I am awake when I see nature’s beauty
But I have to sleep to dream of you
It’s so easy to fall for the sunset
There is no good or evil inside to see
There is no fear of what it might say next
I’m always ready to try it without remorse
I don’t have to think about it until I do
And tomorrow it will wait for my return
But getting personal is not how it loves
It doesn’t have to do anything, unlike me

But how much more could I love someone
A wild animal will never make it easy
A snake makes a path then sheds itself
Changing with life as it’s meant to be
And to love you when you are so fragile
So able to crush my spirit with your body
Giving it away even though you love me
You can do that because I never knew
You were willing to take it as far as it takes
My pain proved you once were in love with me

i do not feel any darkness inside of me,
only the sheerness of the oppression of the ages,
raining down from atomic skies;
along with the fears of so many who cannot see;
as ignorance draws not from the well of freedom,
nor listens to the wisdom of sages,
but instead courts the fascism of seductive lies

I don’t care if this is where I start
It is the touch of your sweet breath
That is the only thing that is real to me
But there is one blank left to fill
It's the name of the last living heart

I can stay ahead of my dreams
I know where they are going
How could I not as I confess to myself
That’s the freedom of being honest
At least I know what everything means

Even a smile knows how to say goodbye
You don’t know when you will start again
Watching somebody else’s luck is hard
I keep thinking if she only met me first
But it’s my problem to catch her eye

Memories always try to eat someone new
But what’s on my mind is stronger than that
I’m going to stay and see how it feels
Nothings over my head because I know myself
It’s just about you believing what I say is true

It's not a matter of where I went wrong
I know exactly how I've lived my life
I can't say that the moon is any different
The sunset tonight watched me instead
We decided to me my mistakes all belong

to care only for the poor,
without compromise;
the idealism of the ages,
the easiest of all politics;
we must sacrifice no matter what;
but who said,
the poor will always be with us;
a man who was heartless
or was he wise?
is the reality of the present,
our cynicism of their plight
or is their struggle
the measure of our hearts in his sight;
is their pain assuaged
by our actions or even in our words?
still we struggle on our own;
our own horizons as far as we can manage,
while we think of a beautiful memory,
distracted by the past,
we hope the leaves have fallen at last
and wait for them to return
but they will only fall again;
like the tide that reaches for the land
or prayers for the things we must;
they will always be with us

Lo que los ojos de una mujer pueden decir
Es más de lo que un hombre podría decir
Pero lo que sus oídos fingen escuchar
Es más doloroso que el silencio de su boca
Porque el sueño un día también crecerá en silencio
Y volverá al silencio de sus ojos para preguntarle a su corazón
¿Por qué me miró mientras dormía tranquilamente?
Porque mi vida es atormentada como un lobo aullando a la noche

The injustice
either hardens or breaks the human mind
The mind
must choose how to fight against the injustice
The choice
of non-violence is not a sign of weakness
The knowledge
of why you fight is more important than the fight
The strength
to suffer is the time between despair and triumph
The ability
to turn the other cheek is the holiest weapon
The act
of vengeance is the weakness of a human being
The love
for the wounded is the reason they follow you
The memory
of the dead is the passion to believe in the vision
The revolution
in you ends when you no longer hate a stranger

i see a smile in the eyes of another dream
she has a friend so still i must sleep alone
but then she asked me how to live her life
she can’t ask a man who can't live his own

i am acting my age at the moment
for some reason this is important
i have not lost my way so much
it’s just that i prefer another road
to be a moral man is my choice
if god is interested in me i will listen
i have more freedom than i deserve
can accept his rules instead of my own

i want someone for a quiet saturday evening
but you know it’s much more than that
i don’t want to steal someone’s unhappy girl
i will find a heart in the same place as my own

i can take a picture of a face
i won’t worry about the past
i will let you see the lines
you see the moment as it is
you may decide for yourself
i will not explain history to you
there are things that may be true
his life may be the same as my own

i heard the quiet sounds of an open windows breeze
it was the moment before a wild heart settled down
i didn’t know it was happening in a faraway place
she settled for her mother’s peace instead of her own

i am a living silhouette
determined to find color
the road lights are blurred
no longer defined by purpose
instead it has become mine
and they bow to me now
every source of energy
has become all that i own

The way of your brush
And not anyone else’s
Is like rain that doesn’t think
It falls like the weight of nature
Upon our life without remorse
Or need for our approval
But you act like a student
Thinking of lines that rhyme
Or shadows that compose
Colors of word and sound
Yes that is the way you started
But no longer
Don’t think that way anymore
Don’t think at all
You already know the feeling
It is a test of yourself
Like borrowing money from a friend
They know you're broke
Your word has suddenly become important
They believe in you and it’s up to you now
It may be more than you can handle
You don’t know how you can do it
It is how life explodes through your veins
You don’t think about how you are angry
You just are and it is a world without rules
Being provoked is not impressionistic
It is real without self-consciousness
Hurry, hurry; rush to show us
It will be over soon
You will begin thinking about approval again
That is the mistake of your art
You think about us
Instead
Let us think about you
We want to know how angry you are
The honesty of the rain has become you
If only you didn’t worry about the rest of your life
The risk of being a river
Or a lake
Or evaporated
That is your risk
Don’t fix it later
Don’t decide that you didn’t really feel that way
Yes you did

You
Felt
That
Way

Show me

Just do what you want to do

I’m ready for the sun
Though I love the snow
The cold lit the fire beside us
The warmth melted it long ago
Bad mistakes I’ve made make that kind of sense

If you are open to something different
You will ignore everything I’ve said
Can you believe like I do in you
I am not in love anymore
I just don’t have anything else to talk about
The first word you speak will erase the past

I’m tired of pretending
What is there to admire
They don’t think about mending
Instead it’s how they aspire
I hope my next mistake is not about ten more cents

There’s not enough time to talk
Sleep and work take turns living your life
But I’ve learned once again what I’m about
And it’s not to tell you someone to work harder
I hope you can be all that you dream
While I remind myself a sail is always tied to a mast

Don't burn my skin without a reason
You don’t like the fire for yourself
So why is it good enough for me?

I thought about a guitar
It can make you feel like crying
But I can show you the real thing

It’s hard to understand
I thought I saw myself
Instead it was him
I thought I saw you
Instead it was her
It was time for a change
But who made it happen?

You can't make me anyway
I already know the story
You believe in somebody else

It’s not about my glory
I think somebody should have that long cry
It feels good to empty your heart

You may not believe how that could be
But crying like that makes it easy for someone new
I don’t want them to drown in day old sorrow
And they will know that what I tell them is true

Why would I
cry away my tears when my burning heart begs to be cooled
Why would I
close my eyes to the past when my mind keeps looking
Why would I
pretend I never loved you when you know I'm lying
Why would I
keep tomorrow waiting when yesterday didn't wait for me
Why would I
go to sleep when the dream I once had will never wake-up
Why would I
write songs that mean anything when love stopped caring

I don’t have to watch a movie to find a wasteland
I know it exists because I’ve driven through one
I saw a poor woman feed her child on a bridge
And heard a preacher who loved the wrong son

I don’t have to watch
I don’t have to watch
I can just live it myself
What we choose is all we know

I don’t have to watch a movie to know sorrow
I know it exists because I’m still heartbroken
I saw love beside my pillow where our eyes met
And now I see through the memories once spoken

I don’t have to watch
I don’t have to watch
I can just live it myself
What I chose is all I remember

I don’t have to watch a movie to see a tear fall
I know it exists because the scars are on the inside
I saw the time that once shown like the sun
And now passes like rain that washed away my bride

I don’t have to watch
I don’t have to watch
I can just live it myself
I can just live it myself
What I chose is all I am now
What I chose is all I am now

I never felt rejected
That's not how losing something makes you feel
You are the one to blame
You should have known the things people steal
I never felt less
That's not the reason I'm sad today
I let you down
But I never believed you could walk away
It was my own ego
You tried to tell me that I didn't believe in you
I thought I was the one
Yet another man taught me that was not true
Now I know why
And the fields that I wander have grown high
That is where I am lost
That is where a hello becomes a goodbye

he asked her a question
that made her want to walk away
it was something about the truth
she had just met him
it was already too heavy
he told her
he didn’t change clothes in a phone booth
he didn’t
ride white horses down main street
he just wanted to fall in love
before the sun went down

she couldn’t see it
but she felt it all the same
he didn’t have the time
still he had the heart
would it be enough
his eyes revealed no regret
he felt one thing only
the strength to be alone

she never answered
she had her own problems too
she decided he was an honest man
growing older meant a lot of things
what did she mean to him
love is a stranger sometimes
it was up to her
it always was
the men are always willing
but she wanted to wait
to watch one more sunrise

she wanted his aggression
even if she turned him down
no man was worth his fears
how could he handle her?
if he was afraid of rejection
then he was not strong enough
if only he knew it would work
but beauty makes you wait

I have one last dream to die for
But that is for my soul to decide
My eyes can no longer see light
I’m no longer in over my head
I’m beneath the life I once knew

As for someone kneeling on Sunday
Or a Rasta pushing a baby carriage
Can you imagine being judged?
I can only plead my case
I will know very soon what is true

Closer to the fire
Don't burn me before he decides
I want to know if he really means it
When he says I am the light

I have actually found God
While all you can do is believe
And it seems he knows everything
There is nothing I can say
My prayers are all I can point to

I want a tombstone with my name
My children can bring me flowers
Maybe they can save me
From the fire that is burning close
To the heart that sinned for you

Closer to the fire
Don't burn me before he decides
I want to know if he really means it
When he says I am the light

Living the future,
planned by a childhood,
unable to understand,
hate;
and now we question them,
and accuse them;
as if the scars do not exist;
as if their resentments are only delusion;
who could pretend it is so;
who could pretend reality is a lie,
and fantasy is real;
who but you if you are weak;
who but you,
if you cannot separate emotion from truth;
who but you,
if you can only see yourself

I won't question cloudy or grey
Not if it's the sky
These colors I understand
Not how or why
But in the feeling they summon
That's the essence
How you absorb its presence
Yet the backdrop
Whatever it is, is so much greater
The time bending canvas
Everything lives inside this cocoon
Every mood
I cannot question its silent power
A freeway of feeling
Black clouds blue serenity grey hues
Not of my hand
Not of perception because it is true
Black and white
I prefer grey if not blue for its flexiblity
But orange with black spots
With legs walking upon my arm
I can't question it
Or flick it; never reject a pattern
That repeats in nature
Like clouds and grey mysteries
That order my thoughts
I will welcome whatever it will be
No matter what
That is what I have become
The feeling of nature

if the feeling is all of myself
and to be young is to be alone
then i will be alone
there is nothing about me that is growing old
though time would disagree
i will not accept anything less
there is no generation to which i belong
except the one that spans my past and my future
when my body existed
because that is the only life my blood can warm
but the bridge i have built
is the one that requires no beginning
or end
i have time for nothing else
except to cross without remorse
or regret
about what i discover about myself
and choose to tell you my love

A perfect miracle
Forgiveness you can never give
A perfect blossom
A tree you have never seen
It is all in the mind
It is all we that we ask
To be given the chance to witness
Or give
Perfection
Can it come from the living
But why is the opposite true
A scar upon our back
And upon our heart
Pain too easily felt
Or darkness made from our fears
Why can we not also become light
Or heal our enemy
From the pain they inflicted upon us
For the perfect blossom grows
In the soil of the human heart
And it is ours to plant
If only we knew how

There are four kinds of people
The one getting rich
off of all those he can see
The one who admires the game
but hasn’t won yet
The one who knows better
and...

It’s the saddest point of all
When we’re burying the past
at land or at sea
The generation last is finally us
when we finally forget
It's not the one kids care to know
except...

I don’t think I am anything
I just tell you what I think
as it comes to me
I’m not above anybody else
at least none that I’ve met
I just know how high I want to be
with...

There is no life without strife
No life without a burial
and even that is not free
Take an eye coin from the fire
and flip it for our next bet
Still I would suffer all the same
for...

Take me to the oldest marking
The one with my name upon it
from a long lost century
Would it be carved with a serpent
upon the stone that was set
Or a dove with a message of love
from...

There was a green meadow
And on it a house
Inside were bright curtains and wooden floors
And a garden on the side
Where she got dirt on her blouse

There was a desire to love in her heart
Then there was a man
In him there was fire and feeling
And strong hands gentle enough
To till the garden where love began

He walked proudly next to her
But she did not feel the same thing
She wondered if she was on the rebound
He wondered why she kept that old ring

But like a winter bird she finally flew
It was not how he wanted it to be
They had their ups and downs
But something more made her stay away
An empty horizon was all he needed to see

He slept like a baby next to her
One night he had to find a different dream
She finally left him without a sound
Except the echo of a lost lovers scream

I want you for the part
You must be spot-on
Every mistake must be made
Every tear must flow
I want to remember what is like
To love someone the right way
No matter their flaws
Because that is not the burden
Of being a fantasy
But instead of living a life
How could I want anything more
Than to prove to you my love
Yet how can I do it
Unless you let me down first

if it is in the desert where my soul must learn
to give
then I will live off of the sand as my thin skin
turns red
if my judgment be made by the house in which
I live
then I will suffer along with those who have
no bed
if I cannot convince anyone of this then listen as
I look
through a golden lattice at a sitar drowning in
our hate
how far must I travel to find the inner truth that
time took
while a conch on the desert or the beach sings
my fate

I have lived
For I gave all of myself
Though I was discarded
I have lived
For I gave all of myself
But was soon parted
I have lived
For I gave all of myself
Now I find myself alone
I have lived
For I gave all of myself
But to whom am I known?

I need to be left alone for a while
That's what we all say
If I could dream even for a moment
That storm won’t break my mast
And the wind won’t blow for long

I need someone who has a life
And doesn’t hate anybody
She’ll read the news like everybody
But she won’t have the heart to judge
‘Cause she knows that’d be wrong

That’s her at the end of the bar
She might be drinking whiskey
She might be drinking wine
I’m gonna’ think about her heart
Just like I want her to think about mine

It’s a crying shame
Somebody trying to care
I can’t figure out why I’m always here
And she’s over there

I need someone like me
I’m not going to think about the past
It’s how I’m gonna’ make love last
I’m not going to compare you to nobody
I’m gonna’ pretend I’m really that strong

That’s her at the end of the bar
She was drinking whiskey
Now she’s drinking wine
I’m gonna’ think about her life
I hope she's thinking about mine

She said I’m not sorry for being real
I thought why so hard when we just met
That’s no way to start a love affair
But being strong are the only words she left

I wondered if that was a good thing
You know how people can be
She’s trying too hard to prove herself
Somebody made her feel less than me

Truth is hard
You don’t have to talk about it so much
It makes me wonder if you’re really full of doubt
You don’t have to talk about it
But is it true
Is love something you’d rather live without?

You never gave me a chance
All you can think about is your past
Too bad I wasn’t in it
Maybe you wouldn’t be so downcast

Down to earth
We both survived
We want more
Are we still alive?

Truth is hard
You don’t have to talk about it so much
It makes me wonder if you’re really full of doubt
You don’t have to talk about it
But is it true
Am I somebody you’d rather live without?

He’s telling you I didn’t really love you
But really is all I can say
Really?
He don’t know I climbed out a window
He don't know what I know

He’s telling you I didn’t want to marry you
But really is all I can say
Really?
He don’t know how I saved you one night
He didn’t turn dark into light

Really?
How can he say that?
Really?
How can you listen to that?
Really?
You know better than that
Really?
I can’t believe you needed that

He’s telling you I didn’t care about you
But really is all I can say
Really?
He don’t know how you tried to **** me
He can’t forgive you like me

He’s telling you how long he’ll love you
But really is all I can say
Really?
He don’t know I’m strong enough to wait
He don’t know ******* a soul mate

Really?
How can he say that?
Really?
How can you listen to that?
Really?
You know better than that
Really?
I can’t believe you needed that

I  hear church bells ringing
And all the voices singing
There's always a revival somewhere
Resurrecting faith from its despair

I spent a lot of time in the pews
Kneeling, praying about the news
I remember a word called freedom
It’s for me to choose the right kingdom

Religion for the masses
That’s where the cash is
Alms for the poor
Alms for the poor
I'm not knockin' on that back door
I’d rather pray alone in a closet
God's not inside somebody’s wallet

I saw a girl wearing a scarf on her head
I smiled but she frowned instead
I wonder if she thought I only saw her skin
But I was looking for beauty from within

I can’t change the world that much is true
But I can change someone’s day
And my friends are where my cross will lay
But there’s a man standing on the corner
Jesus wonders if he will know you

Religion for the masses
That’s where the cash is
Alms for the poor
Alms for the poor
I'm not knockin' on that back door
I’d rather pray alone in a closet
God's not inside somebody’s wallet

We took our pound of flesh
And the scars are still fresh
But it’s deeper than that

He’s your new best you ever had
I’m the ex so that means I’m bad
I never needed stuff like that

You always talked about a soul mate
Now I’m living with my soul’s fate
But I can't worry about that

Love is deep
Losing is not
Bubblegum rhymes
Is all I’ve got

You buried me in the past
Our secrets are who we are
But only if you remember those times

He’s the star behind the curtain
It will soon part that’s for certain
I won’t be watching for that

You always liked the things I thought
He likes women who can be bought
You’ll soon see through that

We talked about God and desert sand
Now I’m a kid instead of a man
Losing at love always does that

Love is deep
Losing is not
Bubblegum rhymes
Is all I’ve got

You buried you in the past
Our secrets are who we are
But only if you remember those times

What can you tell that’s true about me
You can’t because if you could you’d run away
I never thought I’d see a glacier move
But that’s what’s bearing down on me
The slow carved rock is permanent
That’s who I am
That's what's true

I know how much time has traveled
I saw so much light maybe that’s why it’s here
You think the stars are so far away
But what happened long ago is there every night
It’s my story trying to catch your eye
I wonder if I can
It's up to you

Too many dreams laid upon your path
Too many eyes cried too
You have no idea except maybe you do
I have to forget you now
I’m not going to walk that way again
Not where it all began
Not what I once knew

The feeling in my feet is the question
I’m willing to wander aimlessly
I have to play this hand out so deal me in Lord
How can she believe she loves him like me
Maybe the one before me said the same thing
He doesn't give a ****
But I still do

Her mind had become one large empty room
With only a chair
She needed a place to sit and think

She felt like an empty alley crossed by railroad tracks
Life seemed to have a way of going its own way
While she watched silently waiting for the next train to pass

She heard a noise and it was a spring bird gathering twigs
It was undaunted by weather that won’t make up its mind
It’s a feeling inside that drives it to plan ahead
No matter the cold air
It must be nice to know what tomorrow will bring

It’s that feeling though
It can make you wait for the wrong thing
To believe in what is not right for you
To forget the pain they put you through
You remembered a glimmer of good
And made it the entire story
That’s why the room was empty
That’s why a glimmer is welcome
But there is no other chair
It’s because you put it on the other side of the door
And you did it for a reason
And now you’re thinking of bringing it back
What you don’t know is that it’s not there anymore
Someone else took it

Maybe you’re in the wrong room
The door is unlocked
You can leave if you want
Or you can wait
Because a fantasy is easier than a decision

They say everybody has a past
But why can’t I get past you
Tomorrow was our promise
But today it’s no longer true

You said I would be the last
And I said you would be too
But love that once was honest
Is telling someone else I do

It’s love that holds memories fast
If it’s the only love we ever knew
To hear them say goodbye to a promise
Is etching on a stone someone drew

They say everybody has a past
But the past is nothing new
You can pretend without being honest
But who are you going to compare it to?

We don’t know why they cut the tall trees
Or scare small children
They keep us outside
Where the wind cannot make the sound of peace in the winter time
And the rain can only ask why it is an oasis stuck inside a cloud

There is so much beauty in her worried face
It speaks silently for her heart
But sorrow became too much
She prayed to be forgiven for wanting laughter for one weekend
She will throw open the door again on Monday if she is allowed

The smoke rises over a five minute walk outside the wall
But we are not alone
It is time that makes us afraid
We know our lives will one day be a thing of the past
But one last kiss from a good woman will make us cry out loud

though i say
despair will not take hold of my heart
it is a lie instead that has found a home
and though i say
neither worry nor indifference shall reign
it is a sad moment that does not care
and a wasted one that does

though i say
i once knew a dead man
it was long before he passed this earth
and though i say
i prefer to remember that which is good
that is not the life that was lived
and i know this because it was me

though i say
there is not enough knowledge in me to matter
it was the amnesia of my Father that taught me best
and though i say
he could not find the day that once was
what he knew was his life was worth any ending
and so too a reflection that awaits the ripples of a stone

You think he’s not saying enough
But you keep pushing him away
He’s telling you something
He’s a man
And when he loves someone
You’re going to feel it all over your body

It takes time for you because you’re so deep
But he swam all the way to the bottom with his eyes
He’s inside you before you even know him
Now you wonder if it’s words you want
Or oceans of sound

He tries to find the right word to say
But your beauty is beyond a poets right to describe you
Yes it is the curse you live with
A man would make love without even knowing you
But if it is so then it is so for him too
Because his heart is as alive as the depths of your soul
And you will have to trust the hands of love one more time

I could find somebody new
Maybe somebody prettier than you
I could find a girl any man could love
Yeah, I could do that
But my heart knows it’s not you

I can’t fool myself
I can’t play house
I can’t play pretend
I could if I didn’t care

But I do

That’s why you were my friend
That's why you were my friend

I could find somebody new
Maybe somebody to love more than you
I could find a girl any man would want
Yeah, I could do that
But my heart told me it wouldn’t be true

Dreams never sleep
Neither does saying goodbye
I keep saying it over and over
But my heart’s not just some other guy

I could find somebody new
But my heart knows better
I could find somebody new
But my heart knows better

I could find somebody new

But my only heart
Only knows
What only it
Ever knew

You said I’m a locked door
I said I’m an open book
You said the curtains are open
But people can only look

I said my heart is a saint
You said it was a crook
What you saw in the window
Are the things you say I took

A tree with no leaves
A beach with no shells
That’s all I left of you
That’s what you said
That’s what you said

Trees are for shelter and shade
Beaches are where love is made
But only if somebody cares enough
Cares enough not to be afraid
Not to be afraid

A tree with no leaves
A beach with no shells
That’s all I left of you
That’s what you said
That’s what you said

you like living close
to dangerous places
like my heart
but not your own
saying so doesn’t make it true
it just seems that way to me

i don’t mind standing close
to a heart that’s on fire
but i won’t do it
unless you’re willing
to burn for me too

you’re a desert looking for water
the last page looking for a new book
the ocean can’t be filled by the past
because it already is
the sea is as old as the sand
and as young as the rain
that’s the way we live
we are who we are
but inside is where we change

you’re looking for me
or something like that
you said so once
your voice felt so far away

i’m not just yesterday
i’m also the day after today
but not just another tomorrow
it’s up to you

forget the days we once knew
that’s where you find sorrow
i know how it feels
that’s the only thing i know to be true

Once he said, "I have no King but Caesar!”
And the Roman obeyed his command
Now instead he has become a believer

Once he watched him suffer a whip
And lusted for his blood to flow
Now it fills a grail for him to sip

Once he hid behind the garrison
He saw him fall on a stone road
Now he's become a good Samaritan

Once he had a hammer and a nail
And used them to fulfill a prophecy
Now he hears a mother's painful wail

Once he made a crown of thorns
He pierced his side and found only water
Now he makes halos out of horns

Once he moved a stone to seal a Tomb
He stood guard in front for Rome
Now he's born again from a holy womb

Once he was a doubting Thomas
Then he asked to see his hands
Now he believes the Lord's promise

Once it was he who would not repent
Until ashen palms blessed his skin
Now he fasts forty days for Lent

Once he was flesh upon this earth
And he was a sinner in God's sight
Now he wonders of his own worth

Once he dreamed that it was too late
And as he stood at the edge of his grave
Now he knows for whom he must wait

It’s easy to say when you’re alone
It’s somebody’s fault
It’s better to be alone
And when you go out
You try to act all grown

But you can’t pretend to be
If you leave your heart behind
No, you can’t pretend to be above it all
If you leave your heart where no one can see

When you were growing up
You gave your heart away
Like a flower you weren’t afraid
But now it’s something you keep to yourself

Growing down
It’s like you're growing down
Growing down into the ground
A flower afraid of the rain
A flower afraid of the sun
Afraid of the things when you were young

It’s easy to say when you’re alone
You don’t look into my eyes
You don’t stand close
And when you close the door
You try to act all grown

But you can’t pretend to be
If you leave your heart behind
No, you can’t pretend to be above it all
If you won’t leave your heart with me

An island swept by the tide
But was soon to dry
Palm trees bent further than the horizon
But their roots held fast
The birds and their nests scattered by the wind
But they remembered which way was south
For they know that life is made of such things
And that every broken heart is blessed

There are things I no longer need to know
Things you do not confide
It is as if you always sleep when we are apart
You no longer dream
As if there is nothing inside
Nothing to sort out in your mind
No life to tell
Whatever I once said to you
Freely without recourse
It is not your affair
You do not look to me for help
You do not mingle your thoughts with my own
I have to accept that you have moved on
Even though I know your tears will wait for me
Sad pools where your eyes drown every night

Nothings the same
Though you think it is
But you don't know what I'm thinking
I can't whisper an ocean in your ear
You can only feel it in my body
Surging all over you because there's so much
It can't lay still
How could it
A body in motion
It's all there
It looks the same from a distance
But that's because people don't know how to look
I wonder if you know how to feel

Why ain't you improvin'
Whatever is holding you back ain't real
But you made it come alive
You invented a thief that likes to steal
You invented a dream you can't feel
Wake up
Walk outside and find yourself
Then claim it
It takes a long time to master it
If you don't try then who you are will reject you
That's the pain you feel
It's you rebelling from the thief
Who let him in the house?
You did
So why ain't you improvin'
It doesn't matter where you were born
Who your parents are
What church you were raised in
What flag you salute
Who you really are may be a thousand miles away
If you can't find it then you ain't looking hard enough

Every nerve is exposed to insects and axes
My bark, stripped clean
The lines and circles connecting everything revealed
Strips, like bone holding me together
Circles that mark time
Knots, where the blade has healed
But not forgotten
My life, no longer a happy sweet song
But instead the knowledge of what went wrong
The birds stripped me for their own
Lightning struck because I would not atone
Fire burned until I stood alone
Still, no matter the wind and the rain
I stand tall
For my roots, the legacy of all I have buried
My branches, to touch where their souls were sent
And all who gather underneath the canopy
Are welcome to tell their tales of sorrow
For what is left for us to do
But to give our children the gift of tomorrow

You’d never know’d I was rich
It’s not that I am
But I always seem to have a dollar in my pocket
And a glass left from last night’s bottle

If it ain’t aged it aint’ no good
Neither you and neither me
We learned some things along the way
How to love is all that’s left to do

It’s good to surprise yourself
You leave it on the shelf
And the money builds on itself
But love don’t feel like waiting
No it don’t
No it don’t

I say you’re mine
It’s not how long we were together
Time don’t care how long it lasts
But I sure do
It’s a lifetime of you always remember

It’s good to surprise yourself
You leave it on the shelf
And the money builds on itself
But love don’t feel like waiting
No it don’t
No it don’t

I can be inspired all alone
I wonder how much greater with you
To think in a dream
Or to feel in your arms
I know what is true
And what is the waiting
I can't build a castle so high
That you would not be able to enter
Not to be the queen
But to tear the walls down
To show me that a dream is real
And the wild animals that roam
Is the life we will conquer together

I want to love you like my children
Love never ending
Relationship instead of accomplishment
Life and its problems
Shared and solved
Never saying goodbye
Knowing a phone call is where love is sent

I told you, you would be the last
And to make it true I must continue my fast
The pain of my words is a long road
No matter if I die before I reach the end
Because if I do
Then what I said to you would not be another lie
Instead it will be the only memory from your past
And you will live on knowing what I said was true

I cannot speak the light
The light that speaks to all cultures
Except the language of love
Of their loneliness
And fear
Their insecure nature
Because we all know how it ends
But I cannot make them love their enemies
I can’t make them care about your children
Or care about anything I care about

I
Can't
Make
Them

Because it is that they worship something sight unseen

So what it is
Can we ever know?
Except what our minds need it to be
For us
For our people
But I cannot know
If the light that guided you
Also guided your conquerors
I cannot explain how not to avenge your son
Or how to forgive the cause
Of the diaspora
I cannot explain to someone else why your anger is just
Or why their anger is not just to you
I cannot tell you that God favors you
And not him

There are so many nails for me remove
Maybe it’s better to fight than be apart
Happiness
Peace
Tranquility
Only moments in time
And yet we continue to believe we are blessed
By God
Given
His fruits
Born
In his image
{emotion or my face?}
Worthy
Of his mercy
But not you
But not me
Only we
Whoever we are
It had to be us

We are the chosen people
This land is ours
We buried our dead here
Thousands of years ago
It is ours

Graves are not meant for cliff diving
Or day trading
They are only food for our sadness
And we must protect them
No matter how many layers exist
Between our fathers
And the fathers of the soil far beneath us
Where only evolution and faith know the truth
Where only history lies dormant
Wondering
If a shovel and the light from another world will ever arrive

Sometimes you just have to live with it
You know what you did
That pile of broken hearts can’t be lit
They'll always know how to find the things you hid

You said I needed to learn how to forgive someday
That I had no right to judge
I know that’s right and right well I judged anyway
It's always easier for me to hold a grudge

We’re all the same
We know life is rough
We don’t say the things we should
But it’s not who won the fight
It’s who decides they’ve had enough

The way you lived was like plowing down a house
You never seemed to know who lived inside
It was just a another person to take off your blouse
They never had a chance because every night you cried

You acted like you never planted any memories
You never watered any knowing you were soon gone
You took the earrings but left me all the stories
What else can I do now but try to write a song

Talkin’ about you like this is just about the bad
But I know I’m telling a lie
You were the prettiest girl I ever had
Now I answer to myself because I asked myself why

We’re all the same
We know life is rough
We don’t say the things we should
But it’s not who won the fight
It’s who decides their heart is tough

Why won’t you fall in love with me again
Forget about the past and the pain
The way it ended was not because of love
It was because I doubted you
Now I know you’re the only one for me

Why are you saying you won’t be my friend
I promise it won’t be the same
The nights we shared are what I’m thinking of
I know you remember them too
Tell me it’s the way I made you feel that you see

Why do you avoid all the places we’ve been
Is it because you can only think of blame
Come down from what you think you’re above
What you found in me is still true
How it was and if you believe, the way it will be