1. |
Searching
03:40
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Middle of a storm you still can find the sun
Where do you think the rainbow’s coming from?
Even darkest midnight gives way to starlight
When your heartstrings spring into a sudden run
Searching for your own style
Take a rest stop awhile
Feel your soul refreshed
When dark thoughts arise
Let love’s spark surprise
And gather in what life has blessed
BREAK
Listen to the music play within your mind
Drawing you to find magnetic hills to climb
Reaching through the mist to unexpected views
Leave your clouds of pain and troubling doubts behind
Searching for your own style
Take a rest stop awhile
Feel your soul refreshed
When dark thoughts arise
Let love’s spark surprise
And gather in what life has blessed
Middle of a storm you still can find the sun
Middle of a storm you still can find the sun
Middle of a storm you still can find the sun
Middle of a storm you still can find the sun
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2. |
My Gray Heart
03:22
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V1: darkness in denial
drains all vitality
seed of my aging
gives birth to my pain
youth ever fleeting
my heart’s still beating
my mind still raging
for new dawn to reign
Chorus: sundown has taken my breath away
sunrise restores my frayed soul
night like a thief
slinks off to my relief
my gray heart, once again, turns to gold
V2: hope on the night wind
sealed after midnight
hasten the coming
of my life renewed
lips of the promise
whisper the future
child ever wanting
no longer excused
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: still the night rolls on
and everything seems wrong
when will the spark of sun ignite day’s blaze
V3: she creeps so brilliant
over the horizon
lighting my vision
of scenes yet to come
darkness has vanished
old woman banished
life’s my decision
a new day’s begun
Chorus:
Tag: my gray heart once again turns to gold 3X
As-Recorded 2022
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3. |
Brick by Brick
04:04
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V1: I used to think
we knew one another
but what we knew
was not much at all
we drew a line
kept brother from brother
but then that line, then that line
became a wall
Chorus 1: brick by brick we seek divide
behind our walls we duck and hide
we bury harmony inside
until it dies
and none of us knows why, none of us knows why
V2: we used to meet
in all the right places
that make for friends
and maybe much more
but now our times
are hiding our faces
and all our joys, all our joys
are locked behind doors
Chorus 1:
Break:
Bridge: all the cash we spend
won’t make what was then
what we have again today
can goodwill find a way
V3: our visions fade
for something that’s better
yet there might be hope
despite all this strife
let’s turn around
and get it together
stand in the wind, stand in the wind
hold fast to life
Chorus 2: brick by brick let’s tear it down
bury the pieces in the ground
pavers of concord to Everytown
until hate dies, until hate dies
and we’re the reason why, and we’re the reason why
Tag: brick by brick (3X)
As-Recorded 2022
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4. |
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V1: Tuesday morning I am waking
with the ground beneath me shaking
as the dozers patch the potholes
breakfast cooks on red hot charcoals
V2: these tent cities yield me shelter
winter’s cold and summer's swelter
no one cares if we go hungry
haven’t eaten much since Sunday
Chorus: living life here on the street
all my dreams go incomplete
watch the future pass me by
tell me why, oh why, don’t you cry
V3: fought in ‘Nam and beat back Saddam
chased bin Laden ‘til we got him
Afghan war took our last valor
jobless now we live in squalor
Chorus:
Break:
Resolution: centurions stand a post when demanded of
we duck our heads and pray to God above
we fight for what we all believe
go back to thanks we all receive
then we're homeless in the country that we love
Chorus:
Tag: living life here on the street…
As-Recorded 2022
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5. |
Solitary
04:21
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V1: beyond the mountain peaks
gold grasses make their stand
the clouds like dappled pearls
puffed steam leaked on demand
Pre-Chorus 1: and I cannot help but think about
the author of this plan
life is made more of a gift
for this solitary man
Chorus: solitary man…solitary man
since my time began…a solitary man
V2: I’ve walked to here alone
to watch the sun go down
I found a quiet peace
not a single soul around
Pre-Chorus 2: and I cannot help but wonder now
how short is one lifespan
all there is to see and learn
for one solitary man
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: the secrets of the universe lie deep within the soul
in solitude I search the dark while shivering in the cold
a tiny flicker or nascent spark would light my grabbing hold
of the truths I would behold, the truths I could behold
V3: outside my vision scheme
trees stand and rivers flow
songs come so naturally
words all the children know
Pre-Chorus 3: and I cannot help but sing them out
as I now understand
one can be alone and yet not be
just a solitary man
Chorus:
Tag: solitary man…solitary man
solitary man, part of the plan
As-Recorded 2022
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6. |
Magnifying Glasses
03:24
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V1: sitting on the top of a mountain
contemplating space and time
pink unicorns and fairytale greens
filling my mind up with rhymes
V2: I study all the doings beneath me
seeing how you all survive
day after day there you tally the losses
I’m thankful I’m still alive
Chorus: I sleep at night with my mind in dreams
the visions are offered in muted extremes
magnifying glasses help look past the seams
but the tears in the fabric remain
Break;
Bridge: now I used to be a man
just following a plan
many others had laid out for me
but I cashed my ticket in
said goodbye with a grin
it's on the outside that I wanna be
V3: technicolor vistas surround me
society is all black and white
it all turns to gray when determining the winners
you can’t tell the day from night
V1 Repeat:
Chorus:
Tag: magnifying glasses help look past the seams
but the tears in the fabric remain
the tears in the fabric remain
the tears in the fabric...
As-Recorded 2022
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7. |
Write Your Words Down
04:00
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V1: climb a high peak
grab a piece of God’s heaven
watch it drain your fingers
like a fist full of sand
might be deadly sins
which last count numbered seven
or your frailty of belief
roots your feet where you stand
Chorus 1: live a good life
find a good wife
raise a family and be a good neighbor
stay to the plan
give God a hand
and make heaven the fruit of your labor
V2: call a wind down
from on high in the Rockies
hurry your horizons
clear of unhappy gloom
quit your earthly burdens
love can wash clean your bodies
and open up your eyes
to see the man in the moon
Chorus 2: quote the good book
get a phrase hooked
set a metaphor down ‘for you lose it
sing the verse tight
the melody bright
and wallow in fame if you choose it
Break:
V3: feel your heart fill
with the joys of the sunrise
everything awake
to the world of the day
mountain top vistas
or wherever the wind flies
tomorrow is the gift
holding boredom at bay
Chorus 3: write your words down
capture the sound
of a howling lone wolf in the meadow
a creature apart
pours out his heart
yet runs away in from his shadow
Tag: write your words down (6X)
As-Recorded 2022
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8. |
Houses Come & Go
03:08
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V1: no newspaper on the doorstep
no doorstep out in the road
where I played games in my bedroom
the semis now tote their loads
Chorus: houses come, houses go
highways they go on and on
they put them down deep in the ground
once the homes in the way are gone
V2: my childhood home had just vanished
new asphalt is straight and true
you stand in the way of progress
it’ll pave a road right over you
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: I always wanted to be like the Jetsons
with highways a’plenty up high in thin air
then flying back home to my humble abode
yields a chance that it might still be there
V3: dad moved us all to the desert
out near Phoenix in Fall ‘52
a village paved with only two-lanes
not much to put a highway through
V4: I was ten when we left Arizona
made it back there in Spring ‘86
the house where I’d spent all those summers
highway builders had bulldozed to bits
Chorus (2X):
Tag: ooh ooh, ooh ooh
homes are gone
ooh ooh, ooh ooh
homes are gone
As-Recorded 2022
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9. |
Whirlwind in My Heart
03:22
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10. |
There's an Old Suitcase
03:02
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V1: there’s an old suitcase
that I put some place
in the summer of '72
and I sure wouldn’t mind it
if I could find it
I could spend a little time with you
V2: it was beat up leather
and it held that treasure of
the love that we almost knew
it had its handle loose
and it wasn’t much use
‘cept for savin’ up my dreams of you
Chorus: now I ain’t much to see, but I’m livin’ rent-free
in a Golden Age retirement community
my life’s not half bad, after all I’ve had,
but I miss your little kiss the way it used to be
V3: I drove a '63 Ford
that I paid cash for
even though I knew the rent was due
we took highway 84
to the Jersey shore
so I could walk the beach at night with you
V4: you were blond haired and dimpled
so we just kept it simple
boy and girlin’, that was all we knew
there was no goin’ steady
‘cause we just weren’t ready
kid you let me get away from you
Chorus:
Break:
V5: now it feels like forever
and I just don’t remember
but I seem to think your eyes were blue
you had a lovely face
and I’ve lost all trace
of the beauty I recall was you
V6: there’s an old suitcase
that I put some place
just so I could catch a glimpse of you
sprung a latch it seems
holdin’ too many dreams
but they’re all I’ve got to see me through
Chorus:
Tag: there’s an old suitcase...
in a long lost place...
there’s an old suitcase...
now where did I put that case?
As-Recorded 2022
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11. |
Life in Imitation
03:49
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V1: time
I had the time
but I let it fall away
love I had just yesterday
like a song
I had a voice
but our lives got in the way
so the music didn’t stay
Chorus 1: just like my hand, you were part of me
the whole heart of me, my burning ember
now all I can do is to catch the past
why it didn’t last, I can’t remember
V2: you
my love was you
who gave me empathy
you left just memory
and I know
I got it wrong
there‘s no indemnity
for being one’s own enemy
Chorus 2: no light of love still sustaining me
there's no ecstasy, just bare sensation
so deep in the night dreams are all the same
all my life became just imitation
Break:
Bridge: and the lyrics speak to me
of what love could have been
while the music lies and says
you will always remember when
V3: time
I had the time
like blue bird’s morning song
I had a voice so strong
you
my love was you
and now I know it’s gone
I got it all so wrong
Chorus 2:
Tag: deep in the night
dreams are all the same
all my life became just imitation
As-Recorded 2022
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12. |
Only Time Will Tell
03:22
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V1: my direction is set
by the rising of the moon
the road ahead is straight
and I got me a tune
I can hear the future call
if I’m making one at all
only time will tell where I might ever be
Chorus: ‘cause I won’t know where I’m going ‘til I get there
I don’t like making choices in advance
if you want to come along
pack a guitar and a song
we’ll make music on the way when there’s a chance
V2: I can toss me a coin
catch a slow freight to the west
or thumb a highway south
maybe grab a little rest
crash in back of a truck
if I’m having me some luck
only time will tell where I might ever be
Chorus: ‘cause I won’t know where I’m going ‘til I get there
I don’t like making choices in advance
if you want to come along
pack a mouth harp and a song
we’ll make music on the way when there’s a chance
Break: (Verse chords and mouth harp)
V3: should conditions get tight
I might do a little work
flip a burger or two
or maybe be a soda jerk
but I’ll never stay for long
make a buck or two - I’m gone
only time will tell where I might ever be
Tag: only time will tell where I might ever be
only time will tell where I might ever be
only time will tell where I might ever be
only time will tell...
Coda: my direction is set by the rising of the moon...
As-Recorded 2022
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13. |
Bell Crossing
02:07
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14. |
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15. |
Sweet Apple Blossom Wine
03:05
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V1: I once met a girl
and my life stood still
her tender words
restored my will
idle feelings rose
and new dreams fulfilled
all because I met a girl
Chorus: sweet apple blossom wine
like the girl I once
was blessed to find
sweet apple blossom wine
is so fine...is so fine
V2: she opened a door
and I let love in
poetry rekindled
like a second skin
openness restored
freeing thoughts within
all because she opened a door
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: life is much like wine
yields sweetness in its time
you cannot rush the fermentation
it takes a lot of love
and help from God above
to fill your cup with pure elation
Repeat V1:
Chorus (2X):
As-Recorded 2022
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16. |
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V1: the soft bells of Amarante
ring sweetly to greet the noon
in its peaceful quiet
you enjoy local diet
to its charms you’re not a least bit immune
V2: the paving stones of Amarante
like in thousands of cities and towns
are worn by the years
of history’s tears
and the weight of life pressing them down
Chorus: If Amarante could tell
of the magical spell
the song of Portugal casts every night
its strains will make you sway
and dance your cares away
at least ‘til dawn awakens morning light
V3: the town square in Amarante
full of people you’d sure love to know
walking by the cafe
you chose for lunch today
you study how they come and how they go
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: Portugal can leave you
breathless and dazed
with her history, her color and wine
you’ll surely be drawn in
by her soul on the wind
it makes you crave to stay a long time
V4: so take a journey to Amarante
make a point to pack a friendly smile
if you do they’ll smile back
and there’s nothing you'll lack
once they know you’ll be staying a while
Chorus:
Tag: take a journey to Amarante (2X)
Amarante no seu Portugal (2X)
As Recorded 2022
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17. |
Family in Wintertime
02:32
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INTRO
We are stringing red cranberries
In between white puffs of popcorn
On the outside, ice storm’s scary
Inside bright sparking logs warm
BREAK
Sipping wines and eggnog drinks
While feeling fine and fully fed
Once we’ve tucked the little ones
All tight inside their quilted beds
BRIDGE
That’s my favorite picture
I carry all around in my mind
Every year when I remember
Family in winter, family in winter, family in wintertime
All the family pictures in wintertime
My favorite pictures of family in wintertime
INSTRUMENTAL TAG
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18. |
The Fix It Song
03:01
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19. |
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V1: I don’t often
look over my shoulder
I have no use
for all that might have been
I’m fond of memories
as I grow older
but know I’d do things
just the same
if I did them all again
V2: some live their lives
in quiet desperation
some burn their fuse
out halfway round the earth
I’ll take my shots
in life’s full iterations
won’t always win but
what the hell
if I’ve played it for all it’s worth
Chorus: life’s a song I still sing
through the wind and the rain
‘til the sun comes back again
there'll be pain and maybe fun
but I’ll take it as it comes
I’m sure as hell not done
Break:
V3: this precious time
flows onward ever faster
life slips away
before you know it’s gone
don’t let the chimes
ring out to mark its passing
without having lived
life to the max
and not just carried on
Chorus:
Tag: I may be old and life’s no fun
but I’ll take it as it comes
I’m sure as hell not done
sure as hell...
As-Recorded 2022
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20. |
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V1: a quick snap of heavy white frost
glazes an old, fertile expanse
it lays out a shroud over memory
recalling one’s steps, now just random chance... random chance
V2: you turn your fixed gaze at the dawn
staring at miles, mile after mile
refusing goodbyes to reality
immersed in the play, heroic with style... heroic with style
Chorus: back home is where you belong
summon up the strength to go on
the last bit of hope is not gone
don’t let the silence sing its song
in light of day you’ll prove it wrong
Break:
Bridge: tomorrow is nothing
but yesterday's child
a deck shuffled and cut
the cards palmed all the while
but you win by refusing to play
V3: sunshine melting off the frost
friendship and family, under your arms
you cross the bridge back to the light
reprieved from the night, and all of its harms... all of its harms
Chorus:
Tag: don’t let the silence sing its song
don’t let the silence sing its song
don’t let the silence sing...
As-Recorded 2022
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21. |
Love Lives On
04:47
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V1: If you look into my eyes,
I’m no lover in disguise.
Heartache seems to be my only friend.
As each Monday comes around
and you're nowhere to be found,
broken hearted blues just never end.
Chorus: Our love may be a faded rose.
My friends say that’s the way it goes,
Am I the only one who knows
that love’s spark isn’t gone...love lives on!
V2: Endless walks beside the bay
(as life’s seconds tick away)
aren't helping me to get over you.
And I try not to be beat —
pack it in, admit defeat —
giving up is something I can’t do.
Chorus:
Break:
V3: Was this all beyond the pale,
or some wished for fairytale,
I imagined once I felt your glow?
Was I likely to be found
with my feet both off the ground,
thinking I could make you love me so?
Chorus:
Tag: Love lives on, love lives on, love lives on. (3X)
Love lives on, love...lives... on!
As-Recorded 2022
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Joe Peters/The Joedai Warriors Walnut Creek, California
Joe Peters is an American singer-songwriter who has released a dozen CDs of original music since 1998. Joe grew up in the Midwest during the late 60s and early 70s, and his songs hearken back to a time when young people sought the experience of peace, love and adventure and expressed this search in their music. Joe has moved to the Bay Area of California, where he continues to write and perform. ... more
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