you run, i sing

Every night when I close my eyes,
I watch you leave in my mind.
I can't seem to recall anything at all
from before you want away.

That moment in time has the strength to define
every moment from that day on.
I can't seem to erase the thought of your face
the day you said good-bye.

But you run
while I sing,
"oh what will tomorrow bring?"

If you would stay,
you would hear,
"darling, what have we to fear?"

Maybe if you were here, everything would be clear
about why you were right to go.
But I can't seem to accept when I can never forget
the reason I'm alone.

The things you fear will eat you alive.
If you had courage, to stay would we be okay,
or was it me who was wrong?

Wanderer's Lament II

When I was a little boy in this world of woe and sin,
I had neither cart nor pack to carry all my troubles in,
no clothes to wear except my skin,
no food to fill the hole within.

Then one morning where I slept underneath a mighty oak,
I arose to find myself covered in a woolen cloak.
Next to me a strange man woke,
and to me were these words he spoke:

"I have neither home nor wife. I have no daughter and no son.
What I see leads me to think that you yourself are on your own.
Until my trav'lin' days are done,
I do not wish to walk alone."

When I was a little to boy in this world of woe and sin,
I had neither cart nor pack to carry all my troubles in.
But never will I cry again
for I will journey with a friend.

charlie who knew you

g                    d
charlie, who knew you?
      em                     c
the wind blew right through you.
charlie, in any weather
you're there to make it better.

charlie, who knew you?
the sun shone right through you.
charlie, you make it better
                                          g       c    am     g
than any song could ever do.



g              c             am    em
days will pass without a word -
c                  em        am   em
the loudest sound i ever heard.
g                   c             am    em
though your mind's a mystery,
          c            em        am      d
your heart's as clear as day to me.

nothing i ever say
could make this silence go away.
all the words are on your tongue.
i know your story's just begun.

even if the words are gone,
my heart will say you're not alone.
all the days you stood by me
i will repay quite happily.

ode to the empty place we all carry around inside of us

every night you lie with me
looking at the sky
you tell me of the mysteries
hidden in the night

you say stars are only echoes
of fires from the past
a story of the sadness
of love that did not last
singing through the emptiness
with its final breath

these hands these eyes
search for something beautiful
this heart this mind
this longing unendurable
standing on the edge of eternity
all i want to feel is your hand in mine.

you say stars have found their resting place
in the light behind our eyes
they shine in every corner
of the empty place inside
we'll burn this place forever
with the love that could not die

Man of God

he rolls into town when the sun is high
leave your home and kiss your family good bye
your ears will ring with the words he brings
preach on, preach on, man of god, preach on

he'll pardon your sins and cure your ills
his intentions are pure, but he's hell on wheels
your heart he'll smote with every note
sing on, sing on, man of god, sing on

you wake up one morning, town's quiet again
he's taken his mercies and a bottle of gin
your eyes will burn but he'll soon return
ride on, ride on, man of god, ride on

Bring Me Home

All I see is darkness, darkness
every step from you I roam.
All my dreams are sadness, sadness
without you to make them glow.
If the world is madness, madness,
that which lasts will bring me home.

Every bad thought banished, banished
when you turn your face my way.
All these tears are finished, finished
when I hear you say my name.
What can sorrow damage, damage
when we know we're here to stay?

Leave by the way what shimmers and fades.
Oh follow the light that burns in the night.
Oh at the beginning I know I'll find you waiting there.

Every step is fearless, fearless
which I do not take alone.
All my days are endless, endless
in this place where hearts are close.
If the world is madness, madness,
love is what will bring me home.

before the day is done

burn me slow
if you must go
sing me to sleep
so these dreams i keep
you fade like the sun
but don't go before the day is done

whisper soft
so i don't get lost
hum your song
and i'll sing along
if you stay
i'll find the words to say
before the day is done

hold me fast
so this feeling will last
mark my skin
so this day will never end
i'd be so good
if you could
stay until dawn

all these battles have already been won
there's no reason to run
so don't go before the day is done