2. Shadow On My Shoulder
3. Shiny Bright Silver Dollar
4. A Sign Of The Times
5. Sinèad
6. The Singer And The AWOL Kid
7. Something About Us
8. The Sound Of A Guitar
9. Standing In Line
10. Stone Bruise
11. Stranger In Me
12. Survivor
Saratoga Billy
with his wild electric eyeballs and his cigarette machine
he could play that old guitar like no man you ever seen
he was southern, he was central, he was easy, he was mean
he was Saratoga Billie and they called him Billie Dean
he could sound the strings like silver or a dead man in the shade
and it’s many a lonesome midnight soul that came to where his songs were played
he was a rambler and a gambler and you could not tie him down
as well they do remember in that Saratoga town
one fine day a letter came from the army that did say
“we’d like to make a man of you in the old American way”
so he got all his things together and he road off down the track
but three weeks later Billie Dean was back
he stayed away so very long in trouble deep he grew
and his friends they all got nervous but there was nothing he would do
until one day they found him, he was playing his guitar
they put the handcuffs on him, they took him away in a government car
while working on the highway, on the stockade crew
he saw a car of people that was only passin’ through
he waved an arm to signal, they stopped to let him in
and when the guard turned his head around Billie Dean was gone again
then the army fathers, they all got so mad
at Saratoga Billie who had done bad
they puffed and they sputtered and they almost lost their minds
for in Saratoga country Billie Dean was hard to find
it’s been many years now since I seen him last
and I just ain’t got the time to spend on the past
but sometimes I wonder and sometimes I think
when it’s late in the evenin’ or I’ve had too much to drink
with his wild electric eyeballs and his cigarette machine
he could play that old guitar like no man you ever seen
he was southern, he was central, he was easy, he was mean
he was Saratoga Billie and they called him Billie Dean
Shadow On My Shoulder
there’s a shadow on my shoulder
been there for days
somethin’ in between us
too difficult to say
thing about a secret
it gets a life of it’s own
dog you on your footsteps
until you’re never alone
it’s alright
there’s no reason to blame
everybody’s had a hard one
you don’t have to be ashamed
it never really mattered
was such a beautiful start
but now there’s a shadow on my shoulder
keepin’ us apart
our love was like a window
I saw the sun alive in the sky
our love was like a mirror
no where to run from the look in your eye
now I’m watchin’ while the rain falls
from out my window sill
I never really knew you
I guess I never will
life is kind of funny that way
you know you never really know
but now there’s a shadow on my shoulder callin’
I guess I better go
our love was like a window
I saw the sun alive in the sky
our love was like a mirror
no where to run from the look in your eye
-------------
Shiny Bright Silver Dollar
my grandfather's hands were so high strung
just like that old German wall clock I saw when I was young
and I remember looking up from the place where I would stand
at the shiny bright silver dollar in my grandfather's hand
he was the first generation in the City By the Bay
raised up on the hard work and judgement day
and about the old country little much was said
you gotta leave it all behind sometimes if you want to get ahead
then came the Great War, America was fighting over seas
and his own son, my father, in the skies over Germany
back home you had to hide your ancestral seeds
you had to pledge allegiance to the shiny bright creed
you had to prove yourself over and over again
his first wife went crazy from the visions that she saw
his second wife was stronger, we called her Grandma
and maybe times were better then, and maybe they were best
he always drove a brand new car to prove of his success
and he held on to the dream when even it was jaded
and he wrapped himself around it till all his feeling's faded
he never gave it up, even when it disappeared in smoke
and in a last brittle moment it broke
we never talked about the old folks much when I was young
it was pretty much a mystery for all that we'd become
but I'll always remember though I may not fully understand
the shiny bright silver dollar in my grandfather's hand
--------------------
A Sign of the Times
I ride the cross town buses
down the alleys past the houses
where the watch dog watches out for
strangers on the loose
I’ll pick an address off the sidewalk
pick my way in past the pad lock
where the hot wire burglar alarm is
suckin’ up the juice
one man’s law is another man’s crime
and it ain’t nothin’ but a sign of the times
the dirty son of an LA DJ
hot rod racin’ down the LA freeway
wrong way down the one way right of way
right into a crash
they send out for an aid car
come up runnin’ with a crow bar
pry him out and work him over
so he don’t get whip lash
one man’s law is another man’s crime
and it ain’t nothin’ but a sign of the times
the street corner preacher
he’s an ex-karate teacher
black belt evangelist
doin’ god’s almighty will
while the hard core sinners
eat their pornographic dinners
go to church and bribe the minister
with a twenty dollar bill
one man’s law is another man’s crime
and it ain’t nothin’ but a sign of the times
old ladies with their nurses
carry pistols in their purses
to protect them from the children
who are out of control
adolescent alcoholics
pick pocket people’s wallets
to work their way through grade school
and make the honor roll
one man’s law is another man’s crime
and it ain’t nothin’ but a sign of the times
all the low down rounders
and the dug in undergrounders
hang around with out of towners
lookin’ for their chance
panhandle propositions
play upon your superstitions
sleight of hand pick the pockets
right out of your pants
one man’s law is another man’s crime
and it ain’t nothin’ but a sign of the times
the country singer from Tacoma
says he’s born in Oklahoma
learned to ride in Arizona
and he’s got the boots to prove it
and all the juke box groupies
they all knock him for a loop he
thinks he’s got to be the greatest
he’s got the record sales to prove it
one man’s law is another man’s crime
and it ain’t nothin’ but a sign of the times
yes these times they are confusin’
it’s enough to make you blow a fuse ‘n’
it’s enough to make you throw up your hands and say
“oh what’s the use”
but keep your eyes out on the double
looks like we’re headed straight for trouble
looks like this whole wide world’s gonna
bust out on the loose
-----------
Sinèad
somebody had to do it, I guess it had to be you
right there on the big TV, tearing a picture of the pope in two
challenging the over-stuffed assumptions of our brains
nothin' like a little reality to go against the grain
oh I know some people got mad but what can you do
somebody always complains when you talk too true
illuminate the violence of the miter and the rod
and they'll tear you limb from limb in the name of god
Americans don't know anything about the great dead weight
of living half smothered underneath some ancient potentate
tithing to a foreign power, starving by degrees
all those women in dondage with no control of their sexualities
dangerous times for speaking your mind
oh they booed you in New York City, I could almost hear 'em hollar
where the cheapest of the cheap seats went for eighty dollars
paying tribute to the great man, the conscience of a by-gone age
politically correct nostalgia running rough shod on the stage
a million dollars worth of superstars were waiting in the wings
but for all the myth of comeradery no one did a thing
to the annals of the safe and famous some may want to drink a toast
but the one who took a chance is the one that I'll remember most
dangerous times for speaking your mind
all along the road to ruin the streets are paved with gold
and the priveledge of hipocracy is something to behold
when the rebels of a generation come to pander to authority
and the one that was the ally now becomes the enemy
so I'll pantomime the daylight and I'll travel by the moon
I'm waiting for the firestorm I know it's coming soon
the dragon is awakening, it's slumber is undone
somebody had to do it, it coulda been any one
dangerous times for speaking your mind
------------
The Singer and the AWOL Kid
I’ll tell you a story my friend
from the Vietnam days way back when
the body count mountin’ on the wall
you had to do somethin’ about it all
that’s when the singer was headed up to Washington State
it was a good day to travel on the interstate
two hitch hikers, all of nineteen
traveling real light with their heads shaved clean
the singer picked them up, he had room in the car
he said “I’ll take you where you’re goin’ if it’s not too far”
“we’re goin’ up to Canada” they said kind of slow
“seems like the place to go”
you can trust a stranger if give him a chance
and there’s a million stories in a sideways glance
the singer knew, he had a long range view
“I’m only goin’ to Seattle but I’ll see what I can do”
the interstate’s a long straight black top line
and you can do a lot of thinkin’ while the time unwinds
leavin’ California for the evergreen land
pretty soon the singer had a plan
stoppin’ for supplies like anybody might do
getting’ maps and a compass and a flashlight too
canteens for water, food enough to last
goin’ on to Seattle but they drive right past
almost to the border, side road to the hill
“here’s your map and your compass and a twenty dollar bill
it’s that way to Canada, a straight line shot
good bye and good luck and don’t get caught”
then the singer drove away through the darkening breeze
two shadows disappeared in the evergreen trees
and that’s the measure of a war
try to tip the balance just a little bit more
I was there when the singer came in late
I heard him say somethin’ ‘bout the interstate
but the songs were good and the music was fine
and that kept us goin’ most of the time
so that’s the story my friend
from the Vietnam days way back when
about a singer on the road and the AWOL Kid
you had to do somethin’ and that’s what they did
-----------
Something About Us
I saw the pictures from the prison in Iraq
the man on the box with his hands on the wires and his head in a sack
the man in the hallway with his neck tied to a leash line
the cigarette grins of the soldiers giving up the high sign
well, I wish I could believe it when they said it was an aberration
just a few bad apples in an otherwise smooth operation
but there’s too many cracks in that tired old ruse
and now everybody gets to see that Uncle Sam’s got blood all over his brand new shoes
there’s something about us that we don’t want to have to face
there’s a killer instinct deep in this American race
ask anyone who’s been on the other end of that leash
they’ll tell ya
selective memory loss is like a panacea
big city cops took an immigrant man named Abner Louima
and they brought him downtown and they sodomized him with toilet plunger
never woulda known but somebody talked and the story came out from under
now, I know what you’re thinkin’, cops ain’t soldiers, but sometimes the lines get blurred
and they been scratchin’ each other’s backs for a while now I’ve heard
when there’s a war around the world, you know that there’s a war at home
and they will do whatever they want to you when they get you alone
there’s something about us that we don’t want to have to face
there’s a killer instinct deep in this American race
ask anyone who’s been on the other end of that leash
they’ll tell ya
you want to understand it you got to go back a ways
back to the founding mythologies of what they call “The Good Old Days”
Indian wars and the wild west, guns in everybody’s hand
the violence was good then, it gave us a motherland
sometimes things got out of control and they crossed that unspeakable line
cuttin’ off body parts and wearin’ ‘em around, I guess soldiers just do that sometimes
well, use your imagination, you know that they were feelin’ good
you know they would have taken pictures if they could
there’s something about us that we don’t want to have to face
there’s a killer instinct deep in this American race
ask anyone who’s been on the other end of that leash
they’ll tell ya
we got 2 million people in prison and pretty soon we’ll have a lot more
and I shudder to think about what I’ve heard goes on behind those doors
its just the worst kind of sex and violence, and we know it’s a fact
but nobody seems to care about it until it shows up in Iraq
and maybe that’s the problem, we don’t seem to be able to make a connection
we think we’re some kind of chosen people waiting for a resurrection
but our savior is a con man and he’s lookin’ out for number one
he’ll give you 24 dollars worth of junk jewelry and take it back at the point of a gun
there’s something about us that we don’t want to have to face
there’s a killer instinct deep in this American race
ask anyone who’s been on the other end of that leash
they’ll tell ya
-----------------------
Sound Of A Guitar
for Jerry Garcia
all these years, I still don’t know
crossroads standing wherever you go
my maps of astronomy, I steer by the stars
the humming of the universe, the sound of a guitar
I was raised in a box of artificial life
too young for wisdom, too scared to face the knife
I remember the first time the walls began to bend
it was only a sound but it was my best friend
somebody had to take the chance to roll the magic dice
to peek behind the curtains of impossible paradise
no one knew the danger, we could never see that far
all we knew was unknown but the sound of a guitar
coming of age in the 1960’s
there were no limits that we could not assault
danger and euphoria, the genie in the bottle
seemed like the whole world was living on an earthquake fault
30 years later and the bottle gets broken
ceremony of the word is spoken
you are the genie, I am the genie
and the genie is us
time passes slowly as the cycle unwinds
and some people go and leave the others behind
goodbye to a lover, goodbye to a friend
farewell to a journey when it comes to an end
the news came early on a sad summer’s day
and we cried in our laughter as they laid him away
and we danced to an orchestra of shimmering stars
and all the world was music and the sound of a guitar
--------------
Standing In Line
standin’ in line, I been standin’ in line
spend an awful lot of time you know standin’ in line
you get in line and they give you a number
to get in another line to stand and wait
for someone to come to call your number
to get in another line to pick up a plate
where you stand in line to eat
all lined up on your feet
and half way down the street
all the time gettin’ in line
standin’ in line to get in off the sidewalk
one at a time like Pavlov’s mascots
holdin’ to your ticket for to show it to the ticket checker
checkin’ for to see if you’re in the right place
and you very well know you better stay where they put you
otherwise you know you might get misplaced
get caught when your time’s up
turn around and put your hands up
and you wind up in the line up
all the time gettin’ in line
pushin’ and shovin’ when you’re comin’ from behind
fightin’ all the way up to the head of the line
steppin’ on the people that are getting in the way of when you’re
fightin’ for position and you got to get ahead
pullin’ out your hair about it getting’ on your nerves
till you’re next in line for a hospital bed
and you wind up spendin’ all of your time
strain’ at the headlines
as you’re standing’ in the bread lines
all the time getting’ in line
low class, high class, middle class lines
all segregate according to the segregation signs
if you’re stuck on the bottom and you’re looking’ for a way out
from underneath of other people’s high heel shoes
then you’re lookin’ to the higher ups who ain’t about to budge
after all you know they got a lot to lose
but they talk about equality
and equal opportunity
and then they line you up for charity
all the time gettin’ in line
it’s been taught and told for such a mighty long time
about the pot of gold at the end of the line
it’s been so ingrained in people’s brains
that they never even wonder why they follow along
until it’s too late for anything but starin’ at the wall
put your head in your hands and wonder what when wrong
with all those fine designs
that took up all your time
then left you stranded at the end of the line
after all the time gettin’ in line
don’t you think it’s time to start gettin’ out of line
ain’t you had enough of just followin’ behind
ain’t you getting’ tired of gettin’ all the time stepped on
knocked down and trampled just to try to stay alive
don’t you think it’s time to start doin’ somethin’ different
better get right to it if you want to survive
‘cause time is on the run
it’s only just begun
and you’ll never get anything done
if you’re all the time gettin’ in line
---------------
Stone Bruise
I got the stone bruise
I got 'em comin' in through my shoes
I got my insole talkin', squealin' and a-squawkin'
it's a-givin' me the walkin' blues
I started out runnin', with my two feet gunnin'
I was eatin' up the highway miles
when my feet started achin' and my knees started shakin'
I was goin' in a pitiful style
I was out on the concrete, checkin' out the side streets
rollin' like a tumblin' wheel
now I gotta keep my feet put or give myself a hot foot
and don't you know the way that feels
I got the stone bruise
I got 'em comin' in through my shoes
I got my insole talkin', squealin' and a-squawkin'
it's a-givin' me the walkin' blues
from Seattle Washington to Portland Oregon
and all points in between
I been down to San Francisco, on up to Idaho
goin' with a full head of steam
I been in and out of road ruts, takin' all the short cuts
checkin' out the high terrain
now my feet start creepin' at night while I'm sleepin'
it's a-stranglin' up my brain
give me the stone bruise
I got 'em comin' in through my shoes
I got my insole talkin', squealin' and a-squawkin'
it's a-givin' me the walkin' blues
I got a heel in the front of me, a heel in the back of me
carryin' the weight of my load
and when they start complainin' from the sweatin' and the strainin'
well, I figure I been pretty well told
now all of these imprints are givin' me the shin splints
so that I can hardly stand
but I'm gonna keep after, even if I have to
start walkin' on the palms of my hands
‘cause I got the stone bruise
I got 'em comin' in through my shoes
I got my insole talkin', squealin' and a-squawkin'
it's a-givin' me the walkin' blues
------------------
Stranger In Me
I took a bus to Broadway to see the street lights shine
the rustle of the windy breeze and the shadows in my mind
feelin' like a stranger in my own home town
I knotted up my collar and I walked it around
oh stranger can't you see
there's a stranger in me
open up the door
don't be a stranger anymore
lately I been thinkin' about the holes inside of me
and what it takes to fill 'em up and keep 'em company
everybody needs to know the difference it can make
but such a stubborn disposition is a hard one to break
last time I saw your face you were turning it away
my mouth was empty, there was nothing I could say
with you away in your world and me away in mine
we coulda crossed it over but we never took the time
standin' at the crossroads, whichever way you go
some one will be waiting, maybe some one you should know
everybody is a stranger here, we're wrapped in our disguise
reflecting faces from the mirror of our eyes
--------------
Survivor
walk on fire, face the flames
bear the emptiness, take the pain
burned out, turned out, hungry and dry
give you that long-time look in your eye
you’re a survivor, survivor, you’re a survivor
survivin’ the rage, survivin’ the pain
from out of the darkness, the wind and the rain
poison thoughts and poison words
they pick upon your brain like birds
your skeleton, your threadbare bones
a naked angel on a tombstone
you’re a survivor, survivor, you’re a survivor
survivin’ the rage, survivin’ the pain
from out of the darkness, the wind and the rain
time weighs down heavy on a filament of light
gravity bends it, your eyes will perceive
there’s a million different ways to see a vision in your sight
and how you comprehend it is the way that you believe
the signposts have all been changed
reality is re-arranged
inside, outside, up and down
you pick it up and you turn it around
you’re a survivor, survivor, you’re a survivor
survivin’ the rage, survivin’ the pain
from out of the darkness, the wind and the rain
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