1. |
Hands Up!
02:57
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All night train
I’ll see it in the morning light
All night train
I’ll see it in the morning light
Hiding high above the blind
In a Smith & Wesson dream
When the whistle blows and the engine slows
I’ll jump through a cloud of steam
It ain’t far from car to car
I can make it in one leap
Crawling ‘round without a sound
To where the rich men sleep
Hands up
Hands down
Hand it over
Arms bound
(Repeat chorus)
I hear the wheels and smell the steel
Rise through the crack of dawn
Wait and wait till I hear the brake
Then through the air I come
At 5 o’clock I pick the lock
Into first class I creep
But the plot’s undone when I see a gun
Pointing back at me
(Repeat refrain)
Out of luck like a sitting duck
Cause in the train car that I chose
Were cops escorting wards of the court
In their orange prison clothes
They chained me up with two handcuffs
And now I’m doing my time
The bars of a cell sound like railroad bells
When you bang your head and cry
(Repeat chorus)
(Repeat refrain) (X2)
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2. |
You Can Cry To Me
03:28
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When blue skies look cloudy from your eyes
And the wind from the mountain smells of rain
When your shadow in the sand seems your only friend
And tonight even that one won’t remain
When the spring leaves start falling from your trees
And the blossoms’ summer colors turn to brown
When your birds refuse to sing and it seems you’ve lost your wings
And you feel like you’re sinking into the ground
When sad and lonely’s all you see
You know you can cry to me
When your sweet dreams won’t get out of their beds
And your secrets all run naked far and wide
When the answers that you seek grow more distant with each blink
And you couldn’t chase them faster if you tried
When your wise men are all made out as fools
And the words you live by all go up in smoke
When you realize though you do not regret things that you do
You still regret the things that you don’t
When a gentle shoulder’s what you need
You know you can cry to me
And when your stars regain their wishes once again
And your back is finally to the wind
When all your tears are finally through
Can I come and cry to you?
Can I come and cry to you?
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3. |
Thicker Than Blood
03:57
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I stand wounded at the edge of night
Cryin’ to the moon can’t you make it right
As the mad rain falls down and the whiskey wind it blows
If the devil calls out my name
I got nowhere to lay the blame
Sixty years of trouble is all I have to show
And my blues flow down like a river
Blues flow down like a river
Blues flow down like a river
Thicker than blood
A burdened mind makes it hard to stand
I live in the broken promised land
I’m never gonna make it up to the top of the hill
Can’t repent cause it’s too late
My last horse has left the gate
And it’s pulled up lame at the door of the bonemeal mill
(Chorus)
I’ve got one more thing to say
Before I slowly drift away
There may be things
That you think you would never do
That’s how I used to feel
Till my fate turned like a wheel
If it can happen to me it can happen to you
And your blues will flow like a river
Blues will flow like a river
Blues will flow like a river
Thicker than blood
(Repeat last chorus)
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4. |
So Long
03:51
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When it came time
To make up my mind
The choice was clear
I can’t make it from here
Chance must be thrown
Into the unknown
I was ready to leave
When your words I received
As I go away
You say so long
While I’m gone
One hope will remain
For the day you’ll say
It’s been so long
Welcome home
Then I’ll stay
So looong
Looong
So long, So long
The songbird’s wing
Has no freedom to bring
Till he can be shed
That cage in his head
Then he can fly
And there’s no roof on the sky
It’s just him and his dream
Nothin’ else in between
Chorus
Verse vamp
Chorus
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5. |
You're So Good For Me
03:50
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The signs along Columbus Avenue
Will light up my way tonight
I can’t stop and talk to my friend down the block
I’ll just shout out that I’m doing fine
When I reach the doorway in front of your place
I’ll count my way up the stairs
I’ll knock as my heart pounds the seconds I wait
Until you’re standing there
You’re so good for me
You are my style
Since we met
I’ve been wearing this smile
I have it made
When you’re by my side
You’re so good for me
You’re so good for me
The moon will paint the sidewalk we take
From your house to Pier 39
I’ve reserved a booth for me and you
We’ll order your favorite wine
As we watch the fishing boats float on the bay
I’ll slip my arm round your waist
Then I’ll pull you tight when the time seems right
And I know just what I’ll say
(Chorus)
When that bottle of wine’s almost empty
I’ll pour the last glass for you
Then I’ll place in your hand this engagement band
How I hope that you will say too
(ChorusX2)
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6. |
Way Beyond The Maze
04:58
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I’ll meet you on the straight line way beyond the maze
Breathing in the fresh air high above the haze
When we hear the answers will we be amazed
There along the straight line way beyond the maze
Abraham, Isaac and the holy ghost
Tied up satan to a hitchin’ post
Left him in the hot sun scratchin’ at the dust
But he broke loose now he’s comin’ after us
(Chorus)
Stella heard the thunder blowing in the breeze
Turned her eyes to heaven and she fell upon her knees
The rain came down in a mighty flood
And buried her world in a sea of mud
(Chorus)
Sodom ruled his land with the pistol and the sword
Grew his army to a mighty hoard
But his generals never heard his battle cries
Cause he was brought down by a pack of lies
(Chorus
Donald built a prison on an island in the sea
Well beyond the borders of common decency
He swore to the people that his methods were humane
Then half the population was marched away in chains
(Chorus
Daniel saw a vision at the blind crossroads
The apparition said there’s a message to be told
Daniel wept as the spirit moaned
Be careful of those devils wearing Jesus’ clothes
(ChorusX2)
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7. |
The World Is Perfect
04:35
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We sit in the Café Jalesco
Where each conversation’s an echo
Of when the times were carefree
And our dreams were so real
Before the Hydes all escaped from our Jekylls
I walk to the jukebox on cue
The same way that I always do
I’ve worn out the keys
Playing that tune on A3
The world is perfect except for you
Sometimes you live and you don’t learn
You see all the signs and still don’t turn
Your shadow just gets longer when the sun’s going down
Until your chances with the nice girls are gone
We share the same table for three
Little Jimmy, Big Joe and me
Where once told stories
Of conquest and glory
Until they became too hard to believe
Now each sentence begins
“If I had it to do over again…”
You can fill in the rest
Because no second guess
Will ever change anything in the end
(Chorus)
As that song plays over and over
I wonder how I ever let her go
Now each kiss I’m unable to give her
Leaves another open wound on my soul
The world is perfect except for you
The world is perfect except for you
Almost perfect can feel all wrong
When your chances with the nice girls are gone
The world is perfect except for you
The world is perfect except for you
I just kept on playing that same old song
Until my chances with the nice girls were gone
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8. |
Every Daydream
03:59
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Someday I may finally write
My perfect love song
The one that melts the stubborn hearts
As I sing
But every angle that I’ve tried
Just seems to go wrong
Maybe milk and honey lines
Just ain’t my thing
Some feelings can’t be described
Like the one you give off with your eyes
The one you never vocalize
But somehow lets me know
I am number two to none
Underneath your golden sun
Honey you know that’s the one
That can bring every daydream back home
The poets’ words can never touch
Your skin in moonlight
The painters brush can never stroke
The way your lips can please
The beauty of their works of art
Cannot be denied
But to come close to the real thing
Takes a masterpiece
(chorus)
I can swear
When you're near
What I hear
Is my perfect love song
(chorus)
I’ll keep bringing all my daydreams back home (X2)
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9. |
Stumbled On The Truth
03:43
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We can see
But it’s way too bright
We’ve turned a blind eye so long we’re just not used to this light
We can speak
But words can’t make it right
They all fall in and out of our deaf ears here tonight
We danced around and around each lame excuse
Until we stumbled
We stumbled on the truth
I can reason
But I can’t comprehend
Why this wound we suffered is not the kind that time can mend
I can wish
But I just can’t pretend
The last lines of our story will somehow have a rainbow end
(Chorus)
The clock sets foot on midnight at our foolish masquerade
The band strikes up the final tune they have left to play
If we keep our masks in place for just a little while more
I’ll take your hand for one last dance out there on the floor
“Once more for the old times” can be our lame excuse
It’ll be just like before
Before we stumbled on the truth
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10. |
Love On The Outside
04:31
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I waited but I couldn’t take it
It felt like someone else was walking around in my shoes
On your island my demons were silent
But now you’re gone and I’ve nothing else to lose
You'll pass always through my heart’s hallways
My portrait of you still hangs upon my wall
Its colors fading and time’s erasing
The hope that someday soon
Like a bolt out of the blue
Mine’s the next number that you’ll call
I continued to place my faith in you
When your promises were only made out of straw
Expectations without foundations
Leave you hanging even after you fall
(Chorus)
You kept your feelings in when love got on the outside
The game was lose or win and I guess you felt that was alright
(Chorus)
Mine’s the next number that you’ll call
Colors fading
Time’s erasing
Is it goodbye
When love is on the outside
Love is on the outside
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11. |
Goodnight Cowboy
04:35
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He made his bed by the roadside
Where he dreamed his American dreams
His boots once of shiny black leather
Were now coming apart at the seams
The coyote howls in the distance
Were closer than ever before
Completely surrounding his position
No place seemed safe anymore
Goodnight cowboy, goodnight
Ride like the wind reach high like the eagle
Above the hills and the treetops to the brown dusty plains
Your saddlebags empty of gold and of silver
As the autumn sun bows to the oncoming rain
You must search for the hopes of tomorrow
Wrapped in a circle of darkness
Feeling so tired and alone
The promise of a brave hero’s welcome
Was the lone star above him that shone
His rifle was loaded with questions
His enemy’s straw men in rags
His orders read “It’s all or nothing”
His defense worn thin as his flag
(Chorus)
He stared at the moon and he wondered
Which way he came down this road
His past was unclear as his future
Clouded by the lies he was told
For all his commanders and generals
Thought truth paved the road to defeat
So when war began claiming its victims
Truth was the first one to bleed
They claimed he was felled by the enemy
And they buried the evidence well
But you can’t keep truth long a secret
Cause time will eventually tell
(Chorus)
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12. |
I'm On Your Side
04:18
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You can stop me if you’ve heard this one
I might have sung it here once before
Our time together’s grown so short and precious
And I sure don’t mean to be a bore
But I couldn’t let you slip away
Without taking the time to say
A parting word or two
Something you can take away with you
You know that I’m on your side
I hope our auld ang seins won’t just get left behind
There’s so much to live
And I have so much more to give
I’m on your side, I’m on your side
Soon we’ll go our separate ways
Different lives in different places
And brand new thoughts will fill your head
And take the place of these words I said
But somewhere deep inside your heart
These words might cling to just a little part
And on some quiet night or afternoon
You’ll recall an old familiar tune
I’m on your side
I hope our auld ang seins won’t just get left behind
There’s so much to live
And I have so much more to give
I’m on your side, I’m on your side
I’m on your side, I’m on your side
You can stop me if you’ve heard this one
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Drew James San Francisco, California
Award winning songwriter Drew James performs his solo act all over the west coast,
His 2007 release "Way Beyond the Maze"
includes the Great American Song Contest award winner "You Can Cry to Me" and the Billboard World Song Contest award winner “Thicker than Blood.” His 2006 release “The Last Second Chance,” includes the Billboard Song Contest award winner "That Old Friday Night Feeling."
... more
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