Here are as many of my songs as I’ve captured, in alphabetical order. This list links to the lyrics below. I’m working on adding recordings and stories for each. Click the song title to go to the lyrics below.
- 500 Miles Ahead, 1000 Miles Behind
- Air Traffic Control
- All The Above
- Anna Banana
- Aphrodisiac
- Asleep In The Sun
- Be My TV
- Bright Eyes Shine
- Bunch of Photos
- Bus Station Blues
- Cashed
- Catching Fireflies
- Circus Tent
- For Your Lover
- Gabriela
- God Has Been Good To Me
- Hard To Justify
- Hillbilly
- I’m Not Gonna Try
- I Can See You
- I Have Arrived
- I Noticed You
- Jesus Rode A Bike
- Lady Across The Way
- Lake Rules
- Life
- Love’ll Overcome
- Lub Dub
- Messages
- Mi Estilo Es Tranquilo
- Mr. Mystery
- Mystical Experience #115
- Outside
- Ray’s Song
- Riverrun
- Road To Monterrey
- Room 304
- Saturday Morn
- Sleep
- Speeding
- Stickin My Thumb Out at the World
- Sunday Morn
- Sunday Night Samba
- Take
- The Train Into The City
- This Song Is Done
- To Do Blues
- Un Momento Perfecto
- Walkin With You
- What the Day Had to Say
500 Miles Ahead, 1000 Miles Behind
500 Miles Ahead, 1000 Miles Behind.mp3
[expand title=”lyrics”]
well, we just crossed the mississippi, she had overflowed her banks
took ourselves a rest stop, filled up the gastanks
pullin out of memphis past elvis’s sacred shrine
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind
now al’s been doing the drivin, but the sun’s making his eyes burn
he says he needs some ice and for me to take my turn
clock says seven eastern, but now we’re in central time
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind
we’re drivin down to texas to right outside san antone
trying to make a wedding by saturday morn
started out in d.c., spent the night in north caroline
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind
now we’re stoppin at the best western, to washup and to eat
when you’ve been sittin all day there’s nothing as nice as just to stand upon your feet
there are many types of weariness, highway has it’s own kind
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind
i saw twenty tractor trailers huddled under the bright black sky
i met this man who got his goat to kiss him as he swelled up with pride
there’s no way to imagine what each traveler will find
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind
we measure out our progress, by the big cityies on the map
keep our speed pretty high and watchout for speedtraps
we’re on an unnamed stretch of road, waiting for a sign
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind
now i think we’re being followed through these endless fields
i’ve seen a redwinged blackbird at the top of the windshield
with a bit of grace above you you make pretty good time
500 miles ahead, 1000 miles behind[/expand]
All The Above
I used to have these dreams
of poetry of you and me
before I knew who you’d turn out to be
and while you were becoming
I was becoming too
and if we knew each other then
would we have just been friends
still pretending other endings
I used to walk alone the street
at night, feeling like my best of friends,
my long lost twin was up ahead
beneath a streetlight waiting
I dreamed and dreamed of you
until my dreams came true
when all my lovesick blues
turned into greens, seeds sprouting up to heaven
I’ve seen you somewhere before
I’ve seen you somewhere before
and while you were becoming
I was becoming too, and 1-2-3
we were that poetry, that mystery, that kiss to me
was all the above, all thee above”¦
Maybe in some past life
you were my already wife
cause in your eyes I recognized
The natural highs of soaring over
Of finally feeling so good
I enjoy doing what I should
Of being at home being known
and resting in that sense of knowing
I’ve seen you somewhere before
I’ve seen you somewhere before
like an eagle soaring over
so come and soar with me
and 1-2-3 we’ll be that poetry, that mystery, that kiss to me
was all the above, all the above”¦
guitar and vocals: Jason Molin Story: It is for my sister on her wedding day, but about Maile, my love. This recording is fantastic only because my cat, Frida, walks down the piano on the first chorus and up it on the second. back to top
Air Traffic Control
Anna Banana
guitar and vocals: Jason Molin Story: To my good friend Anna from NYU. back to top
Aphrodisiac
after a day avoiding and evading
i went down to the tracks and received my training
life is long, love is worth waiting
because love, she moved out of her place down on manchaca
so i lost myself recording and computing
drinking away my lusting and brooding
defending myself from my self-deluding
love, love, when you gonna come back?
my love is the greatest aphrodisiac
after a call, an awful connection
a fragile thing needed protection
hold on to your hope, let go of perfection
because love, far off love’ll bring a man’s blues back
i found the big me by her wounded skin
now i’m paralyzed with sweet indecision
but in the crippling heat of this drought i have vision
vision of love, wet love, the dry texas land cracks
but my love is the greatest aphrodisiac
i dream and dream till i conjure you
you’re right there on the tip of my tongue
i just want to spread the good news
you are the only one, the only one…
i lay myself down on this naked page
there’s still so many things too close to my heart to say
alone at night when i give myself away
i think love, love, i need my muse back
cause my love is the greatest aphrodisiac
vocals and guitars: jason molin
kit: carlos lopez
keys: derek morris Story: To and for Maile, my love, and the time she was in Guatemala for a year and a half. back to top
Asleep In The Sun
guitar and vocals: Jason Molin back to top
Be My TV
guitar and vocals: Jason Molin
recorded distorted live at Flipnotics with overdubbed vocals
guitar and vocals: Jason Molin
drums: Stephen Bress
bass: Alex Sarabia
background voacals: Karla Manzur back to top
Bright Eyes Shine
Bunch of Photos
it all just seems to be a bunch of photos
walkin around the mall spendin money holdin hands
stoppin at the stage to catch the hula dance
poppin in the scuba shop for snorkels and a mask
it all just seems to be a bunch of photos
chattin with the coach y’aint seen in 20 years
putting flowers in the press to keep as souveniers
a smile on your face and a flower in your hair
it all just seems to be a bunch of photos
drivin up the mountain to the lodge with a view
stoppin in the stores gettin presents for the crew
passin through the beach towns lookin for the a bathroom
it all just seems to be a bunch of photos
drivin around lookin for a place to eat
fallin asleep in the passenger seat
endin up eatin pizza cross the street
it all just seems to be a bunch of photos
the evenin on the couch catchin up on tv
flippin between the sexy couples on e!
and checkin out the dog show learnin bout the breeds
it all just seems to be a bunch of photos
guitar and vocals: Jason Molin Story: This was written and recorded (on my laptop) in Hawaii on Maile’s and my honeymoon about our time there. back to top
Bus Station Blues
well my head hurts like my hat’s too tight
but there’s no hat on my head
my eyes feel old and rusty
i keep em staring straight ahead
my back’s been bent for days now
all i really want’s a bed
course i’m just passin through
got them bus station blues again
this january weather
don’t seem to care if i’ve got to wait
below zero for day’s now
no snow just freezin rain
i thought i had a friend up there
but he’s gonna make me late
course i’m just passin through
got them bus station blues again
back inside my hometown
there’s noone to come pick me up
cause i never called my momma
tell her i’d be at the busstop
i just want someone to come and get me
i think i’ve had enough
course i’m just passin through
got them bus station blues again
the man in the busstation bathroom
is slickin back his hair
he wears a pinstripe tux
past his cigar he mumbles a dare
he wears a carnation in his lapel
smells like he’s got nothin else to wear
course i’m just passin through
got them bus station blues again
everybody’s slumped back
with that lazy suspicious stare
none of us belong here
we’re all going somewhere
guess i’ll put another quarter in
for ten minutes in the tv chair
course i’m just passin through
got them bus station blues again
ridin down this highway me and my highway family
my brother sit in silence my sister shutin up the baby
the man across the isle wants to talk i want to sleep
and the man sittin behind me wont let me put back my seat!
well i’m ridin down this highway
two things on my mind
i’m thinkin bout the girl i left
and the girl i’ve got to find
got a beatle slowin down infront of us
a trailor speedin up behind
course i’m just passin through
got them bus station blues again back to top
Cashed
Catching Fireflies
Circus Tent
For Your Lover
half of all the waiters, a tenth of all the saints
my baby likes tomatoes, i like finger paints
a hobby is good and everyone should
be taking photographs or working with wood
drove to the corner, slipped past a cop
drop me an anvil when you get to the top
built in ’63, sold in tennessee
by a guy with a hair-lip clever as can be
figure it out, add it all up, for your lover
there’s siblings in the white house, uncles on tv
i’ve landed in the hoosegow for spreading disease
a million in chips, a nice pair of lips
ringside seats at the fight, a suite for the night
down on alameda where the beehive buzz
you don’t ever need a leader everyone call you cuz
break out your ax, my friend can play sax
i try to sing to straight but my voice always cracks
figure it out, add it all up, for your lover
days go by, never knew needed, some say i
sitting here wishing you well
so fucking hard to say when you deal with such shit everyday
someone’s in the backyard, standing in the rain
i played the wild card then i hopped the next train
i gave it to jane, she gave it to wayne
now he’s got a high fever and going insane
radio is broken my peanut is numb
i lost my subway token and i feel like a bum
telephone rings somebody sings
they treated us like dirt and now they treat us like kings
figure it out, add it all up, for your lover vocals and guitars: jason molin
trumpet: ephraim owens
kit and conga: wayne wilburn
guiro: carlos lopez
bass: alex sarabia
keys: derek morris back to top
Gabriela
i found the perfect room to rent
it was an easy choice
the girl i’d shared the bathroom with
had such a sexy voice
but she also had a boyfriend
they’d lived together here but not for long
now i’m listening to gabriela
going on and on and on and on and on
one night i forgot my keys
and pissed her off by waking her up
in the morning she knocked on my door
and said we have to talk
three hours i’m hearing about some jerk
thinking i’ve done something wrong
listening to gabriela
going on and on and on and on and on
she’s been going with david
off and on three years
seems like every three minutes
he’s driving that poor girl to tears
she won’t take him to the wedding
his mother thinks she’s insane
she can’t believe how he tells
the women he works with about everything
he likes alot of space
they lived together here but not for long
i’m living with gabriela
it’s going on and on and on and on and on
she’s got nude photos of herself
she leaves out for me to see
she lies on my bed while i’m trying to work
telling me she’s so lonely
she’s tells me that she loves him
from my doorway in her bra
she disgusts me with her confessions
and wants to get it on
she’s been going with david
off and on three years
seems like every three minutes
he’s driving that poor girl to tears
i guess i forfiet any rewards
by maknig my complaints
maybe she’ll hear this someday
and excersizes some restraint
so watchout what you say to a man who plays guitar
he’ll write a song
about listening to your pitiful stories
going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on back to top
God Has Been Good To Me
Stopped down by the riverside guitar in my hand
Watched the water drift by to promised land
Something so amazing about this thing called grace
Something so compelling about that hidden face
When I was a little boy I never knew I knew
Everyday I got a little bit older I thought I knew what to do
But now I’m so much older and everything is strange
But my little boy heart keeps beating like noghting ever changed
And I’m thankful for it all
Yes I’m thankful for it all
Yeah I’m thankful for it all
God has been good to me
Go down to the riverside, rich man see yourself
As the water drift by so one day will your wealth
But you can not take it with you to the promised land
Only way to drink that water is with an open hand
Go down to the riverside, mamma, stop your worryin’
A life without trust and courage is a life of sin
How you gonna swim to the otherside if you don’t get wet
How can you hit the jackpot if you don’t even place a bet
And I’m thankful for it all
Yes I’m thankful for it all
Yeah I’m thankful for it all
God has been good to me
If you want to truly live you gotta get ready to die
If you wanna make it down below you gotta look so high
Not much I crazy whacked out world I can say is true
But work first for the Kingdom and all else will be added to you
And I’m thankful for it all
Yes I’m thankful for it all
Yeah I’m thankful for it all
God has been good to me back to top
Hard To Justify
How do you justify making our soldiers die?
A thousand soldier’s lives is hard to justify,
hard to justify.
How do you justify a preemtive strike?
One way is to lie and say World War III is nigh,
ridin’ that bomb down the sky.
How do you justify millions in supplies
that noone’s seen with their eyes?
Still Haliburton tries, despite Ol’ Cheney’s ties.
How do you justify gas prices on the rise?
Hitting all-time highs, blackening Iraqi skies,
and women and children’s lives.
How do you justify prisoners with no rights?
You say, “Those rules don’t apply, we don’t have to comply.”Â
That’s hard to justify.
How do you justify citizens’ loss of rights?
You say “We’ll keep ya safe at night”Â
When you turn out the light your fillin’ me with fright.
I know how you justify. It’s th’old Eye for an Eye.
But with an enemy you can’t find, you’re makin’ everybody blind.
You’re makin’ everybody blind. back to top
Hillbilly
Gotta go and feed my pig
Gotta go and get my rig
Drive on down to uncle Fig’s
Then I’ll do and awesome jig
I’m a hillbilly
Pick my nose, polish my guns
Wake up early bake my buns
Spend all day out in the sun
Churn some butter when the day is done
I’m a hillbilly
No! Really?
Yes, silly
I’m a hillbilly
I get up and put on my overalls
Always wanted to go down niagra falls
Feed my horse out in the stall
Come on over y’all
I’m a hillbilly
No! Really?
Yes, silly
I’m a hillbilly back to top
I Can See You
With a name like Maile how could you be anything but
An island child laying by the water in the sun?
Drinkin tea and reading magazines, taking naps in your bikini
Hey mama what’s your name? You’re my one.
I can see you,
I can see you, I can see you playing on the beach
I can see you,
I can see you, I can see you comin up and kissin me
Yes there’s something inside me you alone stir with your strut
I do a funny little dance cause I can’t contain my love
Walkin hand in hand, strange city streets, takin’ pictures, loving who we meet
Sittin in a restaurant long after we are done and everyone’s gone
I can see you,
I can see you, I can see you sittin there with me
I can see you,
I can see you, I can see you lookin’ so sweet
Your eyes told me hold me
Your map told me unfold me
Your lips practice poetry
Your stars a certain symmetry
And so you called me Jabie, your singin twin, your bean-headed nut
Whistlin love songs for you all day, all night touching toes under the covers
Still remember when I saw you in the store
still want you everyday a little more
You’re my constant question, my how, my why, my when, my what
I can see you,
I can see you,
I can see you standin there right next to me
I can see you
I can see you
I can see you marrying me back to top
I Have Arrived
No more waiting to be discovered
No more waiting to get signed
Discovered myself, I am surrounded by wealth
I realize how much I’ve denied
No more waiting for a favor
No more waiting for the stars to align
No more waiting, no more hesitating
Cause now I know, I have arrived
And I know, I’ve got a long long way to go
But with the wait I am satisfied
And I know that it goes so painfully slow
But that’s OK cause I got you by my side
No more waiting for directions
I’ll make a map out of the sky
I’ve waited so long for the muse to deliver this song
Thanks the Lord, that it arrived
Now I tell myself, If I only had something else
While the thing I need is right in front of my eyes
No more waiting for love, I’m loving exactly what you’re made of
Cause I can see you have arrived
No more waiting to be discovered
No more waiting to get signed
Discovered myself, I am surrounded by wealth
And now I know, I have arrived back to top
I Noticed You
Maybe that lady is here tonight
that waited with me for the bus
I took you dancin on 6th street
and booked the best room for us
You were lying on the bed when you got up and got on the 32
I do not think you noticed me but I noticed you
Maybe that man is here tonight
that sat cross from me on the 1
You took me back you your favorite bar
and told me all about your 6 year old son
Then you got up without warning and walked down 6th avenue
I do not think you noticed me but I noticed you
I want to say How are you today?
but turn away timidly
Out the window I see the stranger and me
going off to buy a cup of coffee
What if that little girl’s here tonight
I spied out the window as we passed
You took me back to your hiding place
and we told stories until we laughed
It must have been time for dinner as the bus pulled out of view
I do not think you noticed me but I noticed you
New pair of shoes, old pair of boots,
anything can do it for me
One day a guy in a peacoat and I
spent the rest of our lives at sea
Maybe that driver’s here with us
that dropped me off a block from my street
I still can’t believe you parked that bus
and came over for a bite to eat
But you remembered everyone was waiting as I started the barbeque
I do not think you noticed me but I noticed you back to top
Jesus Rode A Bike
i’m just a little noise with my grumblin achin belly
tryin to get me a job watchin the tele
but the man on the scale is askin me questions
and my hands are in my pockets looking for suggestions
i’m wheelin dealin, i’m jumpin on the bed
punchin holes in the ceilin with my hard hard head
little ones gather at my trampoline
to ask me how i made it past seventeen
what kind of car would jesus drive?
what kind of car would jesus drive?
sometimes it feels like i’m wastin all my precious time
trying to figure out what kind of car would jesus drive
waitin by the phone for my wagon to go by
but nobody’s home to give me a ride
i get nothing but static upon my screen
and the lines are jammed up with answering machines
lookin for my soul-mate, starin at my shoes
just remindin me that noah gathered everything in twos
tryin to park my satellite someplace
i keep tellin my baby that i need my space
would galileo have listened to the rolling stones?
would galileo listen to the rolling stones?
or would he have preferred the ramones?
would galileo have listened to the rolling stones?
i’m wastin all my precious time
wastin all my precious time
but it’s never been as sacred or sublime
to sit around and waste all my precious time
now it’s ready set loaf! man it’s already noon
didn’t expect the day to begin so soon
gotta copywrite my heart so noone can steal it
and broadcast it out so everyone can feel it
now i’m back on my feet, back in the saddle
got my high heel cleats and my ping-pong paddle
got some equations, burned my brass knuckles
buttoned up my lips with the fancy buckles
would shakespeare have drunk so much beer lastnight?
would shakespeare have drunk so much beer lastnight?
and gotten in such a stupid fight?
would shakespeare have drunk so much beer lastnight?
i’m wastin all my precious time
wastin all my precious time
but it’s never been as sacred or sublime
to sit around and waste all my precious time
vocals and guitar: jason molin
keys: derek morris
bass: doug snyder
trumpet: ephraim owens
kit: wayne wilburn back to top
Lady Across The Way
in the window across the way
i see this lady pray
i see her with her hands clasped
kneeling ‘side the bed she’s made
and i wonder what she wants
and sometimes it kinda haunts
so i pray for the lady
the lady across the way
she seems to live alone like me
has visitors so infrequently
sometimes i think that’s why she prays
so hard for such a long time
and i want to keep her company
but there’s no way i can see
so i go about my business
with her always on my mind
now you also may have guessed
i’ve seen her undress
and i wonder if she saw me
looking on what she would say
i hope that if she knew
what her beauty can do
she’d understand that when i see her
i can’t look away
in the window across the way
i see this lady pray
i see her with her hands clasped
kneeling ‘side the bed she’s made
and i wonder what she want
and sometimes it kinda haunts
so i pray for the lady
the lady across the way back to top
Lake Rules
time to sing a song, you can sing along
rule no. 1: laugh and have some fun
laugh have some fun, i’ll sing my song
water’s lookin blue, sun is shinin through
rule no. 2: do what you want to do
do what you do, i’ll sing my tune
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight run!
jason, maile, jody, george, odin, addison, and clayton
havin fun in the sun
let’s go for a swim, one two three jump in
rule no. 3: be happy and be free
happy and free, i’ll be me
down around the bend, you’ll find all your friends
rule no. 4: get out your door
get out your door, there’s so much more
let’s go throw some rocks, we’ll jump off of the dock
rule number 5: stay alive, stay alive
ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin’ alive!
ducks and thier daughters down by the water
rule no. 6: check out the chicks
check out the chicks lookin so slick
hop on the mini_bike, i’ll give you a ride
rule no. 7: keep your engin revin’
keep it revin, i’m in heaven
let’s go out on the boat, make sure and leave a note
rule no. 8: meet me at the lake
meet at the lake, and don’t be late back to top
Life
there’s lots of cereals out there
of which you should be aware
i really like the quaker oat square
but my favorite is life
healthy cereal is good
when it don’t taste like wood
those little dried fruit never taste like it should
my favorite cereal is life
i alway go for a big old bowl (x3)
of life
i like life cereal
what better material
sugar cereal’s too sweet
cept for the occasional treat
frosted shredded miniwheat
but my favorite is life
i’d have to say life is the best
because i’ve tried all the rest
go ahead take the life taste test
oh yeah my favorite is life
i alway go for a big old bowl (x3)
of life back to top
Love’ll Overcome
you can beat it up, you can knock it down
tell it who’s who, leave it lying on the ground
and you may think you’ve got it beat
but your attack has been your retreat
talking bout love in plain-clothed disguise
you may not see it but it’s walking by
love, bright as the noonday sun
rising out of darkness every dawn
love’ll overcome
you starve it and take its bread
but you’ll end up hungry and it’ll be fed
you can steal from it out of contempt
but you’ll need more and more as it grows ever content
love in plain-clothed disguise
you may not see it but it’s walking by
love, bright as the noonday sun
rising out of darkness every dawn
love’ll overcome
you’ll see it, you’ll get a glimpse
in someone you see on the street but haven’t seen since
you’ll find it in someone you know
and from that moment friend, it cannot but grow
love in plain-clothed disguise
you may not see it but it’s walking by
love, bright as the noonday sun
burning in the darkness bright and strong
love’ll overcome vocals and guitar: jason molin
keys: derek morris back to top
Lub Dub
Messages
Mi Estilo Es Tranquilo
Mr. Mystery
hey mr mystery
whoever you are
you gave us this earth to live on
lives himself beyond the stars
the weather is warm and lovely
and the sun is shining bright
just wanted to say thank you sir
for giving me this life
hey mr mystery
whoever you are
it was tough there for a while
thinking I was nobody”Å¡s child
redirecting my simply trust
to the world now just out of sight
just wanted to say thank you sir
for giving me this life
hey mr mystery
whoever you are
something I think you”Å¡re so very near
sometimes so very far
soon I suppose I”Å¡ll be with ya
when I leave this body behind
just wanted to say thank you sir
for giving me this life
hey mr mystery
whoever you are
have you notice how sometimes we make our lives
unnecessarily hard
sorry if sometimes in all our selfish strife
we forget to say thank you sir
for giving me this life
hey mr mystery
whoever you be
who keeps us always guessing
about the nature of his reality
who gives us clues in every age
of wonder and of light
just wanted to say thank you sir
for giving me this life
hey mr mystery
whoever you are
I figured out you”Å¡d been speaking to me
through every woman and man
but you never spoke to loud and clear
as through the one that they called Christ
just wanted to say thank you sir
for giving me this life
Mystical Experience #115
and i don’t know why it happened
i woke just before dawn
my eyes just opened up
to the infinite pale blue calm
i stared into the ceiling
nothing came to mind
but a soberness like steel
a waiting-for-to-find
there’s a knock, knock, knock on the door
by the time i answer, they’re not there anymore
i wondered at the presence
nothing did respond
my clock in was a’ticking
but time made not a sound
i put my hands behind my head
and looked closer above
i caught the room a’brightening
slower than i thought it could
there’s a ring, ring, ring on the phone
by the time i answer, i just get the dial-tone
there’s a knock, knock, knock on the door
by the time i answer, they’re not there anymore
a car went by below
in a sound like scraping ice
then the blue was gone
and left only clear white
a bus it idled by
the shop below unlocked its door
my thoughts filled with the day ahead
and rest it was no more
vocals and guitar: jason molin
keys: derek morris
bass: alex sarabia
kit: wayne wilburn
violins: alberto requejo
cello: valerie klatt
back to top
Outside
If I’m not getting outside then the sun can’t lay its light
like a hand upon my head and bake my spirit bright.
If I’m not getting outside then I can’t open my eyes
past the walls around my mind, and stretch them out upon the sky.
Feel the breeze go still a while, then the rattle of the leaves,
Song upon song from the trees, looping layered choruses.
I need the sun upon my face.
I feed my feet upon the ground.
Get me high on air and space.
Surround me with the open sound.
‘Cause if I’m not getting outside then the birds cannot remind me
that the dawn is filled with song and the wildlife goes on.
If I’m not getting outside then the flowers can’t confide
Their sensual serenity, the sense of possibility.
Lay upon the lawn with me. Stare up at the sky and see:
There is no philosophy like the branches of a tree.
Mamacita, let’s go talk along the lake, like we did so long ago, there’s still so much I want to know.
Hija linda, let’s pretend that we just met for the 1st time in a long time and we fall in love again.
I need the sun upon my face.
I feed my feet upon the ground.
Get me high on air and space.
Surround me with the open sound.
If I’m not getting outside I need to slip out on the sly
Sip a cup and simmer down, circulate around the grounds.
If I’m not getting outside then I’m not really alive.
I’m a part of everything, I feel it in my wiring.
Suddenly it starts to rain, hushing me with everything,
Quieting my busy brain, I’m nothing but a weathervane.
I need the sun upon my face.
I feed my feet upon the ground.
Get me high on air and space.
Surround me with the open sound.
Ray’s Song
now i gottanother ticket today, nother ticket i can’t pay
say, they took my guitar, said without a licence i can’t play my harp
said some lady complained bout how loud i sing
said she couldn’t sleep with me out here singin in her street
gonna have to sing louder
gonna have to wake that lady up
gonna have to sing louder
till she comes down here and puts a penny in my cup
now i’m up to a buck fifty. guess i’ll go get a bagel and coffee
but man am i tired of ringing spare change from all these miserable hearts
sick and tired of this please, please, please, gettin next to nuthin for my dignity
gonna have to go back to my songs. this poor voice gonna have to carry me on
gonna have to sing louder
just gonna be me and the clap of my hands
gonna have to sing louder
gonna be my own band
now all i know is that nuthin makes more than my version of amazing grace
on that sunday train, bringing life to those churchgoers again
now i read my good book, about the one he forsook
and i thank my god it aint me, yeah that’s what i believe
gonna have to sing louder
just my angel to back me up
gonna have to sing louder
then the’ll be enough in my cup back to top
Riverrun
oh river run
through the city streets
as you clean our souls
wash away all the debris
make us run to higher ground
let us stop to drink
let us hear your rushing sound
take us to the brink of life
river of life
oh river of life
oh river of life flow in me eternally
oh fire burn
this dessert land
consume us all
search out the heart of man
purify the gold and silver
leaving only precious stone
as we gaze into the rising flame
oh make known your intensity
fire of life
oh fire of life
fire of life burn me eternally
see the fire burn on water
see the water quench the flame
as we’re walking on the water
as we’re walking though the dessert plain
as we house the riverfire
neither drowned now burned but sustained
letting him who lives life live through us
experiencing everything in life
river of life
fire of life
giver of life
live in me eternally back to top
Road To Monterrey
every god damn day is like the road to monterrey
it’s your holiday and your still trying to get away
mist on the mountain
breathtaking height
don’t look to the right
it drops out of sight
the rental’s a rattle
the highway’s a snake
your foot’s on the break
every god damn day is like the road to monterrey
it’s your holiday and your still trying to get away
middle of nowhere
two narrow lanes
down come the rains
there’s no wiper blades
it turns into night
some blind with their brights
some stop without lights
checkpoint kid’s got guns
your hope to hell he don’t search you for drugs
can’t make out what he wants
your cowboy’s cap, screw that!
every god damn day is like the road to monterrey
it’s your holiday and your still trying to get away
here comes a tractor trailer
another in your mirror
there’s no kind of shoulder
no place to get over
just plastic flowers laid
by all the roadside graves
so many close shaves
the cop’s a crooked bum
your taillight’s out, he thinks he can get some
but you know to play dumb
that lazy jerk hates paperwork! vocals and guitars: jason molin
trumpet: ephraim owens
keys: derek morris
bass: alex sarabia
kit: wayne wilburn back to top
Room 304
my song begins here in a cheap hotel room
my love and i waking up bathed in the light
that comes from the courtyard filled with the sounds
escaping through windows in everyone’s lives
we’re wind in the trees
this afternoon we leave
an hour at the beach
a hundred city streets
we’re wind in the waves
we have to go today
we’re running to the gate
hurry up we’re late!
the snoring and spitting the wind and the water
the silhouette’s dark and the teenage girl’s light
i am the foreigner, the insatiable voyeur
hooked on the sounds, imagining lives
we’re wind in the trees
this afternoon we leave
an hour at the beach
a hundred city streets
we’re wind in the waves
we have to go today
we’re running to the gate
hurry up we’re late!
someone is hammering, a radio is playing
an old lady’s rasp, a little boy’s whine
the clink of the plates, the echoes like mirrors
it’s all of our lives and we are the spies
we’re wind in the trees
this afternoon we leave
an hour at the beach
a hundred city streets
we’re wind in the waves
we have to go today
we’re running to the gate
hurry up we’re late!
my song ends as ecstatic cries from my lover
mix with the cries of a baby outside
distracted by harmony born in the courtyard
my love and i stop for a moment and smile
we’re wind in the trees
this afternoon we leave
an hour at the beach
a hundred city streets
we’re wind in the waves
we have to go today
we’re running to the gate
hurry up we’re late!
vocals, bass, and guitars: jason molin
keys and accordion: derek morris
percussion: carlos lopez back to top
Saturday Morn
Sleep
in the corner of the kitchen i stand
a cup of sleepytime tea in my hand
it’s two fifty-five am
woke up an hour ago can’t get to sleep again
keep thinkin bout jenny and me
keep wonderin why it is she thought we were meant to be
keep wonderin why i couldn’t see
why for seven nights straight all i do is watch tv
i think i’m sick
my eyes hurt
i’m too alert
i can’t sleep, i can’t eat
all i can be is who she sees
i wanna sleep and barely be
turn out the light inside my mind
well not much makes me happy anymore
i think about the things that made me happy before
it’s five am at the grocery store
to a muzak version of ‘my cherie amor’
i think i’m sick
my eyes hurt
i’m too alert
i can’t sleep, i can’t eat
all i can be is who she sees
i wanna sleep and barely be
turn out the light inside my mind
sleep and barely be
turn out the light, goodnight vocals and guitar: jason molin
background vocals: karla manzur
keys: derek morris
bass: alex sarabia back to top
Speeding
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Than a good way out
Tryin to pick the door
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Goofin’ off a bit
Finishin’ my chores
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Lightning to the head
While I’m out on tour
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Life by the reins
Spurs to the horse
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Than to fake suicide
And some distant shore
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Your name on my chest
Pedal to the floor
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Concentrated on my breath
In case I get one more
Speeding To My Death
Wantin nothin’ more
Than one more meal with friends
Not knowing how it ends back to top
Stickin My Thumb Out at the World
well i turned twenty two the other day
shoulda stayed in bed twas overcast and grey
but anna and i had to get up
had to figure out how to get her to the busstop
but the nearest busstation from little dear isle
is up in bangor bout a hundred miles
so we stood by the side of the road
stickin our thumbs out at the world
well we walked a ways and we got a few rides
then we got a lift from one heck of a guy
he was a gay as a man on the moon
offered us his car for the afternoon
but that was just a little too much for me
awful nice, but i like to live free
so it back to the side of the road
stickin our thumbs out at the world
then we got a ride from a sweet little lady
in the back of her Taurus she had a little baby
I thanked god for her we was cut so clean
thought Arvad and his little girl
raped by a hitchhiker just outa jail
that stood by the side of the road
stickin their thumbs out at the world
well we made it into portland and we looked around
steven king lives there it’s a creepy old town
put anna on the bus back to new york city
the wind and the rain weren’t lookin too pretty
caught a cap outa town got myself good and stranded
like and indian beggar you do it right handed
standin on the side of the road
stickin your thumb out at the world
Well a few nice guys they stopped for me
I guess their fear lost out to their sympathy
They all said Quite a day to be on the road
I said I know but it coulda snowed
most of em drove a pickup truck
you never will get a mercedes to stop
standing on the side of the road
stickin your thumb out at the world
Well I made it home and changed my clothes
stood by the fire and wiped my nose
made myself a happy birthday drink
made it strong so i wouldn’t have to think
that night i dreampt i had it made
me and the good samaritan sold lemonade
in a stand by the side of the road
we stuck our tongues out at the world! back to top
Sunday Morn
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i was on my way to church one sunday morn
the sun was bright and the weather was warm
winter was over but i needed my coat
the streets were clear and the cars ran slow
there a clown breathed flame and ate the fire
juggled a knife a book and a tire
he called all the children and gave em all toys
sent them back to their parents for coins
i came the poet in a long tattered coat
who sung and chanted every word he spoke
he pointed and pounded his great walking stick
i could hardly get through the crowd was so thick
then i came to a one man band
who’d rigged up strings to every finger on his hand
from a little dance and from a little song
came a chorus or strings and drums and gongs
two girls sat on the side of the street
on a persian rug with cards about their feet
the smallest of bills and they’d shuffle the cards
and give you the blessing of their gods
and a middle aged lady with old misfit clothes
sat on a crate with no song nor show
just the dirt on her face and her inhuman eyes
that begged for the money that they despise
and a short man with a beard and beret
had a saxophone and man could he play
low and slow a horse sort-of cry
you could see sadness in all who passed by
and a freckled gypsy boy with spiky red hair
played a penny whistle high with despair
his two younger brothers played violin
as the mother and father passed round the tin
and when i finally came to church i was late
and had spent my money for the collection plate
tossing all my coins in the cups and hats
so i decided to take the long way back
i walked through the street with old women and men
nodding and greeting now and again
down by the courthouse and past the cops
looking in the windows of all the closed shops
my legs had gone weary and my mind had gone blank
as i made it home along the riverbank
arriving again at my door
having spent sunday morning like so many before back to top
Sunday Night Samba
it’s sunday night and since you left on friday it has snowed
i’m thinkin bout how bad it is for you out on the road
a busy weekend without you has left me with a spinning head
till i think of cuddling up and holding tight tonight to you in bed
i don’t know when you’ll be back tonight if you’ve left at all
all around the house i make sure i’ll hear when you call
the way it looks out there tonight you’re better off driving a sled
i’ll come down your chimney, cuddle up and hold you tight tonight in bed
and now i get a call your stranded outside san antone
you’re in a hotel and we’ll both have to sleep alone
it’s all because the earth is at it’s farthest from the sun
january of all the months seems the cruelest one
it’s all because tonight i’ll sleep so far from your bed
i’ll dream of cuddling up and holding tight tomorrow night instead back to top
Take
take a miinute for a song cause life is just way to short
someday your gonna ask yourself how much more of this can i
take a picture of yourself making some silly face
someday your gonna ask yourself how much more of this can i
take a nap for an hour, dream about a sunny beach
someday your gonna ask yourself how much more of this can i
take a little peice of cake, pour yourself a glass of milk
someday your gonna ask yourself how much more of this can i
take a trip to the moon, hangin out with the stars
someday your gonna ask yourself how much more of this can i
take me with you, i’m tired of myself, i just wanna think about you
cause when you’re with me, i get out of my head, i love to treat you well
the world stops closing in and opens up again
take a miinute for a song cause life is just way to long
someday your gonna ask yourself how much more of this can i ta-ake back to top
The Train Into The City
I take the train into the city
I read graffiti on the way
while commuters read their papers
I learn what young punks have to say
I see the walls filled up with names
the wild-styled dialects
some I barely understand
but for each one I have respect
The crumbled walls are falling down
beside the tracks are broken parts
among the rubbish and the rubble
a gallery of broken art
The city’s silhouette approaches
above the traffic in the streets
above the nameless men in doorways
the skyline jagged as a key
I take the train into the city
I read graffiti on the way
while commuters read their papers
I learn what young punks have to say
Story: While I was staying with my brother in New Jersey I’d commute into NYC each day. I wrote this one morning on the train. back to top
This Song Is Done
I don’t care if its good
I don’t care if it makes any sense
I just don’t have the time
to come up with the fancy rhymes
It’s just gotta be fast
I’m cranking out the lines
and what ever I do is fine
if it’s on time
this song is done
this song is done
it’s been fun i got to run
this song is done
I told myself I could do it
a song every goddam day
and there’s nothing to it
when all I gotta do is play
and if you want a good one
you gotta write some bad ones first
and the good ones come when you get over feeling dumb
so get up and do your worst
this song is dumb
but this song is done
they can’t all be the one
this song is done
this song is for all my artists
who don’t know that muse will sing
cause they don’t show up for practice
or finnish a goddam thing
to all my perfectionists
let go of all that crap
let it sail learn to fail
but don’t fall in to that trap
this song is done (x 8)
i’m my father’s son but I have won
this song is done back to top
Tied Inside
To Do Blues
My life’s a long list of todos
whose order is always confused
I write is all down
Scatter it aroung
Got the too-many-checkboxes-blues
To do today or to do tomorrow
That is the cause of my sorrow
I wait till too late
Then I procrastinate
From my future I constanly borrow
I should not drink three beers for breakfast
But I found it on one of my checklists
Finally got something done
Then I had another one
Then I wrote down, “Do something wreckless”
So I put all my paper in a pile
Set it on fire and smiled
Burnt the house down
Left with a frown
And nothing to do for a while
Least nothing to do for a while back to top
Un Momento Perfecto
The saxophone sings on the sound of the sea
The wheelbarrow rest on the coconut tree
A lone child spins falling dizzy in the sand
Un momento perfecto, love here I am
A fisherman waves from a boat in the bay
The dad joins the kids on the beach where they play
They bury the small one to her head in the sand
Un momento perfecto as you take my hand
I can taste the sea water on my beard in the tea
When you lean to and kiss me on your lips the salt beads
An old fellow sleeps on his arms in the sand
Un momento perfecto, nothing so grand
We’ve traveled together ten years and eight days
Always loved each other despite some places we stayed
The sea’s our solution, this our spot in the sand
Un momento perfecto, completely unplanned
Now the days getting hot, everything’s slowing down
Our lunch is long over and soon we’ll stroll back to town
Un momento perfecto must come to an end
But we’ll trek on together till it comes round again back to top
Walkin With You
when you go walkin down on the drag
cause you feel cooped up in your little place
and need space, feelin unclean
and everybody looks like they stepped out a magazine
let me go walkin with you
when you go dancin down along 6th
don’t want to be home alone saturday night
it’s alright, feeling depressed
end up at the bar feeling like an uninvited guest
let me go dancin with you
we’ll just make fun of the world
laugh at how everything is so stupid
and when i go drinkin down at the ritz
cause i need a little time away from myself
for my health, feelin a funk
not feelin right to get happily drunk
let me go drinkin with you
we’ll just make fun of the world
laugh at how everything is so stupid
so when i go drinkin
and when you go dancin
let me go drinkin with you
let me go dancin with you
let me go walkin with you
vocals and guitar: jason molin back to top
What the Day Had to Say
i’m tryin to fall asleep
my pipes are trying to heat
my radiator’s bangin like a hammer
the cars are whooshin by
in the street below outside
it fills my peaceful head with all its clamor
but it all tends to excite
so i turn back on my light
open my journal and write what comes to mind
and i realize that the day
had much much more to say
when it reveals itself to me without the glamor
without the makeup of convention
and the suit to hide the tension
i think back on the girl that waved her hand
and how it took my by surprise
how quickly my disguise
prevented me from stopping for a friend
but the situation was not right
for me to stop mid-flight
or so I told myself out of convenience
but now I think back with regret
that such a little thing as that
separated me from such a beautiful end
so i realize what the pipes
are saying with their gripes
they’re tellin me to go talk to the girl
tell her i saw her the other day
i didn’t know what to say
apologize for being off in my own world
cause i’ve wanted to talk to her
but never found the words
perhaps i’ll ask her for that cup of coffee
i guess those awkward moments are planned
like the little piece of sand
that sits happily at the center of a pearl