Can a Poor Man Get a Fair Trial?

kypharness — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 06:47:31 +0000

Can a Poor Man Get a Fair Trial?

1. WONDERFUL TO SEE

2. THE OLD CRONE IN THE FOREST

3. NO OTHER BIRD

4. THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN

5. PRINCE OF DREAMS

6. THE ASSASSIN

7. THE KING AND THE PAUPER

8. BACK TO LIFE

9. THE SNAKE

10. THE CRIMINAL

11. THE JESTER

12. EVERY DAY HAS TROUBLES OF ITS OWN

Buy on iTunes

Buy CD at Maplemusic.com

Wonderful to See

If I never saw the dawn I’d know you look the way the first bird of dawn sings

Just like the spring

If I never saw the ocean I’d know you love me the way the waves come collapsin’

You do me in

You’re wonderful to see

You’re nothing less than a gift of God to me

Sometimes when you’re close you’re far away and when you’re far away you’re near

Right in my ear

Sometimes it seems like there’s so many things about you that are never gonna die

And I know why

You’re wonderful to see

You’re nothing less than a gift of God to me

Mr. Franks came into town sayin’ everything he touched was his to own

And his alone

He sent some flunkies in a van to us and they all commanded us to bow

But we didn’t know how

You’re wonderful to see

You’re nothing less than a gift of God to me

Sunlight shimmering on a stream, I don’t know if it’s a memory from the past

Or from a dream

But there’s something in this vision of golden warmth that seems to be all tied up with you

Out in the blue

You’re wonderful to see

You’re nothing less than a gift of God to me

The Old Crone in the Forest

The old crone lived in the forest with her daughter beautiful and kind

When the young men came around for her she kept her daughter so confined

“Are you strong enough to hold her? Can you give more than you take?

Until you prove these things to me, my daughter’s hand you’ll never take.”

“I’m strong enough to hold her, I will give more than I get

If you give your daughter’s hand to me I’ll be forever in your debt.”

The old crone left the room and changed herself into the form

Of her daughter’s body and walked back through the door

Her beauty captured the young man’s heart like a bird inside a snare

He could hardly believe the heaven that confronted him there

“Will you give your life, your love,” she said, “will you give your soul to me?”

“I will give my life, my love,” he said, “I will give my soul to thee.”

At that the old crone laughed and her beauty fell aside

“No man who’d give his soul away will ever have my daughter for his bride.”

The young man struck the old crone down and ran up the stairs

To the daughter’s bedroom and found that it was bare.

The old crone lived in the forest with her even older slave

In a house the villagers pass by as if it was a grave

Staring at each other across a room so paralysed and still

With the fading memory of beauty and an eternity to kill

No Other Bird

Like a bird caught in a storm a long long way from home

Clouds of darkness without form have attacked you where you roam

But someday when the clouds part, like curtains before a screen

You’ll look anew into a blue no other bird has seen

Like a bird who flies too high and is flung back down to earth

You’ve been stranded high and dry where nothing is of worth

Later on, when the wounds have healed from the pain of wisdom known

You’ll fly high across a sky no other bird has flown

Nothing is forever

Not even forever

Green pastures of August

Are not found in December

Fly on, fly on, fly on my friend – why live if you’re not free?

Fly on somewhere beyond the end where you can be what you deserve to be

The skies are clear, the sun is bright, nothing’s encumbering you

The time has come to take flight and do what no other bird can do

The Old Man of the Mountain

There was an old man and he lived in the mountain

Though everyone around him thought he lived with them

He believed everybody was an enemy

Till they could be proved to be friend

He had a house full of treasure and plenty

But inside he was empty as a well gone dry

And all the people around him were shadows

Their word were echoes that faded as they died

A salesman came and approached him

And broached to him a brand new plan

“I believe your plan has much chance of success,

I wish to invest in it” said the old man

The old man and the salesman went into business

They amassed their riches from sea to sea

But the salesman had eyes like claws

The only law he knew was gravity

He took the satchel with the profits in it

And he made off with it to the border

But the old man of the mountain knew what was happenin’

He had the sheriff chase and capture him in short order

The salesman got a life sentence

The old man went back to the mountain, glad that justice was done

But when he got there he found his house was empty

All the treasure and plenty was gone

All the people around him picked up the old man of the mountain

And they took him inside

Gave him food and water, and for a long time he lived there

Till many years later he died.

Prince of Dreams

If I was the prince of dreams and you were my princess

I would clothe my love in robes of red and grant you all your wishes

We’d ride my horse of colours up the mountainside and visit

All the cities of gold that taunt us with their beauty and their distance

After we’d been cleansed by rain

And purified by fire

We’d find our village far below

And quietly retire

And we would live there humbly, wanting nothing, finally free

In love forever, if I was the prince of dreams

But I am not the prince of dreams nor even a relation

I’m just another toiler in the vineyard of creation

I don’t have no special answer for this or any situation

I can’t save you from your sorrow or from your expectation

And I do not know the prince of dreams

I’ve only heard his laughter

In the night before I touch you

In the light the morning after

When we rise and find our perfect love has left us lost at sea

He is standing in the shadows, prince of dreams

But you and I we can’t look back, we’ve only got each other

And this love that sometimes wounds us, sometimes heals the wounds we suffer

There’ll be days the sky may crush us till there’s nothing left to offer

And nights our love is glowing like a candle on an altar

But when I take you by the hand

And look into your eyes

And see an endless emptiness

Nothing could satisfy

Then I know it’s he you take me for

Of please do not mistake me for

The one I’ll never be, the prince of dreams

The Assassin

The Assassin tracked his prey down to a dark and hidden place

Sayin’ “I don’t wanna hit you from behind, turn around so I can see your face.”

His prey turned around and greeted him with a smile:

“Glad to make your acquaintance, I know you’ve been following me for miles.

“This thing you’re gonna do, I know you’ll do it fast

I know you’re a busy man, you have no time to pass

I’ve seen your work before, I know you know what to do

You’ve been practising for years – well, I have too

“You’ve taken out the mighty, you’ve taken out the rare

Some left this world with a curse, some left it with a prayer

But you don’t care about that, you’re just trying to do your job

To destroy what you can’t defeat, to steal what you can’t rob.

“And you don’t dare to think of what you’re accomplishing

You keep yourself so busy to hide the fact you do nothing

For all your expertise, for all the harm you’ve done

You’re like a child lifting up his finger to blot out the sun.”

In a blaze of fire the assassin did his job and stole away

To another rendezvous, then one day he died and was buried beside his prey

Their tombstones together in a dark and haunted place

Covered up by ivy that joined them in embrace

The King and the Pauper

There was a king who had everything

Everything except what he truly desired

He could make the evening stars sing

But he couldn’t make them sing in a choir

He had every type of invention and device

To utilize for his pleasure

He had privilege and influence on ice

To toy with at his leisure

He knew the world and his role in it

He had control and he knew what to control with it

The king rode in his carriage down the lane

And came upon a pauper lying there

“I can’t move,” the pauper said “my foot is sprained

Would you kindly go around me if you care?”

The king said “I will not go around”

Told his men to move the pauper off the road

But though all the men bent down

It seemed they just could not get ahold

They couldn’t lift him up

So the king got angry

Said “Get out of the way I’ll do it myself, God help me”

He struggled till his face was red

The pauper just lay there and smiled

“By what magic do you do this?” the king said

“There is no magic,” said the pauper, “you’re a child.”

“I insist you tell me now,” said the king

“Or else I will have you killed.”

The pauper laughed “You can’t do anything

You never did and you never will

I don’t believe in your system

That divides, that excludes

In the name of liberty

And I’ll never move till it ceases to be.”

The king said “I insist you tell me now”

“Alright” the pauper said, and leapt up to his feet

And instructed the king to lie down

As he climbed up to the carriage seat

Up behind the clouds there was a rumbling

As the pauper took up the reins

And drove the carriage round the king

As he made his way from his domain

And the king lying on the ground

Watched as the future of his kingdom unwound.

Back to Life

When the day is too long

And I can’t carry on

When I’m waiting for the night

There’s a tune that I hear

Whispering softly in my ear

Your love sings me, your love brings me

Back to life

Can’t remember where I’ve been

Genghis Khan or Gunga Din

I’m only hitchin’ this ride

But no matter where I am

I’m only livin’ for the time when

Your love sings me, your love brings me

Back to life

I was in the whirlwind

Till you reeled me in again

I was almost blown away

When I’m starin’ at the wall

When I’m nowhere at all

As if I’d never seen the light

When I’m naked and alone

You roll away the stone

Your love sings me, your love brings me

Back to life

The Snake

The maiden went out walkin’ down by the shore

She met a snake who said “Kiss me, I’ll give you what you never had before”

“Oh no” said the maiden, “I’ve heard about this

And I know how it ends, you’ll have to go someplace else to get that kiss”

“Oh no” said the snake “I’ve got what you want”

The maiden said “Don’t taunt me” The snake said “It’s no taunt”

The maiden said “Can you give me money?”

The snake said “I’ve got no money it’s true

But I can give you what everybody in the world pursues

It brings countries into ruin, it brings nations to their knees

It makes strong men beg for mercy, makes women’s hearts turn cold and freeze

It makes the babies cry, stops the tiger in its tracks

It’s the last sight a beggar sees as he goes slidin’ through the cracks

To the bottom of the barrel, in the shadow of the noose

In the trenches of the war for which there is no truce

In the broken, bloodied streets and in the widow’s dust

In the courtroom of the law that is neither kind or just”

“Alright,” said the maiden, “I’ve heard about this all I can take”

She shrugged and bent down to kiss the lips of the snake

Just then her jealous suitor came over the hill with an axe

Chopped the head off of the snake, took the maiden’s hand and took her to task

They got married and one by one the days they slowly crept

They had a son and later on he murdered them as they slept.

The Criminal

“Off with his head! Off with his head!”

Said the queen but the prince said “Why not reconsider?

Don’t forget he still owes us some bread

Why not get the money now and kill him later?”

“Hey” said the queen, “that’s a good idea

“Take him down to the dungeon and torture him till he starts talkin’”

“Alright” said the prince, “well, I guess I’ll see ya”

Said to the criminal: “Come on, big boy, let’s start walkin’”

They went down to the dungeon where they saw Joe

“Hey Joe, are you busy?” “Well, yes I guess you could say so

This torturin’ is big business you know

And I never dreamed that it could pay so.”

“Fair enough well here’s another customer,” said the prince

“Work him over and we’ll see what he shows us.”

“Just the usual?” asked Joe. “Yeah, within an inch!

We gotta get the lowdown on some money that he owes us”

Just then the criminal spoke up and said “It’s the queen –

I gave the money to her though she told me not to say it to ya

Why don’t you go and ask her if she knows what I mean?

Who knows – maybe she’ll even pay it to ya.”

“Alright” said the prince, “I’ll take your word although I hate it

But if I find you’ve been lyin’ you’re gonna get it worse, I warn ya”

He ran up to the queen’s chambers but found they were vacated

She’d run off with her husband’s brother to California

The prince ran back to the dungeon spitting with his rage,

Looked around in vain to find the man who upset him so

“Where’d he go?” he said to Joe, “How’d he escape from the cage?”

“He didn’t escape,” said Joe “I let him go.

“Come to think of it I’m not too happy ‘bout all this torturing you’ve made me do

With no pension plan for all these years

You’ve taken advantage of me,” said Joe as he looked down at his shoes

“You’ve never paid attention to my tears.”

“Oh come now, Joe,” said the prince “there’s no need to get riled

You won’t get a notion to torture me now will ya?”

“I’m not gonna torture you,” Joe told him with a smile:

“I’m gonna torture you, I’m gonna kill ya.”

The Jester

There was a jester who couldn’t make anybody laugh

So he was always out of work

People thought his jokes were too clever by half

And when he told them he sounded like a jerk

He walked down the street with his family behind him

They had no place to go ‘cause he didn’t have any money

Lookin’ in garbage cans to see what was inside them

All because he wasn’t funny

There was a man who never happy

Though everybody thought he should have been

He had love, he had money, he had family

But no evidence of happiness was seen

Nobody around him could remember

The last time they ever saw him laugh

Somebody thought they saw him smile one September

But that just turned out to be gas

The man who was never happy met the jester who was never funny

And they really hit it off

The man who was never happy took the jester in and gave him money

And set his kids up in a loft

The man who was never happy loved the jester who was never funny

Because he didn’t have to feel bad about bein’ sad

The jester who was never funny loved the man who was never happy

‘Cause when he couldn’t make him laugh he didn’t have to feel bad.

They lived together till the age of a hundred and five

And they died on the very same night

Their funeral was broadcast everywhere live

And the people watched it far and wide

And as the caskets were being carried out by the bereaved

They slipped and went shooting down the stairs like roller coasters

And were smashed to pieces in the middle of the street

As the whole world rocked with laughter.

Every Day Has Troubles Of its Own

There’s an old man starin’ at the setting sun

Wonderin’ to himself if it’ll be the last one

The days are getting shorter, shadows are lengthening

He feels it in his bones he might not make it to the spring

But he looks up to the sky and he sees a ray

No doubt in his mind it’s gonna take him away

Jesus says every day has troubles of its own

You’re born alone, you die alone

Nothing’s written in stone

When you’re born or when you’re grown

She’s lookin’ for her husband, if he’s still alive

She waiting for something that will never arrive

He’s another casualty, one among scores

Of another war, in a world of many wars

She looks up at the sky and she sees a ray

No doubt in her mind it’s gonna take her away

Jesus says every day has troubles of its own

You’re born alone, you die alone

Nothing’s written in stone

When you’re born or when you’re grown

A little baby’s lookin ‘round with eyes as wide as the sun

Sittin’ on her mama’s lap on a subway run

She sees the dirt and the trash, the people tired and bored

Like she’s lookin’ at silver and gold and jewels and bright coloured clothes

On dukes and ladies in the palace of the lord

And she looks up in the sky and she sees a ray

No doubt in her mind it’s gonna take her away

Jesus says every day has troubles of its own

You’re born alone, you die alone

Nothing’s written in stone

When you’re born or when you’re grown

Filed under: Albums, Can a Poor Man Get a Fair Trial?, Lyrics

The Wrong Way

kypharness — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 01:15:41 +0000

The Wrong Way

1. AUTUMN LEAVES

2. THE WRONG WAY

3. START ANEW

4. BABY GET THE BLUES

5. TRUE BLUE

6. PROPHET

7. RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE

8. LUCKY FOR YOU

9. SHADOWS OF THE FALLING TWILIGHT

10. LOVELY CHRISTMAS

11. GIRL FROM A SMALL TOWN

12.. THERE IS A PLACE

13. ALWAYS HERE

Buy on iTunes

Buy CD at Maple Music

Autumn Leaves

My tears are fallin’ like the autumn leaves

As I think back on the ones I used to know

Autumn wind is howlin’ with a wintry breeze

Takin’ it with me as it blows

Some were mad and some were bad

Some lived underneath the ground

None of’em had much money, there was little to be had

As they followed the seasons of their lives around

Blow autumn leaves, blow autumn breeze

Let your ghostly dance entrance me once again

It’s freezin’ far and wide but there’s a summer sun inside

Tellin’ me the pleasure’s worth the pain

Some were husbands, some were wives

Some live forever in their dreams

Some took their time, some took their lives

Too personally

Like telephone wires in the wind their souls did sing

To the end of the line or just for a couple of months

The one thing they had in common was they all lost everything

Gradually or all at once

Blow autumn leaves, blow autumn breeze

Let your ghostly dance entrance me once again

It’s freezin’ far and wide but there’s a summer sun inside

Tellin’ me the pleasure’s worth the pain

The Wrong Way

I don’t know what I’m doing

All I know is I’m doing it the wrong way

I don’t know where I’m going

All I know is I’m going there the wrong way

There must come a time in everybody’s life

They must choose the way to go

And I know I’ve chosen mine

I’m goin’ the wrong way

I met a man just yesterday as I was walkin’ down the hall

He said I fail to see the big predicament, I said “I fail to see anything at all”

He said “We’re taking step to rectify the problem which has plagued us of late”

I said “Let me know when you get it all fixed up but don’t knock early, I sleep late”

I don’t know what I’m doing

All I know is I’m doing it the wrong way

I don’t know where I’m going

All I know is I’m going there the wrong way

There must come a time in everybody’s life

They must choose the way to go

And I know I’ve chosen mine

I’m goin’ the wrong way

I was eating a croissant one day when a man came up to me

He said “Can you move? We wanto build a monument here

To those killed in wars this century”

I said “Can you wait till I finish my croissant?” He said “Yes we will”

But by the time I finished it they had three more monuments they had to build.

I don’t know what I’m doing

All I know is I’m doing it the wrong way

I don’t know where I’m going

All I know is I’m going there the wrong way

There must come a time in everybody’s life

They must choose the way to go

And I know I’ve chosen mine

I’m goin’ the wrong way

I remember a teacher I had back in school

He said to me “You’re a fool” I said “Who’s the fool?”

I said “Only yesterday you told me that I know everything.”

He said “When’d I say that?” I said “When you told me

No-one could teach me anything.”

I don’t know what I’m doing

All I know is I’m doing it the wrong way

I don’t know where I’m going

All I know is I’m going there the wrong way

There must come a time in everybody’s life

They must choose the way to go

And I know I’ve chosen mine

I’m goin’ the wrong way

Start Anew

Start anew

Leave the past behind you

Start anew

Don’t let the past define you

When everything you’ve found

Has fallen to the ground

All it’s doin’ is tellin’ you

Start Anew

Start anew

Though your dreams are broken

Start Anew

Though it seems that fate has spoken

It’s just a thought inside your mind

That keeps you left behind

Let another thought bust through

Start anew

Everything you’ve been

Is just a passing scene

On the way to where you’re going

And who you’ll be

Start Anew

As the dawn is breakin’

Start anew

As your heart is shakin’

The sun that fights its way

Through the angry clouds of grey

Has a message just for you

Start anew

Baby Gets the Blues

Where has it gone, that carefree air?

Where has it gone, that devil may care?

The sun has gone out, the moon has too

And the sky has to hide its face

When baby gets the blues

Why should she lose that wondrous glow

Just because the same old voice keeps tellin’ all her dreams ‘No’?

Can’t she just get on with it? Everybody’s dream can’t come true

Can’t she hide her broken heart and spare us all the sight

Of when baby gets the blues?

But when those blues get put away

Well brother, you ain’t seen nothin’ like it

And the light that comes from off her face

Could set this world on fire with lightnin’

Is there nothing to be done? Is there nothing left to say

But to turn silently away and pray for the day she’ll be okay?

But for now there are no colours, the trees are nearly bent in two

And the wind can’t find the will to blow

When baby gets the blues.

True Blue

I’m keepin’ it clean, keepin’ it above the belt

Don’t wanna put my ice where it might melt

I’m keepin’ it true, keepin’ it true

True blue for you

Don’t wanna get messed up, don’t wanna get balled up

Don’t wanna get sized up, seized up, cracked up or called up

I’m keepin’ it true, keepin’ it true

True blue for you

Crawl into my bed and the end of the day

Pull the covers up all the way

Keepin’ it true, keepin’ it true

True blue for you

So many windows are open

So many doors are closed

So many vows are broken

Somebody’s always lookin’ up somebody else’s nose

Standin’ on the corner starin’ at my hand

Don’t need no watch, no watchband

Keepin’ it true, keepin’ it true

True blue for you

I went down to the chapel in the forest

That in my youth I knew so well

But the chapel had been purchased by new owners

Everything had gone to hell

Keep my eyes straight ahead as I’m walkin’ the line

Even when I know something’s creepin’ up behind

Keepin’ it true, keepin’ it true

True blue for you

Prophet

Kinda like a prophet whose time has not yet come

Kinda like a wizard whose wand is on the bum

Kinda like a pilgrim on the road to Kingdom Come

Break it open, bust it open

See what’s inside it, don’t try to hide it

Let it bleed

Until you are healed

Kinda like a traitor tryin’ to get back in the fold

Kinda like a captain with nothing in the hold

Kinda like a seller who has been oversold

Break it open, bust it open

See what’s inside it, don’t try to hide it

Let it bleed

Until you are healed

Kinda like a warrior who has no war to fight

Kinda like a watchman who’s frightened of the night

Kinda like a runaway who has just missed her flight

Break it open, bust it open

See what’s inside it, don’t try to hide it

Let it bleed

Until you are healed

Kinda like a saviour who has no-one to save

Kinda like a lover whose love is in the grave

Kinda like a master who is himself a slave

Break it open, bust it open

See what’s inside it, don’t try to hide it

Let it bleed

Until you are healed

Right Where You Are

It’s such a long way when you’re out on your own

It’s such a long way when you’re so far from home

And if I can’t see you, from near or afar

If you want to know my heart

It’s right where you are

Even if I can’t hold you close

My love will be there when you need it the most

Like a light shinin’ down from a bright distant star

Wherever you’re bound

It’s right where you are

All my emotions rise like the tide

Whenever you’re on my mind, whenever you’re at my side

I searched the world over only to see

Right where you are is where I want to be

I’ve seen all the struggle in sweat and in tears

Through the nights without number, the long nameless years

But a love that’s this big can’t be kept in a jar

When it’s wide as they sky

And it’s right where you are

All my emotions rise like the tide

Whenever you’re on my mind, whenever you’re at my side

I searched the world over only to see

Right where you are is where I want to be

All the memories that bind us with their fine chain of mist

We thought the past was behind us, then we found it doesn’t exist

Now I’m standin’ out here where the main road’s so far

On the trail of my tears

To right where you are

Lucky For You

Can’t get nothin’ back from this job

I’m too proud to beg, too lazy to rob

Can’t get nothin’ happenin’ in this place

Gonna change my name maybe my face

No sense in bangin’ your head against the wall

Might as well knock it down with a wreckin’ ball

Lucky for you I’m in a good mood today

If I see you tomorrow I might have to blow you away

The criminal class and the ones in power

Are one and the same, makin’ love in the shower

Gonna get married, pickin’ out plates

Evil and stupidity make fabulous bedmates

Remember when they told you you could be anything at all?

Never told you about the liars, fools and idiots crowdin’ up the hall

But it’s lucky for you I’m in a good mood today

If I see you tomorrow I might have to blow you away

The senselessness is endless, you can’t take it seriously

That the poor will pay for the sins of the rich is the only certainty

Ignorance is worshiped, it’s all part of the plan

To get ahold and keep ahold of everything they can

The elite and decadent defenders of the wealth

Prepared to tear the whole thing down to get a little more for themselves

It’s lucky for you I’m in a good mood today

If I see you tomorrow I might have to blow you away

The sacred trust of innocence has been torn and trampled on

Anything that interferes with makin’ a buck is gone

They don’t believe life is sacred, hear their children cry

They’re not corporations they don’t care if they live or die

In the pain and shame of poverty, in the cycle of addiction

They don’t look after them at birth, they look after them later on in prison

If society is judged by how it treats the weak and small

We might as well not even have a society at all

But it’s lucky for you I’m in a good mood today

If I see you tomorrow I might have to blow you away

Shadows of the Falling Twilight

Did you get lost?

And at what cost?

Did you pass through the gate?

Or was it too late?

Did you go to the feast

Payin’ tribute to the beast?

Did you stand in the crowd

With your head still unbowed?

Did you receive

What you believed?

Were you deceived

In the shadows of the falling twilight?

Did you ask for a sign?

Or for some diamonds to mine?

When the past was erased

And the flood took its place

Over mountains and hills

Where it’s risin’ there still

Did you know what to save?

What to leave in the grave?

Did you get by

With your fortune held high?

Did you ask why

In the shadows of the falling twilight?

There was a voice

There was a choice

There was a child

In the place where God always smiled

Where the morning was new

And covered in dew

Has it all been eclipsed?

Is it at your fingertips?

Did you return?

Did you get burned?

Did you learn all you could learn

In the shadows of the falling twilight?

Did you speak up?

Did you drink from the cup?

Were you corrupted

In the shadow of the falling twilight?

There’s a storm on the way

It’s collecting the days

And it’s taking them fast

To a place in the past

In the farm, in the store

In the traffic jam roar

The arrow shoots through

It’s coming for you

In the cave of the abyss

I wait for your kiss

Until it’s all that exists

In the shadows of the falling twilight.

Lovely Christmas

Lovely Christmas to you

It’s so nice to see you home again

Lovely Christmas to you

No-one needs to be alone again

Lovely Christmas to you

Have a cup of Christmas cheer

Lovely Christmas to you

and a Happy New Year

Lovely Christmas to you

Look at all the things you’ve gotten

Everything can be forgotten

For a day, just for a day

Now’s the time to love each other

Why can’t we be lovin’ one another

Everyday, every other day?

Lovely Christmas to you

We’re surviving still

Lovely Christmas to you

And to all peace and goodwill

Lovely Christmas to you

Girl From a Small Town

She was a girl from a small town

She lived in a small house

She had a small cat

Who chased a small mouse

She had a little brother

Who was in little league

Big business came

With a big lawn mower

With a big road paver

With a big box store

Everything got so big

No-one could see

Where it all came from

Or what it was all supposed to be

Everything fell apart

Things fell from the sky

Things were fallin’ in the park

Things fell from their eyes

And later on

After it all came down

All that could be found

On the ground

Was a girl from a small town

She lived in a small house

She had a small cat

Who chased a small mouse

She had a little brother

Who was in little league

There is a Place

There is a place where we can be

There is a place for you and me

And if I get by before I die

I will save a place for you

There is a place where all may come

There is a place beyond the engine’s hum

And if you get by before you die

Won’t you save a place for me?

I’m not lookin’ for any special treatment

I just want to be seen for who I am

All I want to know is what the sleet meant

When it was fallin’ so merciless and grand

There is a place we can be true

There is a place beneath our shoes

And if you get by before you die

Won’t you save a place for me?

I’m not lookin’ for any special favour

I’m just tied of the same old neighbourhood

It’s a nice place to visit but I can’t stay there

Not since I listened to the sound of my own blood

There is a place we’re coming to

Beyond the place we’re passing through

And if you get by before you die

Won’t you save a place for me?

If I get by before I die

I will save a place for you

Always Here

Why does time hang so heavy?

Why do the hours seem so empty?

When loneliness in my mind burns

When will I ever learn?

You’re always here,

Always near with an expression of

The truth and love

You give me so much of

Always here,

Always near and my sorrow’s displaced

By the strength and grace

Of your warm embrace

When it rains, when it storms

When the road ahead is full of shadowy forms

I catch my breath, I catch my heart

Then I know before I start –

You’re always here,

Always near with an expression of

The truth and love

You give me so much of

Always here,

Always near and my sorrow’s displaced

By the strength and grace

Of your warm embrace

And when the day is closed before me

You’re always here to clear the way for me

Filed under: Albums, Lyrics, The Wrong Way

Canadian Musician Article

kypharness — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:35:18 +0000

Click to Enlarge.

Filed under: Uncategorized

The Art of Charlie Chaplin: A Film-By-Film Analysis (2007)

kypharness — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:24:53 +0000

About the book:

This thorough critical study of Chaplin’s films traces his acting career chronologically, from his initial appearance in 1914′s Making a Living to his final starring role in 1957′s A King in New York. Emphasizing Chaplin’s technique and the steady evolution of his Tramp character, the author frames the biographical details of Chaplin’s life within the context of his acting and filmmaking career, giving special attention to the films Chaplin directed/produced.

Click here to BUY “The Art of Charlie Chaplin” on Amazon.com

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Customer Reviews:

5 stars…by J. Tigert (Amazon Customer / Sacramento, CA)
A penetrating and judicious assessment of Chaplin’s achievement. No glossy photos, and only those biographical details deemed relevant to the analysis of the films, this book was a genuine pleasure to read. It prompted me to revisit some of the classic films in addition to tracking down a few I had not heard of. The chapter on The Great Dictator is superb. Includes a filmography.

5 stars… by Dan Kamin (Amazon Customer / Pittsburgh, PA)
There have been hundreds of books on Chaplin. I’ve read most of them, wrote two of them, and trained Robert Downey, Jr. for his performance in the Chaplin biopic. I’m an expert on the subject, so I wasn’t expecting to be surprised by what I thought would be just another survey book that rehashes the plots of Chaplin’s many films.

But Kyp Harness goes much deeper. In lucid, elegant prose he provides a guided tour into the very heart of Chaplin’s cinematic achievement–the evolution of his character, his comedy, his thematic development and his genius as a producer and director. He demonstrates, quite convincingly, the nature of Chaplin’s greatness, rather than simply stating it as a given. Harness gets to the essence, shrewdly combining plot and theme analysis with a canny sense of such practical performance matters as how Chaplin persuades audiences that his character is real, despite the fact that his performances are so highly stylized. He’s particularly good at tracing how Chaplin’s best comedy grows from the most serious subject matter. While these topics have all been covered by other books, notably Walter Kerr’s The Silent Clowns and John Kimber’s The Art of Charlie Chaplin, Harness brings a clear, fresh viewpoint to the discussion.

His book is, paradoxically, a basic primer on Chaplin, summarizing and discussing every one of his films, yet one that’s also entirely satisfying to the expert reader. This is due to Harness’ many brilliant insights into Chaplin’s art. It’s exhilarating to read, as though we’re present at the moment of creation. I would count it among the best books ever written on the comedian.

Click here to BUY “The Art of Charlie Chaplin” on Amazon.com

Filed under: Books, The Art of Charlie Chaplin: A Film-By-Film Analysis

The Art of Laurel and Hardy: Graceful Calamity in the Films (2006)

kypharness — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:41:42 +0000

About the book:

From the early days of film came Laurel and Hardy, a comedy team that created slapstick hilarity from life’s simplest situations. Some seventy years after their heyday, Arthur Stanley Jefferson and Oliver Norvell “Babe” Hardy are still remembered for the comic chaos they created in film shorts. They gave us something to laugh at by reminding us of our own foibles, in a way that was genuine and unpretentious. The lanky Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and portly Ollie Hardy (1892–1957) had but one objective: to create as many laughs as would fit in one short film. And that, they did. The book begins by exploring their comedy in the early days of film. A chapter is dedicated to each of “the boys”—Laurel from Ulverston, England, and Hardy from the state of Georgia—as a person and performer. Further chapters explore the slapstick and gags of Laurel and Hardy and how the pair survived the transition to sound that left behind many actors of the day. It was only when they began to work for large studios, churning out cookie-cutter scripts, that their art began to lose its way. The book takes the reader through the ups and downs of their careers and to a final comeback. A filmography lists works from 1917 to 1951 with information on availability.

Click here to BUY “The Art of Laurel and Hardy” on Amazon.com

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Customer Reviews:

5 stars by Baltimore, MD (Amazon customer)
As a life-long Laurel and Hardy fan,it was a given that I would have to order the new book about them,even though I felt the $35.00 price tag was high,especially for a paperback. At that price,I reasoned,it must be huge and loaded with pictures;maybe many I don’t already have.With thirty-plus books about L & H on my shelf already it seemed logical that “The Art of Laurel and Hardy” would have to be a big picture book:what could possibly be left to write about them? Well, I must say, I was crestfallen when it arrived:not only was it considerably smaller than I had expected,but it had no – count them – NO pictures at all! I was so initially disappointed that I considered returning it for a refund. Then something happened that changed my opinion completely: I read it. I didn’t think it was possible, but Kip Harness has managed to write a totally fresh and uniquely insightful analysis of what made Laurel and Hardy so great. And,more importantly, why so many of us love them so much. Any fan of the”boys” will love this book,and for those who are new to their art,this is a tremendous introduction. In my humble opinion,”The Art of Laurel and Hardy” by Kyp Harness is the best book yet about the greatest comedy team ever.

5 stars by Greg (Amazon customer)
This is the best book I’ve ever read about the ART of the classic team and I believe I’ve read them all. The Magic Behind the Movies by Randy Skretvedt is the best book on how the films were made but this one focuses on what ended up on screen. It thoughtfully and with great intelligence, analyzes the characters and situations exhibited throughout the long term partnership of the boys and in a way that makes it a great read. It is totally worth the price and a must have for anyone who loves Laurel and Hardy or anyone who wants to learn why two comics became immortals of the screen.

Click here to BUY “The Art of Laurel and Hardy” on Amazon.com

Filed under: Books, The Art of Laurel and Hardy: Graceful Calamity in the Films

Journey To The Sun: Lyrics So Far (1991-2004)

kypharness — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:13:49 +0000

Journey To The Sun: Lyrics So Far 1991-2004
A compilation of lyrics on Kyp’s first seven albums up to and including The Miracle Business.

Click here to BUY “Journey To The Sun” on MapleMusic.com

Filed under: Books, Journey To The Sun: Lyrics So Far, Lyrics

Resurrection Gold (2011)

kypharness — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:41:53 +0000

Buy the CD!

Buy the Download!

1. PASSENGER
2. PICK ME UP BABY
3. LOVE BEYOND REPAIR
4. WANDERING HEART
5. ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
6. DRAGONFLY WING
7. DON’T EVEN KNOW
8. AS WE GO SPINNING MADLY ON
9. DIGGIN’ YOUR VIBE
10. ON THE BANKS OF THE ST. CLAIR

PASSENGER

In dreams I come upon the promised land
But I always hesitate before I enter
Only for a moment to entertain a passing thought
But that moment always becomes forever
But then I know if there’s a party goin’ on
It matters not if I’m an early or a late arriver
All that matters is that I get there in one piece
Whether I’m the passenger or I’m the driver

I dreamed that everytime I picked a flower
It was immediately replaced by another
So I gathered a bouquet from the Garden of Eden
And sent it to a child fifty centuries in the future
I make no claim to have any great aim
Other than to be something more than a survivor
And to follow the white line to the end of all time
Whether I’m the passenger or I’m the driver

I dreamed I spent a lifetime trying to clean a window
In a house where every other one was broken
And by the time I finally got it clean enough to see through
All I saw was curtains that would not open
Some people live at the bottom of the ocean
If you want to meet’em you gotta be a deep sea diver
All our problems are excuses for an inability to love
Whether we’re the passenger or we’re the driver

I dreamed I met a man who was running for his life
But he was really only running from it
I met another who believed that evil would be conquered
Only by those who would willingly become it
Joan of Arc is in the precinct house
They’re lettin’ her die in the very moment they could revive her
They’re pushing truth and goodness back wherever it might exist
Am I the passenger, am I the driver?

I’m going down to get a new light switch
‘Cause the old one doesn’t turn it on
I haven’t been this interested in being alive
Since the time I realized that my school days were gone
Sometimes the cage is lifted off your heart
Sometimes it’s everything you could ever hope or strive for
I’m heading for the light or I’m trying to blot it out of sight
Sometimes I’m the passenger, sometimes the driver

I dreamed I was stranded on an airplane
That had no safe place to land
I dreamed there was life preservers everywhere
But I had no hands
I’m floating in the very midst of what could save me
If only I could see it’s all I live and die for
But it will bide its time, it will triumph whether I’m
The passenger or I’m the driver

Pick Me Up Baby

I don’t like talkin’ on the telephone
I don’t like sittin’ here all alone
Sometimes it seems like I got nowhere to stay
I’m counting on you to take me away

You gotta pick me up baby
You gotta lift me up high
You gotta pick me up baby
I want to touch the sky

I’ve been a lone missionary by the city wall
Where the harder they came the bigger they fall
Where time is money and money is love
You either got too much or you never have enough

You gotta pick me up baby
You gotta lift me up high
You gotta pick me up baby
I want to touch the sky

I get so queasy livin’ in this place
I get so dizzy when I see your face
Sometimes it seems like I got nowhere to stand
I’m countin’ on you to lend me your hand

And pick me up baby
You gotta lift me up high
You gotta pick me up baby
I want to touch the sky

You’re the one who makes me laugh, you’re the one who makes me cry
You’re the only star shining in the sky
I’m runnin’ ’round the world lookin’ for somethin’ to do
Or runnin’ on home to make love to you

You gotta pick me up baby
You gotta lift me up high
You gotta pick me up baby
I want to touch the sky

You gotta be my mouth when I can’t talk
You gotta be my feet when I can’t walk
You gotta be my heart, I’m countin’ on you
You know I’d do the same for you

You gotta pick me up baby
You gotta lift me up high
You gotta pick me up baby
I want to touch the sky

Love Beyond Repair

The road is backed up, the bridge is out
I spent all my tickets without any doubt
Played too long on the fringes, stayed too long at the fair
Now I’m crawlin’ through the grass with a love beyond repair

I can’t eat, I can’t sleep
I lost everything that was in my keep
‘Cept this dirty old suitcase with no key anywhere
Such a shabby covering for a love beyond repair

The ocean is deep, the valley is wide
We’re livin’ on separate mountains of pride
Dying only for a touch of what we fear we can’t bear
Afraid to be annihilated by a love beyond repair

The admiral told me there’s only two destinies
You either refuse to kneel or you learn to walk on your knees
But there’s another comet flyin’ through the stars somewhere
Tradin’ sterile dead perfection for a love beyond repair

Too many houses burnin’ down, too many people cryin’
It’s enough to make anyone think of cuttin’ loose and flyin’

Too many things are hidden in the light
There’s an army that’s marchin’ down the highway in the night
You can hear the drums beating, hear the trumpets blare
As every broken heart surrenders to a love beyond repair

We stood in the pathway as the autumn leaves fell
Our hearts filled with secrets we never could tell
Can’t go forward or back, we’re bottlenecked there
Stranded in a crowd with a love beyond repair

So many dreams that haven’t come true
I swear that I’m gonna make them all up to you
By the blood in these veins, by the ghost of this prayer
That hovers in the air above a love beyond repair

Wandering Heart

First explosions of the morning
Wandering heart awakens roaming
Silently unfolding ‘cross the sky
And slowly forming on my eyes
She stands upon the edge of time
With her angel of doom as the cold sun shines
On the ice upon her ragged wings

I know your road is lonely
I can’t believe that you chose me
I will follow you
Even if this dream should be untrue
I will follow you

A million years and a million tears
There’s nothing left to chain me here
My heart is full but my hands are empty
I need someplace to go where I’ll be
Free beyond this cloud of doubt and the bleak machinery of fear
Wandering heart
Don’t let me slide

I know your road is lonely
I can’t believe that you chose me
I will follow you
Even if this dream should be untrue
I will follow you

Let the music of your beauty fly
Let the living live and the dying die
Let me disappear into the mystery
And the silent shadows of what will be
The world we know is fading and no-one will mourn its passing
Wandering heart
Come dance with me

I know your road is lonely
I can’t believe that you chose me
I will follow you
Even if this dream should be untrue
I will follow you

Elvis Has Left the Building

You don’t know how to love, but you’re trying to fake it
You put me through the wringer – how long did you think I’d take it?
Walkin’ around like you’re in the sorcerer’s robes
But you’re standin’ naked

Close the door, close the book
Close your eyes, don’t take another look
Elvis has left the building

If you hang around here long enough you could lose your senses
Or slowly commit suicide as a way of cutting down on expenses
The night is coming anyway,
So what’s the point of getting restless?

Close the door, close the book
Close your eyes, don’t take another look
Elvis has left the building

You’re walkin’ around punchin’ the air
As if you wanna see some kind of heavy scene go down
Well if you want me, you know where to find me
But level with me just for a minute now,
Please give me the lowdown -
What’s it gonna take for me to leave you behind me?

Now you’ve gone out to the desert, as if it’s big enough to hide there
And you’re livin’ in a house made out of bones
Of all the animals who died there
And your silence is like a condemnation
Though I can’t imagine why you’d think that I’d care

Close the door, close the book
Close your eyes, don’t take another look
Elvis has left the building

Dragonfly Wing

Forgive me now, if I forget somehow
How fragile we all are
You’re a delicate thing, you’re a dragonfly wing
Above the sky of stars

If I could hold back time
I’d save this moment where I’m with you forever

Sometimes we might shout and fight
Say things we don’t really feel
But through skies of grey a light shines the way
We have love so we can heal

If I could hold back time
I’d save this moment where I’m with you forever
Dragonfly wing

Sometimes we don’t know what we’re capable of
Sometimes the truest words are never spoken
We’ll never know how much love
Our hearts can hold unless they’re open

Your pretty face, floating in space
Flying though the sky
So much joy and fear in every smile and tear
As the years go by

If I could hold back time
I’d save this moment where I’m with you forever
Dragonfly wing

Don’t Even Know

I don’t even know what you’re talkin’ about
You’ve gone to places I’ve never been
I don’t even know why you move your mouth
Talkin’ ’bout things I’ve never seen

Are you the same person that
Was here before I turned away?
Or are you just another stranger
Passin’ before my eyes before you fade away?

I don’t know why you pretend these things are true
We both know they’re not and never will be
I don’t know why you talk about the things we’re gonna do
When you know you’re gonna do them all without me

Are you the same person that
Was here before I turned away?
Or are you just another vision
Passing before my eyes before you fade away?

I don’t know why you can’t come clean after all these years
As if you’re determined to hold on till your dyin’ breath
When all that you defend has only led to tears
And all that you call life just leads to death

Are you the same person that
Was here before I turned away?
Or are you just another dream
Passin’ before my eyes befire you fade away?

I don’t even know why I came to this place
As if wishful thinking could overcome cold fact
I don’t know what it was I looked for for so long in your face
I’m gonna leave while I can still find my way back

Are you the same person that
Was here before I runed away?
Or are you just another memory
Passin’ before my eyes before you fade away?

As We Go Spinning Madly On

Life doesn’t hesitate one single minute
We’re headin’ out every moment that we’re in it
But there doesn’t have to be a sad tomorrow
I know my time was never mine to borrow

I know one thing
Though days are changing like the weather
The light that shines around you
Is gonna shine forever
And I will always love you
As we go spinning madly on

You’re there, you’re everywhere around me
How could I dare to say life never found me?
When fear comes and tries to close my throat down
I know fear won’t win the final showdown

I know one thing
Though days are changing like the weather
The light that shines around you
Is gonna shine forever
And I will always love you
As we go spinning madly on

Diggin’ Your Vibe

Did I ever tell you you’re the queen of the crop?
Did I ever tell you you’re a symphony?
Did I ever tell you you’re the masterpiece of love?
Whatever you wanna do is alright with me

I’m diggin’ your vibe, I’m diggin’ your vibe
I’m diggin’ your vibe all the way down to the ground

Did I ever tell you if you were a broadway show
I’d be there everynight in the very first row
If I was assigned to write a review
I’d give all the stars in the sky to you

I’m diggin’ your vibe, I’m diggin’ your vibe
I’m diggin’ your vibe all the way to the other side of the universe

I don’t always say just what I mean
So let me try and make this clear -
You got the sweetest face I’ve ever seen
Even if I gotta look at it through tears

If you ever find the time in the night or in the day
To walk around or just to talk
Even if your house was a million miles away
I still got the key to turn the lock -

I’m diggin’ your vibe, I’m diggin’ your vibe
I’m diggin’ your vibe all the way to infinity

On the Banks of the St. Clair