Aug 22/2000

Don’t think you’re doing me a favour by keeping me company
If you don’t want to be here then I much prefer you leave
‘Cause I’ve already wasted too much time in loving you
And I don’t need your sympathy but I do deserve the truth

CHORUS:
So don't tell me love me if you don't feel it
Don't try to hold me if you don't mean it
Just let my tears flow
at least then I'll know
that I should just let go*

Loneliness is a burden that I must bear alone
It’ll take me a while to get over you but I’ll make it on my own
So please don’t pretend you care ‘cause my heart is far too real
And the way you act is contrary to the way you say you feel

CHORUS:

I’m not some fragile robin and you’re not the only man
It’s just that I love more deeply than you can understand
And I know of nothing more hurtful, to the heart and to the soul
Then to watch a love held dearly, suddenly turn so cold

CHORUS:

7/18/1992*

It's one o'clock on a Friday night
and Dead Man's up again
He's cooking fries by the oven light
His eyes look cooked and strained

He knows everyone has to rest sometime
before the day is through
But he's been waiting far too long
to find someone like you

You made him feel; sometimes a giant
sometimes a common fool
Sometimes , he just needed you
to feel everything was cool

Well it's 2 am on a Sunday morn
and Dead Man's wide awake
there's something wrong; his grass is gone
and he seems to have the shakes

By stereo light he pours a drink
then just sits down and stares
his eyes are out of focus
his thoughts are cold and bare

but no one comes to comfort him
or tell him to come to bed
so he sits until the morning comes
and pounds his aching head

He knows nothing lasts forever
you told him through and through
But he's been waiting far too long
to find someone like you

You made him feel; sometimes a giant
sometimes a common fool
Sometimes ya know, he just needed you
to say everything was cool

Sep 18, 2002*

I am blessed by the sun
and the wind is my voice
and the song that  I sing  overwhelms me

I am kissed by the beam
of the moon at it's full
and the river's fast dance it astounds me

I am blessed in this world
By a boy and a girl
and the arms of a woman who loves me

And I splash and I laugh
Run naked in the grass
Smell the air of the storm that's behind me

And I'm happy for a change
and it doesn't feel strange
that the world outside rests inside me

June 6, 1990*
(Atlas and Diana)

"Atlas" she shrugged as the moon touching down
dove into the lake and shortly was drowned
"There's a woman who is like me in every single way
Hidden deep inside where some little girl plays
And shouts for release from the bonds we have tied
though they helped me to grow, she has been pushed aside
And so I must leave the safety of the net
where you always would catch me before I got wet
and face the world boldly and alone as I must
to see if I can find her before she is dust"

"Diana" I cried to the small points of light
filling up the heavens yet lost in the night
Our love is an arrow buried deep in my heart
Though the shaft may be broken it is only one part
and the rest there remains as it has from the start
based not on your presence but upon who you are

In the moment of your wak'ning I fell fast asleep
but I'd never want to keep you from the wisdom you seek
in the depth of your soul a curiosity burns
and I know you must follow its twists and its turns
But when you feel lonely and when you feel blue
just think of the stars and my love will shine through

June 14, 1989*

May you die young and lonely with no feelings left inside
May life in its wisdom stab you if somewhere your heart it can find
May you die young and slowly with a friend’s knife in your side
May nobody ever miss you and say “Oh ya? Did he die?”

May you die young and lonely and only slowly realize
The things you threw away and the things you never tried
May your selfishness turn on you and burn you from inside
And if you ever think of me may you remember all your lies

May you live your life unhappy and always sleep alone
May your loneliness consume you and carve you to the bone
May I symbolize your cruelty but never stop as low
May I make the tears come running down your sunken face of stone

May the bitterness you run from and the life that you run to
Steal your strength and stamina and drain all love from you
May you live in darkness always thinking that your point of view
Is the one and only right one until it’s far too late for you

May you die alone in misery and regret with your last breath
The day you stole my soul away and sentenced my heart to death
And when your body’s laying deep in the coldest earth
May I be busy dancing on your grave for all I’m worth

James H. Webb

December 18, 1990*

I think I know what a hero is
Though life has played me the fool
A man of strength and conviction
yet himself just another man's tool
A man who's wish is so simple
I suppose it can never come true
A dream that romantics will cling to
dispite all the pain they go through

I think I know what love is
For I myself have been scorched
and though the flame it may linger
it is never again quite a torch
But still I would give to you the whole of my heart
If I thought you would ever treat it right
Yes still I would give you the hole of my heart
to fill with the bones of your night

I think I know what loneliness is
It's death's only brother in disguise
reminding us of the emptiness there
that awaits when we give up the fight
And I suppose I know what survival is
It's knowing when something is through
It's that feeling inside that though something has died
some part of it lives on in you

You were there with your heart
And I was there with a song
And a dream that I held
Where you didn't belong

You didn't know how to cry
And I couldn't say why
But I left anyway
And I'm sorry to say
It all turned out for the worse

Yes you were there everyday
And you'd do everything I'd say
But when the magic isn't there
It's just too hard to bare

So I left for another
Less courteous lover
But she let me behind
And in the ravages of time
It all turned out for the worse

So I thought I should say
That I'm sorry today
For the pain that I caused
When I "threw you away"

And I just wanted you to know
Though it was so long ago
That I was wrong
And you were right
And it all turned out for the worse

*James H. Webb

Like a lover in an empty bed
Like the shadow of a love that is dead
Like a long drink of silence
After words of such violence
Like the hollow where you once laid your head

All those long ago moments
Left stolen and homeless
Never leave me an evening of peace
Though I pray for the slightest release

Like the love that we never quite shared
'cause it felt like you weren't always there
Like the wind in the willows
Your perfume on the pillows
Or my lips on the back of your hair

And although I'm not confessing
When I count all the blessings
That time took away from me
Your face is the one that I see

Like the loss of a love come to end
Like the death of my closest of friends
Like the time that you lied
And then you denied
You had feelings you couldn't defend

All those long ago moments
Left stolen and homeless
Never leave me an evening of peace
So I pray for the slightest release

J. H. Webb

I've never seen anyone
As lonely as you
One look in the mirror
Will tell you it's true
And all I ever wanted
You just took away
You left me for someone
With nothing to say

And there'll come a time
When you'll realize
It wasn't worth it -
You paid too high a price
All the things that you once loved
Have long flown away
And their scent on the wind
Is lost to the day

When we were together
And both of us claimed
We were soul mates forever
And would always remain
But you had a change of heart
Or just a change of mind
Now nothing is left
But your promise that died

And here deep in my bones
This old quiet ache
Reminds me that loving you
Was such a mistake
But I can't just turn it off
Or just put it away
So I have to live with it
Each and every day

Cause I've never met anyone
As lovely as you
One look in my eyes
Would tell you it's true
You're all I ever wanted
But now you're gone away
And you've left me with nothing
And the nothingness stays


J.H. Webb

June 6, 2014

There's a lot of past history and tears I have cried
Some friends didn't make it and some never tried
There's a lot of remembrance and a lot of regret
There's the things that I did and the things I forget

There's a lot of old friends I know I'll never see
So I can't tell them how much they meant to me
All the moments I could have - I guess I let pass
But life kept on churning and turning so fast

Now there's a lot of past moments frozen in time
Their pictures come racing back to my mind
And the thoughts send me reeling and racing to youth
To what I thought was true and what was the truth

There's a bitter sad moment than I smile again
Like the sun in the morning after darkness and rain
There's a wishing and a hoping where ever you are
That my love can reach you though the distance be far

And join us together through space and through time
Like soul-mates or lovers - like hearts tuned in rhyme
Like people who mattered and played a big part
In the shaping and warming of each others heart

There's a lot of past history and tears I have cried
Some friends didn't make it and some never tried
There's a lot of remembrance and a lot of regret
There's the things that I did and the things to do yet

James H. Webb

(Nov 30, 2013 12:27am)

Now it's closer every time I look, though it might be just my age
Seems I read the book too fast and I’m approaching the last page
Well I don't know what's become of me or who I really am
But being further than I am right now was certainly my plan

Guess I didn't see the days approach - I only saw them leave
And now they are much fewer than all these falling leaves

I can't admit I miss you but I’ll give it one more try  
It’s just it was so long ago that I can’t remember why
That life we led and that man I was, was someone else’s dream
And all those lies and alibis now somehow seem obscene

Guess I didn't see the days approach – they went so quickly bye
And the autumn leaves fall no more but the winter snows sure fly

I still can't find that inner peace, hell, I can't even seem to grieve
for a time when I was younger and oh so much more naïve
But I’ve played so many lifelong parts that's it's easy to believe
That I am every one of them and all of them are me

Guess I didn't think my days would end - think that's how we all begin
And I never thought one day I'd lose - guess I always thought I'd win

James H. Webb

I glimpsed at the fire
Then I wanted to touch
These waves of desire
They demand far too much
My selfishness dragged me
Down to the ground
I grabbed at your heart strings
And started to pound
Prove that you love me
Prove that you still care
I wanted so much proof
I ignored the proof there

I don't know the reason; why must it begin?
Why is it so lonely when chasing the wind?

The whole of my needing
I harnessed to you
You ran away bleeding
And tore me in two
Why must I give up
All the best things I had
The rage of misfortune
so hollow and sad
pounds in my each step
And carves at my brain
The bitterness bringing
First numbness than pain

I don't know the reason; why must it begin?
Why is it so lonely when chasing the wind?

Sometimes there's an angel
Who floats over me
She smiles in your likeness
But only I can see
She wakes the wee morning
to cuddle up to me
and I hold her dearly
and as close as can be
She lays down in meadows
or oranges and green
and I open my eyes
to her beautiful dreams

Steel ribbons on a bed of stones
The summer heat rises
and wrinkles the air above them
I balance with my arms out and walk on one rail  
Steven walks on the other
We walk for miles
talking about comic books
keeping an eye out for trains
stopping at every bright or different stone we spot.
Interrupted grasshoppers jump out of our way
and make us feel like kings.
The world is ours today
The sun is bright, the air is clear and not too hot
We have our water bottles of course
and apples and our fishing rods and tackle
Were headed to Inksetter's pond
Where we'll sit on the old raft and use our push pole
to move around the huge pond to where Steven
says the best fishing spots are
We are visited by various coloured dragon flies
and butterflies and moths
and everything in the world
is as it should be
at 10 years old

J.H. Webb

Mar 23, 2014 1:19am – James H. Webb*

The distance for survival
The difference of regret
The time it takes for both of us
To **** ourselves to death

The hollowness of modern times
The thighs of modern girls
The palpitations in my heart
So glad you’re in this world

The minute of prevention
The sorrow of the heart
The ticker tape of ancient times
The place the endings start

The solitude unfolding
The mystery put to rest
I think I understand it now
Why you never did your best

The shadow of refusal
Reverberates and parts
And bless its little crowning head
And bless its open heart

‘Cause through its doors I *** to rest
A gallant knight in arms
Who quickly used up all your looks
While you used up all his charms

A bridal path now broken down
A memory now erased
The tidal wave of valiant love
So brutally disgraced

There's no need to continue
But still I’ll carry on
An insult in my every breath
And a bruise in every song

(an old poem that she never got to hear)*

Marry me on Valentine's
with the snow still on the ground
when the air of the year is still so fresh
that each breath falls sparkling down

Marry me on Valentine's
and dance me through the years
Fill me with your open heart
and whisper me your fears

We can grow old together
losing our figures and hair
while we try to decide
whether to talk or just stare

Marry me on Valentine's
and stay with me all of your life
I'd be at my very best
with someone like you as my wife

Marry me on Valentine's
When the air is fresh and clear
Marry me on Valentine's
It's the best time of the year

James H. Webb

Walk away without a sound
Leave no footprints on the ground
Leave no trace of where you've been
Leave for reasons unforeseen

Walk away with head turned down
Grab the first ride out of town
Blame it all on someone who
Didn’t do what you wanted to

Leave no sorrow in your heart
Leave no room for it to start
Pretend that our love never lived
Pretend there’s nothing to forgive

Walk away and don’t look back
Don’t dare tremble; don‘t attack
Don’t wonder where the love has gone
Or where we both could have gone wrong

Take a plane so far away
That your memories fade to grey
Do your best to  run and hide
Don't ever stop to wonder why

Just pretend I don’t exist
Time’s erased me from your lips
Just pretend we never kissed
I never rested on your hips

Walk away without a sound
Leave no footprints on the ground
Leave no trace of where you've been
Leave for reasons unforeseen

James H. Webb

I always hoped my words would reach you
stretched out against space and time
I always wished my thoughts could touch you
deep in your heart and your mind
I always feared that if I'd ever see you
Time would reverse and stand still
I always feared that I'd never see you
Now I know I never will

Well life is a dream on wings that fly by
and leave you catching your breath
And hope is the fuel that you use to get there
as you fly from the east to the west
Desire's the guide that points the way further
love - the stamina that drives
Peace is the feeling you'll have when you get there
And a smile will say it's arrived

I always dreamed that you'd stand beside me
every day for the rest of our lives
I always expected and never suspected
that I could be wrong all the time
I always knew but couldn't admit that
what we had just couldn't survive
But I'm always glad every day that I'm living
that for a while we gave it a try.


J. H. Webb
Jan 13, 2014, 11:09pm

Mar 6, 2013

I've travelled in the rain
I've travelled in the snow
And lately if the sun would shine
I wouldn't know where to go


I've rested through the day
Slept right through the night
Cried too many times alone
And feared the morning light


Now lovers scream
Where they used to dream
And prayers go up in smoke
And love has left me,
Yes love has left me
Feeling like a joke


I've travelled in the rain
I've travelled in the snow
I've had my share of pain
And I've had my share of hope


But hope will leave you wandering
And wondering what to hell you said
But love will leave you,
Yes, love will leave you
Feeling 'bout half past dead


Yes love will grab you by the *****
Then grab you by the throat
And leave you feeling a ******* mess
Your heart a mere footnote


No don't believe what you've been told
Don’t listen to what's been said
Just remember love will leave you,
Yes love will leave you
Feeling 'bout half past dead


I shot a glass of bourbon
I shot a glass of rye
I tried to make your memory fade
Tried to will myself to die


Tried to hollow out the emptiness
Then tried to crawl inside
Tried to hide the arrow in my heart
And the sword there in my side

Now lovers scream
Where they used to dream
And prayers go up in smoke
And love has left me,
Yes love has left me
Feeling like a joke



James H. Webb

Push like the wind
And 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 wait
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
And the feelings that 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

James H. Webb

How I wish we didn't have to be here
How I wish this nightmare would end
How I wish I could see Andy walking
With his mother and holding her hand

How I wish all the love he inspired
That now lives in the tears we all cry
Had the strength and the power to raise him
To stand at his proud father's side  

How I wish I could say he's out playing
With some bugs he found on the street
And he'll be here soon, any minute now
Running fast on fast growing feet

How I wish I could find words to tell you
The sorrow I feel in my heart
How I wish there was some way to comfort
The lives that have been torn apart

How I wish that I had the power
To change that one tragic day
But none of us can that's for certain
No matter how hard we all pray

So all I can do is mourn with you
And help you however I can
To remember the love and the beauty
Contained in that one little man

To remind you how lucky we all were
To have had him in our lives for a while
To cherish each moment he gave us
And to hold in our hearts every smile

For now Andy lives on in our memories
And we should use those memories wise
To enjoy every moment of living
And to live like that innocent child

We don’t have always
We don’t have forever
But we have this time
That we are together
And we should be grateful
And raise our glass
‘cause no one knows how long
this time will last

And when all is said and done
And you and I are gone
These arguments won’t matter
‘cause no one will have won

Now there are no psychics
There's no crystal ball
Can show us the future
Or how we will fall
But time keeps us humble
As age takes its toll
And shows us how little
We really control

And when all is said and done
And you and I are gone
These arguments won’t matter
‘cause no one will have won

Now you think I’m stubborn
And I think you are too
Yet I don’t even know what
You want me to do
But this scar that I feel
Says the wound it is true
that you deeply hurt me
and I tried to hurt you

*And when all is said and done
And you and I are gone
These arguments won’t matter
‘cause no one will have won

It's a dream without a memory to replace it
It's a moment that will never be fulfilled
It's a quiet and a lonely desperation
When you're living in the moments that are still

Somewhere between fear and desire
Where people choose to live or  "get by"
You stand to get burned by your own fire
When you're living in the moments that are still

It's a longing for a life full of meaning
For a life where you still have free will
'cause you're afraid to liver every minute
When you're living in the moments that are still

Actions are for the young and the brave ones
Not for someone who is over the hill
It's hard to gain forward momentum
When you're living in the moments that are still

Your father and your mother died before you
You're their lives and their wishes distilled
Yet it feels you learned nothing from them
When you're living in the moments that are still

And everyone dances in their own circles
But the circles get smaller until
Your friends and your family dance without you
When you're living in the moments that are still

Word, wisdom and worries
that's all that I offer you
Lover's lust and compassion
In hiding I leave here for you

Rubber bands and soft broken promises
Roses that wither and turn blue
Love, losing and living
waiting for dreams to come true

Images fly by like memories
Like icebergs melting in June
The man in the moon isn't happy
and all the stars fall out of tune

Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
Found I didn't really have to try
Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
Since my friends had all said good-bye

Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
Thought it would be better than to cry
Man I felt alone on my birthday
Will I be so alone when I die?

Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
Lovely though my family may be
Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
And pretend I was just 33

Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
Even though I knew it wouldn't last
Thought I'd get ****** on my birthday
and let the whole **** day just go past

Solace and wound
Trigger the glory
I love you
And I know you adore me

Hope and despair
Hunger and pain
I can't seem to get you
Out of my veins

Sin and remorse
Love and caress
Blood in my hair
Where your pain came to rest

Truth verses dream
Fear versus truth
Can I settle for less
Then these dramas that bruise?

Lovers take care
It will happen again
Each journey leads deeper
To the ultimate pain

All that is lost
Cannot be regained
And trying will only
Drive you insane

One side is love
One side is hate
Together they form
This unbearable state

No one survies
Nothing exists
In the hollow that  anger
Digs with its fist

All reason is lost
All love pushed away
When living a dream
that's the price you must pay

Solace and wound
Trigger the glory
I love you
And I know you adore me

I saw you in my dream but you weren’t dressed
your makeup wasn’t on and your hair was a mess
I dreamed I loved you perfectly and then watched you leave
so I ended the reality before it could be

I woke up and demanded that the world go to sleep
and I haven’t woken up since well except for a peek
to see that nothing had changed
Move along

I saw you in a nightgown that flowed sheer and long
and in it your were dancing and singing my song
your beauty was transcendent and your legs were so long
and with each tilt and sway my heart sung along

Something in my body skipped a beat and was gone
but my head said that something had to be wrong
It said that nothing had changed
Move along

Now reality is darkness and dreams are the light
but it’s frightening to give up your soul to the night
I’ve lived so long with walls so high to keep me alive
That if I were to let you in I couldn’t survive.

I tell myself this pointless lie and then let it thrive
I say I’m waiting for reality but when it arrives
I say that nothing has changed
Move along

If I tried to hold you, I know you wouldn’t be real
If I tried to touch you well what would I feel?
You always dance around your pain like a pixie in flight
But you can never cover up the need in your eyes

Something in your body skips a beat and is gone
but your head says that something has to be wrong
and you say that nothing has changed
Move along

Gonna dig myself a shallow grave
Where the heat of the sun never stops to pray
And then lay down 'til my body stays
Watch my soul get up and walk away
And we'll be together again
And we'll be together again

Gonna search everywhere for a face that's fair
For a heart that is free and a soul that cares
And there I'll stay 'til I learn to share
And give of my heart like the open air
And we'll be together again
And we'll be together again

Gonna plant myself in a garden of rose
In a place far away where the cold wind blows
And there I'll wait in the pale moonlight
'til my baby cries my name in the night
And we'll be together again
And we'll be together again

July 2000

Almost a ballerina but
She weighs three hundred pounds
And this world just won't accept
A ballerina that's soft and round
And she doesn't eat as much as
All the skinny girls would like to think
But then she doesn't bring it up in
Someone else's kitchen sink

Oh and this world is unfair
And this world is so unkind
Well if not in its deeds
Than at least in her mind
She's become the perfect victim
Because she never tries
So instead of a happy ending
Her dreams are pushed aside

Almost a heartbeat away from
The man she'd love to love
And if there were a heaven
She'd fit him like a glove
But he doesn't notice her beauty
So ample and so rare
So she figures if your not a rake
Then he don't even care

Oh and this world is unfair
And this world is so unkind
Well if not in its deeds
Than at least in her mind
She's become the perfect victim
Because she never tries
So instead of a happy ending
Her dreams are left behind

Almost a million miles from
The woman she'd like to be
And if she could only lose some weight
She knows she'd be happy
But she reads the signs that advertise
Be a new and thinner me
And she wonders if beauty is skin deep
Or is it just skinny

(or is it something you feel inside
That some people just can't see)

May 1998

Well she sits and she stares
And pretends that he cares
'cause if he don't then nobody will
And she'll be left alone
Until the cows have come home
And she is long over the hill

She says "he's better than nothing.
Well hell - ain't that something?"
And I say "No, I don't think it is
You see love is more than a promise
And you shouldn't have to pay homage
For the pleasure of a smile or a kiss
Take a closer look 'cause there's something you missed

She says "Maybe if I change than he will change too"
And I say "Maybe but will you still be you?"
She says "I love him too much"
And I say "Is that enough,
when the needs he fulfills are so few?"

She says "he's better than nothing.
Well hell - ain't that something?"
And I say "No, I don't think it is
You see love is more than a promise
And you shouldn't have to pay homage
For the pleasure of a smile or a kiss
Take a closer look 'cause there's something you missed

She says "It's easy to talk
But so much harder to walk
And my fears say just let it slide"
"Well I know the feeling well
'cause I've lived my own hell
And I know it does no good to hide"

She says "If I leave I'll have nothing!"
I say "No! You'll have you - ain't that something?"
And she says "No I don't think it is"
I say "Love is more than a promise
And there's a strength and inner calmness
That only comes from a love that really fits.
Take a closer look 'cause there's something you've missed*

Well the last that I heard
She took me at my word
And she left him and struck out on her own
And I hope she has learned
From the times she's been burned
That the needs that matter most are her own

The way you atacked it was bitter
The smile that you wore it was cheap
The way that you spread drew the honey
from the door of the womb for the feast

And all of my brigadeer generals
Told me how and why to attack
And they guided each wave of my missiles
Through the valleys to swarm like a pack

And I shine like an old country bulldog
In the ragged cast light of the moon
And I smile at my own demolition
'cause I'm too **** tired to swoon

And I brace my soul for the battle
And the burden keeps me on track
And I'll rest whenever I get there
'cause I know there's no turning back

And I know that the seasons are endless
and the years too quickly are past
And the songs and the hearts that we marry
We marry to replace what we lack

Ah the memories you left were sheer torture
Discarded and left there to seethe
And the words of our last conversation
Must still hang like ice from your teeth

You convinced all the jurors with visions
of why - though you killed - you are sweet
Of why it was rightful to ******
A love had become far too neat

So why does the guilt grossly linger?
Why doesn't the shame fade away?
Why does the love that you killed for
Become less important each day

Well my dear have you learned your lesson
Or will you die still afraid?
Must you take your lies and deceptions
All the way to the hole of your grave?

She'll brew a *** of bliss and then she'll pour it in your cup
She'll dance around the room until the gloom is all drunk up
She's not your normal angel, boy and of that you should be glad
For she fills a parlour naked more than many girls do clad

She's an angel from Newfoundland and St. Andrews knew her well
She's certainly no Flatrock as Tickle Harbour's boys can tell
And Jackson's and Chapple's Arms they both have been in her's
She's even been to Merasheen don't tell the other girls

Her "H"s have an "H" in them and her voice a lilting sound
But if you want sincerity no better can be found
Her love's as pure as dynamite she'll blow you off the shelf
She'll make your whisker hairs stand up and your little man an elf

She's an angel now in Tor-onto, On-tar-i-ario
She moved there when her parents died and she didn't know where to go
Ah, Mississauga knows her well and so does Hamilton
But Toronto is the place to be when she is having fun

She says she works a fancy bar called the Iron Cross Cha-pel
Where pretty men come in all dressed up and cuss and kiss as well
She cannot find a boyfriend there but she has lots of dates
They give her lots of Ecstasy and tell her it's not ****

She's an angel from Newfoundland and St. Andrews knew her well
She's certainly no Flatrock as Tickle Harbour's boys can tell
And Jackson's and Chapple's Arms they both have been in her's
She's even been to Merasheen don't tell the other girls

Sep 1978*

She sits alone staring out the window
It's sad but it's sentimental
It's not what she sees that disturbs her
But the memory of one soft and gentle

It is twilight leaning into evening
Yet the daylight now seems to linger
As if the sunlight itself new the feeling
What it's like for the heart to be injured

And it's not the first time she's been left this way
And I know it won't be the last, 'cause it happens
Time and time again

It's the little things that destroy you
Like an empty bed in the morning
When you wake up and slowly turn over
To find you're alone without warning

And as much as I'd like to help her
There's not much I can do but to tell her
That in those days that slowly come after
Time again will bring back her laughter

She sits arms reach from a telephone
But the ringing goes unanswered
It's not me she wishes to hear from
But some one who long ago left her

Jan. 1997*

As sharp as a dagger her words how they pierce
She'a a small wounded creature that comes across fierce
But once and a while she let's her guard down
And the fierceness turns into a lip-trembling frown

Then she doesn't know where to turn to, or how
To face us as weak as she feels she is now
I look in her face - see the tears want to fall
The way she controls them - doesn't that say it all?

There's so much inside her. Oh there's so much untried
But her fear is a knot that her will won't untie
So I struggle to help her but am forced to look at myself
And see I am no different inside of my shell

So all I can tell her is that I'm the same
But that hope is an answer as well as a flame
And that every journey can be measured in steps
Unless you're at home and you never have left

I look in her face; feel my tears want to fall
The way I control them - doesn't that say it all?

Feb. 1997

To be almost saved is to be lost
Take that jouney no matter the cost
Find out who you are and what you need
To live your life as full as can be
'Cause you can fly like a seagull and still not be free
If you heart is an anchor and not a sail on the sea

You can set a destination but the winds they can change
So don't hold your hopes so firmly that you can't rearrange
You can get to any one place by so many ways
That the real journey is who you are day to day
'Cause you can fly like a seagull and still not be free
If you heart is an anchor and not a sail on the sea

Now some people's journeys will match yours in step
While others will do things that you cannot accept
Still each on must follow their own guiding star
Though some get confused and don't know who they are
Help if you can but allow them the right
to go down with their ship or to sail out of sight
'Cause you can fly like a seagull and still not be free
If you heart is an anchor and not a sail on the sea

Ah, but wisdom and words aren't enough for this trip
You need some one to help in case you should slip,
Get caught in bad weather or just lose your grip
That's why even Columbus sailed with three ships
'Cause you can fly like a seagull and still not be free
If you heart is an anchor and not a sail on the sea

June 05-11/96*

Well I was free after seven
But I didn't here your call
So I figured that you didn't care at all
Then I got myself so ****** depressed,
Concentrating on my loneliness,
That I didn't stop to see what I had at all
Well I'm so glad you are my friend,
So please don't **** me off again,
Or I might have to quickly break your fall

Cause after all, isn’t that what friendship is all about?
You give of yourself,  and yet you get more,
Than you ever could dish out

Now I'm not in control here,
but then neither Gail, are you dear,
isn't that the beauty of friendship after all?
So don't go chasing my heart away,
when my heart just wants to stay
and be there for you any time you call
There's a relationship inside of you,
for me my dear, but it frightens you
so you don't look inside your heart at all.

But after all, isn’t that what friendship is all about?
You give of yourself,  and yet you get more,
Than you ever could dish out

Well I'm your friend and I love you
And there's not many that I do
So ya see that makes you special after all
So just keep being who you are
and I'll celebrate you like a star
and maybe you'll come out one night after all
And I'll get to see the total you,
with your feelings flowing free and true
and your spirit will return to you

Cause after all, isn’t that what friendship is all about?
You give of yourself,  and yet you get more,
Than you ever could dish out

October 26, 2009*

My love had a yearning
But my yearning had no name
So I carried that yearning
Every day through the rain

Oh the rain never stopped me,
No, it just slowed me down
‘Til I first saw your smile
Could turn things around

My love had a yearning
Now my yearning has a name
And it’s name and yours dear
Are one and the same

I’m not saying that we’ll spent
Every day in the sun
But I won’t be complaining
When my days are done

James H. Webb

Mar 8, 2009*

Love spent a long time watching
And everywhere it could see
The fools in hatred were fighting
Instead of just letting things be

Love spent a long time listening
To why "we had no time to love"
We voiced our complaints quite loudly
But never raised our hearts above

Love spent a long time waiting
To see if our brains could discern
What only our hearts in compassion
Could always so quickly learn

Love spent a long time praying
We'd learn the wrong of our ways
And enjoy the taste of each sandwich
And each drop of each summer’s rain

Love spent a long time lonely
Until my eyes learned how to see
What they saw when we were just children
And at last my love it flowed free

Love called in joy that I heard it
And we laughed at how silly I'd been
Now my eyes they smile every morning
And I'm thankful for all that I've seen

Then Love moved on to another
And I wished it well on its way
And I hope it reaches you shortly
And you learn how to love day by day

Love doesn't block your doorway
And life doesn't ring you a bell
You won't even know when it's over
You won't even know how to tell

So clasp you hands to the engines
And make speed as quick as you can
Because when your life ride is over
There'll be nobody shaking your hand

And the pain that comes from the shadows
Of the people I'll no longer see
Weighs me down with a sorrow
That screams at my heart's dearest dreams

I want you to live forever
So you can remember me
And since I'm only dead once forgotten
You must live for eternity

September 17-19, 1988*

A cloud above the ocean
disappoints the evening sky
Her love lost in the shadows
Never leaves her weary eyes

She missed the point
of the sun and wind
and the days at Inksetter's pond

And I say let me pray the heart away
Let me loose my hold
Let me tear all the fences down
and liberate the soul.

A lie can go on dancing
though every tongue be stilled
A little truth at a time like that
can strangulate the will

She can't explain
why the love still remains
and I doubt that she ever will

And I say let me pray the heart away
Let me loose my hold
Let me tear all the fences down
and liberate the soul.

The mist is strong in Hamilton
It's a sad depressing grey
I've driven 'round her part of town
'bout a dozen times today

And with each pass
I have to ask
Why did it have to end this way?

And I say let me pray the heart away
Let me loose my hold
Let me tear all the fences down
and liberate the soul.

I tell myself it's over now
I'm sure she does the same
But it's hard to keep the upper hand
When you don't control the game

She missed the point
of the years gone by
And the vows on our wedding day

And I say let me pray the heart away
Let me loose my hold
Let me tear all the fences down
and liberate the soul.

Why is it that so many women
don't seem to realize
That men who have a love of fear
Also have a fear of love

May 25, 1990*

I'm so brave
I'll lay my love on the line
For you my darling any old time
Doesn't matter how much you hurt me
'cause I'm still alive

Everybody thinks I'm crazy
Everybody thinks I'm half insane
Everybodys eyes go hazy
Whenever I mention your name

You say that we bring out
the best and the worst
from inside of one  another
like an ancient curse

Well maybe your right
then again maybe your wrong
or maybe that's the price we pay
for loving so strong

I'm so brave
I stare right in your eyes
get caught up in your person
and get mesmerized

I'm so brave
I let you walk away
knowing I can't stop you
I can only pray

There's no rest for the wicked
or the true at heart
'cause my love doesn't end
when you pull us apart

Nov 25 1991*


I just like to hear
the willow branches singing in the wind

I just like to watch
as the morning settles down and life begins

I just like to watch
As the Great Lake breezes blow across the shore

I just like to think
that you are somewhere standing just outside a door
with your bags packed and headed home to me

I just like to hear the kettle whistle
as I place two teabags in the ***
and forget there's only me

March 3, 1990

I've walked a crooked mile for a friend who's life was bent
I've scraped the bottom barrel for what that friendship meant
Don't ask him if he loves you after all his love's been spent!
Don't mention pride and honour to his shivering lament!
His principles are long gone and he don't know where they went

I know there ain't no innocents. I know we can't be friends
I know that I am guilty of loving you 'til the end*

He sacrificed his principles for passions sweet entrails
He stood and watched me throw myself upon this rusty nail
He turned his back and walked away and in doing so he failed
To be the man he thought he was behind the cowards veil
I know friendship is not honour but honour must prevail

I held a candle in the wind that friendship left behind
The wick it broke the wax it froze and shattered into lines
I wrote the lines upon a page to be read aloud the times
I take a friend for granted or forget that love is blind
The page I wrote upon my heart the words I memorized

I pushed a button once or twice and drove a road in vain
I panicked on the boulevard of broken dreams and pain
I lost my baby innocence after drowning in the rain
I ushered in the loneliness that comes with guilt and blame
and I kept it all inside me until this moment came

Jan 93*


And patience had taken his anger
from the care of the gentlest of webbs
and placed it full force in the sunlight
where it festered and flew from his head

Tie down me a word of behaviour
who's angles are right to the moon
and fly by that star til the morning
has turned our old sun past the noon

And bright down below shout the warriors
with their solar sheets to the wind
I am the maid of the Marrion (Merry Men)
I am the Robin that hoods
I am the cheek of the devil
I am the tear of the Christ
I am the fool will not listen
I am the shame and the pride

There was a tiny dancer once
I don't recall her name
I asked her why she danced so much
But she never would explain

She took me to a wedding
then, she took me all the way
And I thought I was in love with her
Until she went away

There was a tiny promise made
Called a wedding vow
I asked her what it meant to her
and she said "nothing now"

She took me to a wedding once
but she didn't wear a dress
she laid down on the chapel lawn
and my friends all did the rest

You've just been born
And soon you'll be buried
you barely have time to have a child
and get married

Mistakes they will happen
in the blink of an eye
leaving tricky situations
that will last 'til you die

But don't shudder
don't shake
don't fear your mistakes
each one is a gift
you will learn how to take

You will grow and recover
live to make still another
and laugh 'til your tears make you cry

The hard part is learning good-bye.

Sept. 09,2000

I got the call at work on a Thursday afternoon
They said she wouldn't last long and I'd better get there soon
so I dropped what I was doing and drove as fast as I could fly
I was hoping I might see here just one more time

Just one more time
To gaze into her eyes
To tell her that I'll miss her
To hold her and to kiss her
Just One More Time

When I got there she was sleeping so I whispered in her ear
I said "Mom, it's your son, squeeze my hand if you can hear"
When I held her hand she grimaced; cause the pain was so severe
Then the nurse gave her some morphine and the grimace disappeared
So I sat down with my sisters and waited for her time to come
When she would fly like an angel as bright as the morning sun

But morning never came. She died in the night
The darkness was her shroud; my father's hand the light
I don't know where they've gone to. But I hope that they're alright
I like to think they're in a heaven, free of pain and free of strife
Cause I took them both for granted when I knew they were alive
And what I wouldn't give to see them now just one more time*

Just one more time
To gaze into their eyes
To tell them that I miss them
To hold them and to kiss them
Just One More Time

Now instead of her apartment I visit her grave
And I think of all the times I took and all the times she gave
And I think of her last living days and how she was so brave
And when I close my teary eyes I can almost see her wave
Now if there is a god above does he know what's on my mind?
Does he know I'd like to see them both Just One More Time?

Just one more time
To gaze into their eyes
To tell them that I miss them
To hold them and to kiss them
Just One More Time

Mar 8/93*

I can love you
and it feels like thunder rolling through my veins
I can love you
and my heart starts surging like the ocean waves
I can love you
and I'm lighter than a kite on a breezy day
wind me in and I'm ready to play
I can love you
and the problems of the world seem to fade into
the background of your touch
I can love you
and it feels like my soul has found a safe harbour
to anchor its heart

Meet me in the world of feelings
Your words have no purpose here
The intellect can never express
as much as a single tear

Meet me in the world of feeling
Let the chaos within you run free

Walk me where your fears are still harboured
Like virgins who have never been touched
and I will help you should you stumble
or your heartache become far too much

Meet me in the world of feeling
My Love, there's no where else to meet