many ways the world does take
So many different lives the world does live
So many rivers the world must cross
So many tears the world does stream
So many eyes the world to see
Live From the American Ballroom (2001)
First setlist 12/16/00
Life, love, potential love
Causes so much joy
Has the adverse power
To hurt you that much more
It's the same dark that falls
On the light that shines
Everything seems to want to hurt this time
I take a look inside
Nowhere to turn or go
No clear distinction
Above or below
Surreal existence
Casts its shadows to the blind
Everything seems to want to hurt this time
Aw, the party's crashin'
Fade into a distant drone
It only takes just one of us to be alone
Nobody's going but I still feel left behind
Everything seems to want to hurt this time
Red lights serenade me as I try to go
Outside the wind crashes with the smell of blowing snow
Three in the morning, cradled by a mental bind
Everything seems to want to hurt this time
Someday I will return
It will be none too soon
Jump off the front porch
Land on the crescent moon
Until then these fancy dreams
Are for another mind
Everything seems to want to hurt this time
All I want to do is wake up
Return to the loving kind
But everything seems to want to hurt this time
All I want to do is wake up
Return to the living kind
But everything seems to want to hurt this time
The Ones You Love (1996), Live From the American Ballroom (2001)
First setlist 7/1/94
Woah
Can you imagine
The farthest point from the naked eye
She can take you out there
Past the mystery in the night
There is simplicity
Out on a wave rolling in the weeds
There is simplicity
On the heels of south flying geese
Chorus:
She must have been a primitive
She feels it in her bones
She can't tuck in these shirts
With these ancient arms
That have never moved this way before
Woah
Can you imagine
The furthest point from the naked eye
3000 light years later
She's the nightmare of a corporate eye
There is simplicity
Out on a wave rolling in the weeds
There is simplicity
On the heels of south flying geese
The rise and the fall is our own creation
The rise and the fall is our own creation
Rockin' In the Weary Land (1998) First setlist 8/23/96 Blue petals - chocolate paste Smell of dirt - stair steps To an open space It's a long story - where to begin You're breathing out As we're breathing in Chorus: Twilight mystery mystic speak to me It's forever, it's so sweet It's forever, with no repeat Moonshine, twilight shine It's forever, it's so sweet It's forever Bending river - passing time Cracks are sweeping - on up my spine Impressions striking - out from the core This is big - this is big We've seen it before Each and every direction There's a case made for love like this Each and every direction There's a case made for happiness Family Picture Lyrics By:Tara Nevins Music By:Tara Nevins Official Lyrics Positive Friction (2000), Live from the American Ballroom (2001) First setlist 1/28/00 The world is a wonderous puzzle Everyone a piece and every piece fits Every piece is alive making energy Energy pulls the pieces together Into a round ball And there is love It's a round ball And there is love The ball jumps the ball rolls The ball lives in the moment I am told The ball pumps and rolls with the flow The ball laughs as it bounces Chorus: Sure as the sunrise it doesn't matter the shape of the hat It all fits together in a family picture And every wall's got room for that Every piece is a part of the whole No one piece more important than the rest So stand up, take a number Every piece here's got someplace to go It's a round ball And there is love It's a rond ball And there is love There is love Bridge: Hey there look at you, you got nothin' else to do you got any bright ideas Tumbleweed rolling by Catch the dust up in your eye Saddle up the grey and ride out Front Porch Lyrics By:Tara Nevins Music By:Tara Nevins Official Lyrics Positive Friction (2000) First setlist 2/2/00 There's an easy feeling Can you feel it, you can feel it With an ease we're stepping out Are you ready, could you be ready Living's good on the front porch When we rock it, sure we rock it Stepping out with the front porch In your pocket, in your pocket Chorus: We're stepping out, get hip to the motion One step puts us in the groove Back to the shack for what it might lack One step forward, take the good life back Fitting in the very world That creates us and relates us One a blessing, two a curse Human nature, human nature Every life a lesson In humility, in humility Beauty graces the world With simplicity, with simplicity Bridge: Let it be you, surely free you May your life be a pleasure you've found Let it move you, surely clue you Bring your faith to a higher ground There's the needle in the haystack Now you can lay all your worries down Let it lift you, gently shift you Let it bring your world around Healing In the Name Lyrics By:Kevin Kinsella Music By:Kevin Kinsella Unofficial Lyrics Kevin Kinsella: I-Town Revival (2000) First setlist 8/15/98 Here's a little song that I wrote for you, oh God All of my songs they are written by you Pardon my words if they ever seem rude I would gladly be what you want me to be I would be everything that goes unseen Let me humble myself one more time Oh God, look what I have done I hope my works they please you somehow Oh God, now look what you have done Ever since I met you, you make my heart stand still Let me humble myself one more time There's a healing in your name Oh God, guard my mouth, take me from my own vanities Oh God, bless my throat so I may always just sing thou praise Let me humble myself one more time Cause there's a healing in your name... In This Life Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Unofficial Lyrics Red Tape (1991), Live from the American Ballroom (2001) First setlist 12/13/90 In this life, in this life, in this life We leave a trail that's far and wide Good or bad, bad or good Our memories decide There are some places where I've been Where you can still see the wounds Think to myself as I look at the scars Just who do you think you are Innocent, innocent no more I saw what I saw and I shut the door Innocent, innocent no more I knew it was wrong but I did it some more In '78 I went through a rude spell I knew it was fate, but I couldn't really tell I thought that this was the way it was always gonna be I hated everyone and everyone hated me In '88 I went through a great spell I knew it was fate, but I couldn't really tell I knew that this was the way I wanted it to be I loved everyone and everyone loved me Every action has a reaction Every life has a life to lead Every human needs a fancy reason Why they should live or breathe I sit here feeling sorry for myself For one thing or another I'm trying hard to blame somebody else For the miseries that I've discovered I make a wish over a boiling cauldron That I pass only strengths onto the children And may the spirit move me to laugh and to sing And I won't be drowned by the little things Until the day when there are no more desires And I put out all my little fires There's nothing left but a wishful song And there will be no right or wrong Until that day, until that day, until that day Sights and sounds they'll get to me It's A New Day Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Official Lyrics The Ones You Love (1996) First setlist 5/19/94 Thank god so little remains Of that mental ball and chain I must admit I was going insane It's such a waste Now the birds they're starting to flirt Got my hands all in the dirt So delicious this life on earth And I'm getting a taste Chorus: It's a new day I feel it inside In every way We're up on holy ride We did it once we'l do it again It's so good to see you my friend We're busy buckin' a nasty trend Sounds too good to be true Later there'll be a party in the street Smiles on the people we meet We're curing all the itchy feet Cause it's all brand new
Rockin' In the Weary Land (1998) First setlist 7/22/94 Let love move through Let love move me Let love rise between us Let love make the difference There's a glory coming to me I'm feeling oh so naturally I'm not gonna force the issue I'm tired of this frustrate and cry I'm gonna live in full color I'm gonna spread my wings and fly Life So Short and Sweet Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Unofficial Lyrics First setlist 6/21/01 Lately I've taken for granted The things we've had The seeds we've planted Every day should be a treat In a life so short and sweet Give thanks to the dream The good people Great things we've seen All the chances we've had to meet In a life so short and sweet Standing on the ground Watching the sun go down Another circle made complete In a life so short and sweet And now I say I'm sorry For creating the sad part of the story What I fool I was to ever forget That life's so short and sweet Life's A Ride Lyrics By:Tara Nevins Music By:Tara Nevins Official Lyrics Life's a Ride (2005) First setlist 3/19/03 Used to be I was younger Used to be time moved slow Used to be all was said and done But I knew nothing 'bout the setting sun Used to be days seemed longer Used to be an infinite flow Used to be days were nothing but time But at the end of 'em I'd nothing to show Chorus: Who ever said one was better Between night and the light of day One is trying to get somewhere While the other might have found his way Life's a ride Every bit of the way Used to be I was restless Maybe now I still am Used to be I couldn't sit still in my seat And now I find I'm jumping out of my skin Used to be fooling someone Could've been fooling me Nobody's fooling anyone now Now because you know that talk is so cheap Lifetime of a Fool Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Unofficial Lyrics Run(ning) w/Sciszors: At the Rongo (1997) First setlist 12/13/90 I threw away everything I had Twist of life so cruel And the outcome is so sad In the lifetime of a fool Well, I left the ones that I love Thought fame and fortune would be mine You have to watch just what you look for The path of ambition is often blind I threw away everything I had Twist of life so cruel And the outcome is so sad In the lifetime of a fool Now I walk this acre of pain On the stepping stones of my loss There's no way to return When you burn every bridge that you cross Living In Babylon Lyrics By:Tara Nevins Music By:Tara Nevins Unofficial Lyrics Red Tape (1991), Live From the American Ballroom (2001) First setlist 1/1/90 Two old people lying in a bed One rolled over to the other and said If we had ever stopped and looked around We might have seen the earth shaking under our town Two little babies lying in a bed One rolled over to the other and said Take this life you've got and live it well Don't get caught living under the spell we are Living in Babylon, Living in Babylon Out of control you tumble and fall Living in Babylon against the wall Living in Babylon with nowhere to hide With every step you wonder who you are Who is this frightened boy alone in his car Listen to the music coming out of its dash Taking his tired brain to a place in the past The light in your eyes like a sound in the dark Leaves a trail of mystery with its own spark Waiting for a moment to ease your stride You are living in Baylon with nowhere to hide Living in Babylon, Living in Babylon Out of control you tumble and fall Living in Babylon against the wall Living in Babylon with nowhere to hide Movin' On Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Official Lyrics Run(ning) w/Sciszors: At the Rongo (1997) Positive Friction (2000) First setlist 4/18/97 You know all those conversations All them funky ones we had before Now they mean nothing to me 'Cause I'm here movin' on Renewed spirit and a brave brave heart I'll face the odds and conquer I shall The future's all there is to me 'Cause I'm movin' on now If getting drunk would help, drink up I would But drinkin' don't seem to work like it used to Sense of freshness is what we need After all that we been through I'm takin' with me everything that I've learned And I ain't going anywhere anyhow With a sense of cosmic reborn I'm movin on now You can look at all of our great friends They're busy busy tied up in knots Well you know that I'm just like them Except this morning I've come untied This morning freedom paid a visit And lifted me from a funk ridden cloud All is right on these two feet 'Cause I'm movin on now Off to Dreamland Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Official Lyrics The Ones You Love (1996) First setlist 7/2/95 Off to dreamland in grandma's dress They watched us depart through the upstairs window Across forever with a lover's curse At the center of the universe Arrived with dented fenders and golden rings The weightlessness of fallen dreams It's sure lovely, but we could never stay We got too lost on the way Chorus: My thoughts return to love Such a simple charm My thoughts return to love So sweet and warm Hey there boy, what do you know Hey there boy, what do you see The rain is falling with the look of ghosts Reminds me of something that used to be Positive Friction Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Official Lyrics Positive Friction (2000) First setlist 1/22/99 Chorus: Positive friction, under the upper crust What does all this Hollywood really have to do with us True grit, timeless love There's no reason to pretend Lets get together and become natural once again Natural once again There is a certain vibe, circulating in the air Cast from all the energy that emanates from everywhere Ah, such a lovely truth Beginning to unfold It's our brothers and sisters All coming in from the cold...Natural once again There's a family growing I've seen it with my own two eyes There's something that we're all knowing I hope its spreading like a wild fire Back to a place one might call home We have our own heroes They're dancing in the living room We're busy, busy counting out from zero Not one minute too soon Back to a place one might call home
Rockin' Horse
Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear
Music By:Jeb Puryear
Official Lyrics
Life's a Ride (2005)
Debut 7/5/03
From one floorboard to another floorboard
Talkin' about the table leg, the couch and the rockin' horse
The rug's telling the liquor shelf desert stories about being born
And all the radiators started singing along
Something happened on a routine trip across the room
Sparkle of sunlight ended it's long journey
By hitting a pan lid and splashing in your hair
It was beautiful of course, told the rocking horse
And the whole world became about just one thing
Chorus:
All the radiators sing
Things are being realized
Won't you step on over here
Something's perfecting in your eyes
Hope to find that you would be so inclined
As to allow me the honor dear of loving you
Let's shrink the world down to just us two
There's a slow conversation rolling in our house
Took four years for the first sentence
And six years to figure it out
But now I just take it as a point of pride
Having smiling faces waking by my side
All of failures invitations have been respectfully declined
But destiny's destination is still destined to unwind
Gratefulness is in order for an atmosphere I never could fully understand
A way to be more than I really am
Life's a Ride (2005)
First setlist 11/3/01
Isn't this world getting harder to live in
Isn't this road getting harder to travel on down
It doesn't really matter
When it shatters the glass just falls
It's never made a difference
Now you've got your due reward
Isn't one voice getting harder to come by
Isn't one Love getting harder to imagine now at all
It doesn't really matter
When it tumbles the weed just rolls
It's never made a difference
Your lack of readiness is growing old
Chorus:
We keep running down the rock
Were running down the rock of ages
Isn't the truth getting harder to hide from
Isn't what's right getting harder to better ignore
It doesn't really matter
When it catches the fire just burns
It's never made a difference
You'd think somewhere you might have learned
Bridge:
You reap what you sow
You're making your bed
Believe what you see
And you get what you get
You hope all's not lost
You look over your shoulder
Wondering what went wrong
The Ones You Love (1996) First setlist 3/2/96 I'm just a visitor here, that's all right I'm just a visitor here, that's all right The prospect of dying makin' life so strange Just a worker bee workin' out on the range It's coming clear I'm just a visitor here I feel the glory, the coming of the sun I feel the glory, the coming of the sun Behold the dawn it's setting just beyond We're just getting started getting things done Destiny's near I'm just a visitor here Chorus: But I've come busy doin' what I can Furthering the world's gracious plan Always at a loss when not applied Furthering the world's gracious side Little birdie, little birdie Won't you sing to me your song Such a short time to be here Such a long time to be gone But I've become attached to the things that I've seen Mothers smile and the fields of green The way the sun sets on the valley below The way the things you love seem to come and go Then disappear I'm just a visitor here Big Parade Lyrics By:Jeb Puryear Music By:Jeb Puryear Unofficial Lyrics Oh Mama, there's a madman climbing Up the clock tower Singing my favorite tune About the desperate hour Well, you know I done lost my bag Forgot all my charm Now I raise my voice And sound the alarm Chorus: We're gonna have such a BIG PARADE Everybody's going Yeah, we'll really have it made When the trumpets start to blow Oh where, oh where Where is the beauty I've seen in my dreams It's just out of sight Yeah, it's just out of reach But somewhere, somewhere, there's a bus that's leaving Love once strike the majic chord Yeah, we're off to Cleveland Why don't you get on board Well the driver is an apparition Leader of the cosmic dust One more mystic reason To get on that bus
Purple (1993)
First setlist 12/13/90
The world was at our feet until
We stepped off of a wishing well
Looked to the future and it looked so bright
We just stood there on the edge of night
Learned our lesson and we learned it well
Love alone won't deliver us from hell
Looked to the future and it looked so bright
We just stood there on the edge of night
In a world that we don't understand
We couldn't count on each other
What do you expect when the world begins to tumble down
In my heart now the fire fades
Looking down the road in the opposite way
Looked to the future and it looked so bright
We just stood there on the edge of night
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music?
Would you hold it near, as it were your own?It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they’re better left unsung
I don’t know, don’t really care
Let there be songs to fill the air (note 1)Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blowReach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of manThere is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go, no one may follow
That path is for your steps aloneRipple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blowYou who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall, you fall alone
If you should stand, then who’s to guide you?
If I knew the way, I would take you homeThe Wheel
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann
Chorus 1
The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down
You can’t let go and you can’t hold on
You can’t go back and you can’t stand still
If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning willChorus 2
Won’t you try just a little bit harder
Couldn’t you try just a little bit more
Won’t you try just a little bit harder
Couldn’t you try just a little bit moreRound, round, Robin run around
Gotta get back where you belong
Little bit harder, just a little bit more
Little bit further than you gone before[chorus 1]
Small wheel turning by the fire and rod
Big wheel turning by the grace of God
Every time that wheel turn round
Bound to cover just a little more ground
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia
Well the first days are the hardest days, don’t you worry any more
‘Cause when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door
Think this through with me, let me know your mind
Wo-oh, what I want to know is, are you kind?It’s a buck dancer’s choice my friend, better take my advice
You know all the rules by now, and the fire from the ice
Will you come with me, won’t you come with me?
Wo-oh, what I want to know, will you come with me?God damn, well I declare, have you seen the like?
Their walls are built of cannon balls
Their motto is “don’t” tread on me”Chorus 1
Come hear Uncle John’s Band, playing to the tide
Come with me or go alone
He’s come to take his children homeIt’s the same story the crow told me, it’s the only one he knows
Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go
Ain’t no time to hate, barely time to wait
Wo-oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?I live in a silver mine and I call it beggar’s tomb
I got me a violin and I beg you call the tune
Anybody’s choice, I can hear your voice
Wo-oh, what I want to know, how does the song go?Chorus 2
Come hear Uncle John’s Band, by the river side
Got some things to talk about
Here beside the rising tide[chorus 1]
Wo-oh what I want to know, how does the song go?
[chorus 2]
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir
Dark star crashes (note a)
Pouring its light into ashes
Reason tatters
The forces tear loose from the axis
Searchlight casting
For faults in the clouds of delusionShall we go, you and I, while we can?
Through the transitive nightfall of diamondsMirror shatters
In formless reflections of matter
Glass hand dissolving
To ice petal flowers revolving
Lady in velvet
Recedes in the nights of goodbyeShall we go, you and I, while we can
Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?Artist: Van Morrison
Song: Astral weeks
Album: Astral Weeks
[” Astral Weeks ” CD]If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dream
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
From the far side of the ocean
If I put the wheels in motion
And I stand with my arms behind me
And I’m pushin’ on the door
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
There you go
Standin’ ! with the look of avarice
Talkin’ to Huddie Ledbetter
Showin’ pictures on the wall
Whisperin’ in the hall
And pointin’ a finger at me
There you go, there you go
Standin’ in the sun darlin’
With your arms behind you
And your eyes before
There you go
Takin’ good care of your boy
Seein’ that he’s got clean clothes
Puttin’ on his little red shoes
I see you know he’s got clean clothes
A-puttin’ on his little red shoes
A-pointin’ a finger at me
And here I am
Standing in your sad arrest
Trying to do my very best
Lookin’ straight at you
Comin’ through, darlin’
Yeah, yeah, yeah
If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dreams
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me
Would you kiss-a my eyes
Lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
To be born again
In another world
In another world
In another ti! me
Got a home on high
Ain’t nothing but a stranger in this world
I’m nothing but a stranger in this world
I got a home on high
In another land
So far away
So far away
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
In another time
In another place
In another time
In another place
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
We are goin’ up to heaven
We are goin’ to heaven
In another time
In another place
In another time
In another place
In another faceArtist: Van Morrison
Song: Sweet thing
Album: Astral Weeks
[” Astral Weeks ” CD]I will stroll the merry way
And jump the hedges first
And drink the clear
Clean waterfall to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats and they’ll get highOn a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow’s sky
And I will never grow so old again.
And I will walk and talk
In garden’s all wet with rain.Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Oh my, my, my sweet thing.
And I shall drive my chariot
down you streets and cry
‘hey its me, I’m dynamite and I don’t know why’.And you shall take me strongly in your arms again.
An! d I will not remember that I ever felt the pain.
We shall walk and talk
in gardens all misty wet with rain.
And I will never, never, never grow so old again.Oh sweet thing, sweet thing.
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing.
And I will raise my hand up
into the night cloud’s sky.
And count the stars shining in your eye.
Just to dig it all an’ not to wonder that’s just fine.
And I wil be satisfied
Not to read in between the lines.
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain.
And I will never ever, ever grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing. Oh sugar baby
Sugar baby, sugar baby, sugar baby.
With your champagne eyes
And your saint-like smile.Artist: Van Morrison
Song: Madame george
Album: Astral Weeks
[” Astral Weeks ” CD]Down on Cyprus Avenue
With a childlike vision leaping into view
Clicking, clacking of the high heeled shoe
Ford & Fitzroy, Madame George
Marching with the soldier boy behind
He’s much older with hat on drinking wine
And that smell of sweet perfume comes drifting through
The cool night air like Shalimar
And outside they’re making all the stops
The kids out in the street collecting bottle-tops
Gone for cigarettes and matches in the shops
Happy taken Madame George
That’s when you fall
Whoa, that’s when you fall
Yeah, ! that’s when you fall
When you fall into a trance
A sitting on a sofa playing games of chance
With your folded arms and history books you glance
Into the eyes of Madame George
And you think you found the bag
You’re getting weaker and your knees begin to sag
In the corner playing dominoes in drag
The one and only Madame George
And then from outside the frosty window raps
She jumps up and says Lord have mercy I think it’s the cops
And immediately drops everything she gots
Down into the street below
And you know you gotta go
On that train from Dublin up to Sandy Row
Throwing pennies at the bridges down below
And the rain, hail, sleet, and snow
Say goodbye to Madame George
Dry your eye for Madame George
Wonder why for Madame George
And as you leave, the room is filled with music, laughing, music,
dancing, music all around the room
And all the little boys come around, walking away from it all
So cold
And as y! ou’re about to leave
She jumps up and says Hey love, you forgot you r gloves
And the gloves to love to love the gloves…
To say goodbye to Madame George
Dry your eye for Madame George
Wonder why for Madame George
Dry your eyes for Madame George
Say goodbye in the wind and the rain on the back street
In the backstreet, in the back street
Say goodbye to Madame George
In the backstreet, in the back street, in the back street
Down home, down home in the back street
Gotta go
Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Dry your eye your eye your eye your eye your eye…
Say goodbye to Madame George
And the loves to love to love the love
Say goodbye
Oooooo
Mmmmmmm
Say goodbye goodbye goodbye goodbye to Madame George
Dry your eye for Madame George
Wonder why for Madame George
The love’s to love the love’s to love the love’s to love…
Say goodbye, goodbye
Get on the train
Get on the train, the train, the train…
This is the train, this is the train…
Whoa, say goodbye, goodbye.! …
Get on the train, get on the train…Artist: Van Morrison
Song: Cyprus avenue
Album: Astral Weeks
[” Astral Weeks ” CD]And I’m caught one more time
Up on Cyprus Avenue
And I’m caught one more time
Up on Cyprus Avenue
And I’m conquered in a car seat
Not a thing that I can do
I may go crazy
Before that mansion on the hill
I may go crazy
Before that mansion on the hill
But my heart keeps beating faster
And my feet can’t keep still
And all the little girls rhyme something
On the way back home from school
And all the little girls rhyme something
On the way back home from school
And the leaves fall one by one by one by one
Call the ! autumn time a fool
Yeah baby my tongue gets tied
Every every every time I try to speak
My tongue gets tied
Every time I try to speak
And my inside shakes just like a leaf on a tree
I think I’ll go on by the river with my cherry cherry wine
I believe I’ll go walking by the railroad with my cherry cherry wine
If I pass the rumbling station where the lonesome engine drivers pine
And wait a minute, yonder comes my lady
Rainbow ribbons in her hair
Yonder comes my lady
Rainbow ribbons in her hair
Six white horses and a carriage
She’s returning from the fair
Baby, baby, baby
And if I’m caught one more time
Up on Cyprus Avenue
And if I’m caught one more time
Up on Cyprus Avenue
And I’m conquered in a car seat
And I’m looking straight at you
Way up on, way up on, way up on….
The avenue of trees
Keep walking down
In the wind and the rain, darling
You keep walking down when the sun shone through the treesNobody, no, no, no, nobody stops me from loving you baby
So youn g and bold, fourteen years old
Baby, baby, baby…
Ooooh-eeArtist: Van Morrison
Song: Into the mystic
Album: Moondance
[” Moondance ” CD]We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was one as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mysticAnd when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
And when the fog horn blows I want to hear it
I don’t have to fear itAnd I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will flow into the mysticWhen that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And w! hen that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don’t have to fear itAnd I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will flow into the mystic
Come on girl…Too late to stop now…
Artist: Van Morrison
Song: Almost independence day
Album: Saint Dominic’S Preview
[” Saint Dominic’S Preview ” CD]I can hear them calling way from Oregon
I can hear them calling way from Oregon
And it’s almost Independence DayMe and my lady, we go steppin’ (we go steppin’)
We go steppin’ way out on China town
All to buy some Hong Kong silver
And the wadin’ rushing river (we go steppin’)
We go out on the, out on the town tonightI can hear the fireworks
I can hear the fireworks
I can hear the fireworks
Up and down the, up and down the San Francisco bay
Up and down the, up and down the! San Francisco bay
I can hear them echoing
I can hear, I can hear them echoing
Up and down the, up and down the San Francisco bayI can see the boats in the harbor (way across the harbor)
Lights shining out (lights shining out)
And a cool, cool night
And a cool, cool night across the harbor
I can hear the fireworks
I can hear the people, people shouting out
I can hear the people shouting out (up and down the line)
And it’s almost Independence DayI can see the lights way out in the harbor
And the cool, and the cool, and the cool night
And the cool, and the cool, and the cool night breeze
And I feel the cool night breeze
And I feel, feel, feel the cool night breeze
And the boats go by
And it’s almost Independence Day
And it’s almost, and it’s almost Independence DayWay up and down the line
Way up and down the line…Artist: Van Morrison
Song: Listen to the lion
Album: Saint Dominic’S Preview
[” Saint Dominic’S Preview ” CD]All my love come down
All my love come tumblin’ down
An’ all my love come tumblin’ downAll-a my love, all-a my love
All a-my love come tumblin’ down
Oh, listen to the lion
Oh, listen listen listen, listen
To the lion, inside of me, inside of me
An’ I shall search my soulI shall search a-my, search a-my very soul
And I shall search my very soul
I shall-a search a my very so-
Woh-woh-woh-woh-woh-woh-woh-woh-woh
Oh-ah, whoa-ah
For the lion, for the lion
For the lion, for ! the lionInside of me
In-side-a, side-a me, side-a-me, side-a-me
Side-a me, side-a me, side-a-me, side-a-me
Side-a me, side-a me, side-a-me, side-a-meSpoken:
Life is strangeAnd all my tears have flown
All-a my tears like water flown
Water! Water! Water!
All my tears like water flownAnd all my and all-a my, all-a my, all-a my, all-a my
All-a my, all-a my, all-a my
Tears like a water flown
For, for the lion-a, ha
For the lion
For the lion, hu
For the lion
Lion!Inside of me, inside of me
Oh-oh, ooh-oh listen, listen, listen
To the lion
Whoa-oh, whoa-oooh
Oh listen, listen, listen
To the lionSide a-me side a-me, side a-me
Side a-me, side a-meAnd we sailed, and we sailed-a
And we sailed, and we sailed
Away from Denmark
Went from Denmark, way up to CaledoniaLookin’ for a brand new start
Goin’, for a brand new start
Lookin’ for a brand new s! tart
Hey, hey, hey, hey-yeah
Lookin’ for a brand new start
I want a brand new startOh-ooo-ah-ooo-ah-ooo
I-a-ooo-rah-ooo-wah-ooo
Ooo-wah-ooo-wah-ooo-wah-ooo-wah-ooo-wah-oooOoo-wah, ooo-wah, ooo-wah
Da-da-dada, da-da-da,da-da-da,da-da-da
Da-da-da,da-da-da, da-da-da
Oh yeahLookin’ for a brand new start
Lookin’ for a brand new start
Lookin’ for a brand new startLookin’ for abrand new start
(Whispers)
Lookin’ for a brand new start
Lookin’ for a brand new start
Lookin’ for a brand new startArtist: Van Morrison
Song: Saint dominic’s preview
Album: Saint Dominic’S Preview
[” Saint Dominic’S Preview ” CD]Shammy [chamois] cleaning all the windows,
Singing songs about Edith Piaf’s soul.
And I hear blue strains of “no regredior”
Across the street from Cathedral Notre Dame.Meanwhile back in San Francisco
We’re trying hard to make this whole thing blend,
As we sit upon this jagged
Storey block, with you my friend.And it’s a long way to Buffalo.
It’s a long way to Belfast city too.
And I’m hoping the choice won’t blow the hoist
‘cos this town, they bit off more than they can chew! .As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on
As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on
Saint Dominic’s Preview
Saint Dominic’s Preview
Saint Dominic’s PreviewAll the orange boxes are scattered.
We get to Safeway’s supermarket in the rain.
And everybody feels so determined
Not to feel anyone else’s pain.(You know that) No one’s making no commitments
To anybody but themselves,
Hidin’ behind closed doorways,
Tryin’ to get outside, outside of empty shellsAnd for every cross-cuttin’ country corner,
For every Hank Williams railroad train that cried,
And all the chains, badges, flags and emblems
And every strain on every brain and every eye (?)As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on
As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on
Saint Dominic’s Preview
Saint Dominic’s Preview
Saint Dominic’s Preview.And the restaurant tables are completely covered.
The record company has paid out for the wine.
Yo! u got everything in the world you ever wanted
Right about now your face should wear a smile.That’s the way it all should happen
When you’re in, when you’re in the state you’re in;
You’ve got your pen and notebook ready,
I think it’s about time, time for us to begin.And we’re over in a 52nd Street apartment,
Socializing with the whino few,
Just to be hip and get wet with the jet set.
But they’re flying too high to see my point of view.As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on
As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on
Saint Dominic’s Preview
Saint Dominic’s Preview
Saint Dominic’s Preview.See them freedom marching,
Out on the street, freedom marching.
Saint Dominic’s Preview.Artist: Van Morrison
Song: Aryan mist
Album: Beautiful Vision
[” Beautiful Vision ” CD]Aryan mist
Among the bridges
You hang by the river
You’ve been here forever
Aryan mistWhat can the matter be
In a world full of glamour
Does it lift you up
Or is it railway carriage charmYou just sit here
And look from your carriage
As you watch the scene go byGurus from the east
Gurus from the west
Does it lift you up
Or is it railway carriage charmAryan mist
Among the bridges
You hang by the river
You’ve been here forever
Aryan mist
Aryan mistThere’s so m! any people
Going down by the river
Down by the river
To get cleanThe fog of illusion
The fog of confusion
Is hanging all over the worldGurus from the east
Gurus from the west
Does it lift you up
Or is it railway carriage charmAryan mist
You’ve been here forever
Remind me of Krishna
Love first sweet kiss
Aryan mistAryan mist
Among the bridges
You hang by the river
You’ve been here forever
Aryan mistDoes it lift you up
Or is it railway carriage charmArtist: Van Morrison
Song: A Sense Of Wonder
Album: A Sense Of Wonder
[” A Sense Of Wonder ” CD]I walked in my greatcoat
Down through the days of the leaves.
No before after, yes after before
We were shining our light into the days of blooming wonder
In the eternal presence, in the presence of the flame.Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame.On and on and on and on we kept singing our song
Over Newtonards and Comber, Gransha and the
Ballystockart Road.
With Boffyflow and Spike
I ! said I could describe the leaves for Samuel and Felicity
Rich, red browney, half burnt orange and green.Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame.It’s easy to describe the leaves in the Autumn
And it’s oh so easy in the Spring
But down through January and February it’s a very different thing.On and on and on, through the winter of our discontent.
When the wind blows up the collar and the ears are frostbitten too
I said I could describe the leaves for Samuel and what it means to you and meYou may call my love Sophia, but I call my love Philosophy.
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame.Wee Alfie at the
Castle Picture House on the Castlereagh Road.Whistling on the corner next d! oor where
he kept Johnny Mack Brown’s horse.
O Solo Mio by McGim sey
and the man who played the saw
outside the city hall.
Pastie suppers down at Davey’s chipper
Gravy rings, barmbracks
Wagon wheels, snowballsArtist: Van Morrison
Song: Enlightenment
Album: Enlightenment
[” Enlightenment ” CD]Chop that wood
Carry water
What’s the sound of one hand clapping
Enlightenment, don’t know what it isEvery second, every minute
It keeps changing to something different
Enlightenment, don’t know what it is
Enlightenment, don’t know what it is
It says it’s non attachment
Non attachment. non attachmentI’m in the here and now, and I’m meditating
And still I’m suffering but that’s my problem
Enlightenment, don’t know what it isWake up
Enlightenment says the world is nothing
Nothing but a dream,! everything’s an illusion
And nothing is realGood or bad baby
You can change it anyway you want
You can rearrange it
Enlightenment, don’t know what it is
Chop that wood
And carry water
What’s the sound of one hand clapping
Enlightenment, don’t know what it isAll around baby. you can see
You’re making your own reality. everyday because
Enlightenment, don’t know what it isOne more time
Enlightenment. don’t know what it is
It’s up to you
Enlightenment. don’t know what it is
It’s up to you everyday
Enlightenment, don’t know what it is
It’s always up to you
Enlightenment, don’t know what it is
It’s up to you, the way you thinkArtist: Van Morrison
Song: So quiet in here
Album: Enlightenment
[” Enlightenment ” CD]Foghorns blowing in the night
Salt sea air in the morning breeze
Driving cars all along the coastline
This must be what it’s all about
Oh this must be what it’s all about
This must be what paradise is like
So quiet in here, so peaceful in here
So quiet in here, so peaceful in hereThe warm look of radiance on your face
And your heart beating close to mine
And the evening fading in the candle glow
This must be what it’s all about
Oh this must be what it’s all about
This must be what paradise is like
So quiet ! in here. so peaceful in here
So quiet in here, yeah, so peaceful in hereAll my struggling in the world
And so many dreams that don’t come true
Step back, put it all away
It don’t matter, it don’t matter anymore
Oh this must be what paradise is like
This must be what paradise is like
It’s so quiet in here, so peaceful in here
It’s so quiet in here, so peaceful in hereA glass of wine with some friends
Talking into the wee hours of the dawn
Sit back and relax your mind
This must be, this must be, what it’s all about
This must be what paradise is like
Oh this must be what paradise is like
So quiet in here, so peaceful in here
So quiet in here, so peaceful in hereBig ships out in the night
And we’re floating across the waves
Sailing for some other shore
Where we can be what we wanna be
Oh this must be what paradise is like
This must be what paradise is like
Baby it’s so quiet in here, so pe! aceful in here
So quiet in here, so peaceful in here
So quiet in here, so peaceful in here
So quiet in here, you can hear, it’s so quietArtist: Van Morrison
Song: Youth of 1,000 summers
Album: Enlightenment
[” Enlightenment ” CD]He’s the youth of a thousand summers
He’s the youth of a thousand summers
Like a sweet bird of youth
Like a sweet bird of youth
In my soul. in my soul, in my soul
In my soul. in my soul. in my soulAnd he looks so radiant
And he shines like the sun
And he looks so radiant
And he lights up the worldHe’s the youth of a thousand summers
He’s the youth of a thousand summers
Like a sweet bird of youth
Like a sweet bird of youth
In my soul, in my soul, in my soul
In my soul, in my soul, in my so! ul
Yeah, love it, yeah, love it
In my soul, in my soul, in my soul
In my soul, in my soul, in my soulHe’s the king of the mountain
And the clear crystal fountain
He’s the saint of the river
He’s the ancient of daysHe’s the youth of a thousand summers
He’s the youth of a thousand summers
Like a sweet bird of youth
Like a sweet bird of youth
In my soul, in my soul, in my soul
In my soul, in my soul, in my soulAnd he makes you go skipping
And he makes you go dancing
And he gets you in rhythm
And he moves you in songHe’s the youth of a thousand summers
He’s the youth of a thousand summers
Like a sweet bird of youth
Like a sweet bird of youth
In my soul, in my soul, in my soul
In my soul, in my soul, in my soul
In my soul, in my soul, in my soul
Oh, in my soul, in my soul, in my soulAnd a sweet bird of youth
In my soul (repeat)
Artist: Van Morrison
Song: On hyndford street
Album: Hymns To The Silence
[” Hymns To The Silence ” CD]Take me back, take me way, way, way back
On Hyndford Street
Where you could feel the silence at half past eleven
On long summer nights
As the wireless played Radio Luxembourg
And the voices whispered across Beechie River
In the quietness as we sank into restful slumber in the silence
And carried on dreaming, in God
And walks up Cherry Valley from North Road Bridge, railway line
On sunny summer afternoons
Picking apples from the side of the tracks
That spilled over from the gardens of the houses on C! yprus Avenue
Watching the moth catcher working the floodlights in the evenings
And meeting down by the pylons
Playing round Mrs. Kelly’s lamp
Going out to Holywood on the bus
And walking from the end of the lines to the seaside
Stopping at Fusco’s for ice cream
In the days before rock ‘n’ roll
Hyndford Street, Abetta Parade
Orangefield, St. Donard’s Church
Sunday six-bells, and in between the silence there was conversation
And laughter, and music and singing, and shivers up the back of the neck
And tuning in to Luxembourg late at night
And jazz and blues records during the day
Also Debussy on the third programme
Early mornings when contemplation was best
Going up the Castlereagh hills
And the cregagh glens in summer and coming back
To Hyndford Street, feeling wondrous and lit up inside
With a sense of everlasting life
And reading Mr. Jelly Roll and Big Bill Broonzy
And “Really The Blues” by “Mezz” Mezzrow
And! “Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac
Over and over again
And voices ec hoing late at night over Beechie River
And it’s always being now, and it’s always being now
It’s always now
Can you feel the silence?
On Hyndford Street where you could feel the silence
At half past eleven on long summer nights
As the wireless played Radio Luxembourg
And the voices whispered across Beechie River
And in the quietness we sank into restful slumber in silence
And carried on dreaming in God.Absolutely Sweet Marie Lyricsby Bob Dylan
Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can’t jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see
I’m just sitting here beating on my trumpet
With all these promises you left for me
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?Well, I waited for you when I was half sick
Yes, I waited for you when you hated me
Well, I waited for you inside of the frozen traffic
When you knew I had some other place to be
Now, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously
But then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately.Well, six white horses that you did promise
Were fin’lly delivered down to the penitentiary
But to live outside the law, you must be honest
I know you always say that you agree
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?Well, I don’t know how it happened
But the river-boat captain, he knows my fate
But ev’rybody else, even yourself
They’re just gonna have to wait.Well, I got the fever down in my pockets
The Persian drunkard, he follows me
Yes, I can take him to your house but I can’t unlock it
You see, you forgot to leave me with the key
Oh, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?Now, I been in jail when all my mail showed
That a man can’t give his address out to bad company
And now I stand here lookin’ at your yellow railroad
In the ruins of your balcony
Wond’ring where you are tonight, sweet Marie.
by Bob DylanStanding on the waters casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing into the mist,
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing.
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
So swiftly the sun sets in the sky,
You rise up and say goodbye to no one.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,
Both of their futures, so full of dread, you don’t show one.
Shedding off one more layer of skin,
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
You’re a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds,
Manipulator of crowds, you’re a dream twister.
You’re going to Sodom and Gomorrah
But what do you care? Ain’t nobody there would want to marry your sister.
Friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame,
You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
Well, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy,
The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers.
In the smoke of the twilight on a milk-white steed,
Michelangelo indeed could’ve carved out your features.
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space,
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh. oh. oh. Jokerman.
Well, the rifleman’s stalking the sick and the lame,
Preacherman seeks the same, who’ll get there first is uncertain.
Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain,
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin,
Only a matter of time ’til night comes steppin’ in.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
It’s a shadowy world, skies are slippery gray,
A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet.
He’ll put the priest in his pocket, put the blade to the heat,
Take the motherless children off the street
And place them at the feet of a harlot.
Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants,
Oh, Jokerman, you don’t show any response.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune,
Bird fly high by the light of the moon,
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
by Bob DylanOnce upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?
People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”
You thought they were all kiddin’ you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin’ out
Now you don’t talk so loud
Now you don’t seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You’ve gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you’re gonna have to get used to it
You said you’d never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He’s not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And ask him do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain’t no good
You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain’t it hard when you discover that
He really wasn’t where it’s at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They’re drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you’d better lift your diamond ring, you’d better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
by Bob DylanWhen your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father to your sister he explains
That you’re tired of yourself and all of your creations
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you’re sick of all this repetition
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all of your advisers heave their plastic
At your feet to convince you of your pain
Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And you want somebody you don’t have to speak to
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
by Bob DylanAin’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re tryin’ to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded, though we’re all doin’ our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin’ you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there’s nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind
In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman’s bluff with the key chain
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the “D” train
We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it’s him or them that’s really insane
Louise, she’s all right, she’s just near
She’s delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna’s not here
The ghost of ‘lectricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place
Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He’s sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I’m in the hall
How can I explain?
Oh, it’s so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn
Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
Hear the one with the mustache say, “Jeeze
I can’t find my knees”
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel
The peddler now speaks to the countess who’s pretending to care for him
Sayin’, “Name me someone that’s not a parasite and I’ll go out and say a prayer for him”
But like Louise always says
“Ya can’t look at much, can ya man?”
As she, herself, prepares for him
And Madonna, she still has not showed
We see this empty cage now corrode
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
He writes ev’rything’s been returned which was owed
On the back of the fish truck that loads
While my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain
by Bob DylanOh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble,
Ancient footprints are everywhere.
You can almost think that you’re seein’ double
On a cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs.
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room,
Where I’ve got me a date with Botticelli’s niece.
She promised that she’d be right there with me
When I paint my masterpiece.
Oh, the hours I’ve spent inside the Coliseum,
Dodging lions and wastin’ time.
Oh, those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see ’em,
Yes, it sure has been a long, hard climb.
Train wheels runnin’ through the back of my memory,
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese.
Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece.
Sailin’ ’round the world in a dirty gondola.
Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!
I left Rome and landed in Brussels,
On a plane ride so bumpy that I almost cried.
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pullin’ muscles,
Everyone was there to greet me when I stepped inside.
Newspapermen eating candy
Had to be held down by big police.
Someday, everything is gonna be diff’rent
When I paint my masterpiece.
Our conversation was short and sweet
It nearly swept me off my feet
And I’m back in the rain
Oh, and you are on dry land
You made it there somehow
You’re a big girl nowBird on the horizon, sitting on a fence
He’s singing his song for me at his own expense
And I’m just like that bird
Oh, singing just for you
I hope that you can hear
Hear me singing through these tears
Love is so simple, to quote a phrase
You’ve known it all the time, I’m learning it these days
And I know where I can find you
Oh, in somebody’s room
It’s a price I have to pay
You’re a big girl all the way
Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast
Oh but what a shame, that all we’ve shared can’t last
I can change I swear
Oh, see what you can do
I can make it through
You can make it too
A change in the weather is known to be extreme
But what’s the sense in changing horses in midstream
I’m going out of my mind
Oh, with a pain that stops and starts
Like a corkscrew to the heart
Ever since we’ve been apart
I’ve seen love go by my door
It’s never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow
Been shootin’ in the dark too long
If something’s not right it’s wrong
You’re gonna make me lonesome when you goDragon clouds so high above
I’ve only known careless love
It’s always hit me from below
But this time around it’s more correct
Right on target and so direct
You’re gonna make me lonesome when you go
Purple clover, Queen Anne’s lace
Crimson hair across your face
You can make me cry but you don’t know
Can’t remember what I was thinking of
You might be spoiling me with too much love
You’re gonna make me lonesome when you go
Flowers on the hillside blooming crazy
Crickets talking back and forth in rhyme
Blue river running slow and lazy
I could spend forever with you and never realize the time
Situations have ended sad
Relationships have all been bad
Mine have been like Verlaine’s and Rimbaud’s
But there’s no way I can compare
All them scenes to this affair, honey
You’re gonna make me lonesome when you go
You’re gonna make me wonder what I’m doing
Staying far behind without you
You’re gonna make me wonder what I’m saying
You’re gonna make me give myself a good talking to
I’ll look for you in old Honolulu
San Francisco, Ashtabula
You’re gonna have to leave me now I know
But I’ll see you in the sky above
In the tall grass in the ones I love
You’re gonna make me lonesome when you go
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
by Bob DylanThey sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark,
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones.
‘Twas then he felt alone and wished that he’d gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.
They walked along by the old canal
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burnin’ bright.
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate.
A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walkin’ by the arcade.
As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin’ up,
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate.
He woke up, the room was bare
He didn’t see her anywhere.
He told himself he didn’t care, pushed the window open wide,
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate.
He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks,
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in.
Maybe she’ll pick him out again, how long must he wait
Once more for a simple twist of fate.
People tell me it’s a sin
To know and feel too much within.
I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring.
She was born in spring, but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate.
by Bob DylanSenor, senor, do you know where we’re headin’?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?
Seems like I been down this way before.
Is there any truth in that, senor?
Senor, senor, do you know where she is hidin’?
How long are we gonna be ridin’?
How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door?
Will there be any comfort there, senor?
There’s a wicked wind still blowin’ on that upper deck,
There’s an iron cross still hanging down from around her neck.
There’s a marchin’ band still playin’ in that vacant lot
Where she held me in her arms one time and said, “Forget me not.”
Senor, senor, I can see that painted wagon,
I can smell the tail of the dragon.
Can’t stand the suspense anymore.
Can you tell me who to contact here, senor?
Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field.
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring Said,
“Son, this ain’t a dream no more, it’s the real thing.”
Senor, senor, you know their hearts is as hard as leather.
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together.
I just gotta pick myself up off the floor.
I’m ready when you are, senor.
Senor, senor, let’s disconnect these cables,
Overturn these tables.
This place don’t make sense to me no more.
Can you tell me what we’re waiting for, senor?
I didn’t mean to treat you so bad
You shouldn’t take it so personal
I didn’t mean to make you so sad
You just happened to be there, that’s all
When I saw you say “goodbye” to your friend and smile
I thought that it was well understood
That you’d be comin’ back in a little while
I didn’t know that you were sayin’ “goodbye” for goodBut, sooner or later, one of us must know
That you just did what you’re supposed to do
Sooner or later, one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you
I couldn’t see what you could show me
Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid
I couldn’t see how you could know me
But you said you knew me and I believed you did
When you whispered in my ear
And asked me if I was leavin’ with you or her
I didn’t realize just what I did hear
I didn’t realize how young you were
But, sooner or later, one of us must know
That your just doing what you’re supposed to do
Sooner or later, one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you
I couldn’t see when it started snowin’
Your voice was all that I heard
I couldn’t see where we were goin’
But you said you knew an’ I took your word
And then you told me later, as I apologized
That you were just kiddin’ me, you weren’t really from the farm
An’ I told you, as you clawed out my eyes
That I never really meant to do you any harm
But, sooner or later, one of us must know
That you a just did what you’re supposed to do
Sooner or later, one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you
by Bob DylanCan’t you hear that rooster crowin’?
Rabbit runnin’ down across the road
Underneath the bridge where the water flowed through
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
Can’t you hear that motor turnin’?
Automobile comin’ into style
Comin’ down the road for a country mile or two
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
The night passed away so quickly
It always does when you’re with me.
Can’t you feel that sun a-shinin’?
Ground hog runnin’ by the country stream
This must be the day that all of my dreams come true
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
New morning . . .
by Bob DylanHey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.
Though I know that evenin’s empire has returned into sand,
Vanished from my hand,
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping.
My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet,
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship,
My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip,
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin’.
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way,
I promise to go under it.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.
Though you might hear laughin’, spinnin’, swingin’ madly across the sun,
It’s not aimed at anyone, it’s just escapin’ on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin’.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin’ reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it’s just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn’t pay it any mind, it’s just a shadow you’re
Seein’ that he’s chasing.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.
Then take me disappearin’ through the smoke rings of my mind,
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.
When you’re lost in the rain in Juarez
And it’s Eastertime too
And your gravity fails
And negativity don’t pull you through
Don’t put on any airs
When you’re down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there
And they really make a mess outa youNow if you see Saint Annie
Please tell her thanks a lot
I cannot move
My fingers are all in a knot
I don’t have the strength
To get up and take another shot
And my best friend, my doctor
Won’t even say what it is I’ve got
Sweet Melinda
The peasants call her the goddess of gloom
She speaks good English
And she invites you up into her room
And you’re so kind
And careful not to go to her too soon
And she takes your voice
And leaves you howling at the moon
Up on Housing Project Hill
It’s either fortune or fame
You must pick up one or the other
Though neither of them are to be what they claim
If you’re lookin’ to get silly
You better go back to from where you came
Because the cops don’t need you
And man they expect the same
Now all the authorities
They just stand around and boast
How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms
Into leaving his post
And picking up Angel who
Just arrived here from the coast
Who looked so fine at first
But left looking just like a ghost
I started out on burgundy
But soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they’d stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to call my bluff
I’m going back to New York City
I do believe I’ve had enough
by Bob DylanHow many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ‘n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ‘n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
by Bob Dylan”There must be some way out of here,” said the joker to the thief,
“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.”
“No reason to get excited,” the thief, he kindly spoke,
“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we’ve been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late.”
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
by Bob DylanWhen she said,
“Don’t waste your words, they’re just lies,”
I cried she was deaf.
And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes,
Then said, “What else you got left?”
It was then that I got up to leave
But she said, “Don’t forget,
Everybody must give something back
For something they get.”
I stood there and hummed,
I tapped on her drum and asked her how come.
And she buttoned her boot,
And straightened her suit,
Then she said, “Don’t get cute.”
So I forced my hands in my pockets
And felt with my thumbs,
And gallantly handed her
My very last piece of gum.
She threw me outside,
I stood in the dirt where ev’ryone walked.
And after finding I’d
Forgotten my shirt,
I went back and knocked.
I waited in the hallway, she went to get it,
And I tried to make sense
Out of that picture of you in your wheelchair
That leaned up against . . .
Her Jamaican rum
And when she did come, I asked her for some.
She said, “No, dear.”
I said, “Your words aren’t clear,
You’d better spit out your gum.”
She screamed till her face got so red
Then she fell on the floor,
And I covered her up and then
Thought I’d go look through her drawer.
And, when I was through
I filled up my shoe
And brought it to you.
And you, you took me in,
You loved me then
You didn’t waste time.
And I, I never took much,
I never asked for your crutch.
Now don’t ask for mine.
by Bob DylanWell, I ride on a mailtrain, baby,
Can’t buy a thrill.
Well, I’ve been up all night, baby,
Leanin’ on the window sill.
Well, if I die
On top of the hill
And if I don’t make it,
You know my baby will.
Don’t the moon look good, mama,
Shinin’ through the trees?
Don’t the brakeman look good, mama,
Flagging down the “Double E”?
Don’t the sun look good
Goin’ down over the sea?
Don’t my gal look fine
When she’s comin’ after me?
Now the wintertime is coming,
The windows are filled with frost.
I went to tell everybody,
But I could not get across.
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don’t wanna be your boss.
Don’t say I never warned you
When your train gets lost.
by Bob DylanNobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Ev’rybody knows
That Baby’s got new clothes
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman, yes, she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she’s my friend
Yes, I believe I’ll go see her again
Nobody has to guess
hat Baby can’t be blessed
Till she sees finally that she’s like all the rest
With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman, yes, she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl.
It was raining from the first
And I was dying there of thirst
So I came in here
And your long-time curse hurts
But what’s worse
Is this pain in here
I can’t stay in here
Ain’t it clear that
I just can’t fit
Yes, I believe it’s time for us to quit
When we meet again
Introduced as friends
Please don’t let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world.
Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes, you do
You make love just like a woman, yes, you do
Then you ache just like a woman
But you break just like a little girl.
by Bob DylanOh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block.
I’d ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don’t talk.
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape,
But deep inside my heart
I know I can’t escape.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well, Shakespeare, he’s in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she’s talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An’ I said, “Oh, I didn’t know that,
But then again, there’s only one I’ve met
An’ he just smoked my eyelids
An’ punched my cigarette.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he’s buried in the rocks,
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen,
I knew he’d lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev’ryone his gun,
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son.
An’ me, I nearly got busted
An’ wouldn’t it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest.
But he cursed me when I proved it to him,
Then I whispered, “Not even you can hide.
You see, you’re just like me,
I hope you’re satisfied.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, “Jump right in.”
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An’ like a fool I mixed them
An’ it strangled up my mind,
An’ now people just get uglier
An’ I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I can watch her waltz for free
‘Neath her Panamanian moon.
An’ I say, “Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante.”
An’ she says, “Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb.
They all fall there so perfectly,
It all seems so well timed.
An’ here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
(Words and Music by Bob Dylan)Every step of the way, we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is piling up, we struggle and we stray
We’re all boxed in, nowhere to escape
City’s just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, tryin’ to get away
I was raised in the country, I been working in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down
Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don’t even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, Pain pouring down
Nothing you can sell me, I’ll see you around
All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well, the devil’s in the alley, mule’s in the stall
Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all
I was thinking about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie’s bed
Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too
Some people will offer you their hand and some won’t
Last night I knew you, tonight I don’t
I need something strong to distract my mind
I’m gonna look at you ’til my eyes go blind
Well I got here following the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well my ship’s been split to splinters and it’s sinking fast
I’m drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free
I’ve got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me
Everybody’s moving, if they ain’t already there
Everybody’s got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waiting to be kind
So give me your hand and say you’ll be mine
Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
In the chilly hours and minutes,
Of uncertainty, I want to be,
In the warm hold of your loving mind.To feel you all around me,
And to take your hand, along the sand,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
When sundown pales the sky,
I wanna hide a while, behind your smile,
And everywhere I’d look, your eyes I’d find.
For me to love you now,
Would be the sweetest thing, ‘twould make me sing,
Ah, but I may as well, try and catch the wind.
When rain has hung the leaves with tears,
I want you near, to kill my fears
To help me to leave all my blues behind.
For standin’ in your heart,
Is where I want to be, and I long to be,
Ah, but I may as well, try and catch the wind.
I know I know you from somewhere
Somewhere far off from this broken trail
Are you lost or are you lonesome
Did you sink your ship before you sailed?
Well, dreams are lost most everyday
And yours are nowhere to be found.
Oh yellow moon up in the evening
Shine down your light yes and help me see
I need your light so I can see her
I need your light so I can be free.
Well days go by and I
Well I just get high and
Leave the past behind.
Oh clouded skys of desile angels
Wet down this world oh yes and make it clean
Please tell me soon that you’ll release me
Release me from this world of broken dreams.
Well there’s a time to live
And there’s a time to die and I say
Time is always on my side.
Moonless Night | ||
Music & Lyrics by: Steve Johnson © 2003 |
chorus) | I can feel you | |
Stars like diamonds in the sky | ||
I can see you | ||
On a moonless night | ||
Chase it with me | ||
Dreams that always can come true | ||
And don’t forget to | ||
Shine on a moonless night |
It will be time and time again
To forget what you are after
Lost love forgiveness
Well I don’t know how to ask her
I do believe that it can do no harm
It will keep it sheltered
From the storm
chorus) | I can feel you | |
Stars like diamonds in the sky | ||
I can see you | ||
On a moonless night | ||
Chase it with me | ||
Dreams that always can come true | ||
And don’t forget to | ||
Shine on a moonless night |
Take some time
To find your purpose
If you’re happy I’m happy
That’s my concern
Take it lightly
Don’t bust open the curtains ‘cuz
You know one day well you might get burned
chorus) | I can feel you | |
Stars like diamonds in the sky | ||
I can see you | ||
On a moonless night | ||
Chase it with me | ||
Dreams that always can come true | ||
And don’t forget to | ||
Shine on a moonless night
|
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Tom selected favorites
in Going in circles
trying to make ends meet
a frantic puppy
The puppy’s wonder
tilts his head, first to one side
and then the other
Romping new puppy
sits down every so often
and whimpers awhile
Before he lies down
on the floor, the dog paws away
centuries of leaves
Puppy gives each yawn
vocal accompaniment
to make sure its seen
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Tom selected favorites
in The house cat watches
the flitting sparrow, with a
chattering hunger
The door held for her
the cat stops on the threshold
and sniffs the jamb…
When finally caught,
the kitten’s tail is given
a real good licking
While being scolded
the old cat licks his shoulder
pretending not to hear…
A moment ago
the kitten was full of life
now how limp it lies
The kitten’s great yawn
goes all around the room…
and back again
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Tom selected favorites
in22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Tom selected favorites
inThey know most about beginning who help the rest of us begin
From tribe~ Meditations of a haiku poet:
Haiku enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing who we really are.
all things conspire to reveal us.
Day after day i treat my haiku as a bird might treat its feathers.
As poets, we’re all on the road sought by stillness…
Haiku is simply nature’s way of healing us with words.
A poem should be that sea which fills the empty shell within us.
Moments are like bread crumbs to the bird that always sings. The point is to sing and share our bread with one another.
We are not human beings trying to be poets. We are poets trying to be human beings.
Mostly i have to live the poem to truly understand it. The fact that there is a right poem for the right moment is an amazing & much needed credo for survival. The American Indians knew well when to get their herbs & where- that is how they got them. When the need was there. So with life & with the writing of haiku.
Poems are what we leave & what we find at the beginning.
from tribe~ Further Meditations of a haiku poet:
i am writing. You are reading. This is prayer.
i’ve always had a deep sense that writing was somehow bringing me closer to something. At the same time a sense that it was somehow taking me away from something. It is the poem that builds the bridge between these places.
The poem is never completely ours. Neither is the difficulty writing it.
Slow down! Slow down o snail! Let us be companions along the spiritual path.
The poem is an offering as well as an altar.
i want to leave behind the poem that can follow where i’m going…
We are made to write as the river is made to flow… not reflecting where it’s been nor where it’s going.
ah, the immensity of nature- room for all of her poets!
***
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted Tom selected favorites
in