ways & means

she has a way with me
could do away with me
by any means

she's more than what she seems
she's more than what she seems
in her ways & means

she can sway me
could always play me
by any means


she says she prays for me
i wish she'd stay with me
by any means

take me
break me
make me
forsake me
bathe me
scathe me
crave me
save me

04.16
capo 6
intro: Bb F
verse: C G/B Am (E)
chorus: F C G/B Am E
coda: F Bb

Down To The Shore

I go down to the shore
I go down to the shore

The moon moves the wave
The wave moves the sand

The wave moves the sand
The sand moves through time

And time moves the moon

04.13

C Csus4
Bb F C Csus4

Invisible

I come into a room
And feel so small
Like no one's
Gonna notice at all
Invisible

I get up on the stage
And sound so small
Like no one's
Gonna listen at all
Invisible

I walk right up to you
And talk so small
But you don't
Ignore me at all
I'm visible

04.12

Leave This Room

I have a book
I'm gonna read it real soon
Until the day I read it
I'm never gonna leave this room

I have a song
I'm gonna sing it real soon
Until the day I sing it
I'm never gonna leave this room

How can I be so sure
That there is so much more
On the other side of my door?

I have a prayer
I'm gonna pray it real soon
Until the day I pray it
I'm never gonna leave this room


I have a bed
I'm gonna go to sleep soon
And when I go to sleep
You know I'm gonna leave this room

04.11

Uke
D G
G D
F G D

Gm7 A7

(G C
C G
Bb C G

Cm7 D)

Trying To Get Through

Trying to get through
Trying to get through

I settle down
And get quiet
One more time
I'll try it

Trying to get through
Trying to get through

The empty room
Is full of creaks
The day light
Is getting weak

That's not my body
That's not my heart
That's not my mind
It's something apart

04.09
CGDGCe

Wishing For A Waltz

She wished for a waltz
Wild and in the nude
I laughed and said
I like your attitude

We cut up that rug
Flown from Isfahan
We were half the world
The other half was gone

Paris loved Vienna
In three-quarter time
If love were a number
I'm sure it would be prime

Paris and Vienna
Rugs from Isfahan
And even you and me
Have our own faults
Yet none of it matters
When wishing for a waltz

04.08

*

Note for the second verse: There is a saying in Farsi, Esfahan Nesf-e-Jahan, which means "Isfahan is half the world."

Graveyard Wisdom

lyrics by Paul Gorman & Chris Baker
music by Chris Baker

They'd give anything to have my cough
or a kingsized bed that was as soft
the dust settled in their veins
everyday seems just the same

just the same

they’d give anything to have my job
they judge my complaints as being odd
day after day they pine
that their days were just like mine

just like mine

They’d give anything to have my hope
And live this emotional kaleidoscope
Night after night they wish
That their lives were just like this

just like this

graveyard wisdom
graveyard wisdom


*

To hear Paul Gorman's version of this song, click here.

Before My Name Becomes Stone

I think about that night
We lost our way down streets
We found that dim hotel
And swapped secrets between the sheets
We swore we'd never go back
But tomorrow it's something I'll do
Before I go, let's drink together
I'll sing you a song or two.

How could love be forever
Even stars have their spans
Star light, star bright, first star
No star would heed your demands
I spelled your name in the stars
But it was smeared by the moon
I wish we'd drink one more together
And sing a song or two.

A promise is a snake's skin
The old one gives way to the new
Vows turn lovers to liars
Who'll turn you with small truths
So before my name becomes stone
And forgotten by all but a few
I'd like to drink with you alone
And sing you a song or two.


04.03.10
C F C G
C F Fm
C G/B Am G F C
interlude: Am Dm G7

The Sea Will Say

Put the shell to your lips
And taste sunken ships
The sea will say
What it will say

You're alone on this boat
The land feels remote
The sea will say
What it will say

Let the sirens sing
Let the sirens sing

Let loose of the rope
And drift from this boat
The sea will say
What it will say

Let the sirens sing
Let the sirens sing
Let the sirens sing
The sea will say

03.16.10
A G#m F#m
A Amaj7 A6 A/E
Bm D

Waltz With Your Last Breath

Waltz with your last breath
Keep moving across the floor
Waltz with your last breath
Hope the band plays one more

The room is spinning
While you dance
Can you see the dancers
Move and prance
If the band has heard
Your request
You'll get to waltz
With your last breath


The room is spinning
And going black
Can you see the ceiling
While on your back
Can you feel those fingers
On your chest
Tapping out a waltz
With your last breath

03.22

Old Crow

Five little children
Sitting in a room
Watch for old crow
He'll be round soon
Keep the curtains closed
Don't open that door
Or five little children
Will soon be four

Don't say I didn't warn you
Don't say I left you out
The old crow will getcha
If you don't watch out

Four little children
Sitting in a kitchen
Won't mind nothing
And just won't listen
Two get up to leave
And one follows, too
Think about old crow
Coming after you

One little child
Lost her golden toy
So much sadness
Out of so much joy
Hide those shiny things
Lock them in your chest
Old crow will steal them
To use in his nest


03.25.10

Love Is A Season

Love is a season
And we had our spring
The harmonies we heard
When we would sing
We took a big breath
And held that note
Sometimes you say goodbye
Though it's too late to go

Love is a season
And we had our autumn
Tomorrow rises up
When today has fallen
The leaves were once green
New colors now show
Sometimes you say goodbye
Though it's too late to go

Love is a season
And this is our winter
The fireplace barely glows
When filled with cinders
Who knew our spring
Could turn so cold
Sometimes you say goodbye
Though it's too late to go

03.22.10

The Mule Is Stuck In The Mud

I saw the clouds coming
And thought I had time
I kicked and hollered at Molly
She wouldn't pay me no mind
There are a million reasons
None are worth explaining
The mule is stuck in the mud
And it won't stop raining.

The thunder covered my cussing
Lightning lit up my whip
Her eyes were wild with fear
And blood ran off her hip
I cried why, God, why
He's used to my complaining
The mule is stuck in the mud
And it won't stop raining.

The Good Book tells me
That there are cleansing floods
The sinners and the heathens
All get trapped in the mud
Molly held her head up
Yeah, she was straining
We'll fetch her body from the mud
When it stops this raining.


03.21.10
capo 5
A / G / A / G
C / G / A
C G D F A

(D / C / D / C
F / C / D
F C G Bb D)

Souvenirs

The lights go out

alone in the dark

It's too cold

to sit in the park

Your friends are busy

or gone away

Your family's too far

to go and stay

It'll be clear
In a few years
All your scars
Are souvenirs

The night shovels doubt

on your daily dirt

And ashes & dust

blacken every word

Your mind is busy

connecting the dots

Your past is filled

with passing thoughts

03.19.10
PRJ011

Verse
C Cmaj7 Am G
A Asus2 F E

Chorus: Am F G Am G

Interlude: Gm6 Ebdim7 F E

The Past Ain't What It Used To Be

Looking through my past
I'm not who I was
Though the ink is dry
It can still be smudged
Did it happen that way
It seems so clear
Shouldn't the ink be dry
After all these years

The past ain't what it used to be

You've got your story
And I've got mine
If both can't be true
Then one of us is lyin'
The ears and the eyes
Have their own claims
The years and the sighs
Try to shift the blame

The mind can play tricks
and give you a better deal
Time should heal all
but some wounds just don't heal
Are you sure you're sure
I just don't recall
Soon I'll only know
what never happened at all

Who really knows
How the song goes?

03.19.10
PRJ010

The Water Will Hold You

Step off the boat
The water will hold you
The wind is fierce
The water will hold you

Deep calls to deep

Just take my hand
The water will hold you
Don't look away
The water will hold you

Deep calls to deep
Be not afraid

The tide goes out
The water will hold you
The wind will cease
The water will hold you

Deep calls to deep
Be not afraid
Water hold you

Losers Live Longer

Lovers live longer
That's what they say
Well, maybe that's true
When you count each & every day
But if you ask the heart
It'll have this to say
Losers live longer
It sure feels that way.

Lovers live longer
Read it in the headlines
Well, it really depends
On how you count time
Just look into the soul
And it'll have this to say
Losers live longer
It sure feels that way.

Till death do you part
As a man and a wife
But so very few do
Most don't and cling to life
But ask those hearts
Who have been betrayed
Losers live longer
It sure feels that way

Losers live longer
Broken bones grow stronger
Losers live longer
Broken bones grow stronger


03.11
drop-D capo 4
A G/D D

I'll Just Go Back To Sleep Again

Yeah I dreamed today
The sun stole your face
Yeah I dreamed today
The sun stole your face
So I’ll draw these shades
And climb back in bed again
And I’ll just go back to sleep again

Yeah I’ll paint the sun
Pitch black so light won’t come
Yeah I'll paint the sun
Pitch black so light won't come
And I’ll dig my heels in
‘til the world stands still
And I’ll just go back to sleep again

I hope my dreams
Won’t fall asleep (no)
‘Cause I need (you)
Eileen..

Yeah your eyes seem so strange
When your heart's about to break
Yeah your eyes seem so strange
When your heart's about to break
You say I’m to blame
Cause I only want the dream
And I'll just go back to sleep again

03.12.10
collab w/Deric Trotter
Bounce 00 Project 6

Memoir

What I couldn't say aloud
I could write to someone else
Just open my pages
And read for yourself

Are you looking for yourself
In between all these lines
Fact is fiction
Fiction's full of lies

What is memory
But dust on dust
When the wind blows
It blows away trust

My spine stands straight
Up against the shelf
And I'm feeling crowded
Like I'm not myself

And the years, the years
Show pristine pages
What's my wisdom worth
Among half-price sages


Think of Alexandria
And its ancient embers
Sending up smoke signals
That no one remembers

03.11.10
MTR Project
capo 1

Verse
Em C Em
C G D Em

Chorus
C Em
C B7

*

Note about this recording. This is a multitrack recording, which means that there are four tracks (all played/sung by me): track one, guitar & vox; track two, harmony vox; track three, lead guitar; track four, capo 8 rhythm guitar. They were recorded in that order at about 1 a.m on March 11.

Also, I recorded these without any auto-tune or punch in/out or other studio gimmickry. All is as it happened in just 1-take -- every cool lick and botched harmony vox is just as I recorded it. No going back and fixing things or fussing with the levels. They were all bounced down to one track and sent to my computer and then dl'd on soundclick.