Walking on Water

by Nate Wilson

Under the burned-out skies of dark December
Lonely visions passed me by
It was a voice I heard that whispered softly
And carried me away
To a place of fires and fallen angels

And in my final hour all was golden
Burned the buildings to the frozen ground
All that I saw was changed at once before me
And high above the fields
I was filled with glorious delusions

Found today burning in the rafters
As the walls began to fall
Hauled away, a wall of angry faces
'Round the instrument of gods

If I see Saint Lucilia walking on the water
I'll turn and walk away
And it's a fine line between the work of devils and of angels
And in the end it's all the same

After the flames died down I remember
Alone imprisoned by the force of hands
I waited 'til silence came to lay my head down
And in my darkest dreams
I caught sight of the threads of my unmaking

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

by Charles Wesley

Hark, how all the welkin rings,
'Glory to the King of kings;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!'

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
Universal nature say,
'Christ the Lord is born to-day!'

Christ, by highest Heaven ador'd,
Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb!

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity!
Pleased as man with men to appear,
Jesus! Our Immanuel here!

Hail, the heavenly Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.

Mild He lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth;
Born to give them second birth.

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conquering seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.

Now display thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to thine.

Adam's likeness, Lord, efface;
Stamp Thy image in its place.
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the life, the inner Man:
O! to all thyself impart,
Form'd in each believing heart.

Carúl Loch Garman

Traditional

Ó, tagaig' uile is adhraigí
An leanbh cneasta sa chró 'na luí
Is cuimhnígí ar ghrá an Rí
A thug dár saoradh anocht an Naí.
'S a Mhuire Mháthair i bParrthas Dé,
Ar chlann bhocht Éabha guigh 'nois go caomh,
Is doras an chró na dún go deo
Go n-adhram' feasta Mac Mhuire Ógh.

I mBeithil thoir i lár na hoích'
Ba chlos an deascéala d'aoirí,
Go follas don saol ón spéir go binn
Bhí aingle 'canadh ó rinn go rinn.
'Ghluaisig' go beo,' dúirt Aingeal Dé,
'Go Beithil sall is gheobhaidh sibh É
'Na luí go séimh i mainséar féir,
Siúd É an Meisias a ghráigh an saol.'

Merry Xmas Everybody

by Noddy Holder

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
It's the time that every Santa has a ball
Does he ride a red-nosed reindeer?
Does he turn upon his sleigh?
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

So here it is, Merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you sure you've got the room to spare inside?
Does your Granny always tell you
That the old songs are the best?
Then she's up and rock 'n' rollin' with the rest

What will your daddy do
When he sees your mama kissing Santa Claus?

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will to start to fall?
Do you ride on down the hillside
In a buggy you have made?
When you land upon your head then you've been slayed

So here it is, Merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

Gesù bambino

by Pietro Yon

Nell'umile capanna
nel freddo e povertà
è nato il Santo pargolo
che il mondo adorerè

Osanna, osanna cantano
con giubilante cor
i tuoi pastori ed angeli
o re di luce e amor

venite adoremus
venite adoremus
venite adoremus
Dominum

O bel bambin non piangere
non piangere, Redentor!
la mamma tua cullandoti
ti bacia, O Salvator

Osanna, osanna cantano
con giubilante cor
i tuoi pastori ed angeli
o re di luce e amor

venite adoremus
venite adoremus
venite adoremus
Dominum

Ah! venite adoremus
Ah! adoremus Dominum
venite, venite
venite adoremus
adoremus
Dominum

A Whole Lot Better

by Brendan Benson

Take a seat
'Cause there's something I want to say
Take it easy
Don't take it the wrong way
I feel a whole lot better
When you're not around

In and out of love

I change my mind
Every time that the wind blows
Don't know what happens
Don't know where the time goes
I feel a whole lot better
When you come around

In and out of love

I fell in love with you
And out of love with you
And back in love with you
All in the same day

I fell in love with you
And out of love with you
And back in love with you
All in the same day

I feel a whole lot better
When you come around

Still, still, still

by G. Götsch

Still, still, still,
Weil's Kindlein schlafen will!
Die Engel tun schön jubilieren,
Bei dem Kripplein musizieren.
Stille, stille, stille,
Weil's Kindlein schlafen will.

Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf,
Mein liebes Kindlein, schlaf!
Maria tut dich [es] niedersingen
Und ihr treues Herz darbringen.
Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf,
Mein liebes Kindlein, schlaf!

Groß, groß, groß,
Die Lieb' ist übergroß.
Gott hat den Himmelsthron verlassen
Und muß reisen auf der Straßen.
Groß, groß, groß,
Die Lieb' ist übergroß.

Auf, auf, auf,
Ihr Adamskinder auf!
Fallet Jesum all zu Füßen,
Weil er für uns d'Sünd tut büßen!
Auf, auf, auf,
Ihr Adamskinder auf!

Wir, wir, wir,
Wir rufen all zu dir:
"Tu uns des Himmels Reich aufschließen,
Wenn wir einmal sterben müssen.
Wir, wir, wir,
Wir rufen all zu dir."

Ruh't, ruh't, ruh't,
Weil's Kindlein schlafen tut.
Sankt Josef löscht das Lichtlein aus,
Die Englein schützen's kleine Haus.
Ruh't, ruh't, ruh't,
Weil's Kindlein schlafen tut.

Siren Song

by James Wilson

Two-tone flannel for a soul
Broken hearts and rock & roll
Wrap it around you, keep you from the cold
Four lanes and gravel
Heart strings unravel
Chase them down until you're old

So you bust out the headlights
And you break up the dog-fight
Don't you know that it's all in your mind?
Taking up your burden
With your skin still burning
Dragging your life across the sands of time

And the faces, they all look the same
As they scream out your name

And your heart, it screams to belong
But we live and die as we dream all alone
And I heard those sirens singing on FM radio
Darling, they won't let me go

Il est né le divin enfant

Traditional

Il est né le divin enfant,
Jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes!
Il est né le divin enfant,
Chantons tous son avènement!

Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Nous le promettaient les prophètes
Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Nous attendions cet heureux temps.

Ah! Qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant!
Ah! que ses grâces sont parfaites!
Ah! Qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant!
Qu'il est doux ce divin enfant!

Une étable est son logement
Un peu de paille est sa couchette,
Une étable est son logement
Pour un dieu quel abaissement!

Partez, grands rois de l'Orient!
Venez vous unir à nos fêtes
Partez, grands rois de l'Orient!
Venez adorer cet enfant!

Il veut nos cœurs, il les attend :
Il est là pour faire leur conquête
Il veut nos cœurs, il les attend :
Donnons-les lui donc promptement!

O Jésus! O Roi tout-puissant
Tout petit enfant que vous êtes,
O Jésus! O Roi tout-puissant,
Régnez sur nous entièrement!

The Long Division

by Elvis Costello
and Burt Bacharach

Did somebody try
To catch your eye
And almost change your sad expression?
Did somebody's hand
Linger too long?
Must I now make my confession?

But you'll never know
What suspicion is
Until you lie awake
And every night you ask yourself
'What am I to do?'
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There's nothing left over

How's it going to feel?
This time it's real
It's not a temporary fracture
This is what you get
The stage is set
For you and your attempted rapture

Is he going to smile
That indulgent smile
When you come running home?

What am I going to say?
You turn away
And you leave me here despairing
What am I going to do?
I look at you
You seem to be so long past caring

Did somebody say,
'Can we still be friends?'
Only to find out now
That it's a joke, so ask yourself
'What am I to do?'
Can it be so hard to calculate?
When three goes into two
There's nothing left over

Let All Things Now Living

by Katherine K. Davis

Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.

His law he enforces, the stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a Song let us raise
Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving:
'To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!'

Incident on 57th Street

by Bruce Springsteen

Spanish Johnny drove in
From the underworld last night
With bruised arms and broken rhythm in a beat-up old Buick
But dressed just like dynamite
He tried selling his heart
To the hard girls over on Easy Street
But they sighed, 'Johnny it falls apart so easy
'And you know hearts these days are cheap'

And the pimps swung their axes
And said, 'Johnny, you're a cheater'
Well the pimps swung their axes
And said, 'Johnny, you're a liar'
And from out of the shadows came a young girl's voice
Saying, 'Johnny, don't cry'

Puerto Rican Jane
Won't you tell me what's your name?
I want to drive you down to the other side of town
Where paradise ain't so crowded
There'll be action going down on Shanty Lane tonight
All them golden-heeled fairies in a real bitch fight
Pull .38s and kiss the girls good night

Good night, it's all right, Jane
Now let them black boys in to light the soul flame
We may find it out on the street tonight, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight maybe

Well like a cool Romeo he made his moves
Oh, she looked so fine
Like a late Juliet she knew he'd never be true
But then she didn't really mind
Upstairs a band was playing, the singer was singing
Something about going home
She whispered, 'Spanish Johnny, you can leave me tonight
'But just don't leave me alone'

And Johnny cried, 'Puerto Rican Jane
'Word is down the cops have found the vein'
Oh all them barefoot boys, they left their homes for the woods
Them little barefoot street boys, they say homes ain't no good
They left the corners
Threw away all their switchblade knives
And kissed each other good-bye

Johnny was sitting on the fire escape
Watching the kids playing down the street
He called down, 'Hey little heroes, summer's long
'But I guess it ain't very sweet around here anymore'
Janey sleeps in sheets damp with sweat
Johnny sits up alone and watches her dream on
And the sister prays for lost souls
Then breaks down in the chapel after everyone's gone
Jane moves over to share her pillow
But opens her eyes to see Johnny up and putting his clothes on

She says, 'Those romantic young boys
'All they ever want to do is fight'
Those romantic young boys
They're calling through the window
'Hey Spanish Johnny, you want to make a little easy money tonight?'

And Johnny whispered, 'Good night, it's all tight, Jane'
I'll meet you tomorrow night on Lover's Lane
We may find it out on the street tonight, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight maybe

Attics of My Life

by Robert Hunter

In the attics of my life
Full of cloudy dreams unreal
Full of tastes no tongue can know
And lights no eye can see
        When there was no ear to hear
        You sang to me

I have spent my life
Seeking all that's still unsung
Bent my ear to hear the tune
And closed my eyes to see
        When there were no strings to play
        You played to me

In the book of love's own dream
Where all the print is blood
Where all the pages are my days
And all my lights grow old
        When I had no wings to fly
        You flew to me

You
flew
to me

In the secret space of dreams
Where I dreaming lay amazed
When the secrets all are told
And the petals all unfold
        When there was no dream of mine
        You dreamed of me

Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)

by Chris White

A butcher, yes that was my trade
But the King's shilling is now my fee
A butcher I may as well have stayed
For the slaughter that I see

And the preacher in his pulpit
Sermoned, 'Go and fight, do what is right'
But he don't have to hear these guns
And I bet he sleeps at night

And I can't stop shaking
My hands won't stop shaking
My arms won't stop shaking
My mind won't stop shaking
I want to go home
Please let me go home

And I have seen a friend of mine
Hang on the wire like some rag toy
Then in the heat the flies come down
And cover up the boy

And the flies come down in Gommecourt,
Thiepval, Mametz Wood, and French Verdun
If the preacher, he could see those flies
Wouldn't preach for the sound of guns

And I can't stop shaking
My hands won't stop shaking
My arms won't stop shaking
My mind won't stop shaking
I want to go home
Please let me go home

Hung Up

by Paul Weller

Hidden in the back seat of my head
Someplace, I can't remember where
I found it just by coincidence
And now I'm all hung up again

Just like a soldier from the past
Who won't be told it's over yet
Refusing to lay down his gun
He'll keep on fighting 'til his war is won

Waiting for the moment
That will catch me by surprise
Extraordinary
Trying to cease the war inside

Till There Was You

by Meredith Wilson

There were bells on the hill
But I never heard them ringing
No, I never heard them at all
Till there was you

There were birds in the sky
But I never saw them winging
No, I never saw them at all
Till there was you

And there was music
And there were wonderful roses
They tell me
In sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No, I never heard it at all
Till there was you

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

by Martin Luther
Trans. by Fred­er­ic H. Hedge

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Typecast

by Ryan Adams

You and I, we were born to play these parts
And we play them so well
So well and often, sometimes you and I forget
Who we really are
It keeps me locked into the deal

Binary stars, companions in the sky
Always in orbit, but never to collide
We're just not going supernova any time soon
We're just two stars out under the moon

We're typecast
We play losers who keep falling in love with the wrong ones
We're typecast
What a show, why won't they cancel us?
We got a million more seasons to go
We've been typecast

Every shadow I knew you underneath was just a studio trick
A spotlight on the stage
Black bottles to simulate the depth
To manipulate the young and naïve
And hide your age

We're worse than liars, we're paid to be fixed
Ghost lights in our living rooms for in-between matinées
Two lonely stars someplace beyond the moon
Where the light is coming from
But never receiving or getting any

Good Vibrations

by Tony Asher

I love the colorful clothes she wears
And she's already working on my brain
I only looked in her eyes
But I picked up something I just can't explain

I'm picking up good vibrations
She's giving me the excitations

I bet I know what she's like
And I can feel how right she'd be for me
It's weird how she comes in so strong
And I wonder what she's picking up from me

I don't know where, but she sends me there
Got to keep those loving good vibrations
A-happening with her

I'm picking up good vibrations
She's giving me the excitations

S'posin'

by Paul Denniker

S'posin' I should fall in love with you
Do you think that you could love me too?
S'posin' I should hold you and caress you
Would it impress you?
Or perhaps distress you?

S'posin' I should say, 'For you I yearn'
Would you think I'm speaking out of turn?
And s'posin' I declare it
Would you take my love and share it?
I'm not s'posin', 'cause I'm in love with you

Love Me Do

by Paul McCartney

Love, love me do
You know I love you
I'll always be true
So please, love me do

Someone to love
Somebody new
Someone to love
Someone like you

Harvest Moon

by Neil Young

Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleeping
We could dream this night away

But there's a full moon rising
Let's go dancing in the light
We know where the music's playing
Let's go out and feel the night

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon

When we were strangers
I watched you from afar
When we were lovers
I loved you with all my heart

But now it's getting late
And the moon is climbing high
I want to celebrate
See it shining in your eye

I Can Remember

by Eric Carmen

I can remember
Summer skies and your eyes
And in September
When I first realized
That I needed you to be
The other half of me
And my love long-locked inside itself
Had finally been set free

I can remember
Autumm skies and good-byes
Hurting so badly
That I thought I would die
But the more things seem to change
The more they stay the same
And the lonely ones get lonelier
With every passing day

From the day we met
I knew that I should never let you
Get a hold on me
'Cause now you see, I can't forget you

Oh, I can remember midsummer skies
Love in your eyes

In the spring the sun will shine
And make the ice surrender
But it will not warm my heart
As long as I remember

And I will remember midsummer skies
Love in your eyes
And I will remember the times I've cried
Since you say good-bye

I nearly died when you said
'I can't let you down anymore
'So I guess this is good-bye'
What did you do it for?
Every time I think of you and him together
I break down and cry

Oh, I can remember the tears I've cried
Since you say good-bye

I'll See You in My Dreams

by Gus Kahn

Though the days are long
Twilight sings a song
Of a happiness that used to be
Soon my eyes will close
Soon I'll find repose
And in dreams, you're always near to me

I'll see you in my dreams
Hold you in my dreams
Someone took you out of my arms
Still I feel the thrill of your charms

Lips that once were mine
Tender eyes that shine
They will light my way tonight
I'll see you in my dreams

In the dreary gray
Of another day
You are far away and I am blue
Still I hope and pray
Through each weary day
For it brings the night and dreams of you

Some Enchanted Evening

by Oscar Hammerstein II

Some enchanted evening
You may see a stranger
You may see a stranger
Across a crowded room
And somehow you know
You know even then
That somewhere you'll see her
Again and again

Some enchanted evening
Someone may be laughing
You may hear her laughing
Across a crowded room
And night after night
As strange as it seems
The sound of her laughter
Will sing in your dreams

Who can explain it?
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons
Wise men never try

Some enchanted evening
When you find your true love
When you feel her call you
Across a crowded room
Then fly to her side
And make her your own
Or all through your life
You may dream all alone

Once you have found her
Never let her go
Once you have found her
Never let her go

Midwest Midnight

by Michael Stanley

With thirteen lovers I hid beneath the covers
Got staples in my hands for my time
With the radio low so the folks don't know
I proceed with my passionate crime

Though somewhat obtuse, I've been told this abuse
Will more than likely make me go blind
But with a heart that's aching, it's a risk worth taking
'Cause true love, they say, is so hard to find

Why can't she see what she's doing to me
If that bandstand girl only was here
And I'm living the dream, getting lost on the screen
Doing Presley in front of the mirror

Hanging around, getting high on the sounds
Of the ladies and electric guitars
Cross a double yellow line to who knows where
With six sets of glory a night in some bar

Midwest midnight
Ten thousand watts of holy light
From my radio so clear
Bodies glistening
Everybody's listening
As the man plays all the hits that you want to hear

With a will to believe, and my songs on my sleeve
If only I'd known from the start
Such a sensitive toy, for a suburban boy
Who believed he was suffering for art

Then something went wrong, and he watched as his songs
Met a slow death of silence, but worse
He was taken to task, by some critic who asked
'Do you write the words or lyrics first?'

I hear them calling
'Boy, you should be grateful
'To get your foot inside the door
'You know there's thousands out there
'Who would take your place
'This attitude of yours, my son,
'It lacks the due respect
'You bite the hand that feeds you
'Even if you're never fed'

Chasing the fame keeps them all in the game
But money's still the way they keep score
And nobody told you that you would get older
Strung out like some avenue whore

Waiting release, getting shot through the grease
Some L.A. madonna's maligned
And New York's calling just to see if you've heard
About the great English band they just signed

Take me back to midwest midnight
Ten thousand watts of holy light
From my radio so clear
Bodies glistening
Is anybody listening?
Does the man still play all the hits that you want to hear?

Don't Forget the Sun

by Jason Brewer

We do the days together
We spend the nights apart
And don't forget the sun

You've kept me warm since the beginning
I owe you the world and what's in it
And don't forget the sun
It's not the only one
But it's the closest to your heart

I wish that summer
Could stay on for one more hour
I wish that summer sun
Would last the whole year on

Fireflies and Songs

by Sara Groves

Thirty years ago I was a little child
Riding in the back seat of a car
A woman sang, 'You don't bring me flowers anymore'
I felt a sadness in my little heart

We're looking for the music
In the music box
Tearing it to pieces
Trying to find a song

I was drawn to you in ways I can't explain
I fought like crazy, but I couldn't stay away
Piled on expectations and lots of blame
Like we couldn't do it any other way

We're looking for a firefly
Moving through the night
Staring at that one place
Swear it never lights

Were you surprised our hearts were not like ticking clocks?
The faces and hands easy to read
We both wished, 'If only in the land of Oz'
And longed for things we'd never really need

Now we're standing in the kitchen
All pretense is gone
You kiss me on the shoulder
Fireflies and songs

What You Want

by Derek Webb

You're softer than a cannon blast
But your effects much longer last
And I want you just like a hole in my head
But I need you like a meal and a bed

And you say, Come on
I'm not what you're after
But I know you're not just anyone

But I'm not what you want
No, I'm not anyone
But if you needed me
I could be someone

You're an army in a horse
And you have taken me by force
All the freedom in this world could not resist
The sweet temptation of your sweet elusiveness

So I say, Come on
As the gate swings open
I know you're not just anyone

And the lie's always cheaper than the truth
But the lie's all I've never known of you
So maybe none of this is true

'Cause I'm not what you want
No, I'm not anyone
But if you needed me
I could be someone

I Happen to Like New York

by Cole Porter

I happen to like New York
I happen to like this town
I like the city air, I like to drink of it
The more I know New York, the more I think of it
I like the sight and the sound and even the stink of it
I happen to like New York

I like to go to Battery Park
And watch those liners booming in
I often ask myself, why should it be
That they come so far across the sea?
I suppose it's because they all agree with me
They happen to like New York

Last Sunday afternoon
I took a trip to Hackensack
But after I gave Hackensack the once over
I took the next train back

I happen to like New York
I happen to love this town
And when I have to give the world a last farewell
And the undertaker starts to ring my funeral bell
I don't want to go to heaven, don't want to go to hell
I happen to like New York

The Waste Land (Pt. IV)

[Part III here]
by T.S. Eliot

IV. Death by Water

Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,
Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep seas swell
And the profit and loss.
                         A current under sea
Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell
He passed the stages of his age and youth
Entering the whirlpool.
                         Gentile or Jew
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.

[Part V here]

Something's Gotta Give

by Johnny Mercer

When an irresistible force such as you
Meets an old immovable object like me
You can bet just as sure as you live
Something's gotta give, something's gotta give
Something's gotta give

When an irrepressible smile such as yours
Warms an old implacable heart such as mine
Don't say no, because I insist
Somewhere, somehow
Someone's gotta be kissed

So, en garde!
Who knows what the fates might have in store
From their vast mysterious sky?
I'll try hard
Ignoring those lips that I adore
But how long can anyone try?

Fight, fight, fight it with all of your might
Chances are some heavenly star-spangled night
We'll find out just as sure as we live
Something's gotta give, something's gotta give
Something's gonna give

There You Go

by Aaron Tate

Is this the strange feeling
Of you working all to good?
'Cause I am so confused
I don't even ask for what I should

When I asked for, and deserved, stone
You broke and gave your body as bread
Even the stone that dropped down
When rolled away, spoke of the one who bled

There you go working good from my bad
There you go making robes from my rags
There you go melting crowns from my calves
There you go working good of all I have
Till all I have is not that bad

When I asked for, and deserved, a serpent
You gave a net full of fish
And even the serpent that told the lie
When lifted high, foretold the gift

For you so loved the unlovable
That you gave the ineffable
That who so believes the unbelievable
Will gain the unattainable

Happy When It Rains

by Jim Reid

Step back and watch the sweet thing
Breaking everything she sees
She can take my darkest feeling
Tear it up till I'm on me knees

Plug into her electric cool
Where things bend and break
And shake to the rule

Talking fast couldn't tell me something
I would shed my skin for you
Talking fast on the edge of nothing
I would break my back for you

Don't know why, don't know why
Things vaporise and rise to the sky

And we tried so hard
And we looked so good
And we lived our lives in black

But something about you felt like pain
You were my sunny-day rain
You were the clouds in the sky
You were the darkest sky

But your lips spoke gold and honey
That's why I'm happy when it rains
I'm happy when it pours

Looking at me enjoying something
That feels like, feels like pain
To my brain

And if I tell you something
You take me back to nothing
I'm on the edge of something
You take me back

And I'm happy when it rains
And I'm happy now
And I'm happy when it rains

Foot of the Mountain

by Paul Weller

Like a dream on the ocean
Always drifting away
And I can't catch up
She just slips away
On the tide

Sometimes a great notion
Can lead us astray
So weak to devotion
So strong to desire

Won't you let me ride?
Take me up on your sailboat ride
Come on now, angels are on your side
But she slips away
Never stays

Like mercury gliding
A silver teardrop that pours
And I can't hold on
Through my fingers
She's gone

At the foot of the mountain
Such a long way to climb
How will I ever get up there?
Though I know I must try

The Right Must Win

by Frederick William Faber

Oh, it is hard to work for God,
  To rise and take his part
Upon this battle-field of earth,
  And not sometimes lose heart!

He hides himself so wondrously,
  As though there were no God;
He is least seen when all the powers
  Of ill are most abroad.

Or he deserts us at the hour
  The fight is all but lost;
And seems to leave us to ourselves
  Just when we need him most.

Ill masters good; good seems to change
  To ill with greatest ease;
And, worst of all, the good with good
  Is at cross-purposes.

Ah! God is other than we think;
  His ways are far above,
Far beyond reason's height, and reach'd
  Only by childlike love.

Workman of God! Oh, lose not heart,
  But learn what God is like;
And in the darkest battle-field
  Thou shalt know where to strike.

Thrice bless'd is he to whom is given
  The instinct that can tell
That God is on the field when he
  Is most invisible.

Bless'd, too, is he who can divine
  Where real right doth lie,
And dares to take the side that seems
  Wrong to man's blindfold eye.

For right is right, since God is God;
  And right the day must win;
To doubt would be disloyalty,
  To falter would be sin.

I've Got You Under My Skin

by Cole Porter

I've got you under my skin
I've got you deep in the heart of me
So deep in my heart
That you're really a part of me
I've got you under my skin

I've tried so hard not to give in
I've said to myself this affair will never go so well
But why should I try to resist
When baby, I know so well
That I've got you under my skin

I'd sacrifice anything, come what might
For the sake of having you near
In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
And repeats, repeats in my ear

Don't you know little fool, you never can win?
Use your mentality, wake up to reality
But each time I do, just the thought of you
Makes me stop before I begin
'Cause I've got you under my skin

Jeremy

by Eddie Vedder

At home, drawing pictures
Of mountaintops
With him on top
Lemon yellow sun
Arms raised in a V
And the dead lay
In pools of maroon below

Daddy didn't give attention
To the fact
That mommy didn't care
King Jeremy the Wicked
Ruled his world
Jeremy spoke in class today

Clearly I remember
Picking on the boy
Seemed a harmless little punk
But we unleashed a lion
Gnashed his teeth
And bit the recess lady's breast
How could I forget?

And he hit me with a surprise left
My jaw left hurting
Dropped wide open
Just like the day
Like the day I heard

Daddy didn't give affection
And the boy was something
That mommy wouldn't wear
King Jeremy the Wicked
Ruled his world
Jeremy spoke in class today

Try to forget this
Try to erase this
From the blackboard

Jeremy spoke in class today

Dependence

by William Cowper

To keep the lamp alive,
With oil we fill the bowl;
'Tis water makes the willow thrive,
And grace that feeds the soul.

The Lord's unsparing hand
Supplies the living stream;
It is not at our own command,
But still derived from Him.

Beware of Peter's word,
Nor confidently say,
'I never will deny Thee, Lord,'—
But,— 'Grant I never may.'

Man's wisdom is to seek
His strength in God alone;
And e'en an angel would be weak,
Who trusted in his own.

Retreat beneath His wings,
And in His grace confide!
This more exalts the King of kings,
Than all your works beside.

In Jesus is our store,
Grace issues from His throne;
Whoever says, 'I want no more,'
Confesses he has none.

Everything Changes

by Eytan Oren

How do you stand up straight
In a world that puts you down?
And how much longer will this ship
Stay on the ground?
Look at the mirror and you're starting to fear
That the best of years have gone by
That you're never climbing higher

If you're tired of being yourself
Go on and be somebody else
As long as the stars are burning
The world keeps turning
You know that everything changes

How do you know what's of this earth
And what's divine?
And if the point of life is creation
Then why are we wasting our time?
Looking around to discover ourselves
Like it's some fixed point you can find
You can start to lose your mind

Are you ready to quit?
Are you out? Is this it?
We all take a hit
But we keep on fighting

How did you end up in this place
For so long?
And what ever made you think that this
Is where you belong?
Walking the streets like a dog that's been beat
'Cause you just can't sleep tonight
Will you ever get it right?

If you're tired of being yourself
Go on and be somebody else
Take all the rules and break them
Your plans, remake them
'Cause you know that everything changes

Fat Old Sun

by David Gilmour

When that fat old sun in the sky is falling
Summer-evening birds are calling
Summer Sunday and a year
The sound of music in my ears

Distant bells, new-mown grass
Smells so sweet
By the river holding hands
Roll me up and lay me down

And if you see, don't make a sound
Pick your feet up off the ground
And if you hear as the warm night folds
The silver sound from a time so strange
Sing to me, sing to me

Burn On

by Randy Newman

There's a red moon rising
On the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

There's an oil barge winding
Down the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

Cleveland, city of light, city of magic
Cleveland, city of light, you're calling me
Cleveland, even now I can remember
'Cause the Cuyahoga River
Goes smoking through my dreams

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on

Now the Lord can make you tumble
And the Lord can make you turn
And the Lord can make you overflow
But the Lord can't make you burn

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

from Ulysses

by James Joyce
from Episode 11 — Sirens

Bronze by gold heard the hoofirons, steelyringing Imperthnthn thnthnthn.
Chips, picking chips off rocky thumbnail, chips.
Horrid! And gold flushed more.
A husky fifenote blew.
Blew. Blue bloom is on the.
Goldpinnacled hair.
A jumping rose on satiny breast of satin, rose of Castile.
Trilling, trilling: Idolores.
Peep! Who's in the... peepofgold?
Tink cried to bronze in pity.
And a call, pure, long and throbbing. Longindying call.
Decoy. Soft word. But look: the bright stars fade. Notes chirruping answer.
O rose! Castile. The morn is breaking.
Jingle jingle jaunted jingling.
Coin rang. Clock clacked.
Avowal. Sonnez. I could. Rebound of garter. Not leave thee. Smack. La cloche! Thigh smack. Avowal. Warm. Sweetheart, goodbye!
Jingle. Bloo.
Boomed crashing chords. When love absorbs. War! War! The tympanum.
A sail! A veil awave upon the waves.
Lost. Throstle fluted. All is lost now.
Horn. Hawhorn.
When first he saw. Alas!
Full tup. Full throb.
Warbling. Ah, lure! Alluring.
Martha! Come!
Clapclap. Clipclap. Clappyclap.
Goodgod henev erheard inall.
Deaf bald Pat brought pad knife took up.
A moonlit nightcall: far, far.
I feel so sad. P. S. So lonely blooming.
Listen!
The spiked and winding cold seahorn. Have you the? Each, and for other, plash and silent roar.
Pearls: when she. Liszt's rhapsodies. Hissss.
You don't?
Did not: no, no: believe: Lidlyd. With a cock with a carra.
Black. Deepsounding. Do, Ben, do.
Wait while you wait. Hee hee. Wait while you hee.
But wait!
Low in dark middle earth. Embedded ore.
Naminedamine. Preacher is he:
All gone. All fallen.
Tiny, her tremulous fernfoils of maidenhair.
Amen! He gnashed in fury.
Fro. To, fro. A baton cool protruding.
Bronzelydia by Minagold.
By bronze, by gold, in oceangreen of shadow. Bloom. Old Bloom.
One rapped, one tapped, with a carra, with a cock.
Pray for him! Pray, good people!
His gouty fingers nakkering.
Big Benaben. Big Benben.
Last rose Castile of summer left bloom I feel so sad alone.
Pwee! Little wind piped wee.
True men. Lid Ker Cow De and Doll. Ay, ay. Like you men. Will lift your tschink with tschunk.
Fff! Oo!
Where bronze from anear? Where gold from afar? Where hoofs?
Rrrpr. Kraa. Kraandl.
Then not till then. My eppripfftaph. Be pfrwritt.
Done.
Begin!

Elephant Stone

by Ian Brown

Burst into heaven
Kissing the cotton clouds
Arctic sheets and fields of wheat
I can't stop coming down

Your shrunken head
Looking down on me above
Send me home like an elephant stone
To smash my dream of love

Dreaming till the sun goes down
And night turns into day
Rooms are empty, I've got plenty
You could move in right away

Seems like there's a hole
In my dreams

Didn't your bed and bookshelf go
And run, run, run away
These four walls saw the rise and fall
And your midnight getaway

Seems like there's a hole
In my dreams
Or so it seems
Yet nothing means
Anything
Anymore

Our God, Our Help in Ages Past

by Isaac Watts

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
'Return, ye sons of men:'
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere 'tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

This Is the Day

by John Rutter

This is the day which the Lord hath made:
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

O praise the Lord of heav'n:
Praise him in the height.
Praise him, all ye angels of his:
Praise him, all his host.
Praise him, sun and moon:
Praise him, all ye stars and light.
Let them praise the name of the Lord.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee:
To keep thee in all thy ways.

The Lord himself is thy keeper:
The Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand;
So that the sun shall not burn thee by day:
Neither the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
Yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in:
From this time forth forevermore.
He shall defend thee under his wings.

Be strong, and he shall comfort thine heart
And put thou thy trust in the Lord

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

by Randall Jarrell

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

Burnt Norton (Pt. V)

[Pt. IV here]
by T.S. Eliot

Words move, music moves
Only in time; but that which is only living
Can only die. Words, after speech, reach
Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern,
Can words or music reach
The stillness, as a Chinese jar still
Moves perpetually in its stillness.
Not the stillness of the violin, while the note lasts,
Not that only, but the co-existence,
Or say that the end precedes the beginning,
And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end.
And all is always now. Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still. Shrieking voices
Scolding, mocking, or merely chattering,
Always assail them. The Word in the desert
Is most attacked by voices of temptation,
The crying shadow in the funeral dance,
The loud lament of the disconsolate chimera.

The detail of the pattern is movement,
As in the figure of the ten stairs.
Desire itself is movement
Not in itself desirable;
Love is itself unmoving,
Only the cause and end of movement,
Timeless, and undesiring
Except in the aspect of time
Caught in the form of limitation
Between un-being and being.
Sudden in a shaft of sunlight
Even while the dust moves
There rises the hidden laughter
Of children in the foliage
Quick now, here, now, always—
Ridiculous the waste sad time
Stretching before and after.

[East Coker]

My Back Pages

by Bob Dylan

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rolling high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
'We'll meet on edges, soon,' said I
Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

Half-cracked prejudice leaped forth
'Rip down all hate,' I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, thought, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
'Equality,' I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My existence led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
'Good and bad', I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

Their Hearts Were Full of Spring

by Bobby Troup

There's a story told
Of a very gentle boy
And the girl who wore his ring
Through the wintry snow
The world they knew was one
For their hearts were full of spring

As the days grew old
And the nights passed into time
And the weeks and years took wind
Gentle boy, tender girl
Their love remained still young
For their hearts were full of spring

Then one day they died
And their graves were side by side
On a hill where robins sing
And they say violets
Grow there the whole year 'round
For their hearts were full of spring

Everywhere

by Michelle Branch

Turn it inside out so I can see
The part of you that's drifting over me
And when I wake you're never there
But when I sleep you're everywhere

Just tell me how I got this far
Just tell me why you're here and who you are
'Cause every time I look you're never there
And every time I sleep you're always there

'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes, it's you I see
You're everything I know that makes me believe
I'm not alone

I recognize the way you make me feel
It's hard to think that you might not be real
I sense it now, the water's getting deep
I try to wash the pain away from me

And when I touch your hand
It's then I understand
The beauty that's within
It's now that we begin
You always light my way
I hope there never comes a day
No matter where I go
I always feel you so

'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I catch my breath, it's you I breathe
You're everything I know that makes me believe
I'm not alone

You're in everyone I see
So tell me
Do you see me?

Salt of the Earth

by Mick Jagger

Let's drink to the hard-working people
Let's drink to the lowly of birth
Raise your glass to the good and the evil
Let's drink to the salt of the earth

Say a prayer for the common foot soldier
Spare a thought for his back-breaking work
Say a prayer for his wife and his children
Who burn the fires and who still till the earth

And when I search a faceless crowd
A swirling mass of gray and black and white
They don't look real to me
In fact, they look so strange

Raise your glass to the hard-working people
Let's drink to the uncounted heads
Let's think of the wavering millions
Who need leaders but get gamblers instead

Spare a thought for the stay-at-home voter
His empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows
And a parade of the grey-suited grafters
A choice of cancer or polio

Let's drink to the hard-working people
Let's think of the lowly of birth
Spare a thought for the rag-taggy people
Let's drink to the salt of the earth

Let's drink to the hard-working people
Let's drink to the salt of the earth
Let's drink to the two thousand million
Let's think of the humble of birth

Doubt Comes In

by Anaïs Mitchell

Doubt comes in and strips the paint
Doubt comes in and turns the wine
Doubt comes in and leaves a trace
Of vinegar and turpentine

Where are you?
Where are you now?

Doubt comes in and kills the lights
Doubt comes in and chills the air
Doubt comes in and all falls silent
It's as though you aren't there

Where are you?
Where are you now?

Orpheus, you're shivering
Is it cold or fear?
Just keep singing
The coldest night of the coldest year
Comes right before the spring

Doubt comes in with tricky fingers
Doubt comes in with fickle tongues
Doubt comes in and my heart falters
And forgets the songs it's sung

Where are you?
Where are you now?

Orpheus, hold on
Hold on tight
It won't be long
'Cause the darkest hour of the darkest night
Comes right before the dawn

Lost (Planet Nice)

by Lee Ranaldo

When you're lost
When every indecision
Seems to fade away
Into the wind in vain

When every single dream
Requires revision
When they roll around
In your head again and again

'Cause you're lost
You really don't know
That you're lost
You're lost, but you're whole

When you hate
To seem like such a beginner
And the measure of your life
Runs right through your hand

When you're playing a game
Without any clear winner
And you do the things you do
Just because you can

But you're lost
You really don't know
That you're lost
You're lost, but you're whole

When you're lost
When your boyfriend's got no vision
But I can't sway you
'Cause he's still got the finest hands

If there's a howling in your night
But you just got to listen
You can use a friend
To help you understand

But you know
You really should know
That you move so good
You're lost, but you're whole

When you're lost
Lost in that perfect prison
I've heard about your days
In the wind and sand

When everything you say
Comes out like religion
You could use a friend
And some kind of a clear plan

'Cause you're lost
But you really don't know
How you lost
You lost, but you're whole

Brush Up Your Shakespeare

by Cole Porter

The girls today in society
Go for classical poetry
So to win their hearts one must quote with ease
Aeschylus and Euripides

One must know Homer, and believe me, beau
Sophocles, also Sappho-ho
Unless you know Shelley and Keats and Pope
Dainty Debbies will call you a dope

But the poet of them all
Who will start 'em simply ravin'
Is the poet people call
The Bard of Stratford-on-Avon

Brush up your Shakespeare
Start quoting him now
Brush up your Shakespeare
And the women you will wow

Just declaim a few lines from Othella
And they'll think you're a hell of a fella
If your blonde won't respond when you flatter 'er
Tell her what Tony told Cleopatterer
If she fights when her clothes you are mussing
What are clothes? Much Ado About Nussing
Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kow-tow

With the wife of the British ambessida
Try a crack out of Troilus and Cressida
If she says she won't buy it or tike it
Make her tike it, what's more As You Like It
If she says your behavior is heinous
Kick her right in the Coriolanus
Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kow-tow

If you can't be a ham and do Hamlet
They will not give a damn or a damlet
Just recite an occasional sonnet
And your lap will have honey upon it
When your baby is pleading for pleasure
Let her sample your Measure for Measure
Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kow-tow

Better mention The Merchant Of Venice
When her sweet pound o' flesh you would menace
If her virtue, at first, she defends well
Just remind her that All's Well That Ends Well
And if still she won't give you a bonus
You know what Venus got from Adonis
Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kow-tow

If your girl is a Washington Heights dream
Treat the kid to A Midsummer Night's Dream
If she then wants an all-by-herself night
Let her rest every 'leventh or Twelfth Night
If because of your heat she gets huffy
Simply play on and lay on, Macduffy!
Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kow-tow

She's So High

by Tal Bachman

She's blood, flesh, and bone
No tucks or silicone
She's touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound
But somehow I can't believe
That anything should happen
I know where I belong
And nothing's going to happen

'Cause she's so high
High above me, she's so lovely
She's so high
Like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite

First class and fancy free
She's high society
She's got the best of everything
What could a guy like me
Ever really offer?
She's perfect as she can be
Why should I even bother?

She calls to speak to me
I freeze immediately
'Cause what she says sounds so unreal
'Cause somehow I can't believe
That anything should happen

Stella Blue

by Robert Hunter

All the years combine
They melt into a dream
A broken angel sings
From a guitar

In the end there's just a song
Comes crying up the night
Through all the broken dreams
And vanished years
Stella Blue

When all the cards are down
There's nothing left to see
There's just the pavement left
And broken dreams

In the end there's still that song
Comes crying like the wind
Down every lonely street
That's ever been
Stella Blue

I've stayed in every blue light cheap hotel
Can't win for trying
Dust off those rusty strings just one more time
Going to make them shine

It all rolls into one
And nothing comes for free
There's nothing you can hold
For very long

And when you hear that song
Come crying like the wind
It seems like all this life
Was just a dream
Stella Blue

Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain

by John of Damascus
Trans. by John M. Neal

Come, ye faithful, raise the strain of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought forth Israel into joy from sadness;
Loosed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke Jacob's sons and daughters,
Led them with unmoistened foot through the Red Sea waters.

'Tis the spring of souls today; Christ has burst His prison,
And from three days' sleep in death as a sun hath risen;
All the winter of our sins, long and dark, is flying
From His light, to Whom we give laud and praise undying.

Now the queen of seasons, bright with the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts, comes its joy to render;
Comes to glad Jerusalem, who with true affection
Welcomes in unwearied strains Jesus' resurrection.

Neither might the gates of death, nor the tomb's dark portal,
Nor the watchers, nor the seal hold Thee as a mortal;
But today amidst the twelve Thou didst stand, bestowing
That Thy peace which evermore passeth human knowing.

'Alleluia!' now we cry to our King immortal,
Who, triumphant, burst the bars of the tomb's dark portal;
'Alleluia!' with the Son, God the Father praising,
'Alleluia!' yet again to the Spirit raising.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

by Stuart Townend

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That he should give his only Son
To make a wretch his treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns his face away
As wounds which mar the chosen one
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon his shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that left him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from his reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Come to the Waters

by James Montgomery Boice

Come to the waters, whoever is thirsty;
Drink from the Fountain that never runs dry.
Jesus, the Living One, offers you mercy,
Life more abundant in boundless supply.

Come to the River that flows through the city,
Forth from the throne of the Father and Son.
Jesus the Savior says, 'Come and drink deeply.'
Drink from the pure, inexhaustible One.

Come to the Fountain without any money;
Buy what is given without any cost.
Jesus, the gracious One, welcomes the weary;
Jesus, the selfless One, died for the lost.

Come to the Well of unmerited favor.
Stretch out your hand; fill your cup to the brim.
Jesus is such a compassionate Savior.
Draw from the grace that flows freely from him.

Come to the Savior, the God of salvation.
God has provided an end to sin's strife.
Why will you suffer the Law's condemnation?
Take the free gift of the water of life.

It Happens Every Spring

by Mack Gordon

It happens every spring
The world is young again
Where children on an ups-a-daisy swing
A carousel with horses freshly painted
The oompapa that says, 'Let's get acquainted'

What is that cheer I heard?
A fellow stealing third
Your neighbor's boy became a home-run king
Your dad rolls up his sleeves to clean the attic
Your sixteen-year-old sister goes dramatic

It happens
Yes, it happens every spring

The tears that go with sulfur and molasses
The outstretched nickles when an ice cream wagon passes
A rippling stream sounds like a rippling heart
As Mother Nature proudly spreads her new green carpet

Be patient, lonely one
Your love will come along
Your autumn heart will find a song to sing
Then raindrops will be dancing to the tune of it
The carefree gay and April, May, and June of it

And remember it never rains but what it pours
And maybe raindrops will be whispering, 'This spring is yours'

Well, I Never Did

by Dame Victoria Bennett
AKA Stephen Fry

Oh yes, I'll never forget that one! That was taken before they pulled down the gasworks and built that Netto Superstore. Oh, he looks good in his Littlewood's Keynote cardie, does our Alan! I said at the time, I said, 'Alan, if you want to get on in the world, you'd be wise to write down everything I say, because it's gold, is what I say. And don't hog the Peak Freenes, lad. Pass them 'round.'

Lovely boy, he was. Teeth weren't his strong feature, of course, and his hair wasn't what you might call Leslie Howard, but I always say, 'Teeth is teeth. What does it matter so long as you've got your wealth?'

He said, 'I can't wait to get out of here, Auntie Ivy, and make my fortune down south.'

I said, 'Alan,' I said, 'I may not be as cabbage-looking as my tongue is a fisherman's doily, but what's London got that you won't find in the Arndale Centre in Todmorden?' Well, he was stuck for a reply. I said, 'You want sophistication, you stick with us up here, love.' He knew I was right, bless him. I mean, we've got a body shop in the parade now. You can't move for Volvos in the autumn months. But then he's always had his head in the clouds, has our Alan.

Caught him trying to scour a milk pan with a tea bag once. I said, 'It's all very well knowing long words, but if you can't tell the difference between a box of brillo pads and a packet of Typhoo One-Cup, you'll never get on.' I'll go to the back of our fridge....

He did leave, though; got a scholarship to Oxford. I said, 'You make sure as there's somewhere as you can buy Kendall Mint Cake and a good bar of Wright's coal tar soap, because they've no idea, down there.' Well, I mean fancy ideas and tropical mix croutons are all very well, but they don't get the Vimto buttered, do they? For all your fine Italian red lettuce — which to my mind tastes as bitter as a Skipton wind.

He said, 'Auntie, I'll be fine.'

Well of course, I didn't know him when he came back. Green corduroy jacket and duffle coat, horn-rimmed spectacles you could eat parsley out of, and a head crammed with I don't know what. And books, you've never seen so many! Some of them that dirty I blushed to the roots of my Playtex. I said, 'Those books are going straight into the Hotpoint and no buts.' Came up lovely, they did. Amazing what a bit of Lenor can do if you've a mind.

No, but that Oxford and his smart friends, they've changed him. Ideas, that's what it is. I said, 'What use is ideas when you've a capon to baste and the tally-man's due any minute? Name an idea,' I said, 'that can get the front steps scrubbed, the sausages pricked, and the navel oranges squeezed in time for a meat tea and finger buffet.' Well, he didn't know which way to look.

These Oxford types, they're all apricot facial scrub and yesterday's suet turnover: to look at them you'd think a packet of Bachelor's Savoury Rice wouldn't melt in their Vosene Medicated, but they've no savvy. I could take a Black & Decker nose drill to the pack of them and still have change left over for a bag of peanut brittle.

Left home, of course. Got involved with the BBC, all party eggs and tomato chutney. Next thing I know, he's got a damehood and a brand new hostess trolley to show for it. They'll fall for anything, them Londoners.

Well, I'm off down to Morrison's for a jar of melon lip balm and a four-pack of interuterine devices. Got that Pat Routledge 'round for elocution lessons at twelve. Tarra!

The Waiting

by Tom Petty

Oh baby, don't it feel like heaven right now?
Don't it feel like something from a dream?
I've never known nothing quite like this
Don't it feel like tonight might never be again?
We know better than to try and pretend
No one could have ever told me about this

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith
You take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

I might have chased a couple of women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I feel right now
You're the only one that's ever known how
To make me want to live like I want to live now

Don't let it kill you, baby
Don't let it get to you
I'll be your breathing heart
I'll be your crying fool
Don't let this go too far
Don't let it get to you

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith
You take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Give Praise to God

by James Montgomery Boice

Give praise to God who reigns above,
For perfect knowledge, wisdom, love;
His judgments are divine, devout,
His path beyond all tracing out.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

No one can counsel God all-wise,
Or truths unveil to His sharp eyes;
He marks our paths behind, before;
He is our steadfast Counselor.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

Nothing exists that God might need,
For all things good from Him proceed.
We praise Him as our Lord, and yet,
We never place God in our debt.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

Creation, life, salvation too,
And all things else, both good and true,
Come from and through our God always,
And fill our hearts with grateful praise.
Come, lift your voice to heaven's high throne,
And glory give to God alone!

The Lord's Prayer

by Spiros Zodhiates

You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer
And even once say, 'I.'
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer
And even once say, 'My.'
Nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer
And not pray for one another,
For when you ask for daily bread
You must include your brother.
For others are included
In each and every plea—
From the beginning to the end of it,
It never once says, 'Me!'

Ash Wednesday (Pt. IV)

[Pt. III here]
by T.S. Eliot

Who walked between the violet and the violet
Who walked between
The various ranks of varied green
Going in white and blue, in Mary's colour,
Talking of trivial things
In ignorance and knowledge of eternal dolour
Who moved among the others as they walked,
Who then made strong the fountains and made fresh the springs

Made cool the dry rock and made firm the sand
In blue of larkspur, blue of Mary's colour,
Sovegna vos

Here are the years that walk between, bearing
Away the fiddles and the flutes, restoring
One who moves in the time between sleep and waking, wearing

White light folded, sheathing about her, folded.
The new years walk, restoring
Through a bright cloud of tears, the years, restoring
With a new verse the ancient rhyme. Redeem
The time. Redeem
The unread vision in the higher dream
While jewelled unicorns draw by the gilded hearse.

The silent sister veiled in white and blue
Between the yews, behind the garden god,
Whose flute is breathless, bent her head and signed but spoke no word

But the fountain sprang up and the bird sang down
Redeem the time, redeem the dream
The token of the word unheard, unspoken

Till the wind shake a thousand whispers from the yew

And after this our exile

[Pt. V here]

I've Got a Crush on You

by Ira Gershwin

How glad the many millions
Of Annabelles and Lillians
Would be to capture me
But you had such persistence
You wore down my resistance
I fell, and it was swell

I'm your big and brave and handsome Romeo
How I won you I shall never, never know
It's not that you're attractive
But oh, my heart grew active
When you came into view

I've got a crush on you, Sweetie-Pie
All the day and night-time, hear me sigh
I never had the least notion
That I could fall with so much emotion

Could you coo? Could you care?
For a cunning cottage we could share
The world will pardon my mush
'Cause I have got a crush, my baby, on you

What Is This Thing Called Love?

by Cole Porter

I was a humdrum person
Leading a life apart
When love flew in through my window wide
And quickened my humdrum heart

Love flew in through my window
I was so happy then
But after love had stayed a little while
Love flew out again

What is this thing called love?
This funny thing called love?
Just who can solve its mystery?
Why should it make a fool of me?

I saw you there one wonderful day
You took my heart and threw it away
That's why I ask the Lord in heaven above
What is this thing called love?

Little Gidding (Pt. I)

by T.S. Eliot

Midwinter spring is its own season
Sempiternal though sodden towards sundown,
Suspended in time, between pole and tropic.
When the short day is brightest, with frost and fire,
The brief sun flames the ice, on pond and ditches,
In windless cold that is the heart's heat,
Reflecting in a watery mirror
A glare that is blindness in the early afternoon.
And glow more intense than blaze of branch, or brazier,
Stirs the dumb spirit: no wind, but pentecostal fire
In the dark time of the year. Between melting and freezing
The soul's sap quivers. There is no earth smell
Or smell of living thing. This is the spring time
But not in time's covenant. Now the hedgerow
Is blanched for an hour with transitory blossom
Of snow, a bloom more sudden
Than that of summer, neither budding nor fading,
Not in the scheme of generation.
Where is the summer, the unimaginable
Zero summer?

              If you came this way,
Taking the route you would be likely to take
From the place you would be likely to come from,
If you came this way in may time, you would find the hedges
White again, in May, with voluptuary sweetness.
It would be the same at the end of the journey,
If you came at night like a broken king,
If you came by day not knowing what you came for,
It would be the same, when you leave the rough road
And turn behind the pig-sty to the dull facade
And the tombstone. And what you thought you came for
Is only a shell, a husk of meaning
From which the purpose breaks only when it is fulfilled
If at all. Either you had no purpose
Or the purpose is beyond the end you figured
And is altered in fulfilment. There are other places
Which also are the world's end, some at the sea jaws,
Or over a dark lake, in a desert or a city—
But this is the nearest, in place and time,
Now and in England.

              If you came this way,
Taking any route, starting from anywhere,
At any time or at any season,
It would always be the same: you would have to put off
Sense and notion. You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid. And prayer is more
Than an order of words, the conscious occupation
Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.
And what the dead had no speech for, when living,
They can tell you, being dead: the communication
Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living.
Here, the intersection of the timeless moment
Is England and nowhere. Never and always.

[Pt. II here]

Burnt Norton (Pt. IV)

[Pt. III here]
by T.S. Eliot

Time and the bell have buried the day,
The black cloud carries the sun away.
Will the sunflower turn to us, will the clematis
Stray down, bend to us; tendril and spray
Clutch and cling?

Chill
Fingers of yew be curled
Down on us? After the kingfisher's wing
Has answered light to light, and is silent, the light is still
At the still point of the turning world.

[Pt. V here]

Holy Sonnet X

by John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those, whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy picture be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou'rt slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And Death shall be no more, Death, thou shalt die.

To a Mouse

by Robert Burns

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle.

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
An' fellow mortal!

I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't.

Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's win's ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld.

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

There She Goes

by Lee Mavers

There she goes
There she goes again
Racing through my brain
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains

There she blows
There she blows again
Pulsing through my vein
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains

There she goes
There she goes again
She calls my name, pulls my train
No one else could heal my pain
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains

There she goes
There she goes again
Chasing down my lane
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains

Sola Gratia

by James Montgomery Boice

I once was rebellious, corrupted by sin
Pursuing the devil's dark path
Oblivious, dead to the state I was in
An object of God's dreadful wrath

But God who is rich in compassion and love
Not leaving my soul to the grave
Has given me life; born again from above
By God's sov'reign grace I've been saved

God lifted me up to the heavenly realms
Where seated with Christ I am free
In ages to come he will show me more grace
So great is his kindess to me

Since grace is the source of the life that is mine
And faith is a gift from on high
I'll boast in my Savior, all merit decline
And glorify God 'til I die

Yet now I am living with work to be done
For I am God's workmanship too
Created in Christ with a race to run
Which God has ordained me to do

A Winter's Tale

by Freddie Mercury

It's Winterfall
Red skies are gleaming
Seagulls are flying over
Swans are floating by
Smoking chimney tops
Am I dreaming?
Am I dreaming?

The nights draw in
There's a silky moon up in the sky
Children are fantasizing
Grown-ups are standing by
What a super feeling
Am I dreaming?
Am I dreaming?

So quiet and peaceful
Tranquil and blissful
There's a kind of magic in the air
What a truly magnificient view
A breathtaking scene
With the dreams of the world
In the palm of your hand

A cozy fireside chat
A little this, a little that
Sound of merry laughter skipping by
Gentle rain beating on my face
What an extraordinary place
And the dream of the child
Is the hope of the hope of the man

It's all so beautiful
Like a landscape painting in the sky
Mountains are zooming higher
Little girls scream and cry
My world is spinning and spinning and spinning
It's unbelievable
Sends me reeling
Am I dreaming?
Am I dreaming?

It's bliss

So You Think You're in Love

by Robyn Hitchcock

So you think you're in love
Yes, you probably are
But you want to be straight about it

Can you imagine what the people say?
But the silent majority
Is the crime of the century
You know it

Are you sure that it's wise?
No, you probably ain't
You don't want to be faint about it

By the look in your eyes
No, you probably ain't
But you shouldn't be faint about it

What is love made of?
Nobody knows
What are you afraid of?
Everyone knows
It's love

Thank You Friends

by Alex Chilton

Thank you, friends
Wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you
I'm so grateful
For all the things you helped me do

All the ladies and gentlemen
Who made this all so probable

Thank you, friends
I rejoice to the skies
Dear ones like you do the best I do
As far as can see my eyes

All the ladies and gentlemen
Who made this all so probable

Without my friends I got chaos
I'm often a bead of light
Without my friends I'd be swept up high
By the wind

O Lord, Our Father, Thanks to Thee

by Cyr­i­a­cus Schnee­gass
Trans. by August Crull

O Lord, our Father, thanks to Thee
In this new year we render,
For every evil had to flee
Before Thee, our Defender.
Our life was nourished, we were fed
With rich supplies of daily bread,
And peace reigned in our borders.

Lord Jesus Christ, our thanks to Thee
In this new year we render;
Thy reign hath kept Thy people free,
Hath shown Thy mercies tender.
Thou hast redeemed us with Thy blood,
Thou art our Joy, our only Good,
In life and death our Savior.

Lord Holy Ghost, our thanks to Thee
In this new year we render,
For Thou hast led our eyes to see
Thy truth in all its splendor
And thus enkindled from above
Within our hearts true faith and love
And other Christian virtues.

Our faithful God, we cry to Thee:
Still bless us with Thy favor,
Blot out all our iniquity,
And hide our sins forever.
Grant us a happy, good new year
And, when the hour of death draws near,
A peaceful, blest departure.