MUSIC

Cinema (2021)

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APPLE MUSIC
SOUNDCLOUD

A NIGHTMARE

Late in the evening
When I last talked to you
Angry words were spoken
Before the night was through

Didn’t know how it started
Thought that it might end
I don’t want to lose you now
You my closest you my closest friend

Do I dream
Wish I could switch scenes
To make-believe
A nightmare
Please wake me
Eyes open or closed
It’s reality

Will you still talk to me
Like you used to do
Would you still walk with me
Change past to new

Could you still hold me
In nights of cold
Might you still love me
As in days of as in days of old

Tonight the moon is blue
Senses long to touch & hold you
Tonight under the starless sky
Fear the worst above it we can rise

Tonight the breeze is warm
Warns me of a sudden storm
Tonight under clouds of grey
We can retrieve hold for a new day

It was dawn in the morning
When I called out your name
Hoping you would reply
There was no use to blame

Not sure where it’s headed
Know of its past
Signing off right now
Hoping this can last

Mississippi Love Song

Steaming past the buoys in Illinois
Big wheel churns my spirit toys
Weathered portrait in weary hands
Await at the far end

Cruising by the levy in Tennessee
Anchor drops heart’s heavy
Tarnished chain around my neck
Halfway in this trek

Here’s a Mississippi love song
From me to you
I hope you like it
I really do

Wish the whole world could feel
The peace I do
The river that runs down below
Its calm and even flow

Sifting through the fog in Arkansas
Fifty knots my pulse jogs
Gunny sack by my side
Riding it in stride

Docking along the muddy bank
In a deep sleep my heart sank
Claimed your love had washed away
Let the current take my pain

Here’s a Mississippi love song
From me to you
I hope you like it
I really do

Wish the whole world could feel
The peace I do
The river that runs down below
Its calm and even flow
Minneso to Mexico
Always on the go

Cross Those Hills

He sailed from the Highlands
South to Vera Cruz
Deep in the Brazilian heartland
Man of twenty-two

Up the coastline
North to Montreal
Leather bag upon his frame
Six foot one inch tall

Lived the way I want to
Freely without care
Rode the western railway
Wind rushing though his hair

East to West coast to coast
Where his best plans were laid

Yonder cross those hills
Where the spirit wills
Where I chase my thrills
Yonder cross those

He got some land
Worked it to the bone
Met a true love
There they made a home

Had a family
Three girls and no more
Warm welcome awaited
By his front porch unlocked door

Moved the way I want to
With a subtle grace
Hand extended
Warm smile on his face
Life of peace and joy and love
Is what true freedom seeks

I wonder when we’ll meet again
In a garden that you fondly tend
Share the laughter & smell the cashmere
As you press me tight against my tears

Yonder cross those hills
Where the spirit wills
Where I chase my thrills
Yonder cross those hills

The Poor Storyteller

Met a girl
& took a piece of my heart
Couldn’t touch hers
We were off-balanced from the start

Yet I chased
Was unable to regain
Felt the fear
& realized the pain

Now she’s gone
Gone forever
Now she’s gone
Just a poor storyteller

Page turns on
Now or never
Right or wrong
I’m still a poor storyteller

Met a boy
& took a piece of her heart
Couldn’t touch mine
We were off-set from the start

Yet he reached
& I kept on running away
Caught his tears
The saddest thing I must say

Prologue once upon a time
Fairytale storyline
Plot twists Chapter Ten
Changing a happy end

Protagonistic dream come true
Antagonistic oh so cruel
Half-truths between the lines
Fiction comes alive

Now I’m gone
Gone forever
Now I’m gone
Just a poor storyteller

Chapter One
Now or never
Right or wrong
Still a poor storyteller

Taste the Pain

Feeling up today
Things are finally going my way
Then my hope is lost in vain
Before my very eyes

What does it mean I say
When all you got is swept away
Beneath a cloud of grey
Optimism lies

Brave face I will wear
Deep in this loss its face I’ll stare
But still I quiver sometimes

Can you taste the pain
That pulses my veins
Can you feel the rain
That fills my domain
Grab hold of the reigns
Keep me straight on the lane
Can you feel the pain
Locomotive freight train

Hopes are high tonight
That I will feel your beauty and light
Yet beyond despite
My heart is torn in two

Shot down within your sight
Wounded on this futile plight
Beginning to feel normal and right
To be this blue

My pride is much too high
Beaten down again I’ll rise
But still, I hurt deep inside

I’d like to change this recipe
Palpably bittersweet
Nice to try a fresh venue
Sample from a new menu

Anyways

Saw you walkin’ back the other day
And as I lay back in the tall cool grass
I was thinking I was thinkin’ about you
As clouds rolled on ahead
With these thoughts going in my head

Anyways
& I just had to say
You looked so wonderful to me
I gotta try to believe
Anyways
Cool day in September
Hint of rain mixed in the air
Time to move along from here

Kneelin’ long the worn chalk line
We weren’t winning
Sittin’ on the green hillside
You were grinnin’
Yeah now something that you create
Just by being
Took me far from there

Oh I think of you
Each and every time
Do you know I’m here
And how I feel for you
Be as it may
I’ll keep shufflin’ ‘long anyways

Weed & Whiskey Women

Cigarette & liquor-stained abodes
Has for far too long been my home
Blonds brunettes & ravens & red-heads
Sweet companions of the living dead

In the gutter lane for oh so long
Singing the same sad sorry song
Must admit at times it was fun
Living on the lam & life on the run

‘Cause I’m giving up on weed and whiskey women
They give me nothing but the blues
I try to kick this losing streak I’m winning
Then I say hey man oh what’s the use

Nancy Ruth Sweet Jane and Tess
Dare recall their names hazard to guess
That’s fine I don’t think they knew mine
Blinded by the stars and moonshine

If I seem a tad tattered torn and frayed
Feel free to stare I don’t mind OK
Style’s taken years to develop
Done it all myself with little help

Roll it and have a sip
Kick back and take a nip
Light it & on the rocks
Lay low knock off your socks
Whisky and weedy lass
Stroke me kick my ass
Liquor tobacco girl
Light up my tiny world

Vancity Blues

The rain it pours
Well damn near each and every day
From mid-October
To the month of May
Lord how I long
For you to come my way

Granville Street
Commercial Drive
East Hastings
I wish you’d arrive

& until then
I’ve got those Vancity Blues
If I don’t see you
I just might blow a fuse

The traffic’s bad
The bus is full again
How I’d like
You to be my only friend
The feeling’s true
I can’t pretend

LIT (2021)

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APPLE MUSIC

Won’t You Come My Way

I saw you hanging by the corner store
Blew right past me out the exit door
Picked my jaw up off the kitchen floor
Left me wantin’ hurtin’ for some more

The moment left an imprint on my mind
Not the average ordinary kind
Instead, the type to go home and rewind

Won’t you come my way
Chase my blues away
Change my rainy day
Today
Won’t you come my way
Hold the clouds at bay
Be my lone sunray
Today

Next morning awoke feelin’ so intrigued
Roused from a state of comatose fatigue
Friends say watch out she’s way out of your league
Catwalkin’ like the model Cheryl Tiegs
You took a match & struck a dormant wick
Lit a lighted dynamite stick
Habit I don’t really wanna kick

They say that I won’t get a fleeting glance
Fall flat upon my face an awkward dance
Million to one odds for true romance
But that just means I’ve got a fighting chance

Caught you cueing in the checkout lane
I got in line hoping to sustain
That my luck’s not discounted in vain
Venturing in uncharted terrain

Soaring on a feeling mile high
Fueled and fully stocked with all supplies
Hope that I can fly the friendly skies

She says that she loves me
Says that she needs me
As I knew she would
Like I knew I could
Says that she’s happy
Says that she wants me
Feelin’ oh so good
As I know I should

Says that she loves me
Says that she needs me
As I knew she would
Like I knew I could
Says that she’s happy
Says that she wants me
Feelin’ oh so good
As I know I should right now

El Camino

Let’s hop in & take the El Camino
Drive it down to the Pink Flamingo
Two blocks southwest of Mendocino
Just three miles past El Capatino

I think I’m starting to fall
Believe I’m liking it all
I’m feeling 10 feet tall
In for the long haul

Girlfriend’s name is Miss Angelino
She hotwires fires my libido
Keeps things warm just like the El Nino
She’s my lovely sexy valentino

Feels like it could be time
Bells are starting their chime
Feels like the rhythm rhymes
Like I could stop on a dime

What I’m feeling
Left me reeling
You’ve been stealing
Got me kneeling
When you said we were thru & that there wasn’t no more
knocked me right on the floor

I was grieving
Late this evening
Not perceiving
Disbelieving
When you said that it was done and that there wasn’t no more
walked out right thru the door

Think I need double cappuccino
After that catch some Tarantino
Perhaps a little Al Pacino
Can’t go wrong with Bobby DeNiro

Did you know now what she threatened to do
Said she was done and that we were through
Let her know what she heard wasn’t true
Must explain it didn’t play out & go down that way

I Reminisce You

Caught a brief second-handed account
Then thought to check out the news
Did a double-take and then gave pause to thought
Cause what I read it smelt like a ruse

I really need you
Don’t want to bleed you
I dearly miss you
I wanna kiss you
Don’t wanna diss you
Or go dismiss you
I reminisce you
I wanna kiss you

Hey now what do you mean
As you torment and haunt
Hey now my how you steam
Right now what do you want

Hey now what do you say
As you spin and cavort
Hey now please press replay
Right now let me retort

Caught a voice adrift in the wind
& what I heard was hard to believe
What it said went against & all that I know
So I guess there’s a trick up your sleeve

Urged it to come provide me a full view
But it stretched its wings in the wind
Flashed a stern look warning me to take heed
The end is where you should begin

Don’t know if it all was for naught
Our best intentions target & shot
Don’t know quite what got overseen
Picture perfect blown to smithereens

Solar Flare

Cutting a deep groove
Rolling back to you
Obstacles removed
Got nothing to prove
Lightning on the move

Rocking like a meteor &
Charging like a minotaur
Jetting like the French concord &
Cresting on a wood surfboard

Ride a solar flare
Wind in my hair
Truth or double dare
Without a care

Levitate to you
Beneath a full moon
Sun-spotted bejewelled
Glycerin fuel

Shooting star skimming right across the vacant desert sky
Travelling light speed to be back your waiting & warming side
Arcing a broad streak above the saluting stoic cacti
Ziplining a sling trajectory hanging yet holding high

You penned a poignant piece seeking my prompt release
Quickly spun around inquired what do you mean
Deserted in a canyon for a fortnight times two
With a gunny sack and head full of thoughts about you

& I retreat back into my cave
Where I toil yeah and am enslaved
If one could see my meagre plight
By my side, they would stand and fight

Launch a flare to your heart
Etch and sketch on the chart
& can’t you see with your eyes
Across the stars how it plies

As I plummet down from the mountaintop
Full velocity cannot hit full stop
Barreling headfirst as the brakes are shot
Spigot yields not a solitary drop
Edging back within the thin atmosphere
Predestined fate quickly approaching near
Unrelenting progress no room to veer
Autopilot locked now abandon steer

Click

Kept on waiting by your side
Feet stuck in the murky tide
Sober truth I slow imbibe
Contemplating where to hide

Said you don’t even know me
Brushing by oh so boldly
Skid marks tattoo where you scold me
Wry cackle coughing so coldly

Left there drifting in your wake
As the surf began to break
Nimble limbs tremble and shake
Sanded shores shook to a quake

Then you go blow right by me
Turn and wink back so slyly
Your motions cunning and wily
Wit of your words speak so dryly

All the things you said to me
Such talk I could not believe
Your position bobs and weaves
Revealing what’s up your sleeve

As the clock winds down its tick
Wax candle devours the wick
Etch a sketch & gouge a nick
You and I shall never click

Tearin’ My Heart In 2

Lord you got me rockin’
My body senses poppin’
I’m rolling and not stopping
Tonight

You got me believing
These dreams you be a weaving
& I don’t plan on leaving
That’s right

Oh the clock is ticking
& yeah the fever’s sticking
The feeling I’m not kicking
Take flight

Crest that I’m riding
The meaning I’m not hiding
The moment’s not subsiding
Hold tight

Then it starts to turn
The present gets adjourned
Then all comes undone
The ending to the fun

Then boom goes to bust
The shine loses its lust

Then it’s all for naught
The lines connect the dots
Lord you got me talking
The pitch you have me hawking
This flow that I’m not blocking
Ignite

How you got me jumping
My pulse it is a pumping
& heart is thud & thumping
Delight

Lord, my soul’s been raided
The glimmer dimmed & faded
I’m feeling just & jaded
Indict

Joy I am a tasting
The sip I’m not wasting
The savour & not hasting
Alright

Then it starts to spoil
The water mixed with oil
World begins to spin
A loss born of a win

Then it starts to tear
The room sucked out of air
Then all starts to break
Reality turns fake

You’re tearin’ my heart
Tearin’ my heart in two
I’m positive now
I’m sure you see how
We’re through

You’re tearin’ my heart
Tearin’ my heart in two
There’s certainty now
It’s clear to see how
We’re through

You had me campaigning
But now the numbers waning
Support seems to be feigning
Sound bite

How the flock is flying
There can’t be no denying
This con you propose buying
Red light

As I book a ticket
And step out of the thicket
I’m feeling mighty cricket
Stage right

See the neon fading
My outline needs some shading
collapse Collage cascading
Outright

Then the truth is thrust
Diamonds turn to dust
Next, it all unfurls
Gleam leaps off the pearl

Then the lights go out
Shadows lurk in doubt
As the credits run
The tale woven and spun

Fake

Feelin’ kinda rusty
As I head on down the road
Air’s gettin’ plenty dusty
Tires kickin’ gravel stones

You better stop stop
Think before you come ‘round again
You better knock knock
Find yourself a brand new friend
You can file an appeal but there’s simply nothing to contend

Feelin’ kinda groggy
As I take this hairpin turn
Sky’s gettin’ plenty foggy
Leveraging the sun’s slow burn

You better stop stop
Things are not yet on the mend
You better knock knock
Think ‘bout what you did again
Some personal reflection’s solely what I recommend

Not gonna break
Ain’t gonna run
From my mistakes
I’m gonna give
Ain’t gonna take

I want it real
Don’t want no fakes
No

Weary and lambasted
Unfolding down this straightaway
Warning signs are pasted
I should pit and end my day

You better stop stop
Think of what it could portend
You better knock knock
Contemplate it once again
Your credit line is drawn it’s impossible to extend

Sashay

Like it when we are swaying
Our bodies sashaying
Like the games we are playing
Don’t let your eyes be straying

Like your perfect timing
Rhythm you are rhyming
My engine is priming
Apex we are climbing

Make it now
Fake it wow
Stake it how
Break it now
Take it now
Shake it wow
Quake it how
Naked now

You make me kind of crazy
Just driving me Miss Daisy
Head south to Acapulco
You’re making me go loco
Sure had enough of drama
Lacking needed stamina
All done with wild roses
With all their pretty poses

Like it when you move me
Seem to always be free
Why not let things be
Fine as I can see

Savant

Said ring me up but you’re never home
Seems no point in pickin’ up the phone
Crowd about & I feel all alone
Wear me down like a rock on stone

Come on let’s go you delay and stall
Invite me in then build up a wall
Left on the hook waiting in the hall
Leave on my own you begin to trawl

Think I’m wakin’ up from this long endless dream
Rerun of a tired worn out & played movie scene
Tying up loose ends come apart at the seams
Time to switch the picture to a new screen

Think I’m rousin’ up from my stagnant state of mind
Losing the straps which used to firmly hold & bind
Tightly wound clock rapid spins & unwinds
Second-minute hands become intertwined

What do you want
Why do you flaunt
My but you haunt
Call the savant

Hey let’s head out get out on the run
Turn shoot me down not wanting any fun
Introduce my friends but you turn and shun
Pass the ball but you’re one and done

Believe I’m rousing up from my lame nonchalance
Comatose mirage in which I was firmly ensconced
Your voice mail I received was my only response
Felt like a ton of bricks without any nuance

Now that I am stirred from my endless reverie
Horizon up ahead appears uncluttered and free
Open road unfolding is all I can see
Time to jumpstart and commence the journey

Uh oh it’s you
Hope it’s not true
Uh oh it’s you
Please don’t fool
Uh-oh it’s you
Why now so soon
Uh-oh it’s you
Quick change the tune

Passing Fad

When I feel the changing weather
Then you come and pull my tether
We’re apart and then together
Turn around and pluck my feathers
Left for loss & then rebooted

Found a purpose which I’m suited
Feet are grounded firmly rooted
Volume’s turned down yeah but no way hell nah I’m not muted
uh-uh

Lord how I want you
Need you so bad
How you’re flaunting
& tease me so mad
Now it is daunting
It’s no passing fad
How you’re haunting
& lingering sad

When I see the changing season
Arrested booked and charged with treason
Heartbeat cinching breath is seizing
Prosecuted for no reason

Then you came & made it better
Bond is strained yeah but unfettered
To a T and to the letter
Multiply and round it off yeah to the nearest decimal uh-huh

So I’m down now
Count to 11
Don’t throw the towel
Get up at 7

Been restarted
Design rerouted
Prepped and conditioned
Armoured well-suited

Rudely awakened
Tossed and forsaken
Hung drawn & quartered
Stirred well and shaken

Taste temptation
Kept it platonic
Lost a blind bet yeah
Ain’t that ironic

No concessions
I can’t accept it
Build a diversion
I will sidestep it

Sound the warning
There was no heeding
I’m pressing onwards
Was no seceding

Grasp the throttle
Grippin’ bionic
Approaching Mach 1
Hit supersonic

Sound is breaking
Hear but don’t see me
Soon I’ll be long gone
Jet forth and set free

2 Below 0 (2020)

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APPLE MUSIC
SOUNDCLOUD

BUST LOOSE

So I wake up in a dream
It seems just all so serene
Don’t know quite what to believe
Card I saw tucked up your sleeve

But I see a light down the way
Beckoning & calling my name
Implores me to take the next step
No matter of the odds which are bet

So I step on out the door
Look up & then down my floor
Hall light short circuits inside
It sparks flickers flames then dies

Feel primed & ready to score
Pour it on & give it some more
Riding the pendulum swing
To the clasp I desperately cling

As you call I’m pulling away
Expired meter voiding my stay
Penalty fine I can’t afford to pay
I’ve got nothing to say

Bust loose
Breaking headlong into the wind
Lit fuse
Propelling me further away again
No use
Going where there’s no return to send
Hit cruise
Waiting way past beyond the bend

So I walk on down the road
Shall pay when I hit the toll
Grey clouds clustering ahead
Obscure the path I once tread

But I feel the wheel start to turn
Correcting redirecting my burn
Feeling the envelope spring
No telling of the launch it may bring

But I see it coming around
Make up ground without any sound
Feeling the sweat start to bead
Tells me of the sign I should heed

Take a look & please read the sign
Clock’s ticking you are out of time
Clear intrusion way over the line
I politely decline

WHAT I WANT

Dusk was fast approaching
As I paced back & forth
Bead of sweat traced my brow
I had no place to go
But I had to get from where I was
Wasn’t wanted there no more
So I grabbed a white shirt & pair of black slacks
Slipped out back
The night was peaceful
Had no fixed address no one looking for me
The path was clear
So I took it

Run & kickin’
From where I was before
Clock is tickin’
Searchin’ for the exit door
Fingers pickin’
Master key on the floor
Nothing clickin’
The sweat drippin’ through my pores
Pulse is racin’
Searching for a second way
Fingers tracin’
Gather up my dossier
Heartbeat chasin’
Panoramic quick survey
Body bracin’
Leap of faith from the fray

The moon began to rise along that eastern ridge
Arcing slowly across the sky
Lookin’ down on me
For I was soul bare with a ragged stare
Weathered skin & a little thin
But I was still moving
I passed the cacti which stood like sentinels
Saluting my passage
Stoic silent
I just kept on thinking reminiscing reflecting
Thought of you from time to time
Did you feel it

So I looked up ahead & thought to double back
Maybe change tack
But kept on track
For I was a solo hobo with no loco moto
But that was fine by me
This moment anyway
& as the day began to break
A picture of your face shone across my mind
Warmed me to my soul
& I felt a lifetime pass in one nighttime
With answers to questions, I didn’t have
So I journeyed on

SYNERGY

Late one night
I was walking alone
No streetlights
Trying to make my home
Then you came in my mind
Stumbled to the beat
A vibe tripline
I’m left feelin’ the heat

Like a moth to a flame
Flicker to your light
As a boy with no shame
Fighting the good fight

Pull my chain
Don’t refrain
Please sustain
My need

I want you
You want me
One & one
Pure synergy
I lost you
You found me
What we’ve got
Sweet harmony

Early one morn
Tossing in my sleep
Clouded sunrise
Light beginning to creep
Entered in my dream
Like the twilight zone
Didn’t want to escape
Pleasure thunderdome

Like a pig to a trough
Hunger for the feast
Flick the switch to the off
Beauty & the beast

Bustin’ loose
No excuse
Sign the truce
I plead

Left astray
In the fray
Run away
Godspeed

PAY DIRT

Stay back
Don’t crack
Unsure when I’ll be back
Turn round
Stand down
Shut it don’t make a sound

Relay
Convey
There’s no time to delay
Fan out
Reroute
Don’t let the word get out

Go track it
That sound
Slow hack it
Expound
Go jack it
Surround
Mack tack it
Impound

Lay low
Go slow
On your mark get set go
Head down
Look round
Keep it within the bounds

Relate
Conflate
No time to debate
Ignite
Take flight
Keep clear out of sight

All I wanted in this spinning big wide world was you
Then you turned proclaimed we’re thru
Situation comes unglued
Don’t know what’s hearsay or true
Thinking all the things you said
Echoing within my head
& I’m left hanging by a thread
As the light changes to red

Close in
Begin
No sign where you have been
Fan out
Reroute
Inquire what it’s about

Engage
Upstage
Let’s turn the final page
Prevail
All hail
Assess & re-gauge

Locate it
Amend
Placate it
Ascend
Relate it
Extend
Rotate it
Transcend

I want it now
You need it how
Please hear my vow
I plea to thou
Standing my ground
Let me expound
Going full round

Confusion
Contusion
Conniption
Conviction
Persuasion
Evasion
Disruption
Eruption

Assess
Redress
Don’t fold under duress
Adapt
Retract
Step back quick-check the facts

Acquire
Desire
Keep stoking the fire
Avert
Desert
Dig deep ‘til hit pay dirt

DUST ME OFF

My heart it breaks
Body aches for you
My spirit shakes
Mind awakes it’s true

Don’t know if you do
But I felt such a fool
Pick me up dust me off
Make me feel brand new

My heart relays
Everyday to you
Don’t delay
Can’t withhold the truth

Message on its way
With words that can’t convey
Feel for you do you feel for me
Perhaps the same way

My tears won’t dry
Eyes don’t lie to you
Lost soul it cries
Hope it sighs it’s true

Don’t know if I’m wrong
The words to this song
Shoot the moon go for broke
Finish the leg strong

My mind implores
Heart adores it’s true
Can’t ignore
Knock on my door from you

Anecdotally it’s true
Categorically it’s you
No surprise where truth belies
How it comes to pool

Love don’t erode
Hope don’t corrode for you
Feelings explode
Don’t implode it’s true
My dream it plies
Time it flies with you
Crystallize
In your eyes it’s true

WIGGLE

Cause I really want to know
If or not it’s time to go
I just want to make it flow
Get it lined up in a row
Cause I really want to see
If or not it is for me
Set the lock & turn the key
Start the countdown now on three

Come here & shake it
Really want to take it
Can’t seem to fake it
Would be a shame to waste it
Turn it & baste it
Really want to taste it
Lick it & paste it
Really want to make it

Come & embrace it
Get the nerves to face it
Frame & encase it
Just don’t go debase it
Sketch freehand trace it
Mind you don’t erase it
Get on & chase it
Just don’t go misplace it

Feels like the world is spinning around
As though my feet aren’t touching the ground
Watching the colours explode into sound
Second hand is coming unwound

Feels like my mind explodes into space
Accelerate at a slow-motion pace
Sketch a fine line without any trace
Everything just falls into place

Go & ignite it
Strike a match to light it
Come uninvited
You’re really gonna like it
Proceed despite it
Grin then bear & bite it
Wrong & then right it
You just got to fight it

Come in & sample
The supplies are ample
Roll out the gamble
Shake your sweet Bojangles
Tempt it & dangle
Get on up & scramble
Ain’t gonna ramble
This is my preamble

CHASE THE SUN RISIN’

Said I’m moving on
Just a singin’ my song
Can’t be staying long
Must be rollin’ along
Yes I’m groovin’ on
Ride from dusk until dawn
To where my spirit is drawn
Taillights fade & then gone

Gonna head for the hills
Beyond the horizon
Gonna make like the moon
Chase the sun risin’

Yeah man so I was just heading down that dusty road
Minding my own, window down
When a flash of light caught my eye in the rear-view mirror
& then you burst forth

Turned a blind eye to all my good deeds
Went AWOL in my hour of need
Reaped what was sewn then replenished with weeds
Washed your hands as you wished me Godspeed

Lent a deaf ear to all of my pleas
Hid the antidote for my disease
Body blow brought me down to my knees
Turned & smiled while I slowly bleed

Looks like things are clearing up ahead
With nothing left behind
Maybe time to ease off on the gas for a bit
Push the seat back

Yes I’m flowin’ goln’
I won’t see you anymore
Yes I’m growin’ goin’
As I’m walkin’ out the door
Yes I’m strollin’ rollin’
As I know what it’s in store
Yes I’m goin’ knowin’
I won’t see you anymore

HIG & JIG

Caught you sittin’ by the stand
Feet were sinkin’ in quicksand
Said come quickly
Lend a hand

Take 2 steps forward
Slide to the right
Turn hip shake it
Hold it tight
Retrack back jack it
Rotate it nice
Hig & jig it
With all your might

Free wheelin’
Feelin’ surreal &
How I’m movin’
Oh so good yeah
Dream weavin’
Got me believin’
Groovin’ like I
Know I should

Lend me your ear
Feelin’ low
Think I lost
My mojo
Said relax Mac
Forget the score

Had this feeling
In my bones
It abandoned
Left my home
Wish I could get
Back & roam

Build it up & tear it down & slightly stirred & shaken round
Amplify in sound surround & turn it up let it compound
Elevate let it resound replay it to a full rebound
Escalate & gaining ground & toe to toe & pound for pound

Take it high & bring it low & blur the lines & let it flow
Watch it go have it unfold just hang it loose & make it roll
Serve it hot or dish it cold & shoot the mark & hit the goal
Play the half & take the whole in this moment fully enrolled

So now get movin’
Groovin’ right
Bust it loose yeah
Hold it tight
Ain’t much for muscle
I can fight

THE LOVE THAT I GOT

I’m swaying
You’re weighing
But I cannot stop
The love that I got

I’m fraying
You’re praying
But I cannot block
The love that I got

Doesn’t matter all the things you do
Irrelevant whom you try to fool
Academic how you seek to trick
Ineffective needles which you prick

It’s the rock I’m rolling
Lone path I’ll be cajoling
Baggage yeah I’ll be stowing
That’s just yeah how it’s going

I’m knocking
You’re balking
But I cannot lock
The love that I got

I’m talking
You’re walking
But I cannot dock
The love that I got

Doesn’t matter all the games you play
Inconsequential much of what you say
Amateur ploys you seek to feign
Immaterial objects which you gain

You’re sending
I’m lending
& all that you let
Is what you shall get

You’re mending
I’m trending
& all that you set
Is what you shall get

Doesn’t matter whose toes you may step
Unconcerned with what odds may be bet
Unimportant of the lines you blur
Indifferent to the false leads which you spur

But I cannot dock
The love that I got
But I cannot lock
The love that I got
But I cannot block
The love that I got
But I cannot stop
The love that I got

POW

Stuck in a rut
No ifs ands or buts
Down in a glut
Seems I lost my strut
Struck in the gut
Not quite sure by what
Lifeline is cut
Exit way is shut

Then you come in the doorway bay
Turn around I say hey hey hey
Imply that you’d like to stay
Think it could be my lucky day yay-yay

Mired in a drought
Without any doubt
Holler & shout
Got nothing to tout
Lost on a rout
With nothing to flout
Stuck on the outs
Seems I lost my clout

Then you call on the telephone
Address me in a certain tone
Inquire if I’m home alone
Determine if I might be prone oh yeah

I want it now
You need it how
I like it wow
You got it pow

Stuck in a ditch
Without any hitch
Locked in a pitch
Without any switch
Seeking a niche
Not quite sure of which
I got an itch
Makes me wanna twitch

Got the warning you’d drop on by
Think I knew the reason why
Shrug my shoulders turn & sigh
Truth I told was all a lie I said

Down in a muck
Like a sitting duck
Wheels spin & stuck
Trend I’d like to buck
Progress is struck
Things have run amok
Wish I could chuck
Get back to good luck

Then you burst ‘neath the full moonlight
Mood is set the timing’s right
Sparkling under the twilight night
Ignition on as we take flight come on

I want it now
You need it how
I like it wow
You got it pow
You want it now
I need it how
You like it wow
I got it pow

OVERDRIVE

I’ve been prodded & been poked
Pushed & pulled & then provoked
Hounded each & everyday
Seemingly each & everyway

Been dismissed without respite
Skipped the bark received the bite
Kicked & trashed upon the floor
Full onslaught my body bore

Had all memory erased
Skip the plot cut to the chase
Sensing the walls are closing in
Seeking an exit way again

Idly dismissed without a case
Thrown out while standing safe on base
Judge smiled so condescendingly
This time there won’t be no jury

Empty pockets naked mast
Endless sea shapeless & vast
Bait my feeble line & cast
Stretch it out to make it last

But I’m digging in my heels
Fighting for what I know is real
& if you’d care to throw it down
Be forewarned I’m duty bound

Note that my eyes are curtain-veiled
Peek behind them if you dare
Fire brimstone nostril flare
If looks could kill then see my glare

WE’RE THRU

When I’m riding alone & I’m thinking of you
& I wonder aloud about what I should do
But I’m not really sure ‘cause I don’t have the time
Got no sense, wits, yeah now rhythm or rhyme

Thought I was wise
Now I feel like a fool
Figured all was aligned
It’s all askew
Need a séance
Foresee the news

Wonder how I could be so blind
Replay the tape quick please press rewind

Ain’t stoppin’ at the exit door for you
Not coppin’ yeah to all the things you do
Ain’t poppin’ tales straight out of the blue
Not droppin’ yeah now what I know is true

Ain’t crawlin’ on my hands & knees to you
Not fallin’ for the same old tricks you do
Ain’t ballin’ as I head out for the blue
Not stallin’ here’s a newsflash now we’re thru

When I’m lying awake & I’m drinking ‘bout us
Endlessly pondering about what was the fuss
But I don’t really know ‘cause I don’t really care
Had enough of two-faced truth double dares

Thought I was cool
Now I feel like a klutz
Thought I had the all-clear
Now I’m down on my luck
Wish I knew now
What I didn’t know then

Hit the brakes stop cold in my tracks
Shiftin’ the gears reverse double back

Board up the doors lock all the gates
Hands to yourself now don’t tempt fate

I’m not falling for you
I know what now is true
I ain’t missing you
I know just what to do
I’m not thinking about you
I know what now is true
I ain’t wantin’ you
Know just what I should do
It’s time to say goodbye yeah

SYNERGY (2020)

SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC

Synergy

Late one night
I was walking alone
No streetlights
Trying to make my home
Then you came in my mind
Stumbled to the beat
A vibe tripline
I’m left feelin’ the heat

Like a moth to a flame
Flicker to your light
As a boy with no shame
Fighting the good fight

Pull my chain
Don’t refrain
Please sustain
My need

I want you
You want me
One and one
Pure synergy
I lost you
You found me
What we’ve got
Sweet harmony
Early one morn

Tossing in my sleep
Clouded sunrise
Light beginning to creep
Entered in my dream
Like the twilight zone
Didn’t want to escape
Pleasure thunderdome

Like a pig to a trough
Hunger for the feast
Flick the switch to the off
Beauty and the beast

Bustin’ loose
No excuse
Sign the truce
I plead

Left astray
In the fray
Run away
Godspeed

THE ASTRONOT – SPACE RACE (2020)

SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC
SOUNDCLOUD

ON THE HIGHWAY

Driving this road so long
Don’t know where it’ll roll
Cruising the highway
Unsure if there’s a toll
Searchin’ for a signpost
Tell me which way I should go

I had a pretty passenger
Now you know she’s long gone
Had a shotgun princess
That seat’s vacant light is on
Looking for some company
As I pull into this town

Pit stop is what I need
One-on-one TLC
Been down so many roads
Need direction where to go
Keep my headlights shining
Deep into the night

As the sun sets west
I’ll drive into the night
The moon breaks that far crest
I’ll hug the corners tight
Won’t pull my red ride over
‘Til morning’s pre-dawn light

GOIN' DOWN

I’m goin’ down
Since you left
Forgot my name
With the hounds
Since you trashed
Threw me away
World’s spinnin’ ‘round
Since you turned

Walked out on me
I hear no sound
When I call futilely

I’ll be rising
Pick myself up
Lockstep
To the top

I’m climbin’ up
From the rubble
Where I found my heart
Risin’ up
On the double
From what tore it apart
Sky’s clearing
Sun’s nearing
Upon my cracked face
Blood pulsating
Emanating
Through my weathered veins

From where springs this feeling
Nobody knows
Starts and stops
Comes and goes
Destiny reeling
Changing my mind
As the feelings
Unwind

IF I LOSE YOU

Never wandered out alone
Never strayed too far from home
Now I’ve left my bed
Confusion lies ahead

There
Off in the distance
You stand
Offering resistance
The wall ‘gainst which I lean
Begins to fall

If I lose you now
A part of me would die
If I lose you now
My heart would surely sigh
It’s no lie

Scars scratched upon my face
The pain of you I taste
Cuts through me a deep slice
Of jagged tears of ice

Here
Armed for destruction
Aimed
At my fragile construction
The precipice on which I stand
Begins to slide

Wounded on bended knee
Guard is down hear my plea
White flag defenseless
Calling out S.O.S.

WON'T YOU SPEND THE NIGHT WITH ME

Been outside
In a timeless space
Endless thoughts
Enquire my tastes
Time stops
Then stumbles by
Different place
Wish I could try

Second guessed
A hundred million times
Hard to play the game
When they draw those blinds
Set adrift
Far from home
Wish I’d get back
To where I am from

So won’t you spend the night with me
I’ve been hurting for your company girl
Won’t you spend the night with me
With me
Won’t you spend the night with me
I’ve been so down & lonely
Won’t you spend the night with me
With me

Used to live
Life as it came
Never thought of
Consequential gains
Take me back
To who I was
Remind me
Of what I can
Do for you

PATHWAYS

If you’d like to see
What’s become of me
Guess we all change
It isn’t good to stay the same

Should you pass
By my face
Familiar shot
You can’t place

Give it time
Light will shine
A lost moment
Of you and I

As the nighttime looms
My heart will still be drifting
When the morning dawns
Your soul is lightly lifting

If you’d like to hear
All the news of yesteryear
Not to linger past
Make the present moment last

Should you wake
In a dream
Is it real
Or make-believe

As the daylight shines
My mind is calmly thinking
When the evening calls
Your light is gently sinking
As you draw the blinds
To end another day
Should our pathways fail
Good luck along the way

ANYWAYS

Saw you walkin’ back the other day
As I lay back in the tall cool grass
I was thinking I was thinkin’ about you
As clouds rolled on ahead
With these thoughts going in my head

Anyways
I just had to say
You looked so wonderful to me
Gotta try to believe

Anyways
Cool day in September
Hint of rain mixed in the air
Time to move along from here

Kneelin’ long the worn chalk line
We weren’t winning
Sittin’ on the green hillside
You were grinnin’
Something that you create
Just by being
Took me far away from there

Oh I think of you
Each and every time
Do you know I’m here
And how I feel for you
Be as it may
I’ll keep shufflin’ ‘long anyways

VANCITY BLUES

The rain it pours
Damn near each and every day
From mid-October
To the month of May
Lord how I long
For you to come my way
Granville Street

Commercial Drive
East Hastings
I wish you’d arrive

Until then
I got those Vancity blues
If I don’t see you
I just might blow a fuse

The traffic’s bad
The bus is full again
How I’d like
You to be my only friend
The feeling’s true
I can’t pretend

PENNAN BRAE

He sailed from the Highlands
South to Vera Cruz
Deep in the Brazilian heartland
A man of twenty-two

Up the coastline
North to Montreal
Leather bag upon his frame
Six foot one inch tall

He lived the way I want to
Freely without care
Rode the western railway
Wind rushing though his hair
East to West coast to coast
Where his best plans were laid

Yonder cross those hills
Where the spirit wills
Where I chase my thrills
Yonder cross those

Got some land
Worked it to the bone
Met a true love
There they made a home

Had a family
Three girls and no more
Warm welcome awaited
By his front porch unlocked door

Moved the way I want to
With a subtle grace
Hand extended
Warm smile on his face
A life of peace and joy and love
Is what true freedom seeks

Wonder
When we’ll walk again
In a garden
That you fondly tend
Share the laughter
Smell the cashmere
As you press me
Tight against my tears

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN

I was walking down by the bay
Saw you ‘neath the sun’s rays
Then you turned and looked away
Sunshine left clouds filled my day

On my path I set forth
East West South and North
Lone rider take left or right
Through the morn into the night

Have you ever been so lonely child
Have you ever felt the clouds and rain
Have you ever been so lonely child
As lonely as I am right now

I was drifting by the oceanside
Caught your footprints in the tide
Then the waves caused them to hide
I was pained and lost inside

Road ahead slightly bends
Will it ever come to end
Treading thin on tires I roll
Searching for the half to make me whole

I was racing in the jungle heat
Crossed the path you had beat
Then the foliage came to meet
My dead-end heart began to sink

SIGNS

Wonder if it’s true or if it’s false
Does it have a heartbeat or a pulse
Don’t hang ‘round when things flat-line
Got better uses of my time

Ponder if it’s real or make-believe
Beneath the mask do you deceive
As you reach for my right hand
Time to make you see and understand

You run on a red light
Stop on green
Break on the freeway
Backroad speed
So I’m changing
Shifting gears
As the drawbridge
Quickly nears

Tell me of a guy whom you met
As if you’d care to place a Vegas bet
Got no sleight of hand to hide
What you see you get with no surprise

Then you call on me to make my move
Don’t respond to someone on cue
Got no drama role to play
Yesteryear tomorrow or today

Think I know who I’m dealing with
If it is real or just a tryst
Feel it as you take my left arm
You seek not love but to do harm

In this game I’m not for you
Find another to easily amuse
Got no time to idly hang out
Time to turn off with little doubt

You run on a red light
Stop on green
Break on the freeway
Back road speed
Turn right in the left lane
Forward reverse
Signs you are making
So perverse

So I’m changing
Shifting gears
As the drawbridge
Quickly nears
Check my safety
Note the time
As I can read
All the signs

SPEECHLESS (2020)

Instrumental versions of the songs from The Astronot soundtrack.

SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC

WALK WITH ME

And I feel
That I’d like to walk with you
And I know
That I’d like to talk with you
I’m no fool
I want you

And I feel
That I’d like to run with you
And I know
That I’d like to hide with you
Lose my cool
I want you

And I feel
That I’d like to roll with you
And I know
That I’d like roll with you
Yes it’s true
I want you

STRUT

Movin’ down the street
Lookin’ good & feelin’ neat
Walkin’ down the road
Steppin’ to the beat
Got some lightnin’ in my feet
Walkin’ down the road

Then I saw her face in the sky
Kaleidoscope a 1000 eyes
Fixed my gaze ‘til the sunrise
Dawned on me as I realized

Clairvoyant crawled in my head
Stoked every fire I fed
Prescient move to have led
Road down I shouldn’t tread

Picking up the slack
Jump ahead then double back
Walkin’ down the road
Knockin’ on the sugar shack
Rush could give a heart attack
Walkin’ down the road

Then I heard her voice in the wind
Sweet melodic vibration
Abandoned all predestined plans
Undivided attention

Hoogah Joogah Loogah
You talkin’ to me
Hoogah Joogah Loo
You wantin’ me
Hoogah Joogah Loogah
You walkin’ to me
Hoogah Joogah Loo
Come to me

Sifting thru the sand
Time keeps slippin’ through my hand
Walkin’ down the road
Trackin’ like a boomarang
Locked in on my home again
Walkin’ down the road

Then she took me by the hand
Led me to a foreign land
Where the strange trip then began
Revealed to me her hidden plan

Clairvoyant crawled in my head
Stoked every fire I had fed
Prescient move to have led
Road down I shouldn’t tread

Instinctual mind to have read
Knew every desire I had bred
Should’ve stayed home in bed
She said I’d be better off dead

A WOMAN

Sometimes you really think you know someone
Somehow you feel that they’re the one
But they turn and then hurt you
The very one you thought was true

And I know what I need to do
I must be long rid of you
Please go away
I freely will confess
I was fooled tricked and licked by the best
Thanks no need to stay

Cause a woman can make you come alive
Or a woman can cut you down to size
I’ve been dormant here too long to stay and lie
A woman can make you realize

Sometimes you really think you found a friend
Someone on whom you can depend
But their true colours are soon shown
The very one you thought you’d known

And I know what I need to complete
I must take to walk a new beat
Thanks good luck good-bye
I gladly shall attest
Farewell to you is the best
Please don’t ask why

Cause a woman can make you come alive
Or a woman can cut you down to size
I’ve been dormant here too long to stay and lie
Cause a woman can make you heal
A woman can fake it real
A woman can bring it all alive

CRASHLAND

I walk you talk
Retreat defeat
Creepin’ to the edge
Leanin’ ‘gainst the ledge
Peering down below
On my tippy tippy toes

I freefall for you
From the sky
My pulse is racin’
Do or die
Air’s wearing tearing
Against my skin
Hallucinatin’
An illusion

Crashland
I’m gonna hang 10
Gotta pretend
That I’ll be alright

Crashland
I’m gonna time bend
I need a good friend
To make the night

Crashland
I’m gonna vibe send
I need a soul mend
To see the light

Crashland
I’m gonna get zen
I gotta change trend
I’ll take flight

I move you groove
Pretend befriend
Then I take the plunge
Desperation lunge
Falling in a dream
To a bottomless ravine

Rip cord is tearing
From my hand
The countdown’s started
To the end
In a manic panic
My heart pounds
Hopes fading at the
Speed of sound

Spinning and gyrating
Blackin’ while gravitatin’
In a deadspin viral spiral
Vertigo a running wild
Twistin & a tumblin’
Lightning rippin thunder rumblin’
Revolving & rotatin’
Out of body levitatin’

PATHWAYS

If you’d like to see
What’s become of me
Guess we all change
It isn’t good to stay the same

Should you pass
By my face
Familiar shot
You can’t place

Give it time
Light will shine
A lost moment
Of you and I

As the nighttime looms
My heart will still be drifting
When the morning dawns
Your soul is lightly lifting

If you’d like to hear
All the news of yesteryear
Not to linger past
Make the present moment last

Should you wake
In a dream
Is it real
Or make-believe

As the daylight shines
My mind is calmly thinking
When the evening calls
Your light is gently sinking

As you draw the blinds
To end another day
Should our pathways fail
Good luck along the way

GOIN' DOWN

I’m goin’ down
Since you left
Forgot my name
With the hounds
Since you trashed
Threw me away

World’s spinnin’ ‘round
Since you turned
Walked out on me
I hear no sound
When I call futilely

I’ll be rising
Pick myself up
Lockstep
To the top

I’m climbin’ up
From the rubble
Where I found my heart
Risin’ up
On the double
From what tore it apart

Sky’s clearing
Sun’s nearing
Upon my cracked face
Blood pulsating
Emanating
Through my weathered veins

From where springs this feeling
Nobody knows
Starts and stops
Comes and goes

Destiny reeling
Changing my mind
As the feelings
Unwind

ON THE HIGHWAY

Driving this road so long
Don’t know where it’ll roll
Cruising the highway
Unsure if there’s a toll

Searchin’ for a signpost
Tell me which way I should go

I had a pretty passenger
Now you know she’s long gone
Had a shotgun princess
That seat’s vacant light is on

Looking for some company
As I pull into this town

Pit stop is what I need
One-on-one TLC
Been down so many roads
Need direction where to go
Keep my headlights shining
Deep into the night

As the sun sets west
I’ll drive into the night
The moon breaks that far crest
I’ll hug the corners tight
Won’t pull my red ride over
‘Til morning’s pre-dawn light

IF I LOSE YOU

Never wandered out alone
Never strayed too far from home
Now I’ve left my bed
Confusion lies ahead

There
Off in the distance
You stand
Offering resistance
The wall ‘gainst which I lean
Begins to fall

If I lose you now
A part of me would die
If I lose you now
My heart would surely sigh
It’s no lie

Scars scratched upon my face
The pain of you I taste
Cuts through me a deep slice
Of jagged tears of ice

Here
Armed for destruction
Aimed
At my fragile construction
The precipice on which I stand
Begins to slide

Wounded on bended knee
Guard is down hear my plea
White flag defenseless
Calling out S.O.S.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN

I was walking down by the bay
Saw you ‘neath the sun’s rays
Then you turned and looked away
Sunshine left clouds filled my day

On my path I set forth
East West South and North
Lone rider take left or right
Through the morn into the night

Have you ever been so lonely child
Have you ever felt the clouds and rain
Have you ever been so lonely child
As lonely as I am right now

I was drifting by the oceanside
Caught your footprints in the tide
Then the waves caused them to hide
I was pained and lost inside

Road ahead slightly bends
Will it ever come to end
Treading thin on tires I roll
Searching for the half to make me whole

I was racing in the jungle heat
Crossed the path you had beat
Then the foliage came to meet
My dead-end heart began to sink

WON'T YOU SPEND THE NIGHT WITH ME

Been outside
In a timeless space
Endless thoughts
Enquire my tastes
Time stops
Then stumbles by
Different place
Wish I could try

Second guessed
A hundred million times
Hard to play the game
When they draw those blinds
Set adrift
Far from home
Wish I’d get back
To where I am from

So won’t you spend the night with me
I’ve been hurting for your company girl
Won’t you spend the night with me
With me

Won’t you spend the night with me
I’ve been so down & lonely
Won’t you spend the night with me
With me

Used to live
Life as it came
Never thought of
Consequential gains

Take me back
To who I was
Remind me
Of what I can
Do for you

SIGNS

Wonder if it’s true or if it’s false
Does it have a heartbeat or a pulse
Don’t hang ‘round when things flat-line
Got better uses of my time

Ponder if it’s real or make-believe
Beneath the mask do you deceive
As you reach for my right hand
Time to make you see and understand

You run on a red light
Stop on green
Break on the freeway
Backroad speed
So I’m changing
Shifting gears
As the drawbridge
Quickly nears

Tell me of a guy whom you met
As if you’d care to place a Vegas bet
Got no sleight of hand to hide
What you see you get with no surprise

Then you call on me to make my move
Don’t respond to someone on cue
Got no drama role to play
Yesteryear tomorrow or today

The fog lifts as lines connect the dots
Take the turn-off and check my blind spot
Look in the rearview ahead the coast the clear
Making inroads as I take the wheel

Think I know who I’m dealing with
If it is real or just a tryst
Feel it as you take my left arm
You seek not love but to do harm

In this game I’m not for you
Find another to easily amuse
Got no time to idly hang out
Time to turn off with little doubt

You run on a red light
Stop on green
Break on the freeway
Back road speed
Turn right in the left lane
Forward reverse
Signs you are making
So perverse

So I’m changing
Shifting gears
As the drawbridge
Quickly nears
Check my safety
Note the time
As I can read
All the signs

THE ASTRONOT – GRAVITY (2019)

SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC
SOUNDCLOUD