The Heart Must Rise

This is a story of thunder and lightning
Crashing across the sky
A tale of desire brought low and forsaken
Seen through imperfect eyes
This is a story of silence and wonder
Speaking what cannot be spoken
A tale of redemption meant to assure us
That nothing will stay broken

Everything will change, you'll see
I promise this
Even on the darkest day

The light will find you here
So beautiful and clear

Drying every tear
The light will find you here

There was a man with a heart made of glass
Shattered beyond repair
His day is a series of sad recollections
Joined in his despair
There was a woman who picked up the pieces
Her hand across his face
With each small amount of her tenderness
She filled his cup with grace

Everything will change, you'll see
I promise this
Even on the darkest day

The light will find you here
So beautiful and clear

Drying every tear
The light will find you here

Staring at the ceiling like a perfect fool
Imagining the past
This only makes matters worse
You know all this

There was a man with a hole in his heart
Standing in a stream
Waiting for someone to gather him up
And bring him all new dreams
There was a woman who filled in his heart
She painted his days with light
Her soft breath floating on a quiet wind
Made everything alright

Everything will change, you'll see
I promise this
Even on the darkest day

The light will find you here
So beautiful and clear

Drying every tear
The light will find you here

Look at all the color in those roses
Go ahead and grab a few
Everything begins again
You know all this

This is a story of thunder and lightning
Crashing across the sky
A tale of desire brought low and forsaken
Seen through imperfect eyes
This is a story of silence and wonder
Speaking what cannot be spoken
A tale of redemption meant to assure us
That nothing will stay broken

Everything will change, you'll see
I promise this
Even on the darkest day

The light will find you here
So beautiful and clear

Drying every tear
The light will find you here

Black And Black

You seem quite sure of yourself
Doubt is not a choice
Certain as the daily mail
You never lose your voice

You scratch the surface and move along
Satisfied and unfulfilled
The darkest sky says that it might rain
But you know it never will

Everyone you know is just a little lost
Digging in the dirt at such a heavy cost

In a world of color you see black
Or white or gray
A star explodes in the summer sky
And you turn away

All this time I thought you'd come around
How was I to know
That you'd already closed your eyes
To this splendid show

Everyone you know is just a little lost
Digging in the dirt at such a heavy cost

You rock yourself from side to side
Unobservant still
It's like a game that you control
An exquisite thrill

Close the window shut the door
Something new arrives
Ask the emptiness
If anything survives

Everyone you know is just a little lost
Digging in the dirt at such a heavy cost

In a world of color you see black
Or white or gray
A star explodes in the summer sky
And you turn away

All this time I thought you'd come around
How was I to know
That you'd already closed your eyes
To this splendid show

Everyone you know is just a little lost
Digging in the dirt at such a heavy cost

Mister Please

He came into town with a dozen names
carrying words of love he could not explain

Tell us your story please
Where are you going please
Who are you anyway

He laid his suitcase down then he washed his face
thinking of a stolen day he could not erase

Tell us your history
Where is your family
Who are you anyway

The rage of men blows through the empty streets
consuming good and bad underneath its feet

Tell us some other tale
Leave out the sad details
We need some peace today

Once the young dawn came with fingertips of rose
he made his way in style to where the river flowed

Tell us of tenderness
Leave us a sweet caress
We want everything

Mister please you have wandered a long time
You can rest here with me if you want
Mister please you have traveled from somewhere
Somewhere far from here

His ragged shoes worn down by a thousand suns
a message on a windowpane he could not outrun

Tell us of yesterday
What did your father say
Will you still go away

Some are stitched in gold while others pass away
without a tear no trace of heavenly display

Tell us a new surprise
Lover of smiling eyes
Who are you anyway

The stranger left at night there was not a sound
no iron-hearted men knew where he was bound

Tell us a story please
Where are you going please
Who are you anyway

Mister please you have wandered a long time
You can rest here with me if you want
Mister please you have traveled from somewhere
Somewhere far from here

While You Where Here

The setting of the sun and heaven all aglow
You will remember this whenever darkness comes
In the stillest hour prepare the road ahead
You're not the morning mist look at all the things you've done

While you were here you swam the water clear and blue
You drank the red wine underneath a pale moon's glow
All the young girls knew the sound of your voice
In stolen whispers they taught you everything you know

That pretty thing called soul is here and then it's not
How the wise man meets a fate no different than the fool
This moment made for you is tomorrow's memory
So breathe it in and laugh and then let it go its way

While you were here all the world was there to see
Niagra Falls and the shores of Sicily
A soft breeze on your face a message on your telephone
Honey on your tongue a small divinity

You sang a song today
You sent the dark away
You sang a song today

Everyone agrees the world spins much too fast
The laughter of a friend is here and then it's gone
You try to make them stay all these images and sounds
But this day's rising sun says that they have all moved on

While you were here you climbed the mountain tall and cold
You held an infant's gaze like diamonds in a bowl
In the quiet forests where the violets cannot bloom
You found the true things that never will grow old

You sang a song today
You sent the dark away
You sang a song today

Going Home In Winter

It's 9:00 on a Friday night
I haven't sat in this bar since I was 21
The pictures on the wall are crooked still
I remember stolen glances when the day was done

I feel much younger than I really am
I feel much younger than I really am

It's a lazy Friday night and everything has changed
I never thought that going home could feel so strange

I'm on this stool because someone died
A small town wraps its arms around its own
Forgotten faces I can't recognize
I try so hard to see the friends I've known

I feel much younger than I really am
I feel much younger than I really am

It's a lazy Friday night and everything has changed
I never thought that going home could feel so strange

Desolate and cold the land I thought I loved
Puts a winter's frost on my glass of beer
Looking for reminders of a misspent youth
Finding only echoes of my years

I feel much younger than I really am
I feel much younger than I really am

It's a lazy Friday night and everything has changed
I never thought that going home could feel so strange

If You See Me

If you see me wandering
Maybe I'm only wondering
Where I might rest my ragged soul

I want to find you next to me
Singing a lovesong quietly
I want to say these words to you
You make me real

If you see me sad and blue
It's because I'm missing you
Like a bird without its wings

If you see me satisfied
It's because your eyes have lied
This drama doesn't mean a thing

I want to find you next to me
Singing a lovesong quietly
I want to say these words to you
You make me real

If you see me walk away
You should know I want to say
These days without you are too long

If you see me smiling wide
It's because you're by my side
Something more than a lonely song

I want to find you next to me
Singing a lovesong quietly
I want to say these words to you
You make me real

Everybody Has A Story

In town he was known as Edward
And respected for his polished shoes
They shined so brightly they blinded him
And carried away his blues

Every morning he walked to work
Past broken houses with no stairs
In a factory that made nothing real
He swept the floor completely unaware

Black shoes, white socks, black pants, white shirt
A simple mind in bliss

Edward never knew his father
His mother died when he was two
Her anguish at his damage
Was heartbreak she could not live through

Some things just seem to happen
And we can never truly understand
We comfort ourselves with the hope
That it's all part of someone's plan

Black shoes, white socks, black pants, white shirt
A simple mind in bliss

Some in town thought Edward useless
A cloud that blocked their sun
Their words cut deep like the winter wind
And bled him when the day was done

Through empty eyes he saw the world
Filled with painted ecstasy
His memory could not hold the past
Each new day pure and free

Black shoes, white socks, black pants, white shirt
A simple mind in bliss

On Sunday Edward walked to town
He sang in the small church choir
He gave his time quite generously
In the service of a higher power

He lifted his head and sang his song
A prayer both clear and stark
Just this once if he could rise above
And bring some light into the dark

Black shoes, white socks, black pants, white shirt
A simple mind in bliss

Crooked Smoke

For Karen

Light As A Feather

When the last sound that I hear
Fades into the night
And all thought about this day
Leaves without a trace
I remember they were here
Standing next to me
Offering the truth they owned
With a special grace

I see them walking down the street
On their wedding day
Arm in arm a pretty pair
Youth in elegance
Down the streets of Washington
Dancing on a cloud
Everything was love to them
1941

Can you turn around and stay with me for awhile
In a better world I'd never lose your easy smile

Once I was small
Light as a feather
You were so tall
Walking together
Hands in the sky
Italian leather
Sun in our eyes
Walking together

When I close my tired eyes
And set the day aside
In that moment of release
Like a favorite dream
I remember words of love
My daily bread
How their gentle mercies flowed
Like an ancient stream

I see them sitting in their yard
A frosted beer to share
Under cloudless summer skies
Every day a feast
I miss my father's strong hands
His knowing grin
My mother's curiosity
Carried on a breeze

Can you turn around and stay with me for awhile
In a better world I'd never lose your easy smile

Once I was small
Light as a feather
You were so tall
Walking together
Hands in the sky
Italian leather
Sun in our eyes
Walking together