Favorite Song Lyrics

[taijasi]

The Answer's At The End Lyrics

by George Harrison

Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass
You know his faults, now let the foibles pass
Life is one long enigma, my friend
So read on, read on, the answer's at the end

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love
It's the ones that you love we think so little of
Don't be so hard on the ones that you need
It's the ones that you need we think so little of

The speech of flowers excels the flowers of speech
But what's often in your heart, is the hardest thing to reach
And life is one long mystery, my friend
So live on, live on, the answer's at the end

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love
It's the ones that you love we think so little of
Don't be so hard on the ones that you need
It's the ones that you need we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love
It's the ones that you love we think so little of
Don't be so hard on the ones that you need
It's the ones that you need we think so little of

Oh, we think so little of the ones that we love, sometimes
Isn't it a pity how we hurt
The ones that we love the most of all
The ones we shouldn't hurt at all

You know my faults, now let the foibles pass
'Cause life is one long enigma, my friend
Live on, live on, the answer's at the end

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love
It's the ones that you love we think so little of
Don't be so hard on the ones that you need
It's the ones that you need we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love
It's the ones that you love we think so little of
Don't be so hard on the ones that you need
It's the ones that you need we think so little of

The ones that we love
We hurt the most of all, sometimes
And isn't it a pity how
We hurt the ones that we love (fade)


taijasi

[lucius]

Acony Bell. by Gillian Welch. From the album 'Revival'

The fairest bloom
the mountain knows
is not an iris
nor a wild rose
but a little flower
of which I'll tell
known as the brave
acony bell.

Just a simple flower
so small and plain
with a pearly hue
and a little known name
but the yellow birds sing
when they see it bloom
for they know that spring
is coming soon.

Well it makes its home
in the rocks and rills
where the snows lie deep
on the windy hills
and it tells the world
'why should I wait?'
this ice and snow
is gonna melt away.

And so I'll sing that yellow bird's song
for the troubled times will soon be gone.

[InLove]

Navajo Rug
(Written by Ian Tyson and Tom Russell)

Well it's two eggs up on whiskey toast, home fries on the side,
Wash it down with some road house coffee, burns up your insides,
Just a canyon Colorado diner, and a waitress I did love,
I sat in the back ‘neath an old stuffed bear, and a worn out Navajo rug....

Now old Jack, the boss, he left at six,and it's Katie, bar the door,
She'd pull down that Navajo rug, and spread it ‘cross the floor--
Hey I saw lightnin’ cross the sacred mountains, saw woven turtle doves,
I was lying next to Katie on that old Navajo rug...

Aye, aye, aye, Katie, shades of red and blue,
Aye, aye, aye, Katie, whatever became of the Navajo rug and you,
Katie? Shades of red and blue…

Well I saw old Jack, about a year ago, said the place burned to the ground,
And all I saved was this old bear tooth, and Katie, she left town,
Ah, but Katie got her souvenir too; Jack spat a tobacco plug,
Well you should have seen her comin' through the smoke,
Draggin that Navajo rug...

Aye, aye, aye, Katie, shades of red and blue,
Aye, aye, aye, Katie, whatever became of the Navajo rug and you?

So everytime I cross the sacred mountains, and lightnin’ breaks above,
It always takes me back in time to my long lost Katie love,
But everything keeps on moving, and everyone’s on the go,
Hey, you don't find things that last anymore, like the weavings of a Navajo…

[China Cat Sunflower]

Poems, Prayers, and Promises, by John Denver


I've been lately thinking about my life's time, all the things I've done and how it's been.
And I can't help believing in my own mind, I know I'm gonna hate to see it end.
I've seen a lot of sunshine, slept out in the rain, spent a night or two all on my own.
I've known my lady's pleasures, had myself some friends, spent a time or two in my own home.

I have to say it now, it's been good life all in all, it's really fine to have a chance to hang around.
and lie there by the fire and watch the evening tire
while all my friends and my old lady sit and pass a pipe around.
And talk of poems and prayers and promises and things that we believe in.
How sweet it is to love someone, how right it is to care.
How long it's been since yesterday, what about tomorrow
and what about our dreams and all the memories we share?

Days they pass so quickly now, the nights are seldom long.
Time around me whispers when it's cold.
The changes somehow frightens me, still I have to smile. It turns me on to think of growing old.
For though my life's been good to me there's still so much to do.
So many things my mind has never known.
I'd like to raise a family, I'd like to sail away and dance across the mountains on the moon.

I have to say it now, it's been good life all in all, it's really fine to have a chance to hang around.
and lie there by the fire and watch the evening tire
while all my friends and my old lady sit and pass a pipe around.
And talk of poems and prayers and promises and things that we believe in.
How sweet it is to love someone, how right it is to care.
How long it's been since yesterday, what about tomorrow
and what about our dreams and all the memories we share?

[InLove]

China Cat Sunflower—you will appreciate this one, I’ll bet. It is a song I wrote as a tribute to John Denver in 1985 (the lyrics and tune are copyrighted in my real name at the time, in a collection of songs for which I will not give the title here, for obvious reasons). It sounds a bit corny (like the man himself), and looking back, perhaps it seems a tad “worshipful” —I was young. I had arranged to get this song to him when he came to the area one time, but I never made it to the concert. Later, when he died, the owner of a café in Fort Worth where John had spent a lot of time over the years, said that he took this song to the family at the time of the funeral, and also presented it to another very well-known artist who considered singing it at a memorial tribute which never materialized! So close…

Song for J.D.

Friend of my spirit, singer of my soul;
The music of your old guitar playing low;
Oh, the times you’ve helped me see
What love can do for me
When sweet misery sought my company…

Lover of life, now, believer in the land—
Reborn in the mountains, alive in the sea and sand;
And I know that I will fly
Like the eagle in your sky—
And I know that I’ll never die…

And you sang to me of children,
Of reason and of rhyme,
About the friend we have in time—
Ah, you’ve been so kind!
You sang to me of aspen trees
In your snow-capped mountain home;
You helped me hold the hand of my child
When we were on our own.

Poet of hope and author of shining light,
Dancing with west winds that whisper cold at night;
The poem, the prayer, the promise—
Rainbow colors reflect from us
And all who know the song of spirit in flight…

And you played the strings of memories—
You wrote the highways in your songs;
You sang the heart of family—
At times you sang me strong.
If old Matthew was for real,
Then I know how he must feel,
Riding on the wings of your offerings—
With his Father, Heaven sings!

Painter of sunsets, spinner of cowboy dreams;
Somewhere in my mind live all of your prairie scenes—
And the mountains rise within me,
And in my heart, it’s windy
Out at sea;
Your music carries me….

[Dondi]

Joe Satriani
Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)
I Believe

I've been out walking for hours.
I've got something on my mind.
How did we get here? Where are we going?
And why is life so hard?

I read the stories, see the photographs.
World's in a crazy space.
I've got to hold on to my dreams;
There's just no other place.
There's just no other place.

CHORUS:
I believe
We can change anything.
I believe
We can rise above this.
I believe
There's a reason for everything.
I believe
In my dream.


I've seen the shadows of the living.
Seen them turn and walk away.
And I keep searching for the right words
To send these thoughts away.

There's a picture I like to look at,
A picture of a beautiful face.
And I see something in her eyes,
Sends me to a better place.
Sends me to a better place.

CHORUS

I believe
We can change anything.
I believe
In my dream.

[China Cat Sunflower]

That's a lovely and fitting tribute to John Denver, In Love!

I was a little sheepish about admitting I liked John Denver when I was a kid in the seventies and early eighties. It wasn't exactly cool. The man sang from the heart, though, and his sincerity touch me. Plus, I'm just a big, stupid softy!

Chris

[InLove]

Yeah, I know what you mean, China Cat. It wasn't (and sometimes still isn't) considered too cool to be a J.D. fan--so it makes one wonder how the heck he sold all those records! (Lots of closet admirers out there, I guess). Well, one more from the man, and this one kind of goes along with Dondi's post, too. Some pretty prophetic words here....

Rhymes and Reasons

So you speak to me of sadness
And the coming of the winter;
The fear that is within you now
It seems to never end;
And the dreams that have escaped you
And the hope that you’ve forgotten,
You tell me that you need me now
You want to be my friend,

And you wonder where we’re going--
Where’s the rhyme, where’s the reason?
And as you cannot accept,
It is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind…

For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers;
Their laughter and their loveliness
Could clear a cloudy day;
Like the music of the mountains
And the colors of the rainbow,
They’re a promise of the future
And a blessing for today.

Though the cities start to crumble
And the towers fall around us,
The sun is slowly fading
And it’s colder than the sea,
It is written from the desert
To the mountains they shall lead us,
By the hand and by the heart
They will comfort you and me;
In their innocence and trusting
They will teach us to be free…

For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers;
Their laughter and their loveliness
Could clear a cloudy day;
And the song that I am singing
Is a prayer to non believers:
Come and stand beside us
We can find a better way….

Lyrics and music by John Denver

[taijasi]

Deep Purple - Child in Time

Sweet child in time you'll see the line
The line that's drawn between the good and the bad
See the blind man shooting at the world
Bullets flying taking toll
If you've been bad, Lord I bet you have
And you've been hit by flying lead
You'd better close your eyes and bow your head
And wait for the ricochet

sighhhhh ....

taijasi

[Dondi]

A couple of favorites from Rush:

The Trees

There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.
The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced the're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"These oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.





2112 - Discovery/Presentation

"I lie awake, staring out at the bleakness of Megadon. City and sky become one, merging into a single plane, a vast sea of unbroken grey. The Twin Moons, just two pale orbs as they trace their way across the steely sky. I used to think I had a pretty good life here, just plugging into my machine for the day, then watching Templevision or reading a Temple Paper in the evening.
My friend Jon always said it was nicer here than under the atmospheric domes of the Outer Planets. We have had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star of the Solar Federation. The less fortunate gave us a few new moons.
I believed what I was told, I thought it was a good life, I thought I was happy. Then I found something that changed it all..."

... "Behind my beloved waterfall, in the little room that was hidden beneath the cave, I found it. I brushed away the dust of the years, and picked it up, holding it reverently in my hands. I had no idea what it might be, but it was beautiful"....

... "I learned to lay my fingers across the wires, and to turn the keys to make them sound differently. As I struck the wires with my other hand, I produced my first harmonious sounds, and soon my own music! How different it could be from the music of the Temples! I can't wait to tell the priests about it! ..."

-- Anonymous, 2112


What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It's got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing be that I found?

See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Sounds that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently like rain.

I can't wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The Priests praise my name on this night.

I know it's most unusual
To come before you so
But I've found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.

Yes, we know it's nothing new
It's just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
The world is doing fine

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan.

I can't believe you're saying
These things just can't be true
Our world could use this beauty
Just think what we might do.

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.

Don't annoy us further
We have our work to do.
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan.

[InLove]

Woodstock

I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I ask him, where are you going
And this he told me
I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farm
I’m going to join in a rock n’roll band
I’m going to camp out on the land
And try and get my soul free
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel just like a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it’s the time of man
I don’t know who I am
But life is for learning
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

---Joni Mitchell, 1969

[InLove]

Hi, Peace--

I keep trying to edit that last post, but so far it has not worked. Only fair that I should mention the background lyrics from "Ladies of the Canyon". After "We are golden" the words are "million-year-old-carbon".

Maybe this will still show up in the original post. And I am not saying that I believe it, and I'm not saying I don't. I just like the song--and many of you may have heard it first from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (that would be the great Neil....) And the song may actually have been written earlier, but Joni's version has always been my musical favorite.

<sigh>

InPeace,
InLove

[lucius]

Villanelle For Our Time.

From bitter searching of the heart,
Quickened with passion and with pain
We rise to play a greater part.
This is the faith from which we start:
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart.
We loved the easy and the smart,
But now, with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a greater part.
The lesser loyalties depart,
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart.
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain,
We rise to play a greater part.
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain,
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part.

Leonard Cohen from the album ‘Dear Heather’.

[InLove]

Please forgive me if this is already on here. Just feels right today.

A little mining from the mind of Sir Paul:

Young Boy

He's just a young boy
Looking for away to find love
It isn't easy, nothing you can say
Will help him find love
He's got to do it for himself
And it can take so long
He's just a young boy
Looking for a way to find love

He doesn't need another helping hand from someone
But don't you think he doesn't understand what he wants Someone
Though independence means a lot
He's got to still be strong
He's just a young boy
Looking for a way to find love

Find love, a perfect combination
Find love, whatever you do
Find love, a cause for celebration
Then I might come looking
Come looking for you

Find love, a perfect combination
Find love, whatever you do
Find love, a cause for celebration
Then I might come looking
Come looking for you

He's just a young boy
Looking for away to find love
It isn't easy, nothing you can say
Will help him find love
He's got to do it for himself
And it can take so long
He's just a young boy
Looking for a way to find love

Find love, a time for meditation
Find love, a source of inspiration
Find love, instead of confrontation
Find love
And love will come looking for you

(from Flaming Pie, 1997)

[InLove]

Going to visit some family, so here's one more for the road (no, not that song--this one)

The World Tonight

I saw you sitting at the centre of the circle
Everybody, everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there

I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing, caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far I'm in front of me!
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying, you were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in

Never mind what they want to do
You've got a right to your point of view!
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

I can see the world tonight

I saw you hiding from a flok of paparazzi
You were hoping, you were hoping that the ground would swallow you
I saw you hiding there

I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far I'm in front of me!
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away

I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight

Look into the future
I can see the world tonight
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
I can see the world tonight

from Flaming Pie, again. McCartney, of course. Anyone wanna go for "Little Willow"?