1. |
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LYRICS:
Could it be that the grass is really greener here?
Is it just me, or are the stars a little brighter?
But when I'm here and when you're with me
Everything is just so much lighter
Well I've never known just how to let a good thing be
And I've never known just how to let a good thing go
But as you cannot hold on to a waterfall
The only thing to do is let it flow
Everything's gonna be alright
Cause it's already pretty fine today
Everything's gonna be alright
And my heart is turning a lighter shade of grey
Now I start to see I'll never really understand
As I immerse myself into this neverending stream
Oh it’s up to you to let me be a stranger or to take my hand
And with three different languages I try to express
What I cannot even say in my mother tongue
Sometimes I just want to close my eyes
And capture the moment in a song
Everything's gonna be alright
Cause it's already pretty fine today
Everything's gonna be alright
And my heart is turning a lighter shade of grey
And I will keep on dreaming
And I will keep on trying
Even though sometimes I get so tired
I can smile as I am crying
Everything's gonna be alright
Cause it's already pretty fine today
Everything's gonna be alright
And my heart is turning a lighter shade of grey
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2. |
Death of a Toad
03:08
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LYRICS:
A toad the power mower caught
A toad the power mower caught
Chewed and clipped of a leg
With a hobbling hop has got to the garden verge
And the cineraria leaves gave him
Sanctuary in the shade
With the ashen heartshaped leaves
In a dim, in a low, in a final glade
Day dwindles, drowning, and at length is gone
In the wide and antique eyes that still appear
To watch the daylight steer
His original heartsblood goes
Spends on the earthen hide
In the folds and wizenings
Flows in the gutters of the banked and staring eyes
He lies as still as if he would return to stone
As still as if he would return to stone
And soundlessly attending, he dies
Toward some deep monotone
Toward misted and ebullient seas
Toward the cooling shores
Toward lost Amphibia's emperies
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3. |
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LYRICS:
I don't remember what I said, or what did I do wrong
To make you pack your things and move along
My patience has come to an end
You've broken more than I can mend
If you look for me tomorrow, I'll be gone
When you close the door behind you
Please don't think of coming back for more
Maybe someone else can mind you
As soon as you know what you're looking for
What are you looking for?
You are moving the objects that stand in your way
Now you're picking up the pieces
But there's less of them every day
It's the same thing, you're never satisfied
But you'll never know how perfect love can be
Until you've tried
Many days and many nights I listened to you moan
That you'd be better off on your own
You follow what you want to find
But if you do, you change your mind
Scared to death of ending up alone
Things will get much clearer
If you dare to give your heart away
If you just let me get nearer
I might wanna try it for another day
Let's try, what do you say?
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4. |
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LYRICS:
Het is als eb en vloed, al zolang als ik je ken
En om de zoveel tijd het springgetij
En omdat je denkt dat ik jouw Deltawerken ben
Keert je storm zich het hevigst tegen mij
Als de deuren in de trein sla je soms op hol
Wagenwijd open, dan te lang op slot
Dit soort mankementen eisen op den duur hun tol
Wie geen geduld meer heeft die slaat de ruit kapot
Om het te begrijpen hoef je echt geen fysicus te zijn
Als je niet wil groeien, kom op meid, dan blijf je altijd klein
Als een kat in het nauw sla jij je klauwen in mijn huid
En je wil dat ik je nooit verlaat
Maar met die nagels klim je er zelf maar lekker uit
Kom op meid, dat is nu eenmaal hoe het gaat
Om iets voor te schrijven hoef je echt geen medicus te zijn
Als je niet wil bloeden moet je beter wennen aan de pijn
Om het te begrijpen hoef je echt geen fysicus te zijn
Als je niet wil groeien, kom op meid, dan blijf je altijd klein
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5. |
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LYRICS:
Oh my lovely, don't you be ashamed to cry
Oh my lovely, don't go hiding what is true
Better days will come again, like you have seen a few
And I will stand beside you, I'll be right behind you,
My lovely, I will mind you till they do
Like the seafaring folk in the olden days at night
Set out the endless darkness to explore
There are those brave enough to go searching for the light
And those brave enough to stay behind and keep a lookout on the shore
If you're feeling frail and spent and you're lamenting it's too late
That you've either missed your calling or you failed
Remember what you told me once when I was in this state
You can always take the next train when you realize the ship's already sailed
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6. |
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LYRICS:
I don't remember what day it was when I first heard the news
That the fog was thick and the girl was dead and the trucker's got the blues
And a line appeared above my eyes on the day that she was killed
If everything happens for a reason then I have no reasoning skills
So I put my sadness up for sale, now the bidding can begin
But if no one takes an interest, I must store it all within
If the story written on my face is the passing by of time
Then the passing on of people can be read between the lines
If death comes knocking on my door, he can use the waiting room
Cause my traveling shoes don't fit me yet and I won't be leaving soon
But the markings on my face will tell me when it's time to go
If there's no more room for sorrow, I will know, I will know
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7. |
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LYRICS:
I visit her every night at nine
She greets me politely and asks for wine
I check the room to see if she's eaten on time
I ask her how her day has been
She doesn't remember and I need to wipe her chin
I see cigars on the table, wonder how they got in
My sister remembers the house by the lake
And all the winter days that we spent catching snow flakes
She remembers the secret hole
that we made in the old oak tree
I step forty years back in time
every second I spend in her company
She's a living museum of our personal history
Her walls are filled with picture frames
Of family and friends, including their names
To guess who's who is one of our games
She's not allowed to go outside
I have the key but I don't tell her where I hide it
She'd take it if she could and believe me she's tried it
She thinks I'm the nurse or the maid
And she frowns when I tell her my name
Cause the me she knows is twelve years old
And in her head will always stay the same
My sister remembers the candy we bought
And the candy we stole and the time we got caught
She remembers the skipping rope songs
The words and the melody
But it's so hard to accept that now that I've gone old and grey
She just cannot recognize the sister she sees her today
And while being so close she has never been further away
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8. |
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9. |
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LYRICS:
The ship set to sail when the weather allowed
But blue skies are clouded in memories now
For the sorrowful widow who mourned for the sailor who drowned
She committed herself to the plan
Of vengeance on that which had murdered her man
So she took on the ocean with her bare hands
And had to surrender again
And I am the ocean
And the tide gives and takes
And if you've lost your heart to the whims of the sea
Please don't blame it on me
I am no sea of tears, I am no mystery
I hold no treasure deep promised by poetry
That's lost on me
When she was found near the cliffs on the shore
No sailors ever set sail anymore
And they stayed on the island to honor the girl they adored
Till the day when the storm came to town
And powerful winds forced the villagers down
And still to this day if they hear but a sound
They find themselves pinned to the ground
And I am a rain cloud
And the air goes its way
If you're looking for justice or sympathy
Don't expect it from me
I am no ray of light, I don't have my answers right
I am no painted sky or gate to the by and by
I'll deliver your messages day and night
In a bottle or held by a dove in flight
I will carry your vessels to anywhere
And I'll always be there
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10. |
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LYRICS:
Well I don't really believe that people change that much in one lifespan
It would be naive to think that if evolution can't do it, you can
Everybody's got a different heaven and everybody wants to get there
But we were all dumped into the same boat and we've got to row it somewhere
Row, row, row
Don't even think of going up the stream
Row, row, row
You know it's my boat too, my life, my dream
Row, row, row
Let the wind the blow in your back and let yourself be
Flown, flown, flown
Gently to the world's end
There's a man clutching his guitar, he just came back from New Orleans
He says: "Everybody I met there has been stealing my music it seems"
And there's a girl lying flat on her back and she's floating on the water
She says: "I don't feel the need to be a female version of my father"
And if there's a prize that we're reaching for
Who says it won't weigh the whole boat down
Until someone dives all the way to the bottom
We'll never know if there's a danger of drowning
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11. |
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LYRICS:
Well the guru told me 4 am is the best time in morning to rise
You gotta clean your house and then yourself and splash water into your eyes
And rinse your nose with salt, not too much and not too little, before you begin
With pranayama and asanas, meditation, chanting mantras
Being mindful of everything
Well the self-help-book-guy told me to adopt a caveman diet
And it's true that I could shed a few so I thought that I should try it
Just 3 small meals a day should make a person feel real good
Too bad that I spend most of my time hallucinating about food
And now I'm so tired, I'm weary and worn
I'm so lonesome and so forlorn
But I know if I just work a little harder at being all that I can be
One of these days, one of these days
Good things are gonna come to me
Well my girls they told me to forget about you, to cut the ties and move along
That it's no use pining for some kind of silver lining, to file it under "love gone wrong"
But when I listen to Tony singing he's so lonely and Rhonda can't quit that old booze
Then I do feel like I'm meant to try to win you back again
And if I lose, just let me lose
And now I'm so tired, I'm weary and worn
I'm so lonesome and so forlorn
And if history repeats itself
Then likely, probably,
I'm gonna beat myself up for being myself
Until the good Lord sets me free!
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12. |
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LYRICS:
I promised you a waltz but I could not close the deal
Because words could not do justice just to how you made me feel
Now that I threw that all away these words keep ringing in my ear
You were the light of my life, my dearest dear
All I ever really seem to say is "sorry"
But what does "sorry" really do to ease your pain?
So take this waltz, and take my tears,
Walk away and find yourself a new dear
And if you ever need me, I'll be here
My dearest dear
Now if you happen to find your match who lights a fire in your soul
Rest assured she'll be inspected by the one who lost it all
And if she ever does you any harm, well, this I promise you
This sorry waltz will become a murder ballad too
I've been told I'm self-destructive, and if it's true, then it's a curse
Because there's always collateral damage and that only makes it worse
Cause how can I watch you suffer when I want to keep you near?
You kept me safe, but now it's time to save you, dear
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13. |
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LYRICS:
The fox went camping with the grizzly bear
The queen was wondering what to wear
The mice were playing truth or dare
While the cat was patiently waiting
The knights tied a kayak to a banged up car
The eagle cried it didn't want to fly far
The owl didn't know how to open the jar
While the grown-ups were debating
I'm very sorry sir, but you are wasting your time
I'm just here to teach your neighbor's children grammar
I know a guy in Arizona, but you'll have more luck online
Because cacti do not grow in Alabama
Four-eyed Freddy had a blue cadillac
The sleepy snail got a midnight snack
The lovesick turtle had a pigeon on its back
While the aliens were invading
Bob the accountant has robot arms
The inquisitive moose collects lucky charms
Eloquent Ed buys fifty farms
While the Vikings are out parading
Because cacti do not grow, not as far as I know, oh
Cacti do not grow in Alabama
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14. |
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LYRICS:
I was 21 and so was he
We were like the grass we laid on
Oh my word so young and green
I thought the sun would never set
As he lit up my cigarette
Oh my word I could have been
A little wiser, a bit more careful
Before I knew it, I was helpless in his arms
His eyes made promises he couldn't keep
But we both cried "yes" before we fell asleep
His father cursed, my mother prayed
When we told them the mistake we made
Oh my word, you had to go
My mother said I'd go to Hell
And for each of us a prison cell
Oh my word, we didn't know
Which life to risk, which rules to follow
Before I knew it, you were helpless in my arms
And the suits made promises they wouldn't keep
But we voted "yes" and now we're in too deep
And now we think it's great that you are here
We didn't get no welcome mat ourselves, my little dear
There are worse things in the world, so don't be wasteful with your tears
Turn your frown upside down and get your dad another beer
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15. |
Reasons to Rhyme
02:54
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LYRICS:
May you always know when to begin
Bass player, don’t rush in
May you find a steady beat and keep it going
Bass player, don’t rush in
May you always know when the song’s about to end
It’s on you to see that everyone gets home safely
May you always have one more song to sing
Lone songsmith, please take care
May you always pack an extra set of strings
Lone songsmith, please take care
May you always know when your batteries run low
It’s on you to see that everyone can sleep soundly
May you always feel like you’re spoken to
Kind stranger, this song’s for you
May my music give you comfort when you’re blue
Kind stranger, this song’s for you
And if you ever feel you’re isolated from the world
Think back on these days when we all were
And I was still with you
And if it ever seems there’s no reason to rhyme
Close your eyes and you will find the music there within you
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Joe is a phenomenal mandolinist and songwriter and his voice is so soothing. A musician who keeps it real. Very inspiring to me. Recommended!
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What can I say, I just really dig Mr Sun and I don't want you to waste your time reading more text - go listen!
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I admire Karine as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, activist and human. Difficult to recommend one album in particular, I love all of her work.
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Stunningly beautiful songs wrought with pedal steel and nylon-string guitar that cast mesmerizing melodic shapes.
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