all lyrics by title | Paint Music Site

Lyrics for all songs (alphabetical order)

Song Title appeared on album(s):

Action Item X (More of the Different)

All of the People (More of the Different)

Almost Being (More of the Different )
Around the World (More of the Different)

Bad Timing                                      (Thinking Cap Starter Pack)
Big House      (More of the Different)
Blue Words                            (Mindful Second)
Busy Bones                            (Mindful Second)
Circus Parade                                  (Bubble Burst Mode)
Commercial                           (Thinking Cap Starter Pak)
Cross Town                                    (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, More of the Different)
Dance With No Name                 (Bubble Burst Mode)
Darkest Days                                 (Mindful Second)
Dawn                                                (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, Bubble Burst Mode- remix)

Dirt and Gravel (More of the Different)

The Dream (More of the Different)
Dreams                                             (Mindful Second)
Eleven Shades of Black                (Bubble Burst Mode)
Figure You Out                                 (More of the Different)

For A New Moon (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, Bubble Burst Mode- remix)
Formula Two (More of the Different)

Hey                                                    (Bubble Burst Mode)
I Wanna Be (feat. Stephanie Ly)   Bubble Burst Mode)
In Motion                                          (Mindful Second)
In My Movie                                      (More of the Different)

Into Your Mind                               (Mindful Second)
Let Your Hair Down                         (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, Bubble Burst Mode- undead mix)
Let Your Love Out                            (Bubble Burst Mode)
Made It This Far                               (Mindful Second)
Off and On and On                         (Mindful Second)
Old School                                      (Bubble Burst Mode)
Open Book                                     (Bubble Burst Mode)
Repeat                       (Mindful Second)
Rhythm and You              (Mindful Second)
The Share              (Bubble Burst Mode)
Small Talk                                          (Thinking Cap Starter Pak)
The Solipsism Twist                   (More of the Different)

(So Many) Choices                           (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, More of the Different)
Somehow                                          (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, Bubble Burst Mode- remix)
Spark                  (Mindful Second)
Speaking Human                              (More of the Different)

Starting Block              (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, More of the Different)
Strong Coffee              (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, More of the Different)
Super Powers              (Thinking Cap Starter Pak)
Thanksgiving                  (Thinking Cap Starter Pak, More of the Different)
These Sore Eyes           (Thinking Cap Starter Pak)
Tight Right                   (More of the Different)

They Laughed (More of the Different)

Too Fast                  (Bubble Burst Mode)
Two Sides of Mrs. T.               (Thinking Cap Starter Pak)
Ugly Truth                  (Bubble Burst Mode)
Vanishing Highway           (Mindful Second)
Walk With Me               (Thinking Cap Starter Pak)
Who's That Girl?       (Bubble Burst Mode)

You Are the Holiday (More of the Different)

Action Item X (Insrumental)

All of the People

You've got

Almost Being

Human *******************************

Around the Whorled

I will walk around the whorled tonight *******************************

Bad Timing
finally got my act together but I’m feeling like a clown
the theaters gone dark the show’s left for another town - bad timing

both my watch and warrantee expired yesterday
now they recommend I check the time no more than twice a day - bad timing

I think of all the ways time hasn't been a friend
but looking on the bright side I haven't reached the end
even bad bad timing beats none at all

killing time is an example of a crime that doesn’t pay
wish I could bring those hours back I sure could use a few today - bad timing

some say daylight savings is just stealing from the night
I get up an hour early just to fight the same old fight - bad timing

from the international dateline my landlord called to say:
your rent is overdue because tomorrow is today - bad timing

Blue Words 
Well it ain't exactly fun

when you're underneath the gun,

 and told you’ve only just begun to pay your dues 

 still, one thing I know for sure –
I hope they never find a cure  for that

sacred tawdry pure thing called the blues 

 I'm sure I wouldn’t know ma’am
(if it) should be called it slow jam

 or a 12-step self-help program you can use

for relationships that fall apart

or other matters of the heart, 

there’s no advice I can impart—
I must recuse.  

don’t be overly concerned about
how everything will turnout

 You’ll end up losing sleep

‘n burnout like a fuse  

For these or anything that boarders
upon ailments or disorders 

repeat the eight and 40 quarters --
watch the cues

  it’s the cure and its depression,
its expression and confession 

just fall back on the progression
it’s no ruse

  it’s like a special kind of gift --
the way the root, the 4th and 5th can always give morale a lift,
it just cant lose   

yup, one thing I know for sure
I hope they never find a cure 

for that sacred tawdry pure thing
called the blues

Busy Bones (Too Much Work) 

you can rest

when you’re dead 

that is what
they always said 

but there’s too much work 

no time to spare

 too much work 

more than I can bear

 too much work 

but find someone who cares

 no one ever said that the afterlife is fair  

death benefits,
I confess:
we were wrong all along 

who could know,
after all it was a guess 

Choices (2020) see "So Many Choices"

 Circus Parade
 

Holding down the pavement in front of the apartment,
looking for improvement or maybe entertainment  

Theres a circus parade, an

endless cavalcade of  humanity displayed outside my window 

politicians and their backers; high society and slackers, 

all kinds of animals and crackers… march in limbo  

At the top of the pile with a platinum plated smile
is sweet Maxxi Carlisle the existential exile 

her license to beguile wont expire for quite a while
and her corragated hair style has its own FBI file  

she's got apocalyptic lips tick, an automagic hat trick
an egocentric self-encrypted laser-guided sidekick 

with talent and a tactic for cutting through the static--
she keeps all her own statistics in a locker in the attic

  Now, elbow past the oboe catch a glimpse of Mr. Lobo--
an emotional tornado with a creditworthy credo. 

The tattoo on his libido reads klatu barada nicto

he speaks fluent innuendo and he sleeps in a tuxedo

 With a little introspection while producing a production
he arrived at the conclusion that hed rather do direction

 and hope someday for induction in a hall of famer function
on a televised tradition thats rebroadcast with permission  

leaders and successors; students and professors
sinners and confessors. . . march in limbo  

Over there's Thundercloud Lincoln, the penultimate Mohican
whose spirit was awoken with a new york subway token.

He has no reservation, making up silly narration
like the fall and the salvation of his cranky pet crustation  

He wears a cap like Davy Crockett hes a fan of Mr. Spock
and theoretic pyrotechnics like his new Kline bottle rocket.

In the pocket in his jacket a rip in space time fabric
makes him seem surrealistic or at least anachronistic  

If youre just going through the motions without passion or emotion 

maybe after some reflection you'll look for a new direction. 

You can sit with me and watch or even kick it up a notch— and join the circus parade.. 

An endless cavalcade of humanity displayed outside my window
 

The sellers and the buyers; the believers and deniers

 the succeeders and the triers… march in limbo   C ommercial

Comercial

a stranger to the system
with no story or tradition
under haircut from the future
independent in decision
holds a bottle of charisma
that you won’t find on the menu
without placement for product
there’s no value in the venue

with a cinematic cadence
over eight dilineations
he’s stepping on the catalogs
and catigorization
chasing him with labels
and a demographic shoehorn
madison wont stop
till he’s predictable and shopworn

I am watching
the commercial
they are watching
my behavior
I prefer to
keep a distance
they pretend to
be my savior

the message will be driven till you're taken as a given

you tune in to the talking
and the market maker barking
inching closer to the shopping
with the hope of better parking

the investors in the branding
are controlling the demanding
they’re supplying the supply
do we have an understanding?

marketing depended
on our disbelief suspended
by the time the movie ended
all our credit was extended

with the mining, aggregation
and subliminal gyration
they can engineer our impulse
realtime and on location

your thinking will be driven till youre taken as a given

Cross Town

downtown push to open 1 800 welcomes you overnight alterations ice cold students free authentic cuisine supersize imports one hour do not block New York style 24 Szechuan while you wait fresh brewed as seen on tv why pay more we deliver no parking no standing no stopping

quarters only smoke free exhibition to 6pm for lease ticket holders buy one new low rates shopping district get one free farm fresh primates tee shirts catch the fever impressionists news 4 now online magazines souvenirs stadium scenic view do not merge no turn on red no crossing

 Dance With No Name

 You can do the shim sham you can do the can-can 

You could do the limbo you could do the zydeco

 whip waltz twist tap thats not why you came 

everybody wants to try the dance with no name  

disco, tango, pogo calypso or the mambo

 conga cha-cha hula polka salsa samba bamba 

 YMCA, the breakaway—they’re old and kinda lame 

but everybodys wild about the dance with no name  

one step two step dub step quick step box step or the robot

 bunny-hop frug chicken pony jitterbug or foxtrot

 macarana gangnam hand jive  lindy hop electric slide 

 freddy shimmy peabody timewarp or yahoozie

 peewee hokey pokie hoochie-coochie or watusi 

to me, they’re all the same  -- c’mon everybody do the dance with no name

Darkest Days 

im no stranger to failure 

disappointment and me, we go way back 

i was heavily involved with unfulfilled potential, 

our plans never made it on the track 

 i used to walk to school five miles uphill 

for humiliations writ in chalk 

sometimes i’d fall sleep with my clothes still on

 between a rock and a hard knock

  tragedy lived right next door--
when he wasn’t on the street 

unseemly was our landlord
we shared a kitchen with defeat  

thinking thoughts of you 

always got me through 

those darker times and doubts that filled my head 

still I guess I always knew
that you were too good to be true

 my darkest days are still ahead

  never made it high enough to qualify for downfall 

never got ahead to be setback 

and except for few occasions of misdemeanor violations 

never had a record you could track

shared a joint account with insufficient

 then did hard time with unmet expectations once

I thumbed a ride to jersey with calamity

 hopeless and lost are close relations  

the forgotten man pretended that he didn’t even know me;
after all that we’d been through 

fear itself looked the other way
and shuffled out of view 

Pity saw me approach and turned
I watched him cross the street 

Misfortune couldn’t bring herself look me in the eye
just stared down at her feet .

 Dawn

the eastern sky is glowing
its almost time for showing
a brand new episode of planet earth
darkness fades away and people start their day
as a dazzling display -- breaks the horizon

Dawn.

Time continues flowing
with an energy ongoing
theres no turning back or slowing
-- make it count.
Work on a solution
make a contribution
during one more revolution of the world.

The time to seize is ours
for the few remaining hours
while that massive solar power makes the day.
I pause for contemplation
of life-cycles and creation
as we start one more rotation.

Dreams

 It used to be that everything I ever wanted
I could have in dreams 
You used to be the only one I ever wanted
the only one in my dreams 
Now I'm awake I'm wide awake you’re by my side
you’re in my life out of my dreams 
And when I sleep theres nothing more that I could want
I’ve no more need for dreams 

 Eleven Shades of Black 

two four six eight ten  eleven shades of black 

Hey 

Well we number several billion

and we share the same address 

There may be some friction or stress 

While we’re learning to be doing more with less.

  The point of view that I’m expressing 

is not supposed to be depressing 

And disagreement is not an attack 

At the end of the day, I’ve got your back  

Come out from your hide out

 Bring the thoughts you keep inside out 

Think of what we might’ve worked out 

had we shared like this before  

Seek a better understanding 

Try to make a gentle landing 

Return the train of thought to the track

 You know it isn’t good intentions that we lack

I Wanna Be (Feat. Stephanie Ly)

I wanna be ...as familiar as your favorite chair,

a cool wind blowing through your hair.

your helper and your handy man,

the sizzle in your frying pan.

The warm front on your weather chart,

your favorite piece of modern art,
the path you wander,

your wild blue yonder.

I wanna be… with you for a little while
I wanna be…everything that makes you smile

your secret sauce,

your santa claus,
your heartfelt laughter,

your happily ever after.
 

In Motion
 

I’m in motion 

’m the commotion 

an old school groove

 a new age move I

'm a reaction

 I'm an emotion 

rhythm is the muse 

dance is the devotion

-- I'm in motion

  I’m in motion I

’m a notion 

I'm constant change

no limit to my range 

I'm the equation

 I'm the promotion

I'm restless every day

 my objective is to stay

allways in motion  

vibration, oscillation,

activation, participation 

gyration, liberation,

acceleration, sensation

 snare attraction, bass allure.

Locomotion is the cure
a rhythmic agent

provocateur -- I'm in motion  

Into Your Mind

 one hundred trillion
neural connections
infinite thoughts
countless perceptions
 what is your thinking?
what is thought?
is it inherent?
is it taught? 

let’s look into the human mind  

we store and process

in a constant stream
both while we’re conscious
and when we dream
 knowledge expanding
with each calculation
all understanding;
every sensation
 

i want to look into your mind  

For A New Moon

Zombies drop the kids at practice for the high school play
Aliens are volunteering for the PTA
Godzilla starts a shopping list with milk and eggs and bread
the Mummy eats a sandwich watching TV from his bed

How did our lives get so mundane?
when did the reckless passion wane?
Oooh, did we burn it all too soon?
We’ll stare at the darkness and howl-- for a new moon

Frankenstein’s monster folds the laundry and he starts another load
Wolf-man rakes and stacks the leaf bags neatly by the road
Dr. Jeckel cleans the family car and wipes it with a rag
Dracula puts leftovers into a freezer bag

the blob will spend a quiet evening curled up with a book
invisible man clears the table in the breakfast nook
leopard-woman writes her day-planner with a sigh
the creature from the black lagoon waits for the cable guy

Let Your Hair Down

Let your hair down
roll on the ground
or join the rhythm section
in jumping all around

move your torso
twist it to and fro
swing your arms low
show the mojo in you toes

cause you know
soon enough
we go back to the grind
too much work
can be rough
take a load
off your mind

so let your hips slide
shake your backside
with a new dance
no ones ever tried

let your limbs sway
like they’re on holiday
shake your loose change
to the rhythm that we play

Let Your Love Out

 there are moments

when life appears unfair 

but we’re no better,

if we stop showing care 

doing the right thing

an be the hardest part it i

snt easy, but step up,

and show your heart  

when you feel timid, afraid,

in doubt, unsure,  

love can make you stronger,

love will reassure 

Love is the answer, love is the cure 

so let your love out

  Love should never

be contained 

love works best when

unrestrained 

Some try keeping love inside

but  Love ’s too big to be denied -- so let it out

  Love the loser, the winner, the giver, the sinner

 The fool and the hater, love now, dont wait for later 

Let your love out to your neighbor; love out to a stranger ‘

cause living life without love is the real danger --

so let your love out
 

Made It This Far
 

We listened to our teachers
we learned our lessons well

 They filled us up with knowledge
till we were ready to rebel

 We can study and inquire
and read books to try to learn

 But when it comes to our own fire
we seem to need to feel the burn 

 Now I wonder how we ever made it this far
yes I wonder how we ever made it this far 

 While you’re young and green and able
you’ve got to raise a little cain 

Maybe dancing on the table
maybe shouting in the rain
 Moving fast and with loud voices
showed that we were more alive

 Despite no shortage of bad choices
somehow we managed to survive 

 We’ve exceeded expectations
No one thought we’d live this long 

Now we try to find redemption
right a couple of the wrongs
 

We are past our lost and found
and what we gambled in our prime 

Against the odds we’re still around
we’re all here on borrowed time 

Off And On And On 

There’s x and x and x and y
for him and her and she and I 

I wonder woman if we see
the same differences differently
 

part united status quota
three point one four a la moda 

standing still then once upon
we’re off and on and on and on

the emperor’s new novelty
a tragic strip commodity

 shadow and illumination
facts in our Imagination
 

slowly showing bit by bitter
puzzle piece survival fitter 

sooner later now and then
we’re off and on and on again

  make a u-turn of events
for reasoning outside the fence 

or run away and join the circuit
figure eight bit how to work it
 

sandwich counter culture lost
the two for t are double crossed

 courting jesters play the pawn
the count is off and on and on

Old School
 You’re good at what you do-- youve got experience and knowledge 

theres more you need to learn but it isnt taught in college 

anyone will tell you, there is only one solution
there is no substitution for that hallowed institution called the old school

  there isnt any campus, its more like a state of mind a

spiritual tradition and history refined 

its easy to get in once you commit to a decision: 

they accept all applications

and no one pays tuition at the old school

when you feel the presence of your maker in a favorite work of art 

or the universal understanding certain music can impart 

that power only comes when its painted, played , or sung by  true masters of their craft,

each one of them alumni of the old school   

Open Book 

she doesnt need to wait for my confession

 all i know is already in her possession

 private matters are exposed--

things that shouldnt be disclosed  s

She can learn my secrets with one look --

 she can read me like an open book  

She picks my brain from the inside

 knows things ive never stated or implied

Dont tell me your secrets--

there is nothing i can hide  (no matter what ive tried).

  I’ll escape this awful head game one day 

I’ll get out I know there must be some way  

Repeat
 

Lowbrow hijinks
comical depravity,
changing a flat
on the road to calamity
 
Ask the authority
overcome with apathy,
“what does it mean to err”
oh-oh the humanity  

Gilded debt ceiling
paint on the walls peeling
I have an uneasy feeling
about what they are not revealing
 

Too late for safety first
now that the dam burst
now that the past is worst
see who’s gone and who is cursed  

Repeat.

It’s a repeat.

I’ve seen this before.

  Let’s be less than clear
it’ll be a good year
if you fill the bosses ear
with only what he wants to hear
 

Nearsighted corporate vision
annual report edition
incomplete with new omissions;
and well chosen indecisions

 Fire in the trading pit
triggered by a random bit
none want to admit
why only top clients benefit
 After the closing bell
after the final yell
inside they traded well
pity that the sky fell

  Vote for the fathers and
pray for the motherland
there is a new demand
for lines drawn in the sand
 

Dreaming up a history
spoiled by the victory
gloss over the misery
with a slippery delivery
 

Diplomacy was left behind
the leadership are all resigned
to giving up on trying to find
a way to win the hearts and minds
 

Now those behind the gun--
never got their lessons done,
never finished chapter one--
guarantee a rerun  

Far away a head of state
cultivates a new hate
for those with nothing on their plate
blaming those outside the gate
 

Advertising intermission
haircut reads the news revision
watch the sponsors’ view transition
into fact through repetition
 

Dis-united nations
translating procrastination
all regret the devastation
one more wasted generation
 

Following the new tradition
reinvent the definition:
“victory” with some provisions,
just like the opposition.  
 

Rhythm and You 

you hear a hard drivin' rhythm,
and you jump out of your chair 

you run to the dance floor,
and I'm already there

 we’ll work out all our worries,
and shake off all our cares  

rhythm and you 

there’s no feelin blue 

when I got rhythm and you

 thats right I always pull through

 when I got rhythm and you 

 well Monday was bad 

Tuesday was worse

 by Wednesday I was thinkin’

 maybe I was cursed

 it felt like all my gears --

would only move me in reverse  

well thursday came along,
and I began to see the light 

just one day to go,
and everything would be alright 

I was dreaming of the dancing
we would do on Friday night  

The Share
 

we have a share of the infinite

 in the blink of an eye is our benefit

 do what you can – make the most of it

 there is solace in rhythm… and repetition

 comfort in marking the points of division  

all that could be, all that might be, all we treasure 

try to foresee, with uncertainty, how do we measure?

  take it , mind it, lose it, find it

 what lines have been crossed? 

make it, fill it, waste it, kill it

 how much was the cost? 

can you tell me what weve lost? 

 are you receiving?

 are you comprehending?

 is there even meaning 

in this message im sending?

  i imagine transcending 

my vision extending 

from before our beginning, 

to long after our ending 

Small Talk

hey well hey hey bro hey man hey there hi there ho there hi hello hay yo yo hay yo yo yo dude howdy do greetings and salutations hola aloha how are you howzit goin how ya feelin how've you been hows things hows tricks how ya doin que pasa whats new whats the word whats happenin' wazzup whats the scoop the poop the straight dope whats going on whats the score whats the 411 the lowdown the down low hows life life treatin' ya?

yeah you know what do you know ya know you know what they say like they say they always say im just sayin like the saying goes the old saying go with the flow go with it what goes around comes around let it go take it easy take your time take it slow slow ride take each day as it comes one day at a time give it time a stitch in time amok time time heals plen-ty of time nothin but time if you got the time time on your side no time like the present at the present time

yes uh huh yeah not just yeah  yup aight fer sure absolutely undoubtedly no doubt iknowright I hear you I hear that I get it count on it im in complete agree-ment I’ll buy that I concurr couldnt agree more you can bank on it you can take that to the bank you aint makin that up you can say that again you got it 10-4 affirmative thats the facts roger that cant argue that thats true the truth true dat damn straight straight up word fer real way

aww its good good seein ya good talkin chatting shooting the breeze hangin kickin it chillin chilaxin yappin flappin my jaw connecting keeping contact bonding catching up reminicing relive old times good times remember when way back when backin the day

hey gotta go gotta get goin gotta fly gonna fly now gotta take off gotta move move on keep on movin keep on keepin on keep on truckin mosey on down the road hit the road on the road again stay on track keep on schedule keep on time time for me to fly time to part to depart take my leave ride into the sunset got things to do places to go people to see

we gotta do this again soon real soon go out stay in hang hang out hang around lets get together lets do it once more one more time dont be a stranger keep in touch stay in touch touch base take care keep it real be good be cool be you be yourself later peace out ciao babe au revoir hasta la vista sionara adieu farewell bye goodbye buhbye till we meet again till then see ya see ya round see ya when I see ya see you in the funny papers see ya soon see ya later later alligator catch ya on the flip side check ya next time

So Many Choices --also see "Choices (2020)"
I can turn in any of three hundred sixty (three hundred fifty nine) degrees
So many websites now I think I understand infinity
But the  thousand cable channels- some I'm told that I must see,
make the TV seem alive, and the remote is changing me

Choices. So many choices

Some are entertained, some folks are enlightened.
But mostly what I see on TV leaves me kind of frightened.

They call it surfing even though we sit  almost completely still 

We’re nearly comatose and yet we haven't had our fill
More potent and effective than a dozen sleeping pills,
maybe the media has finally broken our collective will.
  

Somehow
She’s positive, I’m negative
She’s a sure thing, I’m tentative
She’s the top ten, and I’m alternative somehow

she’s sunshine, I’m overcast
She’s first in line, I’m dead last
She’s the bright future, and I'm the checkered past somehow

somehow something made her look my direction
some force of nature somehow made her want to stay
through circumstance or luck or maybe cosmic intervention -- I don't question
we are she and I together now somehow

she sees the bright side, I give my eyes a rest
She’s flying colors, I’m not yet done the test
She’s never questioned, I’m always second guessed somehow

somehow something made her look my direction
some force of nature somehow made her want to stay
through some miracle or other inexplicable connection -- I don't question
we are she and I together now somehow

Spark 

working my way through the day;
through the motions like a dream 

one hundred three shades of gray
is there more than there would seem 

finding my mind so behind
I need to focus like a beam 

i know I just need a little spark
to get my motor started 

 left foot in front of the right
how much farther till we get there 

mind working slow kind of low
I don’t know - I feel I'm paired 

it seems that my beans lack caffeine
it’s a scheme it isnt fair 

I know I just need a little spark
to get me back in gear

Wow even now I don’t know how
I ever got up in the morning 

We all hit a wall and we stall
this is getting old and boring i need to break the routine, intervene,
change the scene or change the scoring
 i know I just need a little spark
to get back in the game
 

Super Powers
I never knew I knew how to fly 'til I was walking by your side  

Now I’m swinging from rooftops feeling fine 

whenever I hold your hand in mine  

My senses are heightened, my mind is enlightened

 whenever you’re with me, I feel like you give me -- super powers 

 My X-ray eyes see how you feel - I know that the love in you is real 

I’ll turn invisible to let you can see the same emotions inside me.  

My racing heart cannot be explained:  faster and stronger than a train 

my spirits leap high when you’re around --  over tall buildings in one bound  

Starting Block (2021)
I’m staring at paper.

And it stares back
I’m trying to think of think of something clever to write
maybe theres meaning in the clean symmetry and familiar scale of the pristine sheet
absent a humans petty blather, devoid of some self important message,
or juvenile emotion

Potential

thats it. I’ll frame a blank page and call it potential –
or maybe the label is too easy; I’ll let the unmarred blankness speak for itself

what a load of crap
I’m grasping at straws trying to make an artistic statement out of anything

I suppose someone could sell the concept--

with some effort and charisma they'll talk about infinite possibilities:
how the empty page is ready to receive poetry,

mathematical calculations, or an artists sketch,

or a grocery list or note that says be right back…

or be made into a paper airplane

or maybe they'll promote some comparison of the fibers in the paper
to the tangled and chaotic inter-relatedness of everything
and at the same time claim the uniform clean page
reflects the apparent order and stability of the universe

or perhaps they might drone on about the page being manufactured by man
from materials in nature to be used by man to reflect nature
in abstractions of words or images

Yup, some creative type could come up with an angle
to make a few bucks from a sheet of standard eight and a half by eleven

but I am not a salesman. I’m just staring. At paper

Strong Coffee
strong coffee-- a cup to go.
Potent java. Mighty joe.

No cream or sugar. I’ll take it black.
my getup ’n’ go-- is coming back

wide awake on the make
liquid ambition: use it for good for goodness sake - strong coffee

That place with new age music and overstuffed chairs
I'm sure its very nice but you wont find me there
I got things to do I cant wait
or run late I’ll only hesitate - for strong coffee

Thanksgiving
the nightly news
in images and sound
show the suffering and pain
of lives turned upside down

I've had my bumps
but now I realize
how good fortune and good people
cut my troubles down to size

so I give thanks
show gratitude
I'll face all my challenges with a new
positive attitude

im grateful
humbled
by those who stopped to move me forward
and helped me when I stumbled
I give thanks, I'm giving thanks, I'm truly thankful

I’ve got my health
or most of it anyway
a coupla pounds a few aches and pains
but I cant complain

I got a job
purpose
a reason for the race
I like to think some things I do
might make the world a better place

I try to make the most of both the good times and headaches
being humble in success and learning from mistakes

I got some money
a little bit anyway
enough for rent and the bills
and maybe a rainy day

ive got friends
loved ones
family
I get a lump in my throat
when I think of what all of them mean to me

I try each day to do whats right
but im not sure I deserve this much goodness in my life

These Sore Eyes
you say you're a mess. A wreck. no makeup, and wearing sweats.
you say the way you look is as bad as it gets
but these sore eyes say you're beautiful

you say, "Don't look at me. I'm not ready. I'm a sight to see”
on that last point-- these sore eyes agree

I'm a spokesman for sore eyed guys
fairly elected and duly deputized
now my sworn duty: to make you recognize
the natural beauty that you are

you say your wardrobe leaves you mortified
that your shoes don't match your sweater
but these sore eyes can testify
you've never ever looked better

you say you're a poster child
for broken nails, and hair gone wild
but I’ve been watching for quite a while
and these sore eyes say you’re beautiful

Too Fast 
Knuckles white, gripping tight, you fight the wheel; 

Engine bruised, gears abused, tires squeal 

Gauges in the red, warnings light the dash— 

it wont be too long before theres nothing left but ash 

Dead ahead: heartbreak and disaster--
she turns to whisper, “lets go faster” 

 disregarding gravity, tires learn to fly;

 engine screams for mercy brakes need an alibi;

 the speedometer is pinned, and the tach. cant count that high.

  too fast;

too fast 

your road ahead-- is in her past 

shes already done

with the love you’d just begun— 

it couldnt last;

shes too fast

  police cars lose control
or burn out in the chase

 and blurry traffic camera pictures
dont help build a case 

the reckless drivers hall of fame

is saving her a place  
 

Two Sides Of Mrs. T
the new hire finds her charm and smile disarming
survivors never speak about the loss of life or limb
time reveals a picture more alarming
and options not as simple as a choice to sink or swim

corporate likes the numbers that her minions falsify
never asking where the bodies of the victims lie
protests aren't effective and no one wants to try
none who took a stand are left to testify

two sides-- one false and one dark
the contrast and the irony couldn't be more stark

her victims show no traces
the lawers have no cases
employees know their places when they see
the two sides-- of mrs t

attacking every flaw she sees
and some that she’ll invent
a few careers and rules might end up
broken lost or bent
petty inconveniences
caught in the event
of falling underfoot when she is
making her ascent

derailing a career with threats and fear is just a game
memos and the phone are simply tools to shift the blame
termination rumors turn the strong into the meek
casualty dress will be appropriate all week

a corporate chart names those in her domain under duress
the overworked rewarded with new deadlines and distress
action items for her twist-ed vision of success
humiliate belittle torment threaten and repress

Ugly Truth
I had a dream where I was falling,
lost my phone and missed my calling
My missteps have got me crawling on my knees
If I had learned from each mistake throughout my lifetime,
I'd have myself a couple PhDs
 
My history seems clearer
when I check the rear-view mirror
though a warning says deception's
closer than it would appear.
Everybody filters out

what they dont want to hear;
beautiful lies, or ugly truth.

Dreamy fabrication,

Brutal realization.

Truthfully dishonest,

broken arts of what was promised;

beautiful lies, or ugly truth.

Vanishing Highway
 Vanishing highway don’t go astray
keep me between the lines 

do not forsake -- help me awake
and see the signs 

All that I see-- all I know--are what the lights reveal

 the beams are stark against so much dark,
I can’t be sure what’s real  

I'm unafraid as I drift and fade
toward my resting place 

where darkness hides

and shadows reside
I will leave no trace  
Walk With Me

Walk with me
we can pick a direction or wander around
the best views of the world are often made from the ground
we can make our own way or follow the crowd
we don't have to talk, but speak up if you've something to say

stand here by my side
we can take it all in stride
if we've two points of view
we can both talk it through
start to bridge the divide

there's a time to relax and watch the world go by
but my legs and my mind need a stretch and its not yet the time for goodbye
we can walk through the woods or over rocky terrain
we can walk in the sand on the street or barefoot in the rain

Who's That Girl 

Who's that girl?

 Who's that girl on top of the world ? 

 High voltage electric charger

 you make each day just-- a little larger than life 

 Starting fires Without matches--

 You think you’re flameproof-- until she catches your eye.

  Rude behavior wont upset her

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