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 confessions
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

~Tennessee 1973~
 

Illinois

Dusty day dawning three hours late
Open the curtains and let the rest wait
My mind goes running three thousand miles east
I may miss the harvest but I won't miss the feast

(Chorus)
And it looks like you're gonna have to see me again
And it looks like you're gonna have to see me again
And it looks like you're gonna have to see me again
Illinois...oh, Illinois
Illinois, Illinois

South California, your sun is too cold
It looks like your hills have been raped of their gold
I should have come out when I was first told
This lamb has got to return to the fold

(Chorus)
Illinois--I'm your boy

Flat on the prairies, soil and stone
Stretching forever taking me home
'Cause I've got a woman who waits for me there
And I need a breath of that sweet country air

(Chorus)
Illinois, Illinois
Illinois--I'm your boy

~California 1971~
   

Changing Horses

Changing horses in the middle of a stream
Gets you wet and sometimes cold
Changing faces in the middle of a dream gets you old
Oh, gets you old

Looking farther than you'll ever hope to see
Takes you places you don't know
Search for someone you can't ever hope to be
And still you go
Oh, still you go

Don't you think it's kind of sad to say
Don't you think it's gonna change
Makes you think you'll have to stay inside for a while

Changing horses in the middle of a stream
Gets you wet and sometimes cold
Changing faces in the middle of a dream gets you old
Oh gets you old...gets you old... gets you old...gets you old

~Illinois 1972~
 
 
Better Change

I can see you in the distance
And you're heading for a fall
Sinking deeper by the minute
You're about to lose it all

(Chorus)
You better change before the sun goes down
You better leave before you are the last in town
You better raise your fortresses or tear them down
Tear them down...tear them down

Well there's an angel on your shoulders
And a devil at your feet
And that door you see before you
Could be poison tasting sweet

(Chorus)

I can see you in the distance
And you're heading for a fall
Sinking deeper by the minute
You're about to lose it all

(Chorus)
You gotta tear them down...tear them down
You better tear them down...tear them down

~Tennessee 1972~  
 

Souvenirs

Here is a poem that my lady sent down
Some morning while I was away
Wrote on the back of a leaf that she found
Somewhere around Monterey

And here is the key to a house far away
Where I used to live as a child
They tore down the building when I moved away
And left the key unreconciled

(Chorus)
And down in the canyon the smoke starts to rise
It rides on the wind 'til it reaches your eyes
When faced with the past the strongest man cries...cries

(Repeat Chorus)

And here is a sunrise to set on your sill
The ghosts of the dawn moving near
They pass through your sorrow and leave you quite still...
Sitting among souvenirs

~California 1971~
 

The Long Way

She was lost and I thought I was found
Even so I tried to bring her in
She was young and I had just begun
To learn that even losing men can win

(Chorus)
We went the long way
We went the long way
We went the long way...
Or maybe just the wrong way
I'll never know

Overnight we were shown the light
Neither of us knew to look away...
So we burned and far too late we learned
That lifetimes can't be lived out in a day

(Chorus)

So, goodbye
At least we made the try
Something can be said for love that's pure
If and when we ever try again
One thing will be known to us for sure...
We'll go the long way
We'll go the long way
We'll go the long way...
Or maybe just the wrong way
I'll never know
Whoa-Whoa, I'll never know

~Illinois 1971~
 

As The Raven Flies

I see the raven's made her nest in your eyes
She's got you thinking that her love is a prize
And you'll go under from the weight of her lies
As the raven flies...as the raven flies

She'll bring you stories that just never sound true
She'll bring you secrets that were never meant for you
And just as you come round she'll send you back through
She's in love with you...she's in love with you

Darker, darker
Don't let her talk her way into you
Lonely, lonely
You know she's only no good for you
Darker, darker
Don't let her talk her way into you
Lonely, lonely
You know she's only no good for you

I see the raven's made her nest in your eyes
She's got you thinking that her love is a prize
And you'll go under from the weight of her lies
As the raven flies...as the raven flies
As the raven flies...as the raven flies

~California 1972~
 

Song From Half Mountain

Now the wind is still
In a moment it will be raging
Now my soul is young
In a moment it will be aging
And high above the pines I wrote several lines
And left them in a bottle for you to find

Now the dream is rising
In a moment it will be past
This breath is my first
It will all too soon be my last
And on a windy coast I made several toasts
To you and me and the sea and no one heard

Now the wind is still
In a moment it will be raging
Now my soul is young
In a moment it will be aging
And high above the pines
I wrote several lines
And left them in a bottle for you to find

~Colorado 1971~
 

Morning Sky

You and I were lovers all along
We had a good thing going strong and never doubted
Lately, I feel changes comin' on
I know that I will soon be gone and you don't even want to talk about it
Ooh, and it makes me stop and wonder why
People give their hearts and turn around and say goodbye
If there's something on your mind you better say it while there's time
'Cause I'm leavin' when I see that morning sky

Ooh, how did we ever come to this
There's nothing for me in your kisses anymore
Late nights in the kitchen I'm pretending I still care
But we both know there's nothing there
And you just keep on starin' at the door

Ooh, and it makes me stop and wonder why
People give their hearts and turn around and say goodbye
If there's something on your mind you better say it while there's time
'Cause I'm leavin' when I see that morning sky
Ooh, and it makes me stop and wonder why
People give their hearts and turn around and say goodbye
If there's something on your mind you better say it while there's time
'Cause I'm leavin' when I see that morning sky

You and I were lovers all along
We had a good thing going strong and never doubted
Lately, I feel changes comin' on
I know that I will soon be gone and you don't even want to talk about it

Ooh, and it makes me stop and wonder why
People give their hearts and turn around and say goodbye
If there's something on your mind you better say it while there's time
'Cause I'm leavin' when I see that morning sky
See that morning sky

~Tennessee 1974~  
 

(Someone's Been) Telling You Stories

So you've heard I've been flyin' and tryin' to get into somebody new
And I'm off on a new love and don't hardly ever think about you
He's gotten so cold
He ain't the same old lover you used to know
He's in a nose dive barely half alive and just about to let go

(Chorus)
Someone's been telling you stories (someone's been telling)
Someone's been telling you stories (someone's been telling you)
Someone's been telling you stories (someone's been telling you lies)
And they just ain't true
They just ain't true
No, they just ain't true
They just ain't true

So you heard I got laid and betrayed by a maid in a one night stand
And I'm caught in the middle of something I don't really understand
He's gotten so lost
He's been double-crossed by a change in the wind
He's gone solo again and he can't slow down now to pick up a friend

(Chorus)

So you've heard I've been flyin' and tryin' to get into somebody new
And I'm off on a new love and don't hardly ever think about you
He's gotten so cold He ain't the same old lover you used to know
He's gone solo again
He's just using you just to sell out a show
Someone's been telling you stories (someone's been telling)
Someone's been telling you stories (someone's been telling you)
Someone's been telling you stories (someone's been telling you lies)
And they just ain't true
They just ain't true
Oh no, they just ain't true
They just ain't true

~California 1973-74~  
 

There's A Place In The World For A Gambler

There's a place in the world for a gambler
There's a burden that only he can bear
There's a place in the world for a gambler
And he sees...oh, yes he sees...
And he sees...oh, yes he sees...

There's a song in the heart of a woman
That only the truest of loves can release
There's a song in the heart of a woman
Set it free...oh, set it free
Set it free...oh, set it free
Set it free...oh, set it free

There's a light in the depths of your darkness
There's a calm at the eye of every storm
There's a light in the depths of your darkness
Let it shine...oh, let it shine
Let it shine...oh, let it shine
Let it shine...oh, let it shine
Let it shine

~California 1971~