1. |
What Life Was All About
02:54
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What Life Is All About
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
Chorus: a little bit of moonbeam
a little bit of starlight
a little bit of lovin’
to keep you warm at night
you stare at the skies
you tell a few lies
that’s what life was, what life was all about
what life was all about
V1: lakeside
was the right place
for takin’ a little stroll
sundown
was the prime time
for you to let the good times roll
V2: magic
was that moment
for looking into her eyes
young love
that’s so precious
with some luck was the bind that tied
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: look back at these heady days
and revel in their charm
the movie show, takin’ it slow
never did you any harm
it never did you harm
V3: one day
maybe Sunday
you got down on one knee
she said yes
as for the rest
who knew how long the rest would be
V4: 30 years
or maybe 50
seven grandkids on your lap
you finally find
a clue
to the question of ‘where it’s at’
Chorus:
Tag: what life is all about
September 7, 2022
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2. |
One More Step
03:30
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One More Step
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: the tender silence
of a shroud of fallen snow
is broken only
by my heart beats loud and slow
I can’t say who will find
my footprints left behind
leading back to where I do not know
Chorus: one more step toward my tomorrow
one more hour of the night
one more mile to close the distance
one more step to be holding you tight
V2: there was a burning
beyond doorways I have passed
there was salvation
but I knew it would not last
our fingers almost touch
I want it oh so much
but the world is turning oh so fast
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: in the darkness of the hour
in the shadow of regret
feel the pull of unseen power
I’m the strongest I've felt yet
V3: the sunset fades out
one more time below the rim
the winter wind sounds
out a dirge or solemn hymn
I have no fear of death
no place is my final rest
just another day at Nature’s whim
Chorus (2X):
March 17, 2023
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3. |
Being Young, Having Fun
03:07
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Being Young Having Fun
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: dancing on the silver moonlight
bouncing off the stars
flying ‘cross the universes
wondering who we are
kicking stones on Mercury and
playing tag with Mars
splashing through the Milky Way and
acting like it’s ours
Chorus: having fun
with no sun in our eyes
feeling right
cutting night down to size
playing late
though it may not be so wise
after the prize
V2: running raging river rapids
surfing giant waves
climbing all the mountain tops and
making like we’re brave
skiing down the Himalayas
though the risks are grave
arteries pump adrenaline
for all the thrills we crave
Chorus:
Break:
V3: sliding on both polar caps
with penguins on the move
we dive the Marianas Trench
with nothing left to prove
zip line ‘cross the Golden Gate
with our mojo in the groove
filled with childlike awe and love
no down days can remove
Chorus:
Outro: having fun (3X)
March 12, 2023
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4. |
Childhood Things
02:37
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Childhood Things
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: the Ferris wheel stands frozen still
against November's light
its iron and steel a man-made hill
to launch young hopes in flight
V2: the midway sounds are long since gone
no vendor hawks his game
while love’s sweet song may echo on
its tune is not the same
Break:
Chorus: the carousel of life would turn
its mirrors whirl and horses churn
calliope music filled the air
yet magic’s no longer there
Break:
Bridge: childhood things
may all have happy endings
still as we grow
we come to know
it isn’t always so
Break:
V3: it’s sad we can’t go home again
rewind the years like string
but lives would play out just the same
those bells you can’t un-ring
Chorus:
Tag: calliope music may fill the air
but the magic’s no longer there
July 19, 2022
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5. |
Let Ours Be Love
03:46
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Let Ours Be Love
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: you make no promises
with sounds of your breathing
no words exchanged aloud
closed eyes unrevealing
yet I know love must be there
for I’d know it anywhere
all the beauty and the grace
brings smiles as night’s receding
Chorus: let ours be love and forever after
ringing with joy and peals of laughter
let our two hearts never know pain
of being apart…let ours be love
V2: I lie still watching you
in light from the window
kissed by sunshine’s touch
your skin makes the room glow
my eyes tear up while you sleep
as the morning begins to creep
my heart is mesmerized
knowing I still adore you so
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: and so I make my wish in haste
that love might never be misplaced
but found between us every day
in every way…my sleeping beauty
V3: now we are both awake
your look I’ll not forget
you love me too so much
lacking fear of regret
your eyes are fixed on me
in their silent reverie
I cannot escape my fate
in this our loving duet
Chorus:
Outro (2X): let ours be love
let ours be love and forever after
let ours be love
February 9, 2023
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6. |
Roulette
02:32
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Roulette
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: green velvet
wheel spinning
fates resting on the outcome
white knuckles
grip tables
tense minds have all but grown numb
V2: obsessed by
a number
you snap your finger and thumb
no turning
away now
resolved to let your luck run
Chorus: lay your money down
buy yourself a chance
quiver with the thrill
you watch the wheel advance...
to double zero
Break:
V3: beguiled by
the croupier
who sets the ball in motion
bet your life
against the house
without signs of emotion
V4: with each spin
you pay your dues
to the gods of win or losing
your world turns
you miss the clue
the fault lies in your choosing
Chorus (2X):
Tag: You watch the wheel advance…
To double zero
Outro: you watch your life hit……
double zero...double zero…double zero
November 24, 2022 (Modified 7-12-23)
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7. |
Time and Place
03:41
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Time and Place
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: there is innocence when you’re younger
and a place deep inside for belief
there is room in your soul for true loving
and a strength there for conquering grief
V2: there’s a time in life you’ll be wanting
and with luck time for having things too
in the scheme there’s a place for thriving
but some knocks you will take coming through
Break:
Chorus: time and place
and perhaps no trace
of the footprints you leave in the sand
you play and you chose
you win or you lose, funny
it won’t go like you plan
Break:
V3: there’s a special place you’ll remember
and a time you can never forget
words you wish you had said but didn’t
words you said that you’ll always regret
Chorus:
Break:
V4: then your gaze will fix on each other
and it’s clear you both look the same
be content with your lives on average
knowing each helped to harbor the flame
Chorus (2X):
Outro: time and place, funny
it won’t seem to go like you plan
February 24, 2023
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8. |
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A One-Way Ticket to the End of Time
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: close both your eyes
and visualize
the silence at the end of existence
you hug the ledge
as you reach the edge
drawing back at life’s insistence
Chorus 1: you’ve got a one way ticket
you’re ridin’ to the end of time
it’s not a well-kept secret
you’re gonna have some hills to climb
V2: there’s no way down
you can’t get around
your fear overcomes persistence
so you camp out
wallow in your doubt
giving in to life’s subsistence
Chorus 1:
Break:
V3: yet this bitter pill
soon bends to the will
as you summon up strength of resistance
your race not done
but only begun
you’ve got to have the guts to go the distance
Chorus 2: you’ve got a one-way ticket
better make the most of time
a lonely one-way ticket
gotta do it on your own dime
Outro: you’ve got a one-way ticket
a lonely one-way ticket
you’ve got a one-way ticket to the end of time
you’ve got a one-way ticket to the end of time
you’ve got a one-way ticket
June 23, 2023
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9. |
A Simple Yes
03:32
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A Simple Yes
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
Chorus: a simple yes will do
just a simple nod to loving you
a single yes will see us through
I’m in love with you
don’t cha love me too?
V1: I once was but a man whose heart was hollow
who thought life hadn’t any point at all
a shallow man without a cause to follow, oh no,
marking time at my personal wailing wall
V2: no words to share, my face showed scant emotion
until you looked my way and caught my eye
you touched my soul and put my world in motion, oh yeah,
renewed my faith and gave me strength to try
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: sometimes life treats you rough
and makes you feel you’ve had enough
you think the stars have crossed
and sealed your fate
when a single look tells you
it’s not too late
V1: I once was but a man whose heart was hollow
who thought life hadn’t any point at all
a shallow man without a cause to follow, oh no,
marking time at my personal wailing wall
V3: now I’ve got a song that’s worth the singing
a poem worth putting down upon the page
a gift to give that’s worthy of the bringing, oh yeah,
a passion to unleash from sorrow’s cage.
Chorus 2X:
Tag: I’m in love with you
don’tcha love me too?
August 14, 2018
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10. |
She's Got What You Need
03:31
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She’s Got What You Need
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: beneath a sky
of perfect blue
to the edge of imagination
she's grown with care
a bloom so rare
she's an irresistible temptation
Chorus: so difficult to tame
she puts the rose to shame
her thorns might make you bleed
but she’s got what you need
what you need
V2: with petals like
a gleaming stone
‘round an orb of diamond's glimmer
in world’s dark night
she shines so bright
setting face aglow and eyes a shimmer
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: rain-soaked and wind-shaken
sun-drenched and nurtured
tall-stemmed and broad-leafed
open-armed and cultured
V3: she’ll break your heart
from seed to bloom
but she’ll come around with patience
and when she gleams
you'll know it means
she’ll fill up your life with radiance
Chorus:
Outro: she’s got what you need
she’s got what you need
what you need
November 22, 2022
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11. |
These Days
03:52
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These Days
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: wake up in the early gray morning
work hard ‘til the middle of night
my life just teeters on a shoestring
God knows if the tunnel has light
Chorus: these days it’s a rock or a hard place
these days it’s broken back
these days it’s a bucket of sorrows
these days it’s a train off track
Short Break:
V2: pickaxe is a tool of my trade now
soft hands are a thing of the past
drink hard ‘til the numbness takes over
or long as my money can last
Chorus:
Longer Break:
Bridge: sometimes I get so low
rent monies come and go
doesn’t leave me much to drink and eat
bills pile up so high
I’m so tired of asking why
a man of talent can’t make ends meet
V3: days off are a blur of exhaustion
guitar’s all the solace I get
write songs just cataloging heartaches
ain’t sold me a winner yet
Chorus (2X):
Tag: these days it’s a bucket of sorrows
these days it’s a train off track
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12. |
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What Else is There to Say
Words by Frederick Michaels, music by Joe Peters
V1: sleepless in the calm of night
eyes affixed to stars so bright
wondering where the truth has gone
the truth has gone at last
was it fear that broke its will
I ponder in the dark so still
wondering if it’s gone to hide
to hide within the past
Chorus: it takes my breath away, away
it takes my breath away
what else is there to say, to say
what else is there to say
V2: did I do all I could do
defending that which had been true
I wonder what more there might be
there might be to have done
I’ve ideas scarce enough to count
how much if any more amount
my effort might have tipped the scale
tipped it so truth had won
Chorus:
Break:
Bridge: the family of stars may be trillions-fold
and I am not even two
yet like the stars in the universe
my fellow men will shine true, shine through
V3: sleepless in the calm of night
eyes affixed to stars so bright
I wonder what the truth will be
the truth will be at last
let’s start again to court what's true
and build a world that’s right anew
I wonder how long it can run
how long the truth holds fast
Chorus (x2)
Tag: to say
what else is there to say
September 1, 2022
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13. |
Wanderlust Blues
04:18
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14. |
This Time Has Come
03:03
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15. |
Sleepwalking
03:29
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16. |
The Space Between Clouds
03:53
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17. |
The Refuge
03:59
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18. |
Ones and Zeros
03:25
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19. |
Nature's Acts of Wrath
04:11
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20. |
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21. |
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22. |
Brick by Brick
04:04
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23. |
Solitary
04:21
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24. |
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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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