I have these moments all steady and strong
I'm feeling so holy and humble
The next thing I know I'm all worried and weak
And I feel myself starting to crumble
The meanings get lost and the teachings get tossed
And you don't know what you're going to do next
You wait for the sun but it never quite comes
Some kind of message comes through to you
Some kind of message comes through
And it says to you...

(Chorus)
Love when you can
Cry when you have to
Be who you must
That's a part of the plan
Await your arrival
With simple survival
And one day we'll all understand
One day we'll all understand
One day we'll all understand

I had a woman who gave me her soul
But I wasn't ready to take it
Her heart was so fragile and heavy to hold
And I was afraid I might break it
Your conscience awakes and you see your mistakes
And you wish someone would buy your confession
The days miss their mark and the night gets so dark
And some kind of message comes through to you
Some kind of message shoots through --
And it says to you...

(Chorus)

There is no Eden or Heavenly gates
That you're gonna make it to one day
But all of the answers you seek can be found
In the dreams that you dream on the way
 

Heart Hotels

Well there's too many windows in this old hotel
And rooms filled with reckless pride
And the walls have grown sturdy
And the halls have worn well
But there is nobody living in inside
Nobody living inside

Gonna pull in the shutters on this heart of mine
Roll up the carpets and pull in the blinds
And retreat to the chambers that I left behind
In hopes there still may be love left to find
Still may be love left to find

Seek inspiration in daily affairs
Now your soul is in trouble and requires repairs
And the voices you hear at the top of the stairs
Are only echoes of unanswered prayers
Echoes of unanswered prayers

(Repeat First Verse)
   

Hard To Say

Lucky at love, well maybe so
There's still a lot of things you'll never know
Like why each time the sky begins to snow you cry
You're faithful to her in your careless way
So you miss her when she's far away
But every time you think you've got it straight you fall

You face the future with a weary past
Those dreams you banked upon are fading fast
You know you love her but it may not last you fear
It's never easy and it's never clear
Who's to navigate and who's to steer
And so you flounder drifting ever near the rocks

(Chorus)
It's hard to say where love went wrong
It's hard to say just when (It's so hard to say)
It's hard to walk away from love
It may never come again

You do your best to keep your hand in play
And try to keep those lonesome blues at bay
You think you're winning but
It's hard to say sometimes

(Chorus)

Lucky at love, well maybe so
There's still a lot of things you'll never know
Like why each time the sky begins to snow you cry
You cry...oh you still have to cry
 

Longer

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you
Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you

I'll bring fire in the winters
You'll send showers in the springs
We'll fly through the falls and summers
With love on our wings

Through the years as the fire starts to mellow
Burning lines in the book of our lives
Though the binding cracks and the pages start to yellow
I'll be in love with you
I'll be in love with you

(Repeat First Verse)
I am in love with you
 
 
Missing You

Hard days I'm traveling alone for too long
Ooo, I'm missing you
I'm always somewhere that I never belong
Ooo, I'm missing you
I'm moving so fast now it doesn't seem true
Ooo, I'm missing you
I'm getting closer but I don't know what to
Ooo, I'm missing you

(Chorus)
Oh, if I had you beside me
Then I just might sleep through the night
Your love is the promise that guides me
All of the days of my life

This life I'm living's gettin' so hard to feel
Ooo, I'm missing you
The days are empty and the nights are unreal
Ooo, I'm missing you

(Chorus)
All of the days of my life

Hard days I'm traveling alone for too long
Ooo, I'm missing you
I'm always somewhere that I never belong
Ooo, I'm missing you

( Chorus)
All of the days of my life
All of the days of my life
   

The Power Of Gold

The story is told of the power of gold and its lure on the unsuspecting
It glitters and shines, it badgers and blinds
And constantly needs protecting
Balance the cost of the soul you lost with the dreams you lightly sold
Are you under...the power of gold

The letters and calls got you climbing the walls
And everyone wants a favor
They beg to remind you of times left behind you
But you know the past is a loser
The face you're wearing is different now
And the days run hot and cold
Are you under...the power of gold

You're a creature of habit, run like a rabbit
Scared of a fear you can't name
Your own paranoia is looming before you
And nobody thinks that it is a game
Balance the cost of the soul you lost
With the dreams you lightly sold
Then tell me that you're free of the power of gold
The power of gold
The women are lovely, the wine is superb
But there's something about the song that disturbs you...
   

Make Love Stay

Now that we love
Now that the lonely nights are over
How do we make love stay
Now that we know
The fire can burn bright or merely smolder
How do we keep it from dying away

Elusive as dreams barely remembered in the morning
Love like a phantom flies
But held in the heart it pales like the empty smile adorning
A statue with sightless eyes

(Chorus)
Moments fleet taste sweet within the rapture
When precious flesh is greedily consumed
But mystery is a thing not easily captured
And once deceased not easily exhumed

Now that we love
Now that the lonely nights are over
How do we make love stay

(Chorus)

Now that we love
Look at the moonless night and tell me
How do we make love stay
   

Leader Of The Band

An only child alone and wild, a cabinet maker's son
His hands were meant for different work
And his heart was known to none
He left his home and went his lone and solitary way
And he gave to me a gift I know I never can repay

A quiet man of music denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once, but his music wouldn't wait
He earned his love through discipline-- a thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls took me years to understand

(Chorus)
The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band

My brothers' lives were different for they heard another call
One went to Chicago and the other to St Paul
And I'm in Colorado when I'm not in some hotel
Living out this life I've chose and have come to know so well

I thank you for the music and your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go
I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough
And, papa, I don't think I said 'I love you' near enough

(Chorus)
I am a living legacy to the leader of the band
   

Run For The Roses

Born in the valley and raised in the trees
Of Western Kentucky on wobbly knees
With mama beside you to help you along
You'll soon be a-growing up strong
All the long, lazy mornings in pastures of green
The sun on your withers, the wind in your mane
Could never prepare you for what lies ahead
The run for the roses so red

(Chorus)
And it's run for the roses as fast as you can
Your fate is delivered, your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined in the dance
It's high time you joined in the dance

From sire to sire, it's born in the blood
The fire of a mare and the strength of a stud
It's breeding and it's training and it's something unknown
That drives you and carries you home

(Chorus)
 
 
Same Old Lang Syne

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods and I touched her on the sleeve
She didn't recognize the face at first but then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment as the conversation dragged
We went to have ourselves a drink or two but couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store and we drank it in her car
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how

She said she'd married her an architect who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man but she didn't like to lie
I said the years had been a friend to her and that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw doubt or gratitude
She said she saw me in the record stores and that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly but the traveling was hell
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence, another 'auld lang syne'

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired and running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out and I watched her drive away
Just for a moment I was back at school and felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home the snow turned in to rain...