Lyrics

APRIL’S GONNA COME
April’s gonna come
And melt my frozen heart
April’s gonna come
And melt my frozen heart
She’s gonna give me flowers
And bring back all the colors
And take away the dark

April’s gonna come
And wash away the gray
April’s gonna come
And wash away the gray
She’ll hold my hands and listen
’Til everything’s forgiven
And all my sorrow fades

Kiss me, sing me lullabies
Then make me come alive
In the morning
Distant storming
Blowing by

April’s gonna come
She’s bringing back the sun
April’s gonna come
She’s bringing back the sun
And everything is brighter
Each step a little lighter
She’s gonna give me flowers
And bring back all the colors
And melt my frozen heart

AT THE START
You were sparkle-eyed and freckle-faced
With long brown hair and pretty legs
I was shy and awkward but I somehow knew
How to always coax a laugh from you
Six months later we moved in
The place was small and the walls were thin
We’d eat takeout in the living room
Make love all night and sleep ‘til noon

Maybe it was just too good to last
The path was set, the die already cast
Maybe we were meant to fall apart
But baby
I sure did love you at the start

It’s hard to say what did us in
When the fire began to dim
Though we both said otherwise
The sparkle faded from your eyes
And we both knew
I couldn’t make you laugh like I did before
The silence grew while words got short
I’d stay out late without checking in
While you were checking texts from just a friend
And we both knew

Maybe we chose to ignore the signs
Maybe when love left it left us blind
And we were bound to break each other’s heart
But baby
I sure did love you at the start

Nine years later on a Saturday
I’m moving in with my fiancee
Sorting through which things to pack
When I found a box of old photographs
And it made me smile
To see our faces looking young
Goofing around and having fun
All pretty-legged and fancy free
Just like in my memories
And it made me smile

Cause after all these years I had forgot
How we pissed each other off and how we fought
And I know we are better off apart
But baby
I sure did love you
At the start

CONFIDENCE
He was a line cook
At a diner near the freeway
But he always knew that someday
He was going to be a star
Play in a rock band
He would shred on his Gibson
But his daddy said "Don't waste your time, son
Look around at where you are"

But he kept playing
Every evening he would practice
Then he'd lay back on his mattress
And think about his plans
But it was a small town
With not a lot of room for big dreams
He was barely out of his teens
But you've got to understand

That no one's gonna tell him what he can and can't do
The only thing you're giving him is something to prove
He don't have a lot
But what he's got
Is confidence

She was a dancer
But not the kind her mom was proud of
She said "You're never going to find love
Without a little self-respect"
She said, "Well that's an answer
To a question I'm not asking,
And I'm going to keep dancing
And you might want to change your bet"

Cause no one's gonna tell her what she can and can't do
The only thing you're giving her is something to prove
She don't have a lot
But what she's got
Is confidence

He was waiting
There for her when she got off work
She was glad she'd worn her good skirt
He was happy to be there
It was a clear night
And the moon lit up their small town
He drove her with the top down
She let the wind blow through her hair

And they were confident

FEELING GOOD TODAY
Don't need to talk about the heartache in my life
Don't need to talk about my problems
Don't need to talk about the worries on my mind
Like other people haven't got 'em
Yesterday I felt like giving up
I was tired and fed up
With the world and all it's games
But not today
Today I'm getting up
Yeah I'm feeling fired up
I am ready come what may

I'm feeling good today
Feeling pretty good today
I'm feeling good today
I'm feeling good today

Don't need to be corrected, I mean the words I say
And I don't think I need to prove it
Don't you dare put one more mountain in my way
If you do I'm gonna move it
Yesterday I felt like standing down
Burrowing into the ground
I wasn't getting out of bed
But not today
Today I'm standing strong
Gonna sing a different song
'Til negativity has fled

I'm feeling good today
Feeling pretty good today
I'm feeling good today
I'm feeling good today

THE FLOOR
My baby made me sleep on the floor
My baby made me sleep on the floor
Gonna wake up in the morning all tired and sore
My baby made me sleep on the floor

I thought our date was going all right
She said that I could stay the night
Tried to follow to her bedroom but she closed the door
And my baby made me sleep on the floor

I thought that we'd be fooling around
Instead I'm on this hard lonely ground
Did I do something wrong? Should I've done something more?
Why'd she make me sleep on the floor?

If you've got to get up early that's fine
I'm not going to argue or whine
I'm not going to beg you, I have got self-control
But why'd you make me sleep on the floor?

Next time we'll go to my place instead
If only cause I've got a bigger bed
We don't have to do nothing we ain't done before
But no one's got to sleep on the floor

FORBIDDEN FRUIT
I noticed you when you sashayed
Across the room, I liked the way
You looked at me while you pretended not to
And though I am a taken man
I’m not immune, so here I am
Wide awake composing songs about you

I tempt unfaithfulness
Imagine you undressed
Imagine doing things I dare not speak
Why is it I want
The things that I should not?
Forbidden fruit, why must you taste so sweet?
Forbidden fruit, why must you taste so sweet?

In Paradise, before the fall
Eve and Adam had it all
Except the thing they were not to partake in
But in Eve’s ear the serpent hissed
He knew she could not resist
Passions and desires once awakened

If propensity to sin
Is already within
Maybe I should just admit defeat
Why is it I want
The things that I should not?
Forbidden fruit, why must you taste so sweet?
Forbidden fruit, why must you taste so sweet?

It’s so simple how it starts
Now there’s a fire inside my heart
I tried to put it out but it still smolders
But since I am a taken man
I’ll have you as I only can
In my dreams is where I still can hold you

Yes the best that I can do
Is fantasize of you
The only way that I can quell the heat
Why is it I want
The things that I should not?
Forbidden fruit, why must you taste so sweet?
Forbidden fruit, why must you taste so sweet

GIVE IT ALL TO ME
Give me your love, give me your hate
Give me your wins, give me your mistakes
I can take it
Give it all to me

Give me your lows, give me your highs
Give me your laughter, give me every sigh
I can take it
Give it all to me

When you’re flying
When you fall
I will catch you
I’ll break through walls
Like they were never there at all

Give me your dreams, give me your fears
Give me secret smiles, give me secret tears
I can take it
Give it all to me

Give me your joy, give me your rage
Give me your story, read me every page
I can take it
Give it all to me

Sometimes words
Don’t come out sweetly
Apologies
Don’t come out neatly
But I want to love you completely

So give me your love, give me your hate
Give me your wins and your past mistakes
I can take it
Give it all to me

Give me your light, give me your dark
Give me your hand, give me your heart
I won’t break it
Give it all to me
I can take it
Give it all to me

GO DOWN WILD RIVERS
Hey there Boyo, whatcha doin’
With your wild and precious life?
Shall we rise up in the morning
Laugh aloud and roll the dice?
Days like this should not be wasted
This I fervently believe
Splash your face and drink your coffee
Take my hand and come with me

Oo-oo-ooh
As long as you’re with me and I’m with you-oo-oo
There is nothing that we can’t get through-oo-oo
I think you know just what I want to do
I want to go down wild rivers with you

I do not have all the answers
Oftentimes I am afraid
But you’ve got to make your choices
And I am choosing to be brave
I can’t see around the corners
The water isn’t always clear
The current’s strong, it keeps pushing us along
Just hang on and try to steer

Chorus

Let’s watch the sunrise over mountains
Let’s watch the fields sparkle with dew
I want to run through forests singing
Then fall down in the grass with you
And if you ask me where we’re going
I won’t have a thing to say
Cause it’s not the destination
It’s what we do along the way

Chorus

HAPPIER TIMES
I remember being barefoot on a green summer lawn
Laughing and screaming and running all around
Then Dad would come outside and put the sprinkler on
We'd jump in the air before sliding on the ground
We built tree houses and played make-believe
And when I rode my bike it was always at full speed
That wind in my face was everything I'd need
Those summer days were mine
Summer days were mine

Before we changed, before we grew
Before the boys even noticed girls
Before we questioned what was true
Before we learned to lie
Those were happier times

I remember laying with you up on the roof
We both believed in love but we were looking for proof
And so we made wishes on each star that we'd see
And I drank everything you poured for me
We talked about dreams, we talked about plans
We made many assumptions and made no demands
And when we went inside you took me by the hand
And told me you cared for me
You told me you cared for me

Before the hurts, before the fights
Before we cared about who was right
Before our hearts and our hearts grew cold
And love was compromised
Those were happier times

Tell me where did things go wrong?
Tell me when did we start wishing
We could go back to being young
Instead of looking forward to the day
When it all would come our way?

We all want love, we all want to be heard
But no one wants to listen, they just want the final word
They just want to look good as the whole world burns
I want to close my eyes
It makes me close my eyes
And think of happier times

Those were happier times
Those were happier times
Those were happier times

HIBERNATION
I've been thinking about hibernation
Hiding out, taking a little staycation
Catching up on reading and meditation

Turtles, bats, and grizzly bears, they all do it
They look out at the ice and snow and just say Screw it
Ain't got to do nothing but just get through it

You can join me if you want to
Come inside, I'll make some room
Light the fireplace, watch it burn
We don't have to go out 'til the sun returns

I look back at the calendar, I want to burn it
Each lesson last year taught me, well I think I learned it
Now it's time to take a break, I think I've earned it

So sorry if I cancel plans or keep you waiting
My friends, I'm not avoiding you, I'm hibernating
I've made my cocoon, I'm recombobulating

You can join me if you want to
Come inside, I'll make some room
Light the fireplace, watch it burn
We don't have to go out 'til the sun returns

Yeah lately I've been thinking about hibernation
Cause lately I have been without much motivation
I need a little quiet to find some inspiration
A little hibernation

JESUS WAS A REFUGEE
Jesus was a refugee
An immigrant from Galilee
His family had to take flight
Cross the border in the night
They didn’t have no paperwork
Probably had to sleep in dirt
Or maybe someone took them in
Until it was safe again

When I see pictures of the people at the border on the news
Families separated and the help that we refuse
The only thing that’s clear to me
Is that Jesus was a refugee

Jesus was a criminal
A revolutionary radical
He challenged the authorities
Called out their hypocrisy
Said prostitutes and beggarmen
Had a better shot at Heaven
This the Pharisees could not abide
So they had him crucified

When I hear those angry crowds all chanting Lock ‘em up
And I hear the President say you oughta rough ‘em up
I think about the Gospel
And how Jesus was a criminal

Some people carry ‘round the Bible
I think they ought to read it
Some people carry ‘round the Bible
Acting like they don’t believe it

Jesus was a lot of things
Teacher, carpenter, and king
Said Go and give each other peace
Love your neighbors and your enemies
Not just the people like you
Or the people that are easy to
Jesus said to love ‘em all
Even refugees and criminals

And don’t condemn another’s sin before looking to your own
You ain’t got the right to cast that stone
Jesus was forgiving
Yeah Jesus was a lot of things

JOY
Joy, when will you be mine?
You’ve been such a long time coming
I’m starting to fear
You might never appear
Still I keep my engine running

Joy I just can’t see
Why you’ve been holding out on me
Why you seem to keep on balking
I know that you ain’t heartless
So when we going to start this?
When you gonna come a-knocking

See I’ve drunk more than my portion
Of sadness and misfortune
But the rain just seems to keep on blowing
I know you owe me nothing
But I need a little something
Just a hit to keep me going

It has been so long without you
Joy what can I do
To get a little time with you
Joy why won’t you
Come and shine on me?

Chorus

I started looking for distractions
To get some satisfaction
And maybe change my situation
I bought some brand new shoes
I got a new tattoo
Tried transcendental meditation

Then I went to Carolina
Hoping there to find her
But Joy did not want to be found
So I smoked a lot and I thought a lot
I drank a lot and I cried a lot
And in the ocean nearly drowned

It has been too long without you
I know the sun shines down
On both kings and clowns
Joy why won’t you
Come and shine on me?

Chorus

A LITTLE BIT BLUE
I’m a little bit blue
Since you told me we were through
But I’ll be fine
I just need me some time
Then I’ll be all right
And I’ll meet someone new
Maybe soon, but tonight
I’m a little bit blue

I’m a little bit sad
I’m gonna miss what we had
Then I’ll forget
On that you can bet
But I may cry
If someone asks about you
And I have to say why
I’m a little bit blue

I'm just a little lonely
Since you went and told me
The course of our love had run
I’m just a little jaded
But hardly devastated
To learn you weren’t the one

Though I had not expected
I would be rejected
I’m going to be okay
Now I’m only hoping
The next time that door opens
The next one’s gonna stay

But I’m a little bit blue
I was in love with you
Now you’re gone
And I’ve got to move on
And eventually
That’s what I’m gonna do
But for now I’m gonna be
Just a little bit blue
So please excuse me
If I’m a little bit blue

LOUISIANA
She named her daughter Louisiana
For all her happy memories
Of a childhood in the bayou
Before moving to Milwaukee
Before Hurricane Katrina
Washed away all that they had
And she moved up north with family
With no reason to go back
She never did go back

Well she never liked the winters
But she liked the summers fine
And she liked the boys’ attention
And they all stood in line
When she found herself expecting
Her daddy flew into a rage
But she chose to keep the baby
And she chose the baby’s name
She chose her name

Louisiana
Things don’t always work out like you plan
But you play what’s in your hand
The best you can
Louisiana
Every night she’d hold her close and sing
How I love you Louisiana
And the happiness you bring

Her father was a good man
But he struggled to provide
So he joined the US Army
Cause he wanted to do right
They hadn’t gotten married
When they shipped him to Iraq
Where a sniper’s bullet found him
And he ended just like that
He ended just like that

Chorus

You can light yourself a candle
Or pray the rosary
You can ask the good Lord why
You can beg the good Lord please
But if you get an answer
It might not be the one you want
So give thanks for what you’re given
And hold on to what you’ve got
Hold on to what you’ve got

Chorus

MY TRAVELING COMPANION
Won’t you be my traveling companion?
My sense of direction, my road trip friend
My partner in crime my trusted navigator
My traveling companion ‘til journey’s end
My traveling companion ‘til journey’s end

We started out without much of a plan
Just threw our stuff in the back of a van
Where we’d sleep if the rain got out of hand
Or the nights got cold
Flipped a coin and we headed west
Gonna put that engine to the test
Hearts beating strong inside our chests
We were good to go
We had no real
Destination in mind
Just money for gas
And loads of time

Chorus

Two or three hundred miles a day
Making stops along the way
Plenty to see and plenty to say
And the days went fast
Though we always had things to talk about
Sometimes the conversation would stop
And you’d lean on the window looking out
As the fields flew past
Small town diners
And quiet mountain roads
Singing along
To the radio

When we pull over
When day is done
We still look forward
To what’s to come

Chorus

NASHVILLE
I know some time has passed since you last
Heard anything from me
But I did not expect to want to text you
From here in Tennessee
I'm here at this bar that serves its whiskey in jars
I'm not feeling lonely or blue
The band's sounding fine, but when they played Patsy Cline
It started me thinking of you

I could picture you swaying along to their playing
With colored lights on your face
Singing along to all their songs
As you pulled my hands 'round your waist
It must be the drinking that got me to thinking
I kind of wish you were here
But I'm by myself and you're with someone else
And I guess I'm not thinking to clear

I'm in Nashville and I miss you
I'm sorry to bring up the past
I remember being together
And thinking that we might last
I'm not trying to change your mind
I know I couldn't get you to stay
But I'm in Nashville and I miss you
That's all I'm going to say

There's a girl in ripped pants who keeps throwing me glances
I'm pretending that I didn't see
I'm fairly certain that woman is flirtin
Though she's ten years younger than me
She's got a nice face but it seems out of place
Yours is the one that belongs
Lord please forgive me for wanting you with me
Even though I know it's wrong

I'm in Nashville and I miss you
I'm sorry to bring up the past
I remember being together
And thinking that we might last
I'm not trying to change your mind
I know I couldn't get you to stay
But I'm in Nashville and I miss you
That's all I'm going to say

I hope that you're well, I hope you can tell
I have no bad feelings for you
You made your selection in another direction
And there wasn't much I could do
And I'm doing fine, though it's taken some time
And tonight, I have to confess
That no woman after has had your same laughter
And Nashville has made me a mess

I'm in Nashville and I miss you
I'm sorry to bring up the past
I remember being together
And thinking that we might last
I'm not trying to change your mind
I know I couldn't get you to stay
But I'm in Nashville and I miss you
That's all I'm going to say

That's all I'm going to say

NEVER GOING BACK NOW
She's in a motel several hours from town
Staring at the mirror, staring herself down
And she ain't going back
She's never going back now
The bathroom light does nothing to flatter her
But she don't care, it don't matter
She ain't going back
She's never going back now

She's thinking bout the things she wishes she had
Remembered to throw into her bag
But she ain't going back
She's never going back now
She's burning bridges, she's crossing lines
Driving far enough away that he can't find her
She ain't going back
She's never going back now
No she ain't going back
She's never going back now

As many times as she said she'd do it
She still wasn't sure that she'd go through with it
How many broken dreams had she'd allowed?
How many times had he said he'd change
That he'd pull himself together and turn the page
Then she'd fly right back into that cage
But she's never going back now

It's still several hours til he wakes up
He'll probably think she's just gone out
But she ain't going back
She's never going back now
Maybe one day more til he figures out
She's emptied out their bank account
And she ain't going back
She's never going back now
No she ain't going back
She's never going back now

Chorus

She's in a motel several hours away
Still not sure if she's okay
But she ain't going back
She's never going back now
But staring at herself in the motel mirror
Her body's strong and her eyes are clear
And she ain't going back
She's never going back now
No she ain't going back
She's never going back now

THE RESISTANCE
The wind’s been picking up
There’s gonna be a storm
The sky keeps getting darker
You can’t say you ain’t been warned
And the fires in the distance
Are closer than you think
You watch and study closely
While standing on the brink
And they’ll try to convince you
There ain’t nothing to fear
And the news cannot be trusted
And it can’t happen here

But we all watched it happen
A man was put to death
Held down on the ground
As he ran out of breath
Another gunned down in her bedroom
Another shot down in the road
We took to the streets
Cause there was nowhere else to go
And sadness turned to anger
We wiped away our tears
We marched in greater numbers shouting
It can’t happen here

Sometime after midnight
The tanks came rolling in
Just like in eastern Europe
Or Tiananmen
I heard the sound of gunshots
Through the stinging haze
And history repeats itself
In unexpected ways
And the Devil holds the Bible up
As his disciplines cheer
And we hold our heads in our hands and we say
It can’t happen here

Famine, war, and pestilence
Came riding into town
Death just stood back waiting
Just hanging around
And the people on the Internet
Are combing through the signs
But it’s already too late
Yeah, it’s already time
In this age of information
There ain’t too much that’s clear
But there’s one thing I’m sure of
It can’t happen here

The wind’s been picking up
There’s gonna be a change
The way things have been ordered
Will soon be rearranged
Eventually the resistance
Swings back the pendulum
I don’t know when it’s coming
But I know
It’s gonna come

SMILE ON, MISTER MOON
Sitting round the bonfire
Laughing with my friends
Not thinking that the summer
Was ever going to end
Not worried ‘bout tomorrow
Not worried ‘bout a thing
We got our guitars out
And we began to sing

Maybe I was drunk
But I swear the moon was smiling
He grinned a big ‘ol grin
And he just kept on shining
Shine down, Mister Moon
You just keep on smiling
Smile on, Mister Moon
You just keep on shining down on me

Time goes by so quickly
Tonight let’s slow it down
Let the crickets and the blackbirds
Fill the air with sound
Look up and see the twinkling
Of the fireflies and stars
Try to catch these memories
Keep them in a jar

Maybe I was drunk
But I swear the moon was smiling
He grinned a big ‘ol grin
And he just kept on shining
Shine down, Mister Moon
You just keep on smiling
Smile on, Mister Moon
You just keep on shining down on me
Shine down, Mister Moon
You just keep on smiling
Smile on, Mister Moon
You just keep on shining down
You just keep on shining down on me

SOMETIMES LOVE
Sometimes love launches like a rocket
Sometimes it sneaks up and picks your pocket
And you don’t even notice something’s amiss
I want to know what kind of love is this

Sometimes love don’t mess around
It grabs you hard and throws you down
And you’re going to town in breathless bliss
I want to know what kind of love is this

Sometimes love makes your heart take wing
The flowers all bloom and the birds all sing
And the bells all ring and all that biz
I want to know what kind of love is this

Well they say a rose would smell as sweet
By any other name
I disagree, I think love
Is never twice the same

Sometimes love is a simple thing
No French champagne, no diamond rings
Just grand romance without the glitz
I want to know what kind of love is this

Sometimes love comes at a bad time
Sometimes love can’t make up its mind
She’s conflicted, and you’re just pissed
Tell me baby, what kind of love is this

Sometimes love inspires songs
It starts out nice then it goes all wrong
Add another song to my greatest hits
I think I’ll call it What Kind of Love is This

And sometimes love’s like a comedy
Where he don’t get the girl ‘til the end of act three
And the music swells and they finally kiss
I want to know what kind of love is this
Tell me baby what kind of love is this
I want to know what kind of love is this

SONGS ABOUT LEAVING
She's trying not to wake me up
But I wake up anyway
She's gathering up her things
For her daily getaway
I smile and ask her Are you leaving so soon?
She smiles back and says It's mid-afternoon
And she's playing tonight at the Paper Moon
Are you going to come by tonight?
Are you going to come by tonight?

Six hours later I'm parking cross town
At the folk cafe
She put my name on the list at the door
But I pay up anyway
I order my first beer of the night
She's onstage singing to her mic
She can's see me because of the lights
I don't know if she knows I'm here
I don't know if she knows I'm here

She's always singing
Songs about leaving
Songs about freedom
And running away
She's always dreaming
And singing 'bout leaving
But I
I want her to stay

Last year the local paper
Called her a rising star
With the face and the voice of an angel
And songs that will break your heart
The people here, they don't know her name
But they're all listening just the same
And they'll tell their friends they were glad they came
And they might buy a CD
That she will sign gratefully

It ain't easy to get discovered
But you never know
If somebody made her an offer
She'd probably go
She's had dreams since she was a girl
Of record deals and concert tours
But my dreams aren't the same as hers
I've got no desire to roam
I've no desire to roam

She's always singing
Songs about leaving
Songs about freedom
And running away
And everyone loves her
Songs about leaving
But I
I want her to stay
Yes I
I want her to stay

STRAWBERRY ROAD
Strawberry Road will give you a thrill
As it turns and climbs through fields and hills
A pock-marked sign warns of dangerous curves
Right by the house of this raven-haired girl

She used to lay outside, out on her lawn
In a string bikini, just soaking up sun
Her summer skin it shone like gold
She was the queen of Strawberry Road

Strawberry Road
Strawberry Road
She shone like gold
On Strawberry Road

I was sixteen and itching to drive
Take the car and go for a ride
Mother said Son you’d better go slow
If you’re gonna go down that Strawberry Road

Strawberry Road
Strawberry Road
You’d better go slow
On Strawberry Road

Cranked my music up good and loud
Raced that car straight toward her house
What was waiting I didn’t know
But I pressed that pedal down to the floor

The sun was blazing as trees flew past
I was flying way too fast
I hit those curves and I lost control
Then lost it all on Strawberry Road
Strawberry Road
Strawberry Road
I lost control
On Strawberry Road

They laid down flowers near a wooden cross
At the foot of an oak tree covered with moss
And that black-haired girl, she’d never know
Why it all went down on Strawberry Road

SUMMER BEER
Gonna crack me open a summer beer
Yeah yeah yeah
Cause it looks like summer's finally here
Yeah yeah yeah
The breeze is cool and the skies are clear
Yeah yeah yeah
So pass me over a summer beer
Yeah yeah yeah

Well the work week's finally over
There's no more reason to stay sober
My friends are coming over in a while
Gonna put my favorite tunes on
We've still got several hours of sun
Gonna just sit back and take a sip and smile

Gonna crack me open a summer beer
Yeah yeah yeah
Now it looks like all my friends are here
Yeah yeah yeah
The grill is hot and the skies are clear
Yeah yeah yeah
So pass me over a summer beer
Yeah yeah yeah

We don't need much to party
Some cold Coronas and Bacardi
And whatever everybody else will bring
It's good to have some company
That don't need you to be somebody
Different than who you feel like being

Tonight we'll catch the moonrise
Gonna watch the sky change colors
And thank the Lord for another gorgeous night
Got no worries in my head
Just like Mister Marley said
Every little thing is gonna be all right

Yeah yeah yeah

SUNSHINE
I can't stand another cloudy day
I just can't take it
Something's got to change
It wears me down, this dark and heavy chain
I've got to break it
No more sad and gray
Every day I wake and I'm forlorn again
I need to get away and feel warm again

I need some sunshine
I need some good times
I need some sunshine
I can't stand another cloudy day

There's too much heavy weighing on my mind
And in my heart
I can't stand to watch the news
I'm tired of being angry all the time
How about you?
Yeah I know you feel it too
I need a little something to change the mood
Let's go back let's go back back to feeling good

Chorus

People tell me look for silver linings
But what I need right now are skies of blue
It may be dark and overcast
But I know this too shall pass
One day the sun is going to shine on through

Chorus

THOSE DAYS AGAIN
Spring is here, it’s hard to tell
It’s just as well
Everything is closed
And we ain’t got no place to go

And if you ask me how am I?
I’m going to lie and say
I’m doing fine
But inside it’s like I’m doing time

And it’s feeling like the temperature
Don’t match the calendar
And everyone is in a haze
When I’m on the verge of cracking
I think back to basking in them rays

I’m looking forward to those days again
Getting together and just laughing with my friends
Making music in cafes again
I’m looking forward to those days

If you ask me for a number
Of things I like about the summer
I’m going to say Oh man, I don’t know man
Maybe ‘bout a hundred

Like flouncy summer dresses
Bright colored tresses
The way that afternoons just sit and stay
And I cannot forget
The way you look in sunset’s golden rays

Chorus

I’d feel sorry for myself
If I thought that it would help
But that’s never gonna change things
So I’m thinking that instead
I’m going to look ahead
And what tomorrow’s gonna bring

I think it’s going to be amazing
I’m looking forward to those days

TROUBLES BAD
Brother I’ve got troubles, troubles bad
Brother I’ve got troubles, troubles bad
O how they weigh on me
How I wish they’d let me be
Brother I’ve got troubles, troubles bad

This house I’ve built is starting to come down
The walls are cracked and sinking in the ground
Soon they will no longer hold
Against the wind and rain and cold
This house I’ve built is starting to come down

I can hear a lion outside my door
Out there in the dark he snarls and roars
If I let that lion in
He would tear me limb from limb
I can hear a lion outside my door
I guess it’s time to get my things all packed
Angry words cannot be taken back
Broken things can’t be repaired
Her look of love’s become a glare
I guess it’s time to get my things all packed

God looks down, looks straight into my eye
I’ve nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
Nowhere left to hide my shame
The Devil will not take the blame
God looks down, looks straight into my eye

If you see me walking down the road
Struggling underneath a heavy load
Keep on going, drive on past
This is my cross, this is my path
If you see me walking down the road

WHISKEY IN MY COFFEE
Life has gotten hard babe
Everything's been going wrong
The nights are way too lonely
The days are way too long
I need someone to pour me
Something sweet and strong

I need some whiskey in my coffee
Some honey in my tea
I can swallow down the bitter
With a little something sweet
I need some whiskey in my coffee
To get me on my feet

They say a woman's made of sugar
But she's also made of spice
You can love her for her virtues
You can love her for her vice
She's the whiskey in your coffee
That makes it extra nice

I need some whiskey in my coffee
Some honey in my tea
I can swallow down the bitter
With a little something sweet
I need some whiskey in my coffee
To make it taste complete

THE WINNEBAGO SONG
Your momma said a boy like me
Would be nothing but trouble
Well maybe
A little trouble is what you need
Somebody who drives at a different speed
Work all day, mouths to feed
Tending to everybody else’s needs
Oh baby
Come away with me

This life’s the only one you’ve got
Stay in one place you’re gonna rot
Can you break away from your demands?
I’ve got time but I’ve got no plans
Let’s trade the clay for sea and sand
Travel out across the land

When I pull up
In my daddy’s Winnebago
Honk my horn, say Let’s go for a ride
Keep your bag all packed
You can throw it in the back
Hop on in and let’s go for a drive
We’ll go driving, driving
And never look back again

Your momma said, Life is hard
Play it safe and you’re playing smart
Well maybe, but baby,
What are you playing for?
Sometimes you gotta throw all in for one big score
In life you don’t get many breaks
You’re given some, the rest you take
Baby ain’t you heard the news?
One day you’re gonna pay your dues
When that day comes you can’t refuse
But right now you still get to choose

Chorus

Your momma said a boy like me
Would be nothing but trouble
And you said
Oh yeah

Chorus

WITHOUT THE ROSES
I have been drinking
A fine chardonnay
From the trip to Sonoma
We went on last May
We ordered three cases
There’s two cases left
Now that you’ve left me
I’ll drink them myself

Each bottle and glass
Carries notes of the past
Echoes of all that helped form it
So too my heart
Has been fashioned and marked
By every love that’s warmed it
So I drink to goodbyes
And to ships that sailed by
I drink to each chapter that closes
And I drink one more time
To days of wine
Without the roses

Wine’s good for the heart
Guess that’s what they say
Mine’s already broken
But I’ll drink anyway
What leaves me so bitter
It goes down so sweet
I guess that’s the reason
I’m doomed to repeat

Chorus

One more empty bottle
I should be asleep
But my head keeps swimming
In old memories
Cause it’s wine that I’m drinking
But it’s you that I taste
So I’m not letting
One drop go to waste

Chorus

WOODEN LADDER

Let me be your wooden ladder
Let me be your box of nails
Or a heavy duty flashlight
Or a good five-gallon pail
And I will be there when you need me
When you've got a thing to mend
If there is something broken
We can make it strong again

Let me be that book of matches
You've had since you were twenty-five
From the bar near your first apartment
That played the music that you liked
Let me be your favorite novel
The one you never tire to read
That you keep next to your bedside
For the nights that you can't sleep

Let me be your souvenir
That always makes you smile
From that one vacation
On that Carribbean isle

I know gold and diamond rings
Can make a heart skip beats
But they're no help for reaching shelves
When something's out of reach

For that, you're going to need a ladder
One that's strong enough to climb
And you're going to need a flashlight
For things that are hard to find
And you're going to want those matches
When a storm blows out the lights
And you can light a candle
Before you go to sleep at night

lyrics