Leap of Faith
This plea for unilateral nuclear disarmament went completely unheeded by the governments of the world, but at least it features a positively spectacular falsetto moment at the end. The basic idea behind these lyrics is that even if we didn't want to have a nuclear war, we still might, for many reasons, including 1) so much of our weaponry is still managed at least in part by computers, 2) there is so little time to decide on a counterstrike once you think a first strike might have occurred, and 3) Murphy's Law is more thoroughly verified than the theory of relativity. Have a nice day.
the sun came up a little brighter today
a subtle proclamation of the dawn of a new age
but with a sun you are bound to see some clouds
and with newfound peace the dogs of war reset the stage
if you listen hard you can hear the ground shaking
it's the sound of thousands of dragons in their sleep
they won't know the meaning of an accident
to them it's just a game to play for keeps
last night i heard a man say we had won the cold war
as though our enemies could be alive or dead
but your fate and mine and that of someone halfway across the earth
could be decided by a machine that's been misled
i know that a picture of history will speak louder than i
and i know that everlasting peace is far far away
but i also know the value of what we might become
and i know i can't just close my eyes and wish the dragons away
it all begins with the very first step
like a thousand mile journey
but the problem with this very first step
is the speed at which the world is turning
the very first step is more like a leap of faith
every minute another nation joins the nuclear club
and every second another one feels the need to apply
it's supposed to be a guarantee of personal security
but if it ever begins, no matter who or where you are
it won't end until you die
the time has come for someone to kill their dragons
it all begins with the very first step
like a thousand mile journey
but the problem with this very first step
is the speed at which the world is turning
the very first step is more like a leap of faith
but if no one leaps
we all shall fall
Diamonds
I have not yet given up on my dream to make an industrial-thrash-gothic-punk-rap version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", but until then, this will have to do in the ode-to-the-stars department. This is one of three songs I recorded at a basement studio run by Mike Hupfer. Mike was a freshman in high school when I was a senior, and we both wrote candidates for the official class song of the graduating class. Being more polished at such things, he won. That could have been devastating in a semester where I had already lost my father just before my eighteenth birthday, but my favorite teacher from high school, Sharon Babb, did two things I will never forget. First, she teamed me up with a girl named Cassie (whom I'd known since kindergarten), who had sung one of the other losing candidate songs, and Cassie sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" at graduation while I played the piano (Mike actually helped us rehearse for that). Second, she gave me the opportunity to play and sing my own song for the entire senior class at graduation rehearsal, along with my musical friend Tony Hanuman. The moral of this gripping story is that when you do something really cool for someone, they might never forget it, and they might even talk about it on a website someday.
ever since the dawn of humankind
our weary eyes have gazed up in wide wonder to see you shine
sparkling like diamonds
glowing with a distant fire
your lifetime
it almost cannot be measured in years
we can hear your sweet music
but it's not in our ears
it's in our hearts
we were made from you
and we're a lot like you, you know
little points of light in the dark
settin' the stage for future generations
watchin' it all begin with a little spark
shepherds, kings, and wise men followed you
and sailors steered their mighty ships across the ocean blue
in a world of chaos
you seem to transcend time
though your number
exceeds that of all the grains of sand on every beach
eternity is beyond even your reach
whatever space and time are
you've made them a little brighter
you've come to life in us, you know
like it's all part of some master plan
and we're learning a little more every day
i hope before i die we'll understand
human life's so short you know
next to you we're never here at all
or so it seems
but sooner or later we'll come back to you
it's one of our crazy little dreams
Allegiance
This was a close one. I had written all the lyrics and all the music, and was about to declare victory when I suddenly discovered I had merely rewritten "The Pledge of Allegiance" and set it to the music of "U Can't Touch This". WHEW! Took an extra half hour to set everything straight, although being pressed for time, I couldn't fix every last detail, so there's a C chord at 3:43 that remains from the previous incarnation. So sue me.
so name your allegiance
are you black or white
are you man or woman
for whom shall you fight
do you believe in god
and if so which one
and whom shall you hate
when your last enemy is gone
so you like building walls around your precious high horse
supremacy of color and the politics of force
you serve your skin tone first, and then your gender
ignore that we're all human, never surrender
so name your allegiance
are you black or white
are you man or woman
for whom shall you fight
do you believe in god
and if so which one
and whom shall you hate
when your last enemy is gone
you had no input on who you are
and neither did that person you condemn from afar
you unleash your rhetoric on millions you've never met
until they return your hatred, and now the stage is set
will you ever close your eyes and see the higher picture
if you believe that color is real, you are truly blind
to be human is to live beyond our fabricated differences
and realize we are all five billion of a kind
so name your allegiance
are you black or white
are you man or woman
for whom shall you fight
do you believe in god
and if so which one
and whom shall you hate
when your last enemy is gone
Blue Skies
Originally, this song was going to be called "Red Skies", but then The Fixx somehow got wind of my idea and beat me to the punch. I was going to change the title to "The Fixx Suck", but then I realized I liked some of their songs and that would be rather hypocritical, so I decided simply to change the color, and "Cerise Skies" was born. Then I realized cerise is the one color in the entire universe that makes me retch upon sight, so I changed it to "Blue Skies" and made up some garbage about environmentalism to increase my chances of getting lucky in Boulder. Item number 4876 in my new book, "Things That Don't Do What You Intended".
there's a tiny sanctuary where we remain alive
our world has remained there and oh how we've thrived
and so we believe we will remain
dancing and singing in the acid rain
there's a little hole above the ice of the southern realm
silently it whispers to us of a coming hell
a time when the sunlight will bring fear
and we will cry for all those wasted years
oh what have we done
if we walked a little bit more carefully
we wouldn't have to run
long ago the air gushed forth into the skies
far away another world is beginning in the very same way
but here and now the well is running dry
why oh why can't you see
we're losin' our blue skies
there's a fire burning in the tropics, so they say
another acre lost every second of every day
and with each tree is burned another breath of air
if you saw your children suffocating
maybe then you'd care
oh what are we waiting for
if we'd noticed the clouds of yesterday
we wouldn't be so surprised by the storm
long ago far away another world may emerge from a similar day
but here and now we're living on borrowed time and lies
why oh why can't you see
we're losin' our blue skies
Nothing in Return
The moral of this story is that love should be unconditional. Since that's a bunch of bullcrap, this is not a very good story.
love
such a tiny word
but so immense to one who's heard
i love you
do you love me
every mind has its own definition
every heart has its own little vision
everyone, everywhere, every day, wants to feel it
the real thing is so hard to find
the odds are against this two of a kind
but when you find it, you will know
and you'll want to follow it wherever it goes
and you will give it all that it's earned
but real love will ask for nothing in return
never
never settle for anything less
but when you get there, you'd better confess
do i love you
yes i love you
if you're not sure, stay away from the word
but if you know it, keep each other assured
the little things may drive you apart
but love will reserve an eternal place in your hearts
the real thing is so hard to find
the odds are against this two of a kind
but when you find it, you will know
and you'll want to follow it wherever it goes
and you will give it all that it's earned
but real love will ask for nothing in return
Celestial Symphony
Someday I really do want to make a symphony out of this. I just need to figure out how to kidnap an orchestra. I've given it a great deal of thought, and it seems like there are several viable ways to do that, but most of them involve the untimely demise of the second violinist, and as fate would have it, that person is the key to the entire performance. Fate can be a vicious bastard. Maybe instead of trying to kidnap an orchestra, I'll try murdering fate instead. Boy, wouldn't that be ironic? Fate's fate? Sometimes I floor myself with these things.
Exaltation
This is a song about the absurdity of what makes a person famous, written by someone who knew he'd never become famous. But I'm not bitter. I mean, let's face it, becoming famous is usually not as great as unfamous people think. It puts a lot of pressure on the person, and privacy pretty much goes out the window. People who never gave you a second thought when you weren't famous suddenly come out of the woodwork as long lost friends who have fallen on hard times and could use just a little financial help. Then there's all the women. Okay, I am bitter.
your life is large to you
it is all you know
you see everything you do
you are everywhere you go
so sometimes it's so hard
to remember you are only one
one of five billion hearts
longing for a day in the sun
the definition of tragedy
is a life spent under the clouds
if you don't get your fifteen minutes
you've only got the world to blame
exaltation
is all just a game
why do worship the celebrities
are they truly a breed apart
and why does the modern artist
try to overshadow the art
and what of those poor lost souls
who've got so much to give
yet they go unnoticed
and they struggle just to live
if one voice is left unheard
then we're not listening at all
if you don't get your fifteen minutes
you've only got the world to blame
exaltation
is all just a game
there's something terribly wrong with this picture
there's something out of place or out of tune
there's something disconcerting
when we cry over the deaths of a thousand
but the death of one turns no more heads
than the rising of the moon
some of us will rise to glory
and all will know their names
exaltation
is all just a game
if you don't get your fifteen minutes
you've only got the world to blame
exaltation
is all just a game
Ashes to Ashes
This is another one of those songs that has some relic religious and "pro-life"/"anti-choice" words in it from back when I was more on that side of the debate. They're not as brutal as the lyrics from "Never a Chance", but suffice it to say I'm rather embarrassed I once felt that way. 'Course, I'm rather embarrassed about a lot of things from those years (I was 23 at the time). In fact, I'm rather embarrassed about a couple things I did last weekend (I was (mumble) at the time).
five billion years before you were even
a twinkle in your father's eye
the land you say you rightfully own
began to form under a methane sky
this is not your own
but you are not alone
long before you found your fortunes
long before they were lost by another
long before anyone cried this is mine
it belonged to the earth, it belonged to no other
you came into this world with nothing to your name
and now you'll wheel and deal, like it's all some kind of game
the one who dies with the most toys wins
and if you find the time, you'll atone for your sins
ashes to ashes
and dust to dust
make believe you own this
if you must
until the day you die
i heard a woman speaking to the masses
she talked about the right to choose
under the illusion that she owns her body
if there's a child to be lost, she thinks it's hers to lose
every cell that you'll find in your body
was once a part of something else
and when you're gone, something further still
but we're all too human and selfishness sells
you came into this world as dust and dreams
and you leave with nothing, or so it seems
but the one thing you own is the essence of you
it's the only thing that's real, it's the only thing that's true
ashes to ashes
and dust to dust
ignore what really matters
if you must
ashes to ashes
and dust to dust
make believe you own this
if you must
until the day you die
ashes to ashes
Chronicles
I'm not sure what to write here, so I think I'll take this opportunity to express my utter disappointment in the performance of the Colorado Avalanche last night. It's one thing to lose to a team called the Ducks. It's even worse to lose to a team called the Mighty Ducks, because the Mighty part only serves to underscore that the team is called something as ridiculous as the Ducks, which therefore translates into additional layers of embarrassment for anyone unfortunate enough to lose to them. Buy Sam Adams beer.
do you recall a typical afternoon in your history class
in a daydream, making shapes out of the stains on the window glass
staring at the lifeless printed words in your textbook
now you might wonder just how hard you looked
when today slips into yesterday
her people are left only with memories
so we write those memories down on a page
and they become someone else's history
behind every chapter, there's a king or queen you know
behind every king or queen, millions who followed
and behind every one of them, a slightly different heartbeat
a little flesh and blood and hopes and dreams i need not repeat
and their world has gone beyond yesterday
with nothing left but words for you and me
and every time you turn the page
they build upon our history
breathtaking changes all around the world
old nations crumbling as new flags are unfurled
old barriers shattering as new ones arise
it almost seems dangerous to close your eyes
we've discovered a strange new planet today
it's called the earth, it's a wonderful place
maybe we'll decide to stay for a while
humanity is still such a very young child
when you and i meet one more time at the end of this road
our grandchildren will inherit the earth and reap what we've sown
and they'll open up their history books, and maybe one or two
might gaze upon a picture of me or you
because today is a future yesterday
which one depends on you and me
someday someone will turn a page
and we will be their history
Secret Vista
Far as I know, this is the only song I've ever written with a Spanish word in the title. Honestly, it's early in the morning and I'm too lazy to check. That's okay, though, because I had no idea where I was going with this anyway. You know, I once bought a book called "How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Living". Guess what - I never got around to reading it. There, that fills up enough lines. Enjoy the tune, my cyberfriend.
everybody needs a secret place to run to
a place where the tempest of life cannot find you
for myself i make the journey inside my mind
the mind always has a room with a view
i look around and see a world i long for
a world alive and blossoming anew
a world where love is as real and unshakeable
as our mystical assuredness that one and one make two
this is my secret vista
in my world the machines that run on fossil fuels
have become fossils themselves
nuclear fusion powers utopia
and nuclear weapons no longer litter the shelves
and all of the people sing from the far corners of the earth
and somehow the discord becomes a symphony
no more nations to stifle the melodies
just an orchestra of cultures celebrating their diversity
this is my secret vista
no deadly virus has a place in my world
someone dismantled the bureaucracy and found a cure
you cannot buy happiness anywhere at all
it is free for the taking if your heart is pure
and all of the religions and all the chosen peoples
have finally listened to the one same god
and humanity reaches out into the heavens
and across the milky way we can hear still others applaud
this is my secret vista
where we have survived ourselves
it is from this place i draw my visions
it is from my visions i draw my hope
it is from my hope i draw my strength
it is from my strength i draw closer to this place
this brave new world is finally at hand
all you need bring is the rest of your life
all across the universe worlds are coming alive
all you thought was the goal is only the journey
come with me as we peer out beyond the edge of forever
our secret vista
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