1. Hejira © Joni Mitchell
I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
That shell shock love away
There's comfort in melancholy
When there's no need to explain
It's just as natural as the weather
In this moody sky today
In our possessive coupling
So much could not be expressed
So now I am returning to myself
These things that you and I suppressed
I see something of myself in everyone
Just at this moment of the world
As snow gathers like bolts of lace
Waltzing on a ballroom girl
You know it never has been easy
Whether you do or you do not resign
Whether you travel the breadth of extremities
Or stick to some straighter line
Now here's a man and a woman sitting on a rock
They're either going to thaw out or freeze
Listen, strains of Benny Goodman
Coming through' the snow and the pinewood trees
I'm porous with travel fever
But you know I'm so glad to be on my own
Still somehow the slightest touch of a stranger
Can set up trembling in my bones
I know, no one's going to show me everything
We all come and go unknown
Each so deep and superficial
Between the forceps and the stone
Well, I looked at the granite markers
Those tributes to finality, to eternity
And then I looked at myself here
Chicken-scratching for my immortality
In the church, they light the candles
And the wax rolls down like tears
There is the hope and the hopelessness
I've witnessed thirty years
We're only particles of change I know, I know
Orbiting around the sun
But how can I have that point of view
When I'm always bound and tied to someone
White flags of winter chimneys
Wave truce against the moon
In the mirrors of a modern bank
From the window of a hotel room
I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
Until love sucks me back that way
2. Goldbridge Road © Michael Holbrook Moss
Went by our old house a little while ago
Nothing but a mailbox
And weeds were growing
Rusted red swing swaying in the breeze
Handprints in the sidewalk
Your name carved in the cedar tree
I’m sorry I lied to you about Easter
I lied about Santa Claus
I lied about the tooth fairy
And that monster in the hall
Blow me down
Blow me down
I’m an autumn leaf falling to the ground
Where roots run deep
And memory sleeps
Follow me down
Follow me down
You’re so far away now
The weather’s cold
I hear you don’t have a decent coat my baby
Wish you were here now
Wish you could stay
Wish I could put you on my shoulder
Let you point the way
Come on baby follow me, follow me home
I promise this time to let you live on your own
Because good love never dies
It just hides deep inside
Blow me down
Blow me down
I’m an autumn leaf falling to the ground
Where roots run deep
And memory sleeps
Follow me down
Follow me down
3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress © Jimmy Webb
See her how she flies
Golden sails across the sky
Close enough to touch
But careful if you try
Though she looks as warm as gold
The moon's a harsh mistress
The moon can be so cold
Once the sun did shine
And lord, it felt so fine
The moon a phantom rose
Through the mountains and the pines
And then the darkness fell
And the moon's a harsh mistress
It's so hard to love her well
I fell out of her eyes
I fell out of her heart
I fell down on my face
Yes, I did, and I, I tripped and I missed my star
God, I fell and I fell alone, I fell alone
And the moon's a harsh mistress
And the sky is made of stone
The moon's a harsh mistress
She's so hard to call your own
4. How He Lost Her © Julie Christensen / Wendy Waldman
He stands by the window
Starin’ at the rain
It came down all night
And most of today___
He’d go out to find her
But it’s still coming’ down
And it seems like a lifetime
Since baby went to town
And the wind roars like angels
And it sounds like her voice
How he lost her
He’ll never know
And the wind roars like angels
And it sounds like her voice
But he lost her
So long ago
The fire’s goin’ out now
Supper’s almost gone
And all evening long
He watches the door
All through the hills
He thinks he hears her cry
But it’s just some old coyote
Talkin’ to the night sky
And the wind roars like angels
And it sounds like her voice
How he lost her
He’ll never know
And the wind roars like angels
And it sounds like her voice
But he lost her
How he lost her
He’ll never know
How he lost her
5. Save Your Love for Me © Buddy Johnson
Wish I knew
Why I'm so in love with you
No one else in this world will do
Darling please save your love for me
Run away
If I were wise I'd run away
But like a fool in love I stay
And pray you'll save your love for me
I can feel it
Even when you're not here
Can't conceal it
I really love you, my dear
And though I know no good
Can come from loving you
I can't do a thing, I'm so in love with you
So darling help me please
Have mercy on a fool like me
I know I'm lost but still I plead
Darling please save your love for me
You may have fun with the crowd
But for crying out loud
Darling please save your love for me
6. A Remark You Made © Joe Zawinul, lyrics by Julie Christensen
You didn’t know why you said it
Could you have been aware of
How it would land?
Underneath the words
A pretty blur I wasn’t sure
Exactly what I’d heard
Didn’t know at the time
What was on your mind
But I had a kind of premonition
There in mine
And you know it might’ve been just fine
But I’m resigned
And now I know —It’s time
I—will try to see how much of me
I can be
Without you by my side
I’ll carry on
It’s time to move along, I know
Underneath the words
I gotta wonder why you stayed
Knowing what would - follow
It was hard__
And I hurt you and you hurt me
But I should let—you be
I know you’re leaving me__
So off you go
And I’m gonna tell you - now
Just so you know
I’m—gonna miss you
Just so you know
And underneath the words
Just underneath the words
Just underneath was what you wanted to say
(solo 8 bars)
Underneath the words
You tried to say you couldn’t stay
But underneath the words
I saw the day you’d walk away
Just underneath the words
You tried to say you couldn’t stay
But underneath the words
I saw the day you’d walk away
Just underneath the words____
7. All The River © Julie Christensen / Karen Hammack
When I hear that bird in the morning sky
Sounds like she sings, whatever comes to pass
(And) When I - woke up today I forgot to cry
All my tears have — been wrung dry
From filling the river
And it’s all the river
If I close my eyes and remember
My own love is all I have to give
If I let my heart float there in surrender
I don’t need to — give up, ever
It’s all the river
All the river
Hard times happen in every life
No—body’s free from pain and trial
And all the birds will keep on singing
Even after they cannot fly
It’s all
———It’s all the river
There are days I worry ‘bout what’s to come
Or I’m sad for what has departed
Another whole world will circle the sun
Even when my — days are done
It’s all the river
It’s all the river
All the river
It’s all the river
All the river
8. Away With Words © John Scofield, lyrics by Julie Christensen
Away___with all the things I know you want to tell me
And away__with all the words I wish I’d hear you whisper
(Of) love and beyond____
If we started all over, and you wouldn’t have gone…
I just need you to know I’m gonna stay
And I hope you can try and find a way for now with few words
You’re home. And even though you want to say you’re sorry
Away With Words
9. Can’t Find My Way Home © Steve Winwood
Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key
But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home
Come down on your own and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key
oooohh
But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home
Yeah
But I can't find my way home
Still I can't find my way home
And I ain't done nothing wrong
But I can't find my way
Can't find my way
Can't find my way home
10. Hilltop © Terry Lee Burns
In my mind I see you
Just the way you used to be
Small and frail, but full of life
You were everything to me
Your face, Your voice, your very soul
I’ll miss until I go
But you’ll be there when I return
To the place we were before
Looking from the hilltop
I know I’ll see you then
We’ll laugh and talk and touch
And live again
When I reach that hilltop
And my days of life are through
When they ask me what I liked the best
I’ll tell them it was you.
Looking from the hilltop
I know I’ll see you then
We’ll laugh and talk and touch
And live again
When I reach that hilltop
And my days of life are through
When they ask me what I liked the best
I’ll tell them it was you
When they ask me what I liked the best
I’ll tell them it was you.
LYRICS FOR
11 FROM KEVIN - SONGS OF KEVIN GORDON 2022
11 from Kevin: Songs of Kevin Gordon
Julie Christensen
Find My Way
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI & Gwil Owen, Turgid Tunes admin Bluewater BMI)
When the night comes creeping,
And my family’s sleeping
I slip out and take a ride
No destination, no woman waiting
Just a rage inside my mind
I’m feeling things I don’t understand
Baby can you sympathize
til I find my way
baby til I find my way
I think I’ll drive down to the river
Stare out at the lights of town
Sometimes a man will walk that bridge
Just to lay his lonesome down
I’m coming back home tonight
I’m just taking the long way around
til I find my way
baby, til I find my way
There’s hawks on my fence, snakes in the grass
Change is a burning, blurring line
World’s got me crazy, can you tell me baby
Why the cure’s always the compromise
There’s what you want, and what you need
What ties you down, what sets you free
til I find my way
baby, til I find my way
Crowville
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
Red wing bird splits the sky
Green grows wild on the highway side
Just like they know you,
Folks wave from the wheel
Cars passing
Crowville
Out in the field, outside the wall
Coyotes coming, hear ‘em call
Running on hunger and free will
Gone in the morning
Crowville
Little jambox blares from the ground
Preacher’s voice like a tearing sound
The Lord’s at hand and the devil’s on the kill
Way down there
Crowville
Charles Ray, he’s long gone
Ms. Martha carries on
I hear us laughing with him still—
Hand slaps the table
Crowville
Red wing bird splits the sky
Green grows wild on the highway side
Just like they know you,
Folks wave from the wheel
Cars passing
Crowville
Fire at the End of the World
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
Me and Billy, seventeen
Sitting in class, feeling bored and mean
In came the teacher, said we had a guest
She introduced the sheriff, and put off the test
He talked about pot, how folks grew their own
Statistics were given, slides were shown
Pills, powders, LSD
I found out what all that would do to me
Around here things stay pretty slow
Hound dogs sleep in the middle of the road
Gotta shuck the oyster to find the pearl
And I heard about a fire at the end of the world
Didn’t know what we were doing, but we were gonna get it done
Headed down Louisiana highway 1
Life’s a magazine; the pages start to curl
Down there by the fire at the end of the world
Drove straight south til the road met the water
Split a half a gram, & a hit of good blotter
Every bit of evidence was gone
Sitting on the hood feeling it coming on
There it was, a gold flame in the black velvet sky
Over the refinery so wild and high
That’s when a parish deputy appeared
Asked what we were doing down there
He stared at Billy, he stared at me
I mumbled something about what we came to see
I give the devil neither the credit or the blame
I was just down there looking for that flame
Sometimes you just want things to tilt and shine—
Change it up a little bit inside your mind.
You gotta shuck the oyster to find the pearl
I heard about a fire at the end of the world
Joey & Clara
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
Joey, Clara calls from the sidewalk dawn
won’t you come out and run all day long
I know where the berries hang heavy on a thick sticker bush
Sweet as sugar way back in the woods
Bring yourself a bucket and we’ll have some fun
Back where the ghosts and the wild things run
I got sandwiches and chewing gum
Oh come now joey or you won’t get none
Runnin’, Joey comes jumpin’ down the front porch stairs
Clara like a woman with her hands on her hips
“Took ya long enough”
Over the Brambles underneath barbed wire
Round the ashes of the old campfire
Chandler’s fence took a piece of her dress
Old tennis shoes in the dew turn wet
Joey and clara, la la la la
Gloryland
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
You might be a preacher
Broadcasting on a satellite
Miss Mamie's looking for an answer
Watches your program every night
Diamonds shine from your praying hands
She sends you all the money she has
Just to feel a little closer
A little closer to gloryland
You might be the president
Take a lot of power in your hands
Bend the laws to your advantage
Drive your armies to a foreign land
You say your cause is just
Lie only if you must
Just to keep them believing
They're on their way to gloryland
People keep believing, people keep deceiving
Am I my brother's keeper?
Am I my brother's keeper?
You might be a young man
Out of work in a war-torn town
Streets you walked as a smiling child
Are blown to rubble, death and infidels all around
You're drinking thirst, eating hunger
Praying to the east, and the mullah
Is the only one you can trust
Who gives himself in sacrifice
Passes the gate to paradise . . .
You walk into the market, cool wind across your face
Virgin visions in your head & a bomb strapped to your waist
Because it's all waiting there, somewhere far from here
It's all waiting there, out there somewhere
In gloryland
Heart’s Not in It
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI & Gwil Owen, Turgid Tunes admin Bluewater BMI)
I've played this bar a hundred times
Same four walls, same old lines
The show goes on when they dim the lights
I play my part, but my heart's not in it tonight
Play a couple of fast ones, then we take a break Somebody buys a round for old times' sake
Guess she looks familiar, I try to be polite
But it's hard, ‘cause my heart's not in it tonight
Sometimes I get this feeling
All I'm doing is spinning my wheels
I just want to stop for a minute
Just until my heart's back in it
The crowd's all gone, but you're still here
What you want is all too clear
The line's so fine between wrong and right
We could step right over, but my heart's not in it tonight
{
Down to the Well
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI & Colin Linden, Colin Linden Music, Warner Chappell SOCAN)
Mud-covered dogs guarding shotgun shacks
A red door on a green Cadillac
Hot wind blowing smoke through graveyard streets
A face I recognize looking right through me
Ain’t goin’ down to the well no more
Believe I’ve had my fill
I worked that ground til I done got sore
Ain’t goin’ back down to the well
You played that dive twenty some-odd years
With the faith and whiskey you killed your fear
I remember the night you broke down to the core
Threw that black Stratocaster through a plate-glass door
Ain’t goin’ down to the well no more
Believe I’ve had my fill
I worked that ground til I done got sore
Ain’t goin’ back down to the well
See that woman in the corner, brother, she knows
Every inch of my body, every mile of my soul
We used to shake ‘em on down til the blazin’ day
What’s she doin here tonight watching me that way
Ain’t goin’ down to the well no more
Believe I’ve had my fill
I worked that ground til I done got sore
Ain’t goin’ back down to the well
Jimmy Reed is the King of Rock n’Roll
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
Dark sunglasses, sharkskin suit, standing in the
Broken glass of East Dubuque
On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning
You ramble and you tamble, it’s a rotgut town
Lose your mind til it can’t be found
Now your head is burning
And your heart is yearning
Jimmy Reed is the king of rock n’roll
Jimmy Reed is the king of rock n’roll
Down in Ottumwa, layin’ up in that room
Light bulb flickin’ its tongue at you
And the hours passing
And the hours passing
Jimmy Reed is the king of rock n’roll
Jimmy Reed is the king of rock n’roll
Dark sunglasses , sharkskin suit, standing in the
Broken glass of East Dubuque
On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning
Gatling Gun
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
If I had a rocket ship and a Gatling gun
I’d fly all the way up to the sun
Shoot it full of holes til I put out the light
Fall back to the ocean and call it a night
Gonna call John Henry help build me a railroad
Straight through the coal mines, pick up a big load
Dig a hole to China, ride it on down
Keep sinking low til I come out on higher ground
I still see her there
How the river wind plays her hair
Gold in fallen light
Right by my side
I could take a razor to my blank stare
Bleed out every memory of her in there
Toss my eyes like dice into the sky
But I’d come up empty, still asking why
I still see her there
How the river wind plays her hair
Gold in fallen light
On the levee by my side
Giving me her time
The wild meadow of her mind
The bloom of her soft kiss
Why can’t it stay like this
And nothing less?
These days nothing stays the same
But my tongue remembers the shape of her name
Love is free and free to roam
But I can’t quit no matter how far away she goes
Following a Sign
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
I stood up in church one Sunday prophesyin’ a storm to come
I stood up in church one Sunday prophesyin’ a storm to come
Monday morning lightnin’ stuck the doubters dumb
When the preacher kicked me out
Threw a thumb up for a ride
$20 bill in my bible
Watchin’ them cars just blow on by
I keep holding on to the sweet divine
Get there how I can
Following a sign
Meridian to Memphis, like a dog in the back of a truck
Meridian to Memphis, ridin’ like a dog in the back of a truck
Through a stranger’s kindness, saw St. Louis from a bus
There’s tuna fish and crackers pocket knife in a calico skirt
Blade it came out shinin’ when that boy tried to feel up under my shirt
I keep holdin’ on to the sweet divine
Get there how I can following a sign
Ever since I can remember I’ve seen angels in the air
Heard voices in the wind
Grace is everywhere
Chicago December
South Cicero somewhere
Chicago December
South Cicero somewhere
ask a lady in a doorway
Is anybody sick in there
She led me to a room
Daughter lay shakin’ on the bed
Sweat poured off my hands when I laid ‘em upon her head
And I prayed like I pray In every town I’m driftin’ through
She just brlinked three times and stood up well as me or you
I keep holdin’ on to the sweet divine
Get there how I can following a sign
Chicago December South Cicero somewhere
Goodnight Brownie Ford
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
The old man’s face
A map of scars
Straw Stetson brim
Half Comanche
They called him Brownie
For his Indian skin
I met him once
In a cafe
In my hometown
In a corner singing
Black Jack David,
Don’t Let the Deal Go Down
We called him back for more
Goodnight Brownie Ford
Just a kid
Breaking horses
Working wild west shows
Rope and leather
Cards and money
Learning fast how the old song goes
Declared me dead twice, he said
But I never was that far gone
Yeah that saddle bronc dragged me to the gates of heaven
I couldn’t stay down long
Dying ain’t what living’s for
I snuck out that hospital ward
Goodnight Brownie Ford
Played his guitar
From here to far
Woodsmoke and campfire songs
Float up to the stars til the night is gone
I remember talking to him
More likely, he was talking to me--
Saying “Don’t let ‘em mess with your music
If you go to Tennessee”
As the fire flared and died
From his cigarette
And he looked me in the eye to ask
A riddle with his next breath--
All the free advice I could afford
Got in his car and closed the door
Goodnight Brownie Ford
Rest Your Head
(©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music BMI)
Stars above the clouds tonight that I can’t see
Pictures swirling up in my head say what you mean to me
You're a thousand miles away
You get tired this time of day
That bad feeling ain’t all it seems
Baby rest your weary head and dream
Work is good but wants to steal away our time
Hours and frustrations lead to nothing but
Paper dollars and thin dimes
It’s here and then it’s gone
So we labor on
Polished shoes and Listerine
Baby rest your weary head and dream
Rest a while
Hear that laughing river flow
When I find it I’ll follow it
As far as it goes
Cool wind in the shadow of a redwood tree
I can’t see that bird but I’m a fool to think
it’s singing just for me
Whippoorwill or mockingbird,
Lonesome song ain’t got no words
But I think I know what it means
Baby rest your weary head and dream
Rest a while
Hear that laughing river flow
When I find it I’ll follow it
As far as it goes
And that bad feeling ain’t all it seems
Baby rest your weary head and dream
Baby rest your weary head
LYRICS FOR
A SAD CLOWN 2018
A Sad Clown
© 2017 Julie Christensen
Now that you are grown
You might be considering a profession
You’ll be leaving home
It’s hard to admit you have some questions
I know that we’ve grown apart
But I want to tell you with my heart:
Do what you love, ‘cause you only get paid in lessons.
yeah yeah
Your mama’s a sad sad clown
How long has she been around?
There’s work to be done
There’s no time for her to slow down
Your mama’s just a sad sad clown
You’d think she’d have figured it out by now
And passed on the news to you
You’d think she’d have given it up somehow,
But what else is she gonna do?
Your mama’s just a sad sad clown
When I was alone
I never wondered about the ending
Lonely to the bone,
Still I had no intention of bending
They all tried to tell me what to be
I was working on trying to set it free
If push comes to shove,
I don't wanna be caught pretending ___
yeah yeah yeah
Your mama’s a sad sad clown
How long has she been around?
There’s work to be done
It’s too late for her to slow down
Your mama’s just a sad sad clown
There’s no joy in Mudville to be found
There’s no money in it, no reknown
No pieces to pick up off the ground
Your mama’s just a sad sad clown
Your mama’s just a sad sad clown
Your mama’s a sad sad clown
How long has she been around?
There’s work to be done
It’s too late for her to slow down
Your mama’s just a sad sad clown
Sad Sad Clown
Sad Sad Clown
Exile on Myrtle Beach
© Darrin Bradbury
I was countin’ roaches in a Chicken Shack
Down on Myrtle Beach
The sun to my back
Got caught stealin’ hubcaps off a Pontiac
Yeah, and here I am
Skippin’ stones and watchin’ birds
Headed from Albuquerque
And I made a wrong turn
So I picked up some cardboard
And I wrote down some words
Someone said it was a sign
Yeah well, you and me
Yeah we’re off scot-free
Like Bruce on a bike with some boardwalk queen
They two lanes’ll take you anywhere,
But I guess they’ll take you on down
Down past Myrtle Beach
I saw Richard Pryor throw a stone into the ocean
Had a couple new jokes
But none of them were worth quotin’
A couple good quips, yeah, and I guess that’s it
Nothin’ really on fire
I seen Elvis Presley down at the popsicle stand
Gettin’ cues from Andy Kaufman
On how to shake his ass
They’re doin’ a double header
Three night stand
At Fran’s Eastside
Yeah well, you and me
Yeah we’re off scot-free
Like the heads that roll off the French Royalty
The Revolution was nothin’ but a strong narrative
Great publicity. Keeps the tourists in Myrtle Beach
Well I guess I’ll keep quiet, like Ol’ Charlie Chaplin
Didn’t like the steak,
So I spit it in the napkin
It was too well-done for anything to happen
Guess I wanted somethin’ rare
But the ballgame’s startin’
So everybody cheer
You know it’s a good song if it sells som beer
You held me in the nosebleeds
Sayin’ “why are we here?”
I said, “why do you care?”
Yeah well, you and me
Yeah we’re off scot-free
Like Eva and Adolf in a submarine
Some folks say they’re in Buenos Aires
But I’ve seen ‘em both chompin’ on hot dogs
And strollin’ down Myrtle Beach
Yeah well, you and me
Yeah we’re off scot-free
Like Bruce on a bike with some boardwalk queen
They two lanes’ll take you anywhere,
But I guess they’ll take you on down
Down past Myrtle Beach
Honey Let’s Go To Town
©2017 Julie Christensen
At the Lakewood RV and Campground
South of the Drag, Outside of town
We were welcome to pull in on the Yamaha for the night
So we stayed for a month and drank a bit
Saw the beach, but mostly we got lit
Not a morning went by wouldn’t one of us pick a fight.
I’d say “Honey Let’s Go To Town.”
But he would not take me there.
He bought me a new tattoo
On the boardwalk at Wither’s Swash
We rode the ferris wheel and that was cool.
But the roller coaster,
I didn’t like that much
It wasn’t the Skywheel or the real boardwalk
But he would not take me there.
solo ||:
Hey someday I’m gonna take a ride
Jump on your Harley and head up 95
I’m gonna know what it is to be alive Maybe Atlantic City
C’mon Honey Let’s Go To Town
Hey Honey Let’s Go To Town
Honey Let’s Go To Town
Cause he would not take me there.
Like Nothing Hurts
©Julie Christensen
Oh, I’m just having a bit of a hard day
It’s not like I’m dyin
Though we die a little bit all the time, okay?
It isn’t violent,
Like Death walkin in with an AR-15
And opening fire
God rest all their souls
And let us pray____.
Oh, I just really mustn’t complain.
I’m whinin, is all.
I’m talkin about just a little pain
Makes me feel so small.
I’m not in a war zone:
No water, no electricity for days on end,
Where my killer or rapist waits around the bend
It’s not insane_____.
But when I rise up from my seat,
An invisible torturer cranks up the pliers on my knees
And I may wince when I come back to sing or talk or play
It might be that the show looks easy
And I’ll make like nothing hurts
And I’ll make like nothing hurts
I’ll just make like nothing hurts
Well I’ll make like nothing hurts
And maybe it’ll help to get through
On days like these
On days like these...
Burning Star
© Tim Easton
I heard your voice out in the parking lot
It was 3 am — the bar doors were all locked
A bottle was passed with an old guitar
And you conjured the sound of a burning star
Burning Star, Burning Star
The night sky spits fire wherever you are
And wherever you are is another place
You’ll never be again.
We can all see hell dancing in your eyes
As you’re crossing the pond tossing out your lines
Well you might reel one in, but you’ll never get far
Only warmed by the embers of a burning star
Burning Star, Burning Star
The night sky spits fire wherever you are
Burning Star, Burning Star
Scattering ashes over battle scars
And wherever you are is another place
You’ll never be again.
Listening to you now in this hotel room
Singing “Two Girls” or “Some Lonesome Tune”
I only see the shadow of who you really are
Just ash and smoke signals from a still burning star__________!
Burning Star, Burning Star
The night sky spits fire wherever you are
Burning Star, Burning Star
Scattering ashes over battle scars
And wherever you are there you go
And wherever you go there you are
And wherever you are is another place
You’ll never be again
Burning Star, Burning Star
Burning Star.
Cold Tennessee Rain
© 2017 Julie Christensen
Woke up to the grey
Of a Cold Tennessee Rain
Was steppin’ through my jeans
Full of holes and plenty of stains
Nothin about these clouds has got a silver lining
If I tried to reach you now, it’d be bad timing
In the Cold Tennessee Rain
You just could not stay
In the Cold Tennessee Rain
You got good and mean
And you sold whatever you gained
Something about the wild and changeable weather
Made you wonder, child, if it’d ever get better
In the Cold Tennessee Rain
I just decided that I liked it here
Without you anyway
Just figured that I’d get along
Without you anyway
I know that the sun won’t shine
Without you anyway
And I’ll have to face the day
In the Cold Tennessee Rain
Raised the window up
To the Cold Tennessee Rain
The night is interrupted
By a Cold Tennessee Rain
Nothin about these clouds has got a silver lining
In the Cold Tennessee Rain.
Vienna, Illinois
© 2016 Julie Christensen
I read your letter again today
I didn't even feel sad
I wonder, if I picked up the pen and the paper
Could I even write you back?
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
You never came to visit me
I never wanted your tears
My window looks right out onto the Shawnee
I saw a sweet runnin deer
So free.
So free.
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
I hardly talk to the other man who shares my cell
I try not to think too much in between the bells
It don't feel like livin any more than it feels like I'm dyin
It just feels like I'm shufflin' through hell
It just feels like I'm shufflin' through hell
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
Downwind from trouble at the swamps at Grantsburg
Murderers out walkin after eighteen years
Then there are those of us whose lives changed forever
Due to blindness from the beer
And I've never even seen the town
No I've never even seen the town
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
So free (We're not that different, you and I)
So free (I think about that all the time)
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
Vienna, Illinois
Slow Blue Fly
©Julie Christensen and Laura Mayo
Slow blue fly in the living room hummin’
Sky so quiet like a dark storm comin’
Out the window's a world unknown
All's I know is the curtain's torn
Send me down a stronger dream
(Cause) The ones I got___ are losin steam___
Broken sign by the Trinity Southern
Never been changed by the drunken breth’ren
I sure hope that message lasts
Says "Every Saint Has A Worried Past."
It's half a mile out of my way
But I drive by there every day
A woman came by work today
Asked if I knew how to pray____
She had something in her eyes
Something I don't recognize
(solo over verse)
Slow blue fly in the living room hummin
Sky so quiet like a dark storm comin
Out the window's a world unknown
All's I know is the curtain's torn __________
Send me down a stronger dream______
(Cause) The ones I got___ are losin’ steam___
:|| ___________.
Anything Like Home
© Julie Christensen 2017
Then came the cataclysm of the words
No one had to tell us what we heard
They fell in my ears
They fell in your ears
I waited in a twisted knot for you to hear In vain
Til it was over.
Is it over?
We are broken
On the Inside
By the window
Like a war bride
And it doesn't feel
Anything Like our home
You had a secret moment all alone
No one else to whom you'd need atone
Not on my side
Not on your side
I waited for you out across the great divide In vain
Til it was over.
And it's all over.
We are broken
On the Inside
By the window
Like a war bride
And it doesn't feel
Anything Like our home
Like Our Home.
Are you sleeping soundly there upon your bed?
Are you still believing something that he said?
I'll be on your side
You be on my side
I'll be waiting for you here across the great divide
Til this is over,
'Cause We are broken
On the Inside
By the window
Like a war bride
And it doesn't feel
Anything Like our home
We're only broken on the inside
Open the window
Raise your voice and fight
If it's gonna be
Anything Like Our home.
Like Our Home
Like Our Home.
Sunday
© 2016 Julie Christensen
Bare Trees in a sunlight crown
White patent leather shoes on the cold hard ground
In the dry brown grass of early spring
Out there in the yard beyond the swings
Mother Mary Open Arms
I am raising up my palms
Sunday
Praying to make sense
Of where the Fridays went
Sunday
I smiled but the camera knew
Little cat-eye glasses hid my eyes so “blue”
Grandma’s daffodils came up in time
For April First Communion in Oelwein
Mother Mary Open Arms
I am raising up my palms
Sunday
Praying to make sense
Of where the seasons went
Sunday
All my people left that town
Got married or they died or they’re not around
Used to be a homemade grotto there
That my daddy built for the Virgin Mary
But I don’t see her now
I can’t feel this place any more
I close my eyes just like before
Mother Mary Open Arms
I am raising up my palms
Sunday
Praying to make sense
Of where the decades went
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Hold On
Written by Kathleen Brennan, Thomas Alan Waits • © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
They hung a sign up in our town
"If you live it up, you won't live it down"
So she left Monte Rio, son
Just like a bullet leaves a gun
With her charcoal eyes and Monroe hips
She went and took that California trip
Oh, the moon was gold, her hair like wind
Said, "don't look back, just come on, Jim"
Oh, you got to hold on, hold on
You gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on
Well, he gave her a dimestore watch
And a ring made from a spoon
Everyone's looking for someone to blame
When you share my bed, you share my name
Well, go ahead and call the cops
You don't meet nice girls in coffee shops
She said, "baby, I still love you"
Sometimes there's nothin' left to do
Oh, but you got to hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on and take my hand
I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on
Well, God bless your crooked little heart
St. Louis got the best of me
I miss your broken China voice
How I wish you were still here with me
Oh, you build it up, you wreck it down
Then you burn your mansion to the ground
Oh, there's nothing left to keep you here
But when you're falling behind in this big blue world
Oh, you've got to hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on
Down by the Riverside motel
It's ten below and falling
By a ninety-nine cent store
She closed her eyes and started swaying
But it's so hard to dance that way
When it's cold and there's no music
Oh, your old hometown's so far away
But inside your head there's a record that's playing
A song called "Hold On", hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right there, you gotta hold on
You gotta hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right there, you gotta hold on
You gotta hold on,
hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
And take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on
You gotta hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
And take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on
You gotta hold on
The Sun
© Julie Christensen, Mary Bragg
Long nights when you were mine
Might rain but it would clear up
We bathed in love and moonshine
No reason not to stay up
And holler at the dawning day
To just come on Just come on _____
And the sun________was shinin' down on me
For a little while
Some kind of heaven was smilin' down on me
Felt like I was a little child
Yeah, the sun____ was shinin down on me
For a little while
For a little while
Now days are full of rain
There's no sign of a let up
These days it's hard to name
A good reason just to get up
And face down every cloud
And darkness comin' on It's comin' on_____
But the sun________was shinin' down on me
For a little while
Some kind of heaven was smilin' down on me
Like when I was a little child
Yeah, the sun________was shinin' down on me
For a little while
For a little while
For a little while
For a little while_________.
Getting Through
© 2018 John Hadley, Sergio Webb, and Julie Christensen
Maybe it's just the coffee talkin
Maybe it's all of the money walkin
Sure am tired of dancin on this wire
Got a few new irons in the fire
It's good to have 'em now that I have learned
How to pick 'em up without getting burned___
Sailin'
Navigatin through the tribulation
Sailin'
The stars will take me to my new destination
___And I'm gettin through
And I'm gettin through___
Interlude:
Standin by an old highway sign
I've driven by 'em all a thousand times
Down to where the ocean meets the land
To bury yesterday in the sand
Endless sky out beyond my bow
The wind is with me and I'm movin__now
Sailin'
Navigatin through the tribulation
Sailin'
The stars will take me to my new destination
And I'm gettin through
And I'm gettin through___
Am I gettin through___?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LYRICS FOR
THE CARDINAL 2016
The Cardinal
© Julie Christensen
Oh the cardinal he's a red red bird
Up there in my hickory tree
Singin' too---purty purty purty purty purty
And a-callin' back to me.
I danced at the home games in crimson velvet
I always wore black whenever they played away
I fell for a boy with a bird on his helmet
And I wonder about him to this very day
Oh the cardinal he's a red red bird
Somewhere he is a-flyin' free
Singin' too---purty purty purty purty purty
Never comin' back to me.
Under the stands, we stole a kiss
To the strains of the band, I tore my dress____
I traveled the world, I sang hundreds of places
I'd sing it all again if I had one more go
Yet I still see the boy in the thousands of faces
For I have not forgiven him, God only knows
Oh the cardinal he dives way down hill
Down where I can barely see
Singin' I’m— purty purty purty purty purty
But I'm scarlet as can be.
Oh the cardinal he's a red red bird
Oh the cardinal he's a red red bird
Oh the cardinal he's a red red bird.
Shed My Skin
©Dan Navarro
Come on and take a ride
Across the border
To a place that once was mine
Out of focus
Out of order
Pictures from another time
On the outside
Turning lighter
So much darkness in my eyes
Gas or water
On the fire
Makes no difference
Something dies
So I take a piece of who I am
And stretch it thin
Every time I start to feel the walls
Closing in
I Shed My Skin
Come on and take a ride
On the dragon
Hiding out behind the lines
Piling bodies
On the wagon
Everyone's a friend of mine
But when I feel that bitter chill
In the wind
I swear that I can feel the room
Start to spin
So I Shed My Skin
I Shed My Skin, Oh
Through the smoke
Through the rubble
Through the crossfire - friends in need
On the inside
Of the bubble
We see what we choose to see - yeah.
Heart of Darkness
Hope and anger
The road to freedom paved with fear
Lead me back to
Where I came from
Somewhere far away from here
But the light to find my way back home
Is growing dim
And the sirens from behind my walls
Draw me in
So I Shed My Skin
I Shed My Skin
I Shed My Skin
Riverside
©Julie Christensen and Laura Curtis
Stone Cupid Music BMI, Laura Curtis ASCAP
Bought a beater from John Morrow
It was thirty-five dollars without tags
Grabbed the keys
Climbed in through the window,
Goin' down to Riverside
I did something
I don't remember
So I can't apologize
In that red dress, she kicked in the fender
Sat down on the road and cried
I will get release
I will make my peace
Hit the mud and fly
Demolition time
When the flag goes down
In between jobs for building silos
I just barrelled through my pay
Tired of waiting for a sure thing
Goin' down to Riverside
‘Cause they get bored down in Winterset Iowa
Come around to watch us drive
Gonna floor it out onto the highway
Goin’ down to Riverside
Bridge:
Nothin' in this world is made to last
Gas tank under me, window’s got no glass
Safer than a race, 'cause you don't go too fast
When you know you're gonna crash
I will get release
I will make my peace
Just like you and I
It’s demolition time
When the flag goes down
I ain’t waiting
For a sure thing
Goin' down to Riverside
So grab the keys and climb in through the window
We’re goin' down to Riverside.
Broken Wing
©Laura Curtis and Julie Christensen
Stone Cupid Music BMI, Laura Curtis ASCAP
I see a hologram of us
Dance across the table
When I rub my eyes
It's just the empty bottles
Like the knowing in your bones
Right before the rain
I could feel the storm coming
In the quiet of your pain
Broken Wing
There's no moremedicine
We both knew this kind of hurt
And we went after it again
Broken Wing
Driftin in the wind
When we watched each other fall
It felt like fly____ing
I have a photograph of us
And we're laughing at the sky
But now I can see the hollow aching in our eyes
I can't save the part of you
That doesn't see a way to be
And it's killin me to leave you
But staying here is gonna be the death of me
Broken Wing
There's no more medicine
We both knew this kind of hurt
And we went after it again
Broken Wing
Drifting in the wind
When we watched each other fall
It felt like fly____ing
Felt like fly_____________ing
Felt like fly_____________ing
Girl In The Sky © Amelia White
It's a long way down when you're standing on a high wire
every tide of the wind can shake you to the bone
lose your focus and the ground will surely break you
you asked for the danger, you had to try
you passed on a simple life, your father cried
you wanted to get that high, but it's a long way down
Im so lonely I"m only a Girl in the Sky
Far from holy I'm only a dreamer
Everybody thinks your life is so exciting
they'd love to taste the altitudes they' ve never known
when the birds sing out they think of you and wonder
how you came to that leap of flight and passed them by
why you changed to a different girl who had to try
how dare you to get so high, but it's a long way down
I"m so lonely I'm only a girl in the sky
far from holy I"m only a dreamer
everyone walked away when they saw that I knew that I might fall
OH I MIGHT FALL…. LORD I MIGHT FALL
I'm so lonely I"m only a girl in your eyes
far from holy I"m only a dreamer…….
Saint on a Chain
©Kevin Gordon, Little Rain Music (BMI)
I grew up right down the road
Never had too far to go
Making it here, your chance is slim
Folks leave this town, you won’t see them again Mama died in ’93
This silver medal she gave to me St. Christopher ‘round my neck Wherever I go, my soul he protects
Every river’s a daughter of the dirty rain
But see how it shines
Water’s running like the blood pushing through my veins See how it shines, like a saint on a chain
Heather was so sweet to me
Her daddy owned some property
Maybe my drinking was a little much
She turned cold to my touch
That story ‘bout the woman,
maybe it was true--
Heather put together 2 and 2
Kicked me out and changed the locks
On my motel door now the sheriff knocks
BRIDGE: Now after work I take my lonesome down With a Percocet, and a double shot of Crown But now the higher I get, the harder it seems
To get back to that place that floats like a dream
One hand on the wheel, doing 85
All my trouble just flies on by
I want to forget everything I know
I want to close my eyes and just let her go Rearview glow of the city bright
Angel of death got no headlights
You who’d protect me, I ask no more
Just carry me ‘cross to that other shore
Every river’s a daughter of the dirty rain
But see how it shines
Water’s running like the blood pushing through my veins See how it shines, like a saint on a chain
I grew up right down the road
Never had too far to go
No Mercy
© 2014 David Olney,
Julie Christensen, John Hadley
That's just the way of the world
You're a swine, or you are a pearl
You're a king, or you're a fool
That's the law. Just the rules.
Do you have any questions?
Look, there is no in-between
What is real and what is a dream
Nothing's sacred, Nothing's profane
You're no different, you're just the same
You can keep your suggestions.
Oh____There is No Mercy
Oh____There is No Mercy
When did words become weapons of coice
In their sinister whispering voice
In their smiling, sweet disguise
Just some lies among all the lies
To fit any occasion
Oh____There is No Mercy
Oh____There is No Mercy
They tied my hands behind my back
Stood me up against the wall
They accused me of a crime
And demanded confession
Oh____There is No Mercy
Oh____There is No Mercy
Oh____There is No Mercy
That's just the way of the world.
Gasoline
©Julie Christensen
Golden girls with oily curls
Manly men and all their friends
Pump dinosaurs into the bellies of machines
Gasoline
Get that black stuff out the ground
Out of the deep, we're goin' down
Even if it stinks like a latrine
To get the gasoline.
Gasoline
Gasoline
I___ wanna get out of here
But I___ don't have the means
Or the gasoline.
Gasoline
Gasoline
Instrumental break
Never mind who's president
It won't matter how you pay the rent
When that well runs dry your cash won't mean a thing.
Just Gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline
I wanna get out of here
But I don't have the wheels
Or the gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline
Down a Hundred Floors © Julie Christensen
This burning pain, I'm going numb
Can’t find my breath
It will not come
The wind was siphoned out of me
And I want to cry all day.
Things that I know how to do
The little chores that get me through
I can operate about an hour
And then I crumble
And then I tumble
Down a hundred floors
In an elevator with no doors
And it’s hard to be alone
You are never coming home
Like a flower being crushed
A drying blossom turned to dust
I knew that I could get the call
But that knowing
Didn’t break my fall
Down a hundred floors
In an elevator with no doors
And it’s hard to live alone …
(Instrumental verse)
They tell me you’ll be lighter as a spirit
Than you were as flesh and bone
But I do not want to hear it
You are never coming home.
Would You Love Me?
©CHUCK PROPHET
Published by
BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Sittin' in a movie
And I'm starin' at the screen
They're draggin' Jesus from the town
It don't look good to me
Well, if I had a bucket
Or better yet a spoon
I'd go down to that river baby
I'd bring that river home to you
Would you love me?
Would you really love me?
Would you love me?
Would you really love me?
Elvis rode the wheels
Right off the gravy train
They could've shut that mother down
But they rode it just the same
Oh, and the women threw their panties
And the women threw their bras
Elvis hung his head and said
"They'll forget me when I'm gone, when I'm gone"
Would you love me?
Would you really love me?
Oh, would you love me?
Would you really love me?
I was afraid you wouldn't answer
Did I wake you up?
Listen, I still got this box of band aids here
From the night we patched things up
Oh, there's still some at the bottom
Yeah, I got the box right here
Man, if I could hold that moment to my chest
I swear I'd disappear
Oh, would you love me?
Would you really love me?
Broken As I Am
©2013 Julie Christensen
Stone Cupid Music BMI
The moon is almost full
And I can feel it pull
I can almost see the fireworks from Disneyland
And on this outbound train
The whistle blows a tired refrain
And I hope that you will take me back
As Broken As I Am
Broken as I Am.
The moon is almost gone
And I am movin on
Did some dirty work to get away from Disneyland
If you can hear this train
Clear out on the lonesome plains
Well, I hope that you will take me back
As Broken As I Am
Broken As I Am.
Instr
I couldn't see the forest for the trees across the road
Instr
But I never really found the one to lighten up the load
You lighten up the load
The moon's a thumbnail dome
And I am headed home
'Cause I've had my fill of fireworks and Disneyland
And now the leavin' train
Is gone and out of range
And I feel like you're the only one who even gives a damn
So I'm begging you to take me back
As Broken As I Am
Live and Not Die Trying
©2015 Julie Christensen
Stone Cupid Music BMI
My dreams are rich, but my aim is poor
My aim is truly untrue
I was aimin' for that homeplace
But it just kept slippin' through
You would think I had it all,
But I just had everything.
You would think I'd seen it all,
When I'd probably seen too much of what the world can bring
The show must go on, weather permitting
Just want to Live and Not Die Trying
I want to Live and Not Die Trying
I want my pockets to be lined with a modest sum
Made with my own two hands
I want the streets to be paved with goldenrods
And smiles upon the land
'Cause there's a lot of room at the bottom
And still it is not lonely.
I was on top of the world
With the weight of it all on me, and I need wings.
The show must go on, weather permitting
Just want to Live and Not Die Trying
I want to Live and Not Die Trying
The end of the rainbow is fading off the ledge
The end of the world has lost its edge
My dreams are rich and my aim's been poor
Oh, but I aim to please you true
And a little bit of heaven underneath the clouds
I want to build for you.
'Cause there's a lot of room at the bottom
And still it is not lonely
We are on top of the world
And you are my one and only, and why I sing.
The show must go on, and on and on and on.
Just want to Live and Not Die Trying
I want to Live and Not Die Trying
I want to Live and Not Die Trying
I want to Live and Not Die Trying
Anthem
© Leonard Cohen
The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government --
signs for all to see.
I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee. (unison)
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.