May 31, 2012

You never stood a chance
You know that don’t you?
I was too frightened
You were the smartest woman I had ever dated
You were more than a match for me
And me?
I was damaged goods

But then you knew that didn’t you
You knew the hell I was going through before we met
And the pain that enveloped my heart
And still somehow you found me worthy of loving
And you tried so hard and I pushed you away so harshly,
So unfairly, so cruelly

You weren’t the one I wanted to hurt

I am so sorry for that – for what I did to you
And I am sorry that I will never see you again
To let you know that

James H. Webb

For Janet McAndrew

Your gentle spirit like Baby’s Breath
Is tarred and feathered to deep regrets
You can’t get past the pain your feeling yet
There’ll be better times

The heart must heal before it loves again
It’s hard to learn to trust a new found friend
But each step leads you closer to the end
There’ll be better times

Sometimes life can be so bittersweet
‘cause when your love-lies-bleeding at your feet
It’s easy to forget your heart still beats and
There’ll be better times

James H. Webb

Locked in the labour
of love and loneliness
once forgotten and twice removed
you are the hinge of my nerves
at the edge of my breakdown

Unaware of your power
of touch and smile
you back away and close behind
something forgotten, tied to my heart
tears away and bleeds.


James H. Webb

January 19, 2021

When the whistle blows the day comes to end
And I'm home alone until it blows again
I work all day. I rest all night
I guess you would say that's my life

And once I had dreams but they were far-fetched
I blew to the right; they blew to the left
Now the world's 2D no matter what size the screen
And people don’t touch me - just like in a dream

I don’t believe in a god, so there's no reason why
I should howl at the moon or reach for the sky
All reason behind, now there's no reasons left
I did what I could and lived with the rest

When the whistle blows the day it begins
Then I work 'til I'm tired and head home again
Don't know if I've lost, don't feel like a win
Took one in the heart, Took one in the chin.

J. H. Webb

Beauty adorns your face when you smile
And the light of your eyes is entrancing
I listen to your voice so soft and so warm
And my heart it feels like it's dancing

Oh darling of mine, oh eternal sunshine
A halo of kindness surrounds you
And through all that I am or ever will be
It's you I'll always feel bound to

Ah, but loves not a march that time moves along
It's the waltz of a life that's worth living
Because when you're here, nothing feels wrong
And my heart it just feels like giving

James H. Webb

As tense as any madness - that any war could bring
The unseen little soldiers - are gathered in the ring
Goliath swings and misses - and goes into overdrive
So many get infected and - too many don't survive

Up in your ivory tower - where you are the disease
There the greed within you - allows this one to breathe
Did you think it wouldn't reach you - did you think it wouldn't dare?
When you're screaming like the rest of us, we'll see if you don't care

They trusted you with power - that never comes for free
You never do the right things - I don't know how you sleep
Every precious moment you waste means more will die
And all you "ordain" to offer us - is contradicting lies

The world has changed around us - so we can't remain the same
The world has changed around us - and yes, we are to blame
The world has changed around us – and not just climate change
The world has changed around us - but the rich man gains again

We have to clean more “cleanly” we have to fly more less
We have to listen more to what people mean and not just guess
We have to join together or we won't make it out alive.
We have to open up our hearts and open up our eyes

You have to question everything. Put big truths to the test.
Before you wave your flags and banners and claim you are the best
You've fallen down the rabbit hole of believing what you choose
You need to choose believing only what is proved

James H. Webb

Lying sick in a clean white bed
Staring out from behind a mask
"Are you the last person I'll ever see"
That's what their eyes seem to ask
And I can't answer those eyes truly
I can only hope and pray "No"
But I know I can't say for certain
Yet I can’t let my sadness show

It's a hard job, for sure, that I signed up for
But it’s something I never regret
And the few happy moments I share with them
Are the times I’ll never forget

Doesn't matter if their family's far away
Or waiting just outside in the hall
You know no one wants to be alone
When they're feeling so weak and small
So, I do my best to comfort them
In any way that I can find
But there’s so many others to care for
And these days there’s so little time

It's a hard job, for sure, that I signed up for
But it’s something I never regret
And the few happy moments I share with them
Are the times I’ll never forget

Oh, I'm not always brave and yes I cry
When their battle is lost and they're gone
But I don’t have the time to linger
So I make the bed and move on

James H. Webb

1:44 AM 2020-05-06

Patience sat just around the corner
And like a cop it sat just out of sight
But time it flew by without any warning
The earliest morning had become the night

Now, there's things I don't remember
There are things I can't forget
There were times I was proud
There are times I regret
There's things I should have done
And there's things I should have said
Before the moment was gone
Or the feeling was dead

Old age was a mystery when I was young
I couldn't conceive of my life being done
Now youth is the whistle of a far away train
Full of mem'ries and moments that won't come again

And there's things I don't remember
There are things I can't forget
There were times I was proud
There are times I regret
There's things I should have done
and there's things I should have said
Before the moment was gone
or the feeling was dead

Now I sit all alone in my COVID corner
Two metres away from the touch of a hand
The tide rushes in and then back to the ocean
Relations are born and wash away in the sand

James H. Webb

12:47 AM 2019-12-07

She is so many colours
She is so many moods
She is so many flavours
Blended through and through
She's a taste you can't imagine
But it's one you can't resist
And if you turned the other way
You'd never know what you had missed

So you climb the Eiffel tower
Or Babel or Dubai
And you shout about the moment
True love came your way
About the soul that mated
With your own soul so well
That if there was a seam there
I swear no one could tell

And you feel it's something special
You' re holding in your heart
Not even God in heaven
Could pull you two apart
Yet you're afraid the slightest shiver
Could bring the whole thing down
You feel you don't deserve a love
So deep and so profound

She is so many colours
She is so many moods
She is so many flavours
Blended through and through
She's a taste you can't imagine
But it's one you can't resist
And if you turned the other way
You'd never know what you had missed

James H. Webb

I still have your picture; You never grew old
But how come I'm grey and you're shiny and cold
I don't see a wrinkle or any signs of age
'caused by the bars of your soft gilded cage

I knew you had wings; I didn't know you could fly
So far from my arms and so high in the sky
My loneliness binds me down hard to this Earth
I don't know who I am; Don't know what I'm worth

The edges are dog-eared and the coating is cracked
But it's still your picture and its holding me back
I remember the heartaches; I remember the pain
But Darling what we had we won't find again

And it's rivers of tear drops lost in acres of songs
and I'm drinking to discover what I did was so wrong
I've got mem'ries unopened and stories untold
But how come I'm grey and you're shiny and cold

We loved with a warmth could light up the sky
But the fire went out and the love it just died
I still have your picture; You never grew old
But how come I'm grey and you're shiny and cold

J. H. Webb

May 27, 2019 9:44 PM

Sometimes when I'm awake at night
And thunder rocks the skies
I remember how you'd hold me
In your arms so I wouldn't cry
I remember how you told me
That you would never leave
And I was so young and foolish then
It was something that I believed

Now I wish that you could hear me
But you are so far gone
(Gone Before Your Time)
You're farther then my memories
Can remember or hold on

Sometimes I wonder how the years
Could have passed so quickly by
Without me realizing that
I would miss you all the time
The things that matter most in life
Are as simple as can be
The quiet walks when we would talk,
Your warmth, and your company

Now I wish that you were with me
But you are so far gone
(Gone Before Your Time)
You're farther then your memories
Will allow you to hold on

Sometimes when I'm awake at night
And thunder rocks the skies
I remember how you'd hold me
And it makes me want to cry
Gone Before Your Time
Gone Before Your Time

James H. Webb

Mar 10, 2019

If the world were perfect I wouldn't exist
Never would have met you or had our first kiss
If the world were perfect you wouldn't be missed
And I wouldn't be alone and crying like this

If the world were perfect then unnoticed you'd go
I wouldn't have seen you. Your love I wouldn't know
If the world were perfect then today wouldn't fit
And the pain wouldn't drag me down this bottomless pit

If the world were perfect - you know where you'd be
And I'd never let go. So you'd never be free
But the world isn't perfect 'cause we're far apart
Don't know if you're alive except in my heart

J. H. Webb

Soft, alive and wandering
The sound that hits the shore
Moves her world around in it
And beats a quiet roar

Worlds of bathing light she sees
Vibrating through the haze
The pressure and the feel of it
A comfort to be praised

Everywhere the shimmering sound
That is all she knows of life
Held within her mother's womb
So far and free from strife

Softly as a whisper will
It lands upon her eyes
Her mind feeds on sensations
As endless as the skies


James H. Webb

He is not yet gone
he lies sleeping
but I have planned
his death
for 2:30 pm

And I can not express my love
for him and have it understood
unless you have been through the same

Euthanasia is such a strange word for it
but at least it is light
at a time when one feels
so heavy

I accept the word for now
It draws less tears from these sore eyes
and makes the task easier
if that is possible
It is very  hard to ****
someone you love
It does not help to know
that it is for his own good
when it is not for my own good
But I have planned his death
for 2:30 pm

When he looks up at me
with those half blind eyes
I can't stop my tears
from soaking his fur
and I don't try
He deserves that much and more

A doctor will be present and
a good friend of mine will bury him
shortly after.

J. H. Webb

12:25 AM 2018-06-28

I heard rumours that you didn't love me anymore
So I went out dancing with a chintzy little *****
It didn't make me feel better in anyway at all
I just can't get used to how you never call

My friends say that I should just put the past behind
Rumours are that you found yourself another guy
Rumours can **** you if you listen to them all
I just can't get used to how you never call

I'm sorry for being a man so incomplete
Never understood why you thought you had to leave
Never could  get over the heartbreak of it all
I just can't get used to how you never call

You're in a another province. You're in another state.
You're in another time zone. The hour's getting late.
I know that I should text you why do my fingers fall?
I just can't get used to how you never call


J. H. Webb

Another night slips past the window
Another day's gone on it's way
A mountain of yesterdays mounting
And the tomorrows are fading away
Take hold of my hand and don't lose it
Listen well to the words that I say
Remember me when I'm gone forever
Come visit me wherever I lay

How many birthdays have past now
Since you were my little child
How many scratches and bruises
From you playing just a little too wild
Time took us both on this journey
But all journeys must come to end
Don't dwell on the sadness of parting
But on the times that we had to spend

Another summer is fading behind us
As the leaves prepare for the fall
Ah the winter will soon be upon us
I can already hear it's cold call
But the warmth in your eyes keeps me smiling
And I'm proud of what you've become
You look down upon me so tall now
But you're still my precious young one

Another night slips past the window
Another day closes the door
I know that sometimes you wish things
Could be like they were before
But years of grace are upon you
And you don't need my hand anymore
I've given all the love I can give you
And tomorrow the day will be yours

J. H. Webb

The times we had weren't many. In fact they were quite few
Yet I felt a strange connection and I think you felt it too
It was nothing I could put in words. Nothing easy to describe
Like everything I said - you knew, or felt the same inside

Neither one of us dared mention it. This union pure and true
I think that we were both afraid we'd break the spell in two
So we moved together through the night - two souls entwined as one
In a conversation of the heart - a dance of moon and sun

And when our orbits ended then the days went quickly past
I lost track of you and where you were and seldom did I ask
Now life’s moved on, years have passed and friends have come and gone
But you are still a part of me that lives in every song

J. H. Webb

When the time comes
When the moment is near
And nobody's listening
Can you hear your own fear?

Can you feel the pain
That burdens your heart
Sink into your dreams
And tear them apart?

When the time comes
Like you knew it would
Will you be prepared
To do what your should?

Will you fight against the sorrow
Or will it drag you right down
All alone in the morning
When there's no one around?

Will the loneliness **** you
Like it almost did me
Or will you push it asunder
And wrestle your heart free?

They say nobody knows
Until the time comes
They say a lot of things
I don't know where they come from

But when the time comes
To make a new stand
Don't give up too eas'ly
Don't throw in your hand

Fight the same way
You did as a child
When the sorrow inside you
Made you so wild

And maybe just maybe
This time you will win
The battle's not over
Until you give in

J. H. Webb

(from my hospital bed – Nov. 14 2017)

Over the bridge of friendship
How many time I've gone
Sometimes I'm met in the middle
Sometimes there is no one

Sometimes I am too weak to cross
Sometimes I am too strong
But crossing the bridge of friendship
That never can be wrong

Over the bridge of friendship
I've learned to heal two hearts
I've been the one most giving
And I've played the other part

I've been rude and selfish
And I've been loving and kind
But the bridge always reminds me
That I'm not alone this time

Over the bridge of friendship
I've travelled many times
Sometimes I am accepted
Sometimes I am declined

I'm not saying that I am perfect
I've had my share of pride
But I never would refuse you
On this bridge of yours and mine

So when you feel too sad or lonely
Just stop and turn around
And cross the bridge of friendship
Where you know I can be found

And I know the bridge of friendship
Will outlast me in the end
But when you take that last walk
I'll be waiting for you my friend

James H. Webb

For years and years they burned and glowed
Their love for each other it flowed and flowed

For years and years nobody spoke
And love and honour went up like smoke

For years and years the smoke it rose
And down below the lovers froze

For years and years the ashes fell
And buried the lovers and broke the spell

Dreams of the heart and unanswered prayers
Look into my eyes - that's all that's there

James H. Webb

I was dreaming about Topeka
and the sun was setting down
the night was ablaze with fire flies
you were wearing your age old frown

Many things come to mind
in the quiet of the night
when everyone is sleeping
and the moon is shining bright

Memories fade but emotions stay
and it’s hard to figure out why
I was dreaming about Topeka
And a tear came to my eye

J. H. Webb

It has taken me a whole life time
To realize how you each played a part
That I have loved each and every one of you
And you still live on in my heart

I still remember all the kindness
That each one of you gave to me
And I've learned to forgive the times that
You had to answer to your own needs

And I also remember the promise
Between my heart and my head
That I would treasure every one of you
Until at least the day I was dead

Sure there were times I couldn't show it
With my anger or pain in the way
And there were times I didn't know it
But I tell you I know it today

So tonight I'm keeping that promise
I'm keeping that promise in mind
When I tell you all I remember you
and I thank you for being so kind

Yes tonight I'm keeping that promise
And I'm taking that promise to heart
When I tell you all I still love you
Even though we've long been apart

James H. Webb

(Laura Carol Hillier - April 11, 1997 – January 20, 2016)

I have memories of a girl so full of love and living
I can still hear songs that came from a voice of woven gold
But now I see hearts that are left so broken and so shattered
They are starved of your warmth and how it touched their souls

You were an angel and in the end you were such a fighter
You were someone whom so many held so close and so dear
And in those hard times when we couldn't seem to find the rainbow
Well your bright smile was always there to light the path so clear

But what will the rain do now it doesn't have your shoulder?
How can the sun shine, even half, as bright or true?
How can the day begin when you were the light of morning?
How can the night ever end now we don't have you?

In your eyes there lived such kindness and in every word you chose
And in your grace, poise and beauty a Disney princess arose
We admired your compassion - how much you cared and let it show
We loved your love of living and treasured your heart of gold

But now so many futures are left like blown out candles
Too many journeys of walking tightropes in high winds
So many moments that will always be remembered
When in your way you touched us all and left your heart within


But what will the rain do now it doesn't have your shoulder?
How can the sun shine, even half, as bright or true?
How can the day begin when you were the light of morning?
How can the night ever end now we don't have you?*

I don't know how Hope can seem so close and yet be so     far     away
Or how the plans we make at night can change with the light of day
But when I can find no answers - your words always come to mind
"Life is a song" and love is the rhythm and mem’ries the melody line

J.H. Webb
xoxo

What's the reason for this
What's the purpose
What's the cause
What makes you think
That you have won
When you know that you have lost

Well you're not the one that's leaving
You're the one already gone
You hid you're inner weakness
But that didn't make you strong
All the days we spent together
When the summers were so hot
All the doubts that you kept within
All the love that you did not

What's the reason for this
What's the purpose
What's the cause
What makes you think
That you have won
When you know that you have lost

Yes it's over - its done with
The end has come at last
But are you rushing to the future
or running from the past
Do you wash away your mem'ries
Or just store them on the shelf
Do you ever take them down
and feel sorry for yourself

What's the reason for this
What's the purpose
What's the cause
What makes you think
That you have won
When you know you have lost

J. H. Webb

I can't get down to the bone
I can't get to the marrow
I live on the surface now
or I'd drowned in the sorrow

You were never really here
Just a phantom of my thighs
And I was never really wrong
'Cause you were never really right

And the stars they burn bright
Through little holes in the sky
And the distance is as endless
As the beauty of your eyes

But patience is a virtue
That you never really learned
And its winter here forever
Until your love returns

by James H. Webb

Well the night was young and early
But the tension was still there
I had watched you go and f##k him
There was *** still in your hair

And then as you were leaving
You gifted me that deadly blow
You said I f##ked him for a reason
And I just wanted you to know

They say love is all that matters
It's eternal is what  they say
Crooked is the hole that flatters
and the quiet always find a way

And beauty sits there breathless now
Her cigarette thrown in the snow
She has to try hard for an excuse how
No one understands or knows

We let oceans grow between us
like they ever mattered at all
We make mountains out of mole hills
then complain when they fall

We're a poor excuse for spouses
But in love we rule the game
We've saddened all the angels
and put the devils all to shame

James H. Webb

Dec 12, 2015

Bad news comes late at night
From a ringing telephone
No trumpet's blare, just tears are there
And they come on their own

Memories flash; hope is lost
Your stomach turns to stone
Your anger has nowhere to stand
And so you stand alone

Bad news comes like a storm at sea
When there's no sign of shore
You don't know where to turn to now
You don't even pace the floor

The endless night is all you see
There is no sign of dawn
The reason for your life is gone
Yet you must carry on

You'll never be the same again
That much you know for sure
Pain invades your ev'ry breath
And for that there is no cure

Indeed there is no end in sight
No light, no burning wood
And you won't believe me when I say
You did all that you could

And I can't change the world for you
But I would do most any task
So if there's anything you need
All you have to do is ask

James H. Webb

Jan 25, 2013

Move like the wind
Bend like the willow
But don't lay your head
Alone on the pillow
Dream all you dare
Wish what you will
‘Cause you're alive for a short time
But for a long time you’re still

Life’s in the balance
Death’s at the gate
Sure no one can argue
It’s a delicate state
But you might as well continue
This dance and this drill
‘Cause you're alive for a short time
But for a long time you’re still

So keep an eye on the shoreline
And the light of the day
But don't let the child
In your heart sail away
And don't be afraid of
The other side of the hill
‘Cause you're alive for a short time
But for a long time you’re still

Now the baby is crying
But the old man he smiles
‘Cause he remembers walking
Her mother down the aisle
First it’s flowers in blossom
Then it’s cold winter chills
You're alive for a short time
But for a long time you’re still

So pack up your troubles
Then put them away
Focus on the good times
Make those feelings stay
Love everything deeply
And get your hearts fill
‘Cause you're alive for a short time
But for a long time you’re still

J. H. Webb

The evening was a strange one together
We drove around most of the night
We saw a star fall together
And you wished on its fast dying light
We drove away in song together
The old tunes so fresh in our heads
Our voices rang lively together
Though I realized something was dead
You said "Dance with me. Dance with me.
Dance with me. Dance."

We sang “You Are My Sunshine”
Our hearts deeply lost in our song
We sang as we drove up the mountain
Singing “May you Stay Forever Young”
We had all of our hometown below us
Spreadin’ out so far and so free
I was tempted to say my dear Donna
Let’s grab what we have and just flee
"Come on dance with me. Dance with me.
Dance with me. Dance"

We could’ve headed out west to the prairies
Taken both of our hearts on the run
We could’ve made our way south of the border
Where all lovers lie in the sun
But I just stared in silence as the car lights
And I held you as close as could be
And the distance that had grown there between us
Mere dancing could never set free
But you said "Dance with me. Dance with me.
Dance with me. Dance"

I said how can I dance when my feet are so heavy
When I feel only lead in my chest
I thought I was your one and only
Now I realize I’m just like the rest
I said, how can I dance without music
When the tune lies so dead in my heart
How can I believe life has reason
When you’ve gone and torn us apart

We drove to your mother’s in silence
I watched as you waved good-bye
And I couldn’t help wonder what you’d wished for
On that fast falling star in the sky

But if you’d said "Dance with me, dance with me,
dance with me, dance"
One more time. Then I would have
danced with you, danced with you,
danced with you, danced…
all night long
‘til the dawn

*J. H. Webb

Dec. 30, 1989

In the valley of the angels
In the fields of broken snow
On the mountains of the warriors
Where the devil fears to go.
In the passions unapparent
In the tears of a restless child
In the calmness of the country
In the cities growing wild

Wherever love lies sleeping, whenever hope is lost,
A gentle heart forgiving will rise up from the frost

In the heart of bitter conquests
In the nights that never end
In the lies that hold the moment
dangling from a liar’s thread.
In the eyes of well know strangers
In the looks of friends that care
In the path of eminent danger
In the light of all that’s fair

Wherever love lies sleeping, whenever hope is lost,
A gentle heart forgiving will rise up from the frost

In the never ending stories
In the poems of bitter youth
In the ravings of an old man
Who has never faced the truth.
In the silence of the villain
In the victim’s callous laugh
In the arms of lover’s smitten
In the families torn in half

Wherever love lies sleeping, whenever hope is lost,
A gentle heart forgiving will rise up from the frost

In the bending of the willow
In the arrow’s perfect path
In the breath that any minute
Could always be your last .
In the patience of the hero
In the soul that takes a stand
In the seizing of the moment
When the moment is at hand

Wherever love lies sleeping, whenever hope is lost,
A gentle heart forgiving will rise up from the frost*

*J. H. Webb

I would have phoned you
But what could I have said
Dear "daughter of the underground"
Do you remember how you molested me?
And how I was taught not to think
of anything that was not pure pleasure
or pure *******  - one and the same you might say
You think I am not lonely
If I wasn’t I couldn’t write this
I wouldn’t be here alone
Poetry would be unnecessary
It’s open nights in the ball park
and the change of you I live for

J. H. Webb

May 26, 1991

I felt a pain where you touched me, a pain I couldn’t describe
I closed my eyes to recover but the pain just wouldn’t subside
I looked to you for the answer. You pointed at once to my side
The hole there was deep and was narrow and the wound it gaped open wide
You knew when to wait for the moment. You knew when to strike and to hide
And the only blood you got on you, was hidden in the dark of the night

Brother of mine.
Brother of my own.
My only brother.
My once upon a friend.

You ran full of need to take cover never stopping to pull out the knife
It was stronger than all of our friendship. It was longer than all of our life
It sliced the bonds that had bound us to help each other survive
And the ghost of our love for each other simply vanished without even a fight
Now each tick of the clock is an echo. Each minute a god given right
Each promise is held in detention and each truth is held to the light

Brother of mine.
Brother of my own.
My only brother.
My once upon a friend.

You know all of us live life as actors until the moment of truth arrives
So let nobody judge the actions or those who have been and survived
For all who survive are the masters of keeping their feelings alive

J. H. Webb

Mar. 23, 1982

In this life, sometimes, it seems so hard to know just what to say
But the problems they still persist.
You know they don’t just get up and walk away
And the problem with problems is they just get worse
They start off slow and then they grow and grow until they burst

And you can drink, all that you want. And you can sit all morning there alone
But soon your emptiness, and your own soberness, well they eventually bring you back home
And you can face the empty bottle; oh but not the empty feeling
Take a look at your own life and your senses send you reeling
You can’t face up to the truth so your fear sends your reaching…
reaching out…

but for the bottle or for me
that is the question don’t you see
that is the only one matters to me

And in this song, there are no answers, as in your eyes I can see there is no hope
No just a hollow, vague attraction, to your skills up upon that tightrope
I thought I heard a different drummer beating in your blood and brains
But it was just your sense of panic as the world closed in again
And now it’s time to pull down the blinds and close up this shop
turn out the lights and board up my heart
I made a mistake I was wrong from the start
You can’t bud into something that you are not a part

There’s so few people, left in this world, that want to reach out the way that you did girl
There are so few, to reach out to, that can give you more than warmth or understanding
Now I don’t’ know if I am one but I tried my best to be
To open up to you and show how easy it can be to bleed

And you can say, that I was wrong, and that you were right Baby all along
But that ain’t the way it seems, no just a self-fulfilling prophesy
And the way you fill your dreams is such a masochistic scheme
but the pain is overflowing and it’s pouring out on me
and the sights so overbearing that it makes it hard to see if you’re reaching…
reaching out…
for the bottle or for me
That is the question don’t you see
Who comes first and who comes last
That is all that matters to me

And in this life, there are no answers, and you say “then tell me what’s the reason”
Well there’s a sun that shines upon you and a life that runs for many seasons
And there are people that your love who can share your deepest feelings
Holding out a hand that’s also reaching out for healing
I don’t know if there’s a cause but together there’s a meaning. Reaching…
Reaching out…
Not for the bottle or for me
But for your own sake don’t you see
You come first and you should last
Until all of the seasons have past

J. H. Webb

We used to live in old houses together
And smoke joints by candle light

We were friends.
Good friends
Friends that listened and cared
You introduced me to so much different music
We were closer than any friends
I had ever known

I can’t listen to music now

*J. H. Webb

Aug 21, 1988

The clouds are more than half
And the moon is more than full
I miss you deep inside of me
Like the tidal waves that pull
I’m torn into two pieces
I hate you and I cry
I love you and I can’t forget
Or learn how to say good-bye

In my memories you’re naked
‘cause that’s the way I liked you best
With your hair spread on the pillow
And my hand upon your breast
Like babies in a cradle
In each other’s arms entwined
We spoke of lover forever
Far past the end of time

But I loved you far too selfishly
Is there any other way?
Now I drive my bike all through the night
And I’m alone most every day
Now it feels just like I'm falling
Falling all the time
But you’re not here to pick me up
So I just lie down and cry

J.  H. Webb

Sept. 26, 1994

When first she came to me she barely knew her name
“Rosey in the Corner” who’s knight in armour never came
She was holding on to nothing and staring into space
She was lost in no direction and looking for a place
Where she could feel special yet never have to change
Where everything’s familiar yet everything is strange
And who am I to deny I was looking for the same
It’s a strange old world when you’re new to the game

When first she came to me she opened up my eyes
Reflecting the beauty of the wild and gracious skies
We fell off of a mountain into love above the clouds
Cinderella and the young prince – both singing far too loud
Still too young to know better and yet too old to ask why
Caught up in the moment and the height of their flight
And who am I to deny I was looking for the same
It’s a strange old world when you’re new to the game

When first she came to me she was so unaware
Of the hardships of life and the struggles to bare
She was hopes and balloons and ice-cream turtle pies
She was “Boo Boo” and “Darling” and “hold me when I cry”
It’s amazing how time can fan flames or blow them out
It’s amazing how you find out what life is all about
And who am I to deny I was looking for the same
It’s a strange old world when you’re new to the game

J. H. Webb

Sept. 28 1979

He staples his life
to a bulletin board
and reads the notices
his wife puts there
on Tuesdays
and builds his home
with nothing more
than a memory of its cause
and a worn-out hammer
that has no claws.

J. H. Webb

Feb 3 1978

There is no substance to you
you float like a feather
you behave like a child
you are composed of little laughs
and tiny giggles
glued together by flour and water.
The only reason you drink
is so it will collect in your eyes.
You put on your finest stockings
you look in the mirror
and lift you dress up your thighs
Your legs are still shapely and smooth
You know you are a woman
you feel that hunger.
You unbutton your top
a little lower
and get a light for your cigarette.
To hell with independence,
you’re getting older
you need a man.

J. H. Webb

(In loving memory of my mother, Diana Rose 1921-2000)

Today is a day for tears. Today is a day to cry
For long before the sun arose, a rose began to die
A rose of strength and beauty; a rose unique and rare
For that rose she was my mother for whom I deeply cared
And her passing leaves me empty and feeling incomplete
For I'll never find another love who will love me quite so sweet

Today is a day for sorrow. So don't hide your tears away
Let them flow like her love flowed, my sisters, it's okay
For to show the world we loved her there is no better way
And to cleanse our hearts of sorrow we must begin today
Only then can we rejoice and celebrate her life
Only then can happiness overcome the pain and strife

Today is a day for tears. Today is a day to cry
For long before the sun arose A rose began to fly

J. H. Webb

I miss the nights
when we sat in the darkness
because the lightning storms had taken out the hydro poles.
Candle light the only light,
dancing on a ***** wall.
The mood was very subdued.
Not much to do in the darkness like that
but think and imagine.

But now I don’t even have enough imagination left
to imagine being that age again.
Just a feeling, a memory of the darkness

*J. H. Webb

May 21, 2000

I would like to start a new religion today
One that has no God to hinder it
One that gives no promise of retribution
One that gives no promise of salvation
One that gives no promise it is right
One that believes we become God
By being as warm hearted and considerate and loving as we can
By achieving a point in history
Where the words "lonely" and "depression"
Have fallen from everyday speech
And people are free to strive to help others
And want to

J. H. Webb

Jan 31/93

Full bodied soul and a spirited mind
Are vague definitions for one of your kind
No mere words could ever explain
The woman you are and the love you contain
So I hang my head but how can I complain
When I held you near me then sent you away again

Total commitment has such a high cost
Your prayers can be answered or you dreams can be lost
I've given up gambling with such dangerous stakes
And so I lay lonely in this bed that I make
So I hang my head but how can I complain
When I held you near me then sent you away again

Deep apprehensions. Once burnt twice shy
I'd reach for the moon if it weren't for the sky
No one can win who's afraid to lose
Now I know that as surely as the beauty in you
So I hang my head but how can I complain
When I held you near me then sent you away again

James H. Webb

Dec 2001
The presents are wrapped and under the tree
Soon there’ll be plenty of good things to eat
The children are playing so merrily
But there’s one person missing this Christmas for me

CHORUS: *So send me a sign. It’s Christmas time
                   Just let me know that you’re okay
                   You left in the summer and went on your way
                   And I’m missing you this Christmas Day

I’m missing the Christmas decorations you’d make
And the smell of the turkey and stuffing you’d bake
I’m missing your pudding and your custard too
But most of all I’m just missing you

(Chorus)

The rest of the family will be here soon
The nieces and nephews and my sisters too
We’ll exchange presents late this afternoon
But there’ll be one person missing for me from this room

(Chorus)

I’ve had Christmas without snow as green as in June
I’ve had Christmas without carols and old Christmas tunes
I’ve even had Christmas without a tree in the room
But I’ve never had Christmas before without you

(Chorus)

*James H. Webb

Mar 6/1993
Why the smile on this the darkest of evenings?
Go to sleep now, lay your head down
I'll wake you when the morning comes
I promise to, oh I promise you
but for now...

Just close your eyes and let me lie beside you
I'll protect you from the world while you rest
and I'll wake you when the morning comes
I promise to, oh I promise you
but for now...

Let all your fears and troubles just float away
While I play with your hair on the pillow and stare
I'll wake you when the morning comes
I promise to, oh I promise you
but for now...

Let the peace of love abound and surround you
while I watch you breathe in silent harmony
I'll wake you when the morning comes
I promise to, oh I promise you
but for now...

Let the warmth of my arms put you at ease
while I watch you breathe
in silent harmony
with the world

J. H. Webb

June ‎27, ‎2012

If just for a moment
I could get you to throw away
This need for a God;
This desire for a life other than this

If only for a moment
I could get you to see
That there are enough
"Miracles" in science and nature
And you don't need to
Attribute them to a
Supernatural Man-in-the-sky

If but for a moment
I could get you to use
Your faculties of reason
To accept the lack
Of evidence of what
You cling to.

If for a moment alone
I could get you to know
What you must know
In your "heart of hearts"
That this is the only life
This is not a dress rehearsal
For a heaven or a hell

That “this” is the heaven or hell
We each make for one another

Then, I would rejoice knowing
There was a chance our species
could continue

Knowing no one would ever again feel
the need to fly planes into buildings

Or to force their unsupportable
views upon my children
when they sit in school

Or to **** as they have  done
for millenia
because their particular
interpretation
of a particular ancient book
disagrees with someone else’s.

If for a single moment
Because that moment of enlightenment
might just be enough to free you.

J. H. Webb

oct 23 2015

Once in the throes of matrimony
Twice in the throws of ***
A woman left me waiting
in a way I still regret.
And love was all around us.
And dancing on our tongues
Were all the kindest kinds of words
that ever could form love.
And I was smitten; yes I was bared
like Adam was to Eve
So let the snake go play his games
but don't hide behind that leaf
That hides your beauty from my hand
so that my hand must grieve.
The moon is hanging from a thread
of the slightest of beliefs
And if you scare away the clouds
well I swear I'll have to leave
And then there will be no one left
of any true degree
could weigh the odds of who you were
and the chance of meeting me
And here we are and there we were
and time has set us free
To wander here beneath the sky
out of touch with harmony


J. H. Webb

Sep 6/2015 1:12am

You’re the only heaven I’ve ever known
What part of me couldn’t you stand?
You’re the only woman I’ve really loved
Why couldn’t I be your man?

Talk it over to yourself
Tell me what you figure out
Though I can’t take the truth myself
I long to know what it’s about

You’re the only heaven I’ve ever known
What part of me couldn’t you stand?
You’re the only woman I’ve really loved
Why couldn’t I be your man?

Don’t play with me anymore
You long ago set me free
Just tell me why you left my dear
And I’ll let old bygones be

You’re the only heaven I’ve ever known
What part of me couldn’t you stand?
You’re the only woman I’ve really loved
Why couldn’t I be your man?

Don’t you think that it’s only fair
I should get some closure here?
Because I’ve got all the battle scars
And you’ve got all that I hold dear

You’re the only heaven I’ve ever known
What part of me couldn’t you stand?
You’re the only woman I’ve really loved
Why couldn’t I be your man?

By James H. Webb

2012*
I know I'm not supposed to miss you
Or keep you in my head
I'm supposed to realize that you are
Gone and as good as dead
You were gone before you left me
And our marriage was a grave
Of promises and memories
That I alone could never save

But I never could let go
As easy as you could
Seems my heart was made for loving
And yours was made of wood

I know I'm not supposed to hold you
In my memories precious arms
I should suppress the good times
And keep in mind the harm
And the pain that you bestowed upon me
When you left with my best friend
And the way your love betrayed itself
And forced an early end

But I never could let go
As easy as you could
Seems my heart was made for loving
And yours was made of wood

I know I'm not supposed to
Remember the good times
When you and I first met and how
Our every step would rhyme
How our bodies tucked together
How we shared a single mind
How all our time together
Wasn't strong enough to bind

But I never could let go
As easy as you could
Seems my heart was made for loving
And yours was made of wood


J. H. Webb

August ‎23, ‎2012*

There once was a time
Now so long ago
When I was a child
And I didn’t know
All the love I would miss
When my parents were gone
‘Cause no amount of praying
Can bring them back home

All my loves are an echo
Of how they made me feel
Yes, like I was special
And my feelings were real
And I mattered for something
‘Cause I could make them smile
And I really believed
I was a beautiful child


J. H. Webb

May 17, 2012*

When it seems that life has left you all alone and without prayer
When you feel there is no reason to carry on 'cause no one cares
Remember I'm beside you to keep your doubts in line and
I will carry your heart. I will carry it in mine

When you are old and tired and your dreams are all but gone
When all your strength has left you and your feel you can't go on
When your fear and your anger have become too intertwined
I will carry your heart. I will carry it in mine

When you are dead and gone and the roses refuse to bloom
When the clouds are thick as thieves and the days so full of gloom
When your memory is fading from this world and from this time
I will carry your heart. I will carry it in mine

J. H. Webb