jeanmann.net

road girl - vol 2
all songs written by jean mann, except where noted
© blue flower friday records 2018

1 nothing in the way

looking down the stream
far as the eye can see
nothing in the way
nothing in the fray
you fly and fly

back to a simple time
no reason and no rhyme
for doing what you do
no fussing 'round the coop
you smile and smile

but one hard breath you're caught in the wind
holding court with hearth and kin
your mind reels back, a fish on a line
flopping round, fighting against the tide
you try and try

stories in the bookcase
hidden between the words
sparking memories
bringing you to your knees
you cry and cry

heartache holds its own
a tether on your soul
shining ever bright
while holding on so tight
you're tired inside

duct-taped trunk holding all your life
glue gone weak after all this time
the hardest thing is to let it go
love comes round when you let it flow
and it's time, it's time
it's time, it's time

looking down the stream
far as the eye can see
nothing in the way
nothing in the fray
you fly and fly
you fly and fly
you fly and fly
you fly and fly

2 dream in blue  instrumental with ambient vocal 

3 indigo dreams

another dream interrupted by alarm
I'm going back to sleep, it's still a little dark
drizzling rain and the dog sleeping in
distant phone rings in indigo hymns

spinning around
in fountains of blue
whisper of song
unfold moments of truth

the saddest days are lifted
by a quilt of kindred hearts
lighting the way to light
flaming a new spark

horses run wild
leaping a stream
kicking up dust
in delight and flee

evening falls, stars salt the night sky
bearing the weight of wait gone by
dive back in the blankets drift off to sleep
dreaming of horses and indigo streams
dreaming of horses and indigo streams

4 sailor by daniel messė

i'm not a sailor
i'm not so strong
out of my shoes
dragging like anchors

over the ocean
pearls in the sky
strung round the moon
pointing to you

and I'll sail til morning
or I'll sail til I
am carried to you
tonight

I'm not a sailor
but I'll spend the night
out on the sea
out on the sea

and I'll sail til morning
or I'll sail til I
am carried to you
tonight

5 remember the milkman by peter mulvey

the dress that you hated
was always my favorite
thing that you ever wore
lips on the ladle
and rocking the cradle
dead leaves on the kitchen floor

no one remembers the milkman
his grandson sells phones at the mall
somebody spray-painted "no one can save you"
on the side of the library wall

someone stopped feeding
the stray dog of evening
but the doughnut shop is still smellin' good
children are hiding
behind aluminum siding
that's painted to look just like wood

the zookeeper's feeding leaves
to the tired old giraffe at the zoo
i got over all of the others
i'll get over you
i got over all of the others
i'll get over you

6 a view out every window

i was wishing there was a way
for a song to mend your soul
carry you over the coals
and into the rolling swell

you tell your story
it's loud in the spray of the shore
with an ear pressed to a seashell
and echoed, echoed in truth

as a molting crab you rid your shell
while plant-leaf drops on the sill
making room for new
bloom

you wave goodbye to the useless dirge
and the last vestige of gloom
when all you had to do was wait
until you grew a new armor

and with grace of a butterfly
free of her cocoon
like flower petals
in the sky

you carry your sleeping roll
down to the beach all on your own
and you lay in the sand and you sleep
and pretend its your home

your castle by the seashore
a view out every window
for me and you

you wake up and walk away
tide washes it on
as a familiar storm and you grab your pail
and go
home

7 gumby 1955-1982

he was born with a bendy clay body
the color of green apple gum
his friend was an orange pony named pokey
they ran around had lots of fun

yeah even when they got into hot water
troubled by ogres in their way
well everything turned out alright
by the end of the show each day

CHORUS:
happy sidekicks were they
close as peas in a pod
they were like styrofoam and twinkies
they were more alike than they were not

their show made them dollars in the millions
endorsements to make the muppets cry
toys, games, breakfast cereal and candy
but no teeth to enjoy what money could buy

i had my own gumby and pokey
when i was done playing, it's true
there were teethmarks on gumby's bell bottom legs
and pokey's wires were poking through

CHORUS

the tv stars who came later
even mean mr sluggo and poor mr bill (wail... OH NO)
couldn't hold a candle to gumby and pokey
alas, no clay kids ever will

the moral is hold onto your loved ones
run around and have lots of fun
and may your story have a happy ending
after all your days of living are done

CHORUS
...we're more alike than we are not

8 chanson d'amour

tous les gens qui ont l'esprit de cours
heureux sont les gens qui ris toujours

l'oiseau de rouge qui chant si belle, si bleu
sa chanson c'est comme un beau bijoux

tous les etoiles sont dedans les yeux
comme les arbres, remplis avec les fleurs

un paradis le vent qui souf bisous
tous le monde reve douce reve d'amour

9 counting stars

out in the wind
mettle on, tucking in
eking 'round the next bend
use up every drop

fences keep out keep in
do your best to follow

harken to a sweet voice
the one that pushes on

coffee's getting cold
time to make the toast
best jam in the pot
won't keep the spoon from falling

read the books, drink the wine
a letter in your pocket
long to hear the words
while mercy feeds the soul

steel your eyes
to see what's ahead
a crystal ball won't help
live while you breathe

lean it to love
a mystery in counting stars
you always knew the answer
you always knew the sky

10 in from the storm

oh life is all around
taps you on the shoulder if you forget
to rise above
to live to love
you wake to see another day

everything you lost
coming back to you
everything you find
further to the truth

winter cast on trees
back porch filled with morning sun
bundle up and step outside
waiting for summer to come

everything you own
carried in your pockets
somebody you loved
tucked into a locket

startled from a daydream
you nearly burned the toast
spread love like butter and jam
start with those who need the most

everything you need
carrying you home
everyone you love
safe in from the storm

got a place to go
a place to stay
a place to call home
a place to burn the toast

11 golden slumbers by john Lennon & paul mccartney

once there was a way
to get back homeward
once there was a way
to get back home
sleep pretty darling
do not cry
i will sing a lullaby

golden slumbers
fill your eyes
smiles await you when you rise
sleep pretty darling
do not cry
i will sing a lullaby

12 find a way

 (Spoken word: Sharon Nyree Williams)

“I remember as a child I didn’t dream of being an engineer

I remember as a child I didn’t dream of being a nurse

I remember all I dreamed of was to play basketball at a higher level

Daycare, Elementary, Middle, High School and College

What do you want to be? Who do you want to be? Where would you like to go?

Dream Sharon, Dream

I dreamed of working in the Arts full time I dreamed of meeting Dr. Maya Angelou I dreamed of being Dr. Maya Angelou

I dreamed of being happy

I dreamed of helping the black voice be heard

I dreamed of changing the world one story at a time

Dream Sharon, Dream”

water flows reflecting the tide
waves like cotton sheets flutter on the line
sways an empty hammock
'neath the trees of summer's end

fly away, fly away
across the land
to another time

“ Lights cut off

Bank account balance, zero zero dot zero zero Family not understanding

College educated, two degrees

Get down on your knees

Lord Please

 Dream Sharon, Dream”

sleep a dream beguiles me
nest in the arms of a cherry tree
wearing pedal-pushers torn at the knee
a flower crown of daisies

far away, far away
stars still hang the sky
wind bends pastures into night

“I’m loosing my mind Depression settles in Desperate and Confused Lonely and ashamed My heart hurts

Body aches

I’m Drowning in pain

Dream Sharon, Dream”

 i watch the news and cry again

carrying weight of a thousand words

we embrace amid the tremble
where hearts find voice again

find a way, find a way
together through the storm
til the world's asunder no more

find a way
find a way
find a way
find a way
til a new day
shines the way

“Job in the Arts...GOT IT!

Supplied a platform for Black Voices YEAP! YEAP!

I’m standing here today telling my story DEEPLY HUMBLED!!!

Dream Sharon, Dream

 Dream my brother, Dream my sister, Dream my brothers and sisters

Dream to be who you’re meant to be

 Are you ready to live the dream? Are you ready to live the dream? Are you ready to live the dream?”

 

13 celestial waltz

before the day had yet begun
she knew there was something new
she met a happy, twirling man
they danced the whole day through

the sun showed the way as they followed the sky
painting of hearts palest blue
fate entwined their tide-pool souls
while moon shadows lit the muse

he climbed in her heart with a dusting of stars
no words did they need
love did bloom at the rise of the moon
while sun lay down sleepily

the end of the earth, the fairest of tales
bathed in dappled hue
sun and the moon floated away
a celestial waltz for two

before the day had yet begun
she felt a charm anew
she loved her happy, twirling man
they danced the whole way through

 ___________________________

road girl - vol 1
all songs written by jean mann, except where noted
© blue flower friday records 2016

1 lucky

i used to row the lake on summer nights
tie up to pilings, lay my head on a sweater rolled just right
look at stars and drift in the path of the moonlight
i was lucky, to land in this place and time

there's a crumbling house torn apart
uncovering the past revealing the marks
some are battle scars won, others a happy lark
they were lucky, to land in this place and time

i came along to hear your story
i guess you came round to hear mine
one day we'll write our own chapter
and we're lucky, to land in this place and time

tonight I took you out on the lake
tied up to pilings and carved our names
left a mark to remember the days
we were lucky, to land in this place and time

and we're lucky, so lucky
to drift in the path of moonlight tonight

2 dress-up

a ball gown fashioned from the night sky
as though you're a little girl
dress is dragging on the ground

tonight the sky remembered
when summer left a prickling fan of grass

you alone in a flowered sundress
you lay down and felt the blades
tickle your toes between soil and sky

you dreamt of a tiny red box, a shiny life
but you woke up in your own bed, quiet as any night

so you go out and go girl
you sparkle to your own jewel
you're swinging on paper stars

thinkin' if you act the part, play your hand
your little heart gonna find a home to land

you go to the parties dressed up like you mean it
crushed taffeta falling on the ground
just a girl playing dress-up with freckles and a crown

when all you want is repose in tall grass 
kiss on the wind, a bloom gonna last

a ball gown fashioned from the night sky
as though you're a little girl
dress still dragging on the ground

3 between you and me

between you and me
its plain to see
it's never too late to try
between the words
and sweet nothings purred
love is meant to fly

and all you need
all you heed
fills your very soul

you might be leery
but come to hold dearie
joy and love that abounds
and oh so lucky
your heartstrings are plucky
so much love to be found

don't undo your heart
got a brand new start

night has fallen
sleep is callin'
your giddy's shining through
go to bed you sleepy head
the morning waits for you

dream your dreams and rest your feet
tomorrow comes anon
in your sleep a song, a feast
to carry your heart along

4 blue

all you are
and all you do
don’t fault you
for being you

and all the things
you say to you
it’s all you hear
it’s all you do

even when it makes no sense
the way it did
in your youth spent

and all the blue
felt through and through
while it’s true
it won’t take you out
or down too soon

in the swell
of the moon
passion rises
and rise again for you

take a trip
home to you
go and find the sweetest
of blue....

the sweetest of blue

5 pelicanos (instrumental, plus shore and birds)

6 pile of leaves

after your lunch go play with your friends
climb down the hill patty cakes in the sand
tag, you're it, cats cradle with string
make english daisy necklaces
and all the birds sing

put cards in the spokes 
of your worn out ol bike
the blue one so dusty and still
just sits waiting to fly down the hill

and the day winds down
mama scrubs your face
tucks you right in
and smiles as you tell her
your day - you had lots of fun
and you fall off to sleep
and you're dreaming you're in
a pile of leaves, look up to see yourself
dancing across the sky

you wake up it's today
you're standing round that water cooler
but this time you've got lots talk about it
as if you understood
as if you were that child again
sky sparkles in your eyes
and there's flowers in your hair
and you're happy again
on that old blue bike
you're smiling
and you're flying til you don't stop

after your lunch
go play with your friends

7 concert intro 

8 my funny valentine - richard rogers and lorenz hart

my funny valentine
sweet comic valentine
you make me smile with my heart

your looks are laughable
unphotographable
yet you're my favorite work of art

is your figure less than greek
is your mouth a little weak
when you open it to speak
are you smart 

but don't change a hair for me
not if you care for me
stay little valentine, stay
each day is valentine's day

9 between the bars - elliott smith

drink up baby, stay up all night
with the things you could do
you won't but you might
the potential you'll be
that you'll never see
the promises you'll only make

drink up with me now
forget all about
the pressure of days
do what I say
and I'll make you okay
drive them away
the images stuck in your head

people you've been before
that you don't want around anymore
that push and shove and won't bend to your will
i'll keep them still

drink up baby, look at the stars
i'll kiss you again between the bars
where I'm seeing you there
with your hands in the air
waiting to finally be caught

drink up one more time
and I'll make you mine
keep you apart,
deep in my heart
separate from the rest,
where I like you the best
and keep the things you forgot

people you've been before
that you don't want around anymore
that push and shove and won't bend to your will
i'll keep them still

10 elk warning radio - radio

11 kitchen waltz

midnight steps in the room
flicker of candle glow
the thing i do with you
kitchen waltz for two

and ooh...a kitchen waltz for two

lined up on the shelf
spice jars filled with goodness
twirling round in the pot
brings a little joy to our love nest

and ooh...table set for two

we're taking our time
stir up passion in the room
fix up a feast by the light of the moon
come on over honey, the pie is almost cool
my favorite place of all
is right here with you

and ooh ...favorite feast for two

me and you

a kitchen waltz for two
we're dancing round the room
sometimes there's not even any music playing
so we make up our own tune
ooh me and you
ooh dance for two
me and you
dance for two

12 listen

kick your shoes off
run down the hill
push the door wide
do what you will

and all you can do is hold on
all you can do is hold on
to you

listen to it all
hear what you say
words on edge
sticking 'round another day

and all you can do is listen
all you can do is listen
to you

glass spilling over
pouring out the past
room fills up
a story's cast

don't fall away
don't fall away
from you

lift up your voice
the guard of heart
crumble the wall
another start

all you can do is try
all we can do is try
keep on playing
through
playing for you

13 moon river -henry mancini and johnny mercer

moon river wider than a mile
i'm crossing you in style some day
you dreammaker, you heartbreaker
wherever you're going 
i'm going your way

two drifters off to see the world
there's such a lot of world to see
we're after the same rainbows end
waiting round the bend
my huckleberry friend
moon river and me