1. |
Intro
01:20
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"Standing on the bare ground, my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space: all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball. I am nothing. I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me. I am part, or parcel, of God."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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2. |
Remember Who You Are
04:45
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I walked so far I wore these holes in my boots, the trail of mud that leads me back to my roots, it never washes away. I tried so hard to run away from my past, the places changed but the memories lasted. So many whispering ghosts – they followed me, coast to coast.
My soul is not a well, though you couldn’t even tell,
it’s just become a static pond filled to the brim with tears,
and forty-seven thousand fears that I can’t move beyond.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned as far as living is concerned,
knowing right from wrong really doesn’t get you very far –
it won’t matter what you do if you can’t remember who you are.
I’m just an educated swirl of dust, but I’m not just the pieces yes I’m more than rust, but
oh I wish I couldn’t see that my past is my present cause it brought me here, so I can’t turn my back or run away in fear. I’ll find my peace in the breeze – it’s the breath of the Spirit, She’s still calling me.
My soul is not well, though you couldn’t even tell,
it’s just become a static pond filled to the brim with tears,
and forty-seven thousand fears that I can’t move beyond.
But there’s one thing that I’ve learned as far as living is concerned,
knowing right from wrong really doesn’t get you very far –
it won’t matter what you do if you can’t remember who you are.
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3. |
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We moved in to a place in the summer; we moved to the wrong side of the tracks
We turned our backs to the world that we once knew
to undo the distance between me and you.
On the 22nd day of October, we were to wed in the crisp Autumn breeze.
I thought that it would be like starting over,
but you had another idea up your sleeve.
Black veils and fairy tales I never wanted,
but that was the only charade that we knew.
The honesty hid in the corner and haunted
the space in the distance between me and you.
We fought for days without any reason; we found our cases in bottles of booze.
We tried to fill up the space with the whiskey
to drown out the distance between me and you.
I’m standing alone in the basement; you’re getting high up in front of the tube.
That was something that I never wanted.
And baby, neither did you.
Black veils and fairy tales I never wanted,
but that was the only charade that we knew.
The honesty hid in the corner and haunted
the space in the distance between me and you.
Black veils and fairy tales I never wanted,
but that was the only charade that we knew.
The honesty hid in the corner and haunted
the space in the distance between me and you.
So I hitched a ride to the land of eternal
sunshine, and I’m fine, I just need to
breathe or believe in something much bigger
than the space in the distance between me and you.
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4. |
9:41
01:16
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5. |
Going All In
05:00
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oh please Father can you help me i think i’ve done it again
seems i’m falling and i’m not too pure to tempt the sin
and i’m tired of this losing streak i fell into
oh please Father can you stop me from what i’m about to do
boy won’t you lay your head beside me put your hand in mine
let me love you let me let you look into my eyes
take what you want and don’t leave nothing that you want to keep
oh but only if you’ll still hold me when it gets too deep
i’m going all in on a bad deal cause i’m getting tired of wasting time
if you don’t want me baby won’t you tell me
i’ll be fine
but quit holding me on the line
oh please Father can you help me read these subtle cues
cause lyin’s not me and i know he sees right through my ruse
if i’m willing now to let my honest feelings show
then lay your cards out on the table boy i want to know
if i’m going all in on a bad deal cause i’m getting tired of wasting time
if you don’t want me baby won’t you tell me
i’ll be fine
but quit holding me on the line
all i want is to know if i’ve been reading you all wrong
if the cards of this game have been stacked against me all along
all i want is to know if i’ve been reading this all wrong
so i’m going all in on a bad deal cause i’m getting tired of wasting time
if you don’t want me baby won’t you tell me
i’ll be fine
but quit holding me on the line
quit holding me on the line
quit holding me.
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6. |
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Quickly and smoothly, making hardly a sound,
Stauffer Chemical Company has moved into town
They’ve taken possession of old Nyala Farm,
winning over our neighbors with money and charm.
CHORUS:
Nothing will change, no one’s to blame, we have a plan they said
things will all stay the same, nothing will change, no one’s to blame
We’ll pay for police, we’ll build you new roads,
we’ll pay your taxes, we’ll relieve your load
We’ll even preserve that old barn and we’ll keep every tree,
we’ll hide our new factory where no one can see
(chorus)
Well today I went by and they had kept their word.
The plant couldn’t be seen and no noise could be heard
But a lifeless shell with a fresh coat of paint,
showed me what a barn is and what a barn ain’t
(chorus)
Neatly cut empty field of green.
This farm’s been transformed into something obscene
Yes they’ve kept their word and they’ve done what they said
But that barn is a crypt for a farm that is dead.
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7. |
Sunday Morning
04:26
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Sunday morning, what am I gonna do?
I ain’t got a dime to spend and yes I guess I’m feeling a little blue
Got a job tomorrow, I’ll start working off this sorrow,
but in the meantime baby I suppose I’ll have to make do with you.
Sunday afternoon, what are we gonna do?
Drive til we’re outta gas is that really the last $3 between me and you?
Well I been runnin on empty since the day that he left me,
So in the meantime baby we can get along on just a gallon or two.
CHORUS
And I don’t want to let you down, as much as I like having you around
But I should let you know that’s as far as it goes, cause darlin’ in the end all I wanted was a friend.
Sunday evening, what would you like to do?
Turn on that television while I make a decision on whether I should stay here with you.
Sometimes I feel like a traitor, but honey I’ll consider it later,
And in the meantime baby why don’t you pour us another glass of wine or two?
(chorus)
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8. |
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Don’t cry, sweet child,
the world shines bright when you smile.
Precious baby that you are,
even in my frailty, you bring joy into my heart.
Be still, child, and know that you are loved,
Ever wondering as you gaze up to stars above.
You may walk a million footsteps in this world of ours,
but you will always be my twinkling little star.
Hold on, sweet child,
to innocence pure and wild.
Life won’t always bring you sunny days,
but I will always love you in my own imperfect way.
Be still, child, and know that you are loved,
Ever wondering as you gaze up to stars above.
You may walk a million footsteps in this world of ours,
but you will always be my twinkling little star.
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9. |
Day Off
05:19
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I been walkin down the street talking to the trees the vocal chords of the breeze
and they’re singing me a love song, one I haven’t heard in so long
Cause I been workin every day starin at my feet runnin round for other people tryin to make one end meet
with the other in these hard times, but today is all mine
I’m gonna get up early and watch the sunrise, gonna sleep in late and then take a nap
I’m gonna swing in the park and jump out of the seat from the highest point that I can reach
Cause this is my day off, this is my day off,
This is my day, my day, o-o-o-o-o-o-off la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
I’m gonna write a song I’m gonna go to a movie gonna call a friend that I haven’t talked to
in six long years and see how things are going but when it gets dull I’ll say I gotta go
I’m gonna pump my tires up and ride my bike across the railroad tracks I’m gonna fly a kite
gonna walk through the neighborhood and pet people’s dogs but not their cats cause I’m allergic I’ll just wave from afar…
gonna teach myself to whistle…and do that for half a bar: (whistling)
I’m gonna bake a pie I’m gonna knit a sweater for when the weather gets colder
I’m gonna read the paper from front to back skipping over all the bad news so it won’t take long
I’m gonna paint a picture of a dream that I had four years ago…
then I’m gonna give it to a homeless man that I befriend down at the Depot
Then I’ll get on the bus and ride to nowhere, just see where it takes me just to see where it goes
And I’ll watch the other people, they got serious faces cause they’re going to work so I’ll give em a smile
cause I got plenty to spare
(CHORUS)
I’m gonna go down to the coffeehouse where everybody knows my name
they’ll say “where ya been?” and I’ll just say busy and they’ll nod their heads cause they know how it is
I’m gonna drive to the beach and watch the crabs crawl across the sand
I’m gonna drive to the mountains and marvel at that river cause it never ends it just keeps on beginning
I’m gonna get up early and watch the sunrise, gonna sleep in late and then take a nap
I’m gonna swing in the park and jump out of the seat from the highest point that I can reach
(and I won’t fall over)
This is my day off...
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10. |
Right Where I Am
02:55
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Now it ain’t safe to walk at night and I’m getting tired of this fight
I know that sometimes it’s hard to get it right,
but maybe your collar’s just on too tight.
You think you got it figured out, boy, but you’re so far from what I’m about
Why don’t you go on, and be a man,
and leave me right where I am?
I wonder if it’d be to easy to sit and watch you try and please me
You feed me an image too hard to swallow,
the kind of life you wish I’d follow.
You think you got it figured out, boy, but you’re so far from what I’m about
Why don’t you go on, and be a man,
and leave me right where I am
because I won’t be a prisoner –
building walls and waiting for someone to climb,
believe it or not I’ve got better ways to waste my time.
I could try and conjure up some feeling so you’d see me as appealing
but lately things are so distorted,
I think I’ll wait until it’s sorted.
You think you got it figured out, boy, but you’re so far from what I’m about
Why don’t you go on, and be a man,
and leave me right where I am?
You think you got it figured out, boy, but you’re so far from what I’m about
Why don’t you go on, and be a man,
and leave me right where I am?
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11. |
Sacred Heart
04:20
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Here I go again draggin my feet
here I go again runnin for dear life
here I go again chasin my dreams
like a madwoman with an old dull butcher knife
here I go again running out of steam
here I go again scraping at the vestiges of my esteem
You can’t own the sacred
and you can’t own this sacred heart
What do you know about anything good?
What do you know about anything holy?
What do you know about sacrifice,
or the face of Jesus Christ in the so-called lowly?
What do you know about talking out of line?
You're preachin to the poor while you’re sittin on a gold mine
You can’t own the sacred
and you can’t on this sacred heart
Paranoia/suspicion, passing for faith passing for religion
while little boys in power positions
compete with one another over tithing parishioners
and I’m just a girl with a terrible vision of
Love, Love, Love,
Love.
So here I go again draggin my feet
here I go again runnin for dear life
here I go again chasin my dreams
like a madwoman with an old dull butcher knife
here I go again running out of steam
here I go again scraping at the vestiges of my esteem
You can’t own the sacred
you can’t own the sacred
you can’t own the sacred
and you can’t own this sacred heart.
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12. |
Lady Dorothy
02:44
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13. |
California (if you go)
05:16
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You want to go nowhere -
I don’t know where that is.
My heart is calling me to a place,
any place but this.
Babe and I’m sorry
for all the lines I let you draw,
but I’m in a box now,
and the only way that’s left for me is the door.
Took to the highway thinking I would fly
out on the West coast
where the sunset burns my eyes.
I must’ve lost myself on the side of the road,
or somewhere in your kiss,
feeling so off now
but I don’t recall anything I miss.
If you go to California
don’t forget to bring yourself,
you won’t find it somewhere out there,
you won’t find it somewhere else.
I was a child once,
with a heart as wide and restless as the sea
Dreams were like water drops on an endless wave,
crashing over me
But I am the desert now and I don’t recall anything I miss,
only a memory of a time I thought I was more than this,
And if you go to California
don’t forget to bring yourself,
you won’t find it anywhere out there,
you won’t find it somewhere else.
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14. |
Weathering the Storm
05:10
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Pink sky in the morning,
didn't catch the warning.
Never in my wildest dreams of how my life would be
could I imagine how far I would go, or all that I would see.
And if there’s one thing that is certain about every place I’ve been
is there’s a lot of folks out there now with their patience running thin.
Well, I set out like anyone into this sea of life
thinking I would take what came and overcome most any strife.
But that was before the winds picked up and threw me from my ship
now I am flotsam on the ocean,
but I won’t wear this chip
on my shoulder cause it might just weigh me down
and as long as I am floating there is still hope to be found
so I’ll take it as I can,
one day at a time
and I will tell this to myself,
if just to ease my mind.
That if you weather the storm through the wind and the rain,
you can still ride a bike with a rusty old chain
and there's life on the other side of the pain
but you'll never, never, never, never, never be the same.
Never seems like anything quite goes the way it should,
seems everybody’s got a knack for finding bad amongst the good.
There’s people dying every day, for reasons we can’t tell.
There's war and lies and hate and poverty,
and preachers sending folks to hell,
and what do we do with all this sadness that we've found?
Bartender, bartender: pour another round
cause I’ve spent half of my life crying over things that I have lost
but you can’t pry from my cold dead hands
this hope at any cost
That if you weather the storm through the wind and the rain,
you can still ride a bike with a rusty old chain
and there's life on the other side of the pain
but you'll never, never, never, never, never be the same.
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15. |
Gratitude
05:59
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Underneath everybody’s clothes
is a set of bloody, aching bones
and every baby starts to cry
that moment it becomes alive.
What does that say about this life?
Are we here just to suffer through the strife?
Just to grit our teeth and lie,
just to prove we’re fit enough to survive?
Well I don’t know about you,
but the only thing that gets me through
is the thought that I am not alone,
is the thought that this is not my home.
You can say it’s delusions in my head,
but without ‘em I can’t get out of bed.
What does that say about my life,
that I need meaning to survive?
Well maybe there are no bad desires,
and if there’s something you require,
maybe there’s a reason for that too.
Why’s it so hard for us to see that’s true?
I met him in the summertime.
Our aching bodies intertwined.
We spoke of all we’d ever dreamed.
We said we’d do it as a team.
For the sake of the team we tore apart
pieces of ourselves and our own hearts,
and this we never got above.
What does that say about our love?
Was it all delusions in our heads?
For the moment I can’t get out of bed
cause the question’s driving me insane.
But in a world of suffering and pain,
how can I complain?
I was born crying in a world that’s falling down,
I’m still smiling but it’s only to mask this frown
cause everything I see is turning red,
is it all delusions in my head?
Maybe it’s not what it seems to be,
cause the best things in life are still free.
My gratitude swells like the sea
when I think of all they still can’t sell me:
Thank you sunshine,
thank you rain,
thank you laughter
thank you pain,
thank you shade of green and blue,
thank you strength that pulled me through,
thank you those who cursed my name,
thank you beast I couldn’t tame,
thank you distant rolling thunder,
thank you my long list of blunders,
thank you evening owl calling,
thank you wilderness still sprawling,
thank you good but sad refrain,
thank you everything I can’t explain,
and motivating hunger,
thank you endless sense of wonder,
and even on those days I feel insane,
thank you what I became,
thank you what I became.
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16. |
Reprise
07:12
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Kristen Leigh North Carolina
North Carolina native Kristen Leigh's music blurs the lines between genres and styles, drawing from a diverse range of influences to produce unique, folk-based compositions with orchestral arrangements that are at once playful, provocative, and prophetic. Her emotionally honest lyrics explore themes like vulnerability, poverty, grief, redemption, disillusionment, courage, love, and defiant hope. ... more
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