Recorded in Nelsonville OH at InSea Sound Shop on 2/20/2012 as part of the Blue Room Sessions series.
Co-produced with Nick Collura.
BLOWING ON EMBERS (written 11/3/2002, Athens OH)
The land is in shadow and try as I might,
It’s hard to dispel this image of perpetual night
That blankets the landscape in snowdrifts of fright
It takes more to change things than one banged-up satellite
But even if it’s only one signal in the darkness, here’s what I see:
The hardships and turmoil are only temporary
The first bird of morning eventually sings
And down in the dream time, hands cupped and huddled in rings,
There’s lovers
Blowing on embers, keeping them glowing,
Protecting the light inside the human heart,
Each in their own way, safe in the knowing
That blowing on embers is a righteous place to start
Deep under the radar, far from the view screen,
Each gesture of kindness perpetuates the dream
Of true balance returning, humanity healed,
The dream we’ll wake up in when the light reveals what’s real,
Till then we’re just
Blowing on embers, keeping them glowing,
Protecting the light inside the human heart,
Each in our own way, safe in the knowing
That blowing on embers is a righteous place to start
SUNSHINE IN AUTUMN (written 9/13/93, Juneau AK)
She lives along a ridge above a sleepy town
The delicate caretaker of a house of memories
She loves to fall asleep by the light of silver strings
And waken to the weekend morning breezes
And local folks and pickers soon come out to play
The share the simple melody their heart’s composed
Respectful and encouraging the sing the time away
Telling takes of seasons passing when their eyes were closed
Once in a while she goes sailing
Along with smooth melodic wings of fantasy
It makes her feel like sunshine in autumn
It lets her know that she will always be this free
And she bakes these cookies that will melt right in your mouth
She’s glad to hear you try your latest number
And once I heard her play a country song she learned down south
When she was barefoot in the grass one happy summer
(Chorus)
There is a thread we return to
There is a heart beating still
Nutrition daily accessible
Down by the riverside, go drink your fill
Now people need a place where they can sing around a fire
Safe haven where the cobwebs clear and honest tears are tendered
And up upon the ridge the harmonies are growing higher
She laughs and she lays back and she remembers
Once in a while she still goes sailing
Along down sweet melodic streams of harmony
It makes her feel like sunshine in autumn
It lets her know that she will always be this free
And she knows that she will always be this free
She’ll always be
MY FAVORITE ANGEL (written 11/05, Athens OH)
I don’t stand a chance with you
Our circumstance is not what you’d call
Ripe for romance, for whatever reason
That’s okay–I shrug it off,
Perhaps I’m not your princely frog
And this connection’s nice but out of season
I don’t mind
You’re my favorite angel in this whole town tonight
No other’s glowing quite as brightly
There’s no one here to hold you down
But of all the girls in this while town
You’re my favorite angel tonight
If I can I surely will
These romantic dreams fulfill to
Help a love that’s true come into being
So if I never hit on you
Don’t think that I don’t love you just as
Strong as these young boys trhat you’ve been seeing
Go where you will
You’re my favorite angel in this whole town tonight
No other’s glowing quite as brightly
There’s no one here to hold you down
But of all the girls in this while town
You’re my favorite angel
My favorite angel
You’re my favorite angel tonight
TYRANNY OF THE MORNING PEOPLE (written to the tune of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” on 6/2/2000 while traveling from Athens OH to Pomeroy OH)
They get up each day at the break of dawn, hurrah, hurrah
By nine o’clock they’ve got lots of things done, hurrah, hurrah
And if you’re not like them they think that you’re strange,
Call you abnormal and tell you to change
It’s the tyranny of the morning people, yeah
Their energy’s high when the sun comes up, hurrah, hurrah
Their starting to sag when it’s time for upper, ah-ha ha
Conventional hours are all they know
By ten in the evening they’re traveling slow
In the rise and fall of the morning people, yeah
They hardly ever see the stars, hurrah, hurrah
They skip midnight movies and late night bars, hurrah, hurrah
They have all their fun in the broad daylight
Only perverts and deviants stay up all night
In the tyranny of the morning people, yeah
So if you’ve got a morning job, hurrah, hurrah
And don’t want to be known as a lazy slob, hurrah, hurrah
Take a sleeping pill or a coffee break
Do whatever you have to to stay awake
For the tyranny of the morning people, yeah
‘Cause if you show up sleepy at half past nine, hurrah, hurrah
There’s no guarantee they will treat you fine, hurrah, hurrah
Comments will flow, wisecracks will start,
You’re supposed to feel guilty for blowing your part
In the tyranny of the morning people, yeah
“This is what all of us normals do, hurrah, hurrah”
“If you want a paycheck you’ll do it too, hurrah, hurrah”
“Hit the pavement,” “Impress the boss,”
But it’s not always easy to come across
To the tyranny of the morning people, yeah
For some of us move to a different beat, hurrah, hurrah
We relish the night and avoid the heat, hurrah, hurrah
Rocking at midnight, fully alive,
Barely aware of the nine to five
And the tyranny of the morning people, yeah
So just let ‘em proceed with their master plan, hurrah, hurrah
We night owls are doing all we can, hurrah, hurrah
We go left of center, outside the lines,
Howl at the moon, study the signs,
Honor creation, respect the dance,
Water the garden, discover romance,
Knowing when all of this time has passed
Perpetual presence will see the last
Of the tyranny of the morning people, yeah