Open Source

WhenGI set off thisDmorning
for toGstart at somethingAnew
will theGquestions stirringDin my bones
let meAturn away fromDyou

Time, it don’t mean nothing
Ghosts don’t need memories
I’ve been haunted by the ways you’ve changed my life
and that never leaves

So if IBmstay nowAor if IDgo
it don’t changeBmnothing,Ayou oughttaDknow G
And if theBmyears passAby and then oneDday I see you a-Emgain
You can beAsure my love forGyou has noDend

Most things I’m never sure of
where to be or what to do
I wander even when I’m stuck
I waste time when I’m somewhere new

But a few things I can tell you
They hold constant against time
They hold me in their mercy
and I carry them in mine

So if I stay now or if I go
it don’t change nothing, you oughtta know
And if the years pass by and then one day I see you again
You can be sure my love for you has no end

ESomewhere so highAabove me
myF#mlove sits on anotherBplane
EEvery so often ourApaths they will cross
but tooBsoon we are too farEaway

If I could fly high like a raven
to my love wherever she is
no matter the distance or the time in between
I’d remember her face and persist

ButAevery time that weEmeet
it’sC#mharder to go separateBways
WeAend up with pieces thatC#mcame from the other
TheyF#mcan’t be dis-Acarded a-Egain

If I could know just how to reach her
If I could just keep her to stay
To never have our two paths cross again
but to meet and to never part ways

Well, I wouldn’t need wings like a raven
just to keep myself off of the ground
and no matter the distance or the time in between
I’d remember just whom I had found

But every time that we meet
it’s harder to go separate ways
We end up with pieces that came from the other
they can’t be discarded again

I’m made from the pieces we shared with each other
They can’t be discarded again

GmOn a dark and narrow sidewalk on the wrong side of the road
I’d hoped toEbhave a littleBbscuffle as I walked home allGmalone
GmWith the whiskey flowing through my blood and longing in my heart
all I couldEbsee was shadowsBbshifting and my world fallingGmapart

There was a shape that fell upon me, suddenly everything went bright
I grasped at anything around me while I tried to adjust my eyes
I staggered into the road and called out, “Is there anybody here?”
But all at once the light that swallowed everything just disappeared

Immediately sobered, I looked around, all shaky nerves
I found all I had was my confusion, had my cries all gone unheard?
Where had the light gone when the shapes broke and the darkness ate them whole?
Where would I go now that I had my senses under my control?

There ain’t no darkness like uncertainty, no pain like waking up
and finding everything you’d found before just crumbled into dust
I crossed the road under the street lamp and the light, it filled my eyes
A new world took shape all around me in the darkness’ disguise

IEcome to say I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to do
My heart don’tAlisten to my brain, in spite of all that they beenEthrough
But I ain’tBtrying to push you away
though it’sC#mclear that you just can’t stay
Don’t youAtake it to heart babe, justBdo what you know isEtrue

For as many songs I wrote, you’d think I’d learned a thing or two
about the timing of my heart and the key of it’s tune
but, love, I constantly find that I fall flat
spend so much time just trying to get back
when I should just pick up the beat again and play on through

But forC#mevery song I write and everyAlove that fallsEapart
there must beC#msomething that I’m learning, somethingAnew for the nextEstart
All IBfound is everything thatAends alsoEbegins

So let’s start again a hundred times in, oh, so many ways
Different time zones, different boundaries, differnt lives, and different planes
And don’t you take it to hard if I get off track
You know eventually I’ll find my way back
and I’ll pick up the beat again and join you to play

Oh,Ecome back to see me, baby,
Ayou know where I’llEbe
You don’t need no more invitation
you al-B7ready got the key
I’ll beAlooking forward to seein’ you
but you justEcome when you are free
and when you come back to see me, baby,
B7you know where I’llEbe

When your jewelry is jangling,
darlin’, I’ll know you’ve arrived
You don’t need to ring the doorbell,
honey, just come right on inside
Let me hear that sweet ol’ voice of yours,
set the space in between us aside
and when I hear your jewelry jangling,
darlin’, I’ll know you’ve arrived

YouAknow I’m missing you badly
I know youEcan’t be everywhere at once
But when theA“where” you can be isE“right here” with me
then I want youB7right here in myEarms

If your face lights up and my eyes go blind,
then you’ll have to be my guide
I make it a rule to never wear my sunglasses inside
But that smile of yours gets me every time,
I forget that it’s so bright
So if your face lights up and my eyes go blind,
well honey, won’t you be my guide

You know I’m missing you badly
I know you can’t be everywhere at once
But when the “where” you can be is “right here” with me
then I want you right here in my arms

She gonnaGreach ‘cross the table with that look in her eyes
CShe gonna shake me, gonna make me wake up and real-Dize
I been a’dreamin, I got myself mesmer-Cized
I’m just staring at theDwall, I’m staring back intoGtime

How long’s it been? I been right here before
Am I still sitting here or have I been moving back and forth?
When she touched me, when she held me in her arms in the night
was it all just part of this dream that I been holdin’ so tight?

EmAround aCbend is aGhillside
It’llEmbe covered inCwhite if youDtime it justGright
TheEmseasons willGchange, theCflowers willGdie
butCthey’ll be backGagain if youDgive themGtime

Well, I floated down a river and I fell fast asleep
I dreamed a life you’d only find in a dream
A million songs I’d have to write to show you just what I mean
but I woke alone by a different river down in New Orleans

How long’s it been? I been right here before
Am I still sitting here or have I been moving back and forth?
Are you on that river, at that table, by that hillside tonight?
Babe, I departed but I’m just at another point in our time

Around that bend is a hillside
It’ll be covered in white if you time it just right
The seasons will change, the flowers will die
but they’ll be back again if you give them time

AfterEeach of myC#mfailures
AfterEeach batteredC#mnight
All theEtimes I mis-C#mhandled
I shoulda justElet pass meC#mby

I been fumbling for buttons
that were just never there
Trying to pause or reset
what’s already been aired

But I gotAnothing
I can’tBsay that I learned myC#mlesson

With my chest housing hornets
buzz so loud I can’t think
All my brain’s reassurance
it don’t calm anything

It just resounds
I’m yelling silence in an echo
All I’ve found
is next time’s waiting in the shadows

But I learned a hard lesson
I got better some ways
All hope, it ain’t forsaken
though it seems it some days

For each of my failures
let go when I learn my lesson

EFor each of myC#mfailures, let Am go B when I learn myElesson

Coming soon

Coming soon

ItFgoes inCcircles, I try toFplug allCmy holes
where myFheart, it justCleaks out onto theGfloor

I got lots of ideas bout how the world should spin around me
bout how to stop you before you walk out that door

But you justB7keep walkin’Con
and IGjust keep stomping myDfeet on the ground
It’s theB7same old tiredCsong
I try to tweak the notes but youDrecognize theGsound

How many times have I torn everything down around me
trying to hold myself up as I fell

Everybody trips and stumbles, some just stand up, a little humbled
They put one foot in front of the other and say, “Oh well.”

But I just keep holding on
Everything around me comes a’ crashing down
and it’s the same old tired song
I rearrange the notes but you recognize the sound

B7All I know is ofEmno use now
IB7haven’t learnedEmanything else
If youB7turn and wince when youEmtry to smile
don’t youGget too down
I’ll beDcoming ‘roundD7 

I’m gonna keep walkin’ on
When I fall, I’ll admire the view from the ground
I’m gonna write a brand new song
I’ll make the same old notes transform that tired sound

Coming soon

I wasGkicking and screaming, I was swearing I had changed
promised everything was different than be-Dfore
ListingGall the new awakenings thatCpropped open up myGeyes
just as IEmwalked headDfirst into theGdoor

High up on a mountain in the ruins of old lives
I saw the beauty that I longed to keep
I tried to hold it tight, defend it, call it mine
While I manned the fort it slipped away from me

With aEmsadness in my heart and an ad-Cventure on myGmind
I setEmout, a new life for toDstart
In theEmhaste of losing everything, IClost my memor-Gy
Made theEmsame missteps, watched theDsame things fall a-Gpart

Oh, I could keep a’ running
I could pack my bags and leave
Find the next stop, I could start again
But I see that what I’m running from has kept up with me
What I’ve tried to shed is what still remains

With my white flag in the air, surrender pushing from my soul
fighting it’s way out into the sun
For to grab a ray of light and lodge it deep inside my chest
Light up my heart, a new life’s already begun

GmLorelei, where are youDmhiding?

IGmknow you snuck in through aDmdream

Just be-Ccause I can’t rememberDmwhen I wake up
Don’t as-Bbsume that youChaven’t beenDmseen


Your whispers dance light ’round my pillow
The music it stops when I stir

with the feeling that someone’s been here all along

but things no longer are as they were


Lore-Bblei, don’t youCknow that I sawDmyou

When I left you alone in the moonlight

with the ecstasy drained from my soul

All the longing lay buried in grief-stained release

left to rot for what can be controlled


Now will you wait for me in desolate water

where reflections, they only confuse

If I avert my course, could I avoid the chance

of crashing my boat into you?


Lorelei, don’t you know that I saw you

I’m waiting, eyes open, for you, Lorelei

Don’t you think that you’ll trick me once more

I’ve given up sailing, I’m given up sleep

my eyes are now transfixed on the door


Lorelei, I don’t know how you got in here

I thought I had barred shut my dreams

I can’t tell the difference now when I wake up

and now you are all that I see.

Lorelei, now you’re all that I see.

All theEmtimes that I’ve a-Bmwoken
not yetDknowing what wasEmreal
Possibilities forBmseconds
try toDgrasp as they areEmsealed

Now IDstare at them throughEmminutes
their wrappingDgorgeous, butEmopaque
I know thatBmbeauty liesBmbeneath it
BeautyGnow liesG/F#in itsEmway

So many worlds have faded from me
they’d been right in front of my eyes
I spend so much time discerning patterns
but come to find that I am blind

When the shapes have turned to scribbles
where the words spelled out the path
All the memories step forward
drawing future from the past

Now I find refuge in the seconds
I can’t hold before they’re sealed
They hold space between the darkness
and the light where wounds won’t heal

In eternities immobile
feeling paralyzed again
I awaken to a moment
in motion, as I’ve always been

EmWhere I’m going   C9        B7   /   I  Em cannot see C9        B7
I got myEmeyes wide open / butC9time justB7blindsidesEmme

I don’t get no warning / My path is clear
All a sudden it’s storming / and shelter ain’t nowhere near

Well, now you come to tell me / just what I need
You say you look into my future / and you don’t like what you see

Well, friend I don’t blame you / but go on your way
I never trust no one with the answer / and I ain’t gonna start today

IEmbeen reckless, IGbeen wrong
I beenDeverywhere IGdon’t be –Emlong
IEmbeen a recluse, aGhideaway
just countingDtime, trying toGkill theEmday

But now all that matters / is that the path I’ve gone
has led me where I am / I’ve seen it happening all along

So when it starts to pouring / and I’m soaking wet
I’ll just keep walking on my way / A little rain hasn’t killed me yet

And when the time surrounds me / and I think I’m trapped
I’m gonna push my way through it / and I ain’t gonna look back

Oh,Eit ain’t no shame, my darling, if there’sBworries on yourEmind
We’dAbe no good with-Eout them, driftingBcarelessly throughEtime
But ifAI can help youEease them, won’t youBjust give me aEtry
We canApull this load to-Egether, won’t youBset ’emAright down next toEmine

Don’t you think that you can’t make it with that heavy load you pull
Take a little out your pack, put it in mine, oh it ain’t full
We could float it down the river, let the current take control
And if we find ourselves too far away from shore, we’ll break the paddles out and row

ItBjust ain’t wrong to be unsure, doubtsAfilling up yourElungs
Bfeeling like you can’t breathe, choking onAsongs you left un-Esung
When theC#mnotes just weren’t perfect and theAwords were a littleErough
did youAthrow it all out andEnever hear theBbeauty that shows if you give it time e-Enough?

Well, I know I act a bit hasty, love, when I’m planning out my path
I leave so much to the roll of the dice, take its grace along with its wrath
But I must have done something right ’cause now I’m walking along with you
Oh, and you can be sure I’ll do all I can do to see this whole thing through

Well, youGsay you miss me baby / You can’t wait ’til I get home
You’reDcounting down the days / ’til you’reCno longer a –Glone

Well, darling, time it travels strangely / What seems so long will soon be gone
Before you know it, I’ll be with you / lying tightly in your arms

Well, I have waited such a long time / Never thought I’d see the day
when you told me that you loved me / told me that you’re here to stay

But the years, they work upon you / and though you may try to deny
what once seemed so scary / is now the thing you can’t hide

So just beApatient dear,A7I’ll beChome soon
Just give it a littleGtime
YouAknow I miss you,A7darling
ICcan’t get you off of myGmind
But we’veD7already waitedCthis long
won’t you give it a littleGmore
Be –Afore you know, you’ll beA7seeing myCsmiling face
just walking through yourGdoor

So just remember that I love you / Right with you I’m gonna stay
The years have been hard on me / They’re giving me a break today

Don’t you think that I’ll forget soon / how I longed to feel your touch
I ain’t taking you for granted, darling / That you can trust

In im-D#mpossible stitches that justG#mhappen toA#be
aD#mtwist stretches just long e-G#mnough to beA#seen
Now itG#mholds what old patterns can’tD#mfind

When the light blinds the darkness and its own eyes go black
and it tumbles in cycles and it can’t be turned back
it ain’t easy to tell when it’s time

On aD#mpoint on a plane where youG#mstand every-A#day
On aD#mpoint on a plane you’ve triedG#mhard to es-A#cape
At thisD#mpoint in the same place youG#mfelt so muchA#pain
you standG#mdumbstruck in an instant ofD#mchange

In suspenseful transmissions you register symbols
How they’ve evolved through the years now to signal
this isn’t the same place you stood, it’s not that simple
It stays hidden ’til things rearrange

Now new lines have squeezed through and made space as they passed
and you filled ’em best you could and you never looked back
and you hoped that it wasn’t too much

Could you go on believing that it’d turn out alright
Trust that each step needs taken and only hindsight
can reveal the finishing touch

Now time stands at your doorstep and it can not be seen
It just beckons you outside to see what it needs
When you find it needs nothing, you know that it means
it holds nothing, it’s just passing by

It just blows like the breeze, slightly moving shit around
It’s not easy to see, sometimes there’s not a sound
’til one morning you find that it’s you that’s been found
by someone who hopes that it’s time

When theCmsun is hidden behindBbstorm clouds, dear
un-Cmexpected dreary mornings we mayBbfind
We mayCmnever know just when or where theBblightning will strike
but whatCmgood is it toBbworry, wastingCmtime

Oh, I know you’ll touch my neck when you wake up, dear
I’ve been longing for it since I went to sleep
All the nightmares that pass through my cloudy head in the darkness of the night
are but forgotten when you lay your hand on me

AbTrilliums take such aBblong time toCmgrow
You don’t seeAbanythingBbfor aCmyear
But when theAbtime is right, they’llBbspread like wild
Cmopen their eyes like aBbnewborn child
and theAbhillsides will beBbpetals ofCmwhite

When the storms inside your head soak you to the bone
and you can’t find the time to dry yourself out
I can’t reach inside your head but I can hold you close to me
’til the rain stops pouring from the clouds

Now listen, I’m not afraid of getting poured on
I find myself stuck in my own storms quite a bit
But when the sun comes out, I’ll still be here right by your side
and I’ll love you like I’ve loved you this whole time

FThree years they turned intoCsix months
and how do theyDmend in a day while theFseasons justCchange
Spring toBbFall
NowCall I can do is toDmfall

The words found the meaning they’d meant all along
When they flowed they were written, nothing that is makes them wrong
But oh,
how I wish it was right

OfBball the things thatCI haveDmdone
andBbeverything I’veCnever figuredDmout
thisBbleaves me toCstand with myFeyes to theDmground
Bbwishing I’dCseen anotherFroute  C
Where did I goFwrong?

So a thousand miles I’ll travel, it won’t be the first
With my heart filled with sorrow and likely to burst
My new shoes
won’t make me sing today

But in the miles that I pass through, the time that we take
I won’t ever regret you, you aren’t a mistake
You’re my love
You’re with me wherever I go [end on F, instead of Dm]

[First verse repeats, ending on F]

One moreDweek ’til I crawl home again, right back from where I came
I’dF#mhoped to put some thousand miles between us in my pain
ButDcircumstance has bound me, I’ve been called back to my home
I tried toF#mrun but it’s no use this time, I know I can not go
So I’mAbracing myself for the winter I must trudge through once again
You just can’tGsay where you’ll end up or whereAanything willDend

It just ap-Dpears
and then you make aF#mchoice
Everything willDchange
It’s not something you can a-F#mvoid

Oh, how I’d love to change my address and to start another life
I know it’s childish and so foolish but I’m just so prone to flight
Now I’ve admitted it and I must stay, continue what is here
All the things I love are covered in the memories I fear
But I must write another chapter, show my story isn’t done
As pitiful as it may be now, there’s still more to come

So here I am
on my way home again
Some say it’s best
but still I feel I’m giving in

I’ll just give it time
I’ll carry on my way
Hope tomorrow
is brighter than today

And when I make my way back home again in just another week
just know that I’m still afloat in this river, I will make my way to sea

Not mine to open. Sorry bros.

CLeaving on a sunny FridayFmorning
CScattered goodbyes heavy in theFair
IEmwalk the couple blocks back home
Ftears in my eyes, they hit the road
ICknew it was coming but I’mFnever pre-Cpared

’til theEmnext time we find ourselves to-Fgether again
mayGlife treat youFgraciously, myCfriends

Go see the places that you’ve never seen
Meet people and you’ll change each other’s lives
Pick all the notes that lift your hearts
Let other’s notes fill empty parts
The harmonies grow sweeter with time

I’m leaving on my own new path in moments
Forking off to my new endeavors
The tunes that I find down the road
will be built upon the common notes
that rang so true when we played them together

JustGremember, while we’re all apart I’llFmiss you
but I’mGcarrying with me everything we’veFshared
andGuntil we meet again,FwhereverF/Ethat mayDmbe
I’mGlooking forward toFseeing youCthere

EmStaggered staccatos ofGmemory fol –Dlows
aEmscore that drags too long,Gleft on re –Empeat
The rose petals fall ‘fore you Gremember toDsmell them
WhenEmnext spring approaches, oh,Gwill you beEmfree?

Restlessness resonates through each broken melody
The fault-lines expand and the ground, it does shake
It was written so pretty in plans for recovery
Now darkness envelopes you, confounding your way

Well, theCnotes they doDfollow you orGyou fol –F#lowEmthem
YouCstep on eachDother inGutterF#con –Emfusion
AndCwhere is thisDswitch to pro –Gvide youF#   a   Empause?
You’llCno longerDneed it when it’sCno longerGlost

Slits in the string that you laid down to lead you back
stare at you, challenging – “How’d you get here?”
You sang your surroundings so loud as you travelled
with your eyes closed so tight, while your path disappeared

In the dark now, just trembling or running into walls
Cursing, embarrassed with each clumsy fall
Too many details left out from your songs
But just as you must keep singing, you must keep walking on

Staggered staccatos of memory follows
a score that drags too long, left on repeat
The rose petals fall ‘fore you remember to smell them
When next spring approaches, oh, will you be free?

GIndistinguishableCendings separate be-Gginnings
connected as theyCflow
GIn the images thatCfly past, through the window in theGtime that
seems to go soCslow
WhenDeverything is relative andCnothing’s solidGground
andDlooking back’s the only way toCtell what’s up orGdown
Con-Dfusion is second nature, incon[Csistency isGfirst
EmChanging too many variables atConce isDsure to make thingsGworse

Rearranging all the pieces, finding lost hope in the creases
buried by careless folds
Reaping moments from a timeline to point to just to feel fine
when life spins out of control
Never knowing when or where the next dip will come from
Time puts on a blindfold and encourages you to run
No matter how often you stumble it just keeps tickin’ on
Whether you’re on your feet or on your knees, it still drags you along

And itCjust don’t matter, it just don’t matter, itDjust don’t matterGnow
ItCjust don’t matter, it just don’t matter, itDjust don’t matterGhow
youEmpick yourself up,Cdust your boots off,Dget your shit to-Ggether and go
It’sEmjust anotherCmove you have toDmake
This struggle is yourGown

Now each memory’s another difference in what you’ve discovered
between the present and the past
Now you’ve built another person, what they’ve done you weren’t certain
that you could ever do
Now each breath fills a lung that breathes in deeper than before
Taking in and giving out each new life that’s been formed
from molds you’ve made of tiny specks of dirt that seemed useless
Sometimes the things you need to most are built from what you thought was shit

Not mine to open. Sorry bros.

Not mine to open. Sorry bros.

SoEmany winds are blowing from so manyBways
Eeven before I step outside,Bback and forth IEsway
If youEsee me sitting somewhere, it’s not ’cause I plan toBstay
It’sEjust that I haven’t yetBbeen blown a –Eway

If I couldAslowEdownBtime
Well, you’dApro –Ebly   Bfind
me rushin’ any –Eway

Well, I told you I can’t do it, I said I’d walk away
but if your love is a gamble, babe, well, I can’t help but play
So I’m all in on the next hand though they tell me I should stay
“You’re gonna bust! You always rush! You know you’re gonna pay!”

But if I could turn back time
you’d probably find
me bettin’ anyway

I’m giving up my vices, oh the line I’ll walk is straight
I’m thinking back and stopping to make sure my debts are paid
I’m keeping my eyes forward, trying not to go astray
But peace of mind is hard to find and you know I just can’t wait

If I could slow down time
you’d probably find
If I could slow down time
I know you’d find
me rushin’ anyway

When theEroosterBcrows at theEbreak ofAdawn
will youEwrap yourBarms tighterEaround me?
I’ve notEslept aBwink, all I’veEdone isAdreamt
aEmemory toBkeep what you’veEallowed me

On a foreign roof a thousand miles away
I laid with you, it started
In the ends of trials, with the jury hung
we moved on, our sentences uncharted

I knowAnothing of thisEland
All I’veAever been isEblind
Every –Athing I see a –Eround me isBnameless
I feelAashamed and terri –Efied
but I can’tAlive if not toEtry
For toAtoil or toEdive, there’s conse –Bquences E

In the spaces that I’ve traded, storms and lessons I’ve evaded
time has put a lot of sorrow on my head
In the spaces above cities that I’ve loved and shared with you
I will keep the words that didn’t go unsaid

Oh thereGain’t no better day than today to give yourG7love
Oh thereCain’t no better day than today to give yourGlove
Oh thereGain’t no better day than today to give your love
Well, I’m rightDhere and I just can’t getGenough

I’mGleaving out this place soon heading back to where I’m from
Put myChat on top my head and get on back to what’s be –Ggun
GOh I’ll be there when you want me and I’ll be gone when you’re done
Oh, babe, I Dtell you that I just can’t get e –Gnough

I was lonesome when you found me, I’ll be lonesome when you’re gone
I ain’t asking you to save me, just to hold me in your arms
And if I start to hating you can turn the love back on
Oh I tell ya that I just can’t get enough

The snow’s about to fall soon, we’ll be trying to keep warm
You can bundle up, sit by the fire, keep out of the storm
But if you need someone to hold you late at night, that’s what I’m for
Oh did I tell you that I just can’t get enough

Oh I write my life in chapters tied together through my songs
It’s the only way I know where the transitions belong
If you’d lend me your accompaniment, we could move on right along
I’ll sing it loudly that I just can’t get enough

Not mine to open. Sorry bros.

Oh myDdarling
WhatGare we doingDhere?
Are thereGthings to learn on this pre-Dcarious turning
ride that we can’tAsteerA7

I have lost so much
of all I thought I’d found
Some was stolen, some went spoiled,
some lay scattered on the ground

GNow I stand withDyou / confused as I everAbeen
GNot sure what IDam anymore / Not sure where I fitAin

GAll I’ve got areBmcontradictionsDlaid out abso-Bmlute
Can youGsee through that a littleAdeeper to theDtruth?

Oh my darling
You know I’m not a patient man
Through I try to calm my worried mind
the best that I can

I’m strung up tighter
than the strings I’m strummin’ on
If I could only ring as true as them
I could never go wrong

But I’m not made of steel though I often try to be
The urgency I feel it has always haunted me

It sends me spinning aimless I don’t know where I’ll end up
But right now I’m here with you and that’s enough

C#mIt’s not to(G#) say where IF#mam headed
ItC#mwouldn’t(G#)do no one noF#mgood anyway
C#mIt’s all a(G#)crapshoot, a F#mpoor man’s gamble
Make a Aguess, nothing to (G#)lose, every-F#mthing to gain

Rise with the sun, feel the cold air demanding
open passage to restricted lungs
Breathe deeper for to let it all in
Wide awake, another day has just begun

DDon’t beAsad, friends,F#mwhen I leave you
DIt breaks myAheart to hear you’reBmfeeling alone
DWe’ll meetAagain sometimeF#mdown the road
You’re theDonlyAthing I(G#)want to callF#mhome

The possibilities sit on a platter
Not waiting to be chosen, they just exist
Pick a piece and let the change unfold
The choices are all that matter, they’re all there is

There’s a bar right along the train-tracks
There’s a beach at the end of the road
There’s red cedar in a swamp in Florence
There’s something there wherever you go

CHey, love, where’d you go, I thought IFsaw you in thatCsong
The key changed with the track, I looked a-Ground and you were gone
YouCtricked me over sound waves just soFI could hear yourCvoice
OurFconnection cut offGwhen you found whatCyou were looking for

IFmoved on the next morning toCanother place in time
FAnother stop, we’re still connected,Cjust through different lines
WhatFchanges in the river, changesCin bothC/Byou andAmI
It’sGflow can’t be reversed, it’llFdo no good toCtry

I play with my own heartache, trace the eyes that make me cry
Mischievous desire you concealed could only shine
You tried to tint the windows to block the world outside
but were betrayed by doors wide open, showing what you had denied

Now itGseems that you and I areFinterchange-Cable
And it’sGstrange, I know we’ll neverFrecognize itCall
But like theFchanging of the river is theCchangingC/Bof theAmheart
You can’tFsee where you’ll endGup unless you de-Cpart

So I’ll move on tomorrow morning to another place in time
Another stop, we’ll still be connected, just through different lines
And what changes in the river, will change in you and I
It’s flow can’t be reversed, it’ll do no good to try

TheGmusic filled the air as theF#mbooze filled our blood
GNotes of sorrow, keys of pleasure,F#mflashing like a flood
ThroughEmbusy streets, the people stopped to seeF#mthings they’d never seen
GFeelings forged fromEmfantasies toF#mforeign to believe

Sidewalks lined with people, some in dance, some in awe
Wide-eyed anticipation with each changing of the song
The streetlights echoed moonlight while the shadows strummed and screamed
Scratching at the surface, breaking through the sheen

AOh theBmpossibilities
AOver-Bmwhelming as they seem
ADancing in the darkness,Bmthriving in the light
Im-Apossible is empty, no, it’sBmjust beyond our sight

The shadows stepped into the moonlight, joined us for a beer
The dice, they hit the concrete as time questioned “where from here?”
The people kept on moving, soon enough we, too, moved on
The drink, the dance, the fantasies, they live on through the songs

It’sGwritten on your face, it’sEmchoosing all your words
It’sCfinding ways toGsneak out everyCtime your back isGturned
YouGalways catch it too late, once it’sEmfinished all it’s work
InCred-eyed, lonelyGmornings when theCimagesGreturn

TheGstand-in says the feelings that youEmpromised not to feel
CMixes them withGhalf-truths ’til youCcan’t tell what isGreal
TheGfear that grips you mirrors now theEmshame you had denied
TheCemptiness youGclaimed was full as youCsatDand laughed atGpride

Don’tGfeel the fear thatBmleads you down thatCsame old lonesomeGtrack
Don’tGchase the cheese thatBmguides you towards thatCsame old loadedGtrap
TheGpatterns that youBmtry to hide willCdemand of you theGtruth
And youCknow you never hide itDnear as well as youGfeel that you need to

Now walking down the tracks again and cursing to the sky
As empty and as open as your heart that beats inside
you recognize there are stars that shine, accompanying the moon
but in these times, these cloudy nights, it’s one big empty room

You mightDno longer notice
You mightAno longer care
But thatGfeeling is the fire
and it stillAburns in there some-Dwhere

AtDtimes I’ve been the chaser
otherAtimes I’ve run away
SomeGtimes I’ve been the hero
ManyDmore, I’ve been to blame

I sat up on that wagon
rode through the valleys, towards the hills
And then I fell off, tumbled down
destroying all I’d built

I’ve outstretched my hand
gave myself a kick to help out
And then I hid away pretending
that I couldn’t hear their shouts

You all watched me throw the towel in
you watched me give up on myself
But somehow you stood by me through it all
You’ll never know how much you’ve helped

DI love you, spoken softly sitting on your bed
BmArmsAgrazeGslightly, fingers slideBmgentlyAover myGhead
DShining eyes, quiet smile, then everything disappears
Bmand I’mAleft dis-Goriented, tanglingBmmemoriesAintoGfears

Are we staring at the same picture, seeing two different things
Am I creating stories with warped details and meanings
I go back and forth rewriting, trying to make sense
but the case becomes more convoluted with each new piece of evidence

But IBmdidn’tAfall inGlove with you forBmstory orAforGsong
BmI didn’tAget toGcheck the odds, I justBmknew whereAI be-Glonged
And I canBmdealAwith theGcomplications, I canBmdealAwith theGpain
but IDcan’t dealAwith theGfeeling thatAmyBmheart hasAbeenGrestrained

So if you want me, let me know, don’t hide it all away
I can’t worry about tomorrow, I just want to hold you today
and if everything falls apart eventually
at least we’ll know we opened our hearts, we refused to let them freeze

So throw your arms around me or just turn and walk away
If we worry about tomorrow, today will be a waste
because even if everything falls apart eventually
at least we’ll know we opened our hearts, we refused to let them freeze

Is itEmonly a matter ofBmtime before theyEmall turn away
AllEmattempts have been for-Bmsaken, it’sEmall too much to take
TheAmeleventh hour, come and gone, theEmsecond hand just ticks
For-Cgiveness might beAmfinite,Gsomething’s got toEmgive

History’s been mangled, stories labelled fiction
Details and context skewed or lost with each new edition
Warnings and disclaimers have done nothing to set it straight
They don’t change the content, they just try to shift the blame

Honesty still comes around, it just leaves from time to time
Over-confidence and despair take their places with resign
Anxiety’s excuses lure, so quick to run away
But catching up is inevitable, it so often goes the same

SoCturnGaround,Dmeet it halfGway,Clearn aGlesson for aDchange
CIt’s notGsimple,Dover-GwhelmingCpuzzles needGre-Darranged
CMovingGpieces,DfindingGpatterns inCchaoticGdisar-Dray
CAmongst theC/Bbeauty and the Ampoison, life and Gdeath mustG/F#have aEmplace

IfDI’ve got five and three quarters, I’llAturn it into six
WhenDsix drains down to zero, myAmemory forgets
BmTell me what you may, butAknow that it won’t stick
DMy pockets will beBmempty, myGprideAwill beDmissed

I’ve gotGvery little to tell you above what youDalready know
I’m eitherGidling or bouncing recklessly withDno sure place toD7go
GRomantic possi-Dbilities seemAinfinite as theDroad
But I’m justGlying here, feeling theDbreeze roll in, pre-Atending I’m stuck at Dhome

My pay slips out my pockets just as quick as they get filled
A day spent washing dishes for a twenty dollar bill
At night, you’ll find me at the bar behind two googly eyes
Saying things I’ll soon regret and getting into fights

I’veGgot no plans,DI’m neverAsure just what I’ll doDnext
Some-Gtimes I feel like I’veDgot the reigns,Abut then IDwreck
I justGwant to wander theDworld justAplaying myDguitar
but theseGpatterns I’ve beenDpicking, they ain’tAgetting me tooDfarD7

IDmleft New OrleansGsearchingDmhome, the one that I’dGconfused
Dmtrying to sort out theGbattles I’dDmwon and accept that youGhave toDmlose
DmCare-free days onGFrenchmen,Dmwine by the fire atGnight
’til thatDmfire swallowedGmy goodDmfriend, every-Gthing gotDmquiet

Then I headed back to Pittsburgh to try to find the ground
Put my feet down, figure things out in my old, familiar town
Maybe it’s just too damn familiar or maybe I confused more than home
I still love this city with all my heart but I just gotta go

MostCdays the roadGahead of meDmseems to lead to nowhere
CPassively walking, notGsure where I’ll endAmup
It’s theCdays I realize IGlead myself, seeDmthrough the fog of despair
that keep meCtrudging along when theGroad becomes soDmrough

From the Greyhound stop in Florence to the idling truck in New Orleans
life seemed so new, a different view, I was ready to try again
But somewhere I lost perspective, vision skewed through twisted glass
After all the times it’s happened, I still re-enact the past

Well, I know it’s not the city, it’s the story I create
No matter where I lead me, I’m still there, I make my fate
I sing a song, tell myself “Don’t Quit”, and just keep pressing on
All I got is time to try ’til all my time is gone

GDon’t worry too much about me
I’ll catch up eventual-Dly
IfGonly for fleeting moments strewn a-Ccross a length of years
our paths willDcross, I can see it fromGhere

SoGoften I’m too far ahead or,Coh, so far be-Ghind Looking for something I can’t name and I don’t know where toDfind
I’mGrarely in sync and ICoften lookGlost
But I’mDmoving and ICdon’t have plans toGstop

All the waves that wash the shore, they build themselves then crash
Momentary peaks decline but they also lead you back
I’ve dwelled upon the highs and lows, focused on extremes
Only win or lost, I lost sight of what’s between

So no wonder I go back and forth, hitting limits every way
Never sure if I’m on the path or if I’ve gone astray
I’ll just keep wandering through these moments, learning at every dead end
and I’ll see you when our paths cross again

They tell us they’llAmfix it
They tell us thatDmthey will make it right
OurAmsaviors sit above us, theirGplans kept out ofAmsite

We’ve seen it before
This isn’t new to anyone
This is a system, their plans unravel until they all become undone

They call it Free Trade
They say it’ll bring jobs to the poor
Across the border they toil in sweatshops, across the street they’ve jobs no more

While wealth knows no borders
They pass it back and forth amongst themselves
But if a poor man crosses over one, they’ll take him off to jail

TheyFflooded the markets, the crops no longerCsell
Multi-Dmnationals pushed their own crops and theAmprices fell
NowFgiven the choice to work in sweatshops orCflee
They set theDmplans to allow this, this is their polic-Amy

And theyDmmeet in secret to set this up, theirAmagendas are kept hidden
We see theFeffects all over the world, but the people’sCvoices are over-Dmridden
…or so itAmseems

All over the world
people have stood up to the beast
that feeds the wealthy off the rest of us and now they come to our own streets

But there are visions
of a new world still to come
built in the ashes of the hell they’ve made from the hearts of everyone

We’ve all been affected
Our families, our neighbors, and our world
We’ve trusted saviors far too long, we can do it better ourselves

CSomewhere in between theFstreetlights
we gotAmlost in the dark ofGnight
TheEmroad we had been walking along wasAmnow nowhere in sight
EveryDmstep we took wasGblind

It’s alright though, the walk was worth it
We didn’t have a destination anyway
And I hope we remember the good and we learn from the past
and we treasure the steps we took together along the way

I wasFable to trust, I traded myCjealousy for love
There wasAmfun, there was sharing,
there was so much more but there’sDmneverGtimeCenough

SoCI’m notGmad thoughAmwe bothGhurt
We mightFboth wish we’dG#found theClightG
But theCdarkness onlyGlasts so long
AndAmthough we’re nowGapart and new starts areFhard
But newG#starts areClife

Someday under different streetlights
we will find the lamps above us shining bright
The roads that we will walk along may be different but I know
New love and life will fill our eyes
Under new streetlights

Not mine to open. Sorry bros.

GTime melds together, shapes a roller-Ccoaster
GWaves with peaks and valleys, repeating over andCover
Pla-Amteaus, I don’tDknow what’sGcoming next
But it’sGpart of my ride in time

And I try different perspectives to change the lows to highs
But change can seem so slow through those endless sleepless nights
and exhausting uphill battles
that I hope will soon lead back to a peak

And through theseAmups and downs myDride willGchange me
In thisAmtown and all theDlife that sur-GroundsEmme
Back andAmforthDin thisGstruggle forEmgrowth
’til whatAmseems so farDaway is soGclose

And it’sGcontinuous, I don’t expect a desti-Cnation
’til I’mGoff the ride, I’ll value this combi-Cnation
of theAmbad, the good, myDfears, and myGexcitement
It’sAmmy fight, myDlife, my per-GspectiveAm’til thisGride ends

Don’tDthink about that river, love, it’llBmonly bring you tears
It’ll beDfreezing up soon like a heart madeBmhard by all its fears
AndAI’ll be on the road, far a-Bmway from you and this place
DI can’t stay here with these souvenirs of aBmchance weGdidn’tDtake

I’ll be heading west to miss the winter, the first in all my life
I’ll keep my back turned to the cold and I’ll try and catch a ride
away from all the ice and snow, the blankets and the gloves
My hearts to cold already, I’ve got to try and let it thaw

But please don’tGwrite me, I don’tAwant to read yourBmwords
I’m notGsaying thisAjust to make youBmhurt
But it’sGall that I canAdo to pick thisDtune ID/C#play forBmyou
I’m notGangry but IAsure am feelingDblue

I’ll meet new people, I’ll see old faces I haven’t seen in so long
I’ll make new stories, tell the old, someday they’ll all have their songs
And some songs shine with brightness, others try to dull the pain
It’s just another sedative coursing warm through my veins

And I’ll be back to Pittsburgh, I’m too rooted to stay away
I can’t say when it will happen, but I know I’ll see you again one day
and some things will be different, others will remain the same
I can’t predict the ways in which this current will change

[Last chorus, end on Bm, instead of D]

TheFmweather’s already changing, turningCmcold with thinning air
Now I’mFmin a state of waiting ’til ICmget up out of here
BbThree long months of purgatory,Cmstaring at the date
FmAfraid to start anything new, I’ve gotCmtime butCm/Bbit’s tooCmlate

Nothing here seems possible with both ends burning fast
The future is uncertainty, more hopeful than the past
The present is a combination, blurred but well defined
Shifting patterns only viewable once left behind

Questions form, perspectives warp, the static isn’t real
Dynamics push and pull the vacuum, popping out the seal
Making everything more complicated than it once had seemed
Variables I’d glossed over before keep changing the meaning

If I find something on the road, I wonder if I’ll notice
or save it for another time when I forget the context
Changing what was present to another memory
A non-existent story that I made from fantasy

But how much does it matter if the pieces stay in tact
or reshape through the future, fluid fictions of the past
If I should leave this city and find solace on the way
then I’ll meet up with those stories in the future’s open space

I can’tEmpromise you tooCmuch right now, I’mEmonly good forCrambling
IEmgotta tell theCtruth, I’m mostlyEmdown inside my-Cself
I can’tEmstay in oneCplace right now soEmI’m just gonnaCmove
Don’tEmcount on me, ICwill not followEmthrough

It goes in waves, it oscillates, I don’t always set the intervals
I try to find the patterns in the fields
But all too often I get stuck inside and can’t get out
Trapped in the cycle, limits set the route

So I’mAleaving here for someCtime, get the distance that IAneed
Force the changes that ICreally need toAsee
Don’t think that I don’tClove you just because I had toAleave
Everywhere I go I’llCcarry what you’ve givenEmme

Expectations have left me hopeless while I deny they exist
This brutal list of options that I didn’t write is limited
But I’ve yet to rip it up, throw it scattered in the wind
Meaningless concessions appear and I just get drawn in

So I’ll change the setting, change the context, I’ll burn the list
I’ll pack up my guitar and bounce around some for a bit
I’m not expecting this to fix me, no, I’m not really broke
I just need to confuse the patterns, I just need to confuse home

TheC#mpresent self says(G#)to theBfuture,C#m“This is what I’ve(G#)done,B
You’llC#mfind it all out(G#)any –BwayC#mwhen your time has(G#)comeB
IC#mcan’t tell you the(G#)conse-Bquences,C#mjust the reason(G#)whyB
But IC#mtrust you’ll make the(G#)best ofBit, yourEcurrents,E/D# they spring fromC#mmine.”

Decisions step along my path where we must interact
The choices change trajectory to future from the past
Their insight’s always incomplete, no matter what I ask
The answers don’t exist yet, they’re created through the task

Now the letters on my knuckles, etched there from another time
represent new meanings, they refer to new lives
Ideas that were concrete at one point have ground to sand
They’ve eroded from rigidity, now they’re sifting through my hands

Perspectives doled out freely from the eye or from the heart
Reactions vary, some I swallow, some I pick apart
Prescriptions always polarize, I’m always drawn away
But everything I’ve kept or tossed is still with me today

So now IEpick theBdoor with onlyC#mhints to where it leads
TheEaudience isBscreaming out theirC#mchoices to me
TheEhost, he holds theBcue-cards, he’s con-C#mvinced they hold the key
I walkAaway, I just can’tBuse their certain-C#mties
No, I need toAgo andBfind out what IC#mneed

Not mine to open. Sorry bros.