VERTIGO
August 2, 2019
CD | iTunes | Amazon

RED, WHITE, AND BLUES
Making sense of the vertigo stinging my eyes through the autumn leaves
Falling down with poisoned trees
Walking my way through all the noise stacking up on the radio waves
This is it, this is now, so they say

Thinking maybe that it ain't supernatural
Someday we could love one another
You know sometimes it doesn't seem very factual
Just got a way to live together with these red, white, and blues

Can you hear all the bells ring underground where that hate can't reach
It's something you can't find in a newsfeed
Yeah that rainbow up in that bright blue sky; it ain't gonna take your soul today
No matter how hard you pray it away

 

THUNDERSTORMS
Trains move slow when you got somewhere to go
"Please come home," that's what she said during the thunderstorms

Just a few more miles to go
Just a few more towns to pass
I just want you to know
Thunderstorms don't last

The wind came strong, harder than any love song
The rain poured down, it took my love and took her crown

 

EVERYBODY KNOWS THE TRUTH
There you stand in a bundle of clouds
Slinging more shadows of doubt
But everybody knows the truth
I'm so in love with you my dear
How can I make this clear enough for you?

Wrecking minds and wrecking dreams
You said your heart was not for me
But everybody knows the truth
I'm so in love with you my dear
How can I make this clear enough for you?

You can try and walk away
But don't you know that I'm here to stay?

Cause everybody knows, everybody knows,
Everybody knows, and everybody knows
Everybody knows the truth
I'm so in love with you my dear
How can I make this clear enough for you?

 

MIDNIGHT SONGS
I thought I saw your name on a marquee late last night
Your tarnished golden voice and cotton candy in your eyes
But you weren't around
With those midnight songs
Someone else was there
Wearing your city crown

This town could use your voice to silence all the rest
They're making bronze of a golden age like it's a contest
But you're not around
With those midnight songs
Someone else was there
Wearing your city crown
Where did you go?
Somewhere down the road
With your broken soul
Carrying a heavy load

I wish the songs we sang were still around, still around
Taking us higher than a ferris wheel
Don't look down...

I thought I saw your name on a marquee late last night
Your tarnished golden voice and cotton candy in your eyes
There are some nights
When I wish you were here
Under these lights
Helping me conquer the fear
But you're not around
It's just me up here
With these midnight songs
Fighting all of our fears

 

ODD NUMBERS
If I could go back I'd let you break my heart again
Bust it right in two so I can learn how to mend
Think about those nights, some heaven and some hell
I wouldn't trade it in to ease the pain that I felt

And I never understood all those trembling hands
I never understood all those footnotes
I never understood all those lines in the sand
I never understood and I never will

I have a curse that I could never seem to conquer
Counting odd numbers until I hearts finally blistered
Yes the darkness came but the light sure gave a try
I cherish every beam even though it may have lied

 

DON'T LET THE WORLD GET YOU DOWN
She's out dodging the sunlight
Just out of spite
She's out riding her bike up and down the block

Humming the same old tune
But it ends way too soon
The blue skies no longer make her talk

Hey, hey don't you worry
Everything will be alright tonight
Don't let the world get you down

She's got medicine on her mind
And a watch that can't tell time
Some say she will never come back home

The bell maybe broken
Cause there's no more tokens
But under that layer of rust is chrome

Hey, hey don't you worry
Everything will be alright tonight
Don't let the world get you down
Hey, hey don't you worry
Everything will be alright tonight
Don't let the world spin you around

The sun is starting to set
And tomorrow will reset
Another tortured day for her is near

When the morning comes
To this suburban kingdom
She'll be riding her bike across the frontier

 

RUNAWAY TRAINS
I don't even know what it means
Black or blue colored skies
Bad news and swollen dreams
Broken links and covert lies

And I don't even care
Because a runaway train doesn't know when to stop
Full of wounds down there
This runaway train doesn't know when to stop tonight

Victims counted on a single hand
Narrowed down to a finger
A spoonful gold on an acre of land
Rushing to find but never lingers

Don't pray for me
It wouldn't do any good
The angels in the attic
Wouldn't help if they could

 

LOOK OUT THE WINDOW
I just can't run anymore
Is that the wind or was it the door?
I don't know
I just don't know

Forty miles seem so damn far
But everybody can see the stars
I don't know
I just don't know

Don't you worry I'm still right here
With everything that we know
What do you say let's give it a shot
All I hear are the crows

So, go on, go on, go on look out the window
It's not so bad, it's not so bad
So, go on, go on, go on look out the window
It's not so bad, it's not so bad

On the radio I heard a voice
Was it God or just some noise
I don't know
I just don't know

Here we are just two beating hearts
Just waiting for the world to restart
I don't know
I just don't know

 

TELL ME WHAT I GOT TO DO
Come on tell me what I got to do
So I can stay in love with you
I'll do right now and I'll do it for good
And we won't have to look at where we stood

So, come on tell me what I got to do
I'll do it right now like I said I would
Come on tell me what I got to do

I was hiding in the shadows like I always did
In between the houses like a little kid
Until that day when the rain let up
And I held your hand with lady luck

 

GO TO SLEEP
Go to sleep little darling
Go to sleep tonight
Go to sleep little darling
Go to sleep tonight

I won't let any bad guys in
No matter how hard they try
So, go to sleep little darling
Go to sleep tonight

Wake up my little honey
Wake up right now
Look out the window and feel the sun
Breaking through the clouds

Can you feel all the love around
In between the shouts
Wake up my little honey
Wake up right now

I will guide you through the burning rain
Until your safe under the stars

 

TRAINS
​​​​​​​(instrumental)



















SEARCHING THROUGH THAT MINOR KEY
July 7, 2015
CD | iTunes | Amazon

SEARCHING THROUGH THAT MINOR KEY
Running circles in this rusty square room
Taking lessons from a beat up moon
Strumming strings that can’t be strummed
While the mercy beat drums

All these quarters will clog the well
And highway rainbows can be hard to sell
Even though they may turn dull
I still have a pocket full

Searching through that minor key
Grasping everything I can
Cause I’m waiting for that major feel
So I can wash these hands


DOGWOOD
Spring leaves will turn old
Blanket the ground like a golden road
Follow the path with the northern breeze
Out past the snow covered trees

And I’ll grow like you thought I would
And I’ll show my colors just like the dogwood

I keep the note in my pocket
With the scratches and the edit
I know my compass is cracked
But there’s no turning back

And I’ll know what it’s like to be free
And I’ll go, make my way back to the snow covered trees

Papers litter the floor
Artifacts that are too ignored
Maybe back in another time
I could have been drinking wine
Last time I saw your face
Is something that I can’t erase
After each decline of this stained timeline…

I will grow like you thought I would
I will show just like the dogwood
And I’ll know what it’s like to be free
And I’ll go, make my way back to the snow covered trees

Make my way back to the snow covered trees
Make my way back to the snow covered trees


IN THE MORNING
Death may come a little too close
But I will feel alive in the morning
Hunters of night will hide their bows
And I’ll be free to roam in the morning

And I’ve been gone so long it seems
The face in the lake looks wrong
When the day comes and I’m lost for good
It will land a day too long

Lord of song died long ago
But I will sing along in the morning
I’ll guide my soul on the wings of a sparrow
And I will fly away in the morning

Absent letters are too tough to recall
But I’ll pen my masterpiece in the morning
Empty parking lots and final curtain calls
I will bow away in the morning
I will bow away in the morning


SARAH
Sarah, I heard that you got a new last name
From a boy we both knew back in the tenth grade

Oh Sarah, don’t you know?
I see you on billboard signs
Oh Sarah, I’ll hold you in my mind

I remember when we first met and you touched my shoulder
The color of your eyes, they glistened just like silver

Oh Sarah, don’t you know?
I keep close to those times
Oh Sarah, I’ll hold you in my mind

As the years moved on and life decided to accelerate
Flicker of the light was underhanded by your fate
And when the summer came and went
And our love and time was spent
Now the Earth revolves from summer to fall

Sarah, I hope you find love in those stormy skies
I take comfort in the testimony of those eyes

Oh Sarah, don’t you know?
I see you on billboard signs
Oh Sarah, don’t you know?
I keep close to those times
Oh Sarah, I’ll hold you in my mind
Oh Sarah, I’ll hold you in my mind


PAPER AEROPLANES
I heard you call my name in the backyard
I never thought it would hit me so hard

I’ve been blind, I’ve been blind
I just want you to know

Painted aeroplanes racing through the sky
Distant thunderstorms and jars of fireflies

I’ve been blind, I’ve been blind
I just want you to know

I know that in my dreams I’ll find your black car
Drive it down the road and find you in the backyard

I’ve been blind, I’ve been blind
I just want you to know
I’ve been blind, I’ve been blind
I just want you to know


IN YOUR ARMS
Silver dollar in the sky and I know where it shines
In the spark of a dream, in the spark of a dream
I lost the key to the kingdom in an old shoebox
With an engine full of steam, with an engine full of steam

Count to three or is it four in the banquet hall
I was dying in your arms, I was dying in your arms
The rhythm of the sea, it flows like a waltz
And I couldn’t disarm, I couldn’t disarm

You tore my heart in two…

Now I’m waiting on a long layover
Yesterday I loved you forever
Now I’m waiting on a long layover
Yesterday I loved you forever

The night I cast the sail and emptied that chest
I knew, I knew
Maybe I should face the west and find that keyhole
That will take me back to you for good
It’ll take me back to you


LONELY HEART
Lonely heart why do you say hello from the start?
Bring your many sheets of sorrow

And I know, let her in and let her out
And she will show
How to deal with a lonely heart

Lonely heart you take hold like a lock that I can’t part
And I don’t have the strength left to knock

The Ferris wheel turns and the broken clowns sing
They are looking for someone to burn
I’m as high as starlight in a rusted cart
Descending down with my lonely heart


METAL TREE
Remember our first night on the lunar landscape?
Everything felt so brand new
A million stars above and endless nights to count
How long for the warmth of an afternoon

Skin wrapped around us like sheets of steel
And our hearts beat with the faintest will
Remember the way our faces turned white
In this stolen atmosphere with a cold that kills

I remember you like you remember me
Wishing on stars for relief
Countdown the days on that metal tree
And watch the time pass like a thief

The tears turn to ice and the glass blocks our touch
Please don’t turn away from me this time
Look all around and count the faces that you see
And tell me how many look just like mine

So far from home where the snow covers the ground
The same snow that covers this land
What I would give just to hear another voice
A voice that can’t be heard on the frequency bands


ALABASTER
Why do you wear that old ring?
It’s just a reminder of what we’ll never be
So toss it in the sea and make room for a gold heart
That will surely come as soon as you part

You count the tears as if they were shooting stars
Each one a wish for a flash in the dark
But I will hold your lantern, so don’t you dare fret
I will hold your hand if you need help with your step

Don’t let the ghosts of Halloween get you down
I will defend you with the words from my songs
And when Christmas comes around and the frost coats your window
I will be your angel in the alabaster snow

So, why do you wear that old ring?
It’s just a reminder of what we’ll never be
So, toss it in the sea and make room for a gold heart
That will surely come as soon as you part
That will surely come as soon as you part


PILE OF LEAVES
Follow the river flowing through the cracks
From the raindrops in your eyes
Watch it freeze then turn to diamonds
Under the auburn sky

See the houses lined up in rows
Walk up and down to find the one you know
It’s the little house down the street
Under a pile of leaves

The jack-o-lantern has finally healed
With his mended jaw
White picket fences guarding kids in yards
Until the winter thaws


















MESOCYCLONE
August 5, 2014
CD | iTunes | Amazon

THUNDERSTORMS
Trains move slow when you got somewhere to go
"Please come home," that's what she said during the thunderstorms

Just a few more miles to go
Just a few more towns to pass
I just want you to know
Thunderstorms don't last

The wind came strong, harder than any love song
The rain poured down, it took my love and took her crown


BLACK OR BLUE
If I only understood
I could have been your king
If I only understood
You would have kept this ring

If I only turned around
You could be next to me
If I only turned around
We could have found the key

And I know that tomorrow
You will see what's been missing you
But until then I will bend
I will beat the rain and clouds until it's black or blue

If I only kept this rose
You could have been happy
If I only kept this rose
I could have made you see

If I only understood
If I only turned around
If I only kept this rose
We wouldn't have to make a sound


PRETTY LITTLE DAFFODIL
Pretty little daffodil in the rain
Hanging on the stem of a broken chain
Petal by petal it's not the same
Pretty little daffodil in the rain

I never was a man with perfect pitch
I always had a crutch and a benefit
Everybody wants but nobody gives
I never was a man with perfect pitch

And don't you know
I've seen all of your dreams
In the scratch in the gold of a tarnished ring
That's where I've seen your silver dreams

I called your bluff and I called it hard
Now I'm left with a clotting scar
Another prayer with a wayward star
I called your bluff and I called it hard


MEMORIES
I remember talking about the sunny days
How it's never enough for me to say grace
You just smiled and shook your head and held my hand instead
The memories just stain on a timeline in stone

Your touch was wholesome and intensely profound
And that holy fortune felt guided and sound
Silver stars of the night sure brought out the fight
You were there for me when I couldn't be

The flickering lantern can't withstand this gale
And the surge has left us weathered and pale
The eternal fortune of sadness and grief
Could never be extinguished by the scope of relief

Sometimes at night I can feel your ghost
Telling me all the things that I need to hear the most
Just like the love we cherished, this too will perish
The memories we had are all that we'll ever have
The memories we had are all that we'll ever have


SUMMER RAIN
You're standing by railroad tracks
Waiting for the freight trains
To come rolling through
Drowning out that summer rain
But they never came
And you're drenched to the bone
Looking down at miles of steel
Hoping it will lead you home

You made it to an empty house
Where the screen door is still broke
You step inside
Everything smells like smoke
The cicadas still buzz
And the chimes still cry
You make it out the back
Without seeing a firefly

You stumble on main street
Where the stoplight is still red
No cars parked out front
Everything feels so dead
The bar that caught your eye
Is shut down for a while
No broken hearts on a bench
No lovers with their smiles


ODD NUMBERS
If I could go back I'd let you break my heart again
Bust it right in two so I can learn how to mend
Think about those nights, some heaven and some hell
I wouldn't trade it in to ease the pain that I felt

And I never understood all those trembling hands
I never understood all those footnotes
I never understood all those lines in the sand
I never understood and I never will

I have a curse that I could never seem to conquer
Counting odd numbers until I hearts finally blistered
Yes the darkness came but the light sure gave a try
I cherish every beam even though it may have lied

WITHOUT A HOME
February 26, 2013
CD | iTunes | Amazon

THE LUCKY ONES
Boulevards that we ride
Never did call your name
California skies
Never brought the fame
And the rain came pouring down
All across our faces
The touch from the sun
Never left its traces

Darlin’, darlin’, darlin’
Trains never showed
Darlin’, darlin’, darlin’
Let’s just let it go
Why can’t we be the lucky ones… again

Another town, another story
Another way to fake it
Another call down the wire
Another reason to forsake it
And the rain came pouring down
All across our faces
The touch from the sun
Never left its traces

All the photographs that we live through
Was never enough to make it by
And all the dreams that paint the walls
Never had the right amount of color to make it fly


GLITTER
I like the way your hair blows in the southern breeze
When you touch my face I feel the comfort and belief

But the glitter that blankets your eyes Is never satisfied
Follow me and I will make you see
That the rain never did fall
The plane never did stall
Take your love and throw it over me

When you call my name I feel like home is right where we are
I would capture your smile like fireflies in a jar

I will guard you from all the ghosts that haunt your dreams
I will guide you through all the traps up this stream


I DON'T THINK TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE A GOOD NIGHT
I was thinking that I was okay
Gaining ground in my state
I’ll just throw it away
I’ll just throw it away

The night doesn’t bite the same
The monsters can’t remember my name
I’ll just throw it away
I’ll just throw it away

And I don’t ever want to see you cry
And I don’t ever want to see you die

No, I don’t think tonight is going to be a good night
No, I don’t think tonight is going to be a good night

The blood is old and the glass got replaced
Evidence is locked in the safe
I’ll just throw it away
I’ll just throw it away


OVER MY HEAD
Did I see you before?
Were you standing there?
Freezing cold and soaking wet
In need of repair
I know mars is close
But the moon is far
We will fly in my ship
Into the scars

And the words came pouring down
The words came pouring down
And the words came pouring down
Over my head

“Reminders” and “could have been’s”
And open veins
Bleeding through the sheets
And leaving stains
The tremors from these hands
Will write my love
It’s all for you
Can you find the octave


BLACKOUT
We’ve been holding onto hope
A little too much, I guess
Looking through the telescope
Searching for that golden crest
The dove never came around
If it did we didn’t know
Solitude was greatly profound
We always find a way to miss that closing show

When the lights blackout
We will forget what it’s about
When the choir sings at the broken gate
Bells will ring in time… in time

I’m holding your hand
Like a child without a home
Finding diamonds in the sand
But they never fit our thrones
Through the fields of roses
Sits that house from our bones
But the ground is frozen
We better get inside before our cover gets blown

Can you hear the children sing?
In the streets of snow
Follow my voice now
Through the withering glow


L.A. RAIN
Fandangle skies always try
To make its points too strong
With the marquee letters
Makes the heart flutter
The siren sang to you her song

And the rain came down so hard
Blurring all the colors on the postcards

I don’t know why you stick around
And I don’t know, you’ll never be found
The L.A. rain, The L.A. rain
Brings nothing but poison
The L.A. rain, The L.A. rain
Brings nothing but poison and pain

Freeway brought the time to remember your lines
That you know too well
Like, “I’m living the dream,”
“It’s not what is seams”
But honey it’s so easy to tell


NEVER ENOUGH
I’m holding your hand
I’m doing the best that I can
Feeling lucky inside
Not lucky enough for those teary eyes

Count the stars that never came through
And tell me how many are left for us to choose

Wonder through the woods
Where the past is more than understood
Scattering bones
Lead to a world where you stay alone

Count the stars that never came through
And tell me how many are left for us to choose
It’s never enough
No, it’s never enough
It’s never enough to shatter away the blues


THIS CITY
City streets always make feel so incomplete
Full of doubt that I can’t compete
No, I can’t compete

Parking lots are the places where the lovers cross
Full passion that gets lost
With the age of thought

This city never felt like home
This city never felt like home
This city never felt like home
Just run your fingers through the cracks of the
sidewalk where the past really seems to never ever wanna talk.

Count the lights on the buildings, they are so bright
Like a Christmas on a snowy night
With the air that bites

Traffic sounds makes my head spin around, around
Leaves me anxious like falling down
Just let me fall down


27 STORIES
I don’t want to become something I’m running from
I just want to be free to play hide and seek
Crash and burn in the ground without making a sound
Is that so hard to believe or is it just me

And I just want to fall 27 stories and not recall
And I just want to climb 27 stories I can’t find
And I don’t mind if you don’t follow along

I’ve been washing these hands through the gravel and the sand
Bloodied palms and dirtied knees leaves my soul empty
Can you hear the shots ring out, I need to find another route
Some place where the snow falls like tears out in the hall.


I JUST WANT TO FEEL REAL
I didn’t see the cards
I didn’t see the deal
There’s no ace up my sleeve
There’s no chips I can steal
Run your hands through my hair
And tell me it’s alright
The man outside my door
Is the man what wants to fight

And I don’t see the things that you want me to see
I don’t feel the things that you want me to feel
I just want to lie down and wait to feel real
I just want to feel real

The blinds on my window
Hang like bars on a cage
The telephone rings like
A storm full of rage
Shout my name through the fog
With my hands stretched out to you
Where did you go
Do you need a rescue?

Can we please just get out of this place????