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fat man stuck a needle full of junk / into a vein of his flabby left arm
we all witnessed what was done that day
down by the rainbow the children will play
down by the rainbow -- they play all day
skinny man, he was cool too / the paint on his skin told the tales of his life
his mouth was full of a whole lotta things
down by the rainbow the children will sing
down by the rainbow -- they sing and sing, sing
the spotlight was warm / on the lives that were cold / glory on high for the high so low
the spotlight was warm / on the lives that were cold / glory on high for the high so low
the spotlight was warm / on the lives that were cold / glory on high for the high so low
the spotlight was warm / on the lives that were cold / down at the rainbow / no pot of gold
where on this earth has that cold river flown?
collecting all castaways -- those with no home
and who receives such a task that she brings?
the master at the helm of the rainbow kings -- ya!
fat man / skinny man -- collect all your dust
fat man / skinny man -- hiding from the bust
fat man / skinny man -- got no one to trust
fat man / skinny man -- big misguided lust
fat man / skinny man -- spotlight is a must
two other boys dug in deep / the show was wild, dark and cheap
"I am this but you call me that"
down by the rainbow -- that’s where they sat
no pot of gold -- just a sign and a hat
© Jeff Pearson 1990
lost in a clouded forest
the dawn never rising again
waiting in the silence of mystery
from the alpha to the ohm in a-men
lost in a groove of the vinyl
the needle never lifting again
wallowing in the swirl of cacophony
no rests between never, now and then
lost in a dungeon so common
the walls close you in -- and surprise
finding an escape hatch behind each thought
knowing now the mind’s frail disguise
found in this maze so hazy
an eternal mist-blanket of doubt
waiting in the silence of mystery
humbly thou shalt not reason out
© Jeff Pearson 1991
foreign town and greying skies
looking out -- no alibis
looking in -- where to begin?
dig deep, dig deeper than skin
** time -- dig deep again
some sign -- for our amends
and clean -- what must be cleaned?
to see -- what must be seen? **
avenue I’ve seen before
leading back to your door
am I in? -- please let me in
out too long, love -- I need in
** time -- dig deep again
some sign -- for our amends
and clean -- what must be cleaned?
to see -- what must be seen? **
ice melts and water runs
river flows to setting sun
drown the past -- for what it’s worth
current carry me to rebirth
** time -- dig deep again
some sign -- for our amends
and clean -- what must be cleaned?
to see -- what must be seen? **
baby seed -- newly sown / is anyone there? is anyone home?
(clean, what must be cleaned / to see, what must be seen)
daughter, son -- fully grown / is anyone there? is anyone home?
(clean, what must be cleaned / to see, what must be seen)
husband, wife -- marriage blown / is anyone there? is anyone home?
(clean, what must be cleaned / to see, what must be seen)
vagabond -- on your own / is anyone there? is anyone home?
(clean, what must be cleaned / to see, what must be seen)
what must be seen?
what must be seen?
© Jeff Pearson 1993
Mr. H -- do you know where you are? / on top of this hill and as old as a star
your walker is gleaming -- a cane made of wood / help me discover what’s under the hood
Mr. H -- your skin’s loose and crinkled / story-line hides in the folds and the wrinkles
your wife went walking -- a child inside / over the mountains -- how did she die?
** Mr. H -- there is something with you
I just want to walk a short mile in your shoes **
Mr. H -- from the east to the west / merchant to cowboy -- was this a test?
the prairie was ruthless -- you furrowed the ground
in the middle of a stampede -- what was the sound?
Mr. H -- let me get this straight / they gave you cigarettes but nobody ate?
they marched you and beat you -- but kept you alive? / memories from forty-two to forty-five
** Mr. H -- there is something with you
I just want to walk a short mile in your shoes **
Mr. H -- shall I carry you in? / the air’s getting cold with the sun growing thin
what are the reasons -- where do we go? / how do I get back and stay in the flow?
** Mr. H -- there is something with you
I just want to walk a short mile in your shoes
Mr. H -- there is something with you
I just want to walk a short mile in your shoes **
I just want to know if we’ve found the same clues
I just want to know if we’ve held the same views
I just want to know if we’ve paid the same dues
I just want to know if we’ve seen the same hues
I just want to know if we’ve heard the same news
I just want to know if we’ve sang the same blues
© Jeff Pearson 1995
there’s a man who looks like Jesus -- and it’s no disguise
he hates all people equal -- would like to see some fry
at home he drools at Clint plugging holes into another sap
likes to close his eyes and mellow out to gangsta rap
he’s got the hair and beard and skin -- and the eyes that shine
he’ll eat stale bread, smells like fish and chugs his wine
he’s got a cross and skull near his purple-heart-and-dagger tattoo
he smokes and drinks and shoots and snorts and spits and chews
** he will lie and he will cheat
he’ll pour cement all around your feet
his knife is clean and his knife is sharp
he’s an angel
ya, the angel plays his part **
there’s a girl who looks like Mary -- and it’s no disguise
she makes time for the seniors -- calls the old men wise
she prays for little children over in foreign lands
with snow-white pure and gentle, tender folded hands
she’s got the hair and smile and skin -- and the eyes that shine
she bakes fresh bread, smells like rain and sips her wine
she’s got a locket picture of Jesus and some Buddhist beads
she gives and serves and laughs and sings and helps and feeds
** she will lie and she will cheat
surreptitiously, nice and neat
her smile is sly and her smile is sharp
she’s an angel
ya, the angel plays her part **
the knife is clean and the smile is sharp
something hidden in the angel’s heart
sometimes clear and sometimes not
fillet your soul -- whataya got?
© Jeff Pearson 1996
I’m a high planes drifter and I ride a range unknown
my horse and I have fashioned out a language of our own
I’m close to all the silence and the sun has helped me home
I’m old and grey and lonely and it’s time I ceased to roam
I know no friendly banter but I listen very well
my voice was carried away by wind – there’s no one left to tell
my ways are somewhat simple to those I wish to meet
I must pass on my story for my days to be complete
I must pass on my story / I must pass on my story / I must pass on my story
for my days to be complete
there is something about my life here that questions the open sky
the clouds are arrows pointing south but the wind has all but died
in a dust-devil mirage I see a man who will never come awake
for I am living out this life bound to a dusty stake
for I am living out this life / for I am living out this life / for I am living out this life
bound to a dusty stake
I’m a high planes drifter but I have never left my home
my horse is in the pasture with many broken bones
the dead man’s body still hangs there – they’ve broken his guilty neck
he’s swings like he’s walking -- in his dream he makes his trek
he walks out to the pasture and he mends my broken horse
but I am dreaming that he is dreaming and neither of us know the source
I am dreaming, he is dreaming / we are dreaming fools
the dream to wake is all dried up / lay waste the dreaming pools
I am scheming, he is scheming / we are scheming fools
the scheme to leave is all dried up / lay waste the scheming pools
I’m a high planes drifter and I’m out here in the night
this lonely smoke is choking me and I’d die to see the light
I’ve never had a wife or kids and I wonder if I’ll go on
this dream just ends for many men while they wander in the whimsical dawn
this dream just ends for many men / this dream just ends for many men
this dream just ends for many men...
I’m a high planes drifter and I ride a range unknown
I’m a high planes drifter and I ride a range unknown
I’m a high planes drifter and I ride a range unknown
© Jeff Pearson 1996
Wesley United -- Wednesdays -- young and green
learn to roam in darkness -- stealthy -- as submarines
frozen in the light -- a shock -- and then boys scream
dragged out by the ankles -- side-lined -- on no one’s team
little Chris Bradley -- through the mail slot -- let us in
making fun of George and Sandy -- was that a sin?
uniform and collars -- we pack as wolfish kin
our leader starts his day with Collins -- topped with gin
** aah kay la -- will do my very best
take it on the road in your life – that’s the test
aah kay la -- help seniors cross the street
little Brownie girl it’s so nice that we should meet
little Brownie girl your cookies taste so sweet **
Wesley United -- time blown -- down the track
shattered window entry -- lone wolf -- welcome back
uniform and collar -- outgrown -- on a closet rack
hiding from the world -- estrangement -- from the pack
** aah kay la -- will do my very best
take it on the road in your life – that’s the test
aah kay la -- a new friend across the street
running with the devil’s side-kick -- and all his treats
Mr. Devil’s psycho cookies -- taste so sweet
howling like a wolf whose dying -- from the heat **
aah kay la -- will do my very best
take it on the road in your life – that’s the test
aah kay la -- will do my very best
take it on the road in your life – that’s the test
© Jeff Pearson 2002
excuse me, Miss Vicissitude?
better put your hazards on
it’s me down here in the ditch
splayed out like a wobbly fawn
don’t know why, don’t know when
don’t know up from down
do know should have never left
old familiar ground
** the road is straight, the road is wise / the road knows where to go
why then don’t I ride the road / just keep in with the flow?
over here Miss fickle V. / was I wrong to turn?
turn me round, right my wrong / will I ever learn? **
excuse me, Miss Vicissitude?
better strap yourself in tight
tried to take the highest road
what a long, long bumpy flight
don’t know how, don’t know where
don’t know in from out
do know should have never left
the deeply furrowed route
** the road is straight, the road is wise / the road knows where to go
why then don’t I ride the road / just keep in with the flow?
over here Miss fickle V. / was I wrong to turn?
turn me round, right my wrong / will I ever learn? **
and there you stand in a softer light
in your flowered dress of May
you wave goodbye on a breath of wind
for a long hot summer’s stay
something pulls in the twilight’s glow
that always turns me back
I see the shadow of what could be
and the door wedged open a crack
© Jeff Pearson 2002
it tells you this / it tells you that
but whose doing the pitching?
and whose swinging the bat?
it tells you to re-mortgage / buy a flaming red Corvette
race with the remainder to the track to place your bet
it tells you while you’re at it / since your wife’s been acting strange
take yourself to Vegas -- with the change
it tells you that the postman’s been stealing half your mail
kick the neighbour’s pit-bull while he’s locked up tight in jail
it tells you that there’s evil inside
to burn down the jail or church is for you to decide
** then it’s as still as the tree trunk / a perfect, placid pond
and it gets you to ponder / whose just waved the wand?
as still as a statue / senses stripped and gone
a stillness below the surface … and the switch is always on **
it tells you that the breeze is whispering secret codes to you
but you don’t care for the message so you let it blow on through
it tells you that the full moon is a good time to rejoice
but it illuminates your fear of dark not giving you the choice
it tells you that the sunshine is the sweetest gift of all
but what about melanoma—you just don’t want that call
** then it’s as still as the tree trunk / a perfect, placid pond
and it gets you to ponder / whose just waved the wand?
as still as a statue / senses stripped and gone
a stillness below the surface … and the switch is always on **
it tells you there’s a chance that the master plan’s benign
children will rise above our crimes
it tells you that humanity will slay their wicked beasts
lay down their arms at their feet to find their peace
it tells you a mountain meadow set serenely in the wild
it tells you a daisy given by a tiny, shy, mute child
it tells you that the boy in the wheelchair’s smile
is all worth the pain / is all worth the while
© Jeff Pearson 2003
the white-winged sky
the blue cloud’s high
the vulture hangs -- now who will die?
the distant dance
a circling trance
ugly faces shy away
then you come in
on a windy whim
you hover close ‘till you are heard
but now we’re gone
the silence long
if no one hears you -- will you leave?
I never knew
the other shoe
when it’s worn – it’d feel like this
and ‘cause you’re old
bones gone cold
you see those birds now fill the sky
that white-winged sky
will surely fly
nothing lasts on the blue and green
and the vultures soar
down to your door
lost no more – they’ve found the key
so we let them in
and they like your skin
bye, bye love -- up, up away
through the white-winged sky
the blue cloud’s high
where eagle soars -- and vulture dies
© Jeff Pearson 2004
in ‘23 came the brutal storm / the lights went out -- Willie was born
welcome, boy, to the family / number ten mouth to feed
overnight -- he was out of school / kids gang up and choose their fool
and down the road old farmer Brand / watched the boy lose his hand
at 17 he was on a train / so much crap inside his brain
when he jumped he hit his head / now on he walked -- the living dead
** Willie cannot count to 10
he hides it all from his fellow men
when he counts alone at night
he counts the moon his only light **
Willie learned to eat and drink / what most men wouldn’t dare to think
Willie learned that he could walk / to never stop, to never talk
Willie learned to live outside / without a home, without a guide
and when the night snuffed out the day / Willie prayed the moon would stay
** Willie cannot count to 10
he hides it all from his fellow men
when he counts alone at night
he counts the one his only light **
I met Willie on a bench / a quiet glaze and thick with stench
when I braved to say "hello" / Willie turned with eyes a-glow
one was all that he could say / one is night and one is day
one is here and one will stay / as one from one -- I must pray
one and only one’s the way / one and only one’s the way
** Willie cannot count to 10
he hides it all from his fellow men
when he counts his one at night
he knows the secret of the light **
© Jeff Pearson 2005
Remember the leaves were green? / Remember the sky was blue?
Remember waters so clean? / Remember birds singing too?
Goodbye Sister Earth / Goodbye Brother Earthling
Goodbye to the way we were / Goodbye now to everything
Remember a baby tooth? / All time was on our side
Remember in our youth? / The wind whispered lullabies
Goodbye to the stars and moon / Goodbye life of the sun
Goodbye to "see you soon"/ Goodbye now to everyone
Remember we had our dream? / Remember how it went?
Behind every mind it seemed / Some called it heaven-sent
Remember opportunity? / Knocking on every door
Remember the choices made? / Shy on peace, thick on war
Goodbye learning curve / Goodbye to all belief
Goodbye to all preserved / Goodbye to all relief
Remember common sense? / The big picture we all know
Remember convenience? / Turned now to horror show
Goodbye Sister Earth / Goodbye Brother Earthling
Goodbye to the way we were / Goodbye now to everything
Remember the leaves were green? / Remember the sky was blue?
Remember waters so clean? / Remember birds singing too?
Let’s pretend that in the end / Life always sprouts again
Let’s admit we don’t know how / Just bend over -- and take a bow
Bend over -- and take a bow / Bend over -- and take a bow
Remember … in the end / There is no end.
© Jeff Pearson 2007
these lonely words
and in between
are trying to say
just what they mean
who am I
this breath sustains?
that wants to know
what will remain?
these thoughts that cloud
that bring the sun
am I simply
one from one?
where has it flown?
primordial wing
does it nest in here
for the song to sing?
at the end of day
the starlit night
helps us to see
there is always light
and if all is light
and if all could see
that there is no 'you'
and there is no 'me'
the eternal glow
of a zillion beams
will always be
or so it seems
© Jeff Pearson 2007
one black rhino’s tusk / a vial of musk oxen musk
a long dangling elephant’s trunk / rip off the stripe of a skunk
a jaguar’s night-vision eyes / the hippo’s stumpy grey thighs
the jungle monkey’s versatile tail / why not a full-blown blue whale?
** you must have all of these things / oh what pride they surely will bring
finally they’ll know you’re the king / your subjects will bow down and sing
(they’ll sing) sing, sing to the man / let our voices ring out through the land
oh sing, sing to the man / o’er the eerie dead silence now at hand **
a dolphin’s smooth dorsal fin / oh the sighs over tonic and gin!
and why not a polar bear’s skull? / and beside it -- a mute stuffed seagull
a Thai-jungle, cave-dwelling bat / the neighbours ornery loud cat
a giraffe’s elongated neck / and its spleen in a jar -- what the heck
a thirty-ought six in its case / the bow that put the bear in its place
the harpoon used for stilling the whale / and the club for when all else had failed
** chorus **
a little pygmy -- the last one at that / the last eagle’s feather in a cap
a species of fish now extinct / the last winter coat made of mink
a Tasmanian Devil in a cage / a tiger’s paw – they’re all the rage
and why not the ears of a lynx / imagine your friends -- what they’ll think!
you must have all of these things / oh what pride they surely will bring
finally they’ll know you’re the king / your subjects will bow down and sing
so much for that little game / the last finger to point out the blame
nothing feels quite the same / shut the door -- blow out the flame
sing, sing to the man / let our voices ring out through the land
oh sing, sing to the man / o’er the eerie dead silence now at hand
sing, sing to the man / let our voices ring out through the land
oh sing, sing to the man / o’er the eerie dead silence now at hand
nothing feels quite the same / shut the door and blow out the flame
© Jeff Pearson 2007
the boys chase after balls / the girls all skip a rope
the teacher blows a whistle / I hide and then I float
mother makes the broth / father butchers goat
sister collects the blood / I drink and then I float
the queen is on the throne / the king bobs in the moat
the jester wears the crown / I clap and then I float
Joni wears a scarf / Pete lets go the coat
OJ can’t wear gloves / I shiver then I float
** floating by myself / floating with you here
floating is like language / that’s never really clear
floating like a cloud / against the vast of sky
solo to the end / and only guessing why **
losers seldom smile / winners often gloat
fearful never venture / I sit here then I float
West feasts like a glutton / Somali stomachs bloat
food just grows like crazy / I question then I float
Buddha denies the world / Jesus leaves the boat
Zeus is mighty pissed / I cower then I float
the caller left a message / the lover left a note
the mailman left a letter / I cry and then I float
this is all he said / that is all she wrote
we’ll never know the end / eyes close and then I float
eyes close and then I float / eyes close and then I float...
** floating by myself / floating with you here
floating is like language / that’s never really clear
floating like a cloud / against the vast of sky
solo to the end / and only guessing why **
© Jeff Pearson 2009
the land sprawls out before us / and we mold it every day
take a little peek outside / where generations used to play
but the children of tomorrow / from the zeitgeist of today
all hanging in the basement / in the glow of the screens display
the sun shines on forever / on dinosaur bone in sand
and every living creature / between it and modern man
but the mountains slowly crumble / eroding to the sea
passing by the revolution / that has handcuffed you and me
** handcuffed -- you and me / handcuffed round a tree
but mother nature slowly devoured / as the chainsaws set us free
handcuffed -- you and me / in perpetuity
as we ride upon a digital wave / across a plastic sea **
the songs go on forever / and we listen every day
as long as we’ve got power / and a finger pressing play
and the gangsters of tomorrow / and the rappers of today
all boxed up in the attic / mercifully where they stay
human greed plays out forever / now corporations with heavy hand
dinosaur turned to oil / the new life-blood of modern man
and the markets crash and crumble / another corpse out to the sea
and it’s all man-made fucking folly / that has handcuffed you and me
** handcuffed -- you and me / handcuffed round a tree
but mother nature slowly devoured / as the chainsaws set us free
handcuffed -- you and me / in perpetuity
as we ride upon a digital wave / across a plastic sea **
handcuffed to the space-net / a googol of twitter tweetings
handcuffed to your bloggings / and the endless Facebook greetings
ipod, ipad, iphone / ihandcuffed to all three
and ihandcuffed to whatever’s coming / eighty inches of HDTV
handcuffed to the gaming / escape from reality’s friction
handcuffed all together / and lost in the fucking fiction
the key, please
© Jeff Pearson 2010
Do you really think you’re going? / will you make it -- even though?
Every glitch along the way / the heavy baggage dragged in tow?
Has someone set the rules for you? / some thing you’ve never met?
And all the others, blindly too? / all eager to forget?
Is it as they say it is? / how did they come to know?
Then why the hell were we left out? / our seed no good to sow?
This place amongst the stars? / an eternal paradise?
Up their sleeves, the ancients hiding? / a story to entice?
** heaven and hell are part of the spell
take it to the pulpit and scream and yell
shake them and wake them -- liberty bell
have mercy on your brethren and lift them from the well **
All of those before us? / are they waiting in the clouds?
Somewhere in the fog-bank? / immersed in misty shrouds?
Do you sometimes hear them? / different voices in your head?
Are they trying to reach you? / at night beside your bed?
Does skin and bone make ashes? / what rises from the dust?
Is daddy really out there? / open arms that wait for us?
This place amongst the stars? / an eternal paradise?
Up their sleeves, the ancients hiding? / a story to entice?
** heaven and hell are part of the spell
take it to the pulpit and scream and yell
shake them and wake them -- liberty bell
have mercy on your brethren and lift them from the well **
From the well, the water, life unseen
Everybody’s daughter open in between
From the well, the water, and with no doubt
Everybody’s son will splash it all about
Every son and daughter coming from the well
They will learn of heaven and they will learn of hell
Some will run to the pulpit and like banshees scream and yell
Have mercy on us, Mother, and help to break the spell
© Jeff Pearson 2010
time flies / time stands still
hanging round here with time to kill
all the time in the world / with no time to waste
is there time to spare in outer space?
well now, well now / look at the time
meter’s run dry, better drop another dime
one time, two times / three times, four
your time is up but you still want more
your time, my time / his time, hers
living in time is the human curse
** you’re just in time—inside your mind
the natural world—knows nothing of the kind
something o’clock—smeared over now
don’t listen to me—go ask a cow**
time to take / out the trash
whose keeping time? is it time to crash?
time to pull / up your socks
does time survive inside a sealed box?
take your time / give your time
the time is now and it’s always prime
parsley, sage / rosemary and thyme
spice up time with an herbal rhyme
does time march on / with total persistence?
time equals velocity divided by distance
** you’re just in time—inside your mind
the natural world—knows nothing of the kind
something o’clock—smeared over now
don’t listen to me—go ask a cow**
ticking away, flowing like a river, knows no boundaries, just a sliver
the timeless eternity is now / and tomorrow never shows (holy cow!)
© Jeff Pearson 2010
The painting hangs on a bare wood wall in my Grandpa’s old wood-shop
It’s dusty and it’s cobwebbed and there’s a nick out of its top
I like to visit old Grandpa when he’s hiding out in there
‘Cause while he’s churning out sawdust, I just stand close and stare
(I see) the big red barn from another time when the farming life was good
The maple tree stands stout and strong and tames the sun just like it should
A Huck Finn boy wears an old straw hat as his puppy plays nearby
And the farmer shoes an old grey mare under timeless sunny sky
(But it’s) the farmer’s daughter in her frilly dress and her soft hair with blue bow
A shy little smile and twinkly eyes and the world’s most innocent glow
She holds a duckling and coos so soft it’s like a song that kisses your heart
And she’s frozen in time for all to see the world’s spinning off the chart
Ya she’s frozen in time for all to see the world’s spinning off the chart
** I want to live with the farmer’s daughter – way back when – and never leave
I want to cuddle her yellow duckling and wipe my tears off on her sleeve
I want to hold her hand and sit on the bench by the barn there under the tree
I want to stay with her in Mother Nature’s world and live more naturally
I want to stay with her in Mother Nature’s world … and live more naturally **
The apple pie comes wafting in on a breeze that’s pure and clean
There ain’t no poisons on the food and the lake shines a crystal sheen
No TVs, no computers, not much of nothing that’s not real
Just the love of the farmer’s daughter and the way it makes you feel
Just you and a girl in a loving world more balanced on its wheel
** I want to live with the farmer’s daughter – way back when – and never leave
I want to cuddle her yellow duckling and wipe my tears off on her sleeve
I want to hold her hand and sit on the bench by the barn there under the tree
I want to stay with her in Mother Nature’s world and live more naturally
I want to stay with her in Mother Nature’s world … and live more naturally**
Just the love of the farmer’s daughter and the way it makes you feel
Just you and a girl in a loving world more balanced on its wheel
© Jeff Pearson 2011
The universe expands beyond the mind’s outer reach
Galaxies hide their black holes
Starlight streams in after millions of years
Caressing all whimsical souls
The quantum mechanic surely knows
Then the oceans roil up and tsunamis flow in
The moon is so bloated it’s almost a sin
Volcanoes blow holes through the crust of the earth
Cyclones wreak havoc for all that they’re worth
The climatologist gives them wide berth
** Lab coat and clipboard and with something to say
New trouble is brewing in a troubling new way
But we want the angels who can fix everything
So we look to the heavens and we start to sing
Universe expand, Black Hole collapse
Starlight we don’t mind that you’re always in the past
Just be never-ending, we worship your sending
Love to this little Blue Marble of ours
Please kiss us with love through the light from the stars. **
The lungs expand without conscious decision
Heart pumps the life-blood along
Brain sends the signals and masters the plan
Doctor says you’re healthy and strong
What could possibly go wrong?
Then the preacher roils up and the sermon is served
The church organ’s notes have left you unnerved
Guilt blows a hole through your mind like a lance
But the saviour always gives you another chance
And the choir breaks into their dance
** Mystical Forces of the Highest Degree
Divine intervention--could it possibly be?
Hidden in shadows and silent as night
We look to the heavens and sigh at the sight
Lungs expand, Heart open wide
Brain-waves enmesh with the soul’s holy guide
If only never-ending, we worship your sending
Love to this troubled, fallen species of ours
Please kiss us with love through the light from the stars. **
© Jeff Pearson 2011
I hear the blues / and it paints me red
same sad old news / have the blues gone dead?
same old chords / same story-line
just making me bored / and making me whine
I hear those blues / and my eyes see red
bah-humbug, man / inside of my head
need a big infusion of something new instead
gonna gather the blues / gonna find some reds
gonna introduce em / gonna get em in bed
gonna track down blues / gonna track down reds
with a 12 guage shotgun / gonna get them wed
gonna dress up blue / gonna dress up red
and with this vow / welcome purple instead
‘till death do us part where only purple will tread
now they’re married off / on their honeymoon
baby on board / waiting for a full moon
better listen good / better write it down
whole new ball-game / is coming to town
better listen good / better write it down
call the big boss man / spread the word around
new baby girl / coming with the full moon / she’s a colour swirl / yer gonna hear her soon
new baby girl / coming with the full moon / she’s a colour swirl / yer gonna hear her soon
gonna hear her soon / after big full moon / and when you hear her croon / you’re gonna swing and swoon
you’re gonna swing and swoon (x2) / every live body in the whole damn room
** new baby girl / hear her scream
with a purple curl / kaleidoscopic dream
new baby girl / gonna rock you out
with a purple whirl / blow your ear-drums out
new baby girl / see her slither and sway
with a purple twirl / electrify your day
new baby girl / left the blues behind
with a purple swirl / she’s here to blow your mind
she’s a purple girl / arriving just in time
she’s a purple swirl...all yours and mine **
hey there blues / thank you indeed
the new purple swirl / is just what we need
© Jeff Pearson 2011
laying in the grass still wet with morning dew
lodgepole pipe-cleaners sweep the sky a clean, clear blue
a symphony of dragonflies helicoptering to and fro
enjoying sunny freedoms and the feasting as they go
the whiskey jacks have circled back chirping their good cheer
the butterflies are whispering something I can never hear
now I’m the man who certainly can complicate any scene
with missing you and the loneliness and the empty space between
with missing you and the loneliness and the sultry sights unseen
** lonely place, lonely space / early visions in the folds
starting out now keeping in / this rootless drifter mold
shifting with the random wind / dropping through the cracks
hiding from the inside out / never turning to go back **
gazing skyward through the shadows in a meadow under moon
the night sprinkling starlight across the sultriness of June
a symphony of fireflies, neon jewels flicker-float
crickets rub their legs to sound combined symphonic note
zealous, marshy bullfrogs serenade their mates
a zephyr on a windy whim blows open heavenly gates
now I’m the man who certainly can complicate any scene
with missing you and the loneliness and the empty space between
with missing you and the loneliness and the sultry sights unseen
** lonely place, lonely space / early visions in the folds
starting out now keeping in / this rootless drifter mold
shifting with the random wind / dropping through the cracks
hiding from the inside out / never turning to go back **
© Jeff Pearson 2011
I bought a shovel for ten bucks / from the Cactus Hardware store
Thousands of miles from the place that we called home
One last ride together, my friend / only silence in the end
Thousands of miles and now you’re on your own
Goodbye, goodbye old buddy / not the way that we had planned
One day you’re walking on top of it / and the next you’re underneath the sand
** He’s a desert flower now / he’s a desert flower somehow
Swaying in that lonesome wind for the rest of all our years
The rest of all our years **
I bought a scrap-book for ten bucks / from a local drugstore shelf
Thousands of miles from the desert flower’s home
Old pictures and words expose / a chapter the heart won’t close
Thousands of miles, may we meet in the great unknown
I still walk those same old trails / but it’s never quite the same
All those years with you by my side / I’m still calling out your name
(here boy ...)
** But he’s a desert flower now / he’s a desert flower somehow
Swaying in that lonesome wind for the rest of all our years **
So all you desert drifters / roving desert sands
Just one small favour, please / if you could lend a hand
When you see that desert flower / such beauty but all alone
Give a smile from you and me / and make it feel at home
** ‘Cause he’s a desert flower now / he’s a desert flower somehow
Swaying in that lonesome wind for the rest of all our years
The rest of all our years **
For Riley
© Jeff Pearson 2011
in the beginning / maybe emptiness / a watery soup / a vaporous cloud
in the beginning / maybe formless deep / a yawning void / a chaotic shroud
in the beginning / a cosmic egg / in the beginning / a powder keg
in the beginning -- Aum / in the beginning -- Aum / in the beginning -- Ohhhmmm ...
from primordial dark African waters / Bumba vomits up the ancient sun
while Nu Gua furrows mud in red China / kneading yellow earth to make everyone
and cast-off Maui a well-endowed trickster / enters South Pacific Goddess of death
while Marduk slays his Babylon grandma / mixing blood and dust, giving man breath
and the Norse giant Ymir with Cow-God / gives birth from his sweaty armpits
while Vishnu in the coils of serpent / lends Brahma the lotus where he sits
ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ...
** we are the ones / we are the ones
somebody loved us and hung up a sun
don’t know how and don’t know why
but lotsa good stories – can’t blame us for try’n
but lotsa good stories – can’t blame us for try’n
(now mommy and daddy won’t you drop on by?) **
ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ...
from watery blue and green quetzal feather / Mayan Sovereign Plumed Serpent is born
while Spider Woman teaches the Hopi / to make pottery, weave fabric, keep warm
and Old Man-Father Sky-Supreme Spirit / with Wakonda holds Earthmother’s hand
while castration of the God in Greek heaven / sends seeded love-juice spreading over the land
and a masturbating Sun-God in Egypt / spits out Tefnut and then sneezes out Shu
while the Garden gets a face-lift in seven / Eve and Adam do the hoochie-coo -- whoo!
ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ...
** we are the ones / we are the ones
somebody loved us and hung up a sun
don’t know how and don’t know why
but lotsa good stories – can’t blame us for try’n **
mommy and daddy show your face and say hi!
mommy and daddy show your face and say hi!
mommy and daddy show your face and say hiiiieeeeeoooooohhhhmmmmm!
© Jeff Pearson 2011
JC bore the cross to save all humankind
Buddha left behind the jewels to go beyond the mind
Muhammad heard the voice and brought his tribes the law
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes and now they’re really all in awe
Welcome the new millennium where celebuloids rule the earth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / the only news of any worth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / as the shallow waters rise
It’s a spiritual rebirth in the minds of the hypnotized
Kim, your shoes are pretty / they make you look so wise
Terry Fox ran many miles on one courageous leg
Rick Hansen, a man in motion, raised willpower up a peg
Gandhi fought for freedom with non-violence as his law
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes and now they’re really all in awe
Welcome the new millennium where celebuloids rule the earth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / the only news of any worth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / as the shallow waters rise
It’s a spiritual rebirth in the minds of the hypnotized
Kim, your shoes are pretty / they make you look so wise
The shallow water’s rising and it might just drown us all
With a superficial frenzy down the halls of every mall
The shallow water’s rising – please Kim, save the day
The cameras will be rolling and of course you will get paid
The cameras will be rolling and of course you will get paid
Welcome the new millennium where celebuloids rule the earth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / the only news of any worth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / as the shallow waters rise
It’s a spiritual rebirth in the minds of the hypnotized
Kim, your shoes are pretty / they make you look so wise
Welcome the new millennium where celebuloids rule the earth
Kim Kardashian bought new shoes / the only news of any worth
© Jeff Pearson 2011
Whiskey, vodka, rum and gin / breakfast of champs
Beer and cider—get ‘em in / light your brain cell’s lamps
Good, ole moonshine—the strongest batch / crank up your liver’s amps
Fifty shooters down the hatch / double one up for Gramps
** hammered high, a buzzing glow / your liquid courage grows
Beefeater*CC*Smirnoff / let Captain Morgan row **
Whiskey, vodka, rum and gin / lunch on the rocks
Beer and cider—get ‘em in / double vision by one o’clock
Good, ole moonshine—the strongest batch / two different coloured socks
Fifty shooters down the hatch / another one of her talks
** hammered high, a buzzing glow / your liquid courage grows
Beefeater*CC*Smirnoff / let Captain Morgan row **
Whiskey, vodka, rum and gin / dinner is served
Beer and cider—get ‘em in / cross-eyed vision curved
Good, ole moonshine—the strongest batch / fellow drivers all unnerved
Fifty shooters down the hatch / man, you’ve got some swerve!
** hammered high, a buzzing glow / your liquid courage grows
Beefeater*CC*Smirnoff / let Captain Morgan row **
Beefeater*CC*Smirnoff / let Captain Morgan row
Beefeater*CC*Smirnoff / a barge of fun in tow
Beefeater*CC*Smirnoff / let Captain Morgan row, row
row his boat / down raging, dark rum stream
merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
straight to Jimmy Beam’s!
© Jeff Pearson 2011
Klingor dressed like a fancy girl
Jonesy said, “give the Kool-aid a whirl”
Heaven’s Gate is a space-ride away
Hale–Bopp take me there today
** Gonna ride / gonna ride / gonna ride it out
Section 8 seems the normal route
Gonna fly / gonna fly / gonna fly so high
We’re in Section 8 ‘till the day we die
It’s Section 8 and you can’t deny
Another Section 8 always standing by **
You'll go crazy if you don't treat that rash
L. Ron made Xenu and still they send cash
Koresh and Manson makin’ music together
Pretty damn sure it's much more than the weather
** Gonna ride / gonna ride / gonna ride it out
Section 8 seems the normal route
Gonna fly / gonna fly / gonna fly so high
We’re in Section 8 ‘till the day we die
It’s Section 8 and you can’t deny
Another Section 8 always standing by **
Right next door / standing in line / running a country / holding a sign
In the news / on T.V. / eating a sandwich / taking a pee
Who’ll be the one to go on a spree? / ahhoooooo / yippee-yi-yee!
Colonel Gaddafi and Kim Jong Ill
And Bernie Madoff workin’ the till
Ace Ventura for the next holy Pope
And Mad Magazine the new bible of hope
Gonna ride / gonna ride / gonna ride it out
Section 8 seems the normal route
Gonna fly / gonna fly / gonna fly so high
We’re in Section 8 ‘till the day we die
It’s Section 8 and you can’t deny
Another Section 8 always standing by
I want Section 8 / I won’t take less / it’s all Section 8 / more or less
© Jeff Pearson 2011
sometimes the day’s so insane I wanna cry
traffic’s backed up all the way to Shanghai
road-rage flattens joy like a steamroller’s wheel
psycho and screaming, waves a barrel of steel
then its home to my saviour, home to my shield
and out of the blue, baby, out of left field
sparkling eyes and a smile reveals ...
** turquoise and teal / you’re my turquoise and teal
my even keel / that blue lagoon feel / I’m patched up and healed
you’re my turquoise and teal **
and sometimes the news of the day brings me down
shocked and overwhelmed and temples that pound
devastation and war and famine in there too
and closer to home--a panda died at the zoo
then its home to my saviour, home to my shield
and out of the blue, baby, out of left field
sparkling eyes and a smile reveals ...
** turquoise and teal / you’re my turquoise and teal
my even keel / that blue lagoon feel / I’m patched up and healed
you’re my turquoise and teal **
that palm-lined lagoon only you and I can find
holding your gaze with our bodies entwined
the stars—all ours—and heavenly aligned
and turquoise and teal caressing our minds
turquoise and teal, your smile reveals
my turquoise and teal, that’s how I feel
© Jeff Pearson 2011
there’s two feet of snow in Betty’s long drive
but the tracks showed she’d scuffled on through
and the postman knows at this time of year
just one card going out -- and to who
what can you say? old maid Betty – she’s been back on that farm for so long
and everyone knows she still loves him so but no one dare tell her he’s gone
** a Christmas card for Saint Elvis
in a home-made blue suede envelope
with a picture of a handsome young hound dog
and a candy-cane heart of sweet hope **
after the fire in June 77
they sheltered the girl and her scars
no nervous young boys with flowers on the porch
no mirrors in her life behind bars
are you lonesome tonight, dear Betty? – he’s asked many times for so long
she answers the same and whispers his name ‘till the sequins in the night sky are gone
** a Christmas card for Saint Elvis
in a home-made blue suede envelope
with a picture of a handsome young hound dog
and a candy-cane heart of sweet hope **
there’s a curious smile on the postman this year
as he studies the letter in his hand
he slides it inside and his wonder grows wide
a soul in Tennessee understands
yes, a soul in Tennessee understands
** a Christmas card from Saint Elvis
in a light tan Graceland envelope
with a picture of a handsome young hound dog
and a candy-cane heart of sweet hope **
© Jeff Pearson 2011
Incessant grey, where the clouds have their way, day after day
A fog rolls in, and it’s wet on the chin, the gloom wipes off your grin
A mist or a drizzle or a heavy downpour
A rain-jacket, umbrella – you may need more
And don’t forget your waterproof boots
For the puddles and streams criss-crossing all routes
As the ducks float by, there’s a pleasure in their eye
But I just want to cry and I’d die for…
** A desert home with a xerascape gnome
With cactus and palms and it’s dry as a bone
And the sun, the sun, you beautiful one
Let the rays rain down, replace every frown
Only hot sunny smiles for miles around
Only hot sunny smiles for miles around **
Eskimo man, carving igloo by hand, frozen to the land
Fifty below, as the Arctic wind blows, frost bites off your nose
The snow and the blizzards, the long winter’s night
Seal-skin and blubber – your warmth and your light
Sleet and slush and flurries of flakes
Six months of darkness and shivers and shakes
As the polar bear stares, it’s cold – who cares?
But I wouldn’t dare, no I’d die for…
** A desert home with a xerascape gnome
With cactus and palms and it’s warm to the bone
And the sun, the sun, you beautiful one
Let the rays rain down, replace every frown
Only hot sunny smiles for miles around
Only hot sunny smiles for miles around **
My desert home with a xerascape gnome
Sand in the front yard and gravel behind
Sunny-blue-sky-every-day-peace-of-mind
© Jeff Pearson 2011
you transport me to outer space where I can barely breathe
a meteor ride on ecstasy as I watch you bob and weave
hyper-space is a naughty place -- a big bang blown into stars
you sassy, saucy, sultry girl – sexy satellite soaring to Mars
girl you keep it hot / girl you keep it fresh
girl you keep this rocket fuel pounding through my flesh
** girl you send me to the moon / rocket-high / a love-beamed baboon
girl you send me to the moon / rocket-high / a love-creamed ruin**
I’m spinnin, spinnin with Saturn’s rings -- girl I’ve lost my grip
every angle, every move, every kiss from your luscious lips
a comet blast, let’s make it last -- all the way to the outer edge
gonna give to you your own milky way -- girl hear my cosmic pledge
girl you keep it hot / girl you keep it fresh
girl you keep this rocket fuel pounding through my flesh
** girl you send me to the moon / rocket-high / a love-beamed baboon
girl you send me to the moon / rocket-high / a love-creamed ruin**
girl you keep it hot / girl you keep it fresh
girl you keep this rocket fuel pounding through my flesh
girl you keep it up / girl you keep it in
girl you keep this universe in a sexy galactic spin
** girl you send me to the moon / rocket-high / a love-beamed baboon
girl you send me to the moon / rocket-high / a love-creamed ruin**
girl … you send me to the moon
© Jeff Pearson 2012
We all check in – peek-a-boo and surprise
Not much perceived behind innocent eyes
Welcome to Eden, your new Paradise
Before you can reason out naughty and nice
Mother Eve coaxes, ‘come out and play’
These are the names of things here today
Have yourself an apple, see it’s shiny and red
Now dream of tomorrow when we put you to bed
** Is it all just a dream? / do you know what I mean?
Many more dimensions? / that our brains just can’t conceive?
What’s below the surface? / where few if any go
Cosmic Dreamer dreaming dreams do you dream that you may know? **
Thoughts and concepts and words we all know
But what’s underneath is the mystery show
Science and religion the mystics will tell
Both caught in the web of the very same spell
Nobody’s right and nobody’s wrong
No need to die over words in a song
All blind and conditioned but aware by degrees
Through the glass darkly – time to rise from our knees
** Is it all just a dream? / do you know what I mean?
Many more dimensions? / that our brains just can’t conceive?
What’s below the surface? / where few if any go
Cosmic Dreamer dreaming dreams do you dream that you may know? **
Finite human mind / infinite universe
Instinct then emotion / in the works, another verse
Finite human mind / infinite universe
Enter age of reason / in the works, another verse
Finite human mind / infinite universe
Consciousness evolving / in the works, another verse
Am I dreaming? / Is it done?
© Jeff Pearson 2012
Skinned head / a swastika tattoo
Hates everything from here to Kalamazoo
Mosh pit / punches and spit
Black-eyed and bruised, pulls a ring from her tit
Howl, howl, howl / an animal growl
A beast off the leash – best to throw in the towel
Heil, heil, heil / not a shade of a smile
The hornets are stirring – best to leave for awhile
** Mister Nasty – got nasty ways / Mister Nasty forgot how to play
Mister Nasty – take nasty away / No thanks, Nasty, not today
Only Nasty wants Nasty to stay **
Expensive suit / and a leather briefcase
Puts the whole office of slaves in their place
Big board room / insults and screams
Such a venomous snake, he slithers into their dreams
Howl, howl, howl / an animal growl
A beast off the leash – best to throw in the towel
Heil, heil, heil / not a shade of a smile
The hornets are stirring – best to leave for awhile
** Mister Nasty – got nasty ways / Mister Nasty forgot how to play
Mister Nasty – take nasty away / No thanks, Nasty, not today
Only Nasty wants Nasty to stay **
Mr. Nasty got Howitzer howl / Mr. Nasty got scathing scowl
Mr. Nasty got grumpy growl / Mr. Nasty’s on a prick-ish prowl
Mr. Nasty, you nasty man / son-of-a-bitch, you should be canned
Mr. Nasty, you nasty man / gonna string you up for your hide to be tanned
Mr. Nasty, you nasty man / Mr. Nasty … as of now – you’re banned!
** Mister Nasty – got nasty ways
Mister Nasty forgot how to play
Mister Nasty – take nasty away
No thanks, Nasty, not today
Only Nasty wants Nasty to stay **
© Jeff Pearson 2012
The sun sends a gift of life
Baby blue sky smiles down
There is nothing that matters much
Now that you’re not around
Now that you’re not around
A child pours teddy bear some tea
See her as teen with frown
Young woman has babies now
And a bear got put down
And a bear got put down
So many people live
And many of them will die
Long before their final breath
And without saying goodbye
And without saying goodbye
One wonders if maybe soon
All of this will all end
Who will live on the moon?
When it’s nukes that they send
When it's nukes that they send
So look through this fading face
Mother – close down the lid
It lingers inside you now
Where the mystery was hid
Where the mystery was hid
The sun sends a gift of life
Baby blue sky smiles down
There’s nothing that matters much
Now that you’re not around
Now that you make no sound
Now that you’re not around
© Jeff Pearson 2017