The following printer-friendly info is from four 50 minute projects recorded in 4 different "sessions" from 1995 to 1998 using a Fostex XR-7 4-track cassette deck, plus some stuff from this century as well. Instuments included a cheap
Japanese Kramer and rebuilt Ibanez guitar through a DOD flanger and delay into a Peavey Studio-Pro 60 practice amp, Martin D-1 acoustic guitar, a '76 Fender Precision & '82 Rickenbacher bass,
harmonica, mandolin, violin, a domestic Yamaha keyboard, Ensoniq VFX keyboard, Casio SK-1 sampling mini-keyboard, and a Pearl Export double bass drum set. Gear consisted of only a DigiTech DSP256
multi-effects processor, a DBX 1088 compressor and EV457 mics. Not exactly cutting edge technology but hopefully it has it's own sound and feel. Remixing was done October 2005 using Cool-Edit Pro
with a generic Yamaha sound card. The results were much better than the original cassette to cassette to CD mixdown. The material is a non-cohesive collection of rehashed pop songs / ballads I
wrote in the 70s and 80s and free-form prog tunes. Some try to tell a story and others are just self indulgent jams and rantings. On most I used a guitar / vocal pilot and some I used a drum track
for the pilot track. Either way is a little awkward because with a drum pilot you have to "imagine" the music in the background, but following an instrument pilot track without a "click-track" is
tough because of the tempo fluctuations, and with drums you get one shot. You either live with the mistakes or start over. The remaining tracks give you the option of "back-tracking" in case of a
stumble without losing parts that may otherwise be okay or hard to replicate. In any case, the nature of personal 4-tracking yields a somewhat sloppy sound on tape due to these editing limitations.
It is however a great way to create rough drafts of ideas that might otherwise be forgotten forever. Here is what I have so far :
Roll it up is just a fun piece about forgetting your troubles and letting your hair down once in awhile. It was written with the help of my friend Steve Allen
who has gone on to play Christian Rock music with various musicians. I personally like the little "Police-like" banter at the end.
ROLL IT UP
Here it comes a rollin - over me that old feelin
I get when I'm crazy
Where the shadow's fallen - memories burn like whiskey
but only for awhile - and then you say
Someone call me a taxi - take me down to neon town
blow my blues away - it don't matter anyway
Roll it up - roll it down - aint no need to worry
I think it's gonna be all right
We're gonna make some noise tonight
Leave a tip for the driver - send him on his merry way
on the open road again - I think I'll stick around
For a song & a story - and possibly a green eyed smile
to hold me oh so tight
We're gonna make some noise tonight
Roll it up - roll it down - roll it on roll it over
make me feel all right
We're gonna make some noise tonight © jw 1981
The Doppler Effect is one of many instrumentals that are generally free-form then cleaned up for mixdown. The title for this one has no significance other than
the keyboard and guitar seem to be going in completely different directions and still fit together.
Tears is your basic love ballad turned power ballad. Thanks to Candy Gronewald and Edward Van Westenfeld for their input on tweaking the chorus.
TEARS IN THE DARKNESS
A hundred years it seems I've known you - & I don't know you at all
I thought that I would always be there - to catch you when you fall
I wanna say I'm sorry - for being less than what you need
A little boy inside an old man - you were a fairy tale to me
Please say you still love me - or I will surely die
Please say you still love me - please - don't go away
I lay awake and watch you sleeping - my little girl in slumber deep
I wanna be where you are dreaming - and leave behind the memory
Tears in the darkness - no one can see
Tears in the darkness - nobody knows - but me
Now everybody has their own way - and everybody has to grow
I guess I couldn't see the changes - but I didn't mean to let you go
Please say you still love me - but only if you do
Please say you still love me - I'd do anything - anything for you © jw 1993
Here I go again is just another "fun" song. And just for the record, I wrote this long before the Whitesnake song of the same name.
HERE I GO AGAIN
Oh - here I go again - diggin for a line
Thinkin bout a place I been - and an old friend of mine - he said
Take a chance on the midnight dance you gotta kick up your heels
a little bit - It aint a crime if you got the time to see how it feels
and it feels so good to be alive like a Sunday drive going nowhere
Oh - here I go again - reachin for a line
Thinkin bout the girl who stole my heart
and how she looks so fine and she's all mine she said
Take your place in the human race - get a piece of the rock
and roll - Be a spy - look em in the eye - and go for the gold
cause you never know
How very high I can get when you set me on fire
Oh - here I go again - prayin for a line
Thinkin bout the Lord above - & how he soothes my mind he said
Bop bop doobie do boppa doobie oh my my my my
Bop bop doobie do boppa doobie oh Yeah yeah yeah yeah
And it feels so good to be alive like a Sunday drive going nowhere © jw 1981
Nixed Emotions is yet another pop love song that reflects on the roller coaster of feelings that accompany any relationship.
NIXED EMOTIONS
Just when I think I know you - you always take me by surprise
The many shadows in your eyes has made me realize
I'm only seeing - what I'm dreaming
And when I think it's over - you turn my world inside out
So many ways I try to please - I'd get down on my knees
But still you're stealing - what I'm feeling
I guess I'll never really understand - the crazy ways of love
It's hard just knowing what to feel
And if it's really not supposed to make - any sense at all
We're gonna make it after all
There aint no use to explain now - we both know just what we need
It really doesn't do no good to complain now
We'll be together for a long long time - but then
Just when I think I know you - you turn my world upside down
So many reasons I can find - to make you change your mind
I'm only praying - you'll be staying
And when you touch me baby - it makes everything all right
And I really don't remember the reasons
We were different as day & night
I only wanna tell you how I'm feelin
I only wanna get close to your heart
But somehow we always end up strangers
Bent on tearin each other apart - but then
Just when I think I know you - you turn my world upside down
But when you hold me oh so tight - it makes me feel all right
You make it easy - when you please me
-chorus- © jw 1986
Passing Fancy was written to be taken either as a love song or directed to the listener in a broader sense.
PASSING FANCY
Just for you - takin my time
Weaving a rhyme that will say I love you cause I do
Know of a way - living each day in the blink of an eye - by your side
Sun to sun - so quickly it's gone
But as surely as we have each other - we carry on
Just for you - changing my mind
Leaving behind dreams of fortune and fame all the same
Memories erased - more than replaced by the look in your eyes
By your side - sun to sun - so quickly it's gone
But as surely as we have each other - we carry on
Sun to sun - so quickly it's gone
But as sure as we're just passing fancy - we carry on © jw 1981
One September Night is a very short free-form jam with no substance or direction but I include it because I like the piano walkdown.
Gravy Train explores the internal dialog of the mind and how we run ourselves ragged daily for no apparent reason.
GRAVY TRAIN
Cold blue morning a thousand things to do
Nothing new but so much to think about
Not a doubt to where you are going or where you'd like to be
All those minutes that make up a century
How the hell do I keep them organized
Does it have to be so analyzed when it's just your
Point of view - that makes you do the things you do
A state of mind - that keeps you on that gravy train
Over plains of mashed potatoes - on and on through the day
And it's an easy game - you only have to be insane and
Wear a smile - play it cool - pull the wool - you're only
Foolin round with pointless analogies
Reasons for domestic necessities
Wrapped in layers of mediocrities - still it's just your
Point of view - that makes you think it's real
A state of shock - that keeps you on a treadmill
Run like hell to keep from having too much time on your hands
And it's an easy game - just pretend you're really busy
And don't have time - to explain - why your brain is filled with... © jw 1981
Hedge need more cowbell.......
Surely On I wrote for Susan to be sang at our wedding in 1980. The musicians didn't have time to learn it but at least I got it on tape, and my son and
daughter in-law used an all acoustic version of it in their wedding 27 years later (and we didn't tell mom. too cool)
SURELY ON
Catch the pieces of a thousand daydreams
I had before you came along
Aimlessly - day by day - the hours passed away
But of all the time I wasted came
A feeling that would never die
Aimlessly - here and gone - to live in a song - surely on
Surely on - through the years - waiting here - for so very long
For your love - right or wrong - make me cry - make me strong
Surely on
Catch the pieces of a thousand years
I walked the city streets alone
On my own - a stranger there - I looked everywhere
But I finally heard your voice above
The music playing so loud
A whisper in a noisy crowd - to lead me along - surely on
Surely on - we will go - and I know - there I belong
By your side - right or wrong - in your love - I am strong
Surely on © jw 1980
Opus 357 uses some very nice keyboard sequences done on a MacIntosh by Giles Reaves along with my own keyboard, guitar and drum parts to create an airy but
quick paced improv piece that sounds great driving down the interstate late at night.
Big Top opens disc 2 with a very short carnival piece that sets the mood for what turned out to be kind of a 3-ring circus for this disc as far as holding onto
any musical continuity.
Higher Power is chock-full of disturbing metaphors. Taking it to a higher power is a dual reference in the mathematical context as well as reference to matters
of faith.
TO A HIGHER POWER
Dance away the midnight ball - muse at the jester's game
Gracious curtsey - royal dog - bow to the master's chain
Schizoid ration - silent screamer - selfish passion - ego dreamer
When the numbers don't add up just
Take it to a higher power - this could be your finest hour
Take it to a higher power
No need to wonder where it comes from or why
It's just one of many voices inside my head
Bishop's pawns on bended knees - build sacrificial tombs
Shepard's lambs seek safe retreat - inside the holy womb
Sightless flyer - rainbow dancer - blinded cryer - find no answer
When the numbers don't add up just
- chorus -
Sainted courtyard cannibals - carve faceless names in stone
Shackled hands are helpless reaching through the night alone
Lifeboat seeker - sinking swimmer
Growing weaker - fading dimmer
When the numbers don't add up just - take it...
Dance away the midnight ball - it's just a masquerade
Where knights in shining armor - for the queen are played
Dragon chasing - carpet crawler - all evasing - nocturne caller
When the numbers don't add up just
- chorus -
You know it's always a wild wild ride - that's all right by me
As long as you are always by my side
It's easy as can be - just
Take it © jw 1996
Imagination is directed to the listener basically saying "where did everybody go?". The more complicated our lives become, the more withdrawn we become from
the rest of the human race.
IMAGINATION
Sunshine warm my heart again it's been
So long I used to feel so strong
Creeping through the dead of night despite
The dawn I feel like something's wrong
Could it be a glimpse of realization
Or is it just my imagination
Day illuminates my dreams the streams
Of light burn in & out my sight
Etched impressions silhouette not yet
Reborn the velvet curtain torn
Only my imagination
Long ago I knew the words I heard
In a song you used to sing along
A melody without a rhyme a time
To share the magic everywhere
Swore that you were right there by my side
Was it just a figment of my pride
Only my imagination © jw 1996
Dance on a Ledge I guess qualifies as "dark" because it depicts a suicide. It doesn't say however if the character takes the plunge on purpose or by recklessly
tempting fate. The secondary meaning of the song analogizes this "plunge" as a headlong dive into a higher being motivated by surrender and acceptance of that which we cannot change (that's a good thing, right?)
DANCE ON A LEDGE
Gazing down on sparkling sequin city lights
From a window on the 27th floor
He creeps along the edges of his destiny
With nothing but a dream between his life & far beyond
And wonder if he really was a madman
Or just a pawn in some - One's crazy game
Or maybe like a seedling washed away in summer rain
It doesn't matter
Spinning round & round he dances carelessly
On the edges of the 27th floor
Laughing at the triumph of his most astounding grace
But no one far below will ever know
And I wonder if he really was a sad man
Or just a broken soul who had no more to give
Or maybe like a jester who run all his riddles dry
It doesn't matter
Gazing down on sparkling sequin city lights
On the edges of the 27th floor
I wonder if he finally lost his balance
Or merely tired of the game and said
It doesn't matter © jw 1978
The Hedgehog's Day Every hog has his day....
Forever Change is definitely one of my favorites as it explores this same surrender but in a much more blatant melancholy. The gloomy lyrics and child-like
melodies came together to create the exact mood I was looking for.
FOREVER CHANGE
In a photograph - two hearts in love
such a simpler time - when they were young
Laughter from paper smiles - time fades away
Days of innocence - pale shades of gray
Forever change for a lifetime
On & on it goes
There's no holding on
And nothing seems to matter
If there's no eternity
Forever change our dream
In a storybook - yellowed and torn
Heroes and maidens fair - fall in love
Dirt brown teddy bear - one eye gone
Long forgotten friend - lost in a song
Ollie ollie oxen free - come out and play with me
Forever change my dream
In a picture frame - left in the rain
Painted colors run - till none remain
In a memory - we were one
Wish upon a star - reach for the sun
Forever change for a lifetime
On & on we go - it all slips away
If only for a moment - we could stop and see
What was and what will be
Forever change the dream © jw 1993
Opus 357 part 2 & 3 A further exploration of the first installment. Much patience is required by the listener to get through this one and I usually
condense the 17 minute version for compilations.
Till the end ends this disc with a short anti-climax keyboard piece that simply says "good-bye".
Noise is, well, just noise. Although a little long, it still works as far as making the listener wonder what it's building up to. You expect some big metal
anthem or a fade into a prog extravaganza, but actually the silly thing just stops for a second then shift gears.
Fade to Brown was written many years ago by guitarist Mark Prunty and myself and is a simple metaphor about the seasons of life. I enjoy this one because it's
basic format allowed me to lay down all four tracks in 30 minutes and all I had to do was punch in a couple cheap solos.
FADE TO BROWN
So sad - too bad
A bland reassurance of how I might feel
If not for your smile and the hope it relays
I would fade away
So strange - to change
It's just rearranging the ways that I feel
If not for the light that reflects in your eyes
I would surely die
But I can't stop the seasons - I can't tell the time
It's keeping me on - so long
Then suddenly summer dissolves into fall
And it's hard to be sure if it happened at all
Hard even to recall
So sad - we had
A deep understanding of how it can feel
If not just a sigh for the moments gone by
We can touch the sky
But I can't stop the reasons - I can't change your mind
It's keeping us on - so long
Then suddenly somebody gives you the call
And it's hard to be sure if it happened at all
Hard even to recall
So sad © jw 1978
Mistaken Identity is based on a poem my son J.C. wrote for school many years ago. I wanted the witch-hunt premise to suggest the psychological persecution that
still goes on in social circles today for the crime of just being different. A big thanks to guitarist and best-bud Tim Betts for coming up with the slow-crunch chord grind.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
It was a dark dreadful night when a cat,
full of powerful evil stalked the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The people of Plymouth had just built a settlement
in the wilderness after their long voyage.
The date is December 13th, 1702
and a witch hunt is about to begin.
But they do not know that they are burning the innocent.
The real witch is that black cat with
shining eyes that glow in the darkness
the witch moving from place to place
owner to owner, never getting caught
with even the smallest suspicion.
But I, I know the truth. I, just a common blacksmith
knows the truth about that cat.
But alas, no one will ever know, because
I have also fallen under the spell of that cat,
condemned to the life of a rat in a cage,
my owner being burned to the stake
for a crime he did not commit.
Why do they watch you with suspicious eyes
Why do they be so quick to criticize
Is it the way you look or what you say
You know you don’t belong
You know that you’re not one of them
Why can’t they just leave you alone
It's just another case
Just another case of mistaken identity
Is someone following you close behind
A shadow in the fog you cannot find
The evil is so real but it’s not you
And now your judgment’s come
But the joke’s on everyone
When they become the very thing they fear
It's just another case
Just another case of mistaken identity. © jcw/jw 1997
Return of the Hedgehogs is an extension of "The Hedgehog's Day" that tries to tell an instrumental story of leadership, martyrdom and a collective rise from
oppression (yeah okay, use your imagination).
The Darkest Day is a story I put off commenting on for nearly 8 years. I found no sense of closure in these lyrics but did find a faint spark of hope that
maybe there is a God and somehow someday we may understand why this happened.
THE DARKEST DAY
I remember when she was a child
She could light a room up every time she smiled
And mama raised her the best she could
Times were hard but life was good
And when you felt alone and sad
Your mama'd say - I'll always be with you
Before I knew it she was all growed up
Raising a family can be so tough
Another tear another day would bring
But she loved her children more than anything
And when they felt alone and sad
Their mama'd say - I'll always be with you
Why did you have to go away - why did you say goodbye
The difference a day can make - can turn your life around
If only you could've seen ahead - if only you could've known
The love that you could not find
Was all around you - all the time
I couldn't believe it when I heard the news
It was a winter night under a cold blue moon
No one knows what happened on that day
When she took the children and went away
She couldn't stay but couldn't leave them
I only hope they'll always be with you
Why did you have to go away - why did you say goodbye
So much that could've been - so much you left behind
How did it ever go so wrong - how could you not have known
The love that you could not find
Was all around you - all the time
It was the darkest day - the day you went away
The love that you could not find
Was all around you - all the time
I can't recall how many years it's been
But I think about her every now and then
I pray to God there's a God above
With a special place and a forgiving love
And when your mama - leaves this world
I only hope she'll always be with you
It was the darkest day © jw 1996
Doldrums Not a clue....
Just in Time is, at least lyrically, more my style. I like weaving words together to create multiple connotations and cosmic symbolisms. Such wordplay means
nothing and means everything.
JUST IN TIME
Moon child - born wild
Self styled - runaway child
Long miled - sweet smiled
Vagabond child - late child
Tell me it's true that we're
Just in time
Sun song - shine on
Sing strong - caravan song
Ride on - so long
Cavalcade song - late song
There's no turning back cause we're
Just in time
Star light - burn bright
Clear night - voyager light
Hold tight - clear night
Consummate light - late light
Losing the moments you're
Just in time © jw 1978
Noise pt. 2 is another sound collage of disjointed audio images as the lead-in for disc 4.
Once upon a time is a less than successful attempt to turn an old acoustic ballad into a rocker. "Frenzied algebra" at best.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Once upon a time - I fell into a dream
Sheltered by a song - conceived in silent scream
Wrapped in frayed emotions - bursting at the seams
Once upon a time - it was so much easier
Pacify my moods - carress me with your smile
Take me in your arms - and hold me like a child
Make my dream come true - I'll stay with you awhile
Once upon a time - you could take me far away
Once upon a dream - I fell into a time
Held in stillness - on the pages of a rhyme
Softly spoken - in a frozen pantomime
Once upon a time © jw 1977
Tickets at the Door doesn't quite have the crunch I was looking for. I like the story though, however shortly worded. It tells of a homeless man who works a
guilt-trip panhandle at the entrance of a church but always feels cheated by the weekly tithe. In the end it's not clear whether he finds death or finds redemption, only that in the grand Karmic
scheme of things he, like all of us, must pay his dues.
TICKETS AT THE DOOR
Standing on the church steps - begging for change
A tin cup welded to his hand
For not a bad day's work - but you know he's had better
Try it again next Sunday
Do they pass you by - do they look away
Do they take the time - to spare a dime
Do they pray for your soul in the house of the Lord
Better fill that cup - when your time is up
Buy your tickets at the door
Every week the same - people come and people go
Pure as the newly driven snow
For not a bad day's work - as they pass the plate
Buy your ticket to heaven
And their money's all gone when they leave for home
You've been cheated again - by the Holy Scam
Yet you're dying to find - what goes on behind those doors
Better fill that cup - when your time is up
Get your tickets at the door
The rain comes strong - after everyone is gone
No where to run - no place to hide
Dropping his cup - he runs into the church
And to his surprize he found - nothing
Did it pass you by - did it fade away
Did it ever exist at all
Can you stand so tall when you answer the call
Get your tickets at the door © jw 1997
Well on our way is another electrified ballad that later became "Spellbound" on the Dogman "Hit the Bricks" CD. Again, it has some nice grooves but sounds a
little forced and frantic.
WELL ON OUR WAY
Lost in a stream - of melancholy dreams
That take my mind away from you
Lost in a song - but no one sings along
Please take my mind away - with you
And we'll be on our way
If I could reach you - and I could show you
And I could make you - see things the way I do
So close - so far - so far - so good - so good - so bad
So much we had
Too little - too late - too late - too soon - too soon - to say
We're well on our way
Can you conceive - the life I had to leave
To sing this song for you
Can you forgive - the life I have to live
I only want to give - to you
And we'll be on our way
But if you could reach me - and you could show me
And you could make me - see things the way you do
- chorus -
Too little - too late - too late - too soon - too soon - to say
We're well on our way © jw 1977
Close to the Hedge is another instrumental "hedgehog" installment that really has nothing to do with anything. It's just some cool riffs I stumbled upon one
afternoon.
Simpler Times / Sweet Insomnia / The Sentinel was the most difficult to record and ended up way different (and longer) than I envisioned. I usually use the
edited version for compilation copies. The first part is a retrospect of much hipper days, whereas the second part plunders head-long through the aimless metaphors bouncing in the mind of a
sleepless neurotic, and ending with a retrospect on how, when it's all said and done, nothing really changes and the world goes on.
SIMPLER TIMES
Holding - onto the days - of simpler times
When we could laugh - we could play
Never a reason to change - funny how we couldn't see
What would come to be
So strange - so uncomplicated - and now so much
To rearrange - to take the pressure off our lives today
And grow from it's decay
But now - it all slips away - the price you pay
For those simpler times
And now - it all slips away - but that's okay
They were simpler times © jw 1987
SWEET INSOMNIA
I sadly smile - and wave goodbye to all my amber dreams
Lukewarm memories of wishing wells dry
Drifting by - shadows fly - elusive to my eye
That drive me to the edge - of my mind song
The beat goes on - or so I've heard it said
In my head - a symphony of winds blow
No place to go - it grows until my senses overflow
And drive me to the edge - of my heart song
Entangled in fluorescent sound
Spinning round - weave your magic spell
Come on baby you're just in time
Come on baby you're just in time
To save me from the light
All I need is your peace of mind
All I need is your piece of mind
To get me through the night
It's so hard to sleep at night
So hard to tell - the many shades of color in a word
Overheard charades of endless tales told
I try to hold - the words unfold
Then leave my touch cast iron cold
And drive me to the edge - of my soul song
So long - the ageless story faith full on
Charcoal messages on velvet pages
In sequin skies - disguised by silhouettes of liquid eyes
That drive me to the edge - of my dream song
Entangled in fluorescent sound
Take me down - weave your magic spell
- chorus -
I sadly smile - and wave goodbye to all my fantasies
Refugees caught playing - on a school day
I sadly smile - and rest my head - a bed of satin sighs
And close my eyes © jw 1978
THE SENTINEL
I watch - the evening shadows
Fade to a glow - of moonlit phantoms
Concave dark night - burning star light
Distant free flight - leaving me behind
To face the morning - and answer to
A higher calling
With only my imagination - no great revelation
Still a lifetime - is a good time - filled with dreamtime
Of all those who sleep - so deep © jw 1987
A Day Away closes disc 4 with a Floydian "comfortably numb" piece that reflects on the benefits of living in a haze. Sometimes one can see most clearly when in
a fog.
A DAY AWAY
Get up - good morning - welcome - another day
Nothing new - nothing change - but that's okay by me
When all your senses are numb
You don't see what you've become
Once in a while - now don't it seem sometimes
It's just a day away
And all you do - is here and now forgotten
When the moment's gone
I guess it's just a day away
Tired eyes - on warm sunrise - and silence
Another fog - in your head - comforts you to know
The only thing that must be done
Will never ever come
And here we are - now don't it seem sometimes
We're just a day away
And all you feel - and all you are is just a
Precious memory
You know it's just a day away
Relax - good evening - welcome - another buzz
Out of mind - feelin fine - and that's okay by me
When your thoughts - float away and vanish
The moment still remains
And if you feel - one step behind to be
Where you need to be
Remember it's just a day away © jw 1998
Frickin' Loopy is a silly Acid Foundry piece that stays true to the other silly disc lead-ins of the past.
And So It Goes came to me while thinking about my dad on the 3rd anniversary of his passing.
AND SO IT GOES
on a dreary January day - in the cold we gathered 'round to pray
& though it was a blessing in disguise - I couldn't keep the sadness from my eyes
happy for the time we got to spend - once we realized we could be friends
only then to watch you fade away - nothing anyone could do or say
it's not for me, to make a leap of faith
(and keep the song alive)
but I feel something more awaits
someday, someway - I'm gonna see you once again
set free, we'll be - together at the end
where not a word remains unspoken, and every song is heard
we're gonna have the time - of our lives
and so it goes, the wheel keeps turning - leaves you with a burning in your heart
forced to be apart from those you love - prayin for a heaven up above
oh but the world keeps spinning - never a beginning or an end
pretending it will always stay the same - forever is a flicker in a flame
it's not for me, to understand it all
I just need to know there's something more
someday, someway - I'm gonna see you once again
set free, we'll be - together at the end
where we awaken from our dream and every story is told
we're gonna have the time - of our lives
and it's for me, to keep the song alive
(and make a leap of faith)
and save it for a January day
someday, someway - I'm gonna see you once again
set free, we'll be - together at the end
where all memories come together, ready to do it again
we're gonna have the time - of our lives
and so it goes.... © jw 2008
Acid Bath is my little "tip 'o the hat" to the SOS King Cheeks McGee.
Surely On is the acoustic remake recorded for JC & Mariah's wedding using only guitar, mandolin & violin. The lyrics were only slightly changed.
Forever and a Day is meant to be taken either as a love-lost song or aimed at anyone who got old and disappeared from the human race. Similar to "Imagination",
and I even borrowed a line from that song just because they are so much alike. The music is quite different however.
FOREVER AND A DAY
so many things we've seen and done, the fun we had
the good times and the bad
thinking of the days gone by, I try to find
those memories left behind
and even though they slip away
seems like forever & a day
the moments come & go so fast, the past is just
tomorrow's yesterday
rite of passage, rightly so - we go about our lives
not much to say
and though we went our separate ways
seems like forever & a day
long ago I knew the words, I heard in a song
you used to sing along
a melody without a rhyme, a time to share
the magic everywhere
and even though you didn't stay
seems like forever & a day © jw 2007
Passing Fancy is another remake. I always knew the original was lame but never fixed it till now.
Stuffing the Hole is just a fun and musically lively song that pokes fun at the modern yuppie mentality of "I don't need everything, just everything I
want".
STUFFING THE HOLE
another weekend comes to end - another monday morning exodus begins
suburban lemmings to the hive - we sacrifice our life to keep ourselves alive.
and do you feel you're pounding - sand in a rat hole
it aint so astounding - that we need a bit more
a little compensation - for our sacrifice
lookin for saturation - no matter what the price
don't need to be a star - just a big tv and a brand new car
no supermodel bride - perhaps a young girl on the side
no Flambé AlaMode - just let me eat till I explode
stuffing the hole - fill it up it's never ending
stuffing the hole - never full, never satisfied
corporate whores & pampered slaves - disconnected cyborgs on a weekend rave
self consumed and gratified - as a trade in for the emptiness inside
another new sensation - another cheap thrill
try a new position - maybe try a new pill
another excitation - then it fades away
finding a new temptation - gets harder every day
don't need no French chateau - just an in-ground pool and a patio
no caviar and wine - steak and Corona suits me fine
don't need no silk attire - just give me all that I desire
stuffing the hole - fill it up it's never ending
stuffing the hole - never full,
never satisfied © jw 2007
Long Haul was written for the "Dogman 2" CD that never materialized as we all moved on to other projects before it's completion. It did finally come to life as one of the 8:58 originals. In this version, with the help of Tim Betts, is striped-down as far as possible, giving the lyrics a different mood than the 8:58 version or the original.
FOR THE LONG HAUL
So here I am
talkin' to myself again - understanding little
but a little is enough
So easy now
leaving little to desire - just another day
to build upon then fade away
what would it mean
to have it all with nothing left to gain
what would it take
to make your life a little easier
what if you knew
the answer to the meaning of it all
we're still in it - for the long haul
we're still in it - for the long haul
So here we are
living in a someday world till we've had enough
and it's never quite enough
Not easy now
planning out our destiny as though we had a clue
and someday never comes
what would it mean
if you could always have another day
what would it take
to make you laugh a little easier
what if you knew
exactly when the sky was gonna fall
we're still in it - for the long haul
we're still in it - for the long haul
and you hurt yourself
tryin to find your place in a world gone mad
and you hurt yourself
when the pain of life is all that makes you feel
you're alive
what would it mean
if all you ever wanted could be yours
what would it take
to feel the way when you were younger
what if you knew
the moment you'll surrender to the call
we're still in it - for the long haul
we're still in it - for the long haul © jw 2000
I'm Loopy 2 is a set of loops layered thick and in a static key to give a tranced out feel. The wonderfully abrasive noise at the beginning was created by doing an extreme time stretch on a sample of the whole piece. By setting the stretch to preserve the pitch, the sound is continually ripped apart and re-assembled as the computer struggles to maintain the key.
Passing Fancy Too is an instrumental version of the previous track. Guess I just like playing it.
Look for the Opening is the last original on the disc and really just a filler with an "Opus" reference that is mercifully shorter than the original 3 part trance-o-rama.
Papa Gene's Medley is a tribute to my favorite fake-band that became a real-band and succeeded in spite of their success, The Monkees.
Mother Nature's Son is, of course, from the White Album. I include it because it turned out well and I don't think Paul would mind.
Leftovers :
Chance of a Lifetime was a 4-track demo from 1987 done on an old Tascam rack mount unit. For an early attempt it didn't turn out too bad, but someday I would
like to re-do it. For now it lives only on cassette. The lyrics are an introspect about reaching a point in life where you realize all those things that once seemed so important really have little or no significance in the grand
scheme.
CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
And so you're standing - at the crossroads
and you don't know exactly what to do
Sometimes it gets - so frustrating
to hang around - just waiting for a clue
Will you make your mark on society
or drown in layers of mediocrity
you know it doesn't mean that much to me
No need to worry - don't get excited
Forget your troubles we're all invited
It's the chance of a lifetime - the chance of a lifetime
You better not blow it now - yeah you better not blow it
And so you're burning all your bridges
I thought perhaps - I might follow you - oh no
But I don't need to be nostalgic
it's easier to see the future through
But when I take a stroll down memory lane
I make believe we never felt the pain
and wish that we could do it all again
No need to hurry - don't have to fight it
your destiny's already been decided
It's the chance of a lifetime - the chance of a lifetime
You're leavin' it all behind - yeah you're leavin' it all be
It's easy now - to remember
It's even easier now - to forget
cause what's the use in lookin back now
when there's so many things we aint seen yet
You never know until you try - you see
just take a chance you'll be surprised - you see
You're not as old as you pretend to be
No need to worry - don't get excited
Forget your troubles we're all invited
It's the chance of a lifetime - the chance of a lifetime
You're leavin it all behind - yeah you better not blow it now © jw 1987
Get Away I outlined in my head while driving to Florida in 1983 then later finished it off with help from Candy Gronewald, Ed Westenfeld & Randy Williams for live performance with the band "Contagious". I was gonna call it
"Work Sucks", but that pretty much goes without saying. I have one live recording of this but would like to remake a studio version of it someday.
GET AWAY
You wake up to that FM voice - so rudely starts your day
Fall out of bed and stagger to the bathroom mirror
Now is it any wonder - that you've started turning gray - It's the same thing
over and over - and over and over - and over and over again
Leave your worries far behind - and find a place to go
where no one knows your name - and you can breathe again
No matter where you stay - Detroit or San Tropez
You know sometimes it feels - so good to get away
Back in Suburbia the race goes on - to get to work on time
Little Boy Blue Collar - blows his horn for you
You hit the road to the Motherlode - and start your daydream day - It's the same thing
over and over - and over and over - and over and over again
Leave your troubles far behind - and find a holiday
away from everyone - to play under the Sun
A weekend in the sand - or at the park all day
You know sometimes it feels - so good to get away
Another day another dollar - stop and have a drink - or two
You've got a million things to do when you get home
One day you're gonna say 'Honey - let the phone ring off the wall' - It's time to
take a vacation - from all the frustration - a summer salvation - why don't we
Leave our worries far behind - and find a place to go
where no one knows our name - and we can breathe again
Whatever games we play - just look the other way
You know sometimes it feels - so good to get away © jw 1983
The Matador was written for my friend Terry who died too young from a gunshot wound during a "business altercation". The "matador metaphor" (say it 5 times)
came from Terry's bold nature and the invincible attitude of youth. Unfortunately, none of us are regardless of our age.
THE MATADOR
A gentle man by nature - a fighter by his trade
faithful to the promise
he made - to be
King of the arena - master of the game
a legend from a name
Listen to the music - listen to the crowd
Listen to the ages call your name out loud
Listen to the warning - whispered to your soul
A champion undefeated - through skill and chance bestown
He stands alone
and calls - his foe
The people watch in silence - his courage ever bold
as a deadly hush unfolds
Listen to the angels - listen to the wind
Listen to the ages call your name again
Listen to the shadow of an angry sky
His challenger before him - fire in their eyes
Triggered by a thousand battle cries
His victory before him - his final move precise
in stillness under gray skies
He stopped - to hear
a moment for a whisper - a precious moment gone
a warning to his soul
Listen to our sadness - listen to us cry
Listen to the ages everlasting sigh
Listen to the future - perhaps we meet again
until then - farewell my friend © jw 1979
Home Again is another song that lives in rough draft form only for now, but was originally recorded as a melancholy closer for a larger project. The simple
meaning here is that, at the end of the day, try to remember the things that are truly important in life, because everything else is just routine maintenance.
HOME AGAIN
So I come - home again
I crawl to your doorstep - like a dog in the rain
and you're there
Like the eye of a hurricane - a place I can hide
from my life
After all my adventures - I treasure these hours
with you
cause it's real - it's real - it's real
Let me be - your friend
Let me walk in your shadow - let me follow you for
awhile
Let me color your pages with a palette of faded dreams
cause with you by my side - it don't seem quite so bad
anymore
cause it's real - yes it's real - it's real © jw 1986
Leap Year was written by the band "Big Richard" for the "Frame of Mind" CD. The lyrics were derived from the same old cosmic psycho-babble present in most of
what I come up with. The title refers to the illusion of time that we pretend to lose or gain. Time is linear and exists only by our ability to perceive a frame of reference from one moment to
another. I even put in a B5 reference just to see if my son would catch it, and he did, confirming my suspicion that he is indeed a closet sci-fi nerd.
LEAP YEAR
One life - that never goes away
Endless thoughts - of nothing left to say
we turn away
and look to the one
day - when - you see the reason why
Someday when - you let your reason die
you look to the one - we look to the one
day - you come
frothing at the jowls
Looking - so clearly through the haze
Bridges crossed - we choose to set ablaze
then turn away
and look to the one
Dai-Wen - you finally understand
Someday when - you lend a helping hand
we live for the one - we die for the one
day - you come
Frothing at a chance - to live
When the ashes blow away
you find it all comes down to just one day
one day - you come
frothing at the jowls
Fragments of a transitory mind
Seeking to perceive itself in time
then turn away
and look to the one
day - when - you consummate your dreams
Someday when - you liberate your screams
Frothing at a chance - to be
When the shadows fade to gray
you find it all comes down to just one day
one day © jw 2004
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