Lover's Blood

Vincent the Vaquero liked to speak in twisted tongues.

He'd ridden through the harshest lands, and drank his nights away,

He was solemn, he was wise, he was always on the run.

Vincent was a man that had nothing to make him stay.

He could shoot a gun as fast as light

but was never a one to pick a fight.

Vincent was a man of words

though seldom was he heard.

Sara Roja's beauty was known throughout the land

she rode to town alone, a rarity for a gem.

She thought upon her loss, thought about her latest man.

She mostly thought about what could have been of them.

Sara's man rode away,

Sara knew she couldn't stay

She's a lover who was now alone

and it chilled her to her bone.

Vince arrived at the bar, to quench his cowboy's thirst

He saw the red-haired Sara and fell for her at sight.

He planned to ride away with her, but settled to talk first.

Vincent rolled a cigarette and asked her for a light.

Sara Roja would oblige

as he looked her in the eyes

they played a game,

they shared their shames.

they danced and and danced

and then romanced

They awoke

and Sara spoke

She had fun

but had to run

She knew she hadta get away

she didn't know what to say.

Vincent the Vaquero was one who roamed around,
He vowed to never leave her, unless she shot him dead.
But when Sara Roja left him he was the lowest kind of down.
A man that longed for no one, felt empty in his bed.

Sara was the one to ride
She had to find somewhere to hide
She knew she couldn't love this man,
It wasn't part of her great plan.

Sara Roja was a wicked wreck for about a month or two.
It was hard to be alone when you're fallin for a guy.
At her point of breaking she knew what she had to do,
so she saddled up and rode for him in the dark, western sky.

Vincent lied, then her cried
and he felt like he could've died
but life moved on at lover's pace
and he was first to win the race.

Vincent stayed in town like he promised that he would.
The lust that had engulfed him, had vanished in the air.
He fought in many battles because he knew that he could.
No bullet could kill this man, so fighting wasn't fair.

She approached him in the bar
He was drunk, and felt the scar.
He told her had moved along
As he heard his mortal song.

Sara Roja shot him down, so he'd finally be free again
Vincent said he loved her when he realized what he'd done
Vincent couldn't feel the burn like he'd seen in other men.

Sara cried "I've killed him" as she dropped the smoking gun.

Bullets cannot kill me
but my mistake I finally see.
He embraced her in a final bliss
Vincent gave her one last kiss.

The hole in his chest swelled as Vince began to bleed.
Sara cried over him as he fell down in the mud.
The whole town whimpered at the viewing of this mortal deed.
The bullet couldn't kill him, but he drowned in lover's blood.

Finally, Vincent died.
Sara Roja forever cried.
All because a lover lied.
it's true that love can never hide.

The bullet didn't kill him, but he drowned in lover's blood.
The only thing that killed Vincent was his lover's blood.

Hey There, Delilah

It's a perfect day and we're sitting on the couch.
Everyone is so happy but I'm feeling like a grouch.
My friend sits in love and says it with guitar.
I have been so close, but I've never felt so far.
He plays "Hey there, Delilah" till his fingers start to bleed,
that's the kind of dedication that I feel I really need.

Three years come to pass, I don't see him anymore.
I see her from time to time, but I never know what for.
I wish she saw him play, all those years ago,
I wish she saw his love, I wish that she could know.
The beauty of the scene I couldn't see until right now.
Things had fell apart and I couldn't tell you how.

None of us were close but it filled me with despair
That they faded oh so far from 'haven't got a care'.
I pray but for a minute that he'll play guitar again.
I hope to see the love that I saw so clear back then.
Love will come and go, but I saw it in it's prime.
The love that was so pure was eroded just by time.

Young and Free

When I was livin' high and light,
I lived with passion, lived with might,
but I'd find a love, not pick a fight,
when I was young and free!

I'd travel round and shoot men straight,
I'd see each pub, and drink my weight,
My heart didn't have an ounce of hate,
for I was young and free!

But there was loss and there was war,
it beat me down, it beat me sore,
but I was strong right through my core,
for I was young and free!

As time went on it beat me down,
It turned this smile into a frown,
I felt like I began to drown.
I knew I wasn't free.

to live so free was a gift to me,
a gift I shunned, but now I see!
I lived a life so young and free,
but that's no longer me.

My work's a chain,
My life's a chain
I think I'm starting to go insane!
I liked to be so young and free,
and that's the life for me!

So I'll leave my work, I'll leave my store!
I'll leave my woman, I know's a whore!
For I won't settle to be a bore,
As I am young and free!

I am livin' high and light,
I live with passion, live with might,
and I'll find a love, not pick a fight,
for I am young and free!

Still Don't Know

I came with eyes wide open, as bright eyed as could be.
I came to see all that I could, but mostly came to see.
It's easy here to lose yourself off the stuff that is all wrong,
and It's easy here to lose yourself in a stupid, simple, song.

Life won't stop for you and not stop for me even if we die today,
Life won't give a damn for what you think, and sure not what you say.
We sit and wonder what we are, as puppets in a show.
Truth be told the smartest folks just say we still don't know.

They say when you are dead and gone, will it matter who you were?
Did you live life's every second, or run through it like a blur?
If there's nothing after life, what would it matter what we all do?
We ignore the simple questions, and pretend like we all knew.

We're discontinuous and oblivious and most of all ridiculous.
and in us all we try to hide that most of all we're hideous.
I hate to sound so mean, as the villain in the show.
I just hate that we all stumble around and say we still don't know.

There's truth outside, but it's oh so true you have to look inside
There's a truth that's all around us, but we tend to make it hide.
We'll go our lives afraid of saying what we want to say,
but why wouldn't you just say it, if this was your darkest day.

There's a woman in the Nevada that is crying in the sand,
and her life would be much better is someone would hold her hand.
And there's a man that's in the arctic that is sitting in the snow,
he's alone, but he is happy, because he knows what we don't know.

We're bad to one another, and sometimes we show some good.
but when you're gone, another'll stand exactly where you stood.
and your life won't mean a damn, except for what it meant to you,
So why don't you just live your life, won't you finally get a clue.

In every love, in every war, you'll find a time where you find a door.
and if you choose to open up you might just want to find some more.
The answers you are looking for might be from long ago,
They might be round the corner, but we know we still don't know,
We still don't know.

The Fired Trail

There's kindling inside that just won't burn.
Though love never dies I just won't learn.

This town is a shell of the times I had,
with you or the others and the good and bad.

On every corner is a memory stamped
each thought is a push in head so cramped.

They've loved me so and I push away,
It's easier alone, or so I say.

But with each girl that comes and goes,
Do I feel each less? Have I lost my glow?

Did my job take me from who I am?
Do I still live free, or stuck in a scam?

I've lost a piece, and this I know.
But I'm trying hard to make it grow.

and this town is a shell of the times I had,
with you or the others and it makes me sad.

To know I've lost without a care.
and given so many so much to bear.

To finally stop and turn around,
to see my trail of fired ground.

I think it's time to begin anew.
To start a new path, that ends with 'you'.

I'm sorry, I know what y'all will say.
That you regret me so from our first day.

I promise the next, I'll do it right,
I'll be a man, that walks the light.

I'm so very tired of feeling alone,
but there's no one to blame for my empty home.

This town is a shell of the times I had,
and I hope the next one just isn't as bad.

That on each corner is happy thought
of me and 'you', and love that's caught.

It's time I think to leave this town,
to leave this shell, to leave my frown.

and where I go the memory stays.
Of the fired trail and the hell raised.

but when we get to judgment day,
I pray there's a woman with some good to say.

Beautifully Lost

I'm lost in a forest, surrounded by beauty
and all I must do is take a path.
I was so stuck on my sense of duty,
that now I feel the lost map's wrath.

At once, it would have made my way,
but that was before it disappeared.
I know it'd guide me, ne'er astray,
but it was gone when the clouds had cleared.

I see the north, the south, the west
for the east is to my back this year.
I know, to go, would be my best.
To walk away until I'm clear.

Yet the forest, it draws you,
and it forces your grin.
It's beauty a marvel,
though it feels like a sin.

For the colors are striking
as the light shines through.
Being lost is like hiking,
if you hadn't a clue.

But to those who know,
who've done this before,
You reap what you sow,
and you'll bleed to the core.

I'm lost in the bloom.
and I know it'll kill me.
and it's worth the gloom,
To be right where I should be.

So where is the map,
that I made long ago.
I'd love just a scrap.
of where I should go.

I've been here before,
and lived to explain,
though my body was sore.
I'd escaped all the same.

I drew a grand map,
if this happened anew.
but now I'm the sap,
For I've lost what I knew.

The one thing that's grand,
as I work all this out
Is here where I stand,
there's still beauty about.

A beauty that rules,
a beauty that kills,
a beauty for fools,
and a beauty of thrills

Tell Me When

Why is it so hard to live these days
So much work for not much pay
From place to place, the same old face
We run so fast, and it's not a long race

The rats are racing but I'm a mouse
I hate my job and I hate my house.
I have to get myself  out of here
but all my money gets spent on beer.

So drink your coffee or drink a beer
just tell your mind what you want it to hear
You're still alive so it's going to suck
But you're still alive so we'll call it all luck
Hit play again, and start anew,
We'd do much better if only we knew.
when will we all be free again
to live our lives, Oh tell me when.

Oh tell me when, 

just tell me when

When will we be free again,

 I have to know, this ain't no show.

Let's live our lives how we want 'em to go.

I saw you happy at the local bar

I got drunk and I smashed your car.

I'm happy too, except when I'm not

It's all this booze and not enough pot.

Things were fun, those times are gone

Now we're waking up on stranger's lawns

Work all week and drink the rest

I'm mess but I'm trying my best.

So drink your coffee or drink a beer
just tell your mind what you want it to hear
You're still alive so it's going to suck
But you're still alive so we'll call it all luck
Hit play again, and start anew,
We'd do much better if only we knew.
when will we all be free again
to live our lives, Oh tell me when.

Oh tell me when, 

just tell me when

When will we be free again,

 I have to know, this ain't no show.

Let's live our lives how we want 'em to go.

I don't cry because it's easy to yell.
Yell "Fuck You!" or "Go to Hell!"
but I know i can't be your fault
The fields of life are filled with salt.

I'm too strong to lose this war,
I think I'm losing, don't know the score
So when you ask how have I been,
I just ask you to tell me when.

Oh tell me when, 

just tell me when

When will we be free again,

 I have to know, this ain't no show.

Let's live our lives how we want 'em to go.

Oh tell me when, 

just tell me when

When will we be free to live again,

 I have to know, this ain't no show.

Let's live our lives how we want 'em to go.

(~184 BPM)

All They'd Need

He lived like he's thirsty

in the middle of a lake.

She lived like she's hungry

with food for the take.

He lived like he's cold

but the heater's not on.

She lived like she's haunted

when her demons were gone.

He lived like he's tired

when his bed was so close.

She lived like she's bored

with many stories to boast.

He lived like he hated

when he had much to love.

She lived without god

while she's watched from above.

He lived in great pain

with the cure so nearby.

She lived without work

but she never applied.

They lived like they're caged

but they've always been free.

They lived without love

but this they'd not see.

Then one day,
so out of the blue.
He met a she
and they got a clue.

She got him a drink
and quenched his thirst.
He made her a meal
That she ate like her first.

She warmed him in bed,
fighting the cold.
He dispelled her fears
with talk so bold.

She made him move on
to see what he had.
He helped her to pray
when things got bad.

She healed his wounds
So he could move on.
He got her a job
where she wasn't a pawn.

They finally found love
their soul's had been freed.
In finding each other,
They had all they'd need.

Too Hard to See

The brain is the king,
it makes the rules.
Yet the heart lives on,
it makes us the fools.

I saw you today,
so happy, so free.
It's what I wanted,
how I knew you should be.

It's clear I miss you.
It's a fact so true,
I admit my loss
The greatest love I knew.

Why, oh why
did I let you go,
I toil and toss,
from the answer I know.

You had to be free,
I did what I must.
The hardest choice
putting love over lust.

I'm lost it's true,
and it hurts me so,
but I did it for you,
not to be your foe.

I wasn't right
and only I knew,
but it pains me so,
to pass that clue.

What did I feel
and was it love?
Was it given to me
from the heavens above?

I weep, and weep,
from a loss I have made.
Yet from your sight
I will slowly fade.

I did what was right,
or so I thought.
Yet I miss you now
despite lessons taught.

It burns and burns,
so deep in my chest.
To know I could never
be your very best.

Move on, move on
but go without me,
I wish you the best,
but it's too hard to see.

Was it love we had?
I'll never know,
but you're built to love
and I'm just a show.

Move on, move on,
but go without me,
I wish you the best,
but it's too hard to see.

Fire and ice

It's easy to see
the stars at ease.
It's easy to be
a leaf in the breeze.

We look out upon
the stars above,
we see we're a pawn
to god's real love.

We see the same stars,
we have the same eyes.
In the back of our cars
we continued our lies.

Two blanks in their frames,
the memories that come.
We love what remains,
when we had someone.

And now we're alone,
and here we shall stay.
Is it better to roam,
or to make the play?

My red is no more
and it's not all the same.
do I miss her soft kiss,
or just hate the pain?

Turn away love,
alone once again.
On these cold, cold nights
Needing more than a friend.

The one always there,
The hardest to read.
The tallest tree
And the youngest seed.

The happiest love,
the hardest hate,
the lush green garden
and the rust on the gate.

Who are you,
to fill a hole,
a burning chasm
left in the soul?

Try as we do,
I can't move past.
Are you a healing bone,
or the plaster cast?

But I love your laugh,
I long for your kiss.
And on this cold mountain night
It is you that I miss.

It's that longing that drives,
that longing that spurs.
The longing I seek
That can only be hers.

You are the ice
that would fight her fire.
You are the one
That spurs my desire.

The Shadow

Is, now was, but nothing will stop.

Memories remain, but new ones will swap.

Gone? Oh no. They'll still be around.

A part of your shadow that shows on the ground.

Everyday you'll see it there,

It's always present, but you hardly care.

The body takes the sun's hard blow

as the shadow basks in freedom below.

When the tree will take the hit,

you'll be alone, in shade, to sit.

Can the shadow really not find you here?

Or did it just join the tree's own fears?

Memories may leave, but shadows remain.

Silent silhouettes that dance in vain.

At night, of course, the shadow's at home.

all through your thoughts it knows it can roam.

Bask in the light, but know what remains.

The shadow of the past knows all of the pains.

Too it contains the greatest of time,

of laughter and fun, what was your prime.

The shadow won't leave, but know it is there.

A part of your life that you'll always bear.

The Ballad of Jackson Lee

There's a tale out there, of a boy made a man.
Of blood and guts and the devil's right hand!
And Lil J. Lee was the innocent boy that did it!

He went to school and did his work,
but that Big Bob Reed had such a smirk.
He grinned and smiled as whooped young Lee in the yard

It went like this for a month or two,
'till Lil J. Lee was all black and blue,
but Bob didn't know he was only making him tougher

On a cold afternoon with a dreary rain,
Lil J. Lee had enough the pain,
and he met Big Bob in the yard with a bat and a gun.

and he said:

Listen hear I'm Jackson Lee,
and I swear to God I'll make you bleed!
I've been pushed around, but not no more,
Cause Ol' J. Lee's gonna bust you sore

Well Big Bob Reed didn't stick around too much
cause he left that day with hobble and crutch
and they say J. Lee kept a few of his teeth for keeps.

A bully's a bully, and J. Lee had the worst
but you can go so far before you gotta burst,
and the blood on that bat is something I won't soon forget.

Well Lil J. Lee ain't so little no more,
It's been 8 years since he fought that boar
and he walks like a man that ain't got no problems to deal with.

Until he walked to the store and he heard a scream,
and he saw a man's gun as it began to gleam
and J. Lee shot him down before he could even speak.

and he said:

Listen hear I'm Jackson Lee,
and I swear to God I'll make you bleed!
I've been pushed around, but not no more,
Cause Ol' J. Lee's gonna bust you sore

The man he shot was as big as a steed,
and he was sure he was there to quench his greed,
but Ol' J. Lee's not real big fan of bullies.

Ol' J. Lee's not young no more,
but he helps the sick, the feeble and poor
and he take pride in the man he made himself to be.

He passes the yard where he beat Bob Reed,
and walks through the alley where he shot Mr. Greed.
and thinks on the days he made his stand.

So before you pick a fight with a kid,
or steal from the poor that don't know what they did.
Just keep in mind you may just hear these words.

Listen hear I'm Jackson Lee,
and I swear to God I'll make you bleed!
I've been pushed around, but not no more,
Cause Ol' J. Lee's gonna bust you sore

Lullaby

The day is done,
it's time for sleep.
Hush your thoughts,
not one peep.

Get in bed
and snuggle in.
Feel the sheets
against your skin.

Clear your mind,
don't make a move.
Feel the bed,
and feel each groove.

Relax your body
and relax your head,
all that's here,
is you and the bed.

Breath it all in
and breath it all out.
Imagine the stars
and begin to count.

They go on and on,
but count them through.
Soon you'll sleep
and have dreams too.

Sleep real well
and sleep tight.
have pleasant dreams,
'till tomorrow. goodnight.

One Life

Despair
Despair
Woe and
Wear

One word
One touch
One thought
One care

Fear
Fear
Love
So dear

Fog
Smog
Mist
Now clear

Breath
Breath
Life
Awake

Bright
Bright
Fate
To make

Slow
Slow
Stop
Now show

Speak
Speak
Move
Now grow

Despair
Despair
Woe and
Wear

One move
One choice
One Life
One care

Ecclesiastes 12:7

The flame is passed,
but it leaves with a burn.
The body is ready,
but the soul still churns.

Are they possibly ready?
Are they even able?
Will I leave a legacy?
Or merely a fable?

I gave a life,
I'd give it twice.
but those that follow
can't know the price.

I'll be free from the chain
the burden is gone.
Yet of the spot with the wear,
I've grown quite fond.

I look in the mirror,
and the champion looks back.
but it can sometimes feel,
like I'm really the crack.

I won, I achieved,
I played with the best.
but I'm doomed a death,
the same as the rest.

What will they say,
when they hear my name?
Will I be showered with glory,
or left with no fame?

What of my work,
that made me tired and weak.
Is the future still bright,
or is it gray, dull and bleak?

If I raised an empire,
one to stand time,
Would it be burned and salted
in life's final crime?

It's easy to love
the soul with a flame.
It's easy to know
the men of the game.

Will it be worth the work,
the sweat and the tears?
If it really can't make it,
can't face the years?

I'm passing the torch,
but I can't let it go.
The body says yes,
but the soul fills with woe.

The past is my power,
but I fear for what's next.
In the frailty of time,
I am saddened and vexed.

As I pass the flame,
I feel my hand shake.
On my firmest foundation
I finally quake.

All strength is weak
in the eyes of god
the grandest of works
all returns to sod.

But his eyes shine with hope,
like mine did long ago.
and he takes the torch
and my spirit in tow.

You'll Have Your Day

You've made it this far,
you've beat the best.
You've faced the devil,
and passed the test.

It sure wasn't fun,
but you earned your keep.
The path wasn't clear
but you made the leap.

The challenges faced,
weren't really that bad.
The hardest of times,
weren't really that sad

Press on! Press on!
Life finds a way
if you keep on trying
you'll have your day.
Though work and wear
you'll make your pay.
Press on! Press on!
you'll have your day.

You went for the ride,
And swam it upstream.
The bright eyed girl
And her big lofty dream.

You've been the best of up,
and the worst of down.
You swam that river,
and you started to drown.

Loves were lost,
and hearts were broke
but friends were made
and love's a joke.

Press on! Press on!
Life finds a way
if you keep on trying
you'll have your day.
Though work and wear
you'll make your pay.
Press on! Press on!
you'll have your day.

And then you're there
on your last dying day.
And you look up above
and you'll start to pray,

You've lived a life,
and lived it right.
you won and lost,
But always fight.

At the last darkest time,
you'll rise again.
you'll dust off your knees,
and you'll start again.

So Press on! Press on!
Life finds a way
if you keep on trying
you'll have your day.
Though work and wear
you'll make your pay.
Press on! Press on!
you'll have your day.

The Lake

Well there's a tingle of warmth on the top of my skin

and the dog's running free with her big goofy grin.

The music is loud, and we're all so proud,
to be out at the lake once again

There are empty cans that were once full of beer

and that one girl I like is finally here.

I'm buzzed and excited, finally united,
out at the lake once again.

I made my way closer, and shot her a smile.

We laughed, and joked, and talked for a while.

She likes the dog more than me, I can't say I disagree,
when out at the lake once again.

At this point my best friend is utterly hammered.

His love of whisky he profoundly stammered.

He may throw up, but he'll never grow up,
out at the lake once again.

The water is cold and it cools the flesh.

The contrast is brilliant, it's live, it's fresh.

Let's go get a float, or maybe the boat,
out at the lake once again.

There's nothing I want more than to stay.

I want to laugh and drink and play.

But the drunks must go home, The dog mustn't roam,
out at the lake once again.

We all got back to our small, little town.

I approached my house with a small, little frown.

But I got a text from the girl I like and I was a hit, not a strike,
out at the lake once again.

Isabella

Well we met online and it didn't take long,
a few short texts and you came right along.
When we first met we went for a walk,
you were so very quiet, but I sure love to talk.

You stuck around and always stood by,
you stayed by my side when the rivers got high.
You fell for me first, but there was another around,
but you stayed in my heart, though it felt like a pound.

When the other left, you gave a kiss,
and for a second I forgot who to miss.
That's when I fell for your big, goofy smile.
You'd clearly passed each stage of your trial.

When the thunder got loud we'd cuddle in bed,
In every fight, we'd always break bread.
Every meal I'd eat you'd steal a bite,
and I saw over time, it got harder to fight.

and every time you'd drink my beer,
we weren't mad, we'd laugh and cheer!
Looking back it's easy to see,
what is clearly still there in front of me.

I love you, Isabella, and I always will.
I guess my full heart is starting to spill.
You're a ray of sunshine in a life of fog.
I'm so very proud to call you my dog.

Soft Bullet

I'm shot! I'm shot!
In my bullet-proof vest,
but the pain! Yes the pain!
is still felt in the chest.

A whimper, a crack!
a joke and a jest.
Its now clear, so clear
a dead face in the rest.

He knows, he knows,
this isn't the best,
but it's true, quite true,
it's better than guessed.

He thinks, and thinks,
this might be a test,
but he's known, yes known,
it was hardly a fest.

Now he's lost, so lost.
on his venture, his quest.
He's drained, so drained,
He's troubled, he's stressed.

In the pain, that pain
below his thick breast,
he sees, now he sees,
to feel, he is blessed.

He loved, he loved
and maybe obsessed,
but with love, that love,
did the soul recess?

Academy

The lights turn on, though there's still not a sound.
no tracks yet made in the snow-laden ground.

Then like a crack,
there's purple, there's black.

They've come like a flood.
they're brothers, not blood.

The greatest leader could here be a pawn.
The ugliest ducking could here be a swan.

Here they've come to learn to lead,
bound together by a single creed.

Here the purity of a star,
can cure the deepest bleeding scar.

Those that fly with the snowy owl,
Will turn a cheek to snarl and scowl.

And once the men have had their share,
they'll leave their gracious host's care.

Like they came, they disappear,
but the things they learned were oh so dear.

The Fire

The fire is hot in the winter chill,

some come for the heat, still others for thrill,

the hearth will grow with each new log,

a huddle of men, and a curious dog.

The flames fly as the log is melt,

and for each man the heat is felt.

Till the number of men will slowly grow

their poor escape of the horrid snow.

Fire is food, is life and strength
So cheap is a log that prolongs its length.
But what to that log, and more, the tree?
The fire is death, but we don't see.

The hearth grows stronger and brings men close,
but log after log is yet sent to the roast
The symbol of life is fed with death,
each flicker of flame is the wood's last breath.

Is the tree content with the men's hearty price?
Does each log understand its bold sacrifice?
The heat that simmers the cold night skin,
was born from a most murderous sin.

The men and the dog may be round the fire,
but what if one man was really the pyre?
'Fire is life' would hardly ring true,
We'd understand if we only knew.