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A Map and a Pocket Knife
Three Falls
"i've seen too many cloudy days"
he said through his teeth as he stared up towards the sky
"not to say that i'm always expecting rain
the temperature drops, i stop, don't ask me why"
three falls strand a man of might
if two wrongs won't fix it up right
when the bow leaks, the boat sinks in its own good time
"springtime the river always floods
look there toward those trees, you can see, it ain't nothin new
you can't farm in five feet of swap and mud
you can't sell when it's worth less then what's still due"
three falls strand a man of might
if two wrongs won't fix it up right
when the bow leaks, the boat sinks in its own good time
"i've talked less since the day i took a life
with debts left unpaid, i schemed how to make ends meet
a banker, a briefcase and a knife
his long walk home down that quiet, deserted street"
three falls strand a man of might
if two wrongs won't fix it up right
when the bow leaks, the boat sinks in its own good time
one shot to jump that morning train
seems a last chance has always been my fate?
when the rules never change
still lookin for a break cuz there's always
an angle left to play
an outlaw, he's tired, he's on the run
caught by the law as he's headin for the door
shot down, reaching for his gun
five feet away across the dirty plywood floor
Truth or Dare
truth or dare is a timid way of exposing mysteries
'bout time i step back and take a fresh new look at things
cuz i've read about women collecting men for this twisted little game
to build him up just to tear him down
there's no mistakin the way you toss that line - to see what tangles in
i could never escape no matter how hard i try - so i'm here again
but i saw you itchin as you faked your way through another one
it's times like these that make me want you more
tongue tied, twisting like a sari
from a misfire to complete desire like my rocio
just like my rocio
one's so sweet, one got some many friends, one got money to see you through
and when you can never be sure where their patience will end you want no one to follow you
cuz when they come knocking on your front door you close the blinds and pace the floor
you'll know how it feels to be pushed around
"truth" she said, "is there something you need?" i asked like i gave a damn
"just to be here with you, this is not about greed" she said as she stroked my hand
but don't trust your instincts when this kind of love it comes on to flatter you
take it from me you'll be better off in the end
Tug-a-War
there's nothing more to say about this thing tonight
when we had met you smiled and said you'd like to keep things light
telling me how cool it was i needed time alone
when i was cuttin off them talks with you at night on the telephone
but now you're calling me
just like you said you wouldn't need to do only minutes before
you're reminding me
i continue loosing ground to you i better check upon the score
cuz we're playin tug-a-war
but i can see the rope is frayed
and i know i shouldn't stay
but babe you blew me away
with a gentle touch.
the one i needed way too much
and i feel it's emptiness
but it takes my breath
yeah i didn't my best
but i got one more lesson to learn
i'm still singin about you girl
a matted dress, a sweet caress, the damage done
the falling drapes leave no escape good God here comes the morning sun
as streams of light flow through the room the darkness trickles out
and the desire that has left us here we both forgot what that was all about
my spots to hide in the summertime you know them well
and i'll ask you where you're coming from though i know you're never gonna tell
but i can see by the way you move you've got somethin to say
and no matter how i leave you baby you're gonna be saying it anyway
Bag of Tricks
sometimes an emotion takes you by surprise
sometimes the better life, it seems, never passed you by
i saw you trip, you stumbled, you made it look like some new dance move
but it didn't show there's no one that know except for me and you
but it's all right sister
i got a map and a pocket knife
it's all i could lift from that bag of tricks that grandpa left behind
now what's the fuss with ana - she got a ladder to the top shelf
she's wishin it was her idea, wishin she was someone else
that gal she kinda reckless - she'll hand you scissors with the pointed end
and if you're asking me she's all right company but i'll never call her my friend
boxcar jim was twenty to one so i wagered on his side
you see i knew him on the streets i seen that fightin was his way of life
i went to the match last saturday night jim was nowhere to be found
he's tired of loosin he's at the rail yards boozin with his friends from the fairground
it's getting kind of breezy, we got our clothes out on the line
i guess then when i go get yours i might as well go grab mine
but what's the point in cleaning up when you're livin in this dirty town?
trust me dear the way they build things 'round here it'll all come crashin on down
Westhaven, CA
my blood it rises, i hope that it don't show
ah but she got that look in her eyes i'm wondering how she knows
well i don't belong here i'm singing to myself
should never have come here should've gone somewhere else
you can't find no place you're gonna settle down
when you're all torn up inside
these times are heavy they're gonna weigh me down
but it's wintertime and there's a fire that feels so right
there's a wood furnace fire burning i can smell it in the air
the kinda thing make you start thinking 'bout forgotten years
when i see the smoke rise up i know memories fade
but the feeling it's always here when i can't recall the days
the rain pouring down i was knocking on an antique door
in the dead of night she opened up and said "come on inside"
and i swear mama we've been here so many times before
when it's wintertime and there's a fire that feels so right
i've taken no notice of time since arriving here
and how i came and how i'll leave it's still unclear
for the trail's unmarked on which i tread upon
and though its labors have cut my skin my heart grows strong
i rode nine hundred miles to see my natalie
natalie say "it ain't gonna be enough this time"
she said it so loud, so proud and so easily
but it's wintertime and this fire still feels so right
when it's wintertime and there's a fire that feels so right
Tea Party
well isn't this just one ordinary world?
so much for solitude and disarray
i'm leaning on a shelter built from stray driftwood
you're lining tin cans up and take your aim
then one by one they fall
church bells sound as your shots ring out
then nothing's said at all
then a cloud wanders by the path of the setting sun
and its light shines down as if in rays
reflecting off the barrel of your hot, smoking gun
like some coded SOS in the amber haze
then a breeze blows by your face
throws your hair back, makes me feel
a little out of place
but i can see your watch it reads 'time for war'
your battles know no shame
i know you're stalking me to my front door
i hear your steps and i feel your breath and i know your pain
and jo you know i love the way you sometimes play
like some five year old in your own made up game
and i never meant to be the one to stop and say
"there's no tea in these cups" well i just drank
but you've sent invites to all my friends
i guess it's time we all ask what's real
and what's pretend?
cuz i can see your watch it reads 'time for war'
with your glass eye and your cane
i know you're stalking me to my front door
i hear your steps and i feel your breath and i know your pain
and i remember how you tried to teach me life's not fair
and we'd go on and on over who was right
in return i had to prove there are things you can't repair
and that not everything is worth such a fight
so if we've got some fence to mend
well you got time, i got sense - you work it out, yeah work it out
maybe tell me how it ends?
cuz i can see your watch is it time for war?
well don't expect some sweet reply
tell me exactly what it is that you're waiting for?
some kind of sign? like 'please be mine'? scrolled across the sky?
is there something in the night tapping on my window?
is there an icy grip crawling up my spine?
are these walls stretching out is the clock movin way too slow?
have i lost all sense of space and time?
rehearsing words i should never say
there may be hearts i'd sure like to steal
just not that way
cuz i'm not the one i'm just a shadow of
this love that no longer remains
just pack it up and say "what's done is done"
as the clouds roll in - can you stop the wind? or the driving rain?
The Mix Up
that month was too much i thought i had it rough
searching for peace of mind
enough's enough i think i'll pack it up
and settle down inside
holding the reins of what appears to be
a magic steed with a magic name in a land of uncertainty
but a few more days
it don't take long to find out
that horse went lame
now who's to tell i though i'd seen it all
i can't define what i put on the line
what would be the use?
of adding up all i've left behind
when there's nothing left to lose
i jumped a train to sit and count the days
a face can hold a smile
they found me out they were lookin for a stowaway
i didn't stick around for that trial
i was thrown from a cage moving fast through an autumn storm
i landed face down in the rain i just slept there until the mornin
the sky has cleared
i wake up to the sunshine
i lost that fear
now who'd a thought i'd get up from that fall?
yesterday seems so different now
played in a different time
who it was? what was it all about?
this mix up may have been mine
throwing a line through a scene in a picture book
i'm taking in all sorts of signs looking lightly for their worth
but nowhere to run
there's nothing left to run from
it has begun
not just me or my account of
it's like a wave
it heaves across the skyline
now taking shape
many times i've heard that same voice call
Songs of Yesterday
the rain has stopped
thunder once roared now has moved on
take my first breath
as these strange new skies are born again
no time for rest
they’ll run downhill
like streams they trickle through the field
into the night
i hear their thoughts
like time they filter to an end
but still they fight
the war is long
it’s fought in every lonely heart of man
they’re taking aim
the time has come i can’t resist and i can’t move on
beloved one
some wait so patient, some persist
and some turn back
some gather much
and in secret places they cry out
for still they lack
the kingdom of God
it’s boundless it provides without an end
the songs of yesterday i start to sing
from high on this mountaintop so my heart won’t freeze
it’s warmer now, my thoughts are clear
yeah i’ll find my way back down form here
all night i wait
for you to sing me into sleep like you did that day
wait not till spring
rise forth you early blooming child
you morning star
you’ll take my heart
i grow so weak, so weak my dear
i’ve come so far
my feet give out
with one last sigh I fall into your arms
the songs of yesterday i start to sing
from high on this mountaintop so my heart won’t freeze
it’s warmer now, my thoughts are clear
yeah i’ll find my way back down form here
look close my love
you may mistake my eyes for stars, my mouth for wind
look close my love
you may find where you thought i’d end is where i begin
Copyright © Daniel Slama