We'll Dance Again Lyrics
We'll Dance Again (Penni Hart)
We'll dance again because we must
Though memories still swirl like dust
on wooden boards where dreams were made
On long roads those before us paved
Head up, chest out, point your toes, legs straight
Don't ever let them see your heart break
We'll dance again, my friend, we'll dance again.
We'll sing again when day is done
Gather en masse finally as one
In backyards green and concert halls
Festival fields, free from walls
Sing out, sing loud so all can hear
Don't be ashamed to show your tears
We'll sing again, my friend, we'll sing again.
If you take no chance the falls are few
Dance on the edge, sing your song brand new.
We'll laugh again when all is well
When wars are won we'll raise the veil
of darkness borne from things unknown
The evil king cast off his throne
Stand up, speak out, and stay awake
Always let them see your heartache
We'll laugh again, my friend, we'll laugh again
We'll dance again, my friend, we'll dance again.
Blueberry Pancakes (Penni Hart)
Chorus:
He loved blueberry pancakes on a hot summer morning
Dusty old photographs, red birds on the wing
Cruising 'round with the windows down and sleeping in 'til noontime
And making that piano sing
Mississippi boy became a California man
Left that preaching road behind and
followed it to LaLa land
Palm trees, boulevards, ocean beaches call your name
Left those red dirt roads behind
For the Hollywood walk of fame
Chorus:
Mississippi boy became a California man
Rather play piano than preach the gospel o'er the land
Still see him sitting there, cigarette in hand
Tattered robe and tousled hair
The muse is there at his command.
Chorus:
I Remember Everything (John Prine)
I've been down this road before, I remember every tree
Every single blade of grass holds a special place for me
And I remember every town and every hotel room
Every song I ever sang on a guitar out of tune.
I remember everything, things I can't forget
The way you turned and smiled on me the night that we first met
And I remember every night, your ocean eyes of blue
How I miss you in the morning light like roses miss the dew.
I've been down this road before, alone as I can be
Careful not to let my past go sneaking up on me
Got no future in my happiness, though regrets are very few
Sometimes a little tenderness if the best that I could do.
Yes, I remember everything, things I can't forget
Swimming pools of butterflies that slipped right through the net
And I remember every night your ocean eyes of blue
How I miss you in the morning light like roses miss the dew
How I miss you in the morning light like roses miss the dew.
Writing My Song (Penni Hart)
Anniversary of my birth, walking through the neighborhood
Everything covered in green dust
Hamilton and Bedford in my ears, voices so sweet and fierce
Searching for the spark that had been lost
California was just a dream that became reality
From the southern sun to the fog like heavy cream
Wouldn't change it for all the world, golden feet for this starry-eyed girl
Ooh-ooh I'm writing my song.
Chorus:
Where have you gone, Mother Time
Where have you gone, Mother Time
Ooh-ooh where have you gone
Ooh-ooh I'm writing my song
Traveling to the heartland, how many more years will it be so
When they are gone, will I still go
Or never see my home again, that chapter coming to an end
Ooh-ooh I'm writing my song
Chorus:
Bridge:
Time passes like a dream upon the morn
Open your eyes, blink, and it's gone.
Grey stones set in green fields, one by one I read their names
From just a child to ancient as the northern wind
Could it be that I've come home, full circle to the place I've always known
Ooh-ooh I'm writing their songs.
Chorus:
Wings of Freedom (Maya Angelou, Penni Hart/music)
Chorus:
The caged bird sings with fearful trill
Of the things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom
The free bird leaps on the back of the wind
And floats downstream 'til the current ends
And dips his wings in the orange sun rays
And dares to claim the sky
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing
Chorus:
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
And he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
Chorus:
A Coat for Hazel (Penni Hart)
Climbed up to the attic
There it hung for 30 years all tucked away
The coat she'd always wanted
"I'll get the light," I heard my father say
There it hung slow-aged and brown
Soft sunlight streaming in
I thought I caught a glimpse of her
Wrapped in that old coat now worn thin
Chorus:
In that fur coat, her new fur coat
With her initials sewn inside
That fur coat, her own fur coat
That showed his love, her source of pride
Close my eyes I see her in the yard
Picking tulips and apricots
The sweetest face, the kindest eyes
Grateful for everything she's got
Chorus:
Bridge:
Humble beginning, Midwest life, she dons her coat and she's a queen
Mother, grandmother, sister, and wife, to me she was already everything
Memories came flooding back
Of her face, her voice, her grace
Up there amidst cedar and dust
She came back to life that day
Chorus:
Bridge:
Mother, grandmother, sister, and wife
She dons her coat and she's a queen.
Me Too (Single)
Me Too
I remember your face and I remember your name
I remember the way I felt so ashamed
I remember the hurt, how it cut like a knife
Carved a hole in my soul, stole a piece of my life.
He said that's just my way, it doesn't mean anything
It's just locker-room talk, all part of the game
So let's keep this between us, it might be misunderstood
You'll learn to live with the scars, that follow you through womanhood.
Me Too, Me too, Me too
How did I let this happen, still I hold the pain inside
What could come of it anyway, he'd just say that I lied
But finally the tide is turning, we grow braver day by day
We must hold their feet to the fire, until we have our say.
So I'll stand with my sisters, hand in hand, arm in arm
And we'll all sing together, and sound the alarm
There are too many times that I'd like to forget
But we need to speak out, the fight's not over yet.
Me too, Me too, Me too.
(Repeat)
Middle of Nowhere Lyrics
Road To Nowheresville
Heading out at 6 o'clock, the blacktop stretches long
On the road once again to Nowheresville
Turn up the radio, where for once I can belong
See your face in that song that haunts me still
Chorus:
Joe, won't you play that sad song again
The one that always makes me cry
Where the rain is still falling, a broken heart is calling,
And sweethearts are waving goodbye.
Roll the windows down let the cool breezes in
I can see your impish grin in the rear view
Our funny potholed street, roots intertwine and meet
And our dog's not been the same without you.
Chorus
I can't set my heart on cruise, when we should be breaking news
Why'd you have to go and choose your first love?
Turn up the radio where for once I can belong,
See your face in that song that haunts me still.
Chorus
Times Like These
I, I'm a one-way motorway, I'm a road that drives away
And follows you back home.
I, I'm a street light shining, I'm a white light blinding bright,
Burning off and on.
Chorus:
It's times like these we learn to live again
It's times like these we give and give again
It's times like these we learn to love again
It's times like these, time and time again.
I, I'm a new day rising, I'm a brand new sky that hangs
the stars upon tonight.
I, I'm a little divided, do I stay or run away,
and leave it all behind, ooh, ooh.
Chorus
Dear Rose
Dear Rose he's doing well
Your best work as far as I can tell
Dear Rose he turned out okay
You raised him right then sent him on his way
Dear Rose time flies so fast
Twas just a babe held within your grasp
Dear Rose
Dear Rose he's got your chin
That famous nose and your charming grin
Dear Rose when he gets down
Picks himself up
He learned to stand his ground
Hey Rose here's the best part
You shared the tenderest and softest heart
Dear Rose.
Bridge:
It seems he has your temperament, your humor, and New England ways
I know your memory always helps him through the stalls and darker days
Dear Rose I had four cats
He didn't blink, ever the diplomat
Dear Rose now that they're gone
Lends me his shoulder that I can cry upon
And Rose he misses them too
Never quite as much as he misses you
Dear Rose
Bridge:
Oh Rose I wish we'd had more time before you had to move along
Guess I'll have to settle talking to you through this song
Hey Rose here's the best part
You shared the tenderest and softest heart
Dear Rose.
Calmer Waters
It first hit me in the grocery store
That I am on my own
No one to hold my place in line
I push that cart alone
Now I'm walking the aisles all by myself
Making like I'm cooking for two
Almost reached for that Japanese beer you liked
Babe a good drunk Is overdue
Chorus:
Treading water in the stormy seas
Now the wake is over my head
I'll set my course for a distant shore
Calmer waters, on an even keel instead
Fog curls up on delta sands
Tules sway where her bow should be
Haul the groceries in, set the alarm
'Cause no one's coming in after me
Chorus
Bridge:
Sailing towards a west coast sunset
Always seemed a safe bet
Until that boat capsized
Soon I'll wake to an eastern sunrise
Just save your hollow goodbyes
Her reflection's in your eyes
Chorus
It first hit me in the grocery store
That I am on my own
Jesse
Jesse, come home there's a hole in the bed where we slept,
Now it's growing cold.
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, it's lonely, come home.
Jesse, the floors and the boards are recalling your steps,
And I remember, too.
All the pictures are shaded and fading in grey,
And I still set a place at the table at noon.
And I'm keeping the light on the stairs,
No, I'm not scared, I wait for you.
Hey, Jesse, it's lonely come home.
Jesse, the spread on the bed it's like when you left,
I kept it for you.
All the blues and the greens have been recently cleaned,
And are seemingly new, Hey, Jess, me and you.
We'll swallow the light on the stairs,
I'll fix up my hair, we'll sleep unaware.
Hey, Jesse, it's lonely come home.
Hey, Jesse, it's lonely, come home.
River Slope Mine
I'm from
just another working town
Sitting ducks in a row house
front porch is falling down
Falling down falling down
Porch is falling down
The winter's hard, the work is harder
Hard on lungs and hands
Is this why we crossed the ocean?
Risk our lives in this promised land
Promised land, promised land
This promised land
They forced us up, up ever higher
They said it's safe, it's safe you'll see
No need to worry about the river
12 who died would disagree
Disagree, disagree
12 would disagree.
Chorus:
Oh Susquehanna River, their souls ever to enshrine
that mournful winter's day they were
Digging their own graves in the River Slope Mine
The mines closed down
My brothers scattered
Like leaves blown from the trees
Their profit's all that mattered
I'm only left with time to grieve
Time to grieve, time to grieve
Left with time to grieve.
Chorus:
Oh Susquehanna River, their souls ever to enshrine
that mournful winter's day they were
Digging their own graves in the River Slope Mine
River Slope Mine, River Slope Mine
Red Line Train
He got off at Porter, Red Line train, Boston bound
Old case ripped and tattered, doors slide shut without a sound
Stepping off the platform, he heaves a sigh, rubs his hands
Hoping for the millionth time someone will hear and give a damn.
She's out there selling Jesus and she smiles as he takes his stance
She's always there on Fridays 'tween the exit sign and the pretzel man
Her old man up and left her, didn't love her much anyway
For those who dare to ask her, loves her madly even to this day.
Chorus:
Please play that one again she said, though it cuts me to the core
That song was my only friend when he was walking out the door.
He sings songs of freedom, and when it moves him songs of God
And if she asks him nicely, he'll sing the one of unrequited love
The song she snuggles into, like a blanket round her heart
Blanket 'round her heart, when her whole world is torn apart.
Chorus:
Please play that one again she said, thought it cuts me to the core
That song was my only friend when he was walking out the door
Walking out the door, walking out the door
Wayfaring Stranger
I am a poor wayfaring stranger,
While travelin' through this world of woe.
Yet there's no sickness, toil, nor danger,
In that bright world to which I go.
Chorus:
I'm going there to see my father,
I'm going there no more to roam.
I'm only going over Jordan,
I'm only going over home.
I know dark clouds will gather round me,
I know my way is rough and steep.
Yet beauteous fields they rise before me,
When God redeems their vigil's keep.
Chorus:
I'm going there to see my mother,
She said she'll meet me when I come.
I'm only going over Jordan,
I'm only going over home
I'm only going over Jordan,
I'm only going over home
Cherish This Day
Walk me down the garden path
Where sunlight spills across the meadow
Pink asters sway in tall grass
And the red-winged blackbird sings her song
Amble down the old dirt road
Where stately elms stand beside the river
Their leaves dancing in summer's clothes
As we joyously sing our song
Chorus:
Cherish this day, cherish this day,
Cherish this day, cherish this day.
Sail me down the clear blue stream
Where turtles sun on the bullhead lilies
Herons glide on the eastern breeze
And we sing our song
Chorus
Rolling through the Berkshire hills
Sunflowers bloom in fields aplenty
Summer dons her finest frills
And the red-winged blackbird sings...
Chorus
Whispered Words Lyrics
As he walks through the doorway he turns to remind her
To bring her umbrella cause the weatherman says rain
Because she's always forgetting things she should remember
Like her bag, her funny hat, and that silver key chain
His thoughts go drifting back the first time he saw her
Can't believe it's been 60 years such a long time ago
She held a rose in one childlike hand was waving with the other
A princess at the county fair in a Cadillac real slow
Chorus:
Snapshots of memories in the hourglass of time
Like grains of sand they're slipping through her fingers and her mind
Sifting through the reasons and trying to find a rhyme
Turn it over a second time
Married her they raised a family tiny acorns grew to tall oak trees
Then were swept away on a summer breeze fleeting shadows one by one
Hand in hand they'd stand and look upon faded grass on the old front lawn
Trodden by children who played from early dawn 'til the street lights came on.
Years flew past as they're wont to do he grew older and she did too
Fragile flower fading colors just awaiting the coming frost
Chorus
Wish I’d Never
Wish I'd never laid eyes on you with the sunlight on your face
Wish I'd never been held by you in the warmth of your embrace
I'm grieving and I'm broken in parts
You left having laid waste to my heart.
Wish I'd never been fooled by you with your fallacies and lies
Wish I'd never looked deeply into those unrepentant eyes
Love's blind but I should have known from the start
You left having laid waste to my heart.
Bridge:
One more chance to swing open the door
Don't look back and believe in love once more.
Wish I'd never been loved by you in the warm breeze of the spring
Wish I'd never heard tender words and the pain that they can bring
That space you call your soul is empty and dark
You left having laid waste to my heart
You left having laid waste to my heart.
Badlands
Father was a good man never harmed another soul
A humble life of intention in his 80 years or so
My skin's the shade of caramel His was black as night
Mother was the lucky one hers was porcelain white.
Father was a cobbler worked his fingers to the bone
Never could quite get ahead so we called the Badlands home
The white folk came from all around cause he was the best for miles
Head down always looking at their feet he should have looked into their smiles
Chorus:
It's a wicked wind that blows through Lincoln's prairie town
Hang that white cloth out so they'll think
You’re the kind they want around.
Mother says she felt it coming walking to town her skin would crawl
Maybe 'twas just the August heat maybe just the writing on the wall.
Some say he was brave but Mother says he was hard-headed
'Cause when they came for him he stood his ground
Strung him up in the old oak we played on as kids
On the Governor's side of town
Chorus
Lake Shore Limited
Rolling out of Boston on the noontime train
It’s snowing Christmas Day out on the frozen terrain
Heading through the Berkshires on the way to Chicago
We're gonna take this train as far as it will go
Worcester, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo
My nose is cold and pressed against the pane don't you know
Hey what's that comin' around the bend ain't that Lake Erie
We're gonna stay up late until our minds are just too weary
Chorus:
The mournful horn sounds look out up ahead
Traveling on the westbound Lake Shore Limited
As nighttime falls the rails keep tempo once again
Let's raise a glass this silent night and call on amen
Riding here the two of us alone we're incognito
gonna play along with the game until we hit Toledo
We're gaining speed hey can you read the signs flying by
I think that was just South Bend's fireworks in the sky
We'll soon be there don't have a care
And I can't help but wonder
Do you think they'll let us stay aboard a little while longer
Chorus
Bridge:
We'll savor winter's landscape passing by us
The stillness of the beauty that surrounds us
The memories that we hold they will remind us
Once again
'Cause we're rolling out of Boston on the noontime train
It’s snowing Christmas Day out on the frozen terrain
Heading through the Berkshires on the way to Chicago
We're gonna take this train as far as it will go
Chorus
Nowhere to Land
I'm sittin' on the back of the Hornet
Staring at the amber sun
Thinking about my family in Boston
And the mission to be done
Four months ago they hit Pearl Harbor
In the tranquil Hawaiian blue
I wonder if those pilots felt this empty
Knowing what they had to do
Chorus:
Every day we live our lives
And figure out our plans
We remember the lessons from our past
You can’t always count
On there being a tomorrow
Especially when you have nowhere to land
There was no destination to prepare for
Jimmy Doolittle would lead our pack
We knew that once these birds were airborne
There would be no turning back.
We skimmed across the endless ocean
With destruction in our wake
Not a single word was spoken
As we flew to meet our fate
Chorus:
I'm sittin on the back of the Hornet
Looking out at San Francisco Bay
70 years have passed by
Since the Raiders had their day
We had our final reunion
Only four of us remain
Soon I will see my brothers
Then we will fly again
Chorus
Goodbye Again
It's five o'clock this morning and the sun is on the rise.
There's frosting on the windowpane and sorrow in your eyes
The stars are fading quietly the night is nearly gone
And so you turn away from me and tears begin to come
Chorus:
And it's goodbye again I'm sorry to be leaving you.
Goodbye again as if you didn't know
It's goodbye again and I wish you could tell me
Why do we always fight when I have to go
It seems a shame to leave you now the days are soft and warm
I long to lay me down again and hold you in my arms
I long to kiss your tears away and give you back your smile.
But other voices beckon me so for a little
Chorus
Bridge:
I have to go and see some friends of mine and some that I don't know
and some who aren't familiar with my name.
It's something that's inside of me not hard to understand
It's anyone who'll listen to me sing
So if your hours are empty now who am I to blame
You think if I were always here our love would be the same
As it is the time we have is worth the time alone
And lying by your side's the greatest peace I've ever known
Chorus
Whispered Words
She's a songsmith and a poet and I think she knows it
As she weaves her songs and dreams through the mist of the winter's dawn
Calling upon old memories and happenstance of life then and now
Telling the stories of her life ain't always easy
Once in a while she'd like to sing someone else's song
Following down the path that life has chosen for her
Sometimes seems too long.
Chorus:
Whispered words like the rustling of leaves in summer
Blow through my mind just like the wind
Whispered words stream through my window in sunlight
Whispered words for you my friend.
Young man on a mission gotta make it before he's 29
As he sings of heartbreak and lies and fairy tales
He's wondering when his ship in life will come in
Then he'll be in full sail
Takes the stage plays the songs that he wrote from his heart
The songs that she will never hear
They parted years ago but still he can't let go
And it pains him still
Chorus
Winter’s Ballet
Midnight and I’m alone with you
The snow is softly falling
Embers are dying and the candle’s dim
Above the clouds the moon is crawling
Don’t sleep the wind through the pines is calling me
Catch your breath let's creep outside
For the dawn of the morning we'll be stallin'
Chorus:
Come on with me we can dance outside
Join the snow pirouetting on this moonlit night
Willows bow down as we waltz by
And lay snow petals at our feet
Winter’s Ballet is now complete
Midnight and I’m alone with you
Guitars are softly strumming
Nightingales singing in three-four time
While the mockingbird is calling
Stay with me the night is young and open to see
What is now and forever will be
A Winter’s Ballet for you and for me
Chorus
Magnolia Wind
I'd rather sleep in a box like a bum on the street
Than a fine feather bed without your little ol' cold feet
And I'd rather be deaf, dumb, and stone blind
Than to know that your mornings will never be mine
And I'd rather die young than to live without you
I'd rather go hungry than to eat lonesome stew
You know it's once in a lifetime and it won't come again
It's here and it's gone on a Magnolia Wind
I'd rather not walk through the garden again
If I can't catch your scent on a Magnolia Wind
Well if it ever comes time that it comes time to go
Sis' pack up your fiddle Sis' pack up your bow
If I can't dance with you then I won't dance at all
I'll just sit this one out with my back to the wall
I'd rather not hear pretty music again
If I can't catch your fiddle on a Magnolia Wind
If I can't catch your scent on a Magnolia Wind
Song For Ann
She was an orphan girl raised in a stranger's house
Nothing to her name but a cotton mattress on a metal bed
Thoughts of her dear mother and a father who forgot her
Were replaced by dreams of hope for a heart on the mend
He was a widowed man hailed from Illinois
His was a well-worn face garnered from his hard-luck life
He didn't mark the days didn't seem to care at all
He only thought of her when counting the failures in his life
14 years dragged by time to resurrect the past
Her father came one night so different than she'd seen him last
A little worse for wear his eyes were hard and black as coal
She'd soon realize they matched the texture of his soul.
Chorus:
She's traveling down the open road
'Tween miles and miles of gold
Abandoned girl a wounded heart
With many tears to sow
She'll grab a dream and hold it fast
Keep it close never let it go
There's no comfort in awakening
Pray God bless her soul
On a slate grey morning she left that world behind
For the red brick streets and the Sangamon County mines
To a dimly lit cafe where her father brought her
For the second time in her young life to abandon his daughter
Day turns to dusk soon night settles in
People come and go their day at an end
Shadows creeping down the walls then lay silent on the floor
She's listening for that bell to ring that won't ring anymore.
Chorus
Still Standing
Crooked brick streets and white picket fences
The old high school down the block
Grandpa helped build it when he was younger
It's still standing 'tho he's not
The old folks lived east of town out near Monroe
What some used to call in the sad part of town
It didn't matter much to us in the spring it meant
A field full of tulips apricots on the ground.
Chorus:
Chase the moon down the road on a firefly-lit night
Where the cornstalks grow so tall you'll get lost from sight
In my Midwestern town.
He came down from Kentucky land he was an honest man
With the law he loved he was self-taught
He was the best of them when he was younger
His legend's still standing 'tho he's not
We'll walk the trail he used rub his nose at the tomb
In the library thumb through the pages
Walk through his house on Jackson Street
Imagine he and William Spence did meet
Now he belongs to the ages
Chorus
Instrumental bridge
She was a crinkly nosed beauty she came from that part of town
Where comfort was a stranger falling stars were not caught
She was my best friend when we were younger
Her memory's still standing 'tho she's not.
She loved that old car, her family, and the Rolling Stones
Wild Horses couldn't drag her away
Her spirit stands stronger than any I remember
She'll ride them again one day
Chorus
April Come She Will
April come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain
May she will stay
Resting in my arms again
June she'll change her tune
In restless walks she'll prowl the night
July she will fly
And give no warning to her flight
August die she must
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold
September I'll remember
A love once new has now grown old