1. |
Comes To Light
02:40
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"Comes to Light"
Good days, numbered and packed away
Gracious and unafraid
We've come to let go
Place and faces, they shape us
Show us another way
To look at this life we've made
So far from home
Even though you might not believe in ghosts
Sometimes when we leave good souls
They haunt us for miles
Behold, sweet trailing wisps of smoke
A specter of love
America
Welcome us home
Roll on, onward and thru the dawn
Comes to light as we chase our hearts
Down the American road.
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2. |
Bittersweet
04:56
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"Bittersweet"
Making my way down through South Louisiana,
watching that sugar cane burn.
Sometimes you've gotta take the bitter with the sweet
when there's a lesson to be learned.
Met a dirt farmer, a down-to-earth philosopher, leaning on his fence.
He said, "this country with all it's wealth and potential seems to be lacking in common sense."
We've got to get up, get up, get up, get up, get up
Get out from under this...
This life is bittersweet.
"We can't keep living like this", she said, "we can't do this anymore.
You working three jobs, me going to school and the landlord at our door."
As the thunder rolled we pulled down the bottle we'd been saving for this day,
And we smashed it into pieces and made that money rain.
We've got to get up, get up, get up, get up, get up
Get out from under this.
It’s all we've ever known, it’s always been a hard road
For everyday heroes who shoulder our share of the load,
It’s all we’ve ever known.
Together, we are strong enough, together we will rise.
Cause there ain't no one gonna come and bail us out.
Our dignity is not for sale, our hearts are much to big to fail
And we'll keep getting up when we get knocked down.
I gave my best years to the company and they gave me my steady pay.
Shrinking my department made the shareholders happy,
so they thanked me with walking papers.
That night I walked through my front door like I'd been doing all these years,
And I sank down into my easy chair as my wife fought back the tears.
We're going to get up, get up, get up, get up, get up
Get out from under this.
It’s all we've ever known, it’s always been a hard road
for everyday heroes who shoulder our share of the load.
This life is bittersweet.
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3. |
Honor
03:21
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"Honor "
I came across a photograph
I had never seen before
of the the young man who became my Dad the day he went to war.
Beneath his youthful swagger
there was something in his eyes
like he'd summoned up the courage that would bring him back alive.
Though he seldom talked about it,
when I thanked him for his service
he would reply,
"As long as Old Glory flies
in American skies
we must honor our soldiers
who've died."
I remember one night Dad came home, he didn't look quite right,
There was whiskey on his breath
There were tears in his eyes.
"Son, the reason I am standing here, the reason you were born
was a damn fine soldier
who saved my life,
we laid to rest this morning."
Though he seldom talked about it,
when I thank him for his service
he only sighed.
"As long as Old Glory flies
in American skies
we must honor our soldiers
who've died."
Here's to those who never came home to this country they so loved,
Here's to those who lived in silence
with the horror and the blood.
When Dad was in his last days,
he said defiantly,
"We were the greatest fighting force this world has ever seen."
Though he seldom talked about it
I thanked him for his service
as I cried,
As long as Old Glory flies
in American skies
I will honor this soldier who died.
As long as Old Glory flies
in American skies
we must honor our soldiers
who've died.
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4. |
Monroe County
04:21
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"Monroe County"
The old Canal slips lazily beneath the willow trees
Where the fields are green all summer and the corn grows oh-so-sweet
Now I am returning to the house my Grandpa built
Why was I so far away the summer he fell ill?
Some other life, some other time across the Monroe County Line.
It’s often said if walls could talk, what stories they could tell
Standing in his kitchen, I recall them all so well
The two of us enjoying lunch with the lilacs all in bloom
I'd share with him my hopes and dreams, he'd say, "Don't grow up too soon."
But I was born with wanderlust, I had to go out in the world
He said, "wherever this life takes you, you’ll always be my little girl.
"May these cornfields always whisper, 'welcome home, welcome home...'"
Kneeling by his graveside, I weep for that dear man
For buried here beneath me now, my roots are in this land.
Some other life, some other time, beyond the Monroe County Line
(Hold me, Monroe County, just once more before I go.
The only one who knows me doesn't live here anymore.)
Some other life, some other time...
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5. |
One Good Heart
03:47
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"One Good Heart"
It's hard not to love you the way that I do.
I'm doing the best that I can.
There's a heart that's half-empty,
and a heart that's half full,
And, maybe that's the best we can do.
So, hold out your hand and I'll give you my heart,
and we'll make us one good heart from two.
There's a truck on the highway, it's calling your name.
I've seen that faraway look in your eyes.
There's a half finished romance,
in this half finished house.
Don't let the truth tie you down.
Hold out your hand, and I'll give you the keys
to go where your heart tells you to.
From spirits we've broken and dreams we've turned loose,
we'll make us one good heart from two.
If rain were forgiveness, we both could come clean.
There's a dark cloud that follows us now.
There's a heart that's half-empty
With a heart that's half full,
And, maybe that's the best we can do.
So, hold out your hands, feel the rain falling down,
We'll weather this storm blowing thru.
We'll pick up the pieces and build something new.
And make us one good heart from two.
We'll make us one good heart from two.
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6. |
Haunted
02:48
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"Haunted"
Lord, take my hand,
and lead me to hope.
Where have all my angels gone?
Lost my religion,
And, I don't know where to go.
Why does redemption take so damn long? (take so long?)
I've been to New England,
And down through the South.
The Great Lakes, The Great Plains,
The Great Smokey Mountains.
And, now I feel haunted
By this land that I love,
given to dust.
I've looked in every corner,
Coast to coast.
And, it seems every time I get close,
My dreams, they all go up in smoke.
Please bring me my heavenly host,
Cause I keep seeing ghosts.
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7. |
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"Ghosts of the American Road"
Stateside, this is all I know.
Where the engine of the working class meets the rigors of the road.
I have moved for lack of money, I’ve been moved for lack of love,
To contribute to the greater good, still ain’t good enough.
Out here there are no guardrails, there are only mileposts,
Falling by the wayside with the...
Ghosts of the American Road.
Hang tough, children...here we go again,
Once you’ve been uprooted you’re at the mercy of the wind.
I've been blown away by beauty from this paint-by-numbers life.
But, even the "road less travelled" has got billboards and traffic lights.
Drifting by unnoticed by all the mirrors and the smoke,
Whistling past the graveyard go the...
Ghosts of the American Road.
There's still a long way to go.
I’ve been to New England and down through the South,
The Midwest, the Rust Belt, the old Western towns.
I have looked in every corner, coast to coast ,
...and I keep seeing ghosts.
At a rest area on Route 66,
I saw a kid in the back of an old Pontiac.
With his whole life before him and a couple million miles to go,
He smiled and waved, then he faded to grey.
Now, I’m not focused on illusions, I am not lost in the past,
I’m just driving across America on a half a tank of gas.
The things that come to haunt us are the things we've come to know.
Kindred spirits, restless souls.
A disembodied voice on the phone.
If seeing is believing, we are...
Ghosts of the American Road
There's still a long way to go.
Someday I’ll find my way home.
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8. |
Late Bloomers
03:31
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"Late Bloomers"
Another endless summer
Living on the streets of Shakeytown
We're among the undiscovered,
Not the underground.
In the shadow of the 101,
Looking for that Sunset smile.
Don't you ever get that sinking feeling time ain't on our side?
Ain't never seen an overnight sensation
Coming from a grab-bag situation
I love you from the bottom of my heart.
Baby, can't you feel my heart, it's racing.
We are the phantom generation
Still taking chances...reaching for the stars.
Ooh...late bloomers that we are.
Meet me down in Playa del Rey
We'll sit and watch the jet-set fly away,
Maybe someday ain't so far away as yesterday.
It's like we're sitting in the cheap seats,
And we're bleeding Dodger Blue.
You can't win 'em all, but we are bound to win a few.
Anything good takes time and patience,
Anything that's true is worth the waiting,
So, come here, baby, fall into my arms.
Baby, can't you feel my heart, it's racing,
We are the phantom generation,
Still taking chances...reaching for the stars.
Ooh...late bloomers that we are.
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9. |
Rosewood & Cabernet
00:28
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10. |
First of May
04:28
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"First of May"
Hey...feels like the first of May
Not a cloud in the sky,
Not a cloud in my mind.
Blue, big beautiful blue
The sun's shining bright,
So bright that we'll find your shine.
Cool breeze rushes over the fields
Fledglings are flying,
New foals are galloping free.
You smile...and your smile says it all...
The world is in motion, we're all in the flow
Where life sends us, Heaven only knows.
But, Heaven knows where we are.
Daydream by a clear running stream
Rushing over the stones,
Smoothing over our souls.
Let's run...let the joy fill our lungs.
Run until we collapse,
Laughing in the tall grass.
And, so...as the hills turn to gold
You tell me you love me
As we turn for home, sweet home.
Someday, we'll look back and say,
"Remember that moment? Remember that day?
We really blossomed that first day of May."
Everything's all right...everything flows
And, where life sends us, Heaven only knows.
Heaven knows where we are.
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11. |
Lullabye
03:29
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"Lullabye"
Twilight suits you well
Shadows and pastels
Violet blends with indigo and slowly starts to melt.
There goes the horizon
Here comes Jupiter
A moment of perfection in this less-than-perfect world
When I was holding on
Holding on...
to you.
Moonlight soft and pale
Stars peek through the veil
A ship floats in the harbor
Can you see it's flowing sails?
It's setting off for Dreamland
You'd best get underway
Please carry my love with you
Upon God's celestial waves
And I'll be holding on
Holding on...
to you.
Always know my love will find you,
You are tethered to my heart.
I will never let you go.
Even if a bitter wind leaves you scared and cold,
you're not alone.
In the morning when you rise
May morning birds stop by
And perch outside your window
Serenade you for awhile.
Dress yourself in happiness,
Set out with a smile,
Remember I am with you
Every moment, every mile.
And I'll keep holding on
Holding on...
I'll be holding on
Holding on...
to you.
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12. |
There You Go
04:48
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"There You Go"
There is always something better waiting just up around the bend.
It might take all day for us to get there,
but there you are...
and there you go again,
bargaining with the wind
and going around the bend.
It's all what you believe, babe,
It's the wind, it's the road, it's the ride.
And, in that sacred in-between place,
We're gonna leave all your worries behind.
There is always something better waiting just up around the bend
There is always something better...there you go again.
Take the Great Ascension Freeway
That's a fine way to see your life...
Rolling by.
Tune out that cynical DJ,
cut the marionette strings.
Love will set you free, babe
Love will give us wings.
Everybody wants some love,
Everybody wants some love
Everybody wants some love
Everybody wants some love to pass along
It just goes on and on, so on we go further up the road.
There is always something better waiting just up around the bend
It might take all day just to get there,
but there you are...
There you go again.
There is always something better.
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13. |
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"There's No Place Like Home"
To catch a flight of fancy beneath a consequential sky
And blend into the landscape of the heartland countryside
Some old couple's on their front porch sipping lemonade
She rolls down the window to return a friendly wave
And we keep rolling on...
Tomorrow we'll be drifting through the Appalachian mist
By nightfall we'll be having supper with my cousins and their kids
Henry knows these mountains, says “if you come here seeking peace...
Don't hold back the river, let it flow, just let it be...”
And it keeps rolling on...
They say “there's no place like home.”
They say that everywhere I go.
We followed that Old Post Road up the rocky coast of Maine,
Captain Mac's gonna take his lobster boat out into Frenchman's Bay.
We'll be eating good tonight, at that house tucked in the woods.
She tells me, “Maybe we could stay here.”
I tell her, “Baby, I wish we could.”
And, we keep rolling on...
With the sunlight spraying diamonds, we ferry across Champlain,
By the time we got to Spencerport
Tears were streaming down her face.
She ran into her mother's arms, just like a little kid
Sometimes we go out of our way for a moment just like this.
They say “there's no place like home”.
They say this everywhere we go.
In a dream state she retraces all the places left behind.
She'd asked if I would wake her when we cross the Texas line.
So, I gently pressed her hand, she began to stir
I said, “We're almost home.”
She said, “I always thought we were.”
To catch a flight of fancy beneath a consequential sky
and blend into the landscape of the heartland countryside
Some old couple's on the front porch sipping lemonade
Waving at young lovers as the years just roll away.
They roll away.
And we keep rolling on....rolling home.
There's no place like home.
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14. |
Afterglow
02:43
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"Afterglow"
We are all just passing through.
We share our shelter, share our food.
We turn to face the setting sun,
Grateful for all that we've become.
We are family.
I will see you in the Afterglow,
We'll share a smile,
and say a toast "To friends...
'til we meet again."
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Ghosts of the American Road San Antonio, Texas
"You two are like the coolest '70's band we never heard of!" gushed a fan after one of Ghosts of the American Road's many
performances. "And, your CD is like a 'concept album.' “
"It's actually the people of America who wrote these songs," said Kevin Higgins, the duo's main songwriter. "They told us their stories and we listened."
... more
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