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7:12 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
I was never one for singing
what I really feel Except tonight, I'm bringing everything I know that's real Stars, they come and go They come fast or slow They go like the last light of the sun, all in a blaze and all you see is glory But it gets lonely there when there's no one here to share We can shake it away if you'll hear a story People lust for fame Like athletes in a game we break our collarbones and come up swinging Some of us are downed Some of us are crowned and some are lost and never found But most have seen it all They live their lives in sad cafes and music halls They always have a story Some make it when they're young before the world has done its dirty job and later on, someone will say "You've had your day You must make way" But they'll never know the pain of living with a name you never owned or the many years forgetting what you know too well The ones who gave the crown have been let down You try to make amends without defending Perhaps pretending you never saw the eyes of grown men of twenty five that followed as you walked and asked for autographs or kissed you on the cheek and you never could believe they really loved you Some make it when they're old (Perhaps they have a soul they're not afraid to bare Or perhaps there's nothing there) Some women have a body men will want to see, so they put it on display Some people play a fine guitar I could listen to them play all day Some ladies really move across a stage and gee, they sure can dance I guess I could learn how if I have it half a chance but I always feel so funny when my body tries to soar and I seem to always worry about missing the next chord I guess there isn't anything to put up on display except the tunes and whatever else I say Anyway, that isn't really what I meant to say I meant to tell a story I live from day to day Stars, they come and go They come fast or slow They go like the last light of the sun, all in a blaze and all you see is glory But those who've seen it all they live their lives in sad cafes and music halls we always have a story So if you don't lose patience with my fumbling around, I'll come up singing for you even when I'm down |
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2:59 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
I love the light, I love the changing season
I love without much thought to reason I'd give it all if I could make you see I love the man that you were meant to be I love the man you are in me I love the man who waits beside you I love the man who hides behind you I love the shadow though it disappears I love the afterglow, reflected through the tears I love the shadows in my tears I love the dreams you can't remember Lost in the early waking hours I love the season of forever I'll live without the light of laughter I'll live without an everafter I'd give it all, if I could make you see I need the man that you were meant to be I love the man you are in me |
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2:43 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
I want to lie by your side
and watch the tide run over Lay your head upon my shoulder I want to lie by the bed and send my head out reeling Honey, lay this feeling down I'm ready to ride *Sweet sympathy, won't you pity me tonight? Yes I got to hurry to the surry get the saddle on tight Honey won't you let me? Honey just allow me Honey, won't you pleasure me right? Sweet sympathy, won't you carry me tonight? I want to lay myself down and take a sweet, soft shelter Still my waters here forever I want to lay my body down I want to lay my body down Honey, lay me lightly down I'm ready to ride Can we get together Can we get together Can we get together right now? Well, you give me the music and you know how to use it Drive me out of my shoes I got the blues tonight I've got sweet titillation Honey, won't you pleasure me right? Sweet sympathy won't you carry me tonight? *Repeat |
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3:08 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
Would you really come and live with me
We can watch TV when the nights are cold And it’s hard to sleep When I’m hungry, when I’m old When I’m angry, when I’m cold Honey, I don’t know Would you really come and take my cares away Set me down in an easy chair and stay a while Child, that’s a righteous thing you do To make somebody just this happy Like you done me to I can see the years go down You and me, we’ll paint the town Lord, if my mama and my papa could see me now I'm great at building castles in the air And living there for days - you’d be amazed I live in dreams and when I can I go to sleep and there I am and there you are When I’m hungry for the taste Of loving you and your embrace It’s hard to wait ‘Cause I’ve been waiting here so long a time But if you say it’s right, honey, I don’t mind We got all the years ahead Time for everything we said Lord, if my mama and my papa could see me now I'd be happy living in a shack With all the plumbing in the back But you might not, you know So maybe we better have a home I’d be glad on a farm with a million dogs Or a cave with bats But you wouldn’t like that Maybe we gotta have a home Will you really come and live with me I'd be so proud In loving you, I’m loving me I make it funny and I make you laugh ‘Cause it makes it easy getting past All the being scared I can see the years go down You and me, we’ll paint the town Lord if my mama and my papa could see me now Oh lord, if my mama and my papa could see me now |
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2:41 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
Mom and I had our ups and downs, mostly during my
adolescence and her first years as a divorced woman. There were months we didn't speak, years we didn't communicate. Later I realized she'd done the best she could, and began to understand what a hard road she'd chosen, living single as a middle-aged woman in the '60's. I grew not just to respect but to admire her. I finished this song while I was living in her apartment, shamefacedly taking grocery money from her because I was hoping to write my next album and get a recording deal. I walked into her bedroom while she was standing on the bed hanging a picture, said "Mom, I wrote a new song", and began singing it. She stood facing the wall until I'd finished, then turned to me with tears rolling down her face. It was the first time I realized how much a song could heal; we began to be close, close friends after that. Thankyous Papa gave me music. Mama gave me soul. Brother gave me reaching out to hold. Teacher gave me license Learning set me free Schooling gave me nothing ?music showed me how to be Papa gave me want-to-be Brother gave me empathy Mama gave me women, but that isn't all I need I have lived in houses. I have lived in homes. Eaten off of tables made of wood or stone Through the trials and tribulations I've never known how to say I love you and let my feelings show So thank you for the music Thank you for the song Bless you for the freedom in knowing right from wrong Thank you for the laughter the heartaches and the tears It's a blessing to grow It's a goodness to be here You give me want-to-be You give me sympathy You give me woman Thank you for loving me and letting it show It's a pleasure to be here so bless us, every one |
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3:19 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
And when the war was over
I went dancing in the streets with the corpse of my dead brother to the sacrificial beat the Boy Scouts and the Legionnaires come home from overseas singing Glory Hallelujah! to the swank Gestapo beat Hallelujah I've never been In the whole of my life an intelligent sacrifice Hallelujah Give me a reason to go on believing and I'm ready to pay the price I heard of a plan in the president's mansion (high up in the sky) It called for a sacrifice and my brother paid the price Sent him home in a bag, Tha American flag was draped around the box The coffin lid was locked The note said Thanks a lot Some and dance with me I'm home from overseas I'm a corpse up to my knees Celebrate the victory Do you want to dance and hold me tight? I'm feeling most diseased but I'm easier to please Come and dance |
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2:05 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
I miss you, jealous lover
Won’t you come on over To my side of town I need you Like the city needs the sound of human voices I want you Like the winter wants the springtime Lover, without you The world stands alone Without you The past lingers on Tomorrow becoming today Without you, it’s all the same Without you Outside my window Gentle lover The birds are singing songs of love I need you They are calling for the sound of laughing children I want you They are singing for your pleasure Lover, without you The world stands alone Without you The past lingers on Tomorrow becoming today Without you, it’s all the same I see you A world without end Then I need you All over again Without you the sun doesn’t shine Tomorrow is blind Without you |
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4:08 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
JESSE COME HOME
THERE'S A HOLE IN THE BED WHERE WE SLEPT NOW IT'S GROWING COLD HEY JESSE, YOUR FACE IN THE PLACE WHERE WE LAY BY THE HEARTH, ALL APART IT HANGS ON MY HEART AND I'M LEAVING THE LIGHT ON THE STAIRS NO I'M NOT SCARED - I WAIT FOR YOU HEY JESSE, I'M LONELY, COME HOME JESSE, THE FLOORS AND THE BOARDS RECALLING YOUR STEP AND I REMEMBER, TOO ALL THE PICTURES ARE FADING AND SHADED IN GREY BUT I STILL SET A PLACE ON THE TABLE AT NOON AND I'M LEAVING A LIGHT ON THE STAIRS NO I'M NOT SCARED - I WAIT FOR YOU HEY JESSE, I'M LONELY, COME HOME JESSE, THE SPREAD ON THE BED IS LIKE WHEN YOU LEFT I'VE KEPT IT ALL FOR YOU AND ALL THE BLUES AND THE GREENS HAVE BEEN RECENTLY CLEANED AND THEY'RE SEEMINGLY NEW HEY JES, ME AND YOU WE'LL SWALLOW THE LIGHT ON THE STAIRS WE'LL DO UP MY HAIR WE'LL SLEEP UNAWARE HEY JESSE, I'M LONELY, COME HOME |
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3:20 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
You’ve got me on a string
I don’t mean a thing to you I’m holding on to no one I’m a long time lover And my long time love is gone If my man beats me, robs me blind Long as he don’t leave me, I don’t mind I would beg and I would crawl Though it does no good at all My man’s been gone so long And I keep holding on And if he needed me, I’d be there No matter how he mistreated me I don’t care I would get down on my knees Though it does no good to please My man’s been gone for so long And I keep holding on Broken windows, boarded doorways Choose your prison When I’m with him I’m a fool for loving you And well I know How the head says ? no And the heart says Go down on your knees, woman And keep on holding on |
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4:03 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Stars (1974)
APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE
GIVE THE SINGER A CHANCE TREAT HER RIGHT BE POLITE MAYBE SHE WILL DANCE APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE GIVE THE SINGER A BREAK HOW MUCH CAN YOU GIVE HOW MUCH CAN YOU TAKE GIVE THE SINGER A CHANCE WANNA GIVE THE SINGER A CHANCE ANYTHING TO BUY YOUR SOUL AND MAYBE SHE WILL DANCE APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE SHE'LL STAND UPON HER HEAD APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE SHE'LL TAKE YOU TO HER BED AND SHARE WITH YOU THE MEMORIES OF DREAMS SHE CAN'T FORGET APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE LET'S GIVE THE PRIZE TO THE LITTLE LADY WITH THE STARS IN HER EYES I'LL SELL MY SOUL FOR A SONG PAY THE PRICE AND CARRY ON AND SHARE WITH YOU THE MEMORIES OF DREAMS I CAN'T FORGET OF LOVERS I HAVE MET APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE LET'S GIVE THE PRIZE TO THE LITTLE LADY WITH THE STARS IN HER EYES APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE GIVE THE SINGER A CHANCE TREAT HER RIGHT BE POLITE MAYBE SHE WILL DANCE APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE GIVE THE SINGER A BREAK HOW MUCH CAN YOU GIVE HOW MUCH CAN YOU TAKE GIVE THE SINGER A CHANCE WANNA GIVE THE SINGER A CHANCE ANYTHING TO BUY YOUR SOUL AND MAYBE SHE WILL DANCE MAYBE SHE WILL DANCE MAYBE SHE WILL? |
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3:14 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
Sometimes it’s all too much to say aloud
The sound’s a shroud The meanings crowd Sometimes the words are painful to the ear They disappear and nothing’s clear ‘Til all that’s left to me are aftertones I take them home We live alone But I remember chains of melody It pleases me - this song’s for free Within the memories of our life gone by Afraid to die, we learn to lie And measure out the time in coffee spoons In fading suns and dying moons ‘Til all that’s left to see are aftertones And no one knows Where meaning goes But i remember chains of melody It pleases me - this song’s for free And ooh, I like the sound Of harmony from time to time I really do believe In some kind of tomorrow When it speaks to me |
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3:42 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
Look at me I would like to dance
But I haven't the clothes for romance So I'll stay with the boys in the band I would like to be cool Like the ladies who drool as they advance But I can't get my feet To go where I lead with my toes At the debutante's ball everybody does all they can do to enhance Every corset in town in a gown made specially in France And the men here can tell at a glance I would like to maintain but it sure seems a shame to sit on my hands And I only got into the swim by the seat of my pants Not another woman in the world Who could make a living Pitching the light fandango dancing on the streets of the city Look at me, playing freelance at the ball Catch my entrance to the hall Far from the gilded lily Look at me would you like to dance I've a book illustrating the stance And I can't get my head To go where I lead With my toes I feel solo |
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2:17 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
Love is blind
love is on_ly sor_row love is no to_mor_row since you went a_way Love is blind how well I re_mem_ber in the heat of sum_mer pleas_ure win_ter fades How long will it take be_fore I can't re_mem_ber mem_o_ries I should for_get I've been burn_ing since the day we met Love is blind love is with_out a mer_cy love is now you hurt me now you've gone a_way Love is blind love is no ho_ri_zon and I'm slow_ly dy_ing here in yes_ter_day In the morn_ing wak_en to the sound of weep_ing some_one else should weep for me now it's o_ver lov_er let me be Love is blind love is your ca_ress love is tend_er_ness and mo_men_ta_ry pain Love is blind How well I re_mem_ber in the heat of sum_mer pleas_ure win_ter fades@ |
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3:11 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
She never had too much of money
Friendly strangers were all she knew Nobody ever came to call but you I would not say she isn't happy Though the eyes of a fool will make her blue Nobody's ever seen the tears it's true I guess nobody wanted to We'll have a celebration Ice cream and candy cakes She's very young to go so far away And then there'll be the papers In black and white to say we're through Nobody every loved me quite like you I guess nobody wanted to And there'll be roses In the springtime still I guess there will I wish her roses and song And she'll be older As years go by, and how they fly Will she be lonely without me along? She doesn't make friends easily She's only known a few The incidental stranger passing through On Sundays and holidays I'll take her far away We never tried to save the love we knew I guess nobody wanted to |
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4:32 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
I’m the belle of the blues, and it’s easy to see
If I win or I lose, it’s all one to me I was born on a shelf in the rare books library I reside by myself with my books and my T.V. I’m an old age pension for the fossilized routine Anybody for nostalgia, put a record on and see Here’s a memory of olden days And a heartbreak grown cold All that glitters isn’t gold You get no love for free You live and you die And I’ll probably throw it away But in the end it’s mine And nobody has a right to say “Go down lightly - go down silently” I’ll go down screaming “Give it back - it belongs to me” I’m the belle of the blues - I’m used to mingling With the creme de la creme of higher society I promise them roses, and an eight-by-ten of me But when the party’s over They’re all too glad to leave Their children sing of sorrow It’s the same old routine They’ve begged and they’ve borrowed Someone else’s misery It’s an easy act to follow At least, an easy one for me Give me my tomorrows You can have my memories Souvenirs from an old-fashioned school Plays coquette on the pillow Like an old-fashioned fool Go down lightly Go down silently You go down lonely You go down like me |
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3:09 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
Don't sing me love songs
You know they make me cry Don't bring me any promises You've none I want to buy Don't send me any letters You know I never learned to read Leave them on the doorstep Sit back and watch me bleed Bleeding for the sailors Who never caught the tide And the wind goes on forever Tomorrow never dies And I wave goodbye to morning And stake my life on land I was sitting on the doorstop Watching Satan have his day It was half past morning 'Fore I tore myself away I've never looked beyond the mirrors Of our used-to-be The gilded edges shadow sketches In the light of memory And I found the paint by number With your name across the top And the room began to dance To the spinning of the clock And I waved goodbye to morning But I left the door unlocked Well, the tears flow like wine And the salt makes you blind So you beg a little time 'Cause you're choking on the vine But the words begin to pour And it feels just like war And your face is on the floor And you cannot find the door And I think I found the answer Where you left it on the shelf But it's too late to wonder If I left it there myself And the room begins to rock And the walls begin to steam And the clock won't stop And I'm living in between And I wave goodbye to morning And stake my life on dreams |
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2:43 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
Boy I really tied one on
Spent the night away from home I know you're not to blame if I can't recall your name and I'm sorry if it causes you pain Boy I really lost my head I woke up in a double bed Allow me the pleasure of taking your measure though I'm sure you ain't nobody's treasure And I know it isn't ladylike to do what I've done tonight (chorus) Wake up I've got news for you Nobody's knocking at your door Nobody's gonna pull you through Nobody needs you anymore, yeah yeah Nobody's knocking at your door Boy I went around the bend Thought I'd made a lifelong friend Imagine my surprise when I looked into your eyes and saw the kind of friends you meant I think I'm gonna take the cure I'm going on the wagon for sure I may feel a fool for a Sunday or two but it's better than a Sunday with you And I know it isn't ladylike to do what I've done tonight (chorus) |
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2:42 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
I gave a party
I said you could come You showed up at your door With all your leathers on I said This must be wrong It can't be right How can you make love to me Dressed up for a fight? Pick me up off the floor No more 'Cause you surely can't be mine Religion came almost overnight You were the high priest I was the sacrifice I said this must be wrong This can't be right Take off your stupid robe And put down your knife These ropes are getting tight All right You surely can't be mine I come home half dead Late on a Saturday night You stand on the bed and you tell me you're learning to fly I said Take off your boots Take off your cape Throw away your long johns I ain't no Lois Lane Before I get my kryptonite All right 'Cause you surely can't be mine I was ready for love Big brass bed and all I was ready for love You said Let's talk about the war I said What war? What war? Take off your clothes And don't you worry me no more I ain't no fly by night All right You surely can't be mine |
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3:58 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975) | |||||
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4:10 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Aftertones (1975)
When we grow old
And love grows cold And time runs down Like a river That calls us home The eyes grow dim The light grown thin And time will End here forever Long time gone Then time and the river Must stop in their tracks Or roll on forever There’s no turning back I’ve waiting too long To be left here like this Long time gone Then weep no more The heart is pure These hands are sure Like a river That clings to shore The love we learn The love we burn A love that burns In the darkness Will weep no more Dreams die young |
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2:57 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
Would you like to learn to sing Would you like to sing my song Would you like to learn to love me best of all Anyone can learn the words and the melody's so plain This is my song to bring you back again I will teach you how to sing and dance with a song and dance routine and when the party's over you can fall in love with me Would you like to learn to tango Do you dance the light fandango I will teach you how before we're dong any one can make it two any two can turn to one and the melody's lost before the song's begun We sonnd so good together and so poorly sung alone your harmony's an open breeze into my sheltered home I will teach you how to sing and dance with a song and dance routine and when the party's over you can fall in love with me |
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4:40 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
I learned the truth at seventeen That love was ment for beauty queens And high school girls With clear skinned smiles Who married young and then retired The valentines I never knew The friday night charades of youth Were spent on one more beautiful At seventeen I learned the truth And those of us with ravaged faces Lacking in the social graces desperately Remained at home inventing lovers On the phone who called to say Come dance with me and murmured Vague obscenities it isn't all it seems At seventeen a brown eyed girl In hand me downs whose name I never could pronounce Said pity please the ones Who serve they only get What they deserve and the rich Relationed hometown queen Marries into what she needs With a guarantee of company And haven for the elderly Remember those who win the game Lose the love they sought to gain In debentures of quality And dubious integrity Their small town eyes will gape at you In dull surprise when payment due Exceeds accounts received at seventeen~ To those of us who knew the pain Of valentines that never came And those whose names were never called When choosing side for basketball It was long ago and far away The world was younger than today When dreams were all they gave for free To ugly duckling girls like me We all play the game and when we dare We cheat ourselves at solitaire Inventing lovers on the phone Repenting other lives unknown That call and say come dance with me And murmur vague obscenities At ugly girls like me at seventeen~ |
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3:17 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
I'm leaving by night I'm leaving alone Leaving it lie When you waken I'll be gone I would not beg for me As I would not beg for you Though I'd like to be The one to see you through Every step you have taken Disappears with the tide You're torn up and shaken With changing your mind You haven't got the grace To say you'll finally decide And you haven't got The strength to stay to fight Those people who surround you Only want to see you weak enough to crawl They'll lie for you, decide for you And buy up all your rights & all wrongs And they'll try to stop your singing In the middle of your song For they do not want you free And they will not make you strong But only drag you down In the hole they're coming from They say you are foolish In wanting the sun Say you are selfish In learning to run Tell you that the darkness Is a blessing in disguise For you never have to notice If you're sighted or you're blind And they'll do their best To keep you from the light You're more than beginning You're learning to fly You feel like you're falling But it passes in time I hate to see a friend go down In flames without a song So I'm waiting by the doorway But I will not linger long I'm leaving by night I'm leaving alone I'm leaving it lie When you waken I'll be gone I would not beg for me As I could not beg for you But I'd like to be The one to see you through |
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4:16 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
Bright Lights And Promises A pocket full of dreams That's what they pay me to be Gold lame' and diamonds I'm a hometown queen Honey, would you sing it just for me? When I was good then I was bad I never thought I'd end up this way With no dreams to hide me Bright lights to guide me How long does it take to make the grade? Ev'rywhere I hear a ringing in my ears Drummer, let the music play Small-town blues Make it loud, make it do Listen to the music sway Bar rails and cocktails "Have you got a light?" That's all it pays to keep in sight Overused and much abused Promises of delight Honey, would you care to spend the night? Take a little time Some memories and wine Loosen up the sucker by the bar And if he wants to hold you If he wants to know you Honey,That's what you're here for Until all I see Is them reaching out for me Drummer, play that old time melody Bright lights and promises That's all it's for Leave and enterby the service door Now I'm gold lame' and diamonds Even if the gold is worn Honey, can you show me more? |
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2:30 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
The days are okay I watch the TV in the afternoon If I get lonely The sound of other voices Other rooms are near to me I'm not afraid The operator She tells the time It's good for a laugh There's always radio And for a dime I can Talk to God, dial a prayer Are you there Do you care Are you there? And in the winter Extra blankets for the cold Fix the heater, getting old I am wiser now, you know And still as big a fool Concerning you I met your friend She's very nice, what can I say? It was an accident I never dreamed we'd meet again This way - you're looking well I'm not afraid You have a lovely home Just like a picture No, I live alone I found it easier You must remember how I never liked the party life Up all night, lovely wife You have a lovely wife And in the winter Extra blankets for the cold Fix the heater, getting old You are with her now, I know I'll live alone forever Not together now |
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5:02 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
I remember photographs Watercolors of the past He turned and said "You ask much of me" Then when we made our peace We lay between the sheets He turned and said "I set you free" Go on, be a hero Be a photograph Make your own myths Christ, I hope they last Longer than mine Wider than the sky We measure time by Go on, be a hero I set you free Your stagehand lovers Have conquered me They'll send yu carnations While smiling faces look on and applaud Go on, go on, go away from me I said, "Do you wish me dead?" Lip service to books you've read Articles on how to bed a bird in flight You called it love I called it greed You say, "You take what you want" I said, "You get what you need" Go on, be a hero, be a man Make your own destiny if you can Go find a fence Locate a shell And hide yourself, go on, go to hell Go away from me I need no charity He said, Come unto me I am beauty I am the light Come unto me Hold the darkness and stay the night I am wonder I am the heart's delight Tomorrow we'll fight Come on, come on Come on, come near to me Come be my fantasy We'll talk it over again some time I'll send some flowers to change my mind But for tonight, turn out the light Hold me, come on, come on And set me free Lend me your charity |
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4:02 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
There's never much to say between the moments of our games and repartee There's never much to read between the lines of what we need and what we'll take There's never much to talk about or say aloud, but say it anyway Of holidays, and yesterdays, and broken dreams that somehow slipped away In books and magazines of how to be and what to see while you are being Before and after photographs teach how to pass from reaching to believing We live beyond our means on other people's dreams and that's succeeding Between the lines of photographs I've seen the past - it isn't pleasing So strike another match We'll have another cup of wine and dance until the evening's dead of too much song and time There's never much to talk about or read between the lines of what we dream about when we're apart and no one's looking on to say "You're mine" It was a good year then It was a good year then - we all remember the time you threw the looking glass and seemed a fool - or very clever Don't spoil it all; I can't recall a time when you were struck without an answer We'll live a quiet, peaceful time between the lines, and go together I'm striking up the band to play our last hurrah We'll dance until we've killed another evening off Don't think of anyone but me I'll have no lovers on the side Tonight is all we've ever dreamed about for once let's get it right I'll go down flying in the end Throw another bottle in between the lines I'll go down like a ship of state so let's be gracious now between the lines |
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3:57 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
I haven't been loved by a man in quite a while You know it ain't easy making me smile Friends have their lovers, men on a string There must be something terribly wrong with me Sometimes I feel like I haven't learned anything How do you do would you like to be friends? No, I just want a bed for the night Someone to tell me they care You can fake it, that's all right In the morning I won't be here It's a sacrificial alter And I'm laying down my head And I'm telling you up front I haven't much to give Is that how it's done? Or shall I sing and dance? Give me a chance How do you do, do you want to be friends? Yes, that might be very nice Maybe we'll fall in love Ev'ry body has its price Mine is yours for free If you'll be in love with me I haven't been loved by a man in quite a while You know it ain't easy making me smile All my friends have their lovers They've got men on a string There must be something terribly wrong with me How do you do, would you like to be friends? |
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2:45 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
I hear your voice in every corridor See your face in every picture frame I feel your eyes in every starry sky Lover, am I coming home again Now am I humble, who once was proud Now am I silent, who once was loud Now am I waiting for the sound of your saying Lover, am I coming home again When you're gone, the sun don't shine Light a light, light a light for me Bring me back home again And how we loved, 'til the years were days How we laughed all our tears away And now the time begins to fade Lover, am I coming home again There's wisdom in the teachings of the old familiar songs and a sorrow in repeating all the old familiar wrongs and a lesson to be learned, though I've known all along Lover, am I coming home again Light a light, light a light for me Light a light, light a light for me Light a light, light a light for me Bring me back home again Bring me back home again |
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4:29 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
I don't want to ride the milktrain anymore I'll go to bed at nine and waken with the dawn And lunch at half past noon dinner prompt at five The comfort of a few old friends long past their prime Pass the tea and sympathy for the good old days long gone We'll drink a toast to those who most believe in what they've won It's a long, long time 'til morning plays wasted on the dawn I'll not write another line for my true love is gone When the guests have done I'll tidy up the rooms I'll turn the covers down and gazing at the moon I'll pray to go quite mad and live in long ago When you and I were one So very long ago Pass the tea and sympathy for the good old days long gone Let's drink a toast to those who most believe in what they've won It's a long, long time 'til morning plays wasted on the dawn I'll not write another line for my true love is gone When I have no dreams to give you anymore I'll light a blazing fire and wait within the door and throw my life away I wonder why? they all will say And now I lay me down to sleep forever and a day Pass the tea and sympathy for the good old days are dead Let's drink a toast to those who best survive the life they've led It's a long, long time 'til morning so build the fires high And now I lay me down to sleep forever by your side |
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5:25 | ||||
from Janis Ian - Between The Lines (1975)
Lay down and slumber Mama's boy is torn asunder All the fields have gone grey All the leaves are gone brown Let me tell you a story Lay down, I know you're weary While the star's in the sky While the moon's on the rise Lay down and don't you wake till morning Close your eyes and helpless through the night Lay down and dream of love and glory This is a lover's lullabye Once was a magician Fair he was, and handsome And he brought to the table All the fool's gold and wine And he promised us three favors Said he was a saviour But we drank all his glory And we borrowed all his time Lay down, and don't you wake till morning Close your eyes and helpless through the night Lay down and dream of love and glory This is a lover's lullabye My love, sleep tight my love And softly fade away The moon was made of old green cheese To keep the night away Softly now, close your eyes Lightly will you fade The moon was made for wakeful boys To keep the night away Lay down, and don't wake till morning Close your eyes all through the night Lay down in all your glory This is a lullabye Lay down, and don't wake till morning Close your eyes all through the night Lay down in all your glory This is a lullabye This is a lullabye |
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4:08 | ||||
from I Write The Songs: 36 Singer Songwriters Performing... (2005)
Jesse come home
There's a hole in the bed Where we slept Now it's growing cold Hey Jesse, your face In the place where we lay By the hearth, all apart It hangs on my heart And I'm leaving the light on the stairs No I'm not scared - I wait for you Hey Jesse, I'm lonely, come home Jesse, the floors and the boards Recalling your step And I remember, too All the pictures are fading And shaded in grey But I still set a place On the table at noon And I'm leaving a light on the stairs No I'm not scared - I wait for you Hey Jesse, I'm lonely, come home Jesse, the spread on the bed Is like when you left I've kept it up for you And all the blues and the greens Have been recently cleaned And it's seemingly new Hey Jes, me and you We'll swallow the light on the stairs We'll do up my hair And sleep unaware Hey Jesse, I'm lonely, come home |
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4:10 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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4:25 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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5:15 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000)
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4:07 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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4:07 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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3:37 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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3:26 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000)
On days like these
When the rain won't fall And the sky is so dry That even birds can't call I can feel your tears Disappearing in the air Carried on the breeze On days like these Its years like these That makes a young man old Bend his back against the promises That life should hold They can make him wise They can drive him to his knees Nothing comes for free On days like these But you can't reap what you don't sow And you can't plant in fallow ground So let us fill this empty earth with hope Until the rains come down In lives like these Where every moment counts I add up all the things That I can live without When the one thing left Is the blessing of my dreams? I can make my peace With days like these I can make my peace With days like these |
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3:54 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000)
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4:42 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000)
The seagulls of summer have flown
The sailors have wintered their boats Come sit by the fire And tell me your secrets Love isn't kept easily The windows are shuttered and closed Blankets to keep out the cold But you are still restless Your heart is enchanted Drifting away from me And is she beautiful She must be pretty or worse To ride the high seas She must be beautiful White linen sails That have captured your vagrant breeze Singing her siren song Luring you far from the harbor And into the gales She must be beautiful So beautiful To have stolen the wind from my sails Casting your dreams out to sea Will you remember me As years go by Slipped with the tide It was I who set you free And is she beautiful She must be pretty or worse To ride the high seas She must be beautiful White linen sails That have captured your vagrant breeze Singing her siren song Luring you far from the harbor And into the gales She must be beautiful So beautiful To have stolen the wind from my sails So beautiful To have stolen the wind from my sails |
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4:49 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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3:33 | ||||
from Janis Ian - God & The Fbi (2000) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
billie's tears fall like dust
from the air into my eyes seeping in before they rust spilling secrets words can't hide i am standing on the bones of a mound too high to climb selling secrets to atone for a song that is not mine billie's bones are white and bleached piled high and hard to reach and the top looks cold and bleak but i see farther when i stand on billie's bones in billie's land there's an orchid in her hair there are bruises on her lips i would worship if i dared kneeling at her fingertips i would tell her how i've yearned to be worthy of the grail all these years and all i've learned is just how brilliantly i fail billie's bones are white and bleached piled high and hard to reach and the top looks cold and bleak but i see farther when i stand on billie's bones in billie's land now the flesh of earth has passed now the joints have come undone all that's left of her is ash scattered on the air like crumbs there are voices on the wind stolen whispers, sacred moans you can hear them through your skin and the singing of the bones when the wind blows from the east i can taste her on my tongue and the grave is lined and paved with all the songs we never sung billie's bones are white and bleached piled high and hard to reach and the top looks cold and bleak but i see farther when i stand on billie's bones in billie's land |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
When all my dreams have been shattered
And the fabric of life comes undone When it seems like nothing matters And all of my good times are gone There's a place that I've kept sheltered From the sight of my sorrow and shame Though it's years since I beheld her She still calls my name I'll go home, I'll go home Where the wild shadows roam And the dawn over mountaintops spills Where the deer pause in flight On the edge of the night I'll go home to my Tennessee hills I'll go home to my Tennessee hills When all my vows have been broken And my wild heart can't be tamed When I've loved and lost once too often And failure is my middle name There's a place that holds forgiveness And the promise of peace in despair When I'm down to my last witness I'll be going there I'll go home, I'll go home Where the wild shadows roam And the dawn over mountaintops spills Where the deer pause in flight On the edge of the night I'll go home to my Tennessee hills I'll go home to my Tennessee hills |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
Every time I see you, I see Paris in your eyes
A hint of the forbidden, Brigitte Bardot style Every time I dream of you, I dream that distant land Where I once held tomorrow in my hand First time I saw Paris in your eyes You told me how you loved me Under blue Picasso skies We spoke of Michelangelo And we solved each others' lives The first time I saw Paris in your eyes Every time I touched you, I could taste a breath of spring April in Paris is every lover's dream Every time I'd call your name, It would sound so much in tune Just like Notre dame cathedral at high noon First time I saw Paris in your eyes You told me how you loved me Under blue Picasso skies We spoke of Michelangelo And we solved each others' lives The first time I saw Paris in your eyes Now every time I see you April showers seem to start And they rain on every hope I have 'Til they hurricane my heart And every time I dream of you I dream of what we had And wonder how could something so good go so bad The last time I saw Paris in your eyes You told me you were leaving Under blue Picasso skies We spoke of Michelangelo And believed each others' lies The last time I saw Paris in your eyes The last time I saw Paris in your eyes |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
If I could only hear my mother sing again
If I could close my eyes and hear your voice as then All the friends and family Would sing along with me And set your spirit free In my heart I hear you sing again Every note as natural as then When I sing those songs With family and friends In my heart I hear you sing again I know the troubled times that turned your hair to grey And all the tears and sorrows followed to your grave But deep within the heart of hunger There were always melodies Passed from you to me In my heart I hear you sing again Every note as natural as then When I sing those songs For family and friends In my heart I hear you sing again And it's a long, long road I've come Since my mother's songs were heard But the child I can't outrun Still hangs on every word In my heart I hear you sing again Every note as natural as then When I sing those songs With family and friends In my heart I hear you sing again |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
Just the pattern of sunlight on a building
Just a flash in a window I was passing Just a frame in a movie I remember Amsterdam Just the sound of a wheel in the gravel Just the click of a heel in the pavement Just a moment like any other moment Amsterdam I remember your lips I remember your eyes And the taste of the kiss And your graceful goodbye You lied… goodbye Just the scent of perfume on the linen Just the print of a palm on the pillow Just the hint of the moon from the window Amsterdam Just a ghost in the steam on the mirror Just a shadow of motion in the water Just a need to look over my shoulder Amsterdam I remember your lips I remember your eyes And the taste of the kiss And your graceful goodbye You lied… goodbye Just two lovers asleep in the silence As I walk from the door Just the weight of a heart As it's falling nothing more I remember your lips I remember your eyes And the taste of the kiss And your graceful goodbye you lied… Goodbye goodbye, goodbye |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
Who will die by fire?
Who will seek the flame? Whose heart's desire has the most to gain? Who will beg for mercy? Who will bow their head? Who will suffer gladly? Who will welcome death? Who will play the hero? Who will turn and run Who will always follow someone else's drum? Who will die of beauty? Who will die of hope? Who will tell it truly? Who will leave it cloaked? Dead men walking in the night Dead men talking in my ear I am afraid to ask too much and disappear When they are near Who will call me lover? Who will call me friend? Who'll be my brother? Who will just pretend? Who will I surrender? Who will I defend? Will I be remembered? Will I rise again? Dead men walking in the world tonight Dead men talking in my ear I am afraid to ask too much and disappear When they are near Carve my name upon your heart Let it leave an everlasting scar A shooting star Dead men walking in the world tonight Dead men talking in my ear I am afraid to ask too much and disappear Dead men walking in the world tonight Dead men talking in my ear I am afraid to ask too much when they are near Dead men walking in the world tonight Dead men talking in my ear I am afraid to ask too much |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
In the heart of the city
Is the beat of a soul? And it stares out the window As the cars come and go And it hungers for heroes And it dreams of open skies And there's no expectation That the sun will rise You better save somebody Save somebody Before the moment slips away You better save somebody Who'll be lonely? When you walk away There's a crack in the heavens And a tear in the sky It cuts through the shadows Living in her eyes And the gates of the city Are closed until dawn When the ghosts of midnight Have come and gone And the hearts of the weary carry on You better save somebody Save somebody Before the moment slips away You better save somebody Who'll be lonely? When you walk away And I'm thinking of your silence How the memory lingers on And I wonder do you miss me Now that I am gone Now that I am gone You better save somebody Save somebody Before the moment slips away You better save somebody Who'll be lonely? When you walk away |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
If I had a mockingbird
For every tear I've shed The skies would rain with laughter Every time I raised my head And every drop would be a tear That fell upon the ground Until the waters rose so high That I must surely drown And it's cold, cold, cold And no hint of spring Yes it's cold, cold, cold When the mockingbirds sing When I used to walk this earth Beneath the harvest moon All the heavens rose above me Silent as a tomb Now the skies are filled with noise The moonlight wears a shroud Black enough to bury Every broken ugly vow And it's cold, cold, cold And no hint of spring Yes it's cold, cold, cold When the mockingbirds sing If I had a mockingbird For every lie I found The sky would fill with laughter 'til it shattered from the sound And every piece that fell to earth Would land with such a spark That finally there'd be flame enough To warm my broken heart And it's cold, cold, cold And no hint of spring Yes it's cold, cold, cold When the mockingbirds sing |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
Mary's eyes are startling blue
And her hair's Newcastle gold And she walks the thin white line Between the body and the soul She's as faithful to her history As a novice to his fast For she is standing on the bones Of Ireland's past She is singing of the troubles And a fire in the land 'til I can almost feel the famine Slipping through my trembling hand And I wonder as I hear her That the spirit still shines through And she can reach across the ocean deep And break my heart in two Mary's wise as she is foolish She's as constant as the tide For it's a woman's heart that beats beneath That stubborn Irish pride We are saints and we are sinners We are heroes we are thieves We are all of us beginners On the road to Galilee She is singing of the troubles And a fire in the land 'til I can almost feel the famine Slipping through my trembling hand And I wonder as I hear her That the spirit still shines through And she can reach across the ocean deep And break my heart in two So let us hoist a pint of silence To the east where Ireland lies And we'll stare across the waters For a glimpse of Mary's eyes We are ships without a harbour We are sailors on dry land And the song goes on forever Even though the record can't She is singing of the troubles And a fire in the land 'til I can almost feel the famine Slipping through my trembling hand And I wonder as I hear her That the spirit still shines through And she can reach across the ocean deep And break my heart in two |
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from Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004)
They said lay down in the water
Even though you don't believe All your sins will be forgiven And your soul will be redeemed So I walked into the water And I fell down to my knees And I took out some insurance And I bought a little peace But when I lay down, I lied When I lay down, I lied He said - darling do you love me I and I said - sure I do And I led him to believe me As I proved that it was true Well I let my body love him God knows I really tried And the comfort of it touched him And his heart was satisfied But when I lay down, I lied When I lay down, I lied …to make them happy And I lied so they would care I lied 'cause I was lonely And I lied 'cause I was scared I lied so some would leave me And I lied so some would stay I lied until I lied my life away I dreamed my life was over And they laid me in my grave I was frightened of forever And the price I'd have to pay And I thought that god would hate me 'cause I'd lived my life in sin But (I felt the truth embrace me) (he knelt down to embrace me) (As heaven let me in) (And together, we walked in) And when I lay down I lay down and cried |
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999)
When I was just the age of five
My world had just come live Wonderous things to see and be done All that I could think of was fun With hair of spun gold Lips of ruby red And eyes as deep as the deepest sea When I was just the age of ten My life had been changed again I threw away all my childish toys And worked on getting noticed by boys And when I was just thirteen years of age Going steady was all the rage My mother picked out the cutest boy My little leather-jacketed toy And hair of spun gold Turned to black as night And the ruby red lips Turned to pale pink When I was fifteen years of age He had my hand in marriage And when fifteen years of age In my arms I held my babe And now I'm twenty-one And I feel my life's over and done And I'm looking down on my little child Wondering, wondering if she'll be so wild She's got hair of spun gold Lips of ruby red And eyes as deep as the deepest sea When I'm looking down on my little child I swear she'll have the time There'll be time to love There'll be time to learn But childish memories she won't burn We'll find time to laugh We'll find time to play She won't have to throw her toys away I swear to you we'll wait for time To take its time |
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999)
It is the winter time of year
A time for all my troubled thought dreams to come clear And all the seasons I held dear Seem to have gone and left me 'lone with winter only here Lonely, forever dreaming My life is teeming with yearning, I'd like to be learning And it's summer out on the streets Sunflakes fall, snowrays call Hey Mama, It's me saying "awww" A policeman walks a most solitary beat I feel at odds with the summer time Ice is in my heart and winter's in my mind I watch the snow upon my blinds As people walk in shorts and sandals everywhere outside Lonely, forever hiding Caught in the icy hide of winter, outside it's warm and sunlight glimmers And it's summer out on the streets Sunflakes fall, the snowrays call Hey Mama, It's me saying "awww" A policeman walks a most solitary beat Oh when days are marked by winter's time Spring and summer counts come racing to my mind Within my heart the seasons never coincide At times I hate and curse the world for making winter mine. Lonely, forever dreaming My life is teeming with yearning, I'd like to be learning And it's summer out on the streets Sunflakes fall, the snowrays call Hey Mama, It's me saying "awww" A policeman walks a most solitary beat |
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999)
EVENING STAR
All our good times have been had and there’s nothing more to be said I don’t like being trite, but I love you I love you When my evening star comes around again You won’t find me sitting where I was when you first came When my evening star tells me it’s time for a change The words may change. The song may change but love will be the same I grow tired burning tomorrow’s fires in yesterday’s flame Good times Bad times Think of all our good times measured with the bad times When my evening star comes around to say Once upon you had someone Gone now The light goes out and the stage is set Stand by me anyway I need a lover who won’t want to bother with yesterday’s flame Good times Bad times Think of all our good times measured with the bad times All our good times have been had and there’s nothin’ more to be said I don’t like being trite, but I loved you And I love you Yes I do I loved you, and I love you |
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Society`S Child (1999) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Breaking Silence/ 24k Gold Limited Edition (2004) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Breaking Silence/ 24k Gold Limited Edition (2004)
hide me in your hollows
taste the salt that clings to me shipwrecked in your shadows sanctify the sea hide me in the wisdom of your thighs ride me like a wave chart my secret places navigate my shores map the oceans traces lick them from my pores drown me in delusion and desire ride me like a wave cover me in spray promise you will stay I remember mornings waking by your side your scent on the pillow, fever in your eyes cast upon the waters, shipless I surrender lead me to your harbour cover me in splendor drown me in delusion and desire ride me like a wave (cover me in spray) other seas will call you... farther shores will shine tempt you with their treasures bordering to mine still the safest harbor will be mine ride me like a wave ride me like a wave |
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from Janis Ian - Breaking Silence/ 24k Gold Limited Edition (2004) | |||||
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from Janis Ian - Breaking Silence/ 24k Gold Limited Edition (2004) |