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Painted Birds

by Janie Christensen

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1.
Come to Harm 05:11
1 - Let the night fall Let the birds cry Let the children wait He has cut the ropes And taken to the sea He has taken to the sea. Cho - He has no compass He has no chart No polished glass [lens] with which to see He was not prepared So take him in your arms Or I fear he’ll come to harm. 2 - We search the night And turn our face Upon the moon, upon the sea And you who have watched Every fall from grace Please do not judge us so harshly. Cho - (Repeat) Sing all night, sing all day . . . Sing all night, sing all day . . . 3 - There’s a spiral shell Glistens in the moonlight If you listen you can hear a song And it will fill the air When the wind is right Sometimes, when the wind is right. Cho - (Repeat) 4 - (Repeat first verse) Cho - (Repeat) Sing all night, sing all day . . .
2.
1 - With the wave of a hand In the wink of an eye It will come from a blue everyday sky Don’t try so hard to understand Let it go free These are the things We weren’t meant to hold in our hand Not of the earth Like you and I. Cho - Now you see it Now you don’t First you will And then you won’t It may seem to disappear Into thin air But it’s there Now you see it Now you don’t. Cho - (Repeat)
3.
Moon 02:57
1 - Here comes the moon Same old moon that fools the fools Comes waltzing in here Like he owns the place I've seen this guy, I know his moves I'd know him anywhere I know those stars on his wing-tip shoes. 2 - The sky is lightning The air gardenias and I just came to dance The rate I'm going, at four for a quarter It pays to take a chance The girls look pretty in the glow of the jukebox As they dance by the light of the moon You've gotta keep dancing or it catches up to you. Cho - Come outside and we'll drive through the night With the rain in our hair Once you go down to Kalia Road You can smell the sea We can go out there Way out where the breakers roll Singing 'Once you have found her Never let her go.' 3 - The moon sits down Starts telling the bartender there was a girl Then his voice trails off And he looks at me So I say tell me something, are you the first prize Or is it just my luck You always find me no matter what. Cho - (Repeat)
4.
1 - You look like old man Midas When you’re counting up your change But you sound as sweet as Jesus when you sing I was among the ones you moved out there In the olive trees and rain I left a piece of silver, a small thing For the soft and mournful gypsy songs you sing. 2 - Don’t know where I’m going I could hardly tell you where I’ve been Like a seed that has been borne upon the wind If you were to come to my door If I were to let you in You there with your blanket made of stars And me with my illusions worn so thin. Cho -Would you find the best in me Even when I’ve stumbled down When I’ve done my worst Would you stand your ground Stay until I come back around. 3 - Standing at your shoreline With this tiny broken cup Like the sailors I’ve been dreaming of the sea Would you look into my eyes Would you be the one to recognize Be the one to finally fill me up Be the one to finally set me free. Cho - Repeat
5.
1 - I will take the road that winds Down the coast Where the artists and the poets go to find Someplace to be alone. I will meet you in a white house on the beach And we will sing together once again And if love is still within our reach We will hold on as the light breaks in. 2 - There will be a morning sky And a breeze to brush the curtains back And sleep will still be in our eyes When the day comes to erase our tracks. And we will watch the constellations dance Stepping in and out of the window frames By the half light of the radio We will find the way again to love each other. 3 - We will shine together through the night Like the would-be stars in the movie dreams We will tumble in and out of sight And love will light up all the scenes . . . Just like in some dream . . . It's like a dream to love somebody . . . It's like a dream . . .
6.
1 - I keep looking for you And sometimes you're there Like the smell of cargo In the island air Like some picture postcard In the 5 & 10 Like something remembered Then gone again You're one in a million. 2 - There's a half moon hanging From Orion's ear If I had the money I'd be out of here But I spend my nights In these local places Looking for something Searching the faces My chances are one in a million. Bridge - If this goes on too long I will lose my mind I will take what I can carry And leave the rest behind I will sell my jewelry For a ticket home On the day that I admit What I guess I've always known. 3 - I keep looking for you I can almost see you there With that smile of yours And that sunlight on your hair Like some perfect postcard Of a perfect day I take one look And you've gone away You're one in a million . . . I may never find you . . . You’re one in a million . . .
7.
I See Love 03:18
1 - Million radios Million voices Summer dresses Red as roses I will tell your fortune Just meet me up over the candy store You’re a lucky man seňor I see love I see love. 2 - I see children Playin’ on the street below I see a young man Playin’ the ragged Romeo Go and find her When the moon comes up tonight If the stars are lined up right I see love I see love. Bridge - It keeps coming around What is lost can be found What is broken can mend Don’t give up, my friend ‘Cause I’ve seen it all In my crystal ball And it’s comin’ round again. 3 - Pretty little dreamer Queen of the neighborhood Standin’ by a streetlight Lookin’ like Hollywood Did I tell you Got a call from Lady Luck She says things are lookin’ up I see love I see love I see love.
8.
1 - Lady, go make up Your tumble-love bed The sheets are all twisted Where he laid his head Just a cold cup of coffee And a warm glass of wine Now all of your cowboys Have gone down the line. 2 - Pieces of paper In an old book of rhymes Each of us passing Leaves something behind You must put them away now Like some old valentines Now all of your cowboys Have gone down the line. Bridge - Good-bye to your carnival man Was it so long ago You let go of his hand One night he just picked up his tent You can’t ask where he’s gone You don’t know where he went. 3 - A boat leaves the harbor It begins to rain The bells in the distance Sound like his name And it all seems arranged now In some holy design Now all of your cowboys Have gone down the line.
9.
Cho - I sit here in this quiet room I draw the shades against the sun If memories were painted birds I’d line them up and get my gun. 1 - There are times when I think you will walk through the door Of the house that you lived in and smile when you see me There are times when I think I don’t care anymore But they don’t last long and they don’t fool me. Cho - Repeat 2 - You drink your anger like a cup of wine To stop you from shaking and make you feel strong But do you feel unsteady by the light of day When you half remember that something’s wrong. Cho - Repeat 3 - You’ve made a weapon of your heart I tried to stop it with my own But all I got was torn apart And all you got was more alone. Cho - Repeat
10.
Iceman 03:34
1 - Pull the shade Keep out the light How’m I gonna get to sleep tonight Here in the middle of the city, yeah. Doors are shakin’ like wooden toys It must be the delivery boys Making so much noise. No matter what The iceman comes once a day. 2 - I sit among my bric-a-brac Talkin’ about this and that Serving tea with honey, yeah. Hey little schoolboy, listen up You’re drinking from the same cup They used to toast my beauty. No matter what The iceman comes once a day. Bridge - Take the linen, take the chest of drawers Whatever you want, it’s yours Just buy me flowers and say a prayer And give the church my money. 3 - Pull the shade Keep out the light How’m I gonna get to sleep tonight Here in the middle of the city, yeah. Doors are rattlin’ like wooden toys It must be the delivery boys Making so much noise. No matter what The iceman comes once a day.
11.
Intro- Look inside, look inside Look inside your heart . . . 1- Out of the cold, cold night And into the burning sun You’ve taken them You’re killing them one by one Can you see, can you understand That times like this come down to just one man. Cho - Don’t just play the part Do what lies inside your heart. 2- Hold a man against his will Don’t you understand You hold the human race as well Don’t you understand What cause is this that’s worth this price Of a heart like stone, of a heart like ice. Cho - Repeat Bridge - Look inside, look inside Look inside your heart Let that be your only guide It’s not too late to start. 3 - You can run But you cannot hide You can’t escape What you know inside In the end it’s only you Who must answer for the things you do. Cho - Repeat Don’t just play the part Have mercy It’s in your heart, in your heart It’s in your heart.
12.
Neon 03:35
1 - Most of the neon Is missing from the sign It should say typewriters But it hardly says a line Most of the fruit Has fallen from the vine It withers so quickly Yet they tell me take your time. 2 - I’ve been in the city Most part of a year I’d rather be Almost anyplace but here Life has a strange Kind of pattern, my friend I’m a singer in a restaurant For businessmen. 3 - The Hudson River Flows right by my home In the shade of misty mountains My childhood was grown I never knew What it was I threw away But I’m gonna travel back there Some old day. 4 - Repeat first verse
13.
Intro - Is this really how We were meant to live Throw our sticks and stones Break each others’ bones Never to forget Or forgive. Cho - Let’s not make mountains Out of molehills No need to build them up so high Let’s try our hand at Love and forgiveness Oh what’s the use in a tooth for a tooth Or an eye for an eye. 1 - Look at how much time we spend Just finding fault again, again And wishing that the one was like the other. See how hard we concentrate So diligently calculate Forever keeping score on one another. Cho - Repeat 2 - Look at us so quick to find They’re not like us that other kind So slow to see the deeper ties that bind us all We’re caught inside our history Defining us for centuries That keeps us separated by these ancient walls. Cho + tag - Let’s not make mountains Out of molehills No need to build them up so high Let’s try our hand at Love and forgiveness Oh what’s the use in a tooth for a tooth How many years till we realize We never needed a stone for a stone Or an eye for an eye.

credits

released June 1, 2011

Recorded & produced by Janie Christensen &
Angelo Ficara
Mastered by Scott Petito at NRS Recording Studio

Bird images on album art from Valentine for the Birds to Dance by Tilly Strauss (www.tillystudio.com)

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Janie Christensen New York

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