1. |
Heard At Last
02:36
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Heard At Last
I've been going down the way
That I've gone down before
I'll get drunk or I'll get lost
Just to keep from getting bored
I've got to wonder
When is my life really going to change
Tomorrow isn't soon enough
I'd rather it were today
I just sit here in this room
With an ashtray and a mic
Trying to record the perfect sounds
But to me they all sound perfectly alike
When no one listens, you sing to the microphone
When no one remembers, you sing to the tape
And maybe someday some lonely person
Will accidentally hit play
And we'll be heard at last
And we'll be heard at last
And we'll be heard at last
© 1995 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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2. |
Remedy
03:40
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Remedy
I have found a remedy for all my pain
To drown my dreams
It's in a bottle in the corner on the shelf
And it's labeled with a warning
And I drink it by myself to forget you
And I drink it by myself to remember you
I have found a panacea to ease it all
And I take it by the handfuls
Every day that you don't call
And I take it by myself to forget you
And I take it by myself so I won't forget you
I have found a simple cure for all my problems
For all my blues
And I smoke it by the bowlful
Every time I'm not with you
And I smoke it by myself to forget you
And I smoke it when I need help
And I'm not with you
Someday I hope to find a remedy
To cure all my substance abuse
I keep looking, but I can't find it
Because the only cure is you
And I would hold you all by myself
And remember you
Never forget you
I remember you
© 1995 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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3. |
Understanding Luna
03:12
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Understanding Luna
Come around now and pretend you know me
Come around my decisive moment
Come around, girl, show my conscience
Every little thing apple tree say forbidden
Everyone says she steals her light from someone else's sun
Understanding Luna
Candle need the fire: fire need the candle
Someone lit the match to hear your sermon
If you got a minute I could tell you what you're missing
But, you know, time is precious
Everyone says she steals her light from someone else's sun
Understanding Luna
Luna got the surface polished like denial
If your glass is shiny, give us a drink
If you think that's funny, man you've got a lot of style
For someone dressed in burlap
Everyone says she steals her light from someone else's sun
Understanding Luna
Money is tight, eyes and moon are bloody
If you look just right you can see it while you're on your day job
Science Fiction's just a Country-Western album
Which was sacrificed to progress
Everyone says she steals her light from someone else's sun
Understanding Luna
© 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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4. |
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This Broken Thread
Love
You shown so bright
Up on the screen
Where I first saw your dizzy light
Now I can't tell if it's just me
Images fade from the TV
Wait for me
Pray for me
Someone please say morning won't ever come
And take me away
You were the last hope that I ever had
Please tie a knot in this broken thread
Night
She comes and goes
All that remains of evening's last breath
Is smoke in our clothes
Held on as long
As any man could be expected to do
Wait for me
Pray for me
Someone please say morning won't ever come
And take me away
You were the last hope that I ever had
Please tie a knot in this broken thread
© 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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5. |
Everybody Needs A Friend
03:44
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Everybody Needs A Friend
Yeah I see you look at me
And I see the way you wear your jeans
My god, I see your pretty smile
And I know it's been awhile
Since I held you close to me
Since I got down on my knees
Since you came and played with me
Yeah let's be all we can be to each other
Throw me down on your bed
Let me back in your head
Everybody needs a friend just like you
Well you know you're my first pick
Something with us just went click
Sometimes it may go clack
But if you want me on my back
Well just throw me on your bed
And forget this shit we've said
When I think, I think of you
I can't think of nothing bad
I just think of all the good
Two crazies like us always had
© 1996 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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6. |
Maybe It's The Rain
03:42
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Maybe It's The Rain
Maybe it's the rain that makes some of us think
Maybe it's the rain that makes some of us drink
Maybe it's the rain that makes simple things deep
But the rain and the sunshine are the same things to me
Maybe it was some strange drug I took
Maybe I should go buy me one of those horoscope books
Like the one you carry when we're carrying on
We all need someone we can rely on
Maybe it's the rain that makes some of us wet
Maybe it's the rain that makes some of us forget
Maybe it's the rain that washes everything clean
But rain, like sunshine, is everything to me
Maybe it's the water trickling down the pane
Maybe it's the blood coursing through our veins
Maybe I need mercy, baby, I need relief
If one of them were yours I'd dance with two left feet
They tell me...
Maybe I should purchase some bottle of pills
To tell you the truth I'm through with cheap thrills
I need something real I need something true
Like how I feel when I'm lying next to you
Maybe it's the rain that makes some of us dream
Maybe it's the rain that makes some of us scheme
Maybe it's the rain that helps bad vision see
But my eyesight says you're so beautiful to me
Maybe there's a rainbow hidden by the night
Maybe I'm only me when I'm holding you tight
Maybe there's a Heaven know I've got one within
Every time the moonlight comes dancing on your skin
Maybe it's the rain that sometimes makes us cry
Maybe it's the rain that makes us not scared to die
Maybe it's the rain that helps us to sleep
The rain and your sunshine are the same to me
© 1995 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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7. |
Divine Circuit Bind
03:33
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Divine Circuit Bind
Ancient monkeys preaching cosmic equations
Top of the stairs at a quarter 'til nine
Stuck with the sisters in the pre-carnation
It's rock-and-roll writing that's been enshrined
Spinning hubs of disintegration
Creasing the folds to the aerodyne
Water gets wet and all the pages
Turn aqua vita to fruit of the vine
{REFRAIN:}
I'm in the Divine Circuit Bind
I'm in the Divine Circuit Bind
Wasting time between the lines
Got my mind in the grind
I'm in the Divine Circuit Bind
I'm in the Divine Circuit Binder
Across the pond that's breeding dissension
They're calling it “yap” in the London Times
Shocking the shells and not to mention
The O.E.D. and the nickel-and-dimes
Uncle Lawrence tried to profit-publish
In sourdough cities where beatniks go
Waded out West through glitter and rubbish
Only to find that the hi-fi's lo
{REFRAIN}
Equestrians ride on gilded stages
Pulpit puppets in a tragic play
Hitchhikers thumb through telephone-pages
Finding the future in a foldaway
Sleeping on couches, creeping on crutches
Buying their Bibles at a clearance sale
Hear what I'm saying all you anti-lushes
Words are the same in a paperback shell
{REFRAIN}
© 1997 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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8. |
The Difference
03:44
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The Difference
On a farm in Minnesota
I am told there is a photo
Enshrined in glass and wood of cedar
Of a famous world leader's son
“Allelujuah!” cries Indifference
Ends the same, so what's the difference?
“Yodele Hee!” cries Indifference
“Allelujah! Semper Fidelis!”
Man who sang “Ave Maria,”
Won the war from the Koreans
Heard he was a Flying Eagle
Married twice: two paralegals
“Allelujuah!” cries Indifference
Ends the same, so what's the difference?
“Yodele Hee!” cries Indifference
“Allelujah! Semper Fidelis!”
Near a grave in Arizona
Found the things of which I warned you
Mounds of mud and sea of cancer
Matching tombs which gave no answer
“Allelujuah!” cries Indifference
Ends the same, so what's the difference?
“Yodele Hee!” cries Indifference
“Allelujah! Semper Fidelis!”
Muscles shot and nerves are twitching
To the rhythms which he listened
Angel-songs which he devoted
To the god whom he revolted from
“Allelujuah!” cries Indifference
Ends the same, so what's the difference?
“Yodele Hee!” cries Indifference
“Allelujah! Semper Fidelis!”
© 1995 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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9. |
Letter to Carl
03:17
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Letter To Carl
Please take the time to hear my rhyme (jagged at best, just like the rest).
On this evening which I write you, Mr. Perkins, I invite you stay.
Hear what I say!
You know what to play!
Greed is the game; product's the name.
I don't know about anything except money feeds the Enemy his lunch.
Could you oblige with a reply?
Please observe the recent trend which orates with vilipended speech.
(Biting my tongue, song's almost sung).
Damage seen is damage done; once the world was bathed in fun and games.
Now that's all passed.
Not to rehash, but we could learn, if you'd return.
Got to go...
...but tell the Missus that I signed it,
“Hugs and Kisses, Me.”
© 1995 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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10. |
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Sometimes In The Darkness
Rog is in the kitchen thinking about the Future
John is in his bedroom thinking about the Past
I'm just wasting no time like the Present
And nothing I can do can make this moment last
I listened to Buck Owens and I thought I heard God
Screaming in a solo, He told me to take heed
I rewound the tape, but at closer listen
I don't think anybody's talking to me
So I burned another filter and I smoked another joint
I drank a wineglass full of straight vermouth
The Italians like it dry, but it made me pucker
I'm killing my senility in my youth
Nobody believes me when I tell them I'm a poet
They all just think I'm an alcoholic
But that's okay with me, 'cause I can understand it
And maybe that's the reason you haven't been calling me
Sometimes in the darkness when I'm all alone
I think about love and I think I need proof
But proof never comes and darkness surrounds me
So when I'm all alone I think about you
It gets me thinking about all of the women
From years ago that I knew in the past
It gets me thinking about True Love
And if it exists, does it ever last?
Why do all the girls who say they love me
Show me their emotion by beating me up?
I guess that it's easier to hide your feelings
And there's less of a chance of getting hurt if you got someone to beat on up
A little baby reaches out with open arms
And we know that he means he wants to be hugged
But if I'd do the same you'd think I was weak
Twenty years of hurt has taught me how to hide my love
Why can't I just come right out and tell you
That I don't really know you, but I think I'm in love?
I guess that I'm afraid you won't feel the same
And when I'm reaching out I don't want to be shoved
One time I heard a story about True Love
I didn't understand it, especially the end
It was about a Carpenter who loved everybody
And he laid down his life for the love of His friends
And sometimes in the darkness when I'm all alone
I think about carpenters and the things they do
And I don't know nothing about nails and hammers
But sometimes in the darkness, Lord, I think about you
Lord, I think about you
© 1995 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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11. |
Laughter In The Rain
04:04
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Laughter In The Rain
And death comes upon us
But time doesn't harm us
And misery and contempt
Just refuel our regret
And we only need
Some new way out of this
But crippled are the men
And lame are the children
And we just keep on wandering
In this Cartesian wilderness
And time is a capsule
I swallow to ease the pain
And sunshine is a memory
Of our laughter in the rain
And I take your prescriptions
And watch TV for advice
But in the end all decisions
That are made in this life
Are not found coated in tablets
Or etched on ones of stone
But decisions just like habits
Are clearly all my own
I don't know what to do
I don't know what to say
When it comes to this action
All I can do is pray
But, my God, why have you
In this time forsaken me?
In this place I need you most
I look around, it's only me
And I love her but does she love me?
Why do you destroy all my favorite things?
I would kick you or I would hold you
Indecision is all I can sing
And the moonlight over the water
And the sunlight through pane
Is a constant but new reminder
Of our laughter in the rain
And sunshine is a memory
Of our laughter in the rain
Laughter in the rain
Rain
© 1995 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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12. |
Simple Trust
03:14
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Simple Trust
no rituals
no cup of wine
no holy service
at a special time
no magic words
no emblems to wear
no tickets tokens
or passing fare
no sets of rules
no secret knock
no special dues
at a sacred spot
all my life
that's been defiled
has now in you
been reconciled
no sacrifice
no more spilled blood
only forgiveness
and agape love
no worry for
my deeds or lusts
just saving grace
through simple trust
simple trust
just simple trust
hallelujah
it's simple trust
no fear or guilt
no magic books
no false acceptance
or second looks
no harsh cold words
no remembered sin
no dogma doubts
or doctrine
no social club
no amendments made
for in my darkness
I am safe
no test to pass
no exclusion
nothing to do
it's all been done
no vows to take
no oath to swear
no special promise
practice or prayer
no lucky charms
no angry judge
just saving grace
through simple trust
simple trust
just simple trust
hallelujah
it's simple trust
no social club
no amendments made
for in my darkness
I am safe
for in my darkness I am safe
© 1995 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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13. |
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Michigan Lake
She drove the Caddy into the drink
Little babies didn't know how to swim
As Detroit steel started to sink
She led the children in a sacred hymn
It was something about Jesus
Mother Mary and Father God
And all The Saints and how they reach us
With their carburetors firing the pistons and rods
All the officials
Captains and kings
Policemen and the scuba teams
Jumped in the lake
With a swimmable dog
Searching for the scent
Of the Son of God
I never bought it how they bought it
How the water came over their heads
I read the caper in the newspaper
Clipped a coupon for a loaf of bread
Moses came to part the waterways
And separate...and separate...
Moses came to part the waterways
And separate the Chevy's from the Chevrolets
All the officials
Captains and kings
Policemen and the scuba teams
Jumped in the lake
With a swimmable dog
Searching for the scent
Of the Son of God
Lake is great God is good
For forty days there was rust on the hood
For forty nights it was cold in the drain
For a savior stuck in a trunk of pain
I went swimming in the morning
Got the water all over my face
I went fishing that same morning
For immaculate spark-plugs of wafers of grace
© 1998 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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14. |
Night Loves Her Star
04:38
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Night Loves Her Star
Night, neon cold
Chrome-plated rain
Lamp lights blur
Sidewalks are stained
Tears on your hands
Hands on the wheel
Wheels spin around
All that you feel
You've come this far
Night loves her Star
Was it so hard?
Night loves her Star
Darkness is kind
Covers the pain
You beg the stars
For night to remain
Moon loves you more
Than Sun ever could
Distance waits
Beyond the hood
You've come this far
Night loves her Star
Was it so hard?
Night loves her Star
Radio glows
Speaking in tongues
Ladder to Heaven
Missing a rung
Street music hums
Cigarette burns
Light's turning green
Where do we turn?
You've come this far
Night loves her Star
Was it so hard?
Night loves her Star
© 1999 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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15. |
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Poetry For A Poverty-Stricken College Type
It was on a Monday night
By ashtray fire fluorescent light
Of all the things that we dismissed:
The Trinity, The Eucharist
The holy lips and tongues we'd kissed,
You said the thing which you would miss
Most of all was Innocence
We chalked it up to Providence
There's no good way to say goodbye
I'll get drunk and you'll get high
All that counts is what we feel
But all our honesty we steal from covergirls and carpenters
We are far from amateurs
The Hope which shines to light our way
Are headlights turning night to day
The Universe expands and shrinks
The waitress comes to top our drinks
The night is burned with cigarettes
Coffee cups put me in debt
You spoke to me of Descartes
I spoke to you of broken hearts
You said your hero was Isaac Newton
But I went home and read Walt Whitman
There's no good way to say goodbye
I'll get drunk and you'll get high
All that counts is what we feel
But all our honesty we steal from covergirls and carpenters
We are far from amateurs
The Hope which shines to light our way
Are headlights turning night to day
The payphone rang a woman spoke
Another cup another smoke
The conversation starts to lull
The Fall of Man, the clothes this fall
Truck drivers spoke of driving wedges
While we spoke of Dante's Heaven
You took my hand, I kissed your lips
The waitress earns another tip
There's no good way to say goodbye
I'll get drunk and you'll get high
All that counts is what we feel
But all our honesty we steal from covergirls and carpenters
And though we're far from amateurs
The Hope which shines to light our way
Are headlights turning night to day
© 1995 & 2011, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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16. |
The Bluest Door
03:18
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The Bluest Door
The circus found it's tents
And the clowns they all repent
While the devil holds the cue card
And the troubadours are sent
And we all want something more
What's behind the bluest door?
Well our bodies twitch and turn
And our desires always burn
And the devil holds us close
When will we ever learn
That we all want something more?
What's behind the bluest door?
Well the appetites are right
And your setting sun will rise
And she holds me by the hair
And I hold her by the thighs
And I look into her eyes
And we both want something more
What's behind the bluest door?
Well I drink it from a can
And she smokes it from a bag
And we both been losing sleep
Like a jet plane in the lag
And we're falling to the floor
What's behind the bluest door?
And the cancer robbed her looks
And the booze it stole his mind
And they linger in the mist
Never knowing what they'd find
If they'd just looked a little more
There behind the bluest door
Behind the bluest door
© 1996 & 2012, Allen Herndon (BMI).
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HERNDON Tulsa, Oklahoma
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