
Lyrics from Empathy and Comedy
Nothing is Yours, Nothing is Mine
My brother and me on the seashore, Still in the age of wonder
Such colors we’d never seen before, and of them we made a plunder
We carried those sea stones back home, across seven states
But of all those magic colors, there was not a trace
You lasso the moon, you won’t see it shine
Nothing is yours, nothing is mine, nothing is yours, nothing is mine
You may be a bigshot billionaire, with your own jet airliner
Buyin up houses everywhere, full of expensive china
Losin your cool when they get, your order wrong
You know all the best attorneys, but not the best songs
Check out the birds, you won’t hear them whine
Nothing is yours, nothing is mine, nothing is yours, nothing is mine
My children and me will see as one, I know they’ll give me their blessing
Some good things are free like havin fun, jumpin in leaves and laughin
But some things you have to pay for, so we go to work
And there’ll be another day for, just goin bazerk
So sing like a bird, and feel like you’re flyin
Nothing is yours, nothing is mine, nothing is yours, nothing is mine
Revelry
Sometimes I don’t feel, this thumpin heart of mine
But I love you, I’ll prove it every time
Daydreams can feel more real, than dayjobs and deadlines
But I’d love to, daydream side by side
Sometimes I don’t feel, like talkin on the phone
But I love you, so I pick up and say hello
Yeah I know that’s the deal, and I know where I’m at home
And I’d love to, never let you go
Revelry, well I know it won’t be long
Till you drop in on me
Dancin free, like we don’t know right from wrong
But just what’s meant to be
Sometimes I don’t feel, like singin these old songs
But I’d love to, if you’ll just sing along
Some guys cheat and steal, just to have more empty homes
But I’d love to, have just this one with you
Revelry…
Sometimes don’t you feel, like we got swept away
In a river, that only flows one way
Riddles hold what’s real, like how did we end up here
But I love you, forever and today
Little Brother is Watching
Little Brother is watchin, with a billion eyes
Anything you’d wanna hide
Could be busted open wide
Just over night
Little Brother is watchin
Catch you by surprise
You’d better act as though you mother
Sees the way you treat your brother
Cause she just might!
Broken web you been spinnin
Left a sticky mess
Cookin the books and getting burned
Well it looks as thought you learned
It from the best
You can think you are winnin
When your time is passed
And the truth you thought you’d crushed
Grew like weeds and spread like rust
It never rests
Little Brother is watchin
Every glass eye sees
Yeah the truth will set you free
But if you don’t turn the key
Enjoy your stripes
Little Brother is watchin
Fearsome fast and free
You’d better act as though your mother sees the way you treat your brother
Cause she just might
You better act as though your brother sees the way you treat your mother
Cause he just might
You better act as though you lover sees the way you treat another
Cause she just might
And he just might
And we just might!
Empathy and Comedy
Empathy and comedy
May they fill the lives that come to be
All this sugar in the sand
Extracted by the ones who stand up
For this humanity
Comedy and empathy
That double bill is still a rarity
The pacifist who killed our pride
Made us laugh until we cried
The blessed hilarity
Empathy and comedy
Let them combat all this misery
All this screamin in the dust
Bringing things from bad to worse
These macho men and drama queens
But comedy and empathy
Let you laugh off all your apathy
And you’ll be grateful if you try it
To be gentle and a riot
With graceful delivery
Empathy and comedy
Maybe they can save democracy
When the news is rather bleak
And the ads they run for weeks
Just drain the economy
But comedy and empathy
May be the only freedoms that stay free
The silver lining of a laugh
Even if it’s all you have
Can stand up to tyranny
Hook and Line
What did they tell you today? Did you question what they say?
The ones who feel by the way, lost their soul connection
Any time you’re swept up in a crowd, you check out
Why not shine a light on every doubt? Bring it out
Open minds and hearts hold every key, and they’re free
Every war they start starts 2 or 3, history
Is the writing on the wall
When in Rome, rise and fall
What did they tell you to say? Are you sayin it today?
They’d buy and sell you away, with their repetition
From Iran to Land of Liberty, you can see
Always someone tryin to pull your stings, with their schemes
Maybe it’s the corporate machine, on your screen
Or recruiters for Sunni extremes, but it seems
Such a shame to take the bait
Hook and line, greed and hate
All the Old legends
There’s a song for the freeway
There’s a song for the heartbreak
There’s a song for the song’s sake
A song for the loss of the thrill
And there’s a song that you’re writin
There’s a song still in hidin
If you don’t try to find it
Probably nobody will
(Chorus #1) Don’t bar the door she ain’t goin nowhere
She’s seen better days but she smiles anyways
Sayin go on and go where the lonely go dear
Those swingin door might let a song through
All the old legends are leavin us here
They gave us their best then they laid down to rest
Rivers of whisky and buckets of beer
And the songs that we all sing along to
There’s a song for a dragon
And there’s a song to imagine
There’s a song out of fashion
That keeps getting better with age
There’s a song for Muskogee
There’s a song for the lonely
There’s a song tryin to show me
The key to that long lost refrain
(Chorus #2) The Muse is amused by her poet’s despair
He’s seen better days but he tries anyways
Sayin “I’ve got to go where the lonely go dear
Those swingin doors might let a song through
All the old legends are leavin us here
They gave us their best then they laid down to rest
Rivers of whisky and buckets of beer
And the songs that we all sing along to
There’s a song for the changes
Black birds and Brown Angels
Blues caught up in tangles
Ribbons that fall from the hair
Heart of gold tryin to stay free
Diamond shinin like crazy
Purple rain kind of and hazy
Fallin from heaven knows where
(Chorus #3) You give all you got till you get what you need
It all seems sublime when she whispers a rhyme
Sayin I’ll meet you down where the lonely go dear
Those swingin doors might let a song through
All the old legends are leavin us here
They gave us their best then they laid down to rest
Rivers of whisky and buckets of beer
And the songs that we all sing along to
Maybe It’s the Weather
Maybe it’s the weather but I been feelin overcast and grey
I don’t think I’m alone in
Lookin up and groanin
It’s just that it feels that way
Even if I never saw another golden sunlight ray
If I could see your dark eyes
I wouldn’t mind the dark skies
And you could kiss the clouds away
Maybe it’s the weather but I can’t get you off my mind tonight
The way the restless wind blows
Rain against my windows
Just shows me how I’ve been so dry
If a star was fallin I’d be callin it my guiding light
Clouds hang around and cover
Skies of star-crossed lovers
And I can’t see no stars tonight
Maybe it’s the weather but I don’t see me getting out today
I’ll hold up in my shelter
Remembering how it felt here
When I had you here to stay
Rain don’t last forever and the sun will shine again, they say
If I could hold you to me
It wouldn’t seem so gloomy
And you could kiss the clouds away
The Stage by the Bar
I give thanks for the kindness of strangers
They open their mangers, put tips in my jar
Songs have their lines and their changes
Days have their dangers, nights have their charms
And the hours run circles round me
Flowers fade fast when they’re free
Stars come and go, on with the show
Love is the one trick I know
I give thanks for the road that I’ve traveled
The gold and the gravel, got me this far
Songs find a way to unravel, I’m back in the saddle
The stage by the bar (chorus)
Rainbow Children
Turned on the news today, then I wondered what I’d done that for
It’s another doozy of a day with the bombins and the guns and war
Then the president will have his say, and he’ll say it like he just turned 4
How did findin meanin get this hard?
I walked out to feel the day and to hear a little morning song
They sing it out as they jump and play and they never heard of singin wrong
There is something make you feel alright when every other little thing feels wrong
Rainbow Children, dancin in the yard
I started thinkin what the world could be if it didn’t have to be so tough
If hungry people had their needs for free and all the wealthy said enough’s enough
People say it isn’t nature’s way, but you’ll never see a greedy wolf
How did greedy people get this far?
If you take all their BS for true, well I guess that that’s the true you get
If they get you in their game you’re through and you’re losin any way you bet
Somethin true that I’ll bear witness to, a son and daughter sunny day duet
Rainbow Children, dancin in the yard
Get Over That Wall
Alright I get it you like the way he gives ‘em all hell
I’ll give him credit he can give ‘em all hell pretty well
You think he’d slap your back and by you a beer
Call the waitress fat and bartender queer
And then you’d hang on every word that he said
To himself in a mirror
Well hey if that stuff makes you yell yehaw
What’s the use of tellin you that he’s all flaw
But before you cast your ballot better think how you’ll get over that wall
Alright I get it he’s sayin the stuff you’ve felt all along
Deck stacked against you and the cards you’ve been dealt are all wrong
So let the fascist guard your liberty
Huddled masses yearning to breath free
We’ll send their asses back from whence they came
Accept Norwegians and Swedes
Well hey if that stuff makes you yell yehaw
What’s the use of tellin you that he’s all flaw
But before you cast your ballot better think how you’ll get over that wall
What if we let it get a little more like daytime TV
What if we said piss on our future, and our history
Let Jerry Springer moderate the debates
Come out swingin for the United States
Instead of slingin all that mud let ‘em wrestle
In it for a change
Well hey if that stuff makes you yell yehaw
What’s the use of tellin you that he’s all flaw
But before you cast your ballot better think how you’ll get over that wall
My Name is Truth
Please pardon me
I hate to beg your spare change, but I gotta eat
Seems hard to see
I still recall the strange days they called me elite
My name was spoken with reverence
Held in the highest regard
Leaders enlisted my leverage
Knowing I’d bestow rewards
You ask me my name so I’ll tell you
You knew me well in your youth
These days I don’t know what they call me
All the same my name is Truth, All the same my name is Truth
These days it seems
Positions of power are bought, with no thought for me
Was it a dream?
I still recall how they fought, and sought only me
Children were taught to respect me
A reverence for me was instilled
Now they don’t know where to find me
I don’t know if they ever will
You ask me my name so I’ll tell you
Just don’t expect any proof
These days I don’t know what they call me
All the same my name is Truth, All the same my name is Truth
You ask me my name so I’ll tell you
You knew me well in your youth
These days I don’t know what they call me
All the same my name is Truth, All the same my name is Truth
Truth is a Pathless Land
You’ll be walkin on your own before long little child
Even while you’re holding my hand
Truth is a pathless land
I’ll be holding you in my heart and mind
In a way that you have yet to understand
Truth is a pathless land
All the beauty of the earth
And an ever-changing sky
Have filled my eyes
And I’ve tried to sing my songs
For the preciousness of time
But still she flies
And you’ll be walkin on your own before long little child
Even while you’re holding my hand
Truth is a pathless land
Lyrics From Can't Help But Wonder

(c)2016
Troublesome Times
Troublesome times, anywhere you travel its troublesome times
Changes on changes, pavement on gravel, money on minds
The people shout more, the more they stop listenin
Who is gonna hear the whisperin pines?
Troublesome times, anywhere you travel its troublesome times
River of Time, have you been polluted by man unkind?
We build on your banks, but you just flow through it, leave it behind
The things that ought to change will hold on for ages
Things that ought to stay the same always change
River of Time, have you been polluted by man unkind?
Troublesome times, anywhere you travel its troublesome times
Hard to hear the chimes of freedom through the clamor
of angry closed minds
While we’re tossed on the storm out on this ocean
May you be strong, beware and be kind
Troublesome times, anywhere you travel its troublesome times
Aint Much Changed
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
We still meet up, knock down a few cold ones
They built a new prison, between the two old ones
It ain’t much has changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Once a week, we meet in a group
We get together and, hula-hoop
It aint much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Fat cats takin, all our money
Still cackling cause they, think its funny
It ain’t much has changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much has changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much has changed round here since you been gone
Same TV shows to bore us
Same re-runs, same Chuck Norris
It ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Few new wrinkles on the, same faces
Few new tattoos on some, strange places
It ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
Still stuck in the, same traffic
Still shocked by the, same static
It ain’t much changed round here since you been gone
The Old Man in the Moon
I’ve seen a billion buildings
All tryin’ to scrape the sky
I have to hold my laugh in
To think they think they’re high
And I’ve seen nations who revered me
But they all ended way too soon
I see everything so clearly
For I’m the old man in the moon
And I’ve heard all of your love songs
And there’s three or four I dig
All the ones that sing about me
I guess I made it big
Ah but if you saw what I’ve seen
You’d sing a different tune
No one knows just what the night brings
Like the old man in the moon
And I’ve been through every window
And I never make a sound
And I guess no one ever will know
The times I been around
And you’ve caught me in your gravity
But I’m hip to all your doin’
A tawdry tragic comedy
For the old man in the moon
Eyes of Love
Man of the woods, found a foundation
Strong as a soft open smile
In your hard hands, the best of creation
Beautiful woman and child
Sweet are the times, we share our hearts and minds
Seeing the eyes of love
When life’s unkind, we will come home to find
Welcoming eyes of love
Woman of heart, woman of wisdom,
Woman with healing hands
Where do I start, how can I tell you
That you may understand
You are the one, I’ll always look upon
Only with eyes of love
Sweet are the times, we share our hearts and minds
Seeing the eyes of love
Although the forest, is full of shadows
There is a light that shines through
On the young timbers, so that they can grow
I know that I can grow too
Because the light, is shining on me
Out of the eyes of love
You are the one, I’ll always look upon
Only with eyes of love
The Radio These Days
Well where is the love on the radio these days?
There’s mountains of music just wasting away
This country’s been blessed with a billion great songs
So why do they keep playing Bang a Gong?
We shouldn’t have to listen to Barracuda
5 times a day if we’re not in the mooda
And the same goes for Ratt, and White Snake and Poison
Take the tight pants off boys and put corduroys on
These days don’t it seem like the radio’s sole function
Is to decrease uniqueness while increasing production
But I don’t feel like workin, I feel more like dyin
Every day, when they play that some song by White Lion
And where is the love on the radio these days
Jimi Hendrix did more than just Purple Haze
And the DJ keeps sayin he was born to rock
But I bet he just says that when he’s on the clock
And where is the love on the radio now
Rock and Roll ain’t a brand on a corporate cash cow
But even if it was, and it just said “moo”
It still would sound better than the swill that they spew
And where is the love on this radio abyss
Only one place, and that’s public access
So send your contributions, to keep em around,
And thank em for being the saviors of sound
The Great Reuniting
There’s been a great reuniting
On the banks of Galilee
‘Cross the river Jordan
They’re together again
Doc and Merle and Rosalie
The songs of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Like our souls they’ll never die
And the heavenly ring
Of that old steel string
Unbroken in the By and By
Were the old time founding fathers
There to greet you at the golden gate?
Were the Singin’ Brakeman
And Uncle Dave Macon
Among the angels there to celebrate
Troubles trials and tribulations
You had ‘em plenty in your pilgrim years
Now your life crown is won
And you’re back with your son
And you both see straight and clear
There’s been a great reuniting
Of a soulful family
On a high mountain wind
Carried to Beulah Land
Where their cares have been set free
Salt Creek will keep on runnin’
Deep River never will run dry
And those old mountain blues
Still proclaim the good news
That the soul will never die.
Not Made of Stone Words and music by Jay Brown
Precious people in my life
I don’t want to see a world
Without you
I found out that my home
Is a feelin’
Than I get any time when I’m with you
Every day is a gift and a thief
Every loss is also a relief
Every dream that I’ve ever achieved
Has left me with one less dream
I know we’re not made of stone
Winds of time have no trouble
Sweeping through
And everything I’ll ever hold
Will be healing me
While it’s breaking this true heart in two
I know we’re not made of stone
But I don’t want to see a world
Without you
I found out that my home
Is a feelin’
That I get anywhere when I’m with you
Jack’s Song
Once there was a boy, he was wise beyond his years
Wiser than most old men that I’ve known
He was full of love for life, and death he did not fear
He always seemed to know where he was goin
He was just a boy, he had a smile so free
But he was something like the man from Galilee
Everywhere that he did go he preached the holy word
Praising God in pain as well as pleasure
Never one for judgment he was meek yet self assured
Always with his eye upon the treasure
He was just a boy, no whiskers on his chin
But he was something like the man born in Bethlehem
Like the morning sun he shined his light for just a while
Fading from our view to new horizons
Close your eyes and you will see his handsome holy smile
Hear his words of mirth and mysticism
He was just a boy, he loved to eat ice-cream
But he was something like the man called the Nazarean
Once there was a boy, he was a teacher to us all
Worthy of our tears and celebration
Bound together we shall be, all creatures great and small
Strengthened by the pain of separation
The child of a carpenter, and mother Mary
And he knew that he had not much time to tarry
Free Given Fruit
Soldiers slay each other in the battlefield beyond our door
Many use their bodies to destroy and bring more misery
In our hidden chamber there is nothing we are fighting for
Here we use our bodies for the pleasures that were meant to be
In times of no safety
Your soft sighs sustain me
The taste of free given fruit
Men of darkness taking what they want and leaving only pain
Like a hungry ghost upon the earth who’s never satisfied
When their time is finished they will see that it was all in vain
Never having known a woman’s passion with no fears to hide
These men have such hatred
Because they’ve not tasted
The taste of free given fruit
Dance Till We Drop
We’ll dance till we drop rules and reservations
We’ll dance till we drop heady hesitations
We’ll dance till we drop every non-elation
When we dance till we drop
We’ll dance till we drop spinal rigiditus
We’ll dance till we drop tryin to win uptightest
We’ll dance till we drop all that don’t delight us
When we dance till we drop
Get up and get down with me
Lock in with the tambourine