1. |
The Battle Of Brilliance
03:00
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The Battle of Brilliance
It’s not what you said it’s how you say it
It’s not what you read it’s when you read it
Different times lead to different rhymes
Experience, the teacher is tryin us
We move forward no matter the outcome
We make due regardless the income
No stranger to fear, most often appears
Neglected, we slowly succumb....
It’s a fine line, this battle of brilliance
Separates us thinkers from the idiots
It’s a fine line, this battle of brilliance
Those tinkerers perhaps may be idiots
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
If it’s down, you better not kick it
There’s barely enough in this world to trust, to
Get down on our knees to lick it
It takes a beating , but keeps on tickin
Kicked to the CERB, we need fixin
Uninformed about, without a shadow of a doubt
Strive hard, get back up keep workin
It’s a fine line, this battle of brilliance
Separates us thinkers from the idiots
It’s a fine line, this battle of brilliance
Those tinkerers perhaps may be idiots
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2. |
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I Wish I Coulda Loved You
It ain’t the ashtray that I’m fillin or the whisky I’ve been spillin
Gonna fill the time I’m killin over a heart that ain’t for you
I know how long you’ve waited over love anticipated
For something that was fated, perhaps destined to be true
You’re still standing at the station with that same old destination
And your wild investigations, but you haven’t got a clue
you see them rolling wheels and you want to make a deal
Well I know just how you feel, but there ain’t no room for you
I wish I coulda loved you, wish I coulda cared
I wish I coulda loved you, still see you everywhere
Now put your cards on the table if you’re ready and your able
The ones in your hand babe and that ace up your sleeve
The hurtin that you feel is not your bones beneath the wheels
Just the love you tried to steal that was never meant for you
Got my guitar at my side babe, walking down the road
No matter how I tried, I couldn’t take the load
No matter I pushed babe, no matter what you’d say
We just didn’t have the touch, it was a game I couldn’t play
I wish I coulda loved you, wish I coulda cared
I wish I coulda loved you, still see you everywhere
I’m running through the shadows, I see you here and there
I’m not lookin back, babe but I’m wondering why I care
Now I’m just another stranger on another lonely street
With another little secret that I don’t want to repeat
But nothin counts for nothin, as far as I can see
I am a part of you, you are are a part of me... and
I wish I coulda loved you, wish I coulda cared
I wish I coulda loved you, our hearts would’ve be spared
I wish I coulda loved you, no time for truth or dare
I wish I coulda loved you, but I always was too scared
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3. |
The Promise
03:51
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The Promise
Writing is done in invisible ink.
No time to believe, too blind to think.
The last one to know, we were set on the brink,
Now hoist that rag, come pour us a drink.
There’s no end to this sad old tune
It’s cadence has fallen, and memory too
Where’s that promise I made to you
Dearly departed, my love so blue.
Limited means, holes in our dreams,
life from the road, it glitters and gleams.
Soul is worn, all tattered and torn,
carries the load as he’s humming the theme ...
There’s no end to this sad old tune
It’s cadence has fallen, and memory too
Where’s that promise I made to you
Dearly departed, my love so blue.
Moonbeams, false dreams, wishing on stars
Pain in this heart cries make a fresh start
Long to remember much simpler times
Laugh and singing familiar old rhymes
There’s no end to this sad old tune
It’s cadence has fallen, and memory too
Where’s that promise I made to you
Dearly departed, my love so true
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4. |
We Put Up A Fight
03:50
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We Put Up A Fight
What is left at the end of the road?
Dusk turns dark, our path unknown
Seeking a sign, we march ahead blind
Oblivious to the path we’ve been shown
Heed no advice of our elders before
When push comes to shove there will be no more
Forest been cleared, mortgage in arrears
We succumb to our darkest fears
Say goodbye, so long and goodnight
It’s all over now tho we put up a fight
Bawling like babies ‘neath the pale moonlight
It’s all over now tho we put up a fight
Howling wind often knocks at my door
Rattles the windows and shakes the floors
And when it leaves, the old rafters they heave
Dogs howl and cry out for more
Red sun rises, dust masks our view
Nothing to grow, nothing to do
Mulling it over: where could we go?
Can’t eat money it’s only dough
Say goodbye, so long and goodnight
It’s all over now tho we put up a fight
Bawling like babies ‘neath the pale moonlight
It’s all over now tho we put up a fight
What is left at the end of the road?
Dusk turns dark, our path unknown
Seeking a sign, we march ahead blind
Oblivious to the path we’ve been shown
Say goodbye, so long and goodnight
It’s all over now tho we put up a fight
Bawling like babies ‘neath the pale moonlight
It’s all over now tho we put up a fight
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5. |
To Be Young Again
03:56
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To Be Young Again
On a night the moon never rose
Air still as we nearly froze
Stuck in that car, we hadn’t gone far, but
Far enough we couldn’t get home
We were young and in love at the time
Baptized by whiskey and wine
I leaned in, she gave me that grin
As we kissed in that backseat of mine
Oh, to be young again
So many years gone, we near the end
Oh, to be young again
once wild, reckless dreams lie ahead
Inn those days of youth never needed much proof
Lived our life through our hearts and soul
Careless and free, always wanted to be, we
Had time to see our lives unfold
We’d gather ‘round the fire in crowds
Singing songs that meant everything to us
As the smoke grew higher, our voices a choir
Those flames grow wild as the cut
Oh, to be young again
So many years gone, we near the end
Oh, to be young again
once wild, reckless dreams lie ahead
In the autumn. Of our lives we grow fragile
Our steps slow and methodical
Biding our time, we age like fine wine
reckless no longer plausible
Oh, to be young again
So many years gone, we near the end
Oh, to be young again
once wild, reckless dreams lie ahead
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6. |
That Man Was My Dad
03:20
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That Man Was My Dad
No matter the country, a boy becomes a man
Regardless of his colour, creed or plan
But becoming a man is a special task
The unwritten code is how a man must act
Be honourable, brave, strong yet silent
Be kind but fair, tough yet non-violent
We anxiously await for these young men to come
To lead those stray boys, unite them as one
A man stands his ground, assesses the course
Plays fair in life, avoids brutal force, has
Good advice to share, is plenty aware
That man was my dad, so long and take care
A man is best known for actions, not his speeches
Many a fool fell believing the wrong man’s teachings
Man’s love is strong, those close to him belong
Rejoice and unite in singing this song...
A man stands his ground, assesses the course
Plays fair in life, avoids brutal force, has
Good advice to share, is plenty aware
That man was my dad, so long and take care
The saying goes. “A good man is hard to find”
There was never more truth in these modern times
Kids unaware of lessons to be learnt, they’re
Far too afraid of getting their feelings hurt
A man stands his ground, assesses the course
Plays fair in life, avoids brutal force, has
Good advice to share, is plenty aware
That man was my dad, so long and take care
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7. |
I Am That Man
04:00
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Lonely road this traveller walks alone
Sound is heard aloud , the wind begins to moan
Leaves upon the barren ground the summer’s come and gone
Frost clings hard, her memory lingers on
You ’ll know that he is tired
Wandering an endless path to a house without a fire
He’ll know this tale’s complete
Light fades from his eyes, no ground beneath his feet
You’ll know that I am that man you can’t see...
Love is blind and often hides obscured
Man meets girl, they fall apart, an ending comes unfurled
Waves wash upon the rocky shore, the boulders turn to sand
She turns her back, but here I’ll always stand
You ’ll know that he is tired
Wandering an endless path to a house without a fire
He’ll know this tale’s complete
Light fades from his eyes, no ground beneath his feet
You’ll know that I am that man you can’t see
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8. |
Homeless
03:23
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Homeless
2020 was the ‘lost year’, Virus, death, growing fear
2021 is already here. Future lies ahead, but with what is unclear
Unemployed in tent city shelters. Rent always rises, no care for our elders
Landlords groan, tenants moan. The less fortunate lost everything they own (to become)
Homeless. Working poor have become Homeless. Eat the rich, we’ve become
Homeless. Life’s a bitch being Homeless
How can a country rated ‘the best to live in’, so generous in talk, but never with giving
Prosperous nation, yet who’s on the street? Citizens, hungry for shelter and food to eat
Innocent victims of bankrupt morality. Housing scarce, outdoors their reality
Living in tents, can’t afford rent. Bank mortgaged the future they’ve spent (to become)
Homeless. Can’t pay your bills? You’re now Homeless. This ain’t Bevery Hills.
Homeless. More time to kill. Homeless
Disparity of income, capitalism causes. Push out the poor with more stupid bylaws
Down and out, it’s time to shout. Shake your fists, put this play on pause...
Any true nation takes care of it’s own. Build less fences, so children can roam
See the forest for the trees, not the rich man’s disease. Homes are not only for the wealthy to own
Homeless. Bring housing to the needy! Homeless. The wealthy too greedy
Homeless. the streets aren’t pretty. Homeless. As they starve in the city
Homeless. A blight on humanity. Homeless. This is the new reality
Homeless. More people in need. Homeless. We’re tired of greed
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9. |
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Colour, such a fickle creature
An instantly recognized feature
Taught by our primary school teachers
Sermoned by Baptist preachers
Mind and memory erased
Horrors with love misplaced
Desperate, trying to save face
This game, the end of race
Blue is more than a colour
It’s mood and feel like no other
Distances sister and brother
Children of different mothers
Colour is blind, or so they say
Dressed in blue, policemen prey
On people of colour, queer and gay with
Unequal rights, no time to delay
Tides they turn, bridges burn
Money’s their god, nothing earned
Lockdown means global downturn
Protests showing our rights spurned
Blue is more than a colour
It’s mood and feel like no other
Distances sister and brother
Children of different mothers
Black, white, colours they fight
Targets by day, hiding by night
Systemic response is fight or flight, we must
Stand for injustice with all our might
Blue is more than a colour
It’s mood and feel like no other
Distances sister and brother
Children of different mothers
Blue is more than a colour
It’s mood and feel like no other
Distances sister and brother
Children of different mothers
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10. |
Where Does The Time Go?
03:07
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Tired thoughts, wandering through the streets
Rain falls, cleanses all ‘crept for those aching feet
Many have I loved and lost, pain my companion, but
I cannot bend, to what you want my friend
Endless hours trying not to think of you
Careless summer, our dreams fallen through
The stream still flows never caring where it goes
But in time we fall, victim to it all, and
Where does the time go? Sped up and then it slows
When we break down, a moment can’t be found to
Make us whole, harmony remains our goal, but
It can’t be found, makes no sound
It can’t be found with no one around
You and me, we all we ever need to be
Our cards laid bare, we should never have cared
Endless hours trying not to think of you
It was a careless summer, our dreams fallen through, and\
Where does the time go? Sped up and then it slows
When we break down, a moment can’t be found to
Make us whole, harmony remains our goal, but
It can’t be found, makes no sound
It can’t be found with no one around
Pictures never mean that much till your old and can’t remember
The reason why you kissed goodbye, regardless of the ending
It’s paradise lost, no matter the cost
Like the shadow of a train, forever pulls away, and
Where does the time go? Sped up and then it slows
When we break down, a moment can’t be found to
Make us whole, harmony remains our goal, but
It can’t be found, makes no sound
It can’t be found with no one around X 2
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11. |
The Girl Who Walks Alone
05:28
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There goes the girl who walks alone
She passes by, time suspends it’s hold
It’s said she was once a princess fair
Now she carries a weight that goes untold
She has the world tied to her string
The men they crowd to glimpse the pretty thing
Oh the hope of a day where she’ll come to see
A man, with eyes for more than a bride-to-be
Once was a time, so carefree and bold
There comes a fight, to keep her story whole
In a world where men vanquish love and must conquer all
To fill their boots with tawdry spoils, the king must always fall
She has the words to speak, her honesty commands
One and all must come to call, united we may stand
Oh the hope of a day where she’ll come to see
A man, with eyes for more than a a bride-to-be
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N Jay Burr Hamilton, Ontario
Stories unfold by a professional musician turned songwriter. I play a lot of instruments. In the Covid19 summer and winter of 2020 and 2021, I performed and recorded these songs for my 2 solo albums. I hope you enjoy.
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