home    news    bio    reviews    lyrics    classes    tour    store    photos    links    contact   from the album Concrete World and the Lover's Dream I Ain't Got No Reason To Lie To You Song About The Affair I Am Not Having Special Delivery Concrete World and the Lover's Dream Liar's Day Fall Sunday River from the album Braille Buddahs On the Road In Bloom Walk Down the Road Juanita Braille Tattoo The Ballad of Mary Magdelene Roof of Rain Me and the Piper No Regrets from the album Concrete World and the Lover's Dream I Ain't Got No Reason To Lie To You Daniel come down off your mountain With your desert eyes, do the visions taunt you You got a mouth full of stone gone to ivory ash You wake cold and bitter boned To grind and gnash And I ain't got no reason to lie to you Daniel I know you hoe a row of stone You got a pretty little desert flower But you leave her alone Solitude was your solace There in your desert She came to me for water Slaked her thirst in the present And I ain't got no reason to lie to you Daniel you never show what you're after You dealt from the back of the pack Now the hand you hold is disaster You were faithful and true Except when you were cheating The mirror fakes your reflection Lets you go on fleeing And I ain't got no reason to lie to you - return to songlist - Song About the Affair I Am Not Having Go ahead and tell that lie Your heart has news But your tongue is tied Sometimes it snows And it's such a surprise Like when love falls And you're not ready I am guilty of being the other woman Making angels in the snow This one causes all the trouble And this one knows she should let you go This wing of winter has no right to Call your name I tried to fly, tried to be wise But then the snowfall came Give me one star to wish upon One hundred summer nights Or give me enough snow to cover This thing that is so bright By this time tomorrow I would be the devil's wife But if the devil knew this longing He would lead a different life This house of winter Has no right to call your name Thirty below wind chills the bone And I'm bursting into flame - return to songlist - Special Delivery I am not the first one caught In the mailbox with the postman I am not the first one caught Sending out a letter to you Wouldn't you like to know just What it says? Wouldn't you like to read my letter? Wouldn't you like to know what it read? Every word is written in red I can see you tumbling through the air, Like an acrobat I can see you landing on your feet Special delivery - just like that It is not that blue suit It is not even those little shorts More the way you dodge the dogs and Circumnavigate the downspouts Rain or wind or sleet or hail Man we sure have seen some weather Wouldn't you like to see my garden and Spend a little green together? Wouldn't you like to read my letter? Wouldn't you like to see just what it says? Wouldn't you like to read my letter? Every word is written in red I'm gonna mail myself a letter I'm gonna daub myself with glue Stick a stamp on the top of my head I'm gonna mail myself to you - return to songlist - Concrete World and the Lover's Dream Two birds sitting in a tree Neither one wants to sing to me One won't speak and one won't say And this is the world that we have made This is the world that we have made Don't ask me if it's too late Two birds sitting in a tree One is blind and the other can't see One has a bow and one has a blade And this is the world that we've made Take these wings and mend these things The concrete world and the lover's dream Two birds up on that hill One won't fly but the other will One will fly and one will fall But what happens to one Will happen to all - return to songlist - Liar's Day On Liar's Day, The sky is showing its ripped up clouds, Its torn up shoes/ The wind is searching Through the tenements and barrios For something it can use And Jesus says, "Hey, what's this dead-end street?" And Lilly says, "I ain't got enough to eat" And the recruits in suits say, "you want to try something sweet?" And they call it heaven, all the roses Nearer my God to thee (My country ิtis of thee) Out in the desert, that's when you know That you've paid the liar's fee, mmm Sure you've got a choice, nowhere or somewhere Somewhere if you can make it back from there Well Lilly signs up and ships out & writes "Mom it's my birthday, I Just turned 21, me & my gun" Hey little sister, don't you follow me Hey little sister this war is a disease They took the ghetto And they shipped it over seas One nation- under God/This mission is to kill and rob Three thousand dead is a tragedy One hundred thousand's called a casualty. Casual to who? Not to me On Liar's Day, the rain is falling Like ticker tape on the American parade Confetti on the homecoming soldiers Except for the ones that we just threw away - return to songlist - Fall To every rock & wall Made by some loving hand Made with some loving plan To every rock & wall I say stay, won't you stay To every rock and wall That holds a foundation down And helps a strong soul stand their ground To every rock and wall I say stay, Won't you stay To every rock and wall that keeps the system in its place That keeps racism in its race To every rock and wall I say fall, fall, fall One more hand reaching over Build the House together, plant for summer Come build the temple come build the cathedral That holds the whole night sky And all of its people To every rock & wall That keeps a farmer from their land That keeps a loved one from their kin That keeps a friend from a friend To every rock & wall I say fall, fall, fall To every rock & wall - return to songlist - Sunday River Sunday River How many poems have you delivered? How many letters? How many dreams? How many words of love in your stream? Sunday River How many regrets have you received? Current of confession, sinking of sin How much sadness can you take in? Wash me clean I am just the country, I am just the land I had no intention like what they have planned I would live in peace, my soil is for good I am so misunderstood Sunday River The reeds at your edge are bent in prayer Silver fish and a drowsy sun And a happy little girl is playing there Well they fashion me up with guns And they fashion me up with tanks But every little girl is like the one At your banks Wash me clean Sunday River Moses was a whipporwill Sunday River, when I called He flew right up my hill Sunday River I said it once But I'm saying it still Thou shalt not kill - return to songlist - from the album Braille Buddhas On The Road Today I have woken up happy with the sun's hair hanging down though its a long drive between anywhere and any other town but if home is where the heart is then my heart is in the hands of all the smiling people who are any where I am Anywhere I am, anywhere I go from the saddest little smile to the hardest place I know any where I am anywhere I go love is meant to find us and that is all I know All these Buddhas on the road you couldn't kill 'em if you tried they'd just bring you tea and honey walk you to the other side the jolly waitress at the deli just want s to get my sandwich right the little trucker who is laughing as he rolls into the night There's nothing like a meditation on all the applause so definitely missing as though we need a cause the performance of the lonely the performance of the poor who is there to clap for them who know the art of the closed door Today I have woken up happy though in the past I've known dispair and I'm on a first hand basis with disillusion and I've climbed its every stair but my friends are all like beacons like the sun's hair hanging down and it gives me hope for everyone in every little town - return to songlist - In Bloom Some doors are open and some are made of glass and some slowly turn to sand and you find them slipping out of your hands and some doors are when the trees bind over my head and do I dare to walk through to where the handle of the sun opens the garden of you Who is knocking at my heart who is knocking at my heart who is knocking at my heart? Some doors are made of silence and some doors are made of language and some doors have no key but this garden has no gate it just grows memories These days are secret, kept in the frame of the sky and the steps leading to all that blue is where you'll find me waiting Who is knocking at my heart... in bloom. - return to songlist - Walk Down The Road Walking down the long road, I got my winter coat on There's a heavy wind a blowin', but my wings they are strong Will you walk down the road with me? Will you walk down the road with me? Will you sit at home in your tears and moan Or will you walk down the road with me Did you see the stars out last night or did you watch you TV screen? Well I'm feverish with nightmare and you tell me it's a dream I stood outside your window and I called you out by name There's an old crow out a-flyin' and he might just do the same My old boots are wearing thin and the dark is falling fast But I can't move on ahead until I've followed up the past Wake up child this morning throw you door open wide You can sit lonely in your kitchen or come dance with me outside - return to songlist - Juanita That Juanita, she sure looks good when she's out on the dance floor she's the queen of the neighborhood when she's out on the dance floor she says Take me dancing- I can spin with the equator at my hips and the San Andreas fault is my fault the way I shake this ship all you girls with your high heels, well I bet you wish that you were in my ay ay ay Overalls That Juanita, she is not tall, not close to thin, no shade of white that Juanita has got it all, on this and every other night: Take me dancing- I can spin. What do you think makes the moon go by? and the San Andreas fault- that was just a little something I did on the sly all you girls in your high heels, I bet you're wishing that you were in my ay ay ay Overalls That Juanita, she can't sit down, she's worn out everyone in town teases the women, laughs at the boys the sound of her feet is a joyful noise Take me dancing, I can spin: here comes the horizon now and all this sweat that's on my skin is juke box rain from its happy cloud all you girls in your high heels bet you're wishing now that you were in my ay ay ay Overalls - return to songlist - Braille I have gathered all this distance from the height called falling down and from this lowland place I can reach mountains hidden in my hands although the falcon has her point of view she can never know the land the way the blind do I'm going to take this chance with my eyes closed and the let the Braille of the wind be the sign to every road 'cause every path comes to that part where there's the old growth and the new start that's where the sky has skin like incense and that makes all the difference You want to know what I've been weeding in the lowland garden's lonely years his eyes full of love that lost their way and never found me here although the bittern has her point of view I've looked into that cage and I've rattled in that rage I'm going to take this chance with my eyes closed and the let the Braille of the wind be the sign to every road 'cause every path comes to that pa rt where there's the old growth and the new start that's where the sky has skin like incense and that makes all the difference You want to know what's so important about reading maps raised up like hills? You can memorize each contour line and still get lost in touch like a true lover will I saw a hummingbird at five thousand feet tempted by the trumpet vine and blinded by the heat I'm going to take this chance with my eyes closed and let the Braille of the wind be the sign to every road 'cause every path comes to that part where there's the old growth and the new start that's where the sky has skin like incense and that makes all the difference - return to songlist - Tattoo I saw him in the rear view mirror moving fast between the cars hair shorn to silver tattoos underneath his scars the bankers and the lawyers sitting smugly in the cars maybe they despise him he's better at that then they are You think that nobody cares just because, just because they seem like they don't care you think that nobody cares just because, just because they act like they don't care I've seen guys like him before maybe he's just full of pain maybe he's like they are just trying to run away maybe he's like I am everybody feels betrayed I think all about these things as much as I think about you The accident was no surprise everybody knows the odds but the people leaping from their cars who risked their lived to run across and people ripping their fine clothes to stop the blood and stop the loss the perfect woman on the perfect phone shouting she would pay the cost and some people were crying some singing him a lullaby and no one was afraid to love and no one was a afraid to try And I think I know you now - return to songlist - The Ballad of Mary Magdalene My name is Mary Magdalene I come from Palestine please excuse these rags I'm in I've fallen on hard times Long ago I had my work when I was in my prime but I gave it up, and all for love it was his career or mine Jesus loves me, this I know why on earth did I ever let him go he was always faithful and always kind but he walked off with this heart of mine I remember nights we spent whispering our creed our rituals, our sacraments the stars our canopy there beneath an olive tree we offered up our plea God's creation, innocent his arms surrounding me Love like this comes but once this I do believe I'll not see his likes again as I live and breath and I'm sorry if I might offend but I will never see how the tenderness I shared with him became a heresy - return to songlist - Roof Of Rain Well I'm out here in the rain With a little sign where it says, "family of four- have you got money to spare?" she drives up like red mud then drives away fast and leaves me here with two dollars in my grasp, in my grasp The highway is full just one car per green I watch her red tail lights as they're spreading like a stain and her good luck wish could drown me as though good luck still remained I turn my back a little its hot under my shirt where the anger is rising and the shame is like dirt and the dirt is beneath every fairy tale wheel where the government blames you or signs some new deal She must've turned off the next exit and took the overpass all green and gray and ugly and then she took it back well my husband stands on that side black hair matted in the rain with a stop sign saying "4 of us- can you spare some change?" I watch her pass him and turn up the bridge with her wishes and her well as she pulls over by these on ramp lights that let you know you've entered hell "there's a shelter near" she tells me green is go and red is plain "just three weeks and you're out" I say and then your roof is made of rain behind her is her Starbuck's Computer Land and McDonalds the land of milk and excess where we have been forsaken there's a little tent under the freeway hidden by black plastic where my kids can't have it their way and only pray for traffic The highway is full full of rain and caught like red wine spreading on a white table cloth and after dinner she'll pause for me pour the salt for clean and luck brush the crumbs and move the memory and then she'll fold me up - return to songlist - Me and the Piper The ship's in the harbor the fruit's on the shore what can I do with this hunger at my door the view from the castle could make a rich man poor Coming all the way there were secrets in the soil there was sorrow in the bay coming all the way me and the piper and the price we've had to pay in every bite of food I can see my sun dark hand and the lies I've told myself ever since my time began well we've gathered what we've sown and now the poison's in the plan was it the same with you my love did I look the other way with my promises of sand and my heart just made of clay when you danced upon the land and I swept the earth away well if humans are like wind blown through history's door there is amazing grace that took hundreds back to shore I'm no stranger to regret but the grace can count one more Coming all the way there were secrets in the soil there was sorrow in the bay coming all the way me and the piper and the price we've had to pay Me and the piper and this song I've learned to pray: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. - return to songlist - No Regrets Well my father used to ride back in depression days no food in the pantry, but on the trails he felt like a king and he took me to the horse show once and from our seats we jumped the gates I don't know why I said I didn't like it I guess its too late No regrets that's what I want to do when I'm looking back over the moon Well my good friend said to me that she'd never lie and god knows I think that she really did try but some secrets are too deep some habits are too strong I though I was right to make her go but now I think maybe I'm wrong So I walk in summer pastures between all these rows of corn and we are bent with wind and listening to all those things being born and everything is dying and coming round again guess I'll have to say it now cause I couldn't say it then