American Pie
[Intro] A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they’d be happy for a while But February made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver Bad news on the doorstep I couldn’t take one more step I can’t remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride But something touched me deep inside The day the music died [Chorus:] So bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin' this’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die [Verse 1] Did you write the book of love And do you have faith in God above If the Bible tells you so? Now do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well, I know that you’re in love with him 'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym You both kicked off your shoes Man, I dig those rhythm and blues I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died [Chorus:] I started singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin' this’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die [Verse 2] Now for ten years we’ve been on our own And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone But that’s not how it used to be When the jester sang for the king and queen In a coat he borrowed from James Dean And a voice that came from you and me Oh, and while the king was looking down The jester stole his thorny crown The courtroom was adjourned No verdict was returned And while Lenin read a book on Marx The quartet practiced in the park And we sang dirges in the dark The day the music died [Chorus:] We were singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin' this’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die [Verse 3] Helter skelter in a summer swelter The birds flew off with a fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast It landed foul on the grass The players tried for a forward pass With the jester on the sidelines in a cast Now the halftime air was sweet perfume While the sergeants played a marching tune We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance 'Cause the players tried to take the field The marching band refused to yield Do you recall what was revealed The day the music died? [Chorus:] We started singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye And singin' this’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die [Verse 4] Oh, and there we were all in one place A generation lost in space With no time left to start again So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 'Cause fire is the devil’s only friend Oh, and as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in Hell Could break that Satan’s spell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight The day the music died [Chorus:] He was singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye And singin' this’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die [Outro] I met a girl who sang the blues And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away I went down to the sacred store Where I’d heard the music years before But the man there said the music wouldn’t play And in the streets, the children screamed The lovers cried and the poets dreamed But not a word was spoken The church bells all were broken And the three men I admire most The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost They caught the last train for the coast The day the music died [Chorus:] And they were singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin' this’ll be the day that I die This’ll be the day that I die [Chorus:] They were singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye And singin' this’ll be the day that I die
Till Tomorrow
What can this be, can you tell me? Would you like to discover why we’re not free To be lovers I’ve been wanting to ask you Where has all the love gone And what have we become Storm clouds full of thunder Move silent as they drum And when they’re gone we’ll be fine, till tomorrow Though I hope it won’t rain You will be mine And my sorrow Will take wings in the morning, High above the heavens A rainbow paints the sky White doves sing their songs of love I watch them as they fly And wonder what can this be Can you tell me Would you like to discover why we’re not free To be lovers
Vincent
Starry, starry night Paint your palette blue and gray Look out on a summer’s day With eyes that know the darkness in my soul Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and the daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills In colors on the snowy linen land Now I understand What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they did not know how Perhaps they’ll listen now Starry, starry night Flaming flowers that brightly blaze Swirling clouds in violet haze Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue Colors changing hue Morning fields of amber grain Weathered faces lined in pain Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand Now I understand What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they did not know how Perhaps they’ll listen now For they could not love you But still your love was true And when no hope was left in sight On that starry, starry night You took your life, as lovers often do But I could’ve told you Vincent This world was never meant for One as beautiful as you Starry, starry night Portraits hung in empty halls Frame-less heads on nameless walls With eyes that watch the world and can’t forget Like the strangers that you’ve met The ragged men in ragged clothes The silver thorn of bloody rose Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow Now I think I know What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they’re not listening still Perhaps they never will
Crossroads
I’ve got nothing on my mind, Nothing to remember, Nothing to forget. And I’ve got nothing to regret. But I’m all tied up on the inside, No one knows quite what I’ve got, And I know that on the outside What I used to be I’m not anymore. You know I’ve heard about people like me But I never made the connection. They walk one road to set them free And find they’ve gone the wrong direction. But there’s no need for turning back Cause all roads lead to where I stand; And I believe I’ll walk them all No matter what I may have planned. Can you remember who I was? Can you still feel it? Can you find my pain? Can you heal it? Then lay your hands upon me now And cast this darkness from my soul. You alone can light my way. You alone can make me whole Once again. We’ve walked both sides of every street Through all kinds of windy weather; But that was never our defeat As long as we could walk together. So there’s no need for turning back Cause all roads lead to where we stand; And I believe we’ll walk them all No matter what we may have planned.
Winterwood
No one can take your place with me And time has proven that I’m right There’s no place I’d rather be Than at your place for the night No time can pass your sight unseen No moment steals away unfound Lifetime lived in such a dream Floats like a feather to the ground And for the first time I’ve been seeing The things I’d never noticed without you And for the first time I’m discovering The things I used to treasure about you The birds like leaves on Winterwood Sing hopeful songs on dismal days They’ve learned to live life as they should They are at peace with Nature’s ways You are as natural as the night And all that springs from you is good And the children born beneath your light Are like the birds on Winterwood And for the first time I’ve been seeing The things I’d never noticed without you And for the first time I’m discovering The things I used to treasure about you
Empty Chairs
I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane Like Gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame And I wonder if you know That I never understood That although you said you’d go Until you did, I never thought you would Moonlight use to bath the contours of your face Chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head A sympathy bouquet left with a love that’s dead And I wonder if you know That I never understood That although you said you’d go Until you did, I never thought you would Never thought the words you said were true Never thought you said just what you meant Never knew how much I needed you Never thought you’d leave, until you went Morning comes and morning goes with no regret And evening brings the memories I can’t forget Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs And I wonder if you know That I never understood That although you said you’d go Until you did, I never thought you would
Everybody Loves Me, Baby
[SPOKEN:] One, two, three, four! Fortune has me well in hand, armies wait at my command My gold lies in a foreign land buried deep beneath the sand The angels guide my ev’ry tread, my enemies are sick or dead But all the victories I’ve led haven’t brought you to my bed [CHORUS:] You see, everybody loves me, baby, what’s the matter with you? Won’t ya tell me what did I do to offend you? Now the purest race I’ve bred for thee to live in my democracy And the highest human pedigree awaits the first-born boy baby And my face on ev’ry coin engraved, the anarchists are all enslaved My own flag is forever waved by the grateful people I have saved [CHORUS:] You see, everybody loves me, baby, what’s the matter with you? Won’t ya tell me what did I do to offend you? Now, no land is beyond my claim when the land is seized in the people’s name By evil men who rob and maim, if war is hell, I’m not to blame! Why, you can’t blame me, I’m Heaven’s child, I’m the second son of Mary mild And I’m twice removed from Oscar Wilde, but he didn’t mind, why, he just smiled Yes, and the ocean parts when I walk through, and the clouds dissolve and the sky turns blue I’m held in very great value by everyone I meet but you 'cause I’ve used my talents as I could, I’ve done some bad, I’ve done some good I did a whole lot better than they thought I would so, c’mon and treat me like you should! Because everybody loves me, baby, what’s the matter with you? Tell me what did I do to offend you? (whoo, yeah!) Everybody loves me, baby, what’s the matter with you? Tell me what did I do to offend you? Yeah, everybody loves me, baby, what’s the matter with you? Tell me what did I do to offend you?
Sister Fatima
The spirit of Fatima still rules the earth, She knows your future; she knows what its worth, Sister Fatima has god-given powers, On 42nd street in a shop that sells flowers, Is her palace, Come and be healed. She knows all your business, your health and your ills, She’ll counsel your weddings, divorces, and wills, For full restoration, five dollars an hour, With each consultation, a free holy flower. If she likes you, why, you can have two. And I came from nowhere, like you and your friend, My searching and wandering went on without end, My future was dim, my spirit was crushed, In one sacred moment, my questions were hushed. I’m a servant of fate in this garden of truth, A humble recruit of the taffeta booth Where all things are known, but few are revealed. Where sins are forgotten, and sickness is healed, For five dollars. The flower is free.
The Grave
The grave that they dug him had flowers Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colours, And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone. He’s gone. When the wars of our nation did beckon, A man barely twenty did answer the calling. Proud of the trust that he placed in our nation, He’s gone, But Eternity knows him, and it knows what we’ve done. And the rain fell like pearls on the leaves of the flowers Leaving brown, muddy clay where the earth had been dry. And deep in the trench he waited for hours, As he held to his rifle and prayed not to die. But the silence of night was shattered by fire As guns and grenades blasted sharp through the air. And one after another his comrades were slaughtered. In morgue of Marines, alone standing there. He crouched ever lower, ever lower with fear. "They can’t let me die! They can’t let me die here! I’ll cover myself with the mud and the earth. I’ll cover myself! I know I’m not brave! The earth! the earth! the earth is my grave." The grave that they dug him had flowers Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colours, And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone. He’s gone.
Babylon
Singing in 'rounds', first person sings once right through, then second person starts when first person reaches second verse, third person when second reaches second verse, and so on… By the waters The waters Of Babylon. We lay down and wept And wept For thee Zion. We remember Thee remember Thee remember Thee Zion
Mother Nature
I want her so bad Mother Nature has a hold on me I want her so bad Mother Nature won’t you let me be untied? 'Cause it hurts my pride To be tossed off like the morning covers And crossed off, like her other lovers Casually I see her walking by my window- mhmmhmmhmmhmm! It seems to me I know her well. But like the flowers in the spring-time, Growing toward the sunshine, Her beauty falls upon me in a fragrant spring-time spell And I want her so ba-aa-aad Mother Nature has a HOLD on me I want her so bad Mother Nature won’t you let me be untied? 'Cause it hurts my pride To be tossed off like the morning covers And crossed off, like her other lovers Casually Is she an icy winter woman? Mm-hhmm! That chills my body when she’s near Sweet fever in the morning… I don’t know if I’ll survive. She walks by me as though she didn’t Know I was alive And I want her so ba-aa-aad Mother Nature has a hold on me I want her so bad Mother Nature won’t you let me be untied? 'Cause it hurts my pride To be tossed off like the morning covers And crossed off, like her other lovers Tossed off like the morning covers, Crossed off, like her other lovers… Tossed off like the morning covers, Crossed off, like her other lovers…
Aftermath
Windows in a silent room, Sunlight burns the walls to black. Angles and dimensions melt While colors drip and pillows crack- Reflections of my memories like pictures pasted on a sheet, A ribbon film of seperate frames Lying curled up at my feet. The film is just a snake-design And the photographs are fading fast… These are not memories of mine- I have no future…no past… I have seen a thousand afternoons Dissolve into the night. Like sugar crystals on a spoon They disappear from sight. Grey days from the crispest morning To the warmest afternoon… In this room. And I like to draw The face I saw so long ago. My image in the mirror tells the jagged lines Which way to go. A black-and-white description of The sole survivor of the Holocaust.. All the rest were lost. Do you see this paper face? It has no color or no mood. My eyes are ageless as am I! I need no sleep, I need no food. I am a king! But like a child, The other children laugh at me… Tongues of fire wagging wild, They dance around me merrily. I’ll kill them all, And if I fail, I’ll kill whoever I can find. Then they’ll beg me to be kind. My eyes have seen far more Than eyes can ever tell: This planet plunged through mushroom fires Of earthly hell. I know that my sweet Jesus said He would return… But Babylon has fallen, And the cities… Burn.