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1.
Quiet Way (3:50)
Above the roar, something that I longed to hear
The crush of noise, but still I had a tender ear
A sort of sigh, a murmur at break of day
I knew it could be, maybe for me
I was seeking the quiet way
Out to the fields, the tall grasses bending low
Toward a shape, stark against the morning’s glow
I moved in close, you reached out as if to play
My heart beating fast, sensing at last
The path to the quiet way
It was your eyes, deeper than I dared to glance
And then that smile, setting all the lights to dance
A simple tune from your mouth, I start to sway
With your little song, you took me along
And showed me the quiet way
It’s in a room, it’s in the very heart of town
It’s waiting there, when all the noise is bearing down
When sleep is scarce and night has too much to say
Remember this place and each shining face
Who’s shown you the quiet way
Remember this tune and then very soon
You’ll come to the quiet way
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2.
Spinning (2:55)
Ice blue sky, sun beating down
Fall and winter in their deadly pas-de-deux
Southbound traffic leaves a quiet town
Those left behind know what to do
Beneath a spinning sky the light retreats
And then it steals one dancer as it all repeats
It’s never quite the same, this dance of death
We weave our troubled souls through dreams and breath
(Our little puffs of icy breath)
Slate gray days, these winds that leap
And lodge in the indigo midnight eye
We all lie down, our souls to keep
And rise against logic to try and try
To keep the cold at bay and love the night
To balance dark ambition and deeper sight
To ride this churning beast of our own fear
Toward the fields of spring, spinning ever near
(We look for little signs of nearing spring)
Now that your blood’s grown thick with cold
Kissed by the wind, you hear an old voice calling
Live, it cries, don’t go to sleep
Run and run toward the lights of town
Sadness lurks in shadow’s creep
Turn the tables and chase it down
It’s just a fleeting moment, as they all are
And soon you’re safe again, underneath the stars
The sky is turning rosy with the gift of light
And you’ve come spinning through another night
(Another finite little winter night)
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3.
Too Late For Breakfast (4:44)
It’s one more slip between that cup and this lip
My best-laid plans are just another sinking ship
I got to bed at a decent hour
Didn’t even bother to take a shower
Now I’m too late for breakfast once again
I dreamed all night, those crispy spuds and the egg delight
The warm café, man, I just can’t get it right
I got to bed at a decent hour
Didn’t even bother to take a shower
Now I’m too late for breakfast once again
There’s some black hole, between this bed and my fine goal
It sucks me in, man, I just can’t gain control
I got to bed at a decent hour
Didn’t even bother to take a shower
Now I’m too late for breakfast once again
Lunch is fine, don’t get me wrong, but breakfast is my siren song
The food of hope, I hear it croon, but always just beyond my spoon!
All I want-café au lait and a big croissant
All I get is some waiter’s smirking taunt
I got to bed at a decent hour
Didn’t even bother to take a shower
Now I’m too late for breakfast once again
Eschew those charms, don’t linger in your lover’s arms
There’s one clear course; set many loud alarms
Get yourself to bed a t a decent hour
Don’t you even think about a shower
Maybe you will get to breakfast just in time
I got to bed at a decent hour
Didn’t even bother to take a shower
Now I’m too late for breakfast once again
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4.
Chickadee Blues (4:44)
Got me a black cap, but that won’t keep me warm
When I get blown around in this winter storm
Got to find me some humans who know what I go through
To help me fight off these chickadee blues
Summer’s a banquet of berry and bug
Enough to stuff any chickadee’s mug
Winter, it takes everything I can do
To stay ahead of these chickadee blues
My little feathered body barely makes it through the night
And has to start from scratch in the morning light
People like me around, they think I’m cheery and choice
But old Miles put my song in his mad trumpet’s voice
Some other birds fly off to a tropical view
No wonder I’ve got these chickadee blues
Each new winter night recreates my need
For about 250 sunflower seeds
You can make me your state bird, call me a friend
I’ll land on the hand that you kindly extend
If I make it through the night, I’ll brighten up your day
And hide my chickadee blues away
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5.
O Waly Waly (3:12)
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6.
Trailhead (3:15)
How long had we been riding—the horses needed water
We rested them by a small stream that ran just to the right
Somewhere lay an opening—that was what we needed now
With no apparent markings to guide us on our flight
We bushwhacked through the underbrush, almost missed a sign that read:
“This territory undefined, trespassers are transformed”
The horses now were glistening and quivering with tension
And if they’d shared the same dream in the camp the night before
It was far too late to turn back, we’d covered all our tracks
So we edged a little closer in our longing and our fear
And just when weariness had us doubting our own journey
There, all cobwebbed over; was the reason we were here
It lay there like a coiled thing, a newlywed, an outlaw
We edged toward it carefully, yet certain of our goal
Disturb a sleeping trailhead at peril of your sanity
But never make the journey at peril of your soul
We jumped the horses over it, the trail was vague and murky
But we thought that we could follow if we took it nice and slow
There was a moaning as we passed, the horses shied and snorted
And whether it remained in place, we’ll never really know
Did we survive the journey? We’re here to tell the story
But much remains to ponder, and some does not remain
On a good day I would say we’re better for the trying
On a bad day we’re just lost and lost and lost and lost again
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7.
Waiting (4:42)
Old horse by itself in a scrawny pasture
Stands like a statue all day, rain or shine
Doesn’t even lift her head as the cars go sailing by
She’s just waiting, waiting to die
This house was once a home in a timeless desperate
Laughter and song rang out through its festive walls
Till those who loved it fell upon misfortune
Now it’s empty, abandoned, waiting to die
Everything’s alive, at least for a while
But there are crossroads, detours all along the way
Too many wrong turns and bridges burned
The whole scene falls into decay
You’ve found yourself in the company of people
Any age, rich, or poor, it’s a state of mind
They cannot fly from hole where they’ve landed
All they can do now is wait—and wait—to die
A cold particular wind ruffles the horse’s mane
That same wind blows through the old home’s crumbling walls
If you’ve felt that wind on your skin, you’d best get busy livin’
Else you’re just waiting, waiting, waiting, to die
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8.
The Moment They Knew (4:12)
It was foggy and wet and gloomy the moment they knew
They loved the irony in that, the utter clarity blasting through
That was years ago, but decades later, they still can recall
The sweetness flowing through the moment
They knew they would fall
They were tired and sore and sweaty the moment they knew
Pitching camp, a small fire struggling, the day’s journey through
They saw those huge old trees lean in together, so far above
They leaned in, too, the moment they knew
They were in love
Through the losses, changes, all the mistake
Don’t doubt the moment that brought you here past every heartbreak
When times get hard, call back the power of that first glance
The storm will pass, you’ll still be standing, ready to dance
It was still early, before dawn broke, the moment they knew
They’d talked all night, with sleep a stranger, but wide awake with truth
To hear them laugh, you might think that their minds had flown
But that was the clue, the moment they knew
Love had brought them home
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9.
Here Comes Joy (2:40)
Here comes joy, let her in
Here comes joy, let her in
She’s been trying to gain access to you
But you’re so down, sweet darlin’ that she can’t get through
She’s been calling, waving, dreaming, she’s tried everything
She needs a little help from us and that’s why we sing
Here comes joy, let her in
Here comes joy, let her in
She’s rain on your garden, she’s balm on your soul
She’s the ground that you can rest upon when it’s all out of control
She’s the gift in every precious work that you send and receive
The wants to meet you halfway and never, never leave
Here comes joy, let her in
Here comes joy, let her in
Joy is not an accident, joy is no mistake
She just waits to be chosen or not after every heart break
You can’t stumble into happiness like you fall into despair
She’s a deliberate destination and she wants to see us all there!
Here comes joy, let her in
Here comes joy, let her in
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10.
Be Nice (2:55)
So the pushy woman in the grocery line stomped upon your shoe
And some children in the neighborhood covered your car with crazy glue
Then some guy flipped you the bird when he cut you off today
BE NICE, dear, it’s the only way
Be nice, it’s the bee’s knees
Try saying “Shut your piehole PLEASE!”
So the telemarketer got a little snippy, yes, it’s true
But who knows, maybe she took a cue or two from you
And the guy who ran the red light could have killed you, but-oh well
BE NICE, ‘cause not to be nice is hell
Be nice, it’s a habit, to be sure
But then again, so’s serial murder.
I know you have the option to shake your fist and curse
But that’s just the beginning of a scene that could be worse
You probably have a gun in there and god-only-knows what more
Why break that rule and blow your cool just to settle some stupid score
So someone let the air out of your tires just last night
You’re feeling a little paranoid, you’re itching for a fight
You suspect that it’s you’re brother-in-law but you haven’t any proof
BE NICE—don’t perforate his roof
Be nice, take a deep breath
Help prevent another untimely death
So your neighbor’s a racist, sexist, crabby, curmudgeonly, SOB
He built a lovely pole barn but it’s on your property
You’ll get the sweetest revenge when you tell him what to do
Tell him—BE NICE—okeedokee—or I’ll sue (just kidding)!
So-blow your top-give ‘em a bop-smile and say-
Have a nice day-which is worse, in the end?
It’s up to you, my surly friend-I know we drive each other nuts-
And sometimes hate each other’s guts-
But in the end, the best advice-is just to suck it up and-BE NICE!
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11.
Christmas Eve (3:40)
I’m out for a walk on Christmas Eve, I am because I can
I have a nice warm house to leave, and I’ll soon be back again
It’s eight below and dropping in the shimmer of moon sparkle snow
Then I think of the ones who are out here tonight
Because they’ve nowhere to go
I’ve known every Christmas of my 50[some years the gift of family
With arms ever open to the hopes and fears, the love and the uncertainty
We gather and laugh and listen, and I thank every star above
Then I think of the ones who are lonely tonight
Because they’ve no one to love
I know everything can turn on a dime without a warning shot
I could just slip off the edge of time, and then just as easily not
There are those who would rule the world with rage and leave the lowly to rot
So I think of each worker for peace tonight
Because that’s all we’ve got
I thank every worker for peace tonight
Because it’s all we’ve got
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12.
Coyote (3:58)
Coyote leaped in front of my car, stopped me in my tracks
Right in the middle of the afternoon, on 115 near Cadillac
It turned and looked, the way they do, when it reached the other side
Like they know you’re helpless behind the wheel, so they let their caution slide
Man, they don’t know the half of it—helpless isn’t the work
When coyote came to slow me down, you better believe I heard
Always something there in your way
When you’re moving too fast
Are you moving too fast for your own good
It was a very late evening, then an early morn, I was off to catch a flight
Pre-dawn blizzard, here came a deer smack in the glow of my headlights
The very next sound was a sickening crunch, then the hiss of the radiator
I tried to move, but the damage was done, couldn’t make my connection later
Caught a ride with a friend with seconds to spare, let the car and carcass to the side
But I cried all the way from Traverse City to my show in Montana that night
Bird hits the window, you hit the wall, inertia changing form
There’s a cry on the stair, and you don’t care to hide from the coming storm
Something goes THUNK, something goes THUD, was it inside or out
There’s a cry of pain, was its origin from somewhere else or your own heart
There’s a reason boundaries get in the way, when we lose them, we know why
Take a bead on the need you have to run measured up against the old, old urge to die
Always something there in your way
When you’re moving too fast
Are you moving too fast for your own good
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13.
God's Gift to Women (2:28)
