Wedding Cake Smile

In a sunset mind the oceans shimmer When the wind blows strong the searchlights flicker It’s not dark yet but it’s getting dimmer The lines are drawn and they’re getting thicker

In the tempest of the sun in the heart of summer Get an inkling sometimes well it’s just a glimmer Of your wedding cake smile of your late comers Of the sin within but I’m no sinner Won’t you come on over to my house for dinner You may already be a winner We’ll put a little something in the pot and let it simmer, darling Come on over to my house for dinner In the wind and the rain in the deep of winter The trees come down and they start to splinter She finds a calm within, well it’s deep within her Got beginner’s mind but she’s no beginner I been to Germany I been to Spain Seen a dirty world that’s only getting grimmer Stood at the wall and I heard him say Ich bin ein Berliner Won’t you come on over to my house for dinner You may already be a winner We’ll put a little something in the pot and let it simmer, darling Come on over to my house for dinner Gotta sunrise daydream and April showers We’re spinning round the sun with the rest of the spinners Want to burrow in your earth and smell your flowers I’m drowning in your love but I ain’t no swimmer Won’t you come on over to my house for dinner You may already be a winner We’ll put a little something in the pot and let it simmer, darling Come on over to my house for dinner © 2005, Kyle Alden, All rights reserved

Jimmy-O

What did my mama say to you (3x)
Early Sunday morn What did my papa say to you (3x)
As you were riding through the storm
Oh oh, my Jimmy-O Oh oh, my Jimmy-O Oh oh, my Jimmy-O
Riding through the corn
There’s men in town that’s looking for you (3x)
They mean to do you harm Jimmy leave your guns at home (3x)
As you’re riding through the storm
Oh oh, my Jimmy-O Oh oh, my Jimmy-O Oh oh, my Jimmy-O
Riding through the corn Don’t go my Jimmy-O (3x)
Don’t you leave the farm Oh mama quick come see (3x)
(I fear) Jimmy’s come to harm
Oh oh, my Jimmy-O Oh oh, my Jimmy-O Oh oh, my Jimmy-O
Riding through the corn
Thought I heard a shot ring out (3x)
Piercing through the storm

The sun is out, the storm is gone (2x)
The sun is out but Jimmy’s gone
Leaving me so forlorn Chorus 2x

© 2006, Kyle Alden

Sweet Melissa

Water flowing on table mountain
Near the town of Cherokee
It’s flowing strong and pure underground
In pools quiet as can be

Sweet Melissa dry your eyes
Sweet Melissa honey run
I’ll be taking the first stage to paradise
To be in your arms in the morning sun

You can taste the water on table mountain
Like drinking from the Sea of Galilee
Wildflowers grow in the green fields
That stretch as far as you can see

Sweet Melissa dry your eyes
Sweet Melissa honey run
I’ll be taking the first stage to paradise
To be in your arms in the morning sun © 2007, Kyle Alden, All rights reserved

Tangletown

There’s a place I know where the people all frown
Keep their smiles in their pockets and their feet off the ground
Feet off the ground, got their feet off the ground
I can tell we’re getting close to Tangletown
Not much shaking in Tangletown
Down is up and it’s up side down
Oh up side down, everything is up side down
It’s topsy turvy in Tangle Town

Got my wires crossed in Tangletown
They’re worn and frayed and they’ve come unwound
Well they’ve come unwound, come unwound
Electrocute yourself in Tangletown
Devil’s got a condo in Tangletown
It’s where he stays when he comes around
When he comes around, and he comes around
Cause he’s got lots of business in Tangletown
All the girls are pretty in Tangletown

They like to do the tango upside down
Oh upside down, without a sound
They can sneak up behind you in Tangletown
Ain’t no combs in Tangletown
Everybody’s hair just dangles down
Well it dangles down, it dangles down
Dreadlocks rule in Tangletown

Lookee over yonder by that levee mound
Momma do see do to the crazy sound
To the crazy sound, to that crazy sound I
t’s plenty big fun in Tangletown

© 2006, Kyle Alden

Boxwood Pine

I know a girl plays the ends against the middle She’s playin my mind like she’s playin a fiddle
This same girl is a palindrome
Knock on the door nobody is home

Boxwood pine boxwood pine
Jenny come quick with the iodine
I thought you were a friend of mine
Oh my boxwood pine

Jesus said last shall be first
The weak shall inherit the earth
I think we need to get him on the telephone
Find out exactly what the hell he was talking about

Boxwood pine boxwood pine
Jenny come quick Jenny 369
I thought you were a friend of mine
Oh my boxwood pine
Boxwood pine boxwood pine
Jenny come quick with the iodine I thought you were a friend of mine Oh my boxwood pine

© 2008, Kyle Alden, All rights reserved

Garden Song (The Avocado Song)

It’s morning in the tropical garden
All the plants and the earth are fresh and clean
Billy goes outside to weed and to prune
And as he worked along he whistled a contented tune

Billy wore a hardhat when he worked outside
Especially underneath the avocado tree
Cause that tree had avocado the size of Colorado
And when they fell they hit the ground like a tsunami

Dolores was in the house watching the shopping channel
She liked to look at the sparkling jewelry
She was eating apple pie and thinking with a sigh
Someday I know I’m going to hit the lottery

Mmm mm mm mm mmmmmm
Mmm mm mm mm mmm
Mmm mm mm mm mmmmmm
Mmm mm mm mm mmm

The sun is getting low in that garden now
Billy comes in and he’s tired and dirty
Kisses Dolores on the cheek and he gives her nose a tweak
Saying darling I love you and you sure look pretty

Dolores just smiled and said that garden’s gone to your head
You’re talking nonsense now Billy my dear
But you know I’ve loved you true since 1952
When we came out west to settle down here

Mmm mm mm mm mmmmmm
Mmm mm mm mm mmm
Mmm mm mm mm mmmmmm
Mmm mm mm mm mmm

It’s morning in the tropical garden
All the plants and the earth are fresh and clean
Billy goes outside to weed and to prune
And as he worked along he whistled a contented tune
And as he worked along he whistled a contented tune
And as he worked along he whistled a contented tune

© 2007, Kyle Alden

Scolding Jay

Scolding jay scolding jay
What makes you fret and worry
My mama told me before she died
Don’t be in such a hurry

Scolding jay scolding jay
You’re in my garden early
Flitting in the top of an old pine tree
Screaming like a banshee

I’ve been all around this old wide world
And I just got back today
Searchin for my own true love
Ever since she went astray

Scolding jay scolding jay
This morning I heard you screaming
So loud and shrill from the top of the hill
I thought I was still dreaming

Scolding jay scolding jay
What makes your coat so blue
Could it be that your love has gone
Or that she’s been untrue

I’ve been all around this old wide world
And I just got back today
Searchin for my own true love
Ever since she went astray

Scolding jay scolding jay
Have you seen my pretty Nancy
She left home late last fall
Going up the country

Scolding jay scolding jay
Tell me this now surely
Where have you been, oh have you seen
My pretty dark-eyed girly

I’ve been all around this old wide world
And I just got back today
Searchin for my own true love
Ever since she went astray

Scolding jay scolding jay
What makes you treat me mean
I don’t know whose body you found
There beside the stream

Scolding jay scolding jay
Oh how I rue the hour
I struck her down on the cold cold ground
And killed my brown-eyed flower

I’ve been all around this old wide world
And I just got back today
Searchin for my own true love
Ever since she went astray

I’ve been all around this old wide world
And I just got back today
Searchin for my own true love
Ever since she went astray

15 Days

It’s been 15 days that I’ve loved you
It’s been 15 days that I’ve cared
Used to make love in bedroom
Now we just hold hands on the stairs

I remember the day we first met
The sun was hot and the ground was still wet
Never been to heaven but I know the way it feels
Walking with my darling in them California hills
California hills

It’s been 15 days that I’ve loved you
It’s been 15 days that I’ve cared
Used to make love in bedroom
Now we just hold hands on the stairs

I remember the day we first met
The sun was hot and the sheets were still wet
Never been to heaven but I know the way it feels
Walking with my darling in them California hills
California hills

It’s been 15 days that I’ve loved you
It’s been 15 days that I’ve cared
Used to make love in bedroom
Now we just hold hands on the stairs

© 2007, Kyle Alden, All rights reserved

Broken Halo

When you flew in from another time, you brought me sunlight from St. Moray

You filled the room with your melody and rhyme, As your dark hair fell across your face

Sailing along on the infinite ocean, liquid light mingling with your hair

A balsa wood albatross sat on your shoulder, With the water knee deep in St. Mark’s Square

Heat ‘em up slowly now cookie
Cause I feel like wildfire at the blue rodeo
Heat ‘em up slowly now cookie
And say a prayer for the angels with the broken halo

Ancient skyscrapers tower and sway, spinning crop circles in the valleys below

Take the river road from the northerly direction, while the marble people in the floor they ebb and they flow

Heat ‘em up slowly now cookie
Cause I feel like wildfire at the blue rodeo
Heat ‘em up slowly now cookie
And say a prayer for the angels with the broken halo

Heat ‘em up slowly now cookie
Cause I feel like wildfire at the blue rodeo
Heat ‘em up slowly now cookie
And say a prayer for the angels with the broken halo

© 2007, Kyle Alden

Loving Could

Hit the spacebar let’s move on
I don’t care who’s right or wrong

Put it in gear step on the gas
Keep moving darling let’s get out of here fast

Turn the page it’s a whole new chapter
Let’s keep the focus on what comes after

We’ve been through it all we’re both depleted
With eyes to the past we’re bound to repeat it
But with eyes to the future it’s all to the good
We gotta find out…darling if our loving could

make us happy
Loving could send us home together
Loving could be a chapel in Reno

Loving could make us happy
Loving could send us home together
Loving could heal these wounds and make us whole again

Well past is past and now is now
If we love each other let’s make that vow

How many times you heard it said
Thinking with your heart is like loving with your head

Just let our hearts do their thing
We can move mountains make the angels sing

We’ve been through it all we’re both depleted
With eyes to the past we’re bound to repeat it
But with eyes to the future it’s all to the good
We gotta find out…darling if our loving could

make us happy
Loving could keep us together
Loving could be a chapel in Reno

Loving could make us happy
Loving could keep us together
Loving could heal these wounds and make us whole again

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Jay Gould’s Daughter

lyrics by Charlie Poole, music by Kyle Alden

On a Monday morning it began to rain
Around the curve came a passenger train
On the blinds was hobo john
He’s a good old hobo but he’s dead and gone
Dead and gone, he’s dead and gone
He’s a good old hobo but he’s dead and gone

Charlie Jones was a good engineer
And he told his brakeman not to fear
Pour on the water boys shovel on the coal
Stick your head out the window see the drivers roll
See the drivers roll, see the drivers roll
Stick your head out the window see the drivers roll

Jay Gould’s daughter said before she died
Papa fix the blinds so the bums can’t ride
If ride they must let them ride the rods
Let ‘em put their trust in the hands of god
In the hands of god, in the hands of god
Let ‘em put all their trust in the hands of god

Jay Gould’s daughter said before she died
There’s two more trains I’d like to try
Daughter oh daughter what can they be
It’s the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe
Santa fe, it’s the santa fe
Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe

Jay Gould’s daughter said before she died
There’s two more drinks I’d like to try
Daughter oh daughter what can they be
It’s a glass of water and a cup of tea
Cup of tea, cup of tea
It’s a glass of water and a cup of tea

Charlie Jones was a good engineer
And he told his brakeman not to fear
Pour on the water boys shovel on the coal
Stick your head out the window see the drivers roll
See the drivers roll, see the drivers roll
Stick your head out the window see the drivers roll

Jay Gould’s daughter said before she died
Papa fix the blinds so the bums can’t ride
If ride they must let them ride the rods
Let ‘em put their trust in the hands of god
In the hands of god, in the hands of god
Let ‘em put all their trust in the hands of god

In the hands of god, in the hands of god
Let ‘em put all their trust in the hands of god

© 2005, Kyle Alden, All rights reserved

Sympathetic Fires

Julie come over and fix the computers The network’s down it’s gone awry The machines can’t talk with the other machines Julie go down to the river to cry Is there anybody out there to hear my voice Armies are marching through the wires at night The plague, a nano-virus is festering Julie’s too weak to put up much of a fight Julie go down to the palace of servers Every room a nest of routers, switches, wires Break down the front door if you have to darling Attack the firewall with sympathetic fires Attack the firewall, attack the firewall Attack the firewall with sympathetic fires Julie hack into the servers at midnight Use the beta protocols and don’t ask why Meet me down at the bit-stream river And we’ll float away together on a digital tide And we’ll float away together on a digital tide Attack the firewall, attack the firewall Attack the firewall with sympathetic fires © 2006, Kyle Alden

Hold Tight

Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold on tight, chariot’s a comin’
Gonna take us home tonight

Daniel said to Lily in the dark of the night
I think we’re lost, can’t find a light
To shine on the path to light our way
Feel like sitting down to cry

Lily said to Daniel I think we might
Head back to the ranch, get our flashlight
Shine it on the path to light our way
We’ll be home before the break of day

Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold on tight, chariot’s a comin’
Gonna take us home tonight

Garden of Eden was a mighty pretty place
Fruit on the trees and smiles on the faces
Of the two young lovers who were living there
They didn’t have a care

But that bad old snake with the silvery tongue
Planted thickets of temptation in the hearts of the young
Before you know it, well the sin and shame
Had spoiled all the fun

Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold on tight, chariot’s a comin’
Gonna take us home tonight

Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold tight, chariot’s a comin’
Hold on tight, chariot’s a comin’
Gonna take us home tonight

© 2006, Kyle Alden

Beach Guitar

Lying in the sand
And your sunburn nose
The girls walk by
With their perfect painted toes

Got a Frisbee spin
And a surfboard bruise
Seagulls cry
And sand gets in your shoes
In your shoes, in your shoes

Play me a song on the beach guitar
Swimming in the music without a lifeguard
Waves of sound hit the golden shore
Play me a song on the beach guitar
On the beach guitar, on the beach guitar

Constable clouds
Against a Turner sky
The Gaugin girls
Just make you want to cry

Got a coconut tree
And a coral reef
Spit in the ocean
And the sun glints off your teeth
Off your teeth, off your teeth

Play me a song on the beach guitar
Swimming in the music without a lifeguard
Waves of sound hit the golden shore
Play me a song like you did before
Like you did before, like you did before

Suntan oil
And a bikini line
The BBQ fish
Is dribbling down with lime

Got a shovel and a pail
And a beach ball too
Your swimming trunks
Are yellow, red and blue
Red and blue, red and blue

I’ll play you a song on the beach guitar
Got the funky action and no pick guard
I can play it real soft or strum it real hard
Let me play you a song on the beach guitar

I’ll play you a song on the beach guitar
Got the funky action and no pick guard
I can play it real soft or strum it real hard
Let me play you a song on the beach guitar
On the beach guitar, beach guitar, beach guitar

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Buckeye Song

I just got back from the Buckeye tree today
Showed me how to laugh again, taught me how to play
There’s nothing you can do and there’s nothing you can say
When the Buckeye trees start talking to you in the merry month of May

I just got back from the Buckeye tree today
Saw a little buckeye there, this is what he did say
I been watching you boy and for all that it is worth
You been driving that car all over town and you’re fucking up the earth

What did you learn, what did you learn today
When you were at school, what did your teacher say
What did you do while the Buckeye trees were blooming near the bay
What did you learn today

I see the damage done against a sunset sky
The people are gone and the babies cry
It’s high noon in heaven and we’re almost out of time
But when the Buckeye trees start singing their songs and they’re looking you in the eye

And they sing
What did you learn, what did you learn today
When you were at school, what did your teacher say
What did you do while the Buckeye trees were blooming near the bay
What did you learn today
What did you learn today
What did you learn today

© 2004, Kyle Alden

Hollywood Sign

That’s the way it works at Hollywood sign
You can get yours and I can get mine
Gonna be a star gonna let it shine
I’ll take my chances at the Hollywood sign

Well I went downtown to Hollywood and Vine
Saw a little girlie there she’s looking so fine
Say hey there honey can me and you
Get together for some lovin like the love birds do

She said well mister you got it all wrong
Cause I’m a swinging little diva just singing my song
Gonna make it to the top if I have to climb
All the way from the bottom of the Hollywood sign

Well I says my little darling that’s all well and good
You got your focus and your talent and I’m sure you would
Have ‘em rocking in the aisles and keeping steady time
But you’ll never get halfway up that Hollywood sign

Cause it’s not about talent and it’s not about looks
It’s not even something youi can read about in books.
It’s dead blind luck for the fortunate kind
Who make it to the top of the Hollywood sign

So you might as well love me before you have to go
Rehearse your new songs for your TV show
Someday your songs will be heard the world round
But we can love each other ‘til your luck turns around

She said well mister when you put it that way
I can almost believe this thing that you say
Chalk it up to fortune or to dead blind luck
So let’s go back to your place and…

That’s the way it works at Hollywood sign
You can get yours and I can get mine
Gonna be a star gonna let it shine
I’ll take my chances at the Hollywood sign

© 2005, Kyle Alden

How Long

Everyday I see you on the street
You park your car, get out and use your feet
I see you looking at me, but our eyes never meet
How long, baby, how long
How long , baby, how long
How long, baby, how long

Everyday, I see you in the park
You out there walking your dog, but he don’t even bark
Sometimes you out there, til it’s almost dark
How long, baby, how long
How long , baby, how long
How long, baby, how long

Before I need you, before I need you, before I need you

Everyday I see you on the street
You park your car, get out and use your feet
I feel you looking at me, but our eyes never meet
How long, baby, how long
How long , baby, how long
How long, baby, how long

Before I need you, before I need you, before I need you

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Last Stop

Last stop is the water
Everybody get on board
Last stop is the water
We can’t stay here anymore

Last stop is the water
Get on the train and ride
Last stop is the water
Take a good look outside

Cause it’s been raining forty days and forty nights
There’s flooding again clear up to the county line

Annie got the kids out
Just in the nick of time
River gone and wandered
Left the banks far behind

Last stop is the water
Gonna ride ‘til it pours
Last night in the headlights
She hugged me once more

She looked up at me with that look in her eye
Tears were falling from her face, they were falling from the sky

Last stop is the water
Everybody get on board
Last stop is the water
Take us over to the other shore

Last stop is the water
Get on the train and ride
Last stop is the water
Take us over to the other side

I’m going to ride this train to the end of the line
I’m going to ride this train ‘til it’s my time

Last stop is the water
Everybody get on board
Last stop is the water
We can’t stay here anymore

Last stop is the water
Get on the train and ride
Last stop is the water
Take us over to the other side
Take us over to the other side
Over to the other side

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Mockingbird Blues

The mockingbird sings his songs of love in June
The mockingbird sings his songs of love in June
He’s looking for his lover, so he’s singing his favorite tune

Wish I was a rich man so I wouldn’t have to die
Wish I was a rich man so I wouldn’t have to die
I’d gather all my euros, stack ‘em halfway up the sky

I took a wrong turn as I was heading for the wishing well
I took a wrong turn as I was heading for the wishing well
Began to feel wrong-headed, so I sat myself down for a spell

Wish I was out walking on some high old lonesome plain
Wish I was out walking on some high old lonesome plain
Instead of stuck here in my room with these feelings that I can’t explain

I got a lover she lives in two time zones
I got a lover she lives in two time zones
Her head is in west Texas, her feet are somewhere near Buffalo

I know a girl she lives in two time zones
I know a girl she lives in two time zones
One for when she’s around, the other when she’s on the telephone

The mockingbird sings his songs of love in June
The mockingbird sings his songs of love in June
He’s looking for his lover, so he’s singing his favorite tune

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Pay No Mind

Pay no mind to what you been thinking
Pay no mind to what I been drinking
Sure seems like we’ve seen this movie before
Let’s start the scene with the happy ever after
Skip the tears, cut straight to the laughter
Pay no mind to the demons at your door

Pay no mind I know we can do it
We can get it done if we put our minds to it
Sure seems like we’ve walked down this old road before
Avenue, lane and the boulevard
We can get it together if we try real hard
Pay no mind to the carnage at your door

Sure ain’t nothing you can do about it
Sure ain’t nothing you can live without
You know I love you, indeed I do

Might as well get it all on the table
Skip the lies cut straight to the fables
I always love them stories you tell to me
Might as well get it all in the open
I been thinking real hard and I been hoping (that)
You’ll agree to be my same old used to be

Pay no mind to what you been eating
I can barely swallow but my heart is still beating
Sure seems like we’ve sat down together for a meal or two
Hot sauce crawfish rice and beans
Scoot a little closer that’s what I mean
When I say I hope you love me like I love you

Sure ain’t nothing you can do about it
Sure ain’t nothing you can live without
You know I love you, indeed I do

Got dog tired of the whole damn movie
Looks like our goose is cooked again Suzie
Pay no mind to the repo man at the door
We gotta little bit of lovin’ and a sweet potato pie
My heart is full but I got to try
To tell you that you mean the whole damn world to me

Pay no mind to what you been thinking
Pay no mind to what I been drinking
Sure seems like we’ve seen this movie before
Let’s start the scene with the happy ever after
Skip the tears, cut straight to the laughter
Pay no mind to the demons at your door
Pay no mind to the demons at your door
Pay no mind to the demons at your door

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Reckless Flame (Don’t Seem Right)

Reckless flame Burning strong
A reckless heart burning all night long
It’s burning bright though I know it’s wrong

Reckless flame Burning bright
A white hot heat and a white hot light
Shining through the night on you

It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
That I should feel the way I do

Reckless flame In my soul
A wildfire burning out of control
Racing up the canyon in a strong on shore flow

It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
That I should feel the way I do

It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
That I should feel the way I do

Reckless flame In my head
Sometimes I think I’d be better off dead
‘Cause I know some things you just don’t know

It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
That I should feel the way I do

It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
It don’t seem right
That I should feel the way I do

It don’t seem right

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Silence is Silver

Silence is silver lying deep underground
Alone in the darkness with no one around
Silence is silver in a room with no name
Beyond hubbub and murmur, beyond boasting and blame

Beyond scolding and teasing, beyond children’s cries
Beyond lamentation, beyond lover’s sighs

Let your love pour down around us
Speak not a word just let it surround us
Silence is silver poured from a cup
Hush now little darling not a word

Let your love pour down around us
Speak not a word just let it surround us
Silence is silver a gift of the gods
Hush now little darling not a word

Silence is silver on the bay tonight
Moonshine so lovely, reflected sunlight
Silence is silver in the fountains of Rome
A few good luck coins after friends have gone home

No more scolding and teasing, no more children’s cries
No more lamentation, no more lover’s sighs

Let your love pour down around us
Speak not a word just let it surround us
Silence is silver poured from a cup
Hush now little darling not a word

Let your love pour down around us
Speak not a word just let it surround us
Silence is silver a gift of the gods
Hush now little darling not a word

Silence is silver at the bottom of the sea
Some old Spanish treasure from 1803
When a ship bound for Galway went down off of Clare
Well it’s deep, and it’s dark and it’s quiet down there

Well that silver’s still shining with a heavenly light
Like the glow that I’m seeing in your eyes tonight

Let your love pour down around us
Speak not a word just let it surround us
Silence is silver poured from a cup
Hush now little darling not a word

Let your love pour down around us
Speak not a word just let it surround us
Silence is silver a gift of the gods
Hush now little darling not a word
© 2005, Kyle Alden

Wanted You Too

I was in the room the night you first saw him
The sky was bright the lights were dim
Your eyes were bright and clear

I wanted you too
I wanted you too
I wanted you too

There was music all around us
That night on Shawnee Town
Fiddles concertinas I can still hear them now

I wanted you too
I wanted you too
I wanted you too

I was in the room the night you first saw him
The sky was bright the lights were dim
Your eyes were bright and clear

I wanted you too
I wanted you too
Me and you
Lord I wanted you too

Nothing comes of nothing but I know it
Nothing ventured nothing gained
Nothing left to do

I wanted you too
I wanted you too
Me and you
Lord I wanted you too
Lord I wanted you too
Lord I wanted you too

© 2004, Kyle Alden

Wedding Cake Smile

In a sunset mind the oceans shimmer
When the wind blows strong the searchlights flicker
It’s not dark yet but it’s getting dimmer
The lines are drawn and they’re getting thicker

In the tempest of the sun in the heart of summer
Get an inkling sometimes well it’s just a glimmer
Of your wedding cake smile of your late comers
Of the sin within but I’m no sinner

Won’t you come on over to my house for dinner
You may already be a winner
We’ll put a little something in the pot and let it simmer, darling
Come on over to my house for dinner

In the wind and the rain in the deep of winter
The trees come down and they start to splinter
She finds a calm within, well it’s deep within her
Got beginner’s mind but she’s no beginner

I been to Germany I been to Spain
Seen a dirty world that’s only getting grimmer
Stood at the wall and I heard him say
Ich bin ein Berliner

Won’t you come on over to my house for dinner
You may already be a winner
We’ll put a little something in the pot and let it simmer, darling
Come on over to my house for dinner

Gotta sunrise daydream and April showers
We’re spinning round the sun with the rest of the spinners
Want to burrow in your earth and smell your flowers
I’m drowning in your love but I ain’t no swimmer

Won’t you come on over to my house for dinner
You may already be a winner
We’ll put a little something in the pot and let it simmer, darling
Come on over to my house for dinner

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Ballad of a Sleepwalker

Bring me the body of Osama Bin Laden
Bring me the soul of the infinite sea
Give back with interest all that’s been taken
And I’ll give to you a version of me

Bring me the brave firemen who died in the hallways
Bring me the nightcap of Mother McCree
Play me your heartstrings I’ll cherish them always
And I’ll give to you a version of me

Bring me the hubcaps of Arnold’s black hummer
Bring me the gearbox from a gold SUV
Keep in your mind’s eye the road trips of summer
And I’ll give to you a version of me

Bring me the newspaper on Saturday morning
Bring me some toast and a cup of strong tea
Oh it’s on to the wars dear, we’ve been through the warnings
And I’m wondering which is the right version of me
And I’m wondering which is the right version of me

The trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see
Can’t dream at night can’t sleep in the morning
Cause I’m busy sleepwalking
And I’m busy sleepwalking, through
history

Show me the scorched sidewalks of lower Manhattan
Bring me the sad stones of old Italy
Give me a press pass to cover the story
But to tell you the truth babe, it ain’t up to me

Send me a postcard of the towers at sunset
Paint me a portrait of the powers-that-be
You sure look familiar although we’ve just met
Which version of you do you intend to show me

Bring me the headstone of Jerry Garcia
Sing me a birdsong in the morning at three
Change gonna come and change gonna go, you know
So keep on shakin it, shake Sugaree

Bring me the foreskin of Ivan the terrible
Bring me the Pentagon’s skeleton key
Bring some festoons and garlands of roses
To lay down on old glory in the land of the free
To lay down on old glory in the land of the free

The trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see
Can’t dream at night can’t sleep in the morning
Cause I’m busy sleepwalking
And I’m busy sleepwalking, through
history

Oh bring me the windpipe of Declan McManus
Sound the old foghorn down by the sea
So we know the old ocean is walking among us
Old like a rum-drinking demon at tea

Bring me the navel of Adam from Eden
Bring me the apple Eve plucked from the tree
Sing me the moment of Adam’s temptation
His fall and subsequent mortality

Bring me the galleons of Vasco de Gama
Bring me the laptop of Kevin Spacey
Won’t you garland the gates of the city of Baghdad
With flowers and cherries from Washington DC

Show me the peace prize of Nelson Mandela
And the torch of the Statue of Liberty
Show me the hucksters who head up the white house
And I’ll show you the tyrants of 2003
And I’ll show you the tyrants of 2003

The trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see
Can’t dream at night can’t sleep in the morning
Cause I’m busy sleepwalking
And I’m busy sleepwalking, through
history

I want the sex life of Cameron Diaz
Bring me the wisdom of late night TV
Build me strong walls of splendid isolation
So I won’t have to show you a civil version of me

Bring me a footprint of Robinson Crusoe
Bring me a Bradley fighting machine
Wipe off that make-up and put on your Burka
I want you to know there’s another version of me

I want to see the boudoir of Queen Cleopatra
Bring me the moustache of Saddam Hussein
Buy me bright clothing that I saw in a magazine
Cause I love my lifestyle but don’t want the pain

Could you forward me those emails about penis enlargement
Botox, liposuction and plastic surgery
If you can’t face the facts dear don’t look in the mirror
And I can’t wait to show you the new improved version of me
And I can’t wait to show you the new version of me

The trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see
Can’t dream at night can’t sleep in the morning
Cause I’m busy sleepwalking
And I’m busy sleepwalking, through
history

Sometimes I know I’ve got god on my side
Cause she shines a spotlight on my enemies
The rest of the world is asking the question
With which version of god do you intend to kill me

The night’s nearly gone now I’m sick of this circus
Pick up the fiddle, what tune shall it be
We’ve had jigs and reels, a few polkas, mazurkas
Let’s have an old time waltz, step 1, 2 and 3
Play an old time waltz for posterity

So gather my children we’ll have a good meal together
We’ll sing a few sad songs in close harmony
We’ll all make our heartstrings vibrate together
And we’ll share in each other’s good company

Tell all our friends to meet down by the river
On the sweet smelling banks ‘neath the weeping willow tree
We’ll cast off our clothing, our doubts and our dark fears
And the fresh water will wash us down to the sea
And the fresh water will roll us down to the sea

So bring me the body of Osama Bin Laden
Bring me the soul of the infinite sea
Give back with interest all that’s been taken
And I’ll give to you a version of me
And I’ll give to you all the versions of me

Kyle Alden, 2004

Ballad of a Sleepwalker (short version)

Bring me the body of Osama Bin Laden
Bring me the soul of the infinite sea
Give back with interest all that’s been taken
And I’ll give to you a version of me

Bring me the brave firemen who died in the hallways
Paint me a portrait of the powers-that-be
Play me your heartstrings I’ll cherish them always
And I’ll give to you a version of me

Bring me the hubcaps of Arnold’s black hummer
Bring me the gearbox from a gold SUV
Keep in your mind’s eye the road trips of summer
And I’ll give to you a version of me

Bring me the newspaper on Saturday morning
Bring me some toast and a cup of strong tea
Oh it’s on to the wars dear, we’ve been through the warnings
And I’m wondering which is the right version of me
And I’m wondering which is the right version of me

The trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see
Can’t dream at night can’t sleep in the morning
Cause I’m busy sleepwalking
And I’m busy sleepwalking, through
history

Bring me the foreskin of Ivan the terrible
Bring me the Pentagon’s skeleton key
Bring some festoons and garlands of roses
To lay down on old glory in the land of the free

Bring me the galleons of Vasco de Gama
Bring me the laptop of Kevin Spacey
Won’t you garland the gates of the city of Baghdad
With flowers and cherries from Washington DC

Show me the peace prize of Nelson Mandela
And the torch of the Statue of Liberty
Show me the hucksters who head up the white house
And I’ll show you the tyrants of 2003

Could you forward me those emails about penis enlargement
Botox, liposuction and plastic surgery
If you can’t face the facts dear don’t look in the mirror
And I can’t wait to show you the new improved version of me
And I can’t wait to show you the new version of me

The trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see
Can’t dream at night can’t sleep in the morning
Cause I’m busy sleepwalking
And I’m busy sleepwalking, through
history

Sometimes I know I’ve got god on my side
Cause she shines a spotlight on my enemies
The rest of the world is asking the question
With which version of god do you intend to kill me

The night’s nearly gone now I’m sick of this circus
Pick up the fiddle, what tune shall it be
We’ve had jigs and reels, a few polkas, mazurkas
Let’s have an old time waltz, step 1, 2 and 3
Play an old time waltz for posterity

So gather my children we’ll have a good meal together
We’ll sing a few sad songs in close harmony
We’ll all make our heartstrings vibrate together
And we’ll share in each other’s good company

Tell all our friends to meet down by the river
On the sweet smelling banks ‘neath the weeping willow tree
We’ll cast off our clothing, our doubts and our dark fears
And the fresh water will wash us down to the sea
And the fresh water will roll us down to the sea

Kyle Alden, 2004

Never Wanted To See Her Go (10/19/04)

The crows are getting darker
They gather in the old oak tree
So they can be closer to my heart
So they can be closer to me
The crows are getting darker

The sky is black with their wings
Hundreds come at twilight
You can hear them talk you can hear them sing

And I don’t know what I’ve done
I miss my darling so
I never wanted to lose her
Never wanted to see her go
I never wanted to lose her
Never wanted to see her go

I’m sure the crows are getting darker
I’ve been watching them from my cell
There’s things I wish I never done
Two things I can never tell

And I don’t know what I’ve done
I miss my darling so
I never wanted to lose her
Never wanted to see her go
I never wanted to lose her
Never wanted to see her go

The crows are getting darker now
Their bodies stark against the sky
When I killed my sweet lover Jeannie
I left my good wife at home to cry

And I don’t know what I’ve done
I miss my darling so
I never wanted to lose her
Never wanted to see her go
I never wanted to lose her
Never wanted to see her go

Devil Socks

Bees are swarming in my lights at midnight
Fish is frying on the stove
My car is full of water
And my heart is full of holes

Got the toothache in my jaw
The fish gone up in flame
The more that things seem different
The more they stay the same

My love has got the devil socks
She wears them all the time
Told me all about them
This morning at six thirty five

My love has got those red red socks
She got that satan’s hair

The more that things seem different
The less I seem to care
Fields full of boulders
Cherry cider on the vine
Sweetest girl in the whole wide world

I'm so glad she's mine
My love has got the devil socks
She wears them all the time
Told me all about them
This morning at six thirty five

My foot is anchored to the gas pedal
As the sun aches across the sky
My toes are sore from hangin' on
With that angel of no reply

Hindsight easier than foresight
That much is clear
But objects in that rear view mirror
Are closer than they appear

My love has got the devil socks
She wears them all the time
Told me all about them
This morning at six thirty five

Kyle Alden, 2004
All Rights Reserved

He Hit That Tree

With his eyes closed there are patterns
The same as when he was a kid
Curliecues of inner light
Playing on the backs of his eyelids

Only now the lights are brighter
And pulsing like the raging sea
Everything is somehow different
Ever since he hit that tree

He hit that tree and he hit it good
Should used an axe if he wanted firewood
He’s older now and wiser still
If the impact don’t get you then the vertigo will

You got your bodies in motion
You got your bodies at rest
His body it was flying
Like wild geese migrating in the west

They found his bike
Wrapped around that tree
He was lying on the pavement
Helmet shattered he could barely see

He hit that tree and he hit it good
Should used an axe if he wanted firewood
He’s older now and wiser still
If the impact don’t get you then the vertigo will

© 2005, Kyle Alden

Look of Love

Emboldened by the look in your eye
I walk up to you and I try to say the things I know
You know are on my mind

When I look in your eyes
It comes as no surprise I see the love you know
I know is on your mind

The look of love that you gave me tonight
My darling won’t you save me tonight
That old look of love
Well it looks like love to me

Look of Love, look of love
Look of Love, look of love
Look of Love, look of love
Look of Love, look of love

Emboldened by the look in your eye
I walk up to you and I try to say the things I know
You know are on my mind

When I look in your eyes
It comes as no surprise I see the love you know
I know is on your mind

The look of love that you gave me tonight
My darling won’t you save me tonight
That old look of love
Well it looks like love to me

Look of Love, look of love
Look of Love, look of love
Look of Love, look of love
Look of Love, look of love

Kyle Alden, 2004

All Rights Reserved

Not Coming Down (10/22/04)

I love that high and lonesome sound
The sweet harmonies through the air do resound
I’ve been to the city I’ve been to the town
And that high lonesome feeling won’t let you down

People pass by me most every day
They look and they laugh, they scoff and they say
He’s just a mess well he’s out and he’s down
But I’m high and I’m lonesome and I’m not coming down

I had me a good job in the mill near Hangtown
Had me a wife and a house in the town
Alice up and left me when the job turned around
So I’m high and I’m homeless but I’m not coming down

Bridge

Well I live on the street and I’ll tell it to you straight
With the filth and the cops and the crime and the hate
But I got me my wine and the rain pourin’ down
So I’m high and I’m lonesome and I’m not ever coming down

I love that high and lonesome sound
The melodies go round in my head they go round
I still got me a shotgun but I lost my poor hound
Well I’m high and I’m lonesome and I’m not coming down

Bridge

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
When those high harmonies through the air do resound
Sometimes I feel lost but right now I’m found
Cause I’m high and I’m lonesome and I’m not coming down
Cause I’m high and I’m lonesome and I’m not coming down
I’m not coming down

Orbit of the Angels

Yesterday feeling happy inside
All cozy and warm beside the fire
Wrapped in green cashmere and each other’s arms
We were comfortable, secure and warm

Today it feels like outside looking in
In the cold cold wind where the lone wolf ranges
You’ve shut the door I can’t get in
I’m out beyond the orbit of the angels

The time you say you want to keep you don’t
The love you say you want to give you don’t
The love you say you want to make we can’t
Today’s just kinda been that kind of day, yeah, that kind of day

I’m out beyond the orbit of your angels
I’m out beyond the orbit of your smile
I’m out beyond the orbit of the angels
And it’s cold, cold, cold

Yesterday in a patch of sunlight
Stretched out together in a warm warm love glow
Your soft embrace made everything all right
We were comfortable, secure and warm

Today an icy wind blows steel through my heart
You won’t even pick up the telephone
Like a satellite adrift on the back side of Mars
I’m out beyond the orbit of the angels

The time you say you want to keep you don’t
The love you say you want to give you don’t
The love you say you want to make we can’t
Today’s just kinda been that kind of day, yeah, that kind of day

I’m out beyond the orbit of your angels
I’m out beyond the orbit of your smile
I’m out beyond the orbit of the angels
And it’s cold, cold, cold

Words by Kyle Alden

Copyright, Kyle Alden, 2005

All rights reserved