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Lyrics
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Conestoga Sunrise
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Rise,
my love, before the others wake.
Slip away and watch the morning
break.
The dew is cold, but you won’t
mind, there’s something you must see.
The virgin light may offer us a sign
of what’s to be,
So come with me.
Look ahead to mountains weeks away.
Here it’s dark, but there they’ve
found the day.
We could wander ever west to where
those mountains lie:
Every day a different land, each
night a different sky.
We’re bound to try.
Can’t you hear the ancient frontier
song,
Charging us to always move along.
Like the ones before we’re in a
tale that’s never done.
We will take it where we can, until
our time is gone,
Then pass it on.
It’s not new to be afraid of Time.
Won’t it help to make your journey
mine?
I don’t believe a tale must be a
sad one to be true.
It’s never been like me, and now I
know it’s not like you.
You love me too.
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Can It Be So Surprising?
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Can it be
so surprising that your laugh, just your laugh,
Turns my day to a day and a half?
You come from nowhere and sit on my
knee with a plea, “Sing to me.”
Before long there’s a song, or two,
or three.
You’ll be older and ask why we led
you so far from what you are,
And you’ll know, when you grow it
leaves a scar.
We were all once as simple as you,
but all the same the changes came.
And like you we never knew who to
blame.
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I Cut Out My Baby’s Heart
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Well, I’m just
a workin’ man, so of course I joined the Klan.
I came home late from a meetin’ one
fateful night.
I caught my baby sackin’ with my
very own Grand Dragon.
Well, his ass is a draggin’ now
‘cause I put him right.
I got out my carvin’ knife (I had
to do it),
And I carved away that feller’s
life (I knew I’d rue it).
Then I cut out my baby’s heart and
I beat it with a tire tool.
She got up in surprise with terror
in her eyes.
She said, “No, no, this ain’t the
way it looks.”
She played me for a fool ‘cause I
never ever finished school,
But things like that you just don’t
learn in books.
I got out my squirrel gun (I had to
get it),
And I shot the nuts right off that
son of a gun (I knew I’d regret it).
Then I cut out my baby’s heart and
I beat it with a tire tool.
The sheriff he came next day and he
carried me away,
And now I’ll get the chair here in
Folsom Prison.
But though I sit here in the pen,
you know I’d do it all over again, my friend,
‘Cause that two-timin’ gal was
mine, not his’n.
I got out my choppin’ ax (I had to
use it),
And I gave that lowdown skunk forty
good whacks (I thought the law would excuse it).
Then I cut out my baby’s heart,
I ate up every little part (hidin’
the evidence),
I cut out my baby’s heart and I
beat it with a tire tool.
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The Scarlet Pimpernel
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I wish
that we were meant to see
What is and isn’t meant to be.
If you can’t see that I’m in love,
I think I ought to go.
It took so long to write this song.
I’m still not sure it’s right or
wrong.
I have so much I want to say, but
you don’t want to know.
We’ve loved a while in our odd
style,
And I’ve been glad to make you
smile.
Sometimes I thought I’d reached
your heart, but I could never tell.
They seek him here, they seek him
there.
Those Frenchies seek him
everywhere.
Is he in Heaven or in Hell, that
damned, elusive Pimpernel?
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Sigh
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A friend of
mine says the world’s on fire, and it’s never going to rain.
And it’s worthwhile to be a liar or
anything else that pays.
I told him I’d been there before,
and it’s no place to remain.
While one of us remains alive,
Then surely we shall all survive.
After this, all else becomes a
sigh.
I’ve been told too many times that
there’s nothing to believe.
But you and I can make the garden
real before we leave.
It’s left to us to sow the joy, we’ve
had enough of grief.
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The Children Who Don’t Speak
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Don’t
try to read his barren face.
His mind has found a secret place.
He’s of the children who don’t
speak,
And your heart will only break
To see him staring into space.
No light can find a way inside
The captive world behind his eyes.
He’s of the children who don’t
smile,
He’ll always be the distant child,
Silent til the day he dies.
What thoughts he has are his alone.
He cannot come, I cannot go.
He’s of the children who don’t
play,
And I’ll never hear him say
That he loves me, but I know.
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She’ll Come Upon You
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She’ll
come upon you barely in time,
When you’re in need of a positive
sign.
She’ll take your somber, favorite
airs
And brush them away with the
thought that she cares.
She’ll come upon you walking at
night.
She’ll try to draw you into her
light.
She will console you til she
understands
You’re happy to suffer joy at her
hands.
Yesterday you thought she’d never
find you,
Lonely when you had no right to be.
She was always standing right
behind you,
Hoping you would turn around and
see.
She’ll find within you a measure of
fear.
You’ll want to run with the moment
so near.
You know some sorrow may come of
this day,
But denying what’s in you was never
your way.
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Madame Soleil
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All the sunlight
in her heart dances laughing in her eyes:
Eyes that see the things to come,
the past and future all as one,
Eyes that notice so much more than
mine.
Are these wings I see or arms? Not
an angel, still she flies
To places no one else may know, where
she leaves the world below,
And leaves me here to wait another
time
Until Madame Soleil comes to play,
and with her comes the Sun,
Until the doors of soft and silence
gather her away.
We may meet from time to time to
share the secrets that we find.
To know that life and change are
one, not to be but to become.
She only stays to seek another
sign.
And then Madame Soleil goes her
way, and with her goes the Sun,
And the doors of soft and silence
close another day.
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There Will Be Times
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Goodbye,
goodbye. It’s time to dim the light.
A friendship ends, and what can
make it right?
There will be times, there will be
times,
When you’ll wonder alone in the
night.
The fate that waits for all that
might have been
Can shake the faith of any who has
seen.
And there were times, remember the
times,
We still thought the truth was as
fair as the dream.
Alone I’ve known too many empty
dawns.
So why do I forgive and still hold
on?
I’ll find the time in my lifetime
For love once more before it is
gone.
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If I Knew You
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If I knew
you, which I hardly do,
I’d say that you have dreams worth
waiting for.
But in my own way I have tried to
say,
“Yes, I’d like to be your friend, but
do not ask for more.”
Love takes its own course; it will
not be forced.
But when you need it most, it will
be there.
It will bring you peace when, at
last, someone sees
All you’ve held within your heart,
hoping you could share.
I try not to care whether life is
fair,
Or ask myself what I will never
know.
It’s a fine day, so just come out
and play,
And concentrate on where we are,
not where we have to go.
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The Voices From Before
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When you listen
in the darkness for the voices from before,
Do you think you hear the echoes
from beyond the closing door?
When you read the stars and
planets, do they offer any guide?
Can you look into the world that’s
waiting on the other side?
In the moonlight men have labored
on paper and in stone.
Now the ravens haunt their chambers
and their secrets lie unknown.
There were gentle men who told us
that the truth would make us free;
Now the catacombs have led them to
a world we cannot see.
Do you think you hear them calling?
Do they tell you not to fear?
Do your pentagrams and candles make
it easier to hear?
There are questions we will ask in
vain til one of them returns,
But the most important answers are
the easiest to learn:
Every person is a lesson.
Every lesson is a blessing.
Every blessing is a message.
But the message leaves you guessing
at the truth.
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Whisper
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Where are
you going? When will you know?
Will the game that we’re playing
ever end?
The searching and waiting began
long ago.
Mysterious lady, don’t vanish
again.
I lay back and listened one quiet
night,
And the earth as it turned was all
I could hear.
And above me the stars were all
turning in time
As they danced to the music of the
spheres.
Then I heard your footsteps passing
so near.
I called out behind you, “Are you
the one?”
You whispered an answer that I
couldn’t hear.
A whisper from darkness, and you
were gone.
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Versailles
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The
sun you see settling low
Set the same upon Versailles.
Just like you, years ago
Louis watched and wondered why.
Cool and still the stars appeared,
A chandelier of dying light.
He could feel the end, he feared,
Of life and love in endless night.
Every day must end the same:
The sun returning to whence it
came,
From Time’s beginning to times
unnamed.
The king walked back to take his
bed.
He stopped and gazed a moment more.
He sighed again and bowed his head
And lightly closed the gilded door.
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Come Back to the King
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You’ve been
wandering alone in the Valley of Doubt,
And you’re beginning to wonder if
you’ll ever find your way out.
You want to be strong and make it
on your own.
But someday you’ll see that none of
us can do it alone.
Come back to the King, and He’ll
take your part.
All you have to bring is a humble
heart.
Come back to the King. You know
that He cares.
He’s been listening to all of your
prayers.
You’re standing on the edge of the
depths of sin,
And it’s easy going down, but it’s
hard climbing up again.
You’re standing on the brink of
that slippery slope,
But no matter what happens, you
never have to give up hope.
Come back to the King. He’ll be
waiting for you.
It’s the easiest thing you could
ever do.
Come back to the King, and find
perfect love.
Shelter under the wing of that pure
white Dove.
You’re driving yourself to needless
pain.
You’ve got the world to lose, but
your soul to gain.
You need to find something worth
living for.
Come back to the King, and let Him
open the door.
Come back to the King. All your
pain will be eased.
You can drink from the spring of
infinite peace.
Come back to the King, back where
your belong,
And let your heart sing that
eternal song.
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One for the Road
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I
can't believe I've killed another night in this damn bar.
I'll have one for the road, and
then I'm gonna look for my car.
That guy in the mirror doesn't
know this face he sees.
Can't a man finish his drink in
peace?
Hell, no, you ain't takin' my
keys.
Give me one for the road.
Don't say I can't have any
more.
Pour me one for the road.
I've always made it home
before.
When I was a young man, I
thought I'd make it to the top.
Then my troubles began, and
they just never seemed to stop.
My life ain't turnin' out the
way I thought it would be.
All my dreams are just a
memory.
Everything happens to me.
Give me one for the road.
This ain't what I deserve.
I need one for the road
Just to steady my nerve.
I've gone through too many
cigarettes and way too much booze.
But look at me now, and tell me
what I've got to lose.
Today is hopeless, and the
future don't look so sweet.
But I can tell myself I've got
it beat
When I'm out on the street.
Give me one for the road.
Nobody cares how I feel.
But I still own the road
When I'm behind the wheel.
Give me one for the road.
Don't worry, I'll be all right.
But if you're on the road,
You better drive real careful
tonight.
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Something Good
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Why
does every mountain have to be so steep?
Why must every river be so wide?
All your darkest valleys won't
always seem so deep.
Something good will come into your
life.
Something good will come into your
life.
You were always searching, hoping
you could see
Why so many wishes were denied.
You will find them waiting just
where you should be.
Something good will come into your
life.
Something good will come into your
life.
All the times you have tried
To give others the love that you
have felt inside.
All the good that you do,
One day you will find it coming
back to you.
When you think you're losing every
dream you own
And your hopes have all been tossed
aside,
When your need is greatest, you
won't be alone.
Something good will come into your
life.
Something good will come into your
life.
Something good will come into your
life.
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A Little Romance
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There are
things we can do, like dinner for two
Or a walk through the great
outdoors.
They're romantic, all right, but
not like the sight
Of my slippers next to yours.
We can mingle our lips, pausing
only for sips
Of a rare, exquisite wine.
Though it means a great deal,
there's a special appeal
In your slippers next to mine.
We can murmur of our eternal love,
And pledge it with a kiss.
But it wouldn't be the same to me
If not for this domestic bliss.
Oh, I understand there are foreign
lands
We should see when we are able.
But my favorite view is seeing you
Across the breakfast table.
We can put the top down and go
cruising around
On a dreamy moonlit ride.
What I look for each night when I
turn out the light
Is our slippers side by side
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Rich Sons of Bitches
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Do you ever
wonder? Does it ever seem strange
When you work so hard, but nothing
seems to change?
There are things going on that you
never see.
It's all in the hands of people
like me.
It's been this way since a long
time ago:
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
We buy whatever we want. We do
whatever we please.
We burn a barrel a day in our SUVs.
You may think we're greedy, but we
don't want a lot—
Just another Ferrari, another 90-foot
yacht
With a waterfront villa in Monaco.
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
This Golden Rule business just
never gets old;
We make all of the rules 'cause
we've got all of the gold.
But the thing that thrills what's
left of our souls
Is having our fingers on all the
controls.
It really is good to be the CEO.
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
We never worry what's legal. We
never worry what's fair.
We never worry at all, 'cause we
really don't care.
We know people get hurt by the
things we do,
But we don't give a fuck what
happens to you.
We always sell high, and we always
buy low.
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
This extravagant lifestyle is all
we know,
So we're robbing your nest egg to
feed our cash flow.
Whatever it takes to keep the
status quo.
The rich sons of bitches are
running the show.
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Celtic Lament
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There’s a ship
sailing this evening.
Where it’s bearing me, who can
tell?
There is one who knows I am
leaving,
But she’ll not be saying farewell.
Many the days that we treasured,
Many the nights we were one.
I thought those days were forever.
Now, she says, those days are done.
There are hearts hard as a
mountain.
There are longings deep as the sky.
There are sorrows beyond counting.
It is not for us to know why.
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