Get all 29 James Tristan Redding releases available on Bandcamp and save 75%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Leap Songs, Part 5, Leap Songs, Part 4, Song A Week, Vol. 8, Leap Songs, Part 2, Leap Songs, Part 1, The Nashville 24, Vol. 3, Look Out World, Song A Week, Volume 7, and 21 more.
1. |
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They say we gotta' take the good with the bad
We were the greatest and the worst each other ever had
Plenty times I missed you and you know that's a fact
But it couldn't have gone no different looking back
So maybe those days disappeared
Time is funny that way
And maybe you don't wanna' hear
Every word I meant to say
Or maybe we're both better off
Ain't no need to explain
I know I can't change the past
But I can begin again
Three hundred sixty five days in a row
You were the first to leave I was the last to know
Lotta' nights I wished I'd begged you not to go
But I get it now thought I should tell you so
I wouldn't trade those days
Not in a million years
Hearing you walk away
Was sweet and clear
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2. |
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Talk is cheap and ain't no one buyin'
Store's shuttin' down got sick of tryin'
Truth is hot and the rest is not
Almost went too far stopped just short of lyin'
Some things you can't undo
Somehow they'll undo you
Some people play for keeps
Someone told me talk is cheap
Talk is cheap but action that'll cost you
I took some action and then I lost you
Then in the afterburn you returned
Earned my trust 'bout as far as I can toss you
Some things you can't undo
Somehow they'll undo you
Some people play for keeps
Someone told me talk is cheap
Talk is cheap or so it seems to me
And it's all made in the same factory
Tell me that you're leavin' we can call it even
Maybe talk is cheap but goodbye that's free
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3. |
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Maybe he was crazy a hippie superstar
And maybe his ideas went a touch too far
Then again we're still gettin' it all wrong
So maybe he was onto somethin' all along
A country with no name
No prison and no blame
Where no one ever dies
Of someone else's lies
One nation under grace
No more divided states
Well what if we became
A country with no name
Might be there's some truth to what he said
Certainly made sense up there in his head
We might could try it his way even for a day
Imagine just imagine the world we could create
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4. |
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If all our days are numbered
Before eternal slumber
Takes the troubled mind
Far away from this green earth
Well there must come a day
My soul will fly away
And my body will be laid down
Deep beneath the dirt
When my clock no longer ticks
And my guitar no longer picks
And they finally lay to rest my skin and bones
Will you be there in the crowd
To call my name out good and loud
Won't you be there when they call me home
If there's a place beyond
Where every heart has gone
All women and all men
Will someday meet again
I believe I am prepared
To meet my maker there
And when He calls me home
Well I will not be alone
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5. |
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The space between a river and a railyard
The space between a gavel and a grave
The space between a bullet and a bluebird
Where a sinner can be saved
The space between a bottle and a bible
The space between a prison and a prayer
The space between a lover and a liar
No one ever said it's fair
From the moment our eyes open
All trying to work out what it means
We may be broken but we keep on hopin'
Salvation might be the space between
The space between a dollar and a dimebag
The space between a flower and a flame
The space between a candle and a crackpipe
Where Alice walks in chains
The space between a hotel and a whorehouse
The space between a Christian and the church
The space between a one needle and another
That's the place it hurts
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6. |
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As the crow flies from its perch
You walk away from me
My fingers grip the glass
A tear falls down my cheek
Outside a snowy window
The garden's dressed in white
You're leaving just as fast
As the crow flies
As the crows flies even higher
I sink the lowest yet
My nerves are all on fire
And I will not forget
Forever you'll be free now
But I know I never will
You'll be out there flying
As the crow flies higher still
As the crow flies swift and silent
The noise inside my head
Will overtake the warfare
That's waged within your bed
One million miles ago
I buried all your lies
But it's just a mile or two
As the crow flies
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7. |
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I'm the one you almost heard about
Damn near made it to the top
Nearly nailed it so close I could taste it
And I almost didn't stop
I'm the one you almost loved enough
Memories you almost won't forget
On the verge of lasting us forever
Workin' every day until it quit
And you're my pretty much
My all but certain
We'll almost take a bow
But then it's curtains
I'll be your not quite
And you can be my almost
Almost the queen and king
Almost a diamond ring
Almost the next best thing
Yeah I'm the one that almost got away
The one you almost saw comin'
Almost was the one until I came undone
I'll walk you home and somehow wind up runnin'
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8. |
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When something breaks don't just throw it away
That's why God made duct tape so silvery gray
What was lackluster last night can shine again today
And thank God for that 'cuz I've seen better days
Everything looked good when I started this trip
Then I hit me an iceberg 'cuz I didn't see the tip
Right now I'm held together with prayer and paper clips
But I can't afford to abandon ship
Stitches in my jeans
Stitches in my heart
Snitches get stitches
Oh shit this just got dark
Fix these ripped up rags
Plug up all the holes
Who knows how to sew
Save my mortal soul
Gimme' patches
I need a few patches
There's patches made of denim and others from elastic
Some are in the basement the rest are in the attic
I got 'em on my fingers, my toes, my boxers and my jacket
Patches? Si amigo, I need some stinkin' patches
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9. |
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Let's pretend somebody hurt you
And let's pretend that it was me
Speaking purely hypothetically let's say
I am guilty as a man can be
If there's three sides to every story
Your side and my side and the truth
Feelings matter the facts don't mean a thing
And you'd forgive me knowing you
Just because the judge has mercy
And even though the jury throws it out
Just because you're to damn sweet to hurt me
Scales of justice still do weigh me down
So you forgive me that's all well and good
I can't forgive myself even if I should
Let's imagine you get even
And let's imagine it felt great
Long overdue by anybody's measure
But very worth the wait
If there's a moral to the story
Some truth on which we can depend
There's grace and mercy there's forgiveness
But there's no feeling like revenge
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10. |
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My name is Richard and I do not want to die
Henceforth I'll add another name
Of flowers pure and gold in the speckled azure sky
And I shall live another day
Ignore the Tudors and the Normans and the Yorks
That isn't me and don't forget it
Was I from Windsor or the House of Scottish lords
Oh no! It's the Plantegenets
Became an orphan when I was four years young
The richest one you've ever known
When my engagement to Ralph's daughter had begun
I gained a claim upon the throne
Ignore the Tudors and the Normans and the Yorks
That isn't me and don't forget it
Was I from Windsor or the House of Scottish lords
Oh no! It's the Plantegenets
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11. |
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Sounds of the city
Racing by each day
Louder faster stronger
Than what I have to say
Oh how quick they go
All I want to know
Can you love me slow?
Pieces of a puzzle
Rushing into place
Wonder if the question
Is written on my face
When the cold wind blows
And the lights are low
Can you love me slow?
The feeling I was chasing
Fell between the cracks
Something ‘bout your smile
Always brings me back
Pull me in so close
Like all those years ago
Can you love me slow?
Buildings in the distance
Rising high above
Down here in the shadows
All I'm dreaming of
Out here all alone
Trying to get back home
Can you love me slow?
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12. |
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Were you hoping that it hurt
Did you mean to break my heart
When you dumped it in the dirt
Underneath these city stars
Did you have your fingers crossed
Hope to bring me to my knees
Really got your point across
Now here's a couple straight from me
You can't break what's already broken
Or make me jealous just like that
I will not cry and I ain't hopin'
That I'll somehow win you back
If you tried you couldn't be more wrong
Here's the honest truth
This is not a love song
And I'm not missing you
I never liked that sundress
Made your legs look short and fat
In fact I wish you'd never undressed
Now what'you think of that
Maybe I'm honest maybe lyin'
Up my sleeve may be an ace
But it's a fact I'm sick of tryin'
To put a smile upon your face
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13. |
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Once there was a lady down in Nashville Tennessee
Servin' drinks and tellin' jokes behind the bar
They say her name was Paula she was lovely as could be
And she knew just how to fix a broken heart
Well the cowboys and the hippies and the punks all drank their fill
As she listened to them talk about their day
For a beer and therapy you couldn't find a cheaper bill
So we raise a glass together and we say
Hip hip hooray
Hip hip haroo
Paula you're the greatest tried and true
Hip hip hooray
Hip hip haroo
Paula there ain't no one else like you
Well there's Allingham and Stanley and there's Jones and Valentyne
And there's Orr Radoux Hamlett and Donohue
Oh yes and Murtie Bragg and Davis Cadillac Saxton Levine
Plus Fabrizius and Quinn and me and you
Hip hip hooray
Hip hip haroo
Paula you're the greatest tried and true
Hip hip hooray
Hip hip haroo
Paula there ain't no one else like you
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A ship is made to yearn for the sea
That’s bittersweet for a ship builder like me
Takes a lifetime bein’ built to last
It untethers pretty fast
Bye bye sailboat thoughts
Bye bye ocean dreams
One of us is on our way
And it ain’t me
Chase that horizon
With everything you got
I’ll be right here sayin’
Bye bye sailboat thoughts
Waited for today since I nailed the first nail
From drawin’ up the plans to liftin’ up the sails
All that sweat and blood the salty tears I cried
It’ll all be worth it when you hit the tide
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Hurricane Annalise has a kiss soft and sweet
It’ll down you like a power line in a storm
She’ll wreck your Friday night and spill your favorite wine
But she’ll still be waitin’ for your in the morn’
The power’s out the basement’s flooded
I think my heart is going under
Courtesy of Annalise
I’m surrounded by shattered glass
Lightning struck my sorry ass
But a couple clouds don’t bother me
That’s just Hurricane Annalise
Hurricane Annalise is a badger in the sheets
But good luck guessing when she’s in the mood
She knows you tried your best even when you’re not best dressed
And she always has to be the little spoon
The power’s out the basement’s flooded
I think my heart is going under
Courtesy of Annalise
I’m surrounded by shattered glass
Lightning struck my sorry ass
But a couple clouds don’t bother me
That’s just Hurricane Annalise
Weatherman is sayin’ hope you’re ready for some rain
It’ll clear up when you finally apologize
She’ll help you if you fall and forgive when you don’t call
But do it again she won’t be so nice
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If this road don't lead me home
Maybe home is not a place
I've been out here all alone
Too long now to change my ways
I got used to
How it feels
Where all that matters
Are eighteen wheels
Headlights and heavy trucks
Lowbeams a cloud of dust
To the sound of engine's hum
Mile after mile
Burn the years down one by one
Crack one open and light one up
Outrunnin' the rain and rust
Night after night
Headlights and heavy trucks
Now if this map says I got lost
Somewhere along the trail
I keep on movin' on because
This old highway knows the way
And all I'm used to
Is how it feels
Where all that matters
Are eighteen wheels
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17. |
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A big empty space the size of your life
Lit up by a circle of stars
So loud all around only silence inside
Drawn like dust in the shape of a heart
How many midnights lying awake
Under the lamplight filling this place
Twenty faint candles
In the shape of a crown
Twenty faint candles
May they never go out
Wood of the frame up above where you stand
Cut from an oak in the yard
Built from the ground by just one pair of hands
To give you some light in the dark
How many daybreaks hope filled the air
Chase out the heartbreak like the sound of a prayer
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18. |
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We couldn’t could we
Not matter how we tried
Walk away from something
That felt so right
We held our breath
Started swimming away
The current pulled us back
To each other anyway
We tried to hide
Under our excuses
But in the end
The attempt was useless
We climbed up high
Above the trees
fell down together
Like autumn leaves
We hitched a ride
In opposite directions
Went so far
We intersected
If we didn’t have our daily farce
Running from each others hearts
Could we be happy?
We couldn’t could we
Not matter how we tried
Walk away from something
That felt so right
We wouldn’t would we
Even if we could
Walk away from something
That feels so good
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19. |
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Whatever I thought was comin’ this ain’t it
The country we’re becomin’ is gone to shit
I wish I had the answers the perfect fix
But lawyers cops and bankers this ain’t it
I vote I read the paper and I wash my dirty hands
The free world’s full of haters men without a plan
We bury all the baggage from the crimes that we commit
Our future comes in flashes but this ain’t it
This ain’t everything we worked for
It ain’t something we’ll forget
Time is runnin’ out the back door
I keep hopin’ this ain’t it
The so called destination is slipping out of reach
We’re losing our conviction to practice what we preach
I still believe salvation is in what’s left unsaid
But power pain and poison this ain’t it
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20. |
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Part of my heart I forgot about
Is telling me everything's wrong
Cut cut and run run and hide
Go go go until I'm gone
Part of my heart I forgot about
Is beating like it's going outta' style
Pump pumping blood blood and memories
Memories that stretch on for miles
Part of my heart I forgot about
Is drowning in the midday sun
Hot hot and heavy heavy trucks and headlights
Burning what's behind me as I run
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21. |
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What a perfect night
It was all just right
You were shinin' like a diamond
It was drivin' me wild
And like a lightning bolt
We pulled each other close
Lips locked like lovers
It made me wonder
What if I wrote a song every time you kissed me
And you could sing along anytime you missed me
What if we took walk in the park and you stole my heart
And then we held each other's hands underneath the stars
What if we were makin' history
Every time you kiss me
You can take me anywhere
Anywhere at all I don't care
Long as it's you and me together
Gimme' any kinda' weather
Summertime winter spring
Baby I'm fallin' it's true
Tell me just one thing
What if I keep singin' 'bout you
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22. |
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It’s one thing working third shift
Something else in a cape and mask
Ain’t got much time for social life
Kickin’ supervillain ass
Just like The Boss said
It’s the same thing night on night
One step up and these two fists
Story of my life
Always chasin’ what’s her name
With the leather suit pointy ears and tail
It’s a will they won’t they kinda’ deal
Besides pretty soon the shit gets real
Thieves and killers I’ve had enough
Every night watch from above
All them midnights ten flights up
Trying to drop the hammer
Just scenes in a rooftop drama
Dig my custom spandex
They endorse me fightin’ crime
It’s on me ‘round the clock now
So I can save lives on a dime
Just like JTR said
Ain’t no rest for the wicked
I challenge any demon
Win any game of chicken
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23. |
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It was a Sunday when we met and it was perfect
It took us three years and a day to turn those smiles upside down
Now it's Monday and I beg you to show some mercy
And do what I cannot turn both our lives around
Remember Tuesday to leave me where I'm standing
Do not forget to walk out that front door
Come Wednesday morning if you didn't you'll regret it
And you'll remember Tuesday forever more
It was by moonlight when I saw you for the first
It was by moonlight we broke each other's heart
Now it's by moonlight that I pray you'll pack a suitcase
And then by moonlight get that beat up car to start
Remember Tuesday to leave me where I'm standing
Do not forget to walk out that front door
Come Wednesday morning if you didn't you'll regret it
And you'll remember Tuesday forever more
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24. |
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He wants to know and Lord she ain't tellin'
She's past her past so why's keep dwellin'
He's out there somewhere between hell and heaven
She'll do whatever it takes tryin' to help him
A lie is a lie whether you tell it or not
A truth is a truth and sometimes that's all that you got
A fact as is a fact all the way from Utah to Egypt
A man's gonna' seek and a woman's gonna' keep her secrets
He told a fib once she saw right through it
She called him out but he already knew it
He threatened leavin' she dared him to do it
She can't believe she loves someone this stupid
A lie is a lie whether you tell it or not
A truth is a truth and sometimes that's all that you got
A fact as is a fact all the way from Utah to Egypt
A man's gonna' seek and a girl's gonna' keep her secrets
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25. |
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Sunlight water and good soil turn a sapling to a tree
Year by year kiss by kiss that's a lot like you n' me
Six weeks married dug a little hole in our front yard
Planted something small and it grew inside our hearts
We keep on growing together
Like the roots beneath the tree
Deep within this Willow
A lifetime of memories
Seasons come and seasons go
Winter strips the bright green summer leaves
Our love's a little stronger every year (pause)
Roots beneath the tree
You n' me were startin' out barefoot in the dirt
Puttin' in the time together 'cuz we know what it's worth
Seen it all from rain to hurricanes we always hold our ground
Branches reachin' higher love growin' deeper down
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26. |
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I'll push you right to the limit
Paint us a picture then deny that I'm in it
Scales of justice tip from side to side
And tumble from your eyes
I'll wrap my tail around you still
From the sands of Texas to the jungle of Brazil
Chase and catch you then find a place to hide
With a belly full of flies
Hey everybody look at me
Keep changin' colors oh I'm a sight to see
Camouflage so cute I belong in a museum
Just another chameleon
I'll act like this is all your fault
Drive you crazy chase you up the wall
Get your world turnin' every shade of green
Then vanish in the trees
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27. |
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Someone saved my life tonight
I'll never know his name
Covered me with water
Soaked these futile flames
Can't say when it started
Burnin' all day long
Now the smoke is risin'
But I'm already gone
Falling underwater
Crashing like the waves
Sinking ever deeper
Prayin' I'll be saved
Once so scared of dyin'
Now it's crystal clear
Falling underwater
Washed away the fear
Pulled in with the current
Bound for timbuktu
Left behind my worry
And two soggy shoes
Breathe in deep and hold it
Nothin' left to lose
I'm being saved I know it
Found that deeper blue
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28. |
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She was half in the bag she was headed my way
She was workin' high heels like a champ
She said oh honey dear wanna' get outta' here
While she sipped the drink in my hand
Gotta' work in the mornin' alimony is due
I guess I better make up my mind
Clock on the wall says one minute to twelve
I'm 'bout to run outta' time
After midnight is when the freaks come out
After midnight what's when the werewolves howl
Last call bottoms up
Breakin' out in handcuffs
Lookin' at my watch 11:59
Nothing good happens after midnight
I had reservations she sensed my hesitation
She tried to sweeten the pot
She made it hard to resist she would not cease or desist
Gave it everythin' she's got
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29. |
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I was born up in the hills
And I know just how it feels
When the sun won't seem to shine
For a long lonely time
So the rain keeps pourin' down
And sometimes the only sound
Is the water on the roof
While I lay here missin' you
Red mountain train take me away
Where the air is bright and fair all night and day
Take my spirit way out west
Where that copper sun will set
In that day my hope awaits
Red mountain train take me away
I may die among these pines
And my body they may find
When the clouds all roll away
By the clear light of day
When my trouble is all gone
By the pale light of morn'
Save my bones a window seat
All aboard set me free
Red mountain train take me away
Where the air is bright and fair all night and day
To where my lover did not leave
And my heart's not on my sleeve
In that day my hope awaits
Red mountain train take me away
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30. |
Week 29a - Sand (230716)
02:57
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Sand beneath my toes
How many grains no one knows
One for every line
On the face of Father Time
Something told me as I prayed
There’s just no time to waste
If the words need sayin’ it better be today
There may be no tomorrow there ain’t no yesterday
A sunrise, a sunset, it’s all in the dance
Let's take this moment in our hands
And get our toes into the sand
(Sand) beneath the sun
In our hands it can become
Glass for lookin' through
Or the road to somewhere new
If the moment’s all that’s real
Tell somebody how you feel
If the words need sayin’ it better be today
There may be no tomorrow there ain’t no yesterday
A sunrise, a sunset, it’s all in the dance
Let's take this moment in our hands
Go for broke, take a chance
If the words need sayin’ it better be today
There may be no tomorrow there ain’t no yesterday
A sunrise, a sunset, it’s all in the dance
Let's take this moment in our hands
And get our toes into the sand
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31. |
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Been down so long thought I'd never stop falling
Couldn't catch a break with a fishing net
Lost it all damn near hit rock bottom
All that changed on the night we met
You picked me up made my life worth living
Showed me just what love can do
Now every day is a new beginning
(And) I’ll never stop falling for you
Funny how you seemed to need me
How you kept the demons at bay
All I know is that you saved me
Turned out it’s just your way
The tables turned two years into it
You fell down couldn’t get back up
But you let me in and I pulled you through it
We got that fallin’ kinda’ love
A heart in need is a heart indeed
We’ve both worn each other’s shoes
Now I don’t mind fallin’ when you’re there to catch me
I’ll never stop falling for you
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32. |
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Both get the heart pumping like crazy
Both bring you down to your knees
Both make a grown man act like a baby
So which one are you doin' to me
Both get me callin' out for a doctor
Both teach me words like I'm sorry and please
Both wake me up like a cold glass of water
Now which are you doin' to me
I can't tell the difference
Between pain and pleasure
Just know it seems like
It might last forever
Whatever you're doin'
Find myself trapped
Between love and a heart attack
Both teach me somethin' I'm scared of learnin'
Both push the limit of what I believe
Both got me feelin' I might deserve 'em
But which are you doin' to me
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33. |
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I am an unknown author of this unknown song
My body's sick and my mind is not much better
But no matter how small my voice may feel
I must acknowledge that many have it worse
Somewhere a man cannot afford to feed himself
His wife and child they do not know where to turn
They breathe air they drink water they close their eyes to sleep
And their pain is no less relevant than mine
Somewhere today a woman's treated like an object
And she does not know if she can make it stop
Those with power are corruptable that much we know
But how she feels I can't begin to guess
Somewhere a boy is judged unfairly by his skin
He knows the color means he is an easy target
There is no fast or easy way to disarm hate when one is blind
But adding more hate that will surely make it worse
I can't afford the tests that prove neurodivergence
Maybe if I could it might inform all my relationships
The lens through which I see the world sees certain colors
Still others maybe I will never see
Somewhere an unknown artist writes another song
He's on the spectrum but he's not sure what that means
Perhaps the only thing that matters now is gratitude
For a roof above his head and food to eat
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34. |
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I seen you linger in the doorway
Hide your face in the back row
If any church sees one more frequent
Visitor I do not know
You've had your share of invitations
But lack thereof won't keep you out
I know the actions you've been taking
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
You feed on sorrow loss and fear
You look like rain and taste like tears
You build a nest inside our hearts
And grow by darkness
You're always waiting just outside
Of weddings funerals and dives
Just to see if anyone should let you in
But I know where you've been
You wear a veil as black as midnight
To cover up those eyes of yours
But never shall the black veil fool me
Know it never has before
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35. |
Week 33 - Voice (230814)
03:17
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Whoever God is
I come to you in prayer
Although I question
If you're even there
Spirit broken
Body run aground
Why build this voice
That hardly makes a sound
You grant the birds a chance to sing
And you allow church bells to ring
You give a whistle and a hum to that train passing through
You put these feelings in my heart
And wake me shaking in the dark
Why do I have a voice if I can't speak to you
Well since forever
The forest it can sing
If one tree's fallen
That doesn't change a thing
My bark is silent
These branches crooked lines
Reaching and begging
To get this off my mind
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36. |
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We follow in the footsteps
Of the ghosts that came before
And learn to hide beneath
A plain white sheet
The lies that we have told
Generation after next
Tie our feet in wet concrete
And leave us sinking
What were we thinking
The words that we have written
On the tablets of our time
Allow a certain game
Of hide and seek
Our mothers and our fathers
Encourage this charade
Whatever color vote
Or color skin
How'd this mess begin
The same as when computers
Or vehicles break down
Sometimes we need to start
The whole thing over
We need a hard reset
Of hardware software too
And somehow to see
Everything as new
But that's hard to do
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37. |
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Red like a rose a winter nose
Like the nails on your toes
Red like a fire c'mon take me higher
Like the lips of the angels' choir
So tell me your favorite color
And we can pain the town
What do you want from your lover
Looks like the lights are going down
Blue like the ocean a heart when broken
Or the color of a poem
Blue like a songbird singin' something somber
Or like the great wild yonder
So tell me your favorite color
And we can pain the town
What do you want from your lover
Looks like the lights are going down
Green like a dollar like tarnished copper
Like a stream of mountain water
Green like an oak like rollin' smoke
Like the moss on a stone
|
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38. |
||||
|
Folks I'm in a bad citation
Text messages causin' me irrigation
Stuff gets lost in transliteration
Duck you, autocorrect
Sent some bad words to my stupid visor
Called my wife a beautiful womanizer
Need to delete this appetizer
Duck you, autocorrect
This worthless phone it ain't smart it's dumb
Got a mind of its own overrules my thumb
This son of a bitcoin machine
Is makin' a fowl outta' me
Wish I had a monkey back guarantee
Duck you, autocorrect
I'm gonna' make a New Year's Risotto
Trade my yesterdays for a better tomato
This worthless app can burn in hello
Duck you, autocorrect
This shittake phone it ain't smart it's dumb
Feel like Bozo the clone when it corrects my thumb
This son of a bitcoin machine
It's makin' a fowl outta' me
Wish I had a monkey back guarantee
Duck you, autocorrect
|
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39. |
||||
|
Climbing up a mountain far above the sea
Not a soul around us just the rocks and me
Waves below are breaking
And every step I'm taking
Leads a little further past my nagging doubts
Of where I started out
Climbing up a mountain high into the clouds
On the trail of angels never coming down
Leave behind the memories
Everything that used to be
All the little stories I thought were the plan
Before this climb began
|
||||
40. |
||||
|
In a sea of eight billion faces
There's a couple things we share
Not everybody's going places
But we all come from somewhere
On an island in outer space
Born amongst each other
We start runnin' this human race
Around our planetary grandmother
She's our pale blue dot
Our origin story
She's kinda' all we got
It's about time we said we're sorry
We better start treatin' her right
Really ain't no backup plan
Not tryin' to start any fights
But she's our homeland
We all had a mom and a dad
No matter what gender they were
And the earth is everyone's lily pad
Yes we all came from her
Whatever color your skin
Your insides are just as good
And no matter where you been
We're from the same terrestrial neighborhood
|
||||
41. |
||||
|
The world is round the world is flat
A light is shining through the cracks
The train is leaving
Without the ones who don’t believe it
Way out beyond the tracks
I rambled high I rambled low
My toes kissed every lonesome road
So many faces
I forgot what I was chasing
At least a lifetime ago
There is a place that I have seen
In just the deepest of my dreams
Where there’s no mountain no canyon deep
No sun or moon no wake or sleep
That’s where I learned what love is really worth
At the end of the earth
The room is white the room is black
The fiction’s bleeding through the facts
Outside it’s raining
I can feel the season changing
And it’s never changing back
|
||||
42. |
||||
|
No one tells the sun to shine
Clouds don’t rain on our command
Before blackbirds take the sky
None seek out the word of man
Unwritten rules as old as time itself
Unspoken truth that rings out like a bell
No one owns the ocean blue
Or the love of me and you
Some things we can’t learn in school
Like all the unwritten rules
There’s no keeper at the gate
Of the garden where we grow
How I wish I’d known the brakes
A thousand years ago
Unwritten rules as old as time itself
Unspoken truth that rings out like a bell
No one owns the ocean blue
Or the love of me and you
Some things we can’t learn in school
Like all the unwritten rules
I cannot undo the past
Or rewind the tracks of time
But I never thought to ask
What holds a heart like mine
|
||||
43. |
||||
|
I got the shot today
Am I superhuman
Will I fall apart
Or light up in the dark
I got the shot today
Will I be a new man
And what's this sinking feeling
That I have in my heart
Are we lab rats
No more than guinea pigs
Will someone profit grossly off it
Is the system rigged
Have I seen this all before
And somehow just forgot
I might have known it yesterday
But today I got the shot
They jabbed my vein today
And now I'm feeling fine
Catch me when I stumble
Locked up in a bubble
They stabbed my arm today
And now I'm going blind
Shoot away my troubles
Make my shot a double
|
||||
44. |
||||
|
It's raining somewhere
And somewhere else it's bright
Somewhere dawn is breaking
And somewhere it's the dead of night
Up beyond the clouds
There's crying somewhere
And somewhere only smiles
Somewhere a heart a broken
And someone's love just flew a thousand miles
Up beyond the clouds
Beyond the clouds the sun is shining
And it's drying up the rain
Hold on tight in the middle of the night
'Til it comes around again
There's evil somewhere
And somewhere justice thrives
Somewhere prison's ugly
And someone got a second lease on life
Up beyond the clouds
There's chaos somewhere
And somewhere only peace
Somewhere there's a final breath
And somewhere someone's learning how to breathe
Up beyond the clouds
|
||||
45. |
||||
|
When I don’t buy you flowers
You forgive me
When you wait up for hours
You forgive me
I know I don’t deserve
What you give me
You’re so full of grace
I just feel so guilty
When the curtain closes the show is over
The lights go up and the people leave
Do me one more favor
As I’m walking out the door
Please forgive me
When the clock stops ticking
It’s too late
The last leaf falls
And the seasons change
We did our best
At the end of the day
Nothing last forever
Let’s call a spade a spade
When the curtain closes the show is over
The lights go up and the people leave
Do me one more favor
As I’m walking out the door
Please forgive me
You might forgive the words I said
But forgive don’t mean forget
|
||||
46. |
||||
|
He clocks in just after midnight
His world begins when the day is done
Livin' side by side with millions
Who never see the sun
Lookin' for the road to freedom
Paved with faces from the past
Walking slow toward the questions
They never thought to ask
Everybody got the answers
Comin' at you hard and fast
No one talkin' 'bout the questions
We never thought to ask
On a Wednesday in November
She's back behind the bar
Teaching someone off a night shift
How to fix a broken heart
They both see the glass as half full
And they know that it won't last
They're just lookin' for the questions
He never thought to ask
Everybody got the answers
Comin' at you hard and fast
No one talkin' 'bout the questions
We never thought to ask
I was born this side of midnight
Didn't see no silver spoon
Didn't see no easy answers
Just some howlin' at the moon
Chasin' memories 'round the corner
All but runnin' outta' gas
In the shadow of the questions
I never thought to ask
|
||||
47. |
||||
|
Stay out of the water if it don’t float your boat
Stay off of the stage if you can’t hit the notes
If you ain’t got gas in the tank don’t hit the road
Stay out of the water if it don’t float your boat
When the lightning strikes don’t take a walk in the rain
And if they think you’re crazy ain’t no need to explain
When you can’t say something good there’s nothing good to say
And if the boat don’t float stay outta’ the lake
Stay out of the water if it don’t float your boat
Stay off of the stage if you can’t hit the notes
If you ain’t got gas in the tank don’t hit the road
Stay out of the water if it don’t float your boat
Don’t make no promises you don’t mean to keep
Don’t say it’s over until you’re six feet deep
Don’t hate on the sinner unless you’re free of sin
Don’t hold the door if they ain’t ready to come in
|
||||
48. |
||||
|
Just a company in the digital age
Another target for the hackers night and day
More risk in here than any man could bear
Rescue each other don’t fall into despair
I’ll read the I.T. manual again (x2)
I hope I did not screw up (x2)
(I hope we never get a) Hacker in the system (x2)
Almost fifteen years since we opened shop
I should have known hackers never stop
Only teamwork can keep us together
Jerome can mend your disc or Karl can break your heart
I’ll read the I.T. manual again (x2)
I hope I did not screw up (x2)
(I hope we never get a) Hacker in the system (x4)
Walked in this morning I don’t believe what I seen
Hundred billion passwords on post it notes on screens
Seems we’re not listening when we’re on the phone
Hundred billion protocols we all should have known
I’ll read the I.T. manual again (x2)
I hope I did not screw up (x2)
(I hope we never get a) Hacker in the system (x2)
Sending out an I.T. blurb
Sending out an I.T. blurb
|
||||
James Tristan Redding Nashville, Tennessee
British-American songwriter, singer, audiobook narrator, studio player, Godin Guitars official
artist.
Founded global collective www.SongAWeek.org, performance art experience The Under Over: tinyurl.com/uoxuo (song circle underneath a highway) and writing retreat www.TheNashville24.com (annual challenge: write 24 songs in 24 hours).
Cuts by Sarah Harralson, Eli Alger, Emma Gale, David Easterling
... more
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