The Music of James Fry

Come all you faithful, bring your vision and your tears
The time is closing in and judgment drawing near
Bring out your wounded and your poor and dispossessed
Raise your voices with the cursed and the blessed

Leave your worries and your troubles on the shelf
Leave all your struggles far behind
Don't make excuses 'cos we've heard them all before
They've got your number. You're going under.
And now it's time to say goodbye

It's been a pleasure to have danced here for a while
I've had an easier time than most
And if I loved just once then once was just enough
To feel the power of your love

So don't feel badly, you were never meant to win
The odds were stacked right from the start
The card of fate was played and fortune called your bluff
Don't blame the dealer. He'll never free ya.
And now it's time to say goodbye

So, come all you sinners, all you sacred and profane
Lift up your voices above the thunder and the rain
No one to save you, no one left to take the blame
Too late for promises, too late to save the day

So no hard feelings, it's just the way things go
If there's a plan somewhere, then who are we to know?
The light is fading and the sky is turning gray
The curtains closing. The worlds unfolding.
And now it's time to say goodbye

Pages of history, plaster the walls
The bigger the empire, the harder the fall
I get a headache, making sense of it all
Finally knowing that my hearts letting go

Fragments of reason fall to the floor
Shipwrecks of fools washing up on the shore
Life is so simple but so hard to ignore
It's so much safer keeping your heart in a drawer

Lessons of acumen, lost in the fray
Paying the piper, just a little too late
Gone are the memories that determine our fate
It's getting much clearer now that my heart can't escape

Now that the bird has flown, up and away
Excuses are useless and the truth's gone astray
It's hard to imagine how the plan went so far astray
But it's harder to deal with when your hearts in the way

Something is wrong with this picture.
Something's gone wrong with the plan
Directions been lost and some wires got crossed
And our fingers are stuck in the dam
Yeah, something got lost and the dream turned to dust
And there's no one to blame but ourselves

Everyone's making their movie
Everyone's writing their script
Everyone knows how a fairytale goes
How the innocents plead at the hands of the witch
We believe in the myth and our dream world persists
While the truth goes marching along

Don't follow the leaders, the leaders don't know
They got lost in the woods, they got stuck in the snow
And this folly continues and the lies never end
But there's no one to blame but ourselves

Now this world's cracking up under pressure
Nobody's heeding the call
And the pay phone is smashed and the markets have crashed
And the sky is beginning to fall

But when the hammer comes down, and the wheel hits the ground
When the final bell rings and the fat lady sings
When it comes to the end and the darkness descends

We'll have no one to blame
No one left to complain
There'll be no one to blame but ourselves

Liberty, come and stand in line with me
Just marking time you see. In the home of the brave

A warrior with steely eye defends me when I need to fly
and raise myself above this lie.
And the meaning of this mystery
is lost inside this parody of living like we do.
Like we choose to do. In the home of the brave

Sacred land, what became of you my friend
I saw you laughing and loving till the end.
In the home of the brave

In the home of the brave, I hear this message getting clear to me
I see the turning of a century. I feel the turning of a tide

Once upon a time there was man
who said that we could win the war if we were strong and true.
Once upon a time there was a people
who believed there was a Timbuktu
And there's lightning in the sky
and the water flooding down below
Coming down so much harder than you know
Coming down like a whirlwind
Coming down like a history book
Going up like a flare

Good for you is the song they sing us
Good for me is the word they bring us
So it goes with the wave of a hand like a page in history

Sweet liberty, come and stand in line with me
Just marking time you see. In the home of the brave.

In the home of the brave. In the home of the brave,
I hear this message getting clear to me
I can see right through your fantasy
A message lost in ambiguity
You know it happens oh so easily
In the home of the brave.

Someone may please you with a winning smile
Might tell you something you don't know
Someone may take you on a carpet ride
Might show you somewhere new to go

Someone might call you from a distant shore
May turn your head, may see you through
Someone may open up another door
But nobody's gonna love you like I do

Seasons may change, lives rearrange
People will do the things they do
I can not say, what makes love stay
But I know that nothing works without you

Some people say that life is mystery
But it don't seem like that to me
The simple truth is, when you look at me,
Can't see the forest for the tree

I know that reason can not qualify
This bond that grows each day renewed
And when the singing is all said and done
Nobody's gonna love you like I do

Some people say love goes away
Some love burns bright then fades away
I don't believe our love will leave
I'm sure as anyone can be

And in the end we reap the seed we sow
The journeys end we can not see
There's only one thing that I know for sure
Nobody's ever gonna love you like I do

Henry Chinaski blew the smog away
Found a loophole, found another way
No illusions to uncover, no excuses to explain

Turned the tables, took the word apart
Turned a broken dream to a work of art
Drank a river to forget you, drank an ocean to remember

And the spirit of Fante, and the memory of Hemmingway
And the pounding of the typer in the middle of the night

Henry Chinaski was born into this
With an lion-heart and a iron fist
Hear the screaming from the balcony
Forever gambling on the muse

Searching for the right word, reaching for the line
And the pounding of the typer in the middle of the night

Henry Chinaski waved the world away
Locked the door, drew the window shade
Took misfortune as a lover
Raised a finger to the moon

Dancing with the demons, looking for a fight
Lying in the darkness, never learned to be polite
Searching for the right word, waiting for the line
And the pounding of the typer in the middle of the night.

Sometimes, falling in the night time,
Looking for the right time. Looking for needle in the sand
It's impossible when you're walking on a fine line
Almost blinded by the moon shine
To know a Buddha from a hole in the wall

And you tell me once again that your heart is in the right place
But your mind is in the same place
And you're thinking of yourself and no one else

You catch your breath even though you know what's coming next
I never know how you keep on keeping on

And I know that you knew what I knew, all along
That your shoes are on the wrong feet
And you're walking with a limp with one eye closed

We could talk about it all, bringing it together
Or we can talk about the weather
It don't mean nothing if you don't want to know

Your up in arms but you don't know where to run and hide
I see you smile but you never show the other side

And now the world is watching you, tell me now what will you do
Tell me how can you believe that it's all true
So close your eyes and look at me, tell me now what do you see
Outside of you and me, outside of a hope and a dream
Outside in a bigger world, outside where a man can breathe
Outside where a man can breathe

You catch your breath even though you know what's coming next
I never know how you keep on keeping on

I heard a hurricane approaching, I could feel it on the wind
A premonition of the future, intuition from within
I saw a flaming sword above me and a hollow place below
And a feeling of uncertainty engulfed my troubled soul

I saw a river filled with rapids, foaming at the mouth
I saw a drowning man below me and confusion all around
And I called out for assistance but the words just disappeared
And I called out for deliverance but it fell on deafened ears

And I hoped that I was dreaming and I hoped it wasn't true
And I'd wake up in the morning and be lying next to you

And I pushed on through the morning light, I pushed on through the storm
And the rain clouds filled with thunder and the thunder filled the dawn
I heard a warning voice above me, calling out my name
But I couldn't grasp the meaning, couldn't hear above the rain

Then I made it to some high ground, I could see for miles around
I saw black smoke rising up and I saw buildings coming down
saw people running everywhere, calling in the flames
And I recognized the faces and I recognized the names

I got stuck in the delusion, surrounded by the sound
Deserted by intention, I was lost among the crowd
And a feeling of defenselessness gave strength to the idea
That the fabric of illusion's the foundation of our fear

There's a storm cloud full of thunder, rolling 'cross the land
And the logic of the dream is not so hard to understand
There's a line between what's real and not, a difference 'tween the two
But the line is cast in shadow and the choice is down to you

Repeating chorus:

Life of uncertainty, wheel of eternity, dodging the bullets of karma.
Something inside of me, says what will be, will be. Better just leave it to Dhamma.

Life is a carousel, torn between heav'n and hell, don't bet the farm on tomorrow. Make hay while there's still a sun, the future may never come. History is written in sorrow.

Fortunes are won and lost, victory at any cost. Greed is the master of madness.
Take more than you'll ever need, time is a fantasy, fanning the flames of our excess.

Run on the wheel and then, jump through the hoop again. Do it for gold and for glory.
Buy more than the other fools, more then you'll ever use. Better be safer than sorry.

Up in the rarer air, life is a grand affair. Pastures a plenty await you.
Sign on the bottom line, water turns into wine. Miracles shock and amaze you.

So gather buds while ye may, tomorrow's another day, bringing new trouble and
crisis Master the monkey-mind, and maybe you will find, life is still full of surprises.

I was dreaming of a future, I was dreaming of a land
Where freedom feeds the masses and the lion feeds the lamb
Where the victims of oppression get to finally have a say
But the image slowly faded and the night turned into day

I was thinking about redemption, I was hoping for some more
I was making my confession, I was running from the law
I was planning for a miracle to save my worried soul
But the thought soon passed and vanished, like a ferret down a hole

I won't stop believing that this world will find a way
And the shadows will be lifted like the sunrise lifts the day
And I thought I saw an omen, and I thought I saw a sign
That led me to conclusions that were hard to reconcile
I saw a vision of tomorrow that I hoped I'd never see

When I awoke the dream was over. Some things are never meant to be
But I won't stop believing that this world will find a way
And the shadows will be lifted like the sunrise lifts the day

Seems like about a century since you've been gone
Loving arms, I feel them stronger now
And I was always one for looking at the moon
I see it like a painting in your room

And it seems like everything around me these days, reminds me of you

And all the times I've ever seen your face
I never saw it clearer than I do today
I could have sworn I saw you only yesterday
Bending down and tying up your shoe

And it seems like everything around me these days, reminds me of you

I see your face most every place I go
It's hard to look away
And walking home at night your shining down from every street light
I hope that your alive and well
And I hope you feel the same

So I'll continue looking harder at the world
Looking for the part of you that's everywhere
And though I know illusion's leading me astray
Your memory is something I could never loose

And it seems like everything around me these days, reminds me of you
Yeah, it seems like everything around me these days, reminds me of you

Hey Thomas what ya drinking, won't you have this one on me
I been thinking about something here and I'm sure that you'll agree
That a song is just a shadow of what you really mean
And a whiskey and a bar stool is all you need to set the scene

And there's a glow from my cigarette, while the smoke does a pirouette
And the dance is so slow that it's sad
And the moon acts as overseer and adds to the atmosphere
And says have you ever been had

Sing me another slow one, singing it just for me
Singing for the melodies of all the songs that ever set me free

Now this feeling of solitude move uneasily around the room
And falls like a shroud around your head
Got no time for definitions here, it's a lawless lullaby
It's just hungry and has to be fed

Sing me another slow one, singing it just for me
Singing for the melodies of all the songs that ever set me free

And every fallen angel has a chance to be a star
Sing me another slow one, singing it just for me
Singing for the melodies of all the songs that ever set me free

Somewhere in the wilderness, a coyote calls my name
He's calling with a meaning unto me
And every time I hear that sound in the desert of my heart
I know that I must face this enemy

Find a way to fight, this shadow of desire
Higher than a kite, harder than a rock and blacker than the night
This beast of hopelessness is gonna take your life
Can leave you hanging there between the dying and alive. In the limbo.

And somewhere on the road that stretches out to Avalon
You can shoot the moon or you can loose to the guillotine
No matter what you thinking for, if your heart aint there
then your knocking on the wrong door
Leaves you with a feeling that's gonna sink you like a stone

And I'm walking with the lion and the lamb, living with the tears of Abraham
Don't know if I'm walking on my own

And this message ringing out so loud, coming down from me to you
From Istanbul all the way down to Xanadu
You can see it as the morning light, you can read it like the sky
Wish upon a falling star, whatever gets you through

Find a way to fight, this shadow of desire
Higher than a kite, harder than a rock and blacker than the night
This beast of hopelessness is gonna take your life
Can leave you hanging there between the dying and alive. In the limbo.

Even in the darkest night, the coyote calls again
He's calling with a voice that rises high above your hideaway
He's singing of a mountain top where angels stop to lead the way
Sets you on a road that takes you farther than you've ever known

And I'm walking with the lion and the lamb, living with the tears of Abraham
And I don't know if I'm walking on my own
In the limbo.

Go ahead and sing. You won't change an inch of it
I'm stronger than that, I'm stronger than you
And I know your ways, ‘cos I'm familiar with every part of it
And I won't turn my back, and I won't go away
And I feel the strength of your grip, sliding away from me, waving good-bye

So don't make me no stowaway, don't you drive me to stay away
Can you hear me, I know that you do
Can you see me, I'm watching you
This aint no way to behave, I've been through it before

And you talk a peerless line, but I aint got much time for it
You're talking to yourself, so no one can hear
If you listen to the words, I'm not sure that you'll even believe in it
Cos words fly away, never mean what they say
And you walk with such a perilous gait
I walk that way too, but you walk alone

So don't go where the road is worn
Don't sleep out in a thunder storm
I can see though the light does fade
I can see through your barricade
I don't mean to imply that the hand is deceiving this eye
And I wish you well, though you're living here in the thick of it
I live out on the edge, I fit in between
So go along your merry way, the possibilities are infinite
You can choose to explain or sing in the rain
And I believe that the moment will come
unexpected, and loosen the words from your tongue
So don't forget that what's done is done
recognize when your song is sung
Have to go where your story leads
Got to play in your symphony
And I bid you farewell until next you suspect that I'm near. I'll be your stowaway here

Like leaves in June falling from the trees
Like sunshine on a cold and a restless sea
And the way you made me smile,
like you know that you could do
And the things you tried to reach for, when I said I couldn't give more
And you were green and gold and yellow, and I was blue

I'm singing high, singing low
I'm singing high, singing low
Singing slow, singing everywhere I go

It's a funny situation, the kind that really tends to make them
Come and get you in the morning when you're through
You can strive for absolution or you can live in this illusion
Cos there's really nothing more that I can do

I'm singing high, singing low
I'm singing high, singing low
Singing slow, singing everywhere I go

Now something in my heart of hearts says I never should have kissed you
Cos I know that was the worst thing I could ever do
But I know now looking back in retrospect I was the mirror
that you were looking through just to see yourself in me

I was singing high, singing low
Singing high, singing low
Singing slow, singing everywhere I go

Every man he needs direction and a road to travel on
And a post to put your name on, on the road to Babylon
And it's hard to see the learning, with one eye on the goal
You may be two steps from surrender, but you're hopelessly involved

You turn your head, but you're hopelessly involved
And you turn away so slowly, but you're hopelessly involved

And a man decides his actions and he's choosing this or then
There's no reconciliation between the writer and the pen
And I don't see no contradiction in this or any other world
Let the feelings fuel the actions they're speaking louder than the words

I know a place where you're feeling lighter than a bird
I see you're face in the perfect and absurd
I see you turn away into the cold
But you turn away so slowly cos you're hopelessly involved
And you turn away so slowly, cos you're hopelessly involved

There's a method in the madness, there's a purpose in the plan
And the spring is old and over and the summer she just began
And you may see yourself in armour, covered head to toe in steel
In an ocean like this mirror, you got nothing to conceal

And a man aint nothing more than a part of the masterpiece
And he paints himself with a frowning face on the Mona Lisa
Hopelessly entrapped in all he knows, hopelessly involved

Yeah a man he needs direction and a road to travel on
And a post to put your name on, on the road to Babylon
I still don't see no contradiction in this or any other world
Let the feelings fuel the actions they're speaking louder than the words

I know a place where you're feeling lighter than a bird
I see you're face in the perfect and absurd
I see you turn away into the cold
But you turn away so slowly cos you're hopelessly involved
And you turn away so slowly, cos you're hopelessly involved

Hear that birds are singing, filling up the sky
See you're like a rock and all the world is passing by
And if I told you in a whisper there were other things to see
You would see that there is no one else that you have to try and be

Tell you that you're everything and say that night was day
And I can hear you coming for me from a thousand miles away
I carry water for the jailer and I'm working every day
You're never gonna see no sunrise coming when you're standing in the way

Would you say that I'd gone crazy. Would you say I'd gone astray
If I told you you were freedom, And I said you were the way, said you were the way
Sing a song of sixpence to me, sing it loud and clear
Sing it when your lover goes and leaves you and then sing it when he's near
Cos the world don't stop for nothing, won't be broken or subdued
And the river runs relentless to it's ocean rendezvous

Would you say that I'd gone crazy. Would you say I'd gone astray
If I told you you were freedom, and I said you were the way, said you were the way

Fortune smiled upon a man, perchance to be
involved with fate
Whose fickle hand did beckon and cajole him with a drunken gate
He took the lead and danced a zealous jig at frantic pace
Then stopped and turned, exhausted, searching for the comfort of familiar face

To no avail did this intention help to soothe
a wrinkled brow
Which hung in empty space above this one and only fatted cow
A fortune hunter doomed to face a troubled and ungainly foe
He walked in resolution and was carried by the undertow

In summer where the leaf and bloom are open
to the sun and moon
A man sits waiting, watching in a hallowed unencumbered room
A message to the finer mind is lost and wavers from its mark
The music fills a deafened ear and fails to move a hardened hear