I have no memories of the last time we touched
My finger tips are empty now; they're covered in dust
And my lips have forgotten how you tasted so sweet
You see I had to forget or to admit the defeat
The sorrows were endless and like the loneliest grave
no one came to see me; no one was that brave
And if I had of fallen those 7 floors that I'd planned
No one would have missed me - the loneliest man

All the nights were so endless and so empty and sad
And I cried all alone for any friend to be had
But no one could bare, face the endless parade
of the tears in my eyes; the lost promise we'd made
Days passed into months and months into years
Somehow I survived all my intimate fears
But if I could have completed that balcony fall
No one would have missed me - no one at all

And you weren't the only heart that I lost
There were so many friends that were part of the cost
I Still can't explain how I ever survived
Or if I even did, or if I'm still alive
Because who I was, is lost to me too
Just a memory of some other one that I knew
And if I had of closed my eyes and let go
No one would have missed me - no one that I know

J. 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

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

January 23, 1993*

Tender young thighs and old cushions
Warm places to rest her sweet head
Hard sweating smells and soft fingers
And hair stretched out on the bed

There's a ghost in the jewellery box mirror
As pretty as any you’ve seen
There's a ghost in the jewellery box mirror
Reflecting a tired old dream

Ah but none of us know why she’s spinning
When in truth she is headed nowhere
Though each of us forms an opinion
We must lose as the truth comes to bare

There's a ghost in the jewellery box mirror
For the devil is female it's said
There's a ghost in the jewellery box mirror
It's pretty 'til it turns its head

There's a grace that we lose when we're aged
There's an honour we lose when we lie
There's a guilt that can tear the heart ragged
When it beds down with truth at its side

There's a ghost in the jewellery box mirror
And all I can do is to stare
There's a ghost in the jewellery box mirror
I know because you placed it there

There's a heart beat to count every moment
We're apart and both in despair
You cry for a love that is past, Dear
I cry for a love is still here

And what trickery has taken this anger
That has witnessed your love laying dead
and placed it full in the sunlight
where it festered and flew from my head?

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

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

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

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)

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 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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

Sep 8 2014

There's a hush in my breath as I see you
There's a rise in the heat of the air
But you're not who you were when you loved me
And you stare like I'm not really there

There's a look of regret that you came here
And you're not even sure what to say
As you pack your last few belongings
I go to hug but  you push me  away

Chorus:* And maybe it was all for nothing
Maybe you were never really mine
But I like to think we shared something
Beyond these bound'ries of time

There's a song of remorse in the silence
Once you're gone and the door has been closed
And I just stand and stare 'til the light fades
Like the love that your eyes used to show

Theres a wide awake night in the waiting
Where I'll toss and I'll turn until dawn
There's a chill down my spine that goes racing
Now I know that my hopes have all gone

Chorus: And maybe it was all for nothing
Maybe you were never really mine
But I like to think we shared something
Beyond these bound'ries of time

Theres a wide awake night in the waiting
And a memory that's so hard to bare
From a moment I'm sure you've forgotten
When you said you would always be there

*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

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

Beautiful eyes
With the start of fine lines
Blue like the sky
With a softness as kind
Straight to the point
And direct in her style
Yet the heart of a child
Still lives in her smile

James 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

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

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

There is as bridge born between friends
that must by necessity be travelled both ways
Sometimes there are meetings in the middle
and sometimes at either end
but the bridge once built cannot be torn down
an eternal tether strung between hearts
if cannot be forgotten only ignored at the cost of both
And when one chooses to ignore what the other cannot,
the result is an unbearable pain that must be endured

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

Oct. 16, 1979 Brantford*


One day beauty leaves
Life’s oceans form around you
Drown you in their waves



What mis’ry hidden
There for no on but to see
Leaks from eyes closed tight



Suffering runs wild
Nothing restrains the virtue
To be found in pain



Your eyes are beautiful
Because they’re deep
I learn from falling in


James H. Webb

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

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:

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

Ah the fear hasn't left me; the depression hangs on
saying all that I've done and believed in is wrong.
Oh I can't get ahead when I'm pulled from behind
seems I'm trying to catch up with myself all the time.

I push ahead but life pushes me back
saying "Hurry get back on that old dusty track"
But the days rush on by and the nights I'm awake
fearing the moment that the morning light breaks

I used to like living now it feels a mistake
'cause the price paid for losing has grown far too great
it don't matter anymore if your good or your kind
you'll still get trampled down in the world's daily grind

Don't know why I continue I should give up the fight,
pack up my monkeys and strap them down tight
I'm so sick of hearing I'm wrong and they're right
just pass me the bottle and turn out the light

Ah! there's nobody here except me and my doubt
guess this bottle brings the mem'ries of my friends rushing out
don't know why I keep them; should throw them away
just like they did me each one on their own day

But I never loved lightly it was never my way
and love is like a wound when it slowly decays
now all I have left is their thoughts in my head;
and my heart is left empty as an old lady's bed

And there's nothing I can say will bring them all back
I just wish they were here when these feelings attack
Ah the fear hasn't left me; the depression hangs on
in each beat of my heart and each word of this song

J. H. Webb

Cambridge Oct 2000*

Chorus Take East River Road down to Blue Lake
I'll meet you by morning, make no mistake
Though I be dead and buried my love will come to you
And greet you 'neath the willow as we would always do

And when you're feeling lonely my darling don't despair
Just close your eyes and think of me and you will feel me there
I'm in the gentle breeze that's blowing through your long blonde hair
I'm in the call of the morning dove so plaintive and so rare
I'm in the falling autumn leaves and in the autumn air
As long as you remember me than I am everywhere

Chorus

Life must seem so cruel to you or certainly unfair
To finally find your one true love and then he is not there
To lose the one who touched your heart as softly as your hair
To lose the dreams you thought were ours to cherish and to share
And though I cannot help you with these burdens you must bare
In spirit I am with you Love in spirit and in prayer

Chorus

And if you think my love has died, that simply isn't true
Know my love will be with you 'til eternity is through
'Cause you are my one true love and true love never dies
It just opens up its wings and spreads across the sky
So when you hear the sighing wind you will have heard me cry
And when you see the rosy dawn you'll know I have passed by

Take East River Road down to Blue Lake
I'll meet you by morning, make no mistake

I struggle for no reason; there's nothing to be gained
If I manage one step forward I take two back again
I don't know why I bother, hope has long since died
And anything resembling it is shrivelled up inside

Pain isn't just an allegory when it's in the heart
Where no measure of forgiveness can repair the broken parts
Yes everything is broken; all my friends are lost
And these feelings left unspoken multiply the cost

I struggle 'gainst all reason 'cos I'm deaf, dumb and blind
To the pull of many seasons; to the loss of so much time
I feel so much a failure and the wasted days of youth
Laugh at me and snicker as I try to face the truth

I did the best I could but it wasn't good enough
And the consequences batter me and make my living tough
And if I had but one friend I wouldn't feel so bad
Or if I knew one lover who was glad for what we had


J. H. Webb

If one day you find that I have left you
Not by choice and not by plan
Remember all the love I gave you
And try your best to understand
For the winds of time always move swiftly
They say they wait for no man
Now my dear I’m not complaining
I’ve lived my life and took my stand
And I loved you from the very first moment
That I first held you in my hands
I watched you grow and I grew with you
As first you crawled and then you ran
I’ve shared my heart with no one more purely
For you are a part of who I am

If one day you find, you really miss me;
Look around and I can’t be found
Well cherish always the many moments
That we both shared without a frown
Because even though I  loved you dearly
I always knew this day would come
It was my hope to be remembered
Even when I am dead and gone
And that on every Christmas Eve
You'd raise a glass and sing my song

J. H. Webb

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

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

March 17/93

The night was young but I was old
That summer was warm still I felt cold
When I left you, you know I had no control
Forgive me my only son

When you were born I was not young
And when you grew bigger I was too old to run
But I loved you with a passion that was second to none
Forgive me my only son

REFRAIN:
Please forgive me and forgive your self
and don't leave your heart on the shelf
Feel the beauty of the moment
and remember well the past
but look forward to the future
for as long as your days last
and forgive me my only son*

You never come to see me where I silently lay
only you sister places flowers upon my lonely grave
Do you still hold the memory of a father too old to play?
Forgive me my only son

We had no riches in our family to display
Our home was very simple in the old country ways
But you never went hungry and you smiled a lot those days
Forgive me my only son

I was there for your first step I can't be there for your last
Forgive me my only son

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

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

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 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

Apr. 19, 1989*

Give a man his credit if credit be his due
Give a man dissension if it help to change his view
Give a man a question you know the answer to
But give a man the honour of telling him the truth

Give a man a promise then break that vow in two
Give a man a hollow, rmpty bed to wake up to
Tell a man you hate him, hate him through and through
But give a man the honour of telling him the truth

Give a man a moment’s notice or tell him all year through
That soon you will be leaving; you’ve changed your point of view
Tell a man you’re hurting  and don’t know what to do
But give a man the honour of telling him the truth

Take the scissor blades of anguish and cut the bonds that grew
Between the hearts of strangers whose souls once opened to
The love of one another and what one another knew
But give a man the honour of telling him the truth

James 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

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

Thursday, August 27, 2009*

Her love sat in the corner. Her dreams sat in her head
Where other people lived a life; she dreamed a life instead
Her fear sometimes went racing, when no one was around
With no one else to see her tears splashing on the ground

And in truth she was an angel who put all others first
But for reasons deep inside and not written on her shirt
And shallow are the many that don’t look into her eyes
To see the pain or joy of life that she solely has survived

While patience knits a sweater for someone else’s kid
And the colours that she stitches in are all the dreams she hid
Oh, it’s quite a pretty rainbow but only from one side
Ah but no one crosses over to where her spirit cries

So run my little darling, though the sunlight of the day
Before the evening shadows and the sun has gone away
Gaze into the sunset of each and every day
And love the every moment that you’re allowed to play

Don’t leave your love in the corner or your dreams in your head
Where other people live a dream; live a life instead
Don’t let you fear go racing, when no one is around
And don’t be afraid to let your tears run splashing on the ground

James H. Webb

His hand isn't closed
But he won't let go
Of the memory of her eyes
And the softness of her soul

And he calls her in his dreams
But even when she shows
She stands just out of reach
In the arms of one he knows

And he fears she is insane
And he fears she owns his heart
And he plays her silly games
And his disappointing part

His heart isn't closed
But there's no one left at home
That he can have and hold
And the nights are dark and cold

And when she calls he runs
'til she shouts at him to crawl
But his love he can't control
And he heeds her beck'n'call

And he fears she is insane
And he fears she owns his heart
And he plays her silly games
And his disappointing part

His eyes are tightly closed
But her picture never goes
It haunts him when he wakes
And in every breath he takes

And he hears her gentle voice
In the sigh of every wind
And he forgives her in his heart
For the awful things she did

And he fears she is insane
And he fears she owns his heart
And he plays her silly games
And his disappointing part

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

Jan3192*

How do you measure a friendship?
How do you measure pain?
For both can leave you feeling
you will never be the same

For I have loved you and you have left me
And I will never love that way again

How can I realize what I have
long before it is gone?
How can I handle the loss
when all is said and done?

For I have loved you and you have left me
And I will never love that way again

How can I cling to and hold on tight to
anything my friend
when everything there is
leaves you in the end?

But still I love you with a love true
That won't change though all the ages do

And I won't forget you
for you have touched me
like my heart's been touched by
so precious a few

For I have loved you and you have left me
but you're still with me in a strange way, it's true

No I won't forget you
for you have touched me
Though you won't touch me
ever again