On Eireann’s Shore ( 5:07)
I have come here as a stranger
From across the sea I roam
I have come here as a prodigal child
Who is ready to come home
From the hills of Connemara
To the MacGillycuddy Reeks
Oh, this verdant land she calls to me
Ever softly does she speak
And I will give to her the song I sing
As so many times before
But the one who hold my truest heart
She lies far from Eireann’s shore
Oh they’re dancing down in Doolin
As the band begin to play
But my thoughts they are a wandering
To a place so far away
To a woman who is waiting
And I own my soul is torn
Between this country I would call my own
And the one where I was born
As I turn toward the Atlantic
At the setting of the sun
I would have her here beside me now
That our lives might be as one
All our days would know such beauty
And our sorrow be no more
And our love would find fulfillment here
As we stand on Eireann’s shore
And with hearts no longer torn apart
We would stand on Eireann’s shore
Hand in hand on Eireann’s shore
Changing Seasons 4:06
In the sights and sounds of summer days the earth teaches me to sing.
As the gentle shades of autumn blend in with the first snowfall,
I feel the rhythm of all life shines through like I hear the lone wolf call.
Chorus
The colors of my life are like the changing of the seasons;
just when I grow tired it seems that new hope comes along.
When I get to feeling as if my life has no meaning,
you come to me always like the changing of the seasons.
The passing of an old friend makes way for someone new.
In this cycle I have learned the one thing I hold true:
I cannot live forever in the comfort of the past, f
or in the changing of life’s seasons is the only joy that lasts.
Chorus
I try to run, I tried to fly, and find a better place.
All the while the joy of sunrise shined upon your face.
When my life moves too fast and I need a place to hide,
I turnaround to run and find you right there by my side.
Chorus
Credits:
Lyrics & Music: Joe Jencks/Turtle Bear Music
Mary Don't You Weep And Moan
She was born the daughter of a preacher
Ended up as a preacher’s wife
There was trouble in the middle, but it turned out right
Ain’t that the way, and they call it a life
CHORUS
Oh Mary don’t you weep and moan
Your cryin’ days are over, roll back the stone
No one understands all the troubles you’ve known
Mary don’t you weep and moan
Mary don’t you weep and moan
John went out into the desert
For forty days and nights he was under the sky
Devil tried to tempt him with every delight
John said, “Love and honey always get me by!”
CHORUS
God told Noah, “Build a mighty big boat,
Gather up the animals, make sure it floats
When the floodwater passes and the sun starts to shine
Look for the rainbow, that’s my sign.”
CHORUS
It’s hard to have hope when the thunder rolls
Shrouded up in all your fears
But there’s a Love that’s greater than the burdens we bear
So Mary wipe away your tears
CHORUS
Credits:
Why Are The Guns Still Firing
Along the battery in Charleston, South Carolina
The ancient silent cannons point to sea
In 1851 they fired on Fort Sumter
The dead and wounded still cry out to you and me
Why are the guns still firing
Why are the innocent laid low
Why is this war still raging
That should have ended long ago
That war was fought in part to put an end to slavery
The nation’s shame we never should forget
One hundred fifty years ago the gunners finally rested
But shameless violence enslaves us yet
Now nine new souls are added to the millions
Who’ve lost their lives in this uncivil war
And it remains unto us the living
To spike the guns of hate forever more
Trouble 4:16
I'd like to stay out of your way.
You don't care nothing
about such a beautiful day.
When the sky is so blue you get lost in the looking
and the leaves are a golden flame.
Trouble, I see you coming
and I'm right back at the bottom again.
Sometimes, it's where your shoes go,
Sometimes, it's in your head.
ometimes, it's in your wallet,
Sometimes, it's in your bed.
When the sky is so blue you get lost in the looking
and you leave these earthly chains,
Trouble, I see you coming
and I'm right back at the bottom again. That's right,
I'm right back at the bottom again.
Way down to the bottom
Way down. Can't see the top
Way down to the bottom
Rise up, rise up, rise up.
It's a long way to Richmond, Virginia.
It's been a long time since I've been.
Strange, something so far from the present
can rise right through your skin.
When you hide from yourself you get lost in the looking
and your life is an endless maze.
Trouble, I see you coming,
gonna rise up over you some day, that's right,
gonna rise up over you some day.
Let Me Sing You A Song
You’ve asked me here to tell you
About my neighbors and my friends
To talk about the who and what
The where and how and when
But I won’t give you anything
You don’t already know
But if you’d like I’ll sing that list of
Songs before I go
Chorus:
Let me sing you a song
About the people that I love
The poets and philosophers
The workers and the wanderers
The ones who walk the picket lines
Who dare to stand and fight
And the ones who hold their babies close
And rock them through the night
Now you say it’s un-American
To do the things I do
Well I sing for justice, liberty
And Civil Rights it’s true
But I say it’s un-American
To ask me how I vote
How I pray or what I believe
But here’s a song I wrote
If you want to send me to prison
I guess that’s the way it’ll be
‘Cause I won’t give you fodder
For your paranoid machine
If the price of my silence is shackles
Well then fellas, take me away
For I will live to sing again
And rise with a brand new day
Lady of the Harbor (4:43)
The tempest tossed with hopeful hearts and calloused hands
Reach for the light, the torch held high
And cast their gaze upon the Lady of the Harbor
And she welcomes them with open arms
she says let my children in
Shine on, Shine on
Oh you Lady of the Harbor
And so it was, with my own kin
They sailed from Sweden and from France, and Ireland
Their earthly cares, packed in their bags
They cast their gaze upon the Lady of the Harbor
And she welcomes them with open arms
she says let my children in
Shine on, Shine on
Oh you Lady of the Harbor
Now we're locking down the borders and we're filling up the jails
And we say they don't belong
How conveniently do we forget
That we've all come to sing the same sweet song
Will the dream, survive the strain
Will huddled masses have a chance to learn it's sweet refrain
Or will we fall, into our fears
And turn our backs against the Lady of the Harbor.
And she welcomes them with open arms
she says let my children in
Shine on, Shine on
Oh you Lady of the Harbor
© Turtle Bear Music/ASCAP
Links In A Chain 4:09
Late summer morning on a front porch swing
There's a tear in grandmother's eye
She's telling me tales of my mother's childhood
And how they got by
Years of war, years of depression
And the hard times they came through
She smiles at me and says, "That wisdom,
Carries on in you"
Links in a chain unbroken
Words of a prayer unspoken
Invisible hands reaching through time
We each have a piece of the story
Each have a share in the glory
And a chance to pass it along to those who remain
Links in a chain
Girl Scout cookies, PTA
Baseball games in the yard
Potlucks in the Parish Hall
My parents worked so hard
Now it's a marble stone on the edge of town
Where we bow our heads and sing
Forty years, seven children
And some well worn wedding rings
Cooking a meal
Setting a place
Washing our hands
Saying our grace
Remembering those who gathered before us
Teaching a song
Turning a page
Singing a song
Standing on stage
Adding our part to the chorus
Flame In The Darkness 4:38
There's a flame in the darkness
Burning deep within our hearts
In the love that grows between us
This is where the journey starts
There is hope in the stillness
There is solace in our friends
In the love that grows between us
This is where the isolation ends
Come full circle in a moment
Hold no shame in what you feel
This old world will keep on turning
And our broken hearts will heal
When the rain falls around you
Like your solitary tear
In the love that flows between us
Know that thunder holds no fear
In the struggle you hold sacred
When the arrows pierce you through
In the love that flows between us
May your courage be renewed
There is music in each silence
There is promise in each day
In the love that holds between us
May we always find our way
Come full circle in a moment
Hold no shame in what you feel
This old world will keep on turning
And our broken hearts will heal
There's a flame in the darkness
Burning deep within our hearts
In the love that grows between us
This is where the journey starts
There is hope in the stillness
There is solace in our friends
In the love that holds between us
The sacred journey never ends
The Wonder Deep Within
My soul knows that I belong to you
Even though my mind cannot conceive
Of the promise in the love you give
If only I could let my heart believe
(chorus)
You are my rock, you are my strength
You are a friend to me
Through the hard and lonely places that I roam
You are the source of my compassion
You are a hope for peace
You are the wonder deep within
You are my home
You have never turned away from me
Though I have often closed my heart to you
But you wait with open arms for my return
Ready to embrace me with your truth
There is a longing from within my soul
For serenity that only you can give
It is up to me to make a sacred place
At the center of my life where you can live
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
(Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy)
Song of the Rails
Well if you have a minute John I sure feel like hell
The union vote is coming up and things aren't looking well
You know I'd like to stand up for the things that I believe
But it seems that my life's not as simple as it used to be
I was born in Tulsa back in 1951
They say that I could drive a spike before I learned to run
In a land of dust and corn the rails spoke a steel trugh
The men that kept them working were the heroes of my youth
For they sang
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
When I was a young man and I thought to run away
The freight train it came through out town and I got on one day
I rode it down to Gallup and then back to Santa Fe
Everywhere I listened I could hear the railway workers singin'
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
In 1969 I met a sould to match my life
But her father said that I must have a job to take a wife
And so I looked around at all the work that I might do
And found that it was time for me to sing the only song I knew
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Now we have five children and they bring me joy each day
But the bills keep getting higher and I've nothing left to pay
The union says that we must strike and stand up don't you see
But I've just got too damn many people who depend on me
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
At the heart of every worker is the welfare of his kin
And to walk away from pay that's good it seems is such a sin
The bosses they don't understand how hard I work each night
But I've got mouths to feed and so I'll do my part 'til daylight
singin'
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Workin' for the railway
Rise as One
It is we who serve the lunches, we who sweep the floors
We who drive the busses with your children off to school
We keep the buildings warm in winter, and cool when it's hot
And we will not let you play us for the fool
When we ask for better healthcare, or an increase in our wage
You tell us that the township can't afford to pay the bill
But you found half a million dollars from within those very coffers
To try and break the union's back and break our will
And we will never give up, we will never give in
And we'll never, ever go away
We will build a brand new future for our daughters and our sons
We will work 'til all workers rise as one
We believe in education and the future of our town
And the children that we serve from day to day
Whenever there's a need we always go the extra mile
God knows we do it for the love, not for the pay
But we have worked as hard as any for every inch of ground
That we've gained in the struggle for our rights
And we will not stand by idly as you try to tear us down
If we have to we will organize a strike
Well we didn't have a penny in our strike fund, sad but true
That made us all a little bit afraid
But the call went out to every other union in the state
And somehow all the workers' bills were paid
You see this isn't just the schools within our town
When we dare to raise our voice in solidarity we stand
With every other worker all the world around
We held a rally at the fairgrounds, to show them our resolve
And to drum up some support for our campaign
A thousand people hit the street, and that's more than half our town
And after that, you know things couldn't be the same
Now whoever would've guessed it, when this whole thing began
We'd have the strength to hold out for so long
But three months have now gone by and the school board just gave in
On their demands, now we can sing our victory song
© 2002 Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music
Step By Step
Step by step the longest march, can be won, can be won
Many stone can form an arch, singly none, singly none
And by union what we will, can be accomplished still
Drops of water turn the mill, singly none, singly none
Caledonia ( 5:01)
I don’t know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I’ve been afraid that I might drift away
So I’ve been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I come from
And that’s the reason why I seem so far away today
Oh and let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
For if I should become a stranger
You know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
Oh and I have moved and I’ve kept on moving
Proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing, found others on the way
Oh and I have tried and kept on trying
Stolen dreams, yes there’s no denying
I have travelled hard with conscience flying
somewhere with the wind
Now I’m sitting here before the fire, the
empty room, the forest choir
The flames that couldn’t get any higher
Well they’ve withered, now they’ve gone
But I’m steady thinking, my way is clear
And I know what I will do tomorrow
When the hands have shaken and the
kisses flow, well I will disappearNew Beginnings 3:06
Looking back on all the worn-out pages in my life, I find it’s time for a new beginning. As my vision starts to blur, from all the tears that I’ve held back, for so long, I wonder where my honesty abides.
Chorus
The more I’ve learned, the less I know why it is I have so little to show, for all these failed attempts at my own perfection. The harder I try, the less I understand why the things that I love are like grains of sand. When I hold on tight they slip away.
Sometimes it seems that I am just a hollow shell, of the being I once was. Somewhere on my journey to enlightenment I was robbed, of the very things that made me who I am. I’ve lost so much faith in the things I once believed, truthfulness, divinity, hope seem all that dead. Anger, hurt, and self-neglect are the only tools that I have left to battle with this emptiness inside.
Now it’s time that I go back to where it is I come from, and deal with these issues from their origin. I have to reestablish whether music is my goal, or just means of transport on the pathway to my soul.
Chorus
Looking back on all the worn-out pages in my life I find it’s time for a New Beginning.
Credits:
Fox River Song
Up along the banks of the old Fox River
In a place that she called home
There was always someplace she could run and hide
When she had to be alone
She was just too young to really understand
Why the world went crazy when daddy had a bottle in his hand
When she was old enough she ran away to college
In that railway station she was learning to be free
Learning how to say hello sometimes involves goodbye
Learning how to laugh again means sometimes we must cry
Learning to move forward takes more than just your feet
In that railway station she was learning to be free
She didn't finish college then, she found a man she loved
He asked her for her hand and she knew the time had come
At the altar of the sacred she got down upon her knees
Said "I do, to thee, forever" she was learning to be free
Learning how to say hello sometimes involves goodbye
Learning how to laugh again means sometimes we must cry
Learning to move forward takes more than just your feet
At the altar of the sacred she was learning to be free
Several children later she seemed a little lost
She had so much to live for but she surely paid the cost
So she went back to school to finish her degree
Now standing in the classroom she is learning to be free
Now she's in her golden years but things aren't what they planned
Her husband passed away and their dreams flew up like drifting sand
She's learning how to reach out and live life as she pleases
Rising from the ashes she is learning to be free
Learning how to say hello sometimes involves goodbye
Learning how to laugh again means sometimes we must cry
Learning to move forward takes more than just your feet
Rising from the ashes she is learning to be free
So Far To Come
I’m sorry for the way it’s gone.
It might be too late,
It might be over and done.
My words have not moved you, maybe if they’re sung.
Maybe I’m late ‘cause I had so far to come.
I was swimming in a bright blue sea
that was your eyes when you looked at me.
Then I watched the clouds roll over, over the sun,
Maybe I’m late ‘cause I had so far to come.
There are invisible, invisible things
before your first thought.
They’re your weights and your wings.
At worst, I’m stumbling over, at best I rise above.
Maybe I’m late ‘cause I had so far to come.
I’m sorry for the way it’s gone
It might be too late
to say I’m sorry
It might be too late
Maybe I’m late ‘cause I had so far to come.
Credits:
Shuttle & Loom
Down from the mountains I was sixteen
Milk cows, chickens, taters and beans
Sweet spring water from out of the hill
I gave it all up, and I went to the mill
Shuttle and loom, bobbin and frame
Sometimes I don’t even know my own name
What in the world is a woman to do
When all that she’s got are her shuttle and loom
Shuttle and loom
Hoot owl, graveyard, whistle and sing
Still tell a joke when you’re working on swing
But working the day shift, don’t make a sound
Running so scared ‘cause the boss is around
Where are the mountains, where are the streams
Where are the rivers I fish in my dreams
Where are the songs my family sung
Where are the days I was carefree and young
Counting the minutes, counting the days
Counting the years as my life slips away
Swiftly like water out of the hill
Lord help the woman who works in the mill
Let It Rain
One moment of mercy was all that it took
To drive me clean out of my head
A piece of my heart had been sleeping so long
I had given it for dead
Better than I have traveled this journey
And none have returned here unchanged
But the lilac’s in bloom and the thunderhead looms
And my lonely heart prays for the rain
Chorus
Let it rain, oh let it rain
Let the waters of love wash away all the pain
Let the hope of redemption be all that remains
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain
When the ancients and mariners looked toward the heavens at night
Did they yearn for the day
Or were they transfixed by the wonders they saw
In the lights that guided their way
I need to believe that there is no sadness so great
That it cannot heal
But sometimes the longing inside, it consumes me so much
Well it’s all that I feel
I stand on the ledge
And I cling to the edge for dear life
Afraid to let go
What if love’s call pulls me into a free fall
What then
Oh tell me what then
Somewhere way out there, beyond right and wrong
There’s a place that I long to see
If I don’t return, I’ll be wishing you well
From wherever I happen to be© 2013, 2017 - Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music, ASCAP
In the Name of Love (5:17)
you could swim your whole life and be nowhere you want to be.
Everyone gets tired and the water is so wide.
Then somebody comes and shows you, they show you the other side.
There was a little man, barefoot and frail,
he took a walk down to the Ganges and took a lion by the tail.
He made a way out of no way. One by one, they saw the truth.
He was ready when they told him, they said "history chooses you."
We see so far (in the name of love),
we are standing on (in the name of love),
the shoulders of giants (one more in the name of love).
And then there was another, another lion in a lamb,
he walked into the heart of darkness, into the streets of Birmingham.
He made a way out of no way. One by one, they saw the truth.
He was already on the mountaintop when they said "Memphis chooses you."
We see so far (in the name of love),
we are standing on (in the name of love),
the shoulders of giants (one more in the name of love).
In the name of love.
In the name of love.
One more in the name of love.
Early morning, April 4th, shots rang out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride.
In the name of love, one more in the name of love
In the name of love, one more in the name of love.
So make a way out of no way, make their stories live and breathe,
and we will never lack for heroes, in our darkest hour of need.
In the name of love.
In the name of love.
One more in the name of love.
© Sheen of Heat Music/BMI and Universal Polygram Int'l Pub. obo U2/ASCAP
Come With Me 3:49
Try to summon up my strength once more
I am weary on this journey
Afraid I will not reach that distant shore
I cry for help feel like I'm sinking
There is no one near me I can see
But there you are in the water with me
You take my hand and guide me graciously
Chorus
Will you come with me on this journey
With every breath we take keep reaching for the dawn
I know alone that I will falter
But with a good friend near me I will carry on
There is a kindness in your smile
And gentleness within your speech
You reassure me your love surrounds me
And I know safety is at last within my reach
It's an illusion we carry with us
As we wade on through the waters of our lives
That we must be strong and hold our own here
But a helping hand will save us by and by
I know alone that I will falter
But with a good friend near me I will carry on
With a good friend near me I will carry on
On Eireann's Shore 4:55
I have come here as a stranger
From across the sea I roam
I have come here as a prodigal child
Who is ready to come home
From the hills of Connemara
To the McGillicuddy Reeks
Oh this verdent land she calls to me
Ever softly does she speak
And I will give to her the song I sing
As so many times before
But the one who hold my truest heart
She lies far from Eireann's shore
Oh their dancing down in Doolin
As the band begin to play
But my thoughts they are a wandering
To a place so far away
To a woman who is waiting
And I own my soul is torn
Between this country I would call my own
And the one where I was born
As I turn toward the Atlantic
At the setting of the sun
I would have her here beside me now
That our lives might be as one
All our days would know such beauty
And our sorrow be no more
And our love would find fulfillment here
As we stand on Eireann's shore
Then I will give to her the song I sing
As so many times before
But with hearts no longer torn apart
We would stand on Eireann's shore
Hand in hand on Eireann's shore
The Sweetest of Rose 3:28
I brought you two roses in the summer sunshine
Fresh as the morning and the color of wine
Seeking a song I did not understand
You just smiled at me gently and reached for my hand (and said)
Chorus
We've touched a beauty that only love knows
We want to hold on to a feeling so fine
But the sweetest of rose is the one that still grows
On the vine, on the vine, on the vine
Jealousy sounds in my heart even still
Like the thunder that rolls down this west Texas hill
But the rainbow appears and it's then I recall
Love is so big there's enough for us all (for)
We met here as strangers we leave now as friends
God grant the love that we share never ends
May it guard us and guide us and show us the way
May it be our companion and grace every day
But the sweetest of rose is the one that still grows
On the vine, on the vine, on the vine
Yes the sweetest of love is the one that takes time
And the sweetest of rose is the one on the vine
Deportee
The crops are all in and the peaches are rotting
The oranges are stacked in their creosote dumps
Their flying you back to the Mexico border
To pay all your money to wade back again
My fathers own father he waded that river
They took all the money that he made in his life
My brothers and sisters they worked in the fruit trees
They rode the big trucks till they took down and died
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big aero-plane
For all they will call you will be deportees
Now some of us are illegal and others not wanted
The work season ends and we have to move on
Six hundred miles to the Mexico boarder
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers and thieves
We've died in your hills and we've died in your deserts
We've died in your valleys, we've died in your plains
We've died in your trees and we've died in your bushes
Both sides of the river we've died just the same (chorus)
A sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos canyon
Like a fireball of lightning it shook all our hills
And who are these friends all scattered like dried leaves
The radio says they are just deportees
Is this the best way we can grow your good orchards
It this the best way we can grow your good fruit
To fall like dried leaves and rot on your topsoil
To be known by no name except deportees?
How Can I Keep From Singing
These lyrics have spoken truth to me for many years, but the traditional arrangement in 4/4 time has always felt pedantic and out of place. I was experimenting one night and gave it a syncopated ¾ feel and the natural rhythms of the lyrics seemed to find new life. I thoroughly enjoy singing it now!
My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation
I hear that real, through far-off hymn
That hails the new creation
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear that music ringing
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?
What though the tempest round me roar
I hear the truth it liveth
What though the darkness round me close
Songs in the night it giveth
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
When tyrants tremble sick with fear
And hear their death knells ringing
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?
In prison cells and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?
John Henry
The Coming of the Years (4:02)
When I first came to wander these mountains
My heart was tattered and torn
Ever the rover, and all the world over
No land ever felt like a home
But here in the crags and bogs and the valleys
I found some measure of ease
Where the song of the wind is as sweet to behold
As the beautiful Rose of Tralee
And it’s high up and over the mountains of Kerry
That I love so dear
I don’t know when, I will see you again
In the coming of the years
Now I have been blessed to live a good life
I can count my friends by the score
And I have shared many meals and moments of kindness
God willing I’ll know many more
But when the burden I’ve chosen to shoulder
Is more than I can stand
I find that my thoughts wander back up to Kerry
That rugged and beautiful land
When I have traveled all of my journeys
And sung all of my songs
When I have given the best that I have
And righted most of my wrongs
Then take me back to the place that I love
Let me gaze out over the sea
Take me back to the mountains of Kerry
And let my spirit run free
I don’t know when but I’ll see you again
In the coming of the years
What Do You Want 3:47
It seems like we’ve been over the same thing now at least 100,000 times. You say that we walked under the same sky, but yours is a different color than mine. We tried to talk it out, but we end up in a silent fight. I say what’s on your mind you say I don’t know, then you reach over and turn out the light and say good night.
And I said…
Chorus
What do you want from me.It seems what ever I do is not enough for you.
Baby, what do you want for me.
If you scream and shout just let it out baby,
what do you want for me.
I tried to talk to you, but I don’t think you hear what I say. I think you think I’m cutting you down, but baby, you should know that it’s not my way.
And I said…
Chorus
I remember when we were in love, you’re the only thing in my life. We spent hours and hours in each others arms, as if we had nothing better to do. I tried to reach across the gap, with all of my might but the distance between you and I, is like the distance between earth and heaven tonight. And I said…
Chorus
Credits:
The Source Of The Sun
I became someone else
Dreaming dreams I hardly know
Looking through the snow
For the path to the place that I'd come from
CHORUS
I am dreaming of the source of the sun
I am dreaming of the source of the sun
I am dreaming of the source of the sun
I am dreaming of the source of the sun
Now I'm a broken kite
Yearning for the sky
With just enough left in me to soar
But not much more
Won't be long before back to earth I come
CHORUS
Inside of you and me
Lives a small machine
And with each beat it makes a little hope
Ephermeral as smoke
But there's just enough of it to make us run
CHORUS
Credits:
Inspired by the poetry of Lisa Jarnot
Morning Star
Tell me where are you going
Tell me where have you been
I’ve been ‘round the mountain
And I’ve come back again
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
I ain’t going to Harlan
I ain’t going again
For there’s no more Black Diamond
And there’s no more L & N
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
If you see someone coming
Don’t you ask where they’ve been
For they’ve worn down the mountain
And they’ve torn down the wind
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
If you see someone going
Don’t you ask what they saw
For there’s no more deep mining
On the Cumberland Plateau
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
Tell me where are you going
Tell me where have you been
I’ve been ‘round the mountain
And I’ve come back again
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
Morning Star oh, Morning Star
The Lady Juliana
Sit down beside me Elizabeth Rose
I’ve a story to tell
It’s worth the saying, Elizabeth Rose
Worth the hearing as well
This was not my first home, as well you may know
I was born far away
First set my foot here long ages ago
Seventy years to the day
What I recall of the London Streets
In the year Seventeen Eighty Nine
There was no shelter, little to eat
There was nothing that I could call mine
Apprehended for stealing another girl’s clothes
I was sentenced to sail away
Not twelve years old then, Elizabeth Rose
No older than you are today
Chorus:
I remember the day we sailed away
On the Lady Juliana
It was the whole world to the young Mary Wade
Before we made land in Australia
So we set sail for the end of the world
First ship of the second fleet
A cargo of convicts, all women and girls
Dredged from the city streets
Most had been prostitutes, pickpockets, thieves
Who lived by their wits alone
Though every one had reason to grieve
None of us wept for our home
Though my small crime had brought little more
Than the price of one loaf of bread
If not for the whim of the mad King George
I’d have gone to the gallows instead
And had we stayed, we all would have paid
That same terrible cost
But we landed alive, most did survive,
Only five souls had been lost
Well they may judge us in England today
As the rabble they swept from their land
But I’ll leave it to God on my reckoning day
To say where the fault truly stands
No matter how we try to pretend
We are savage just under our skin
As we see very well in the fine-mannered men
In the court of the English King
The rule of the sea and the law of the land
Are different, as everyone knows
And the oldest profession is much in demand
And so we fared far better than most
Though it is rare for fortune to smile
On those who reach Botany Bay
For Elizabeth Rose, my granddaughter's child
Life is better today
I remember the day we sailed away on the Lady Juliana
It was a new world for the young Mary Wade the day we made land in Australia© 2014 - Kat Eggleston, Paperboat Music, BMI
Everybody's Cryin' Mercy (2:54)
© Audre Mae Music / BMI
Love is the Water 3:49
You say you want to be left alone
You say love only made you weep and moan
Well, let me tell you something that you know in your bones
Love is the water that wears down the rock
Love is the water that wears down the rock
Love is the power that won't be stopped
Love is the water that wears down the rock
You say your soul's like a dry river bed
Stopped waiting for the water long ago you said
You better pray all night for the rain instead
Love comes like a tidal wave, over your head
You say, waiting for love takes too long
It dulls a sharp mind, weakens the strong
Well, you may be right, but you may be wrong
Cause love can make a mountain come tumbling down
The river washes over every woman and man
Feet in the gravel, and mud in your hands
Nothing can stand against love's command
Every boulder turns into a grain of sand.
Love Is The Reason 3:45
There was a time when all I ever needed
Was your smile to drive away my rain
But now it seems that hopeful light is hiding
Behind a cloud of anger and pain
I thought everything I was looking for
Was right here within my reach
I think it's time we finally take our chances
And let our hearts speak louder than our fears
Because love is all I ever wanted
Love is the reason I'm still here
Well the sage said to the fisherman on the boat
Cast your nets on the other side
And with nothing short of astonishment on their faces
They said, don't you think we've tried
And he said, what if everything you're looking for
Is right there within your reach
I think it's time we finally take our chances
And let our hearts speak louder than our fears
Because love is all I ever wanted
Love is the reason I'm still here
I don't know where our story goes from here
Too many pages left unread
Or how to carve a pathway through this labyrinth we've built
With all that's left unsaid
What if everything we're looking for
Is right there within our reach
I think it's time we finally take our chances
And let our hearts speak louder than our fears
Because love is all I ever wanted
Love is all you ever wanted
Love is all we ever wanted
Love is the reason
Love is the only reason
Love is the reason we're still here
Come With Me 4:03
I feel the current raging around me
Try to summon up my strength once more
I am weary on this journey
Afraid I will not reach that distant shore
I cry for help feel like I'm sinking
There is no one near me I can see
But there you are in the water with me
You take my hand and guide me graciously
Chorus
Will you come with me on this journey
With every breath we take keep reaching for the dawn
I know alone that I will falter
But with a good friend near me I will carry on
There is a kindness in your smile
And gentleness within your speech
You reassure me your love surrounds me
And I know safety is at last within my reach
It's an illusion we carry with us
As we wade on through the waters of our lives
That we must be strong and hold our own here
But a helping hand will save us by and by
I know alone that I will falter
But with a good friend near me I will carry on
With a good friend near me I will carry on
Highway Romance
Well I was stranded at the junction of Interstate America
And U.S. Boulevard
Oh, the traffic was tight
All I could see was tail-lights
For miles and miles around
There you were in your car shinning bright as any star
In your "Beetle" with the dashboard flower vase
Oh, you turned my way and smiled
I was giddy as a child
I saw a-thousand wondrous lifetimes on your face
This is the start of a beautiful romance
It happened in a traffic jam today
Suddenly there were choirs of angels singing
It's like a modern fairytale come my way
Traffic had not moved an inch but I could not care less
I imagined our whole courtship down through every sweet caress
How we went to meet your parents your old man gave me the eye
But your mom thought I was sweet as cream on fresh baked apple pie
This is the start of a beautiful romance
It happened in a traffic jam today
Suddenly there were choirs of angels singing
It's like a modern fairytale come my way
We had the perfect wedding all our friends were there
It was catered by some famous chef, you wore flowers in your hair
We bought a nice suburban home for a growing family
And had a couple children they looked just like you and me
This is the start of a beautiful romance
It happened in a traffic jam today
Suddenly there were choirs of angels singing
It's like a modern fairytale come my way
But suddenly the traffic up ahead began to break
I felt our moment slipping by
I wondered should I let it go or jump out of my car
And pledge my love for you until I die
As I sat in contemplation I had a sudden revelation
And a feeling I could almost call regret
It was not me who caught your eye
But that tall and handsome guy
Beside me in a brand new red Corvette.
This could have been a beautiful romance
It happened in a traffic jam today
Suddenly there were choirs of angels singing
"You're a fool boy! Step right on that gas and drive away."
This could have been a beautiful romance
It happened in a traffic jam today
Suddenly there were choirs of angels singing
"Better luck next time! Step right on that gas and drive away."
Suddenly there were choirs of angels singing
"It's the pedal on the right, boy! Step right on that gas and drive away."
Prayer of St. Francis
As a musician, this prayer has always been close to my heart. A modern setting of it seemed timely. It works too! It's a great mantra. This song was a spiritual gift to me in a time of need, and with it I wish you peace as well.
(Chorus)
Lord make me an instrument
An instrument of your peace
Lord make me an instrument
An instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love
Where there's injury, let me bring your healing, Lord
Where there's a shadow of doubt within the soul
Let me bring true faith in you
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there's darkness, let me always be your light
Where there is sadness and grief within this world
Let my life reflect your joy
Only as we forgive can we ever be forgiven
For all the harm we've caused
And the good we've failed to do
Only in giving can we ever hope to receive
Only in dying to ourselves are we born to you
St. Christopher
It's the back end of the season and the wind is bitter cold
It's just the sort of morning to make young bones feel old
The tanks are all topped off, we've got the permits free and clear
One more good haul could see us through until we start next year
Well it's my call alone to make and one I'd hate to blow
Six families now including mine dependent on the things I think I know.
I know the wind and water and I am not afraid
But living off the ocean is a complicated trade
I never get my profit margins or my pride confused
With the safety of this vessel or its good and hearty crew
But the time is now or never and the weather looks to hold
So I gather up the crew on deck, we bow our heads and pray before we go
St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day
I've fished in weather worse thatn this at least a hundred times
But I still can't shake the shivers that we are crawling up my spine
Eleven hours out the swells are getting deep
We can't put the nets out and it's too damn rough to sleep
If we stick it out 'til morning things may calm down with the light
But if it turns against us we'll be lucky if we see another night
St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day
Well it was on a night like this my father went away
Even though my mother begged and pleaded him to stay
I was standing there and waving as his trawler left the docks
Saw the pictures of the wreckage that they found upon the rocks
Seven men were rescued of the nine that left that day
The last they saw their captain he was on the bridge they swear they heard him say
"St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day"
Now the difference between bravery and foolishness is small
And a healthy sense of fear can bring perspective to us all
I know you men are hungry for the cash this catch could bring
And if we go back empty we'll be real tight come spring
But I've learned history's lesson and it isn't worth the pain
The things we stand to lose are so much greater than the things we have to gain
St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day
St. Christopher we call on you
Christopher we call on you
St. Christopher we thank you for this day.
Phil (Spoken Word)
Letter Home, 1914 (3:23)
Dear Jenny, I am so sorry I’m only writing today
But since my leaving I’ve been so lonely
I’ve found no words to say
My thoughts are only of Mary, I hope to hear from her soon
I only wish I’d more to bequeath, if I should never return
I hear, out in the trenches we’re drugged with whiskey and rum
If we were ever to come to our senses, we’d never carry a gun
Because of the drink, I hardly remember
Telling my loved ones goodbye
I only know, when I was sober, all I could do was cry
Dear sister, if I should ever come home, lose or win
I swear that I will never go soldiering again
I’ll save for a home, if Mary will have me
And God should give us the chance
But now they say after Christmas they’re sending us to France
Dear sister, may you be well and may all your years be blessed
My Mary is silent, please, if you see her
Then tell her I wish her the best
All that I have, I leave it to you, so keep this letter near
Your brother John, Company D
Inniskilling Fusiliers
Your dear brother John, Company D
Inniskilling FusiliersWhen the Moon Rises Over Skibbereen (4:47)
By the banks of the Ilen, the Abbeystrowry graves
10,000 nameless lay
Their faces forgotten, their stories remain
To speak of unbearable pain
Their voices rise up as the wind breaks the silence
The trees all bear witness to shame
A blight comes from nature, starvation from politics
Through history, it’s always the same
When the moon rises over Skibbereen
The most melancholy moon I have seen
Do you think she remembers the sorrow she’s seen
When the moon rises over Skibbereen
Eighteen and forty-five, potatoes first failed
But the people knew hard times before
So they pawned their belongings for food to survive
By late 1846, they were barely alive
Too weak from the fever and hunger and thirst
To properly bury their dead
They were left by the roadside or dropped in the dirt
With hardly a prayer even said
Who takes the blame, for a failure so grand
There’s plenty of guilty to go ‘round
By the time it was known, how bad it would get
Thousands were laid in the ground, in the ground
Some say the workhouse and others the crown
Some say the landlord’s to blame
But by the next world or the new world
Three million were gone, and a county was forever changed
Now the land and her people are thriving today
But there’s a weight on the hills and the glens
And it’s left to the living to remember the famine
And swear to it, never againDays Like These 4:36
Seems like I spend most of my time wishing.
For something that I had or never will.
I guess it’s mostly just my mind going fishing.
Searching for some relief from these painful spells.
Chorus
Days like these make me wonder why I try at all.
It seems every time I think that I’m on top I seem to take a fall.
I’m searching through the shattered remnants of my lonely dreams.
It’s hard to keep from losing my mind on days like these.
I tried to call an old friend up to remember the better times.
I knew her cheerful voice would soothe my aching heart and ease my mind.
But when I dial her number, a mechanical voice kicked in;
it said this number’s disconnected check your book and try again.
Chorus
I’d like to take a nice long trip to the Gulf of Mexico,
sail around the islands, and bask in the tropical glow.
But the only ship I can afford to take is illegal, what a shame.
I guess I’ll have to settle for a cake and bottle of gin.
Chorus
Credits:
Shine 3:47
When I left Chicago
There were storm clouds above
I headed for the City of Brotherly Love
Ain't no time for misery
And there ain' no time for pain
Just the humming of the engine
And the music running through my veins
You know we got to
Shine, shine, shine, shine that light
Can't keep it buried deep within
Gonna need it on the darkest night
Don't you know we've got to
Shine, shine, shine, shine that light
My brother heard the calling of the highway
Dancing in his head
You know he died way too young
But I remember what he said
Sometimes you throw the dice
And you just gotta take your lot
But you hold on to the things you love
And you give 'em everything you got
Everybody has a reason
That will make them fight the good fight
Something they were born to give
That will make everything alright
Where Are You Moses
No food for them to eat
Wanderin' through this desert, Lord
No shoes upon their feet
CHORUS
Where are you Moses
Where are you now
Come down from that mountain, Moses
Lead your children home
You said when we left Egypt
You and God had worked it out
To lead us to a promised land
You said there was no doubt
(So tell me now)
CHORUS
The people carve their idols
To worship and to keep
With greed and lust and hatred, Lord
They dig their graves so deep
CHORUS
Many tribes and nations
Searching for the light
Each one has an answer, Lord
And each one things they're right
CHORUS
Credits:
I'm A Stranger In This Land
Do you still remember, the year the famine fell
And everything you had was turned to one long living hell
So you gathered up the children, and the little that you had
And you came into this country as a stranger
I am bound away to leave you
With a suitcase in my hand
I am bound away for freedom
I’m a stranger in this land
And do you teach your children how they have come so far
From the slaughters of the Cossacks and the prisons of the Czar
Without a word of English, they bravely stepped ashore
Through the gates of Ellis Island as a stranger
Now those who flee from hunger and those who run from war
Are still struggling by the millions, to reach this country’s shore
So before you start to judge them, remember who your are
And remember that you came here as a stranger
Best of Friends
There have been times when I was lost
When I could not bear the cost
Of the choices I’d made
There were moments when I cried
When everything I tried
Seemed to fall down in flames
Then your smile came my way
And you brightened up my day
The way that you do
The way that only you can do
Chorus
And I thank you, my precious friend
For the good times that we’ve seen
And the spaces in between
And I thank you
For the way that you believe in my dreams
That is what the best of friends will do
When my fears begin to rise
Well you take me by surprise
With a good laugh or two (and don’t you know I need it)
When I get lost inside my head
Full of worries full of dread
That I’m sure will come true (and I just can’t let it go)
Then your voice comes on the line
You reassure me one more time
The way that you do
The way that only you can do
Though I know that it’s been said
I’ll say it once again
That the journey has been easier
Because you are my friend
That’s the kind of friend I try to be for you
That is what the best of friends will doSt. Christopher (7:12)
It's just the sort of morning to make young bones feel old
The tanks are all topped off, we've got the permits free and clear
One more good haul could see us through until we start next year
Well it's my call alone to make and one I'd hate to blow
Six families now including mine dependent on the things I think I know.
I know the wind and water and I am not afraid
But living off the ocean is a complicated trade
I never get my profit margins or my pride confused
With the safety of this vessel or its good and hearty crew
But the time is now or never and the weather looks to hold
So I gather up the crew on deck, we bow our heads and pray before we go
St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day
I've fished in weather worse thatn this at least a hundred times
But I still can't shake the shivers that we are crawling up my spine
Eleven hours out the swells are getting deep
We can't put the nets out and it's too damn rough to sleep
If we stick it out 'til morning things may calm down with the light
But if it turns against us we'll be lucky if we see another night
St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day
Well it was on a night like this my father went away
Even though my mother begged and pleaded him to stay
I was standing there and waving as his trawler left the docks
Saw the pictures of the wreckage that they found upon the rocks
Seven men were rescued of the nine that left that day
The last they saw their captain he was on the bridge they swear they heard him say
"St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day"
Now the difference between bravery and foolishness is small
And a healthy sense of fear can bring perspective to us all
I know you men are hungry for the cash this catch could bring
And if we go back empty we'll be real tight come spring
But I've learned history's lesson and it isn't worth the pain
The things we stand to lose are so much greater than the things we have to gain
St. Christopher protect us from the cold and stormy sea
Watch over all these fishermen who've put their trust in me
Never mind the salty spray or crashing of the waves
Bring us safely to our families and keep us from the grave
St. Christopher we call on you this day
St. Christopher we call on you
Christopher we call on you
St. Christopher we thank you for this day.
© Turtle Bear Music/ ASCAP
Turning Lead Into Gold 3:33
Once again you come to me
Once again you cry
And talk to me of someone
Who could not look you in the eye
Well I must be honest
And tell you I am not surprised
This is what happens
When you see only with your eyes
Trying to turn lead into gold
You find yourself alone
With nothing left to hold
Standing there out in the cold
When you try to turn lead into gold
Illusions are attractive
And many are the times
When your mind will fool you
And you'll act as if your heart were blind
But there comes a moment
Where deep inside you know
There is truth to the statement
You will reap what you sow
Trying to turn lead into gold
It doesn't really matter if you're
Gentle or you're bold
One holds you down the other lifts up your soul
When you try to turn lead into gold
I've grown tired of listening
To those who cannot see
The difference between the darkness
And the light we all can be
When you embrace the madness
How can you be surprised
When again and again and again
You are seduced by it's lies
The Ballad of JeShawn 4:33
JeShawn Johnson grew up
In a world of stone and steel
Where the neighborhoods have edges that are rough
And the monsters of our childhood are real
He had his problems in the classroom
But he always gave his best
When he put on his gloves and stepped into the ring
It was clear he was a notch above the rest
In Cincinnati
JeShawn's father was his trainer
And they made quite a team
His parents' house was full of trophies and awards
Like a private hall of fame a tribute to a dream
He was invited to try out for the Olympic summer games
Everybody knew this was his ticket out
And his life would never be the same
In Cincinnati
JeShawn would never box outside the ring
For he knew it was not right
Even pushed into a corner
When some other young men wanted him to fight
He tried to turn away from their jealousy and rage but they attacked
They cursed him and beat him
One of them pulled out a gun and shot him in the back
In Cincinnati
The medics did their best to save JeShawn
But his spirit slipped away
And we wonder where God's mercy goes
When there's children killing children every day
But the papers did not print a word about
The promise of the young life that was lost
All they could say was JeShawn was the twenty-first murder of the year
In Cincinnati
The minister said it is not how long
We dance our feet upon this earth
But how pure is our soul when we leave
That's the measure of our worth
And JeShawn was pure if we honor him
Then we must not be afraid to feel the loss
Like the flower that blooms in the early spring
Takes a chance that there still might be a frost
In Cincinnati
In Cincinnati
Christmas in Mansfield
Dad used to spend time with his children
When they'd come home from school every day
Before he would go to work second shift
He'd help them with homework and sometimes they'd play
Baseball out in the yard
If it was raining they'd sit and play cards
But then there was trouble at the steel mill
One night there were sirens and light
People were screaming and shouting
And somebody started a fight
Now daddy's home more than before
But he doesn't play much anymore
It's Christmas in Mansfield, Ohio
The children are snuggled in bed
But there are no visions of sugar plumbs dancing
It's questions that fill up their heads
The company boarded up windows
Put a fence all the way around the mill
They told union workers they couldn't come back
That all of their jobs had been filled
By people from out of the state
Then the company locked up the gates
But it's seventeen years at the steel mill
To provide for his families needs
But the company it seems cares lees about people
And more about profits and greed
So it's up with the burn barrels and signs
Make a stand on the old picket line
The union is still in a lockout
And more than three years have gone by
The first Christmas was tough, but donations came in
And that seemed to keep everyone's spirits high
And daddy did odd jobs in town
He refused to let his family down
But it's Christmas once more down in Mansfield
And there isn't even much snow
And nobody's counting on charity
It seems that was used up a long time ago
But somewhere dad found a small tree
And he hung up the lights carefully
Then the women of steel from the steel workers union
Brought toys for the girls and the boys
The firemen's union from somewhere down state
Brought turkeys and hams and they filled up the plate
With cheers and good tidings for all
It's Christmas in steel union hall
Daddy looked down at his children
And he smiled with sorrow and pride
Then he sat down on the union hall floor
Put his face in his hands and he started to cry
He had been strong now for years
But he just couldn't hold back the tears
God bless these workers and families
For the road that they travel is long
And as they stand up for what they believe
God grant them courage and help them along
Let the spirit of hope still shine bright
As the stars down on Mansfield that night
It's Christmas in Mansfield, Ohio
And the children laugh and they play
Though nobody here can forget about troubles
Maybe they'll set them aside for one day
And remember the kindness they've found
This Christmas in a steel mill town
Give thanks for the kindness they've found
This Christmas in a steel mill town
I Don't Want to Hear Your Voice Today
Going through the motions
Going through my day
Looking for a reason
Trying to find a way
To step out of this prison
I have built here for myself
All I really need to do
Is come to you for help
(Chorus)
I don't want to hear your voice today
I don't want to hear your voice today
I'm tired and I'm hungry
Feeling beat up and abused
I don't want to hear your voice today
Sometimes the walls I build are thick
Sometimes they are thin
Sometimes built of ignorance
Sometimes built of sin
Always built of shame and pain
I carry deep inside
Built of all the many ways, I use to try and hide
So I'm looking for an answer
Looking for a sign
There's a gentle voice within my heart
I know that it's not mine
Will I turn away again
Or will I heed the call
Can you help me find the faith enough
To love without these walls
Ripple In The Water
Well hello, my old friend
Don't you know it sure is good to see you again
Well hello, is there room up there
Inside your mind for me anywhere
While there's a ripple in the water
From a stone that someone threw
So tell me why it's just so damn hard to see
That there's a sunrise hanging over me
Well hello, how you doing there
Saw you looking sad, did someone take your share?
Well hello, through you might like to know
We all feel this way when the wind inside us blows
While there's a ripple in the water
From a stone that someone threw
So tell me why it's just so damn hard to see
That there's a sunrise hanging over me
Watching and waiting, contemplating
And hoping faithfully
Bewilderment, enlightenment
Won't you hold me carefully
Well hello, yes I understand
That you feel something's at an end
Well hello, I'm right here by your side
And you can tell me all of the things you've lost inside
While there's a ripple in the water
From a stone that someone threw
So tell me why it's just so damn hard to see
That there's a sunrise hanging over me
Well hello, I think you're doing fine
And I sure am glad that I could sit with you this time
While there's a ripple in the water
From a stone that someone threw
So tell me why it's just so damn hard to see
That there's a sunrise hanging over me
Watching and waiting, contemplating
And hoping faithfully
Bewilderment, enlightenment
Won't you hold me carefully
Credits:
Song Of The Rails
If you have a minute John, I sure feel like hell
The union vote is coming up and things aren't looking well
You know I'd like to stand up for the things that I believe
But it seems that my life's not as simple as it used to be
I was born in Tulsa back in 1951
They say that I could drive a spike before I learned to run
In a land of dust and corn the rails spoke a steel truth
The men that kept them working were the heroes of my your for they sang
Come-diddle-liddle-aye-do-aye-day
Working for the railway (x 2)
When I was a young man and I thought to run away
A freight train it came through our town and I got on one day
I rode it down to Gallup and than back to Santa Fe
And every where I listened I could hear the railway workers singing (chorus)
In 1969 I met a soul to match my life
But her father said that I must have a job to take a wife
And so I looked around at all the work that I might do
I found that it was time for me to sing the only song I knew (chorus)
Now we have five children and they bring me joy each day
But the bills keep getting higher and I've nothing left to pay
The union says that we must strike and stand up don't you see
But I've just got too damn many people who depend on me (chorus)
At the heart of every worker is the welfare of his kin
And to walk away from pay that's good, it seems is such a sin
But the bosses they don't understand how hard I work each night
But I've got mouths to feed and so I do my part till daylight singing (chorus x 2)
© 2000 Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music
Cee Cee's Climb
Cee Cee’s Climb
Evening comes, soft through your window
Gently hold the veil surrounding you
Flowers bloomed under your fingers
What becomes of them without you?
Are you truly gone? Or are you
Change beyond anything I know?
Are you everywhere? Part of everything?
I remain wordless and empty
With my watercolor memories of you
Now you’re free, light as a feather
Climbing ever hire into light and air
Credits:
I Have Seen Freedom Being Born
Would I have gone, had I not seen the newsreels
Black and white upon the screen
But I went South, to march beside those heroes
And tell the world what I had seen
For I have watched the bolls of cotton bursting
White against the early morn
The marchers stretched along the bitter highway
I have seen freedom being born
Would I have known had I not heard their stories
On shotgun porches bleached by sun
Would I believe had I not seen the troopers
Block the bridge with clubs and guns
But I have walked among the people marching
Singing, “We’ve been ‘buked and we’ve been scorned”
And I have seen the waters part before them
I have seen freedom being born
For there is patience watching from the cotton
Anger buried in the bone
Resistance waiting for the morning
Water hidden in the stone
Nothing I write can make you feel their dignity
These heroes that I knew by name
Nothing I do can match their quiet courage
I will never be the same
For I have heard their songs lift up to heaven
Rise from faces lined and worn
And I have seen the gates swing wide to greet them
I have seen freedom being born
I have seen freedom being born
I have seen freedom being born
Homeward Bound 2:36
Running for myself into the night.
On a journey from the dark into the light.
The path was once clear, now I’ve lost what was dear
and I find myself thinking of you.
I wasn’t ready to say goodbye,
now you’re gone and all I can do is cry
for the things we once shared and the things we won’t do.
Now I find myself thinking of you.
Chorus
Homeward bound to glory in the sky.Now you’re free know your spirit can fly.
How are wish I could go back to where we were then,
when I find myself thinking of you.
It’s been a while since you left,
but I still feel the pain.
Like a never-ending shower of strong acid rain,
when I find myself thinking on you.
It wasn’t your choice, now this much I know.
But I can’t understand, why it was your time to go.
Chorus
Credits:
Going Home
A song for the sailor lost out to sea
A song for the mother who always will grieve
A song for the soldier who lays down his life
A song for the woman who once was his wife
A song for the traveler down on his luck
A circus man plying his trade for a buck
A song for the child who’s lost in the night
Though she’s never seen stars she still clings to their light
Going Home
Going Home
A song for the mistress who dares to believe
Wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve
A song for the poet who runs out of time
Before she can finish her famous last…
A song for the miner who digs out the coal
And dreams of a life somewhere far from this hole
A song for the rebel who gave up the fight
Haunted by guilt cause he still knows he’s right
Going Home
Going Home
A song for the lovers who never will meet
Star-crossed and stumbling out on the street
A song for the preacher down on his knees
Praying for answers he never quite sees
A song for the ones who run into the fire
To put out the flames of this world on its pyre
A song for the driver who runs out of road
With nobody there to help shoulder the load
Going Home
Going Home
A song for the drinker who puts down the glass
A song for the jumper who takes a step back
A song for the wanderer home now at last
A song for redemption from sins of the past
A song for forgiveness that opens a door
A song for the good friends who gather once more
A song for the prisoner finally free
A song for the veil that is lifted, lifted, lifted…
Going Home
Going Home
Going Home
A song for the singer, a song for the dance
A song for the mystic who yearns for the trance
Going Home
A song for the beggar, a song for the thief
A song for the hunger that has no relief
Going Home
A song for the baby who sleeps until dawn
A song for the birds that will sing on and on
Going Home
A song for the sunrise, a song for the day
A song for the veil that is lifted
Well, Well, Well 3:30
There's Enough Love (3:20)
to wash away all the pain,
sadness, sorrow, rain,
Nothing you see would be without it,
nothing ever done
would live to be passed on.
There's enough hate in this world
to scatter the clouds of doubt,
to let the darkness out.
But, there's enough love in my heart to give you a place to heal,
to hold you, so you feel
that there's enough love in this world.
You may not be able to see it from where you are.
But, let me remind you, you are so close, you've come so far.
But, there's enough love in my heart
to give you a place to heal,
to hold you, so you feel
that there's enough love in this world.
© Sheen of Heat Music/ BMI
Bracero 5:23
Wade into the river, through the rippling shallow water
Steal across the thirsty border, bracero
Come bring your hungry body to the golden fields of plenty
From a peso to a penny, bracero
Welcome to California
Where the friendly farmer will take care of you
Come labor for your mother, for your father and your brother
For your sister and your lover, bracero
Come pick the fruit of yellow, break the flower from the berry
Purple grapes will fill your belly, bracero
And the sun will bite your body, as the dust will draw you thirsty
As your muscles beg for mercy, bracero
In the shade of your sombrero, drop your sweat upon the soil
Like the fruit your youth can spoil, bracero
When the weary night embraces, sleep in shacks that could be cages
They will take it from your wages, bracero
And sing about tomorrow with the jingle of the dollar
And forget your crooked collar, bracero
And the local men are lazy, and they make too much of trouble
Besides we'd have to pay the double, bracero
But if you feel you're falling, if you find the pace is killing
There are others who are willing, bracero
The Candle And The Flame 5:32
She haunts your heart at midnight
When you know that you should rest
You see her beauty in the sunrise
Feel a burning in your breast
The fruit of all temptation
From some forbidden tree
But the feeling that you long for
Only lives when it is free
Chorus
And you may hold the candle
But you cannot hold the flame
If you ever touch that fire
You will never be the same
A spirit that's elusive
Something wild you cannot tame
You may hold the candle
But you cannot hold the flame
Unexpectedly you see her
In the middle of your day
She fills your heart with wonder
As you try to look away
A dangerous desire
But you cannot stem the tide
The ebb and flow of all your dreamings
You keep locked up deep inside
And the angels dance around her head
When the moon shines on her hair
There are galaxies with in her eyes
Untold stories linger there
Every moment has its purpose
Every moment has its end
The only tree that cannot weather
Is the one that will not bend
You may hold the candle
But you cannot hold the flame
You may hold the candle
But you'll never hold the flame
On Belay
I was only eight years old and feeling pretty small
Standing at the bottom of a cold red granite wall
You took me up to Devil's Lake, to teach me how to climb
You told me I could do it if I only gave it time
There was tension on the rope and concentration on my face
You tightened up my harness as I put my hands in place
Though I was scared and frightened, so I turned to see you smile
I knew the shelter of your confidence would hold me for a while
I'm on belay; there is safety in your call
I know that I can take a risk and you will stop my fall
And so I'll try, to give it all I have today,
'Cause if I slip I know that I'm still on belay
You know I did not make it up that cliff but I gave it all I had
I was crying as you brought me down, and feeling pretty bad
But you said, "My little brother do you know I'm proud of you?
For the courage that you should today will always see you through!"
I'm on belay; there is safety in your call
I know that I can take a risk and you will stop my fall
And so I'll try, to give it all I have today,
'Cause if I slip I know that I'm still on belay
There were several times throughout my youth when I began to go astray
You took me back out on the rocks to help me find my way
You said "Look at where you're going, find an anchor that is true
With inner strength and solid judgment, there is nothing you can't do"
I'm on belay; there is safety in your call
I know that I can take a risk and you will stop my fall
And so I'll try, to give it all I have today,
'Cause if I slip I know that I'm still on belay
When I was nearly done with school and ready to cut loose
You gave me a brand new backpack, and a book by Dr. Seuss
And you said, "Oh the place you will go! I hardly can believe
But you have all the tools you need whenever you decide to leave"
I give honor to the child that I was not so long ago
And when I climb I still get scared and so I take it slow
And remember if I lose my step that I can call your name
For the telephone's a safety line that holds me just the same
I'm on belay; there is safety in your call
I know that I can take a risk and you will stop my fall
And so I'll try, to give it all I have today,
'Cause if I slip I know that I'm still on belay
If I slip I know that I'm still on belay
Benediction
I grew up singing a choral setting of these Bible verses. When the country went to war with Iraq, I started looking through scripture for references to peace. I was delighted to reacquaint myself with these verses, and made my own interpretation. The lullaby nature of the music seemed appropriately peaceful.
May the Lord bless you
May the Lord keep you
And make His face to shine upon you
Shine down on you
And be gracious to you
May god be gracious to you
And grant you peace in your day
God grant you peace in your day
And always shine on you in peace
Amen, Amen, Amen…
What Kind of Brother
As you and I were walking down the street I heard you talk your line
You said "look at the rich chick, look at the fat chick, hey don't that hippy chick look fine."
What is it in your background that makes you think that it's okay
To talk about a woman that you've seen in such a ruthless way
She's somebody's mother, she's somebody's daughter, she's somebody's lover
She's somebody's sister and I'm saying mister, what kind of brother are you?
I know I haven't mentioned this before, I guess I was afraid
To tell you how deeply offended I was at the comments that you made
I know that you think everything's a joke, even after all these years
But if you take the time to look behind that pretty smile
Then you would see the tears
She's somebody's mother, she's somebody's daughter, she's somebody's lover
She's somebody's sister and I'm saying mister, what kind of brother are you?
No I don't think I'm perfect, and I'm not throwing stones your way
But I can't ignore what you say anymore so my silence stops today
I know that you're a good man so think about what you say and do
'Cause that could be your mother, sister or lover being hurt by a good man like you
She's somebody's mother, she's somebody's daughter, she's somebody's lover
She's somebody's sister and I'm saying mister, what kind of brother are you?
She is your mother, she is your daughter, she is your lover
She is your sister so tell me hey mister what kind of brother are you?
Deportees
The crops are all in and the peaches are rotting
The oranges are stacked in their creosote dumps
Their flying you back to the Mexico border
To pay all your money to wade back again
My fathers own father he waded that river
They took all the money that he made in his life
My brothers and sisters they worked in the fruit trees
They rode the big trucks till they took down and died
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big aero-plane
For all they will call you will be deportees
Now some of us are illegal and others not wanted
The work season ends and we have to move on
Six hundred miles to the Mexico boarder
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers and thieves
We've died in your hills and we've died in your deserts
We've died in your valleys, we've died in your plains
We've died in your trees and we've died in your bushes
Both sides of the river we've died just the same (chorus)
A sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos canyon
Like a fireball of lightning it shook all our hill
And who are these friends all scattered like dried leaves
The radio says they are just deportees
Is this the best way we can grow your good orchards
It this the best way we can grow your good fruit
To fall like dried leaves and rot on your topsoil
To be known by no name except deportees?
© 1961 Woody Guthrie, Ludlow Music
When A Man’s In Love (3:54)
When a man’s in love he feels no cold, as I not long ago,
As a hero bold, to see his girl, I ploughed
through frost and snow
The moon she gently shed her light along my dreary way
Until at length, I came to the spot where all my treasure lay
I knocked on my love’s window saying, oh dear, are you within
And softly she undid the latch, so slyly I stepped in
Her hand was warm, her breath was sweet,
and her tongue it did gently glide
I stole a kiss, it was no miss, and I asked her to be my bride
Oh take me to your chamber, love, oh take me to your bed
Oh take me to your chamber, love, to rest my weary head
But to take you to my chamber love,
my parents would never agree
So set you there, beyond ere fire and I’ll sit close by thee
Oh many is the time I’ve courted you against your parents’ will
But you never said you’d be my bride, so now my girl sit still
For tonight I am going to cross the sea,
to far off Columbia’s shore
And you will never ever see your youthful love e’er more
Yes many is the time through frost and
snow I’ve came to visit you
Whether tossed about by cold winter winds,
or wet by the morning dew
But tonight our courtship’s at a close between you, love and me
So fare thee well, my own favorite girl, a long farewell to thee
Oh are you going to leave me now, oh pray what can I do
I will break through every bond of home
and come along with you
I know my parents won’t forget, ah but surely they’ll forgive
So from this hour I am resolved, along with you to live
Credits:
Traditional Irish Song (Laws 020)
Adaptations by quirk of oral tradition and by Joe Jencks
Mighty Long Way
CHORUS:
It’s a mighty long way from over yonder,
It’s a mighty long way from there to here,
We’re going to take it one step at a time
so that we can make that walk from there to here.
What can a man see outside his window,
it’s a whole lifetime from there to here,
and all those people who gave their sweat and their blood
so that she could make that walk from there to here.
CHORUS
Every child born is a revolution,
a revolution with the song inside.
Some won’t hear it,
some hear nothing else.
They’ll sing night and day
just to keep the dream alive.
When you’ve got a dream,
You’ve got to stand up,
stand up and shout it,
shout it loud and clear.
That’s what I’m hearing,
it’s the voice of the people singing
that we will make that walk from there to here.
CHORUS
Credits:
Wise Man 3:34
I tried to be a wise man at the age of 21.
Well, I’ve been playing by the rules.
I know it sounds cliché but I played the game of love,
I end up feeling like a fool.
Growing up a young man in the 90’s,
I tried to get in touch with my inner soul.
I tried to express all of my feelings,
I still feel empty when I once was whole.
Chorus
I still can’t tell you why I feel so alone,sometimes when I’m lying by your side.
And even if I told you everything that I feel,
all you’d want to do is run and hide.
They say the mark of one who is truly wise,
is knowing you can never really know everything.
I submitted myself to the higher educational mind.
I feel I have nothing left to show.
Chorus
With all I’ve learned in school about how to communicate,and express myself in a nonthreatening way.
I still can’t reconcile these feelings,
me wanting to go and you wanting me to stay.
Chorus
I tried to be a wise man at the age of 21.
Credits:
Third Shift
Six in the morning
Nobody’s working
Everyone’s watching
The clock on the wall
Everyone’s waiting
For something to happen
Nobody wants
To do nothing at all
I’m thinking of you in the darkness
Lying in bed all alone
Reaching your hand for my pillow
Lord, if I only was home
Six in the morning
Nobody’s working
Everyone’s watching
The clock on the wall
Everyone’s waiting
For something to happen
Nobody wants
To do nothing at all
I’m thinking of you as you’re rising
Stretching your arms in the air
Sniffing around for your coffee
Lord, if I only was there
Six in the morning
Nobody’s working
Everyone’s watching
The clock on the wall
Everyone’s waiting
For something to happen
Nobody wants
To do nothing at all
I’m thinking of you in the driveway
Cranking the car in the cold
Lord if I only was with you
We’d steal away down the road
Six in the morning
Nobody’s working
Everyone’s watching
The clock on the wall
Everyone’s waiting
For something to happen
Nobody wants
To do nothing at all
I’m thinking of you and I’m thinking
In ten minutes I can be home
The clock waves its hands as I’m leaving
Slip out the door and I’m gone
Six in the morning
Nobody’s working
Everyone’s watching
The clock on the wall
Everyone’s waiting
For something to happen
Nobody wants
To do nothing at all
Third shift
Third shift
Third shift
Wheelbarrow Johnny
From the hills of Pennsylvane
Across the Ohio
As far as the southern bend
Of the muddy old Saint Joe
To build a home
A blacksmith and his family of nine
In the days we’ve come to know as forty-nine
Shoeing horses building wagons for the road
He taught his sons to build a wheelbarrow
Oh that wheelbarrow you're gonna roll
There's one in every crowd
Sown with the wild oats
And Johnny was the one
Who said he had to go
I'm leaving home
Well his pappy pleaded stay with us and work
And his momma cried you don't know what is worth
Sewing sixteen silver dollars in his belt
One for every year his youth could tell
Oh that wheelbarrow you're gonna roll
Chorus
And it's roll Johnny roll
Roll across the plains
And it's ride Johnny ride
Don't hold back on the reins
There's gold Johnny gold
Off in the Hangtown hills
And you'll sail home around Cape Horn
With your pockets lined with gold
He landed in the Promised Land
In what's now called Placerville
Though then it was known as Hangtown
For the dreams that it had killed
I miss my home
These city slickers don't know 'bout the land
They don't know how to work with their hands
Sifting for the gold through the sand
Gambling and stealing all they can
Oh that wheelbarrow you're going to roll
His fingers to the bone
His belly filled with stone
He never found the gold
He sold off all he owned
I'm heading home
You only own what you carry in your soul
And I'm carrying the weight of "told you so"
When this man said by chance you wouldn't know
How to build me a strong wheelbarrow
Oh that wheelbarrow you're going to roll
Before the first was done
Word had gotten 'round
He had to build one now
For every man in town
This ain't my home
But a friend is made fast with good work
Giving more than you promise in worth
The one place he never looked for the gold
He sold fifty thousand dollars worth of wheelbarrows
Oh that wheelbarrow you're going to roll
Now gold is where you find it
Before you know it's spent
And a windfall's like a rainfall
You don't know where it went
I'm working home
But a gambler's got to learn how to work
And a worker's got to gamble all he's worth
Now Johnny rides around with presidents
While you're still worrying how to pay the rent
Oh that wheelbarrow you're going to roll
Oh that wheelbarrow you're made of gold
Sad (4:46)
Well I'm Sad, so sad
And I'm tired, so tired
Well I'm hungry, so hungry
There's a hole in my soul
And it swallows me up
And pulls me into the darkness
There's a hole in the center of me
There's a hole in the center of me
Well I've never been one to sing about my troubles
I figure most of the world Has enough of their own
But now and then I think That when we sing about our truth
Maybe we light up a pathway For somebody else
Chorus
Sometimes I wonder When the whole world is quiet
When there's nothing to hear But the sound of my breath
Why there's so many people With so many hurts
And none of us really knows Quite how to love
Chorus
Now I like to dream Of a time when I'm happy
When I don't feel the sting of each Pain in my bones
But then I reflect That the day I stop feeling
Is the day that they lay me Flat down in the earth
Chorus
There's a hole in the center of me
© Turtle Bear Music / ASCAP
Highway 4AM (Driving) 4:23
headlights on the blacktop.
In the wee hours of my thing,
driving, driving.
When we first met how I must have seemed,
a young man in a boy's dream.
No information, just desire, higher, higher
It's a lonely romance
It's a desperate urge
to put something beautiful in this world.
There are moments in a night's success
when something rises from the emptiness
and stirs the brave hope of a young desire,
higher, higher
(hey yey yey)
As you lie sleeping, I will not stop,
headlights on the blacktop.
In the wee hours of my thing,
driving, driving.
You have shown me the equal and opposite force
of found girls who want to save lost boys.
They know that longest road is never done alone,
they give them a way, a way back home.
It's a lonely romance
It's a desperate urge
to put something beautiful in this world.
As you lie sleeping, through the misting rain,
high beams in the fast lane,
in the wee hours of our thing driving driving.
Get Together 3:43
Love is but a song we sing,
And fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Though the bird is on the wing
And you may not know why
Come on people now
Smile on each other
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now
Some will come and some will go
And we shall surely pass
When the one who left us hear
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunrise
Fading in the grass
So if you hear the song I sing
Then you will understand
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command
The Turtle 4:07
Well the turtle lays a hundred eggs so a dozen might survive
To wade across that sand and finally reach that sea alive
And haunted by the memory of those fallen by my side
I keep reaching for that water go headlong into the tide
Headlong into the tide
Headlong into the tide
As we wander toward our destiny with a shell of guilt and shame
As we contemplate our burdens and consider who's to blame
In the face of such absurdity we can only laugh and cry
And the cycle just continues as we breathe and grow and die
As we breathe and grow and die
Breathe and grow and die
And for what is it we sacrifice and for what is it we gain
If we mistake for knowledge what is only fear and pain
In the shades of disappointment shades of sorrow shades of grey
If we trade our love for anger then we trade our lives away
Yes we trade our lives away
Trade our lives away
Well then isn't it ironic I have nothing left to say
After all the distance I have come to be with you today
I knew there would be sacrifice I knew it from the start
But now there's no dream big enough to hold my broken heart
To hold my broken heart
Hold my broken heart
You Don't Have The Right
Sitting in your office chairs inside your corporate towers
Making treaties with yourselves that take away our powers
Profit is your motive but you don't stop to realize
The cost of all your business on other peoples' lives
And we say:
Chorus:
"You don't have the right to make these choices for us
You don't have the right to take these choices, choices from us
You don't have the right to take our voices from us
You don't have the right to make these choices, choices for us"
You hide behind the smokescreen of the media machine
You make sure your voice is heard but your face is never seen
Free Trade and Globalization are the buzzwords that you use
To hide the horrors you create and the damage that you do
And we say:
"You don't have the right to make these choices for us
You don't have the right to take these choices, choices from us
You don't have the right to take our voices from us
You don't have the right to make these choices, choices for us"
If there's a law that's in your way, you just strike it down
You buy off heads of government and the leaders of our town
And if we break the silence you try hard to see us fail
You make our speech a crime so you can put us all in jail
And we say:
"You don't have the right to make these choices for us
You don't have the right to take these choices, choices from us
You don't have the right to take our voices from us
You don't have the right to make these choices, choices for us"
Miner in South Africa, weavers in Nepal
Farmers in El Salvador, corporations want them all
But economic slavery is a crime that we must fight
Working people 'round the world must join hands and unite us
As we say:
"You don't have the right to make these choices for us
You don't have the right to take these choices, choices from us
You don't have the right to take our voices from us
You don't have the right to make these choices, choices for us"
Kiss Me Twice
A long time ago when the world was flat
Eve said to Adam "How about that?
You've got yours and I've got mine
There'll be trouble 'til the end of time."
A snake in the garden, sun in the sky
Apple in the hand and oh my my
You and I shared love so sweet
Then you hit the road with your own two feet
You are like a prodigal child
I love you just because you're wild
You keep coming' back but you don't stay
Kiss me twice then you go away
Columbus proved that the world was round
He sailed his ship until he found
A place where tomorrow meets today
Like you and love he just turned away
You are like a prodigal child
I love you just because you're wild
You keep coming' back but you don't stay
Kiss me twice then you go away
Men have now walked on the moon
Could have stayed, but they came back soon
You and I once touched the sky
We could've stayed, but we didn't try
You are like a prodigal child
I love you just because you're wild
You keep coming' back but you don't stay
Kiss me twice then you go away
The Great Fast Food Strike
Come all you fast food workers, wherever you may dwell
If you'll consent to listen, a story I will tell
Of six young workers like yourselves, who were compelled to go
And labor for McDonald's in Macedon-i-o.
'Twas in northeast Ohio this burger franchise stood
As in many such establishments, conditions were not good
The wages they were meager, but by far the greatest woe
Was to work for Jerry Guffey in Macedon-i-o.
Now Jerry was the manager, a spiteful man was he
If ever you displeased him, his anger you would see
With foul names and shoves and shouting, his curses they would flow
He was the meanest fast food boss in Macedon-i-o
Margaret she was sixty-six, she worked from need, not choice
One day she left a bag of trash out of its proper place
When Jerry came upon it, his rage did overflow
The staff looked on as Margaret wept, in Macedon-i-o
'Twas on an Easter Sunday student workers made a vow
"Abuse of youth and elderly no longer we'll allow"
These brave young people left their jobs, their paychecks did forego
To walk upon a picket line in Macedon-i-o
Bryan Drapp walked out, and Jamal Nickens he did too
Josh Jones and Matt Casserlie, they joined the picket crew
Steve Stem and Heidi Shaffer solidarity did show
They led the fight for dignity in Macedon-i-o
From CNN to Leno, Howard Stern to NPR
The story of the fast food strike was carried near and far
McDonalds' high executives, to save the status quo
Sent in a crack consultant, to Macedon-i-o
Then Teamsters' Local Four Sixteen came to the strikers' aid
"These kids against your corporate might's an unfair fight," they said
"We're here to balance out the scales." The company said, "No!
We will not talk with unions in Macedon-i-o"
At Route Eight and the Interstate the strikers held their ground
They thrust aloft their picket signs as the April rains beat down
'Til a Teamster bakery driver, he dealt the final blow
He would not cross a picket line in Macedon-i-o
The bosses watched in horror as the truck it rolled away
They knew it carried all the buns they needed for that day
While twenty cheering picketers, still marching to and fro
Saw victory within their grasp in Macedon-i-o
A fair wage and paid vacation, better safety at the grill
In every point of bargaining the workers had their will
And to a training program Jerry Guffey's forced to go
To brush up on his people skills, in Macedon-i-o.
You've heard of labor's struggles in Harlan's bloody hills
At Homestead, Flint and Ludlow, and in Massachusetts' mills
In April nineteen ninety-eight, the history books will show
How fast food workers held the line in Macedon-i-o
© 1998 Deborah Van Kleef
In the Shadow of Your Ghost (5:03)
You told me of your passion for this land
You said that one day we would go together
To a magic place where we’d walk hand in hand
You told me of your time you spent in Galway
At University, of all the joys you knew
Studying the cultures of the ancients
But sometimes there are dreams that don’t come true
I didn’t know you then and I don’t know you now
But somewhere in the middle we lived a life somehow
Now I’m standing by the river in the town you loved the most
As I walk the streets of Galway, in shadow of your ghost
Feeding chips to the seagulls by the harbor
Past the Spanish Arch you’d sit there on the wall
Writing for hours in your journal
Noting everything you felt and saw
I lean against the rail, as my tears fall in the water
The Friar’s River carries them away
I stare at my reflection, as if there were some answer
In the face that ripples staring back my way
I come to the Cathedral to sit and light a candle
For a love that changed the nature of my life
I wish you very well and pray that you are happy
Now it’s time to take my leave and say goodbye
Yes, I’m standing by the river in the town you loved the most
As I walk the streets of Galway, in shadow of your ghostI Won't Look Down
I did everything I could to understand you,
With your hard and fast, etched into stone truths.
You want it in black and white
When life writes out in gray
It doesn’t work that way.
They tried to raise me up in a house like this,
Love you for your fellow man with an asterisk.
When it was time for words
Why is it I never heard you say.
CHORUS:
I won’t look down, but to help you up.
With the tables turned I would ask as much.
I would rather trip and fall with my eyes too high
Then to the sink to the bottom of the great divide.
Love is love is love.
CHORUS
CHORUS
Credits:
Respect Your Elders 5:26
I am the wolf, I’ve roamed the forest thirty-million years.
I am the whale, I’ve swam the oceans twenty-million more.
I am the loon my cry’s been heard one-hundred-sixty-million years.
I am the turtle; the weight of the world is on my back.
I am the spirit of all living things.
I am the creator of this paradise that you live in.
I am the crying voice of every species now extinct.
I beg you hear my call remember who your mother is.
The earth is yours to borrow not to own.
In the great sea of the cosmos it’s our only home.
If we borrow from tomorrow and make debts we cannot pay,
soon all life will vanish, it will all return to clay.
You tear apart my mountains in your foolish search for gold.
You cut down all my forests, and put craters and my soul.
You drop your toxins in my lakes and desecrate my streams.
I am the voice of dying earth, can’t you hear me scream.
Can’t you hear me scream?
The earth is yours to borrow not to own.
In the great sea of the cosmos it’s our only home.
If we take the bounty of this land for greed instead of need,
We will hear the owl call our name, thus the elder say… thus the elder say.
Respect your elders.
I am the wolf, I’ve roamed the forest thirty-million years.
I am the whale, I’ve swam the oceans twenty-million more.
I am loon my cry’s been heard on-hundred-sixty-million years.
I am the turtle; the weight of the world is on my back.
I am the spirit of all living things.
I am the creator of this paradise that you live in
I am the crying voice of every species now extinct
I beg you hear my call remember who your mother is.
Dance with Me
It's not the way you look or how you comb your hair
But how you look at me that makes me want to stare
And how you hold me with that question in your eyes that says
"Do you still love me, now please don't lie?"
I remember my first dance with you
The way that time just stopped as we waltzed around the room
A perfect moment captured inside our embrace
And all the joy I felt, reflected on your face (when I said)
Dance with me through all that life may bring
As a sign of friendship will you wear this ring?
It's a symbol of the love I feel for you
A small reminder that sometimes dreams come true
I remember conversations late into the night
Hopes that came alive by the dancing candle light
A sudden understanding, dreams are big enough for two
I asked you for your hand, and gave my heart to you (when I said)
Dance with me through all that life may bring
As a sign of promise will you wear this golden ring?
It's a symbol of the love I feel for you
A small reminder that sometimes dreams come true
Paper hearts and postage stamps, letters and replies
Flowers and a white dress, a brand new suit and tie
Friends and family gather as they offer up this prayer
For happiness and health, and a long life we can share
Now the work that I have chosen often takes me far away
There's not much time for dancing in our lives from day to day
It's natural for you to wonder if I still hold true
To the promises we made, when we said "I Do!"
Dance with me through all that life may bring
As a sign of faithfulness I wear this wedding ring
A sacred symbol of the love I feel for you
A small reminder that sometimes dreams come true
A reminder of a promise that in our love dreams come true
Running Down The Road
Running down the road, running down the road
So many years been running down the road
Running down the road, running down the road
Running down the road to freedom
Sister don’t pass me by
Take my hand and run down the road
Sister don’t pass me by
Running down the road to freedom
Mother don’t pass me by
Take my hand and run down the road
Mother don’t pass me by
Running down the road to freedom
Father don’t pass me by
Take my hand and run down the road
Father don’t pass me by
Running down the road to freedom
Brother don’t pass me by
Take my hand and run down the road
Brother don’t pass me by
Running down the road to freedom the road
Stranger don’t pass me by
Take my hand and run down the road
Stranger don’t pass me by
Running down the road to freedomOne Piece At A Time
Words written for and with the Spokane Warriors Heart to Art participants - Music by Joe Jencks
Hoping for a new start
Trying to find my way
A little bit of rebellion mixed with
Adventure far away
A family tradition
To honor and to serve
The call of duty
Now I’m down to my last nerve
Chorus
Does anybody see me
Does anybody know what I’ve been through
Some folks gave their lives all at once
But I’ve given up my life
One piece at a time
I had a job, I did it well
Tried to trust the chain of command
What in the world was I thinking
Now I walk among the damned
Living on the edge of life and death
You know it takes its toll
The loss of innocence
No stability, no control
Well I second-guess my choices
I “woulda, coulda, shoulda” all the time
But on sleepless nights, that doesn’t help
To find a reason or a rhyme
Picking up the pieces
Honoring the dead
Not much here I understand
And there’s a war inside my head
But I am not expendable
I’m still living with the pain
Yes, there are ways that I survived
But I’m dying every day
Believing that the future
Holds more power than the past
I reach with forgiveness
For a new life I hope will last
So put a candle in the window
Help me see I’m not alone
Though I have changed, I need to know
I’m finally welcome home
Does anybody see me
Does anybody know what I’ve been through
Step by step and day by day I find
I’m taking back my life
Yes, I’m taking back my life
I’m taking back my life
One piece at a time
One piece at a timeJericho Road (3:18)
beneath the street light's yellow orange glow.
The feared and the fallen go.
In the way of predator and prey,
no one's spared,
because hate is too great a weight to bear.
In a cage of shadows we meet,
naked and bloodied in the street.
At the mercy, at the feet,
of the way of predator and prey.
No one's spared,
because hate is too great a weight to bear.
In the darkness on shattered pavement
the better angels fade.
Blurred in slumber, murder by numbers.
Do you know my name?
I believe in you,
because everyone holds some part of the truth.
And now, I'm in your way.
Do we stay on Jericho Road, forever going nowhere,
until hate is too great a weight to bear.
© Sheen of Heat Music/ BMI
Go Tell Mary 4:03
Mary swoons at the Saviour's feet
And i'm in the kitchen, fixing something to eat again
And I've been picking up the slack since God knows when
Go tell Mary
Go tell Mary
I don't want to be Martha no more
I went to the Lord out of love for you
To see if there's something that he could do
to bring back that brother of yours and mine
Because it hurts my heart to see you grieving all the time
Go tell Mary
Go tell Mary
I don't want to be Martha no more
Am I the rock holding up our house?
Is it my job to keep us from falling down?
Lord, I'll domy duty with joy someday
I want to walk in the light and chase the darkness away
Go tell Mary
Go tell Mary
I don't want to be Martha no more
White Buffalo 5:30
They say you've got to lose before you can win
They say you've got to choose before you can give in
And you've got to cut loose to come back in
And it's a long way back home
They say you've got to fall before you can land
They say you've got to crawl before you can stand
And you've got to lose it all to get what you planned
And it's a long way back home
And it's a long way, a long way back home
When you're standing on some place you've never known
I might see you where the rivers flow
Like me you're looking for white buffalo
They say you've got to die before you can live
They say you've got to cry before you can give
And you've got to say goodbye to come back again
And it's a long way back home
They say you've got to seed what you're going to grow
They say you've got to need what you're going to let go
And you've got to believe what you're going to know
And it's a long way back home
So I say to you farewell for we will meet again
In the hottest flames of hell I could only call you friend
And when you hear that final bell, do not ask whose round you're in
Until you've found your way back home
Gasoline 5:18
You know the man has got a problem
It's not right and it's not fair
A petroleum addiction
Drinking up more than his share
Get that man up to a meeting
Help him find his higher power
You know sunshine wind and water
Will be the savior of the hour
Gasoline Gasoline
Gone and made the whole world mean
The way we use it is obscene (All this killing is obscene)
Gasoline Gasoline
Making wars out in the desert
Because there's oil in their sand
Instead of bombing them to pieces
You think we'd try to understand
That it's time to stop the killing
Does not matter what it's for
Lay our burdens by the river
Study fossil fuels no more
Gasoline Gasoline
Gone and made the whole world mean
All this killing is obscene
Gasoline Gasoline
This old world will keep on spinning
No matter what we choose to do
But if we want to keep on living
On this planet green and blue
There's an alternative solution
To this problem that we face
What is hanging in the balance
Is the future of the human race
We Cry Out
Oh my granddad came from Ireland and in County Kildare
He was born in the town Athie in a little room upstairs
And he lived for eighteen years there 'til his family moved away
They bought passage on a sailing ship bound for Americay
Oh the year was 1914 and the war had just begun
When he stepped off Ellis Island for to sing sweet freedom's song
His new homeland gave him a uniform and handed him a gun
And sent him out to fight for the right of citizen
And I cry out no more, I will not fight this battle
I will not strike down my sisters and my brothers e'er again
And I cry out no more should our greed become the kindle
And our anger strike the match to light the flames of war again
Oh my father was a soldier too, he did what he though right
When his country called upon him and said that he must fight
Now they say that things are different and everything has changed
So why do I see children marching off to war again?
And I cry out no more, I will not fight this battle
I will not strike down my sisters and my brothers e'er again
And I cry out no more should our greed become the kindle
And our anger strike the match to light the flames of war again
Oh this battle has been raging nigh on ten thousand years
We've made rivers flow in deserts out of human blood and tears
Now I hear the swords a-rattling, feel a quiver in my heart
We must put them down and walk away before the raging starts
And I cry out no more, I will not fight this battle
I will not strike down my sisters and my brothers e'er again
And I cry out no more should our greed become the kindle
And our anger strike the match to light the flames of war again
From the fields of Northern Ireland to the deserts of Iraq
From the streets of Sarajevo to the hills of Pakistan
And from North and South Korea to Angola's war-torn shore
People 'round the world cry out for peace and say "We'll fight no more"
And I cry out no more, I will not fight this battle
I will not strike down my sisters and my brothers e'er again
And I cry out no more should our greed become the kindle
And our anger strike the match to light the flames of war again
We cry out no more
Which Side Are You On
Come listen fellow workers, good news to you I'll tell
Of how the good old union has come in here to dwell
Which side are you one, which side are you on?
Which side are you on, which side are you on?
My daddy was a miner, now he's in air and sun
But I'll stick with the union till every battle's won
They say in Harlan County, there are no neutrals there
You're either with the union or a thug for J.H. Blair
Oh workers can you stand it, oh tell me how you can
Will you be a lousy scab or be a union man
Don't listen to the bosses, no don't believe their lies
Us workers haven't got a chance unless we organize
© 1946 Florence Reece, Stormking Music
City of Chicago (3:34)
In the city of Chicago
As the evening shadows fall
There are people dreaming
Of the hills of Donegal
Eighteen forty-seven
Was the year it all began
Deadly pains of hunger
Drove a million from the land
They journeyed not for glory
Their motive wasn’t greed
A voyage of survival
Across the stormy sea
To the city of Chicago
As the evening shadows fall
There are people dreaming
Of the hills of Donegal
Some of them knew fortune
Some of them knew fame
More of them knew hardship
They died upon the plain
They spread throughout the nation
They rode the railroad cars
Brought their songs and music
To ease their lonely hearts
To the city of Chicago
As the evening shadows fall
There are people dreaming
Of the hills of Donegal
Keep On Going
Got to go, getting late
Gonna leave my troubles inside the gates
I’ll give into no fear
I am master of nothin’ and no one here
And it’s life without a net, or a rope or a knife
Got my best pair of shoes, I’m gonna to make it through
These walking blues.
CHORUS:
Keep on
Through the heat, and the never knowing
Just beyond
The circle don’t close, but you know you gotta keep on going.
Every man for himself
Nothing in the world but hammers and nails
It’s a lie, I was fooled
By a man in a suit and expensive shoes
And it’s life without a net, or a rope or a knife
Well, the man didn’t care, he said he cheated us fair and square
CHORUS
In the hills, all alone
Weary shoes shuffle on a switchback road
Just beyond, out of sight
Moonshine devil on a midnight ride
And it’s life without a net, or a rope or a knife
Well the road looks closed, and it’s time to find another way home
CHORUS
Credits:
By Pat Wictor
Gas Station Roses
I cannot be your everything, even if I tried
Though I can sit and hold your hand, and love you when you cry
I cannot do your walking for you, you cannot do mine
But if we go together there are secrets we may find
So please accept these gifts, oh they're simple but they're true
Nothing but a token of the way I feel for you
Some colored paper hearts and a little Elmer's glue
And a couple of Gas Station Roses
I cannot wave a magic wand and take away your pain
To do so would just steal away the power that you've gained
But, I can give you all the love that I find inside
For in the light of true hearts, there is no need to hide
So please accept these gifts, oh they're simple but they're true
Nothing but a token of the way I feel for you
Some colored paper hearts and a little Elmer's glue
And a couple of Gas Station Roses
I cannot know tomorrow, all I have is just today
But I would choose to spend this day with you
And listen to the bird song, floating though the trees
And open up my heart to love's gentle blowing breeze
So please accept these gifts, oh they're simple but they're true
Nothing but a token of the way I feel for you
Some colored paper hearts and a little Elmer's glue
And a couple of Gas Station Roses
I Give It To You 4:30
I’d give it to you. Oh, I’d give it to you.
If I had the reason for all of my failings,
I’d give it to you. Oh, I’d give it to you.
If I had the knowledge of great kings and scholars,
a vision of love and the wisdom to choose between
what I want, and the things that I need,
Oh, I’d give it to you, Oh, I’d give it to you.
Chorus
Well, I’m just a soul on my journey to truth.Well, I’m just a poor boy who’s losing my youth.
Trying to hold on to what I once knew
and I give it to you, Oh, I give it to you.
I know I’m not perfect,
I don’t claim to be the light in the world that can set your heart free.
And if I could love you like I know I should,
well I’d give it to you, Oh, I’d give it to you
Chorus
Now if I have hurt you, forgive me I pray.You know I never meant things to happen this way.
Well, I’m only trying to get through today
and define my tomorrow from our yesterday.
Chorus
If I had the answer to all of life’s questions,I’d give it to you. Oh, I’d give it to you.
If I had the reason for all of my failings,
I’d give it to you, Oh, I’d give it to you.
Credits:
The Old Labor Hall
They stand outside the doorway, as the long shadows fall
A line of ghostly figures, at the Old Labor Hall
Mother Jones has just arrived in a pillbox hat and shawl
From the Battle of Blair Mountain to the Old Labor Hall
Big Bill Haywood stoops to enter, he’s nearly six feet tall
Bringing children from Lawrence, to the Old Labor Hall
He nods to Emma Goldman, so fiery, yet so small
She’s arguing with Eugene Debs at the Old Labor Hall
We still tell their stories
We still share their pride
‘Cross a century of struggle
We’re still on their side
They view the ancient photographs that line the worn wood walls
They’re back in 1900, at the Old Labor Hall
An Italian woman cocks her head as if trying to recall
Some old song from Palermo, at the Old Labor Hall
A Scots stonecutter proudly holds his chisel and his maul
His Highland brogue still echoes, through the Old Labor Hall
He sculpts the Barre granite, the finest stone of all
For some rich man’s mausoleum, at the Old Labor Hall
With socialists and anarchists, sometimes it’s quite a brawl
It isn’t always peaceful at the Old Labor Hall
But on the roll of honor, the brightest names of all
Are the immigrants whose strong hands built the Old Labor Hall
And so today we gather, grateful to recall
This gentle man who fought to save the Old Labor Hall
Who with such grace and humor, such feeling for us all
Infused his steadfast passion through the Old Labor Hall
We will tell his story
We will share his pride
Today and in the future
Chet Briggs is on our side
We will tell their stories
We will share their pride
‘Cross a century of struggle
They’re still on our side
We’re still on their side
Children of Trochenbrod
Who can ever know or say
What makes a heart go blind
What paves the road to hatred
Or what shadows fill the mind
What voice cries out in memories
What sacred words unspoken
Demand each generation
Try to heal what has been broken?
From the heart of a wilderness
By the labor of their hands
The People built this town
Row by row they plowed the land
Friday night by candlelight
The ancient prayers were read
Celebrating Shabbos
Singing songs and breaking bread
Chorus
We remember
We remember
We are the children of Trochenbrod
There were whispers on the wind
In nineteen forty one
That the war would come to Trochenbrod
But there was nowhere left to run
Rumors of the camps came in
With refugees each day
They were trying to find safety
And stay out of history’s way
In August nineteen forty two
Trochenbrod stood brave
Hitler’s army gave them shovels
They were forced to dig their graves
Soldiers lined them up like bottles
And they did not waste a round
Not a single soul was spared
Five thousand lifeless on the ground
Then the Nazis stole the paving stones
And filled in every well
Then they took a torch to Eden
And they turned it into hell
There was nothing left but ash
They planted trees to hide their shame
Though wicked men tried to erase it
We know this place has a name!
All the children of Trochenbrod
Anachnu kol b’nei Trochenbrod (Hebrew)
Mir zeinen alle die kinder fon Trochenbrod (Yiddish)
Todas es criances de Trochenbrod (Brazilian Portuguese)
And we remember!Pushing Stones (4:22)
tell me what do I see?
Woke up this morning,
tell me what do I see?
There in the mirror,
the blues staring back at me.
Ain't no use cryin',
and sitting all by yourself.
Ain't no use cryin',
and sitting all by yourself
Well, the blues found me,
and my love found somebody else.
Chorus
Well, it's hard pushing stones up that hill
Start down low, cause they roll where they will
You can make it to the top, but the blues will have its fill
It's hard pushing stones up that hill.
Who's gonna stay and who's got to move along?
Who's gonna stay and who's got to move along?
Bluse, I'm gonna leave
before all my lovin's gone
Chorus
Without my blues,
I don't even know myself
Without my blues,
I don't even know myself
Farewell, blues, you better find somebody else
Chorus
© Tell A Tale Music / BMI
Sister Moon 3:36
In the woods near the gentle rolling hills
And the evening hour is gone
Between the twilight and the dawn
I'm looking up at you
Sister moon
Watching over the breeze
Sister moon
Silence never was so sweet
And tonight, let me stay a little longer with you
Oh, my Sister moon
And my love she lives far away in the city
In the city, the only home she knows
And my heart is only whole
Cause her love drew me long ago to the city, too
Tomorrow all the noise will start again
Again the city lights will hide your face
And I'll be here with my love
But I'll search the skies above for my sister moon
Let The Band Play Dixie 4:32
The news was brung from Richmond
In that fading April sun
Lee had handed Grant his sword
And the war was finally won
Into the streets he people spilled
Feeling the excitement build
And the crown around the White House milled
Asking is it true it's finally done
Inside the White House Lincoln heard them
Calling out his name
He sat there wondering what to say
To ease their years of pain
Someone yelled come out the door
And tell us what you've got in store
For the rebels who have lost the war
So out onto the porch, Abe Lincoln came
He said we are gathered not in anger
But in celebration
Let's be thankful we are
Once again a single nation
Let's stand together reassured
Now that peace has been secured
Our nation's illness can be cured
May I suggest the overture for this occasion
He said let the band play Dixie
Play that tune that holds it head up high and proud
And let our nation once divided, bloody but unbowed
Take the swords of war and beat them back into a plough
On the day that Lee surrendered Mr. Lincoln told the crowd
Let the band play Dixie
A tired Union soldier
Hobbled on his only limb
Filled with bitter memories
The war had left with him
He dragged his wooden leg and cane
His face was set and creased with pain
As he stumbled fell and rose again
And he wondered what the future held for him
He spied a black child kneeling near
In humble gratitude
He knelt down right beside her
To share her thankful mood
Grateful words were raised in prayer
God in your sweet loving care
Our broken lives no please repair
And let our wounded nation be renewed
Adonde Pertenezco 3:47
Where do I belong
Adonde pertenezco
Where do I come from
De donde vengo
Where will I go from here
Para donde iré de aquí, de aquí
I don't have anywhere to stay
No tengo donde quedarme
Going from town to town
yendo de pueblo a pueblo
To look for a better life
Para buscar un a vida mejor, vida mejor
We are looking for communities
Buscando comunidades
With better opportunities
Con mejores oportunidades
But who have we left behind
A quienes hemos dejado atrás, dejado atrás
Thank God For The Rain
It started in the old country my ancestors they came
To the land of liberty to free themselves from shame
160 acres, a booming farm back then
They ploughed the land with horse and hand
And made the country strong
Chorus
Thank God for the rain
It makes the dry land grow
Some folks call it a pain
But Lord, that just ain't so
Well I've seen wonders happen
From a thunderclap or two
How it works I'll never understand
But thank God for the rain
Now 1600 acres my brother and I sow
Corn and beans we rotate, try to make the soil grow
Now tractors, planters, combines
Do the work of sixty men
My folks would call me lazy,
But I work just as hard as they did then
Thank God for the rain
It makes the dry land grow
Some folks call it a pain
But Lord, that just ain't so
Well I've seen wonders happen
From a thunderclap or two
How it works I'll never understand
But thank God for the rain
Well I've worked so hard these last few years
But it's just been too dry
It's sad to see my father's dream just barely gets me by
But if I live a good life the Lord will bless this seed
Come through with the sun and rain
And give us what we need
Thank God for the rain
It makes the dry land grow
Some folks call it a pain
But Lord, that just ain't so
Well I've seen wonders happen
From a thunderclap or two
How it works I'll never understand
But thank God for the rain
Christmas In Mansfield
Dad used to spend time with his children
When they'd come home from school every day
Before he would go to work second shift
He'd help them with homework and sometimes they'd play
Baseball out in the yard
If it was raining they'd sit and play cards
But then there was trouble at the steel mill
One night there were sirens and light
People were screaming and shouting
And somebody started a fight
Now daddy's home more than before
But he doesn't play much anymore
It's Christmas in Mansfield, Ohio
The children are snuggled in bed
But there are no visions of sugar plumbs dancing
It's questions that fill up their heads
The company boarded up windows
Put a fence all the way around the mill
They told union workers they couldn't come back
That all of their jobs had been filled
By people from out of the state
Then the company locked up the gates
But it's seventeen years at the steel mill
To provide for his families needs
But the company it seems cares lees about people
And more about profits and greed
So it's up with the burn barrels and signs
Make a stand on the old picket line
The union is still in a lockout
And more than three years have gone by
The first Christmas was tough, but donations came in
And that seemed to keep everyone's spirits high
And daddy did odd jobs in town
He refused to let his family down
But it's Christmas once more down in Mansfield
And there isn't even much snow
And nobody's counting on charity
It seems that was used up a long time ago
But somewhere dad found a small tree
And he hung up the lights carefully
Then the women of steel from the steel workers union
Brought toys for the girls and the boys
The firemen's union from somewhere down state
Brought turkeys and hams and they filled up the plate
With cheers and good tidings for all
It's Christmas in steel union hall
Daddy looked down at his children
And he smiled with sorrow and pride
Then he sat down on the union hall floor
Put his face in his hands and he started to cry
He had been strong now for years
But he just couldn't hold back the tears
God bless these workers and families
For the road that they travel is long
And as they stand up for what they believe
God grant them courage and help them along
Let the spirit of hope still shine bright
As the stars down on Mansfield that night
It's Christmas in Mansfield, Ohio
And the children laugh and they play
Though nobody here can forget about troubles
Maybe they'll set them aside for one day
And remember the kindness they've found
This Christmas in a steel mill town
Give thanks for the kindness they've found
This Christmas in a steel mill town
© 2002 Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music
Viva La Evolution
Orbiting a ball of gas, solar system in a flash – Viva la Evolucion
One cell, two cell, red cell, new cell - Viva la Evolucion
Little fishy in the sea, upgrades duty free - Viva la Evolucion
Crawling up on the sand, make a wish, make a plan - Viva la Evolucion
Grow lungs, grow feet, bigger brains, pretty neat - Viva la Evolucion
Dinosaurs on the lawn, big comet, all gone - Viva la Evolucion
Bi-pedals forge steel, Talk about a new deal - Viva la Evolucion
(Chorus)
Evolution of the species Brother Darwin cried
Some folks that the hombre lied
Descended from monkeys, our DNA won
Viva la Evolucion, Viva La Evolucion
Stonehenge, Great Wall, Mayans at Tikal - Viva la Evolucion
Pyramids, Coliseum, daily at the Museum - Viva la Evolucion
Music filling up the air, naked statues everywhere - Viva la Evolucion
More food, people rise, bigger cultures, bigger lies - Viva la Evolucion
Socrates, Aristotle, big hands on the throttle - Viva la Evolucion
Shiny armies, Black Death, Ring-Around MacBeth - Viva la Evolucion
New World, more land, what about the Red Man - Viva la Evolucion
Blankets laced with Small Pox, send ‘em long walks - Viva la Evolucion
(Chorus)
Evolution of the species Brother Darwin cried
Some folks that the hombre lied
Descended from monkeys, our DNA won
Viva la Evolucion, Viva La Evolucion
Dark matter, light matter, grey matter, whats’a matter? Viva la Evolucion
Hard ball, soft ball, fireball, bad call - Viva la Evolucion
Little spore, Mighty Thor, disagreement, world war - Viva la Evolucion
Mud pot, moon shot, presidential murder plot - Viva la Evolucion
Romans up, Romans down, watch it in surround sound –Viva la Evolucion
Woman up put her down, glass ceiling all around - Viva la Evolucion
Big teeth, lots’a fight, hundred million gigabytes - Viva la Evolucion
Techno dance queen, catch her on your private screen - Viva la Evolucion
(Chorus)
© 2011, Joe Jencks ~ Turtle Bear Music, ASCAP
Winnipeg 1919
The year was 1919 and all around the world
People started marching with their victory flags unfurled
We’ve shed our blood on battle fields and slaved in deep dark mines
We rally to the banner, bread and roses it’s our time
Chorus
Come gather Fellow Workers and raise your voices strong
We rise today in Winnipeg to sing our victory song
In Europe and in Canada, across the USA
We cry out for justice and for fair and equal pay
All sisters and brothers and all races here unite
We strive for One Big Union and defend our common rights
From Halifax and Thunder Bay, to the Fraser River’s shore
Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago hear us roar
From Boston on to Dublin town, are heard the people’s cries
No more to drudge and idler, when the workers organize
Though some of us were born of means and others not a dime
We spend our lives in service to a cause we hold sublime
All laborers in commonwealth, now let our voices say
That one way or another we will bring the greater day
So here’s to Big Bill Haywood, Mother Jones, and Eugene Debs
Along with Emma Goldman and Joe Hill and all the Reds
And all those Fellow Travelers who beckon to the call
An injury to one of us, is an injury to all
We may not win our struggle here, but sure as hell we’ll try
For the future of our children we are steadfast by and by
It’s only when our minds are joined with muscle we can stand
And bring to birth a new world, arm and arm and hand in hand
*Dedicated to the workers of Winnipeg, May Works, and Mitch Podolak
© 2019 & 2022, Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music ASCAP
When I Was Young 3:46
and the road that lies before me, I do not know where to go.
The world was so much simpler when when I was only three or four,
and I had your arms to run to when the world closed every door.
Chorus
When I was young you came to me, you held my hand then set me free.
And then you pick me up wherever I’d fall down again.
You tell me how to love and fear, and to respect the gentle tear
that falls down my cheek as I recall your loving ways.
Let me remember them until my dying day.
Saturday afternoon, underneath a greasy car,
doing all you could in your own way so that we could all go far.
From the Lakes of Minnesota to the Mississippi shore,
two weeks each summer we go riding on forever more.
Chorus
They tell me that you’re gone, but I feel you here with me.
The sparkle in your eyes sometimes, I can almost see.
Chorus
Credits:
Houdaille
Come all you working people who make the world go ‘round
Have you heard about the Houdaille plant and how we stood our ground
We took their factory over ‘til at last we won our fight
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
It was early in the morning when we shut the presses down
The silence was so sudden you could hear it in the town
Our neighbors all came running and stood wondering at the sight
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
Of course when we took over there were things to re-arrange
We put a sign out front that said the management had changed
We’d done the work in here so long, we knew we’d run it right
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
There’s dart boards in the stamping room and children on the floor
In all your years at Houdaille have you felt so strong before
The presses all stand silent, not a single boss in sight
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
When I went to work at Houdaille it was just before the war
They put me on the “kids’ line” with a couple dozen more
One hundred thousand bumpers, God knows I’ve paid the price
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
With some good friends from the factory I went away to war
When I got back the bosses were no better than before
Well, if we didn’t change the world we sure learned how to fight
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
So we organized together and we passed the cards around
They said they’d never talk to us, so we shut the damn place down
We made them sign a contract and we held them to it tight
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
When they said the plant was closing, it took us by surprise
We were bitter, scared and angry, you could see it in our eyes
We talked for hours and hours ‘til we knew just what was right
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
You know it’s never easy to stand up by yourself
And courage comes much quicker when it’s shared with someone else
We’d shared so much together it was easier to fight
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
When they closed the plant they tried to make the workers take the loss
But we really stuck together and we stuck it to the boss
With severance pay and pensions, now it’s gonna’ turn out right
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
There’s those of us who do the work that makes the world go ‘round
There’s others who will buy a plant just to shut it down
But it’s only hands that feed you that get close enough to bite
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonight
Come all you working people who make the world go ‘round
Your hands are on the switches that can shut the whole place down
Your hands are on the levers that can change these wrongs to rights
Don’t wait up for me my love, we’re sitting in tonightLongest Night of The Year
Standing in the dark we light a candle
As we hold on to the hope that things will change
That love will lead the way
Back into the light
The heart of winter is upon us
A chill wind touches every bone
Frost grows on the glass
As daylight gives into the night
Chorus
But somewhere in the shadows we find faith
That is bold enough to chase away our fears
On the longest night of the year
There are days that we remember
When the sun shone brightly in the sky
When all the world was new
And storm clouds passed us by
But summer travels toward the winter
Through autumn’s colors as they fall
As we strain to remember the sound
Of the songbird’s call
The promise of spring
Still lives within us
Even when
It seems so far away
We hold hands and walk together
Not knowing where the path will lead
As we dare to hold out hope
In our time of need
And somewhere in the shadows we find faith
That is bold enough to chase away our fears
Yes somewhere in the shadows we find faith
That is bold enough to chase away our tears
On the longest night of the yearWillow (3:32)
weightless as a kitten in the sunshine.
So unaffected, lightly connected to this world
Who wouldn't love Willow in the summertime,
Toes in the warm mud of June.
Like buds of red rose she already knows when to bloom
Who wouldn't love Willow in the autumn sun,
tilts to her first long goodbye.
Things come, things go, that's all we know
Things come, things go, that's all we know
in this life.
© Sheen of Heat Music/BMI
Love is the Reason 4:07
Was your smile to drive away my rain
But now it seems that hopeful light is hiding
Behind a cloud of anger and pain
I thought everything I was looking for
Was right here within my reach
I think it's time we finally take our chances
And let our hearts speak louder than our fears
Because love is all I ever wanted
Love is the reason I'm still here
Well the sage said to the fisherman on the boat
Cast your nets on the other side
And with nothing short of astonishment on their faces
They said, don't you think we've tried
And he said, what if everything you're looking for
Is right there within your reach
I think it's time we finally take our chances
And let our hearts speak louder than our fears
Because love is all I ever wanted
Love is the reason I'm still here
I don't know where our story goes from here
Too many pages left unread
Or how to carve a pathway through this labyrinth we've built
With all that's left unsaid
What if everything we're looking for
Is right there within our reach
I think it's time we finally take our chances
And let our hearts speak louder than our fears
Because love is all I ever wanted
Love is all you ever wanted
Love is all we ever wanted
Love is the reason
Love is the only reason
Love is the reason we're still here
Late September Moon 5:20
Between the early autumn moon
And the late September sunset
The wind comes calling like a loon
Over the north rim of the canyon
As we sing our lovers tune
In the days last dying embers
We know we must leave here soon
Only the Mesa Top remembers
You and I in the late September moon
The world stood still while we played
If I had to do it over, I would do it that same way
You and I in the late September moon
We were two days out of Denver
We were learning to be free
Westward journey toward the California coast
Just to see what we could see
Took some time along the shore
In the days last dying embers
Pledged our love forever more
Only the lonely beach remembers
As we head into the mountains
Like so many times before
Just bathe in purest sunlight
And to watch the Eagles soar
We hold hands and then embrace
In the days last dying embers
We will make love one last time
Only the mountainside remembers
For What It's Worth* 3:27
There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I've got to beware
(And I think we better)
Stop children what's that sound everybody look what's going down
Battle lines are being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
(and I think we better)
What a field day for the heat
Ten thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say hooray for our side
(and I think we better)
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line and the man come and take you away
(and I think we better)
Saro Wiwa
I hear your voice Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
Though you faced the darkness still that didn't change your choice
To fight for human rights and justice where you live
I hear your voice Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
Though you're not the first somehow I pray you'll be the last
To lose your life by bloody tyrants' hands
And halfway 'round the world in a strange and distant land
I hear your voice urging me to take my stand
I hear your voice Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
Though you faced the darkness still that didn't change your choice
To fight for human rights and justice where you live
I hear your voice Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
There is no gun that can silence freedom's voice
Even when the wicked say that justice is their choice
And halfway 'round the world in a strange and distant land
I hear your voice urging me to take my stand
I hear your voice Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
Though you faced the darkness still that didn't change your choice
To fight for human rights and justice where you live
I hear your voice Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
I hear your voice
Ken Saro Wiwa I hear your voice
Douglas
Searching through memories and old photographs
From a time when the world seemed so small
Douglas and I were like brothers back then
We sure thought that we knew it all
They say once you leave you can never go back
Sometimes I've found this to be true
But tonight I will journey, at least in my mind
To my homeland, to renew
Hunting for crawfish out in Kent Creek
Hide and seek games in fields of corn
Landing in trouble for playing too rough
And getting our brand new clothes torn
Sitting in graveyards and watching the rain
Douglas would dare me to try
And tell all the tales that those grave markers told
As the lightning danced on in the sky
Home to the backyard adventures
Late nights with childhood friends
Facing the darkness with nothing but sticks
And each other to vanquish the wind
And when I reflect on that place in my heart
Where Douglas and I saved the world now and then
I know somehow it still remains in my soul
Though I shall not see it again
I talk on the phone to so many I've known
Loved ones, some near and some far
I carry a piece of them always with me
Shining as bright as the stars
When Douglas says he will be a father quite soon
It's then I think I realize
That the battles we fought and the lessons we were taught
Will live on through another child's eyes
That the battles we fought and the lessons we were taught
Will live on through another child's eyes
The Everett Massacre (Spoken Word)
The Minstrel Boy (3:28)
The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death you will find him
His father’s sword he hath girded on
And his wild harp slung behind him
“Land of Song!” said the warrior bard
“Tho’ all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!”
The Minstrel fell! But the foeman’s chain
Could not bring that proud soul under
The harp he lov’d ne’er spoke again
For he tore its chords asunder
And said, “No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and brav’ry!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery!”
The Minstrel Boy will return we pray
When we hear the news, we shall cheer it
The minstrel boy will return one day
Torn perhaps in body, not in spirit
Then may he play on his harp in peace
In a world where all is mended
When all the bitterness of war has ceased
And every battle is endedMighty Mighty River
A drop of water falls from the sky,
It’s got no say about where, when, or why.
Might wash the pharaoh, might start the flood,
might be the thing that’s thinner than blood.
Might be the tears of an angel, might be the bead of sweat
That betrays that one dark moment of regret,
Sanctify the sinner, sparkle in the sun.
But, in the end it’s the river you become.
CHORUS
It’s a mighty mighty river rolling to the sea
Ain’t no stopping you, Lord, ain’t no saving me.
What I hold so tightly flows on just the same,
But the mighty mighty river remains.
Those sons and daughters like rain from the sky,
The greatest hope of things that are born and die,
Might sit in a prison cell, might save a nation,
But in the end, it’s the river you become
CHORUS
Credits:
The Phoenix 4:30
So come all you sinners and come all you saints, we’re all the same in the end.
Come to the table where we are all equal, and you’ll always find an old friend.
You know life is hard and it goes by so fast. It’s too short to waste it away.
One moment you’re talking with family and friends, then your ten thousand light years away.
You know life is hard and it takes fast away, the ones that we love and hold dear.
But either we come back to the land of the living of forever death’s shadow we fear.
Chorus
Like the Phoenix be reborn. Be true to the beauty inside.If you’re tired and worn, then rise from the ashes again.
Now there’s so much good in the world that we know, there’s home in the darkest of nights.
But if you can’t see it then look in yourself, try to be your own guiding light.
Well, there’s only one-way to change the world: to give all the love you can give.
To do something less is to sell yourself short of the will that we all need to live.
Chorus
Some come all you sinners and come all you saints, we’re all the same in the end.Come to the table where we are all equal, and you’ll always find an old friend.
Chorus
Credits:
Union Miner
If you want to make more money
Down in that dark coal mine
Get together, make things better
Come and join our line
Union miner
Down there with the dust and danger
Digging like a mole
Look out when you hear them shouting
“Fire in the hole”
Union miner
How’d you like to make your living
Where the sun don’t shine
Wouldn’t send my dog to work
Down in that doghole mine
Union miner
My brother worked for 40 years
But died when he was young
Twelve years old when he first started
Dancing with black lung
Union miner
If the sun should shine at midnight
I would never know
It’s as black as the company’s heart
Down in that 30-inch coal
Union miner
They have got the mines and money
But we’ve got the right
Bringing the union back to Harlan
Join our line tonight
Union minerSolidarity Forever
When the Union's inspiration through the workers’ blood shall run
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun
What force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one
But the Union makes us strong
Chorus:
Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever
For the Union makes us strong
It is we who plowed the prairies, built the cities where they trade
Dug the mines, built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid
Now we stand outcast and starving, 'midst the wonders we have made
But the Union makes us strong
They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn
But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel would turn
Break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn
That the Union makes us strong
In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold
Greater than the might of armies, magnified a thousand-fold
Bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old
When the Union makes us strongMusic © 2011, 2017 - Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music, ASCAP
Words © 1915 - Ralph Chaplin
The House that Jack Built (2:58)
And your standing right now in the house that Jack built
My pride is the work that I've done with my hands
It's the laboring man that has made this land great
I am an old man of ninety two
When you are my age you'll realize it's true
You're young and you're limber, you're bone are like timber
But come the cold winter you'll change in your ways
I've seen you grow up in what seems a few days
And you know more than I knew when I was your age
I went to the saw mill when I was just twelve
And I learned how to run all the saws and the lathes
When the Wobblies came round I was first to sign on
We told the old boss that we wanted a raise
He hire his thugs and they rounded us up
We ran through their gauntlet and many were slain
I've worked all my live in the fields and the sawmills
Built bridges and houses and roads and canals
We stood our ground firmly and organized strikes
In fifty years of working built the working mans' rights
Let me tell you one thing, how I earned a good wage
There ain't no arms like folded arms for the working mans pay
There ain't no arms like folded arms for the working mans' pay
What Must Be Done 2:49
the world as it is and the way it should be.
Some people say that's just not my problem,
some people do what must be done.
They see the hole in the fabric that must be sewn.
They see the way blockaded and they roll back the stone.
They see the day beyond the horizon
and they do what must be done.
Some people do, do, do, what must be done,
They do what must be done
they see the way beyond the horizon
and they do what must be done.
I've seen the toll taken, the tears that were shed.
I've seen the journey started and the ripples spread.
Some people say that's just not my problem
some people do what must be done.
They see the hole in the fabric that must be sewn.
They see the way blockaded and they roll back the stone.
They see the day beyond the horizon
and they do what must be done.
Joe Hill 3:54
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I but Joe you're ten years dead
I never died says he
In Salt Lake Joe I says to him
Standing by my bed
They framed you on a murder charge
Says Joe but I ain't dead
The copper bosses killed you Joe
They shot you Joe says I
Takes more than guns to kill a man
Says Joe I did not die
And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Says Joe what they could never kill
Went on to organize
Joe Hill ain't dead he says to me
Joe Hill ain't never died
Where workers stand up for their rights
Joe Hill is by their side
From San Diego up to Maine
In every mine and mill
Where workers strike and organize
It's there you'll find Joe Hill
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I but Joe you're ten years dead
I never died says he
All The Pieces 4:10
You were raised in the depression in the shadow of world war
When a patriotic man was not supposed to ask what for
Late in life you had a seventh child an unexpected son
And I grew up to question everything and everyone
Chorus
Now they're putting all the pieces back together
Though it isn't quite the way it used to be
The walls are coming down and every day it's getting better
And that means that there's still hope for you and me
You volunteered for service before the war began
A master sergeant training other soldiers in Japan
They sent your boys to battle you came home to take a wife
To do your best to live life worthy of their sacrifice
You were a loving and a dedicated husband
As a father you were patient and kind
But a piece of your humanity was shattered in Korea
Something sacred in your heart was left behind
Father I was by your side when you took your last breath
Though I was just nineteen and you were only sixty-two
The Korean War left scars upon your soul that touched us both
Though the means to heal the hurt was seen from different points of view
The walls are coming down and every day it's getting better
And that means that there's still hope for you and me
Leaving
You have been a true friend I can say
You've given me the courage to get through so many days
Now the time has come for us to part
And I won't hide this aching in my heart
Chorus
Because I'm leaving, leaving
And I don't really want to go
Yes I'm leaving, leaving
But a part of you remains within my soul
You helped me find a quiet sacred place
To stand within my deepest fears and learn to live with grace
And you know I never would have come this far
Without our friendship guiding like a star
Chorus
I've never had to prove a thing to you
Well I could cry when I was hurt and laugh when I was through
And you never thought me any less a man
For needing now and then to hold your hand
Chorus
Thank you for your gentle, kind embrace
For living with an open heart and a smile upon your face
Though we'll be friends forever, you and I
I find that I am scared to say goodbye
Only Love Remains
You ask me if I could live life over, are there things that I would change
And if I had the power to go through time, are there things I'd rearrange
I had to think about your queston before I gave you my reply
Because I want to be telling you the truth when I look into you eyes
I would start with love as the background for my scene
Add the voice of children like singing in my dreams
Weave a song of hope for those who've lost their way
Hang it in the sky just to push the clouds a way
Plant a seed of justice and nourish it with care
Then I'd watch it bloom, smell its sweetness in the air
Take away this suffering, these shackles and these chains
When we finally overcome our fear, only love remains
When I look back on the life I've tried to live, there are times I must concede
When the best I had to give was not enough to help a friend who was in need
So in this light I now forgive you for the times you've wounded me
And I hope that you'll forgive me too so that we may both be free
Let us start with love as the background for our scene
Add the voice of children like singing in my dreams
Weave a song of hope for those who've lost their way
Hang it in the sky just to push the clouds a way
Plant a seed of justice and nourish it with care
Then I'd watch it bloom, smell its sweetness in the air
Take away this suffering, these shackles and these chains
When we finally overcome our fear, only love remains
When we finally get over space and time all we have is here and now
In the middle of it all now don't you think we will meet again somehow
Do not be saddened by my parting, go and do what you must do
But know that when you sing a song of truth I will walk with you
Let us start with love as the background for our scene
Add the voice of children like singing in my dreams
Weave a song of hope for those who've lost their way
Hang it in the sky just to push the clouds a way
Plant a seed of justice and nourish it with care
Then I'd watch it bloom, smell its sweetness in the air
Take away this suffering, these shackles and these chains
When we finally overcome our fear, only love remains
The House That Jack Built
My name is Jack Miller, I'm an old union man
And your standing right now in the house that Jack built
My pride is the work that I've done with my hands
It's the laboring man that has made this land great
I am an old man of ninety two
When you are my age you'll realize it's true
You're young and you're limber, you're bone are like timber
But come the cold winter you'll change in your ways
I've seen you grow up in what seems a few days
And you know more than I knew when I was your age
I went to the saw mill when I was just twelve
And I learned how to run all the saws and the lathes
When the Wobblies came round I was first to sign on
We told the old boss that we wanted a raise
He hire his thugs and they rounded us up
We ran through their gauntlet and many were slain
I've worked all my live in the fields and the sawmills
Built bridges and houses and roads and canals
We stood our ground firmly and organized strikes
In fifty years of working built the working mans' rights
Let me tell you one thing, how I earned a good wage
There ain't no arms like folded arms for the working mans pay
There ain't no arms like folded arms for the working mans' pay
© 1979 Brad Warren, Word Works Music
Can You Blame the Poor Miner (3:33)
From heaven to hell, he passes each day
Can you blame the poor miner for spilling some pay
On rum-runner’s booty to steel his resolve
Can you blame the poor miner
Those temperance ladies are raising the roof
‘Til you can’t lay your hands on anything proof
But they’ve never spent a day not seeing the light
Can you blame the poor miner
For seeking respite
With pick and a lantern he harvests the coal
Then climbs back out of that cavernous hole
To a constant reminder mountains will move
Can you blame the poor miner
Thirty men lost when the Bellevue did cave
And Hillcrest’s cold blanket of graves
Yet somehow he’s hewn it all from his mind
Can you blame the poor miner
His need to unwind
A family man, old country raised
A wife and children to feed on his wage
If he stands with the union to better his lot
Can you blame the poor miner
From hell to heaven, he passes each day
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel they say
Meantime there’s comfort in draining a glass
Can you blame the poor miner
It might be his lastEclipse
Last night I watched the moon disappear
Swallowed by a serpent in the sky
And in her darkest hour
I stood by her side
Knowing there was nothing I could do
CHORUS:
But watch her try
To find her way back home
So I stood by
To guard her way back home
Clouded by the shadow of Mother Earth
The moon lost sight of lover
She wandered unknowing
Waiting for a sign
That hope would be recovered
CHORUS
Every now and then
Out of our control
Hope just fades away
Pin pricks in our soul
Silently in vigil I remain
Knowing what the moon has forgotten
That she will be reborn
That she will be set free
That she will rise resplendent
CHORUS
Luminescing
Growing Boulder
Darkness fades away
Shining brighter
Now than ever
Moon as light as day
Credits:
The Poet 4:25
I have to stop and wonder how I’ve come by love so rare.
You’ve touched my life so freely, you given of your soul,
yet I still feel so empty when I know I once was whole.
I’m so much more a man, than I ever was before.
And so much more a child, who has opened up the door
to a world that lies around me, the wonder of today.
Yet, lost in the confusion of all things that passed away.
Chorus
I’m just another poet, still trapped within my rhyme.
A traveler on a journey out across all space and time.
Looking for the reasons why I do the things I do.
What it all comes round full circle, it brings me back to you.
I thank the Lord in heaven, each and every time I pray.
That I don’t have to win your love and I don’t have to pay.
And if the moon and stars above were mine to give away,
I give them all to you, to thank you for today.
Sometimes in the darkness when I hear you call my name,
when I’m frightened by my failures and there’s no one left to blame,
it’s then you pull me closer, you tell me you believe
in all the dreams I have inside, you say I’m everything you need.
Chorus
Credits:
Singers Of Life
We are mothers without sons,
Their lives were lost to angry guns
We are fathers in the street,
We raise our voice with marching feet
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are children of every faith,
We are people of every race
Still we are branches of one great tree,
Whose roots are freedom and dignity
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
And in union we are strong,
When we raise our voice in song
We will work for what is Just,
And persevere because we must
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are people both far and near,
Who refuse to live in fear
And with compassion as our guide,
We will wage peace we will abide
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are singers, Singers of life
Who Will Speak For Me
Do you remember a time
When chimneys rose so tall
Over every crossroads town
There were jobs for one and all
The politicians couldn’t wait
To shake each calloused hand
By the midnight factory gate
Praising the working woman and man
Who will speak for, speak for me
Who will speak for, speak for you
Who will stand for, stand for me
Who will stand for, stand for you
Like a house long neglected
Our lives have fallen away
Those who lined their pockets with our votes
Have nothing helpful to do or to say
No, it’s take from this to give to that
And bleed the cupboard bare
They spit the future our your face
And leave us hanging by a prayer
Like a dream drowned in silence
We are prisoners of our fears
While those who left us dangling
Hold steady jobs all year
You can shake their hand or shake your fist
But time will not be stayed
Like factories gone to ruin
Like shadows on parade
Like a fighter hit too often
We are dazed down to the floor
But think before you count us out
We’ve come back from worse before
And those who bought and sold us
Down the river of our hope
Will live to see the day they beg
For jobs and not for votes
Who will speak for, speak for me
Who will speak for, speak for you
Who will stand for, stand for me
Who will stand for, stand for you
You will speak for, speak for me
I will speak for, speak for you
You will stand for, stand for me
I will stand for, stand for youHands
I've seen the hands of the laborer
Lifting up the loads
Granite stuck to their fingers
As they built the canals and the roads
Now they're gone and the bridges span
Rivers paused by a power dam
And now the hand of the laborer
Is reaching out to you
Chorus:
Oh the hands, hands, hands
That worked to build the land, land, your land
The labor of a woman and a man
Working with their hands
I've seen the hands of the miner
Digging out the coal
Black dust stuck to their fingers
As they live their lives in a hole
Now the rock it’s still under the ground
And the mine is closing down
And now the hand of the miner
Is reaching out to you
I've seen the hands of the lumberjack
Forests swaying in the breeze
Splinters stuck to their fingers
As the lumber was torn from the trees
Now the wood from your timbers tall
Has built your buildings wall to wall
And now the hand of the lumberjack
Is reaching out to you
I've seen the hands of the farmer
Plowing across the fields
Topsoil stuck to their fingers
As the earth was split by the steel
Growing all that they could grow
To fill your tables row after row
And now the hand of the farmer
Is reaching out to youThese Hands (4:44)
Some hands have fought in wars forever
Tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
Some hands have blessed a million people
Some hands helped free the world from evil
Tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
The world could use a hero of the human kind
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
Some hands can stop a life from dying
Some hands comfort a baby crying
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
The world could use a hero of the human kind
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
I want to sing it from my heart I want to hear it in the wind
'Till it blows around the world and comes back again
All that we can ask is for ours to be free
To use them when we want for whatever the need
Some hands give voice to a nation
Some hands wrote "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
What shall I do with these hands of mine
The world could use a hero of the human kind
So tell me what shall I do with these hands of mine
All I Want is a Garden 4:41
He went off to the war
Whatever childhood dreams he had
They were gone forever more
The solace and the meaning
That he found within his life
Were his faith his home his family
And his one true loving wife
All I want is a garden
To make the flowers grow
All I want is you beside me
In the gentle evening glow
I all I want is a peaceful place
Where I can lay my head
And when the weary night embraces
To lay beside you in our bed
Now I'm a road musician
And I wouldn't trade a day
I've spent running down my dreams
And making friends along the way
Now and then I get to thinking
Daddy had it right
You just give every thing you have to love
And hold on to the light
So when my life is over
Don't carry me away
For I've spent my whole life traveling
And it's here I want to stay
Just open up the earth
And lay my body down below
And sing a song of heaven
A song to send me home
Crossing Over 3:26
Crossing over crossing over
For our children and their children
May the wars forever cease
Crossing over crossing over
We will give ourselves to justice
We will cross this line for peace
We follow in the footsteps
Of Martin Luther King
Nelson Mandela and Gandhi
In the words of Eugene Debbs
Spoken from a prison cell
While there's a soul that's captive
We shall not be free
What defines a prison
Is it only walls and bars
Or is it hunger and poverty that bind us
When we waste our wealth
On the machinery of war
We are stealing from our future
And we say No Mas! No More!
Cruzando Cruzando
Pa'los ninos y sus hijos
Que las guerras cesen ya
Cruzando Cruzando
Nos entregamos pa' la justicia
Cruzaremos por la paz
Some endure the shackles of injustice every day
For their gender or their race
Or the way they choose to pray
For the millions who are crying
For the innocent and dying
For the hope of every nation
We must find a better way
Tikun Olam 3:30
Tikun Olam
Tikun Olam
Tikun Olam
Bakesh Shalom
(Repair the world and work for peace)
A tale is told of how the world was made in seven days
Six of them for work and one to rest and pray
Then God placed the holy light into a vessel made of clay
But it was shattered by our sin, and the pieces fell away
Why was God so careless as to lose the sacred light
Now we must gather up the shards to set creation right
It's a task we may not finish but we each must lend our hands
As we love through imperfections and we heal our broken lands
And so we tend the garden, picking stones and pulling weeds
We water with compassion the fragile sacred seed
We are partners in creation and we let God's true light shine
When by faith and solidarity we show our love divine
Goodnight Moonlight
I see your eyelids droop, you're trying to keep them open
So much going on, you don't want to miss a thing
But now is the hour when you must be going
Off to the land where angels sing, so I say
Goodnight dear one go to bed, the day is almost through
You may rest your weary head, I will watch over you
May the moonlight hold you tight dancing on your window sill
I'll be right here by your side longer than the dream times will
You ask me what are dreams, how can I answer
A place of joy and hope, but now and then of fear
And as I lay you down for a long night's slumber
Gliding down my cheek is a solitary tear, as I say
Goodnight dear one go to bed, the day is almost through
You may rest your weary head, I will watch over you
May the moonlight hold you tight dancing on your window sill
I'll be right here by your side longer than the dream times will
'Cause you don't like the dark a little light is glowing
Shining on the wall like a twinkle star
May the blankets that you ear keep you warm in knowing
If there is a need I will not be far, as I say
Goodnight dear one go to bed, the day is almost through
You may rest your weary head, I will watch over you
May the moonlight hold you tight dancing on your window sill
I'll be right here by your side longer than the dream times will
Goodnight moonlight
Goodnight sunshine too
Goodnight all the waking world
We'll be here when the dreaming time is through
Real People (Spoken Word)
Mother of My Heart (3:49)
As the sun sets on the water
My thoughts return to you
From nearly halfway ’round the world
I look out across the blue
For you have been my guiding light
Even when we are apart
Your love illuminates my darkest night
Dear mother of my heart
Though I was born unto another
And she was fair and kind
Her time it came too quickly
When I’d just come into mine
But you picked up where she left off
And though the miles keep us apart
Still I can feel your warm embrace
Dear mother of my heart
Where she taught me to find my way
Through many toils and strife
It was you that taught me tenderness
And mercy in my life
No words can ever hold the depth
Still joined from miles apart
For you will always be to me
The mother of my heart
How I wish I could be with you
Just to sit and hold your hand
But know my love and prayers flow forth
Even from this distant land
You’ve given me the greatest gift
That a mother can impart
I have always known that I am loved
Dear mother of my heart
So fare you well, beloved
May divine light lead you home
Your pain is nearly over
And your spirit free to roam
And when the time for your last breath
Draws near, and you depart
Hold thoughts of me close to your breast
Dear mother of my heart
For you will always and ever be
The mother of my heartIn remembrance of Sharon Smith Hillberg, my cherished 2nd Mom.
(1940-2020)
Highway 4:48
With the highway all my own, the city lights are gone out of sight.
Well I’m at one with all existence, the only time is here and now.
The past is dead and gone behind me, the futures out of reach somehow.
Chorus
Highway take me for a ride,
these walls are closing in on me.
And I’ve got nowhere left to hide,
and there’s a world I long to see.
Highway show me where to go,
because I’ve got all night and day.
My restless spirit needs to know,
that somewhere there’s a better way.
There is a happiness I feel, as I walk my trail alone.
And though I walk with many others, we go into a great unknown.
Well all the road that lies before me, and all the places that I’ve seen.
All the friendships that surrounds me, and all the places in between.
Chorus
Life’s not a destination; it’s a journey that we make.
From the moment we are born, through every breath we take.
Until that time we pass away and meet up in the sky,
we are bound to love each other here and help each other fly.
Chorus
Credits:
When I'm Gone
What Did You Learn
Did you go to school this morning
Did you sit there in the classroom
Were you sure to pay attention
Were your ears both open wide
Did you listen to your teachers
Did they make some good suggestions
Did you think about their questions
Could you see the other side
What did you learn
What did you learn
Did you learn about your neighbors
Could you understand them better
When you heard their different stories
The histories in their names
How the dreams that unite us
Cross lines of class and color
Give us strength to know each other
How we’re different and the same
What did you learn
What did you learn
Did you learn about the history
Of the working men and women
In the office and the factory
The classroom and the field
Did you learn how hard we’ve fought
To get the dignity that’s owed us
Do you understand our dreams
Will you help to make them real
What did you learn
What did you learn
I dreamed about a country
I heard of in my childhood
The streets are paved with justice
The schools are built with care
The leaders of the nation
Are the teachers and the learners
The questions and the answers
Are the road that takes us there
What did you learn
What did you learn
What did you learn
What did you learnAlice-Anne
An untarnished beauty
In a world full of scorn
Through the briars and brambles
You’re a rose without thorns
With a smile full of sunrise
And eyes oh so fair
And a kindness of heart
Both precious and rare
The lights are down low
As the band starts to play
You have been waiting
All week for today
It’s Saturday night
And you’re out on the town
You’ve come here to dance
In your favorite red gown
Chorus
Alice-Anne, Alice-Anne
The light from the moon shines wherever you stand
Hold my hand, hold my hand
May I have this dance, Alice-Anne
Like the sun that shines through
On a dark cloudy day
When you take the floor
Every head turns your way
You’re sweeter than all of
The finest of wines
You are the reason why
Poets write lines
Through the cold days of the winter
And on into the spring
Just thinking about you
Can make a heart sing
Past the long days of summer
As leaves start to fall
You live for the music
And the Barn-Dancers call
May I have this dance
Won’t you give me a chance
May I have this dance Alice-AnneTrue (3:36)
where a great beast lay down, the bones in his spine
are the mountains round where the grey waters move.
And that's as true as anything anyone could ever prove.
You could go to China, you could go to Rome,
search every building and never find a home
that's as strong as the one thing that first made you move.
And that's as true as anything anyone could ever prove.
How could one dance of sunlight in the toss of your hair
make every lost moment, every road to nowhere,
make my whole life a straight line leading to you.
But, that's as true as anything anyone could ever prove.
©Sheen of Heat Music / BMI
Fireflies 3:21
The lightning strikes the thunder roars
There's a rumble in the distance
Love calls even when I am afraid
I feel it knock on my resistance
I still believe there are lights that shine
No matter what obscures my point of view
If I can't see the stars from where I stand
I guess the fireflies will have to do
How I wish my life were simple
Like when I was a child long ago
My sense of wonder could be held within a mason jar
And I was cradled in their glow
One by one I capture my dreams
And try to hold them in my hand
But it seems they always slip away
Through the hour glass falling sand
As I sit here on this warm Virginia night
Searching for a sign that's true
Tiny beacons flicker in the darkness
They tell me that this storm will pass on through
Lonely Common Ground 4:31
Lying here beside you I don't know what to say
The distance between us grows with every passing day
We each must follow the song within our heart
But as we grow in destiny we also grow apart
Is there a way that we can be together
Is there still a common dream that can be found
Is there reason enough to keep on being faithful
When our loneliness becomes our common ground
Well I'm proud of your courage and all that you achieve
But every forward motion brings another chance to grieve
For the life I thought that we would live
For the passion we once knew
For the children we may never have
For one heart split into two
Well I know that it's me who does the leaving
Every time I head out on the road
And this is not a blaming song
And I'm not saying you are wrong
I'm only giving voice to what I feel
Beyond the need to judge or know just what is real
So I will reach out one more time
Again I give my hand
To build a bridge between the places where we stand
I cannot know the future but I can taste your tears
And the silence is more painful now than anything we fear
Men Are Good
Men are good, Men are good
Though it seems that we are very often quite misunderstood
Men are good, We are not bad
So please let go of any misconceptions that you've had
Men are good, Men are good, Men are good
Men are kind, Men are kind
We have gentle loving hearts and creative thinking minds
Men are kind, We are not mean
In spite of all the television images you've seen
Men are kind, Men are kind, Men are kind
Men need rest, Men need rest
We are brought up to believe we are disposable at best
Men need rest, We work to hard
And a day away from work does not mean working in the yard,
Men need rest, Men need rest, Men need rest
Men should play, Men should play
Men should have a right to have a little fun with every day
Men should play, Well it's okay
I hear God even took a break on the seventh day
Men should play, Men should play, Men should play,
Men are bright, Men are bright
Solving problems every day we bring hope and we bring light
Men are bright, We are not dumb
If you see a man with troubles that does not mean he's a bum
Men are bright, Men are bright, Men are bright
Men love peace, Men love peace
And we wish that all this crazy macho Rambo stuff would cease
Men love peace, Men hate war
And I'm here to tell you we will not be fighting anymore
Men love peace, Men love peace, Men love peace
Men are great, Men are great
Whether changing stinky diapers or employed as heads of state
Men are great, The world around
From Tokyo to Mozambique, in tiny Russian towns,
Men are great, Men are great, Men are great
Men are good, Men are good
Though it seems that we are very often quite misunderstood
Men are good, We are not bad
So please let go of any misconceptions that you've had
Men are good, Men are good, Men are good
Auto Mechanically Declined
I'm driving down the highway and my car begins to shake
I don't know whether I should push the clutch or push the break
A most peculiar odor comes a-wafting to my nose
Is it a leaky gasket or a radiator hose
The fluid level's perfect and the temperature seems fine
But suddenly a disconcerting thought runs through my mind
For I know if I should break down in the middle of nowhere
All that I can do is pop the hood and just sit there and stare, because I'm
Auto mechanically declined, auto mechanically declined
With an automatic or a stick, either way I'm up a creek
I'm auto mechanically declined
When I was just a boy my father sat me on his knee
Explained to me how engines work with "great simplicity"
A piston it moves up and down in side a metal tube
All it takes is coolant and a little bit of lube
A gasoline explosion gives us power, gives us sound
In turn, rotates the drive shaft and that makes the wheels go 'round
It's really rather simple it's not voodoo to the wise
But I still think mechanics are which-doctors in disguise, because I'm
Auto mechanically declined, auto mechanically declined
With an automatic or a stick, either way I'm up a creek
I'm auto mechanically declined
I know where to put the oil, I know where to put the gas
Where to put the wiper fluid, and just where to set my glass
But when it comes to trouble-shooting, then I call out "Work for hire!"
All that I can do is watch for smoke and see what's caught on fire, because I'm
Auto mechanically declined, auto mechanically declined
With an automatic or a stick, either way I'm up a creek
I'm auto mechanically declined
Room Here For Another
There's room here for another if you've got no place
Come here into the light so I can see your face
The cops leave us alone here in back of Murphy's body shop
When the weather gets this bad the old man leaves one car unlocked
Well they really gave you quite a cut here this should wipe it clean
Some days you know it seems as though the whole damn world's gone mean
I know this ain't the Hilton, but the back seat here is free
I can see just where you've been my friend and your safe in here with me
My name is William sanders but my friends all call me Bo
I was born right here in Gary 37 years ago
The sky was full of smoke and jobs as far as eye could see
And the future show as bright as new made steel for guys like me
But them things went bad so quick remember back in '81
Like fools we all believed when they said better times would come
Now like the guys who'd hit me up for quarters when we'd meet
I scrounge for scraps of human kindness out here on the street
Well there's Lila at the Bon-Ton, she's good for coffee anytime
And the Lighthouse Mission's warm and dry, but you gotta' talk their line
There's a faucet at the Chevron, they don't turn off at night
If the weather and the luck just hold we might turn out all right
Me I've got two girls, their with my wife somewhere out west
If I just knew they're ok it sure would put my mind at rest
And some days I go to the park just to watch the families come
And remind myself I'm someone's dad not just some Goddamn bum
Cause this sure ain't what I asked for, no this sure ain't what I planned
I'm not looking for a handout but I sure could use a hand
That those who have and those who don't might be as one at last
For the climb you know is long and slow but the fall comes hard and fast
© 1988 John McCutcheon, Appalseed Productions (ASCAP)
This Is My Song (4:04)
This is my song, O God of all the nations
A song of peace for lands afar and mine
This is my home, the country where my heart is
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine
But other lands have sunlight too and clover
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations
A song of peace for their land and for mine
Different Kind of Heart
Freedom and togetherness
always seemed a world apart you know it’s true.
There has to be a choice, it’s one or the other.
That was before I met you.
You know there’s such a fine line between
true love and fear of being alone.
Fear says I won’t let you go I need you here with me,
true love says go on ahead, I’ll catch up or wait for you.
More and more lately, there’s a feeling deep inside:
I’m tired of running and I have no place to hide.
It wasn’t always a comfort, but I’ve known it from the start,
this time, I fell in love with a different kind of heart.
When my life gets crazy and wants to fall apart,
and I can’t make sense of anything,
I find myself thinking of the friendship that we share.
I can’t wait to see you again.
More and more lately there’s a feeling deep inside.
I’m tired of running and I can’t hold back the tide.
It wasn’t always comfort but I’ve known it from the start,
this time, I fell in love with a different kind of heart.
You help me see the world in ways I never have before,
you show honest respect for all my hopes and dreams and fears.
And when we disagree, I know that’s okay.
We can have our separate reviews and keep on loving anyway.
More and more lately, there’s a feeling deep inside:
we have found true love, we’re not just here for the ride.
It wasn’t always a comfort, but I’ve known it from the start,
this time, I fell in love with a different kind of heart.
Credits:
Carried Away
I Will Shout Youngstown
What can I tell you
Tell me what can I say
All the mills standing silent
All the jobs gone away
Now the storefronts are empty
As I walk up and down
But everywhere I go
I will shout Youngstown
The jobs that we fought for
The tears that we cried
Our town that was stolen
But never our pride
Wherever we may travel
Wherever we’re found
Everywhere I go
I will shout Youngstown
Wherever we may travel
Wherever we’re found
Everywhere I go
I will shout Youngstown
I will shout Youngstown
I will shout Youngstown
I will shout YoungstownGiven Myself To Love
I’ve given myself to flights of fancy
To see what’s around the next bend
I’ve given myself to things that are broken
To put them together again
I’ve given up hope and I’ve given my best
It all depends on the day
I’ve given up so many things that I wanted
And still the sun rises each day
Chorus
Some measure life by their losses and gains
For them, there is never enough
But I measure life by the hearts I have known
For I’ve given myself to love
I’ve given the money I had my pocket
To someone in obvious need
I’ve given myself to the kindness of strangers
And I’ve given thanks for good deeds
I’ve given solace and I’ve given comfort
I’ve given a hand to a friend
I’ve given myself to the things I believe
Though sometimes I don’t know to what end
Some people say that they have no regrets
Life’s just a roll of the dice
But I say if you live life paying attention
You see that each choice has a price
I’ve given some people more than they bargained
And others still cause for concern
I’ve given myself to the fire of passion
And I have been willingly burned
Just when it seems that the story is over
And all that remains is goodbye
There is one thing of which you can be certain
I’ll always give love one more try
Yes I measure life by the hearts I have known
For I’ve given myself to loveI Ain't Got No Home (4:01)
© Copyright 1961 (renewed) and 1963 (renewed) by Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. & TRO-Ludlow Music, Inc. (BMI)
All About Love 5:02
I don't know how to keep on walking this line
Between my visions and the highway signs
I don't know how to keep on striking the spark
To ignite the flame that will pierce the dark
Chorus
But I'm already gone
If I can't live while I'm here
Yes I'm already gone
If I can't love through the fear
It's awful hard to keep from being a wreck
When I feel the breath of the reaper cool on my neck
It's hard to live inside the rhyme and the rhythm of the song
To respirate my gratitude and pretend that nothing is wrong
So I hang on tight and watch the slipping sand
Try to hold the contradictions in the palm of my hand
For every grain that tumbles there are more that remain
But the hand that closes to a fist loses all that it contains
So let it crack wide open
Let this broken heart bleed
Let it soak through the soil and nourish the seed
Let the water from my eyes be a gift to the parched land
Till all my sisters and brothers rejoice hand in hand
If I can't love through the fear
Sisters and brothers we must love through the fear
It's all about
It's all about
All about love
For The Singing
As I was walking down the only road I knew
I came upon a place where one road turned to two
I took the one that seemed less worn I did the best I could
'Til I happened on a wise man all alone out in the wood
He looked at me a moment, He looked up at the sky
He turned as if about to speak but all he did was sigh
So I ventured forth the question I said "Surely you must know
Will the road that I now travel take me where I want to go?"
And he said:
Chorus:
"Do it for the power and you'll surely be a slave
Do it for the glory and you'll find an early grave
Do it for the laughter and you'll surely find your smile
Do it for the singing and you've gone the extra mile."
I still had some questions I thought would clear the air
I turned around to ask and found he was no longer there
I thought maybe this was God I saw as I got down on my knees
But soon enough I heard my answer in the wind blowing through the trees
Chorus
Many moons have come and gone, now and then I go astray
But I come back to the path 'cause for me it's the only way
Well I do not have much money but I find I have more time
To seek the answers that I need in the eyes of those I find
And they say:
Chorus
We Won
Deep in the heart of the Salinas Valley
We won we won we won
Stood in the picket and joined in the rally
We won we won we won
They had the power and the politicians
We won we won we won
But we had the people and we had the mission
Everybody come and join in the union
Begin begin begin
Stand together to overcome soon and
We win we win we win!
We won our contract at Farra Clothing
It was a battle of fear and loathing
Thay had the power and they had the riches
But we got the union label inside their britches
We won our union at Yale University
We stood in the face of fear and adversity
They had the power of an Ivy League college
They had the books but we had the knowledge
© 1994 John O'Connor
You Are The "U" in Union
Blessed are the weak
Blessed are the poor
Blessed those who love their neighbor
Blessed are the children
Blessed are the meek
Blessed are all those who labor
Lift up your eyes
Lift up your voice
Come to the great reunion
Give us your hand
Join in our band
You are the ‘U’ in union
Scattered and tossed
Battered and lost
All of these years divided
Each one is precious
Each plays a part
When we are all united
Poor from our birth
Promised this earth
Let us unite and share it
Seeking for justice
Here in this world
We shall one day inherit
Mercy
I used to admire most a melody
And all it could do with love and words
I used to admire most a poet who
With a pen untangled this world into verse
I used to admire all that I thought profound
I plagiarized the prophets and the saints
Oh but now, now that I’m older
Oh, it’s Mercy that I admire most
I waited out my low youth for a fallow spectacle
In lines snaking round coliseums
I moshed in the drench under fame’s soft fist clenched
And I paid hard earned money just to see ’em
Oh but now, now that I’m older
Oh it’s Mercy that I admire most
I admire the pure of heart that will one thing
I admire the steady in their routine
I admire decision and the mind that endures it
And those who speak, though they be shamed
I admire the reckless voices for the voiceless
And the man standing in the path of tanks
Oh but now, now that I’m older
Oh it’s Mercy that I admire most
Oh it’s Mercy…
War On The Workers
Deadly Corn, it's a war zone here today
Right in the heartland, but our union's here to stay
These multinational bastards don't use tanks and guns it's true
But they've declared a war on us, fight back it's up to you
Oh it's a war on the workers
A war on the workers
A war on the workers
And it's time we started calling the shots
Deadly Corn, Could be the death of you and me
But we're not unarmed, our weapon's solidarity
Each workday is a battle, toxic chemicals and smells
It was bad enough with Staley, but with Tate and Lyle it's hell
Deadly corn, workplace safety is just a joke
There's the dust, the BSS, Asbestos, fire and smoke
Jim Beals was murdered outright, poisoned by PO
But Tate & Lyle's philosophy's, "Die quickly or die slow"
They can lock us up, they can lock us out
We will not give in
No more lies, no compromise
We'll battle till we win
© 1993 Anne Feeney, Super 88 Records (BMI)
Everybody Sings The Blues
Well I may not be the smartest man
That ever walked on earth
And some of what’s gone well for me
Might be an accident of birth
Oh but deep inside the mystery
Surrounding me and you
Is something I have come to know
And hold as deeply true
Well you may be a woman
From the right side of town
Going out evenings in the finest of gowns
But one thing’s for certain
No matter the shoes
Sooner of later
Everybody sings the blues
Well you may be erudite
Or a real cool cat
A high priced jet-setter
Going this way and that
Ah but one thing’s for certain
You know it ain’t news
Sooner or later
Everybody sings the blues
Oh, lonely, we all get lonely some times
There’s nothing anyone can do
Hang on, for just another day
And hope that you’ll get through
Well you may be ironic
You may be a clown
You may swear that you’ll never wear
Your smile upside down
Oh but one thing’s for certain
Whether you win or lose
Sooner or later
Everybody sings the blues
We Do The Work
We plant the food, we drive the cab
We load the ship, we run the lab
We build the bridges, we fly the plane
We do the work, this is our day
We do the work, we do the work
We do the work, this is our day
We type the page, we clean the streets
We sew the clothes, we change the sheets
We sell the goods, we lay the stone
We do the work, this is our home
We do the work, we do the work
We do the work, this is our home
We dig the ditch, we serve the meal
We give the care, we mold the steel
We teach the kids, we lend a hand
We do the work, this is our land
We do the work, we do the work
We do the work, this is our land
© 1989 Jon Fromer (BMI)
Bremerton (Spoken Word)
Rosie The Riveter Revisited
My strong right arm built the ship
Built the ship that sailed to war
My strong right arm built the ship
Built the ship, and what was that all for
In nineteen forty one the war had just begun
Jim was so young, but soon was off to hold a gun
I was nineteen, our child was only three
When the papers said the shipyards needed me
I moved to Bremerton in nineteen forty two
I learned to weld, I was the best one on our crew
The work was hard, the heat would burn my lungs all day
But when the paycheck came we girls would feel ok
In nineteen forty three, August, 8 AM
I'd not been sleeping well, my mind was full of Jim
There was a knock, a man in uniform stood there
He said my Jim was dead, I hadn't seen him in two years
In 1945 the war came to an end
And on that very day the big boss he came in
He said my girls, the boys are coming home
You've earned a rest, go home, your work here now is done
Picked up a scrap of metal and I carved my name full bore
So my child would know, I was a welder in the war
No place to go, I was a widow with a child
So I waitressed and I cooked, and I married in a while
Sometimes I see that metal with my name carved in so deep
And I recall the day the boss told me to leave
How I felt like some old rag they'd tossed aside
As useless as my patriotic pride
My strong right arm built the ship
Built the ship that sailed to war
My strong right arm built the ship
Built the ship, and what was that all for?
© 1984 Linda Allen, October Rose Productions
Sixteen Tons
© 1947 Merle Travis, American Music Inc.
Working Class Philanthropy (Spoken Word)
Rise As One
It is we who serve the lunches, we who sweep the floors
We who drive the busses with your children off to school
We keep the buildings warm in winter, and cool when it's hot
And we will not let you play us for the fool
When we ask for better healthcare, or an increase in our wage
You tell us that the township can't afford to pay the bill
But you found half a million dollars from within those very coffers
To try and break the union's back and break our will
And we will never give up, we will never give in
And we'll never, ever go away
We will build a brand new future for our daughters and our sons
We will work 'til all workers rise as one
We believe in education and the future of our town
And the children that we serve from day to day
Whenever there's a need we always go the extra mile
God knows we do it for the love, not for the pay
But we have worked as hard as any for every inch of ground
That we've gained in the struggle for our rights
And we will not stand by idly as you try to tear us down
If we have to we will organize a strike
Well we didn't have a penny in our strike fund, sad but true
That made us all a little bit afraid
But the call went out to every other union in the state
And somehow all the workers' bills were paid
You see this isn't just the schools within our town
When we dare to raise our voice in solidarity we stand
With every other worker all the world around
We held a rally at the fairgrounds, to show them our resolve
And to drum up some support for our campaign
A thousand people hit the street, and that's more than half our town
And after that, you know things couldn't be the same
Now whoever would've guessed it, when this whole thing began
We'd have the strength to hold out for so long
But three months have now gone by and the school board just gave in
On their demands, now we can sing our victory song
Let Me Sing You A Song
(For Pete Seeger - Inspired by his HUAC Testimony in 1955)
You’ve asked me here to tell you
About my neighbors and my friends
To talk about the who and what
The where and how and when
Well I won’t give you anything
You don’t already know
But if you’d like
I’ll sing that list of songs before I go
Chorus:
Let me sing you a song
About the people that I love
The poets and philosophers
The workers and the wanderers
The ones who walk the picket lines
Who dare to stand and fight
And the ones who hold their babies close
And rock them through the night
V.2
Now you say it’s un-American
To do the things I do
Well I sing for justice, liberty
And Civil Rights it’s true
But I say it’s un-American
To ask me how I vote
How I pray or what I believe
But here’s a song I wrote
Chorus
V.3
If you want to send me to prison
I guess that’s the way it’ll be
‘Cause I won’t feed you fodder
For your paranoid machine
If the price of my silence is shackles
Well then fellas, take me away
For I will live to sing again
And rise with a brand new day
Chorus & Tag