Lyrics

Wild Canary

Wild canary gon’ sing.

All that sky, ah you just beat your breast against the glass.

They say, Why? Why, well,

He’s just seeing himself golden now.

The wild canary’s gon’ sing.

You’ve got all new feathers

And the strength of wings.

Aim to find that something someone somewhere.

Found this house by the river

With the high false window,

Makes a mighty pretty phantom picture.

You say, I ain’t no goldfinch

I’m a wild canary.

I’ll just break this reflection

And live through there.

In the wild wild, I’m gon’ sing.

They say, Why? Why, well,

I’ve been seeing myself golden now.

Wild canary gon’ sing.

All that sky, ah you just beat your breast against the glass.

They say, Why? Why, well,

He’s just seeing himself golden now.

The wild canary’s gon’ sing.

Lady Leila

Lady Leila she lived in the Dogwood tree

And the bees made her again and again

And the twisted roots told her age

And the tufts of purple redbud show where she’d been

Lady Leila she wore it well all winter long

And now comes a spring of sun drenched daze

Take a whiff let the scent lose your age

Up on her tippy toes she throws her rainbow down

From her tippy toes she throws her petals to the ground

One by one

Run run run

One by one

Run run run

Lady Leila was gone

Lady Leila was falling in love again

Lady stay a while

Lady stay a flower

When she’s gone you can’t tell where the Dogwood lies

Must you wait while the Lady hides?

Bees will buzz with the news of her return and you might

Feel the quickening when she’s ready to love again

Lady Leila she lives in the Dogwood tree

And the bees make her again and again

And the twisted roots tell her age

And the tufts of purple redbud show where she’s been

Take Heed

One day my sister and I found a box of memories

In the middle of the living room floor.

You left them behind like they meant nothing to you.

Heed. Take heed.

Then I start to make excuses for you,

Like the way you were brought up.

Your mother never said, “I love you,”

Except for when she thought you were sleeping.

Heed. Take heed.

Somebody buckled your boot buckles,

Until you were 12-years-old.

Isn’t any wonder you could never be the

Brother I wanted you to be.

Heed. Take heed.

Yeah you tell your stories about Jack and Uncle Who.

And you expect me to listen to your words

When you never hear a word that I speak to you.

Never hear a word that I speak to you. Never.

I don’t want to think nice thoughts

‘Cause it might not be the truth.

And if you want to know what I think,

You’re pretty ruthless.

You made me cry on my birthday,

And you lied and said I was your only doll.

It wasn’t much later that I saw the truth

And found that you call them all doll.

Heed. Take heed.

Then I start to make excuses for you,

Like the way you were brought up.

Your father never said, “I love you.”

Just “Thank you,” instead of “I love you, too, son.”

Heed. Take heed.

Memory is the trustee of all these things

That I’ve yet to forgive.

What I must do is forgive myself,

For keeping these things that poison me.

Heed. Take heed.

Gold Rush

I’m gon’ rush that gold

I’m gon’ ‘49

I’m gon’ leave my post

I’m gon’ let my family go

I’m gon’ make this make this mine

All mine all mine all mine

I’m gon’ strike you down

I’m gon’ wipe you out

Bust my back

Numb my legs

Wreck my hands

Ain’t it a shame

I forgot my name

I’m gon’ rush that gold

Ain’t it just my luck some fella struck gold

He’d staked a claim just over there

I heard he’d turned over a boulder and just found loads of it

Coulda been me

Well I keep swirlin’ dirt in my gold pan

I keep scratchin’ keep pick axin’

I can’t go home empty handed

Do you want to know who really struck gold?

It was the man selling shovels and dreams

I didn’t find but a fleck of fortune

And there ain’t an ounce of humanity here

I’m gon’ rush that gold

I had to quit reading the letters from my wife

I come to know this lady for hire

Most nights we drank whiskey, tossed some dice,

And she did a bit of listening.

Then she said,

“You’ll never be a wealthy man

if you can’t find value in what you had.

Back home you had a storefront

You were land rich

You had strength in your back and your hands.

You had a family – that was everything-

You damn fool.”

I’m gon’ rush that gold

.wrong

I think about all the games he plays,

And it isn’t a wonder he’s never the same.

I try to keep up but it’s always in vain.

And I wonder what I did wrong.

Yeah I wonder what I did wrong.

There are so many things that he can’t explain.

Why am I not enough?

I’m the only one sane.

I’m tired of trying to figure out his crazy ways.

And I know now that he’s in the wrong.

Yeah we both know that he’s in the wrong.

Please believe, he’s the one in the wrong.

Will you believe, he’s the one in the wrong?

Well I try to call upon him again and again,

And the phone’s not the only thing disconnected.

He’s got two identities swimming in his head.

And I wonder which one’s in the wrong.

Yeah I wonder which one’s in the wrong.

I try to hang on to the one that I knew,

But he’s slipping away in this sea of blue.

There is simply not room enough for two.

And it’s too bad it all went wrong.

It’s too bad the whole thing went wrong.

Now do you believe, he was the one in the wrong?

Do you believe, he was the one in the wrong?

Dream Captor

Last Sunday a man kissed my hand

And they buried him Thursday morning.

I walked alone by the lock and dam

And decided to ask the water,

“Is it life like death?

Or is it death like life?”

Dream Captor, did you find my light?

Tell me a story

Do you remember that time

Down by the river near the lock and dam.

You called the ducks in, graceful fugue

Time was frozen as they landed.

Even though I had my gun pulled

I saw you in all your beauty.

Dream Captor, did you find my light?

This disease,

This horrible disease.

They say, “I’m sorry for your loss.

So sorry for your family.”

But do they know that this is just the beginning

That it’s 50/50

It’s a toss of a coin and I swear

Dream Captor must’ve found my light.

Gloria, Gloria,

I’m afraid I see me when I look at you.

Could I be that strong?

I doubt it.

Will the Dream Captor catch my light

Or reflect all my good thoughts back on me?

I don’t know. I don’t know why.

Dream Captor, did you find my light?

Last Sunday a man kissed my hand

And they buried him Thursday morning.

I walked alone by the lock and dam

And decided to ask the water.

Envelopment

Jane Eyre and anything Shakespeare,

Classically just stacked up on a shelf.

About a day until you pack them away.

And leaving no trace, you’ll forget they were there.

Box them up and ship them away, and in their

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Address a letter to the one you love,

Try to tie it to the ankle of a dove,

Don’t be surprised when it decides not to fly,

You can try to keep those words in case you open up.

Don’t forget they’re conveniently contained, and in their

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Write upon the pages of a journal,

Spill your life out with the scratching of a quill.

Find it hard to recognize the one,

Who wrote just a year ago, not to mention twelve.

Bind them up and lock them away, and in their

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Ask the sun to heat the wind before it hits you.

Grab a handful and put it in a jar.

Screw the lid tight and put it on a shelf,

You can lie and tell yourself you’ll seize it later if you want to.

Tell yourself you can keep a perfect day, and in its

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Envelopment,

Who will ever know?

Orphan Train

A heartbeat.

A pulsing.

What powers that be power me?

Am I English?

Am I Irish?

Do I come from across the sea?

What is my pedigree?

Do I care?

Is that me?

Well I might be just a little boy,

But I’ll make my way.

I’m gonna take a name,

And I’ll survive the Orphan Train.

A history uncertain,

Who’s this little street urchin?

Line ‘em up on the block.

Let me flee from this flock.

What’s his age? Can he sing?

Can he do a dance for me?

Well I might be just a little boy,

But I’ll make my way.

I’m gonna take a name,

And I’ll survive the Orphan Train.

I am the descendent

Of something uncertain

Turned upside down

Into something I’m proud of.

A heartbeat.

A pulsing.

What powers that be power me?

If I’m English,

If I’m Irish,

If I come from across the sea,

I have no pedigree.

I don’t care.

It’s not me.

Well I might be just a little boy,

But I’ll make my way.

I’m gonna take a name,

And I’ll survive the Orphan Train.

If you ever ask yourself,

What am I? What am I?

You can proudly answer,

I am my own. I am my own. I am my own.

Heartbeat.

Pulsing.

I’m the power that powers me.

I might be just a little boy,

But I’ll make my way.

I’m gonna take a name,

And I’ll survive the Orphan Train.

Well I might be just a little boy,

But I’ll make my way.

I’m gonna take a name,

And I’ll survive the Orphan Train.

On the Front End

Up before dawn

Got my work boots tied on.

Grab my lid and a thermos of Joe.

It’s dark when I leave and it’ll be dark when I come home.

I shut the door

I’m out in it,

Protect what’s mine and what I aim to get.

Oh Lord, I got to

Keep my head up

Stay puffed up

Solid steps and steady strut.

Oh woe.

Just show me once, I catch on quick,

I’m here to work, I’ll take any shift.

Don’t you see I’m a man and I’ve got to keep a roof up.

This note is loaded heavy on the front end.

It’s all on me

At least that’s how it seems to be.

Pin my hair up,

Stretch a net over.

Paste a face on,

Freeze a smile over.

I’m here to serve, yes Sir,

Anything you want.

And I have to leave the babies home alone

While I go feed the same stranger over and over.

Oh Lord.

Can’t get tough enough stayin’ soft like a mama ought to.

And my day ain’t done when my head hits the pillow.

There’s all the worry of all the loss of time

While my babies grow old.

Oh Lord,

Can’t you see I’m a woman and I’ve got to keep a home up?

This note is loaded heavy on the front end.

It’s all on me

At least that’s how it seems to be.

Woman

What you see in the mirror’s

Not what you believe.

Why can’t you see it clear?

You’re a woman, a bright young woman.

But you can’t think,

‘cause you won’t eat.

Still I believe in you,

Woman, young woman.

Can’t stand your ground,

When you’re teetering ‘round.

I think I hear the sound of you,

Woman, quieted woman.

Where do you really begin?

And where do you just blend in?

I wonder, Woman. Woman. Woman.

Well are we friends or are we foes?

Do you even know now?

Woman, everyday woman.

Tooth and nail,

And too high heels.

I’m trying to appeal to you,

Woman, you cat scratchin’ woman.

It’s too bad that you painted your mouth shut.

I wonder what’s happened to you,

Woman, now you’re a silenced woman.

Why can’t you crack that glass ceiling?

Your cuts will heal, I promise,

Woman, laboring woman.

I could try to save you,

If I knew where to find you.

But would my words just get lost on you?

Woman. Woman. Woman.

What’d you do with your name?

What’d you do with your face?

What’d you do with your eyes?

Oh you’re wastin’ away,

And you were quite the woman.

You’re living a lie,

Instead of chasing your dreams.

I just want to scream for you,

Woman, you poor sedated woman.

Every time you let your pulse slow,

Every time you’re bought and sold,

Oh Woman, Woman you’re killing us.

Let me breathe some life back in you

I’ll breathe in your mouth and your eyes and your ears

Woman, I’ll give you back some years.

Woman. Woman. Woman.

Cat Print

There’s a cougar cat who tiptoes through the timber surrounding my house.

Though I’ve only seen her shadow I know her.

She is long and lean and lonely.

She is fierce and fearless and shy and cautious.

She’s a graceful agile dancer,

A swift and merciful huntress.

Her purr permeates the ground as she rolls and suns herself in the weeds.

She leaves wide proud paw prints by the stream.

We eye the same trees, the same sky, the same water, she and I.

The mystery of her keeps me company. My predictability must keep her calm.

She’s been pushed here or dragged here and left here,

Too far into the heart of the land.

Though she’s made a life here she knows that she does not belong.

I find the bones of her kills by the log pile,

At least she’s somewhat discrete.

Is it her duty to bring order to the chaos of this blindsided balancing act of theirs?

When the leaves turn and the wind turns and her purpose is served.

I start to worry a little what she’ll do come winter.

I’ll try to keep her safe.

I’ll hide the bones of her kills.

I’ll smooth away her tracks on the ground,

And I’ll stand the weeds up again.

If I could whisper to her just one thing I’d tell her, “Let’s never be mothers.”

But would she listen? She probably couldn’t listen to me. I hope it’s understood.

Her purr permeates the ground as she rolls and suns herself in the weeds.

She leaves wide proud paw prints by the stream.

We eye the same trees, the same sky, the same water, she and I.

The mystery of her keeps me company. My predictability must keep her calm.

Beautiful Creature

She’s a beautiful lovely creature

And like anything surviving in the wild

She’s got to keep her mind on self preservation.

She’s just living by the laws set forth by mother nature.

She could build her walls up tall stone by stone,

But if the rest of her life starts here she says, now baby I’m not gonna fear.

See I was a bean pod

Then I was a bean pole

Then I was grown.

I know the earth will welcome me back home.

I’d like to make some sense of this truth that I seem to be on the verge of.

How will I say it all?

How will I sing it all?

So that all that I knew is not lost in the hue of the evening moon.

The smell of the country,

The slow and easy way that you greet me.

The wave of a blade of grass.

The moves of the water

And its dance with the wind.

I can hear you whispering wherever I am.

Will you believe that I love you when I leave you again and again?

I want to love you ‘til I’m old.

Who am I if I’m not you?

You’re the sun and the wind and the stars and the far away cry of a wolf.

I’m not really sure where you begin and where I end.

Will you forgive me? Can you forgive me if I forgive myself?

You’re a beautiful lovely creature and beauty is what you’ve created.

Beautiful Creature, beauty’s still what you create.

You’re the sand and the silt and the loam and the place I call home.

Even when I leave, I’m still here.

Creature of beauty, Beauty’s creation.

Backwood

I’ve got a Suburban parked in my 3-stall garage in Suburbia.

It takes me where I want to go.

On the drive to the Superstore I can grab a megaguz

To get me through the concrete sprawl

Past the cart corrals

Into this palace that stores it all.

50-foot ceilings dangling fluorescent lights

Shining on isles of neon green drinks,

I can’t believe the splendor of it all.

Now I can buy candy or canned goods or a 5-dollar wedding card

And the butcher shop shipped in today from China.

I think I’m working backward

Seems like I’m dulling down

Maybe I’ll find the answer in the Backwood

I live on a quarter-acre plot in a 2-story lodge in Suburbia.

It gives me what I need to grow.

Maple floors and

wafer board doors and

sage and beige textured walls. I can

Take a ride on a stationary bike or

Go for a stroll on a treadmill.

As the telemarketer rings,

the dishwasher and the dryer sing.

Got a cabinet full of bills and pills and lists that hiss solicitousness

And I warm myself by the pilot light fire.

I think I’m working backward

Seems like I’m dulling down

Maybe I’ll find the answer in the Backwood

Coming up on a 40-acre farm

In Smalltown U.S. of America

I knew all I’d need to know.

With a kitty in each arm

Skipping down to the barn

Climbing bails of hay

And gathering eggs.

Finding pretty rocks and old glass bottles

Walking along the crick bed,

Picking up green hedge apples off the ground.

Stepping down the weeds

Scaring up pheasant, feeling the beat of their wings,

Riding my horse bareback, holding tight to her mane.

Now I think I’m working backward

Seems like I’m dulling down

Maybe I’ll find the answer in the Backwood