1. |
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Unicorn Girl (Stars & Hearts)
When we were young & starlight filled our eyes
We prayed on that distant constellation
Not knowing then that the scattered suns
Had burned away a million years before
And there was no star to wish upon
But black and aching void
And now that age has caught us off our guard
Such distant revolutions slip our mind
The music of our spheres is now local & confined
The turning of humble months and years
But I was lying to you all the time
I never cared about the stars
I cannot tell if your eyes were fixed on darkness
Or if they were always fixed on light
No I never did believe in constellations
You watched the stars for hope but I watched you
Heavenly bodies do not sit still or last for long
And I know there is no heaven in this man
But a fool full of black and aching void
Will try to hold and kiss them while he can
When we were young & starlight filled our eyes
We prayed on that distant constellation
Not knowing then that the scattered suns
Had burned away a million years before
Words & Music (c) 2011 Allen Herndon (BMI).
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2. |
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The Xerox-Copied Crossword Puzzle Blues
Well I'm stuck right here
Stuck in River City
Thinking about the way the children smile
But the news reporter claimed
If you're reaching out for fame
You gotta make the children cry once in a while
So I'm whistling for shots
From the doctor on the block
He says someday he and I'll retire
But until that mythic day
When we get our hard-earned pay
We'll just take turns lighting “TV Guides” on fire
So long, cruel world
I'll see you in the morning
I'm going to spend some time among the dead
If breakfast gets too cold
Remember what you're told
And don't let the corpses get underfed
Everybody wants to be my doctor
And everybody wants to save my soul
But I am at a loss
'Cause I been carrying this cross
And that's the last thing I wanted you to know
Good people, that's the last I want you to know
Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my man
But I just got here
About twenty-two years ago
And all I'm really looking for
Is a friend
All I'm really looking for is a friend
All I'm really looking for is a friend
© 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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3. |
Because I Can
02:53
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Because I Can
I'm going to a place where they say there is no shame
I'm going to a place where they claim you feel no pain
I'm leaving for a state that has no hate and has no fear
It isn't here, it's over there
Cancel my reservations 'cause I won't be staying long
I am heading for a place that they sing about in songs
I'm going to a place where they say no one pays for all their crimes
I'm going up that way where they say there is no Time
And if it's Heaven then I'll sing “Hallelujahs!”
In that angelic gospel band
But if it's Hell, then I will miss you, and I'll be lonely,
And I will cry there
Because I can
Because I can
Because I can
© 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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4. |
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West Of The Mississippi
Portable people
Cordless minds
Push the fast-forward
Someone broke the rewind
Program my machine
For the Promised Land
But half way there
The manual gets banned
Unplug the clock
Let's stay in bed
Electrify the coffins
To modernize the dead
Contemplate jazz
While traffic's backing up
The radio's confused
The station's breaking up
Son, I hope you understand
If there is a Promised Land
It's West of the Mississippi
And North of the Rio Grande
Allergic reaction
To synthetic clothes
We explicate
The billboard prose
You find it funny
I find it lame
Does the highway call
Or mock our names?
New words coined
It seems strange
But it takes months
To make correct change
So let's take the car
With the binary plates
To catch the future
A half hour late
Son, I hope you understand
If there is a Promised Land
It's West of the Mississippi
And North of the Rio Grande
Oh Susanna, baby
Don't cry for me
I left Oklahoma
With my banjo knees
Headed out West
Looking to breath
Just got a lungful
Of nicotine
Headed down South
For something to do
But rock-and roll
Had colonized the blues
Headed back home
To sit on the couch
That's when the truth
Fell out of my mouth
Son, I hope you understand
If there is a Promised Land
It's West of the Mississippi
And North of the Rio Grande
© 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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HERNDON Tulsa, Oklahoma
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