Slightly Before Sunrise
These album of songs was written and recorded the first half of *2022. The song topics, as always reflect what happened to be on my mind at the time. I'm not sure if there's a theme besides, "We're not there yet." I left the title as simply "2022" to mark the time. period these were created.
Songs
- Slightly Before Sunrise
- *Magdalena's Accordion
- What Have You Done
- End of the Day
- Hold Your Breath
- Everyday Somebody
- Because I Love You
- My Existential Blues
- We'll be All Right
- Roll the Credits
Slightly Before Sunrise 5/13/2022
I wrote this early in the morning. This is about the song writing process...rough, messy, chaotic, random and unexplainable.
Why would put myself through this again/Why not just cut to the chase/Why not just call it done and get out of this race/Why must I look for a way back in/What are the chances that I'll be any wiser when I get the end/It's four thirty in the am and the church bells just rang twice outside my window/ And all I see on this paper is lines scratched through these symbols/Is there anything I need to know/How many more words before the truth is gonna show/And the room is completely quiet now except for the sound of whatever's gonna happen next/I've given up on predicting the what or the how/At this point, it's anybody's guess/Those are the five-thirty bells outside my window/The rooster crowed half an hour ago/I think he's he's trying to tell me is there' nothing I need to know/And for all of this, I'm no closer to being wise/Maybe the point is the process and I must endlessly revise/Anyway, I'm up again this morning...to write it down before the sunrise...Why would I put myself through all this again...Anyway, I'm up again this morning...to write it down before the sunrise...Why would I put myself through all this again.
Magdalena's Accordion (*1/17/2007)
I wrote an recored this in 2007 and just getting round to posting it now. I think the mood fits in with this collection of songs.
The sun has set and the night is cool and the air is sweet through my open window
The crickets chirp to count me in, count me in with Magdalena's accordion
It is quiet now in the neighborhood
The low riders have turned off their radios
The coyotes in the desert have all settled in
Settled in with Magdalena's accordion
In the day time, we rush and we hurry
Every little worry can make us cry
In the night time, we unwind again
Unwind with Magdalena's accordion
I can't explain about the shape I'm in
My heart is cold and my head is in a spin
My feet follow my soul and my soul wants to dance again
Dance again with Magdalena's...accordion
The crickets chirp to count me in, count me in with Magdalena's accordion
It is quiet now in the neighborhood
The low riders have turned off their radios
The coyotes in the desert have all settled in
Settled in with Magdalena's accordion
In the day time, we rush and we hurry
Every little worry can make us cry
In the night time, we unwind again
Unwind with Magdalena's accordion
I can't explain about the shape I'm in
My heart is cold and my head is in a spin
My feet follow my soul and my soul wants to dance again
Dance again with Magdalena's...accordion
What Have You Done 4/23/2022
There is nothing left of the bluegrass version of this song I had in mind when I wrote it yesterday. It took a turn to this instead.
I was lost, sacred and running with scissors down the hall
I was skipping through mine fields not watching my step at all
I was reckless
I was dangerous
I was taking foolish chances
Rushing in where my angels would not go
Under any circumstances
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I had a fully loaded freight train mind
Half the needed stopping distance
Basically you’d be right to say, I was running out of track
I was deep into the wilderness
Without compass, guide or map
No idea where I was going
And no plan for getting back
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I was over my head
Out of my league
No power to negotiate
No armor to protect me
Resigned to my fate
Carried no armaments for battle
Still I charged into the fray
Like stampeding cattle
Busting fences in my way
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I was on the dark rim of the canyon
No way to cross into the light
I was stepping into emptiness
No solid ground in sight
All the while I knew that I belonged there on the other side
The distance between seemed much too far the chasm much too wide
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I was tripping over solutions
Not seeing what was right in front of me
Tumbling end over end
Missing the available opportunity
I was living on borrowed time
Unskilled, uneducated
I couldn’t come up with a decent rhyme
Completely over rated
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I didn’t need anyone to save me
I wasn’t looking for rescue
Deep inside my heart, somewhere, someway, somehow I knew
I could do with a change of location
Some much needed separation
Between my then current situation and my previous point of view
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
In retrospect, it’s clear
I should have known it all along
Once you see your past in your rear view mirror
You have to say, “So long”
It’s like when you’re listening to someone else’s song
You know right where it falls apart and how it went so wrong
I was skipping through mine fields not watching my step at all
I was reckless
I was dangerous
I was taking foolish chances
Rushing in where my angels would not go
Under any circumstances
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I had a fully loaded freight train mind
Half the needed stopping distance
Basically you’d be right to say, I was running out of track
I was deep into the wilderness
Without compass, guide or map
No idea where I was going
And no plan for getting back
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I was over my head
Out of my league
No power to negotiate
No armor to protect me
Resigned to my fate
Carried no armaments for battle
Still I charged into the fray
Like stampeding cattle
Busting fences in my way
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I was on the dark rim of the canyon
No way to cross into the light
I was stepping into emptiness
No solid ground in sight
All the while I knew that I belonged there on the other side
The distance between seemed much too far the chasm much too wide
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I was tripping over solutions
Not seeing what was right in front of me
Tumbling end over end
Missing the available opportunity
I was living on borrowed time
Unskilled, uneducated
I couldn’t come up with a decent rhyme
Completely over rated
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
I didn’t need anyone to save me
I wasn’t looking for rescue
Deep inside my heart, somewhere, someway, somehow I knew
I could do with a change of location
Some much needed separation
Between my then current situation and my previous point of view
Love, what have you done with this heart I used to rely on...
In retrospect, it’s clear
I should have known it all along
Once you see your past in your rear view mirror
You have to say, “So long”
It’s like when you’re listening to someone else’s song
You know right where it falls apart and how it went so wrong
End of the Day 4/17/2022
This one has a few styles in it. I think it could more of a piano song. I like how some of the guitars parts sound.
When it comes to my work at the end of the day,
What they pay me to do is to put things away.
When it comes to my heart, it’s sad to say
I still haven’t learned how to give it away.
When it comes to this song, what I need to say
Will flow through me when I get out of my way.
When it comes to these blues, it’s as clear as day
When I let go of my worries they all fade away
Through all these changes, you’d think there'd be some truth to show.
Through all these changes you’d think there’d be something to know.
You’d think we’d be wiser in the end.
It’s four in the morning and I’m wide awake again.
What they pay me to do is to put things away.
When it comes to my heart, it’s sad to say
I still haven’t learned how to give it away.
When it comes to this song, what I need to say
Will flow through me when I get out of my way.
When it comes to these blues, it’s as clear as day
When I let go of my worries they all fade away
Through all these changes, you’d think there'd be some truth to show.
Through all these changes you’d think there’d be something to know.
You’d think we’d be wiser in the end.
It’s four in the morning and I’m wide awake again.
Hold Your Breath 3/25/2022
I recorded this song playing the uke all the way through and singing. I then overdubbed the background vocals, steel guitar and other guitars. I wanted that "live" feel..mistakes and all.
If the path of the rock was not random that took out the dinosaur
Then these extinctions are intentional and those who plan them are committing acts of war
Do our prayers to the skies get answered by the same god of destruction
Or do these changes get approved in committee
To make way for new construction
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to live for
Every single thing that can change will change and could at any minute
Hold your breath a little bit longer
You never really know what you might be in for
Love don’t let you know when it’s coming
You only know it when find yourself in it
It’s survival of the fittest, half the time, the weatherman gets it wrong
When the ice age comes the politicians will tell you that they knew it all along
The scientists are bringing back the mammoth..they say their memory is long
There’s not much that a mammoth’s gonna tell you
‘Cept it’s good to trust that feeling that you’re not where you belong
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to live for
Every single thing that can change will change and could at any minute
Hold your breath a while longer
You never can tell what you might be in for
Love don’t let you know when it’s coming
You only know it when you find yourself in it
Columbus was a tyrant who lived under the thumb of a queen
You can’t teach the kids any history that makes them feel mean
They might break down from too much information
They might take down the whole organization
They might learn how to think on their own
Don’t it make you feel mean
They might learn to think on their own
Don’t it make you want to scream
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to look forward to
It’s a hand-me-down world..we’re all waiting around to see if we survive 2022
If these are prayers getting answered, it makes you wonder just who’s praying to who
Hold your breath just a while longer
Maybe we'll make it through
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to live for
Every single thing that can change will change and could at any minute
Hold your breath a while longer
You never can tell what you might be in for
Love won’t let you know when it’s coming
'Til you find yourself in it
Hold your breath a little bit longer….
Then these extinctions are intentional and those who plan them are committing acts of war
Do our prayers to the skies get answered by the same god of destruction
Or do these changes get approved in committee
To make way for new construction
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to live for
Every single thing that can change will change and could at any minute
Hold your breath a little bit longer
You never really know what you might be in for
Love don’t let you know when it’s coming
You only know it when find yourself in it
It’s survival of the fittest, half the time, the weatherman gets it wrong
When the ice age comes the politicians will tell you that they knew it all along
The scientists are bringing back the mammoth..they say their memory is long
There’s not much that a mammoth’s gonna tell you
‘Cept it’s good to trust that feeling that you’re not where you belong
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to live for
Every single thing that can change will change and could at any minute
Hold your breath a while longer
You never can tell what you might be in for
Love don’t let you know when it’s coming
You only know it when you find yourself in it
Columbus was a tyrant who lived under the thumb of a queen
You can’t teach the kids any history that makes them feel mean
They might break down from too much information
They might take down the whole organization
They might learn how to think on their own
Don’t it make you feel mean
They might learn to think on their own
Don’t it make you want to scream
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to look forward to
It’s a hand-me-down world..we’re all waiting around to see if we survive 2022
If these are prayers getting answered, it makes you wonder just who’s praying to who
Hold your breath just a while longer
Maybe we'll make it through
The kids today are gonna tell you they got nothing to live for
Every single thing that can change will change and could at any minute
Hold your breath a while longer
You never can tell what you might be in for
Love won’t let you know when it’s coming
'Til you find yourself in it
Hold your breath a little bit longer….
Everyday Someday 2/27/2022
A few thoughts on the matter at hand set to a familiar blues form.
Everyday somebody somewhere has a change of heart
Everyday somebody somewhere has a change of heart
If the tank you’ve been driving is crossing somebody else’s borders
And you find you been following a madman’s orders.
It might as well be you
Where else is change gonna start
Everyday somebody somewhere has change of heart
Everyday somebody somewhere comes to their senses
Everyday somebody somewhere comes to their senses
If you’re calling your neighbor your rival
For everyone's survival
It’s not too late to mend fences
I’m talking to you
Who else could end this
Everyday somebody somewhere comes to their senses
Everyday somebody somewhere has a realization
Everyday somebody somewhere has a realization
If your leader’s been telling you lies designed to fool the entire nation
And you been telling yourself that making a change is above your station
It might as well be you
Wake up from your hybernation
Everyday somebody somewhere has a realization
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their intention
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their intention
If your gun is pointed at civilians
And the refugees are running by the millions
And you’re wondering what to do
When the oppressor turns out to be you
Did I mention
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their intention
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their mind
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their mind
If happen to be a politician
And you're pointing your finger to blame
You might want to look for a new position
We all know your game
When the people need protected
From the ones that they elected
Remember that everyday somebody somewhere changes their mind
Everyday somebody somewhere has a change of heart...
Everyday somebody somewhere has a change of heart
If the tank you’ve been driving is crossing somebody else’s borders
And you find you been following a madman’s orders.
It might as well be you
Where else is change gonna start
Everyday somebody somewhere has change of heart
Everyday somebody somewhere comes to their senses
Everyday somebody somewhere comes to their senses
If you’re calling your neighbor your rival
For everyone's survival
It’s not too late to mend fences
I’m talking to you
Who else could end this
Everyday somebody somewhere comes to their senses
Everyday somebody somewhere has a realization
Everyday somebody somewhere has a realization
If your leader’s been telling you lies designed to fool the entire nation
And you been telling yourself that making a change is above your station
It might as well be you
Wake up from your hybernation
Everyday somebody somewhere has a realization
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their intention
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their intention
If your gun is pointed at civilians
And the refugees are running by the millions
And you’re wondering what to do
When the oppressor turns out to be you
Did I mention
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their intention
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their mind
Everyday somebody somewhere changes their mind
If happen to be a politician
And you're pointing your finger to blame
You might want to look for a new position
We all know your game
When the people need protected
From the ones that they elected
Remember that everyday somebody somewhere changes their mind
Everyday somebody somewhere has a change of heart...
Because I Love You 2/12/2022
A slow dance song in Bb with a I VI IV V chord structure.
Because I love you
I'm here to remind you
Of something we once knew
In times gone by
There's no one beneath you
There's no one above you
We all breathe the same air
Under the same sky
Like a bird with a broken wing
There's nothing to teach you
You've been down on the ground for so long
You forgot how to fly
Your sisters and brothers
Are those all around you
See yourselves in each other
That's how we'll get by
When others misuse you
Then offer a hand to
Lift up each other
To see eye to eye
Because I love you
I'm here to remind you
There's only a moment
Between hello and goodbye
Because I love you
I'm here to remind you
Of something we once knew
In times gone by
Because I love you...
I'm here to remind you
Of something we once knew
In times gone by
There's no one beneath you
There's no one above you
We all breathe the same air
Under the same sky
Like a bird with a broken wing
There's nothing to teach you
You've been down on the ground for so long
You forgot how to fly
Your sisters and brothers
Are those all around you
See yourselves in each other
That's how we'll get by
When others misuse you
Then offer a hand to
Lift up each other
To see eye to eye
Because I love you
I'm here to remind you
There's only a moment
Between hello and goodbye
Because I love you
I'm here to remind you
Of something we once knew
In times gone by
Because I love you...
My Existential Blues 2/2/2022
A blues.
My doctor told me last Tuesday
It could have been Wednesday
It’s hard for me to track these changes anymore
These days go by so fast
They just run into each other
Like they were trapped inside of a house on fire and running for the door
Anyway...my doctor told me
My unavoidable demise would happen slower than expected
And the sooner I accepted life could be more than I expected
Than the less I would be affected by these existential blues
And it should come as no surprise with all that is going on these days
That this kind of thing is what passes for good news
My doctor told me my condition
Was one well known and most commonly seen
In unknown musicians and struggling artists
And those who think too much and too long about their own (others) suffering
Though there is no known cure, the temporary remedy
Is a full dose of reality ...go on home now and turn on the evening news
And the sooner I accepted life could be more than I expected
Than the less I'd be affected by these existential blues
And it should come as no surprise these days with all that is going on
That this kind of thing is what passes for good news
My doctor said to me, "Yes, hopefully."
"Hopefully what?" I replied.
"Hopefully, you lied."
"I told you I was doing so much better than before."
"It's a matter of where you started...
Let me help you to the door."
Anyway...my doctor told me
My unavoidable demise would happen slower than expected
And the sooner I accepted life could be more than I expected
Than the less I would be affected by these existential blues
And it should come as no surprise with all that's going on these days
That this kind of thing is what passes for good news
...
It could have been Wednesday
It’s hard for me to track these changes anymore
These days go by so fast
They just run into each other
Like they were trapped inside of a house on fire and running for the door
Anyway...my doctor told me
My unavoidable demise would happen slower than expected
And the sooner I accepted life could be more than I expected
Than the less I would be affected by these existential blues
And it should come as no surprise with all that is going on these days
That this kind of thing is what passes for good news
My doctor told me my condition
Was one well known and most commonly seen
In unknown musicians and struggling artists
And those who think too much and too long about their own (others) suffering
Though there is no known cure, the temporary remedy
Is a full dose of reality ...go on home now and turn on the evening news
And the sooner I accepted life could be more than I expected
Than the less I'd be affected by these existential blues
And it should come as no surprise these days with all that is going on
That this kind of thing is what passes for good news
My doctor said to me, "Yes, hopefully."
"Hopefully what?" I replied.
"Hopefully, you lied."
"I told you I was doing so much better than before."
"It's a matter of where you started...
Let me help you to the door."
Anyway...my doctor told me
My unavoidable demise would happen slower than expected
And the sooner I accepted life could be more than I expected
Than the less I would be affected by these existential blues
And it should come as no surprise with all that's going on these days
That this kind of thing is what passes for good news
...
We'll be All Right 1/23/2022
This started as instrumental, then developed into a one-minute song. This version is the full song.
Just you wait and see.
We’re all gonna be all right.
It will work out in the end and then we’ll sleep again at night.
I know sometimes it seems as though we’re caught in a bad dream.
I’m telling you now.
The way way we’ll cry about it
When we’ll remember how we made it through
When we talk about the people we knew
And how the kids now days don’t know how good they got it
Just wait and see
We’ll be all right.
Just you wait and see.
Our life changes constantly.
What makes us hurt today will by tomorrow have gone away.
I know it’s hard to choose.
It’s no wonder we’re confused.
I’m telling you now.
The way way we’ll laugh about it
When we’ll remember how we made it through
When we talk about the people we knew
And how the good old days... we could have lived without ‘em
Just wait and see
We’ll be all right.
Let me show the way to slow this fast life down…
...
We’re all gonna be all right.
It will work out in the end and then we’ll sleep again at night.
I know sometimes it seems as though we’re caught in a bad dream.
I’m telling you now.
The way way we’ll cry about it
When we’ll remember how we made it through
When we talk about the people we knew
And how the kids now days don’t know how good they got it
Just wait and see
We’ll be all right.
Just you wait and see.
Our life changes constantly.
What makes us hurt today will by tomorrow have gone away.
I know it’s hard to choose.
It’s no wonder we’re confused.
I’m telling you now.
The way way we’ll laugh about it
When we’ll remember how we made it through
When we talk about the people we knew
And how the good old days... we could have lived without ‘em
Just wait and see
We’ll be all right.
Let me show the way to slow this fast life down…
...
Roll the Credits
1/2/2022 This started as an instrumental piece ...I wrote a lyric on 1/8 and revised to this "final" version on 1/10.
The credits are rolling
The movie is done
The bad guy lost
The good guy won
Maybe you watched from another point of view
The audience applauded /is leaving
Right on cue/ We’ll soon be leaving too
The credits are rolling
The movie is through
If they tied you to the tracks like that
I'd be there to rescue you
I like the scene when the train barely missed
The hero saves the girl
But she leaves before they kissed
The credits are rolling
The movie has ended
Tyranny was defeated
Freedom was defended
Those trouble makers got just what they deserved
Anarchy was avoided, order was preserved
The credits are rolling
The movie is concluded
Sure, it’s propaganda
The cast of millions was deluded
It only goes to show
When the tickets are bought and sold
People believe anything they’re told
The credits are rolling
The curtain is closing
The lights are coming up
This is me just supposing
They way they left that ending
Wide open like they do
Makes me wonder if they’re already working on a part two
*
The movie is done
The bad guy lost
The good guy won
Maybe you watched from another point of view
The audience applauded /is leaving
Right on cue/ We’ll soon be leaving too
The credits are rolling
The movie is through
If they tied you to the tracks like that
I'd be there to rescue you
I like the scene when the train barely missed
The hero saves the girl
But she leaves before they kissed
The credits are rolling
The movie has ended
Tyranny was defeated
Freedom was defended
Those trouble makers got just what they deserved
Anarchy was avoided, order was preserved
The credits are rolling
The movie is concluded
Sure, it’s propaganda
The cast of millions was deluded
It only goes to show
When the tickets are bought and sold
People believe anything they’re told
The credits are rolling
The curtain is closing
The lights are coming up
This is me just supposing
They way they left that ending
Wide open like they do
Makes me wonder if they’re already working on a part two
*