1. |
Not I
02:44
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I am a name, my love, and fast-changing faces,
My home is the places I go
A daughter I was born, in warrior's silver,
and angel blue, I am a sister too
O shade of moon, reshape my eye
To find the sun beyond my name
Fly me to face, a place that stays the same
There is a law in love: her soul never changes
Her face is ageless, she suffers long
When child, when sister, love,
In part are done away
We, through the dark glass; you and I, see day
Then, ageless love, your name and mine,
Be one, be home, in light of morning,
Morning breathes awake the day
We celebrate Not I
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2. |
I Can't Make You
04:36
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I hear the voices on the wind. I know they say
We meet again on the road somewhere
What will I use to call you then?
You own no name
But I know you, I am you; I am the same
See, your hands are old, your eyes, I don't know, They miss me again
And I long to have you once understand
But I am the dream, I can't wake you
I can't make you
There was an angel outside my window
He blew his horn
To wake me up every single morning
One day I woke to find he'd fallen from his tree
And all his pain, all the blame, fell on me
And I want to help him regain his throne,
But he's gone away
And I still need to share this with you today
But time holds no sway, it won't change you, and
I can't make you
The autumn sun is going down
The air is red
This day will not again embrace her children
Father, no matter; the sun belongs to the sky
It's my day, I'm awake, I do not die
See, my hands are whole, my eyes see with love, my vision is new
And I want you to know it before it's through
But want to know me does not take you, and
I can't make you
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3. |
Dear David
01:13
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Dear David,
I write this time because I don't know what to say; again, drunk with feeling, again; with hunger now I think of you. I don't know why. I know so much. As much I'm blind. I feel so old; sometimes I am a child. Dear David, I can see the road I chose for miles now. I am holding in my arms the very seed of alive today.
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4. |
October
03:02
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Tonight,
The clean wind blows clear through October;
Dry and cold.
The leaves fall away from their lives,
Leaving the dead weaving red,
Brown, and gold
I will go with them also,
My home is there: the wind blows.
Tonight through the blue stained glass
The fallen moon I catch in hand
But yours is the light I have: the gift, and the altar,
That I can see your eyes in the candle
My home is there: the light glows
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5. |
Modern Man
03:00
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My body's empty: Come to me again
I can't wait forever, my friend
Early next morning, I'm once again by myself
Sun through my window,The streets are alive,
All the people pay and survive
But love is free, the newspapers advertise
Ooo they're lying. There's my heartache
In every man who walks into my mistake...
In dreams I believe I want to be a modern woman
I'm high on that shiny magazine plan
But I know I'm not born to please just anyone,
Least of all, the modern man
It's hard to keep up, you've got to be brave,
You've got to be, Me: I don't know,
Maybe I was born too late,
Or born too friendly
In somebody's hometown dive
I'd go home but mama ma has a headache
My daddy's afraid (of me)
All the people pray to be saved
But here, the stranger
Calls me baby, baby, by name
I want to wake up
Turn the lught on
Put my shoes on
And shake it off til morning is come
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6. |
Maybe It's Real
02:08
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Maybe it's real, maybe it's real, maybe it's real
I re-live, again and again;
Tracing your outline with my hand
You don't say no, you don't say no
Maybe it's wrong, maybe it's right, I want you as sure as every night I go home,
Miles from you
I want you to tell me what to do
I never get any cold advice from you
Maybe it's real, maybe it's real, maybe it's real
You give me all of your love
It's true love, though not for me, necessarily
(I love too...not you)
Maybe you will, maybe tonight,
Hold me til all of the past is set right
And verily, I'll be born anew
I want you to tell me where to go
To find what I need to want to stay alive
Do you know?
Maybe it's real, maybe it's real, but I doubt it,
Maybe it's real
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7. |
AH
02:31
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AH
You never answer questions, no,
You never say hello
You think it's right to go
And make me want you so
AH
I caught your eye, now it's been daze
You're no nice guy to make me feel that way
Take the soul; it's mine
(My soul isn't mine)
It's on loan for all time
(go on, I sublet)
Take the body, it's ok
(who minds?)
I was gonna toss it anyway
(in time...)
AH, things are as they used to be
Every day the weather's changed
But my heart still stays the same
It's not true that people grow old and turn grey
I play the games I always played
I just see it my adult way
It's just a question of re-locating the game
I'll give you money from the devil
(is your love for hire?)
I'll give you love from Heaven
(it's my best weapon)
I'll give you my salvation
(don't say yes)
I'll give you kisses til you're aching
Whatever I can do
Oh, light of my life,
Dream of my night
My laughter's for you
Whatever can I do?
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8. |
Voices
03:57
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You touched my heart by the sand,
Michigan Ave,
I was laughing hard to the lake, on land
What was your name, that Spring '81?
Were you just the one who would
Save me this time, and be done?
At night, the museum pose
Made you look so sad. I stood, tight,
Until it closed, trying to understand
Then the whole planet gave way,
And my legs were weak, and I heard you say,
"Take a stand"
I hear you night and day
You were the man, framed by my arms,
Behind the armor-guise of reflecting glass
I was the girl, at least in my mind,
With an eye to find you and half a heart to try
I fall in love with voices, now is that odd?
And you, you spoke my name, and I fell so hard
And that one word was enough
To my mind's amaze that I saw you, Love,
Face to face
I hear you night and day
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9. |
Communicate
03:19
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What did I know before today?
I am a child at this game, it's my way,
To this day, it's the excuse I make
You smile, when I tell you I'm serious
You have a right to me, now now,
You still own me,
You still own my delirious
Oh, When you are near,
Uh oh, what do I fear?
Why do I keep trying?
Keep trying to communicate with you
But you're time away in your mind, it's true
Keep trying, but I'm never getting through
And you're time away...
I caught you, like shivers in the rain
You pulled away
Don't you ever say "Goodnight" again
I've gone like sweet silver well water over you
I'm all Adele Hugo sulking, soft, and wanting,
There is nothing I would not do for you
Ah, and I'm keeping it all inside
Uh oh, I keep falling beside myself, and I
Just can't hide it
I've been in love like crazy before
I've been in love like crazy, I've been in love,
No, not so crazy before
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10. |
Last Impressions
01:58
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I see your picture:
The inside lining of my face, these days
My last impressions
Your lasting pressure no good living can erase
You're fine: I get that from your letter
I'm fine, too
Life's fine, it's always getting better,
And you're right: I'm just fine without you
I met your lover in a liquid dream,
She came to me in winning colors,
Ah, but you couldn't see
I wasn't dreaming black and white
I wasn't dreaming wrong and right
Why guard against the sin? It's done
Over and over,
Where nothing else can touch me,
You get in
You win
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Robin O'Brien Santa Rosa, California
Eclectic mix of recordings; mostly lo-fi. I've been a closet home-taper, recording my music since before multitrack was
available to us common folk at home. It's my joy.
George Reisch re-imagined some of these tunes, and you can find them at Luxotone.com
recordings by Jean Farmer and I are at notan.org
... more
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