Stanley Park

by Aoife O'Donovan

See that gull on the old sea wall
Songbirds fly and others fall
I sleep to the beating of their wings
The wind sings

See that babe at her mother's breast
If I could, I'd take my rest
Back in the belly from where I came
Nobody knows my name

Half-asleep in a bowl of gruel
No one told me life was cruel
My home is in this valley now
But it's burning down

If I find a fire escape
I'll break the past and put on my cape
I'll pretend I'm Superman
Where are my friends?

I'm a poor wayfarer, and I've
Got no one to dry my eyes
Time to lay this body down
In the frozen ground

When I die, though it bring me back
As a snow-white gull I'll make my tracks
On the sandy beach of the English bay
And I'll fly away

This Peace

by Sara Groves

So many words to say
But I'm opting for silence
So many days to live
I thinking I'm sitting this one out
'Cause something I've been chasing
Finally stop to let me catch it
Something I've been longing for
And dreaming about

It's a whisper in my ear
It's a shiver up my spine
It's the gratitude I feel
For all that's right
It's a mystery appeal
That's been granted me tonight
This peace

It's something so elusive
Something close but far away
It's the home that I can't live in yet
Somewhere in outer space
And sometimes I barely miss it
When I walk into the room
The curtains are still swaying
And I feel the air move

It whispers in my ear
And it shivers up my spine
It's the gratitude I feel
For all that's right
It's a mystery appeal
That's been granted me tonight
This peace

No time to grab a camera
No time to write it down
Just time enough to breathe it in
And linger

Farther On

by Jackson Browne

In my early years I hid my tears
And passed my days alone
Adrift on an ocean of loneliness
My dreams like nets were thrown
To catch the love that I'd heard of
In books and films and songs
Now there's a world of illusion and fantasy
In the place where the real world belongs

Still I look for the beauty in songs
To fill my head and lead me on
Though my dreams have come up torn and empty
As many times as love has come and gone

To those gentle ones my memory runs
To the laughter we shared at the meals
I filled their kitchens and living rooms
With my schemes and my broken wheels
It was never clear how far or near
The gates to my citadel lay
They were cutting from stone some dreams of their own
But they listened to mine anyway

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say
It could be I've lost my way
Though I keep a watch over the distance
Heaven's no closer than it was yesterday
And the angels are older
They know not to wait up for the sun
They look over my shoulder
At the maps and the drawings of the journey I've begun

Now the distance leads me farther on
Though the reasons I once had are gone
I keep thinking I'll find what I'm looking for
In the sand beneath the dawn
But the angels are older
They can see that the sun's setting fast
They look over my shoulder
At the vision of paradise contained in the light of the past

And they lay down behind me
To sleep beside the road till the morning has come
Where they know they will find me
With my maps and my faith in the distance moving farther on

Abide with Me

by Henry F. Lyte

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But as thou dwell'st with thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea—
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus bide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Mr. Blue Sky

by Jeff Lynne

Sun is shining in the sky
There ain't a cloud in sight
It stopped raining
Everybody's in a play
And don't you know, it's a beautiful new day

Running down the avenue
See how the sun shines brightly
In the city
On the streets where once was pity
Mr. Blue Sky is living here today

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?

Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration
Mr. Blue Sky's up there waiting
And today is the day we've waited for

Hey there Mr. Blue!
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around, see what you do
Everybody smiles at you

Mr. Blue you did it right
But soon comes Mr. Night
Creeping over
Now his hand is on your shoulder
Never mind I'll remember you this way

Here Comes the Sun

by George Harrison

Little darling
It's been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say
It's all right

Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been here

Sun, sun, sun
Here it comes
Sun, sun, sun
Here it comes

Little darling
I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been clear

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?

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

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

by Steven Morrissey

Take me out tonight
Where there's music and there's people
Who are young and alive
Driving in your car
I never, never want to go home
Because I haven't got one
Anymore

Take me out tonight
Because I want to see people
And I want to see lights
Driving in your car
Oh please, don't drop me home
Because it's not my home, it's their home
And I'm welcome no more

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine

Take me out tonight
Take me anywhere, I don't care
I don't care, I don't care
And in the darkened underpass
I thought, 'Oh God, my chance has come at last!'
But then a strange fear gripped me
And I just couldn't ask

There is a light, and it never goes out

Where the Columbines Grow

by A.J. Fynn

Where the snowy peaks gleam in the moonlight,
Above the dark forests of pine,
And the wild foaming waters dash onward,
Toward lands where the tropic stars shine;
Where the scream of the bold mountain eagle,
Responds to the notes of the dove
Is the purple robed West, the land that is best,
The pioneer land that we love.

The bison is gone from the upland,
The deer from the canyon has fled,
The home of the wolf is deserted,
The antelope moans for his dead,
The war whoop re-echoes no longer,
The Indian's only a name,
And the nymphs of the grove in their loneliness rove,
But the columbine blooms just the same.

Let the violet brighten the brookside,
In sunlight of earlier spring,
Let the fair clover bedeck the green meadow,
In days when the orioles sing,
Let the golden rod herald the autumn,
But, under the midsummer sky,
In its fair Western home, may the columbine bloom
Till our great mountain rivers run dry.

'Tis the land where the columbines grow,
Overlooking the plains far below,
While the cool summer breeze in the evergreen trees
Softly sings where the columbines grow.

Babylon

by David Gray

Friday night I'm going nowhere
All the lights are changing green to red
Turning over TV stations
Situations running through my head

Looking back through time, you know
It's clear that I've been blind, I've been a fool
To open up my heart to all that jealousy
That bitterness, that ridicule

Saturday I'm running wild and
All the lights are changing red to green
Moving through the crowd, I'm pushing
Chemicals are rushing in my bloodstream

I only wish that you were here
You know I'm seeing it so clear, I've been afraid
To show you how I really feel
Admit to some of those bad mistakes I've made

And if you want it
Come and get it
Crying out loud
The love that I was
Giving you was
Never in doubt

Let go your heart
Let go your head
And feel it now
Babylon

Sunday all the lights in London shining
Sky is fading red to blue
I'm kicking through the Autumn leaves
And wondering where it is you might be going to

Turning back for home
You know I'm feeling so alone, I can't believe
Climbing on the stair, I turn around
To see you smiling there in front of me

Somewhere Only We Know

by Tom Chaplin

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river, and it made me complete

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?

Rockin' Chair

by Noel Gallagher

I'm older than I'd wish to be
This town holds no more for me
All my life I try to find another way

I don't care for your attitude
You bring me down, I think you're rude
All my life I try to make a better day

It's hard enough being alone
Sitting here by the phone
Waiting for my memories to come and play

It's hard enough sitting there
Rockin' in your rockin' chair
It's all too much for me to take when you're not there

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

by Neil Young

I think I'd like to go back home
And take it easy
There's a woman that I'd like to get to know
Living there

Everybody seems to wonder
What it's like down here
I gotta get away from this day-to-day running around
Everybody knows this is nowhere

Every time I think about back home
It's cool and breezy
I wish that I could be there right now
Just passing time

Everybody seems to wonder
What it's like down here
I gotta get away from this day-to-day running around
Everybody knows this is nowhere

Everybody, everybody knows
Everybody knows