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Download
a copy of the lyrics for Every Mile Is A Memory. It
inlcudes lyrics and credits and fits quite nicely in the slot on
the left side of the CD. Or hey, go crazy, put the CD in the left
and the lyrics in the right. Click HERE for the jpeg download of page 1 and HERE for page 2
We
chose our packaging for this CD because it is a little easier on
the planet. No plastic, much lighter for shipping, less
manufacturing required. In keeping with that philosophy, we
decided not to include a lyric sheet. Some folks don't want them,
and that's okay with us.
Not
interested in printing things out? You can just peruse them right
here:
The
CD was produced by Tom Prasada-Rao and Friction Farm, recorded by
Tom Prasada-Rao and Mark Dann, mastered by Mark Dann. Musical
credits listed with each song.
Desdemona
Weeps
After a while, if things grow a little tired, lose
their shine, they might still be worthwhile. Sometimes. (Pat
Wictor on lap steel, Jagoda on percussion)
Desdemona
weeps
The car slams to a halt
She beats her fists against
the dash
As if somehow its her fault
That the damn thing’s
overheating
Well, it just does that now and then
She lets it
cool down for a moment
And she tries to start again
Its
never left her stranded
On some dark stretch of road
She
knows they’ve traveled way too far
But she’s tired
of being told
That she’s still living in the past
Its
no longer if but when
She shuts her eyes and says a prayer
And
she tries to start again
Some things were built for speed -
And some were built to last
Lasting love was never guaranteed -
But did it have to burn so fast
She’s standing at the
station
While they figure out the cost
The price of labor's
getting high
And there’s all that time she’s
lost
But every mile is a memory
All the places that they've
been
She smiles as she remembers
And she tries to start
again
Wide
Open Spaces
Aidan reminisced about childhood vacations and
we started to wonder why that feeling of endless possibility and
wonder had disappeared and whether we might be able to find it
again. (Jagoda on percussion, Tom Prasada-Rao on keys and
mandolin)
We
drove south a couple hours
Highway 1 in July showers
Northern
California fading slowly
A country bar every country mile
We
could be out here a while
These kind of places used to scare
me
Til I saw knowing glances on unfamiliar faces
In these
wide open spaces
Ocean air fills up my lungs
Cool green
grass and white hot sun
Let the crashing waves hypnotize
me
Sunny days bring sunny smiles
Running barefoot like a
child
Laughing when the shifting tides surprise me
In a
million years I never thought I‘d find my saving graces
In
these wide open spaces
40 years and a million miles
I’ve
grown so far from that simple child
Who built sand castles just
to watch them fall
Maybe I haven’t grown at all
I
stood here before I know you
They shot a rocket to the
moon
Back then anything could happen
Endless summer turned
endless years
Took me far away from here
Reaching for the
stars gave way to reason
But I found the sense of wonder that I
had lost for ages
In these wide open spaces
Why,
Why, Why
An observation in NYC's west village led us to
wonder why it is that people do in fact look like, or otherwise
resemble their dogs. Do they start out that way? Do they change
over time? And who changes? (Tom Prasada-Rao on violin and
mandolin)
There’s
a man coming toward me down Hudson Street
He’s got
squared off shoulders and turned out feet
His head swaying side
to side with a beat
Walking a big bulldog at the end of a
leash
I slip in for coffee behind a regular joe
He
orders half-caf, no fat, low foam latte to go
Drums his fingers
while he’s waiting, checks his watch, then his phone
Rushes
out with his miniature dachshund in tow
Chorus: Is it some
strange version of vanity
Are they searching for true
family
Are they drawn together subconsciously
Or does change
occur more gradually
Why, why, why, why, why do people look
like their dogs
Big guy watches tv drinks beer from a
bottle
Brings home a new greyhound, sleek racing model
Will
he get into shape, really rev up the throttle
Or does that
tiny greyhound start to walk with a waddle
My charming
neighbor looks good for her age
She’s thinking about
buying a little sharpei
How this will turn out I couldn’t
say
But a smoother dog might be the best way
Chorus
We’ve made a few trips to the ASPCA
To find a new
best friend who’ll help make our day
A full grown dog of
unspecified breeding
Because they’re the most loving and
they’re the most needing
Is it some strange version
of vanity - Are we searching for true family
Are we drawn
together subconsciously - Or will change occur more gradually
Why,
why, why do people look like their dogs
Birmingham
We
want to be inspired again. The last couple of lines of the first
verse are from Lincoln's second inaugrual address. We should speak
this way again, with eloquence, with feeling. And we should mean
it. (Tom Prasada-Rao on mandolin, Jagoda on percussion)
By
the time we got to Birmingham there was no one left to ask
The
time for grieving had long since passed
The names of better
angels are carved in stone and brass
Mystic chords of memory
hold heroes from our past
CH: Happy anniversary we gather
in the memory
Of those who gave us hope and faith the strength
to be alive
Happy anniversary, happy anniversary
A day a
week a month a year, keep that dream alive
Early Monday
morning campaigners headed for the coast
The new deal riding
shotgun with the holy ghost
Of the wind and rain and policy
that blew through these towns
Raised the delta up, washed the
bottom out
Chorus
You know when you see it
Which
prophet to believe
His truth is not just in what he says
But
how he lives and breathes
Its only for the money, and maybe
for the show
But they are never at the ready, that’s the
way things goes
When we all are equal, what will they do
then
When we have no need for power, just extraordinary
men
Chorus
Sacred
Cows
Since man discovered fire we have had a perverse love
affair with fossil fuels. Haven't we evolved? There are a lot of
smart, creative. Couragous folks out there with brilliant ideas.
Is the reason we haven't embraced them fear or greed? (Tom
Prasada-Rao on electric sitar, Jagoda on percussion)
The
sacred cows are grazing in my back yard
They look like ordinary
cows in most regards
There are no fences here they are free to
roam
There’s surely greener pastures behind other
homes
But those sacred cows won’t go
Heard its
getting warmer by a few degrees each year
It would behoove us
to make changes now that’s clear
Its an argument we
cannot lose
We’ve got cold hard data scientific proof
But
those sacred cows won’t move
Can you see the future
can you see the change
Can you see the light of a brand new
day
Will you be the future will you be the change
Will you
light the world in a brand new way
We could use sun, or
wind, or plant triglycerides
The perpetual motion of the ocean
tides
Still money stampedes for traditional means
They’ve
got coal, gas, and oil got no stake in green
Yeah those sacred
cows rule
A
Good Apartment
We loved living in the village. We love each
other. The combination, not so much. Our fifth floor walk-up
apartment was 340 square feet. We lasted a year. (Tom Prasada-Rao
on piano, Jagoda on percussion)
It’s
a real nice place, an urban prize
The heat’s included
it’s the perfect size
For one
what am I gonna do with
him, what am I gonna do with him
Either he’s too big
or its too small
But he’s like Tom Waits in that little
dance hall
He’s got a great big coat and great big
shoes
In the living room he blocks all the views
Outside
What
am I gonna do with him, what am I gonna do with him
Its a
crying shame
Because we're two of a kind
I know he's not to
blame
But a good apartment is hard to find
It starts out
cozy but winds up tense
Closet wars and counter defense
No
room
What am I gonna do with him, why is he always here
I
need some space and there’s none of that
I walk three
blocks to the Laundromat
There’s a homeless guy just
trying to stay warm
But I lose my cool and create a
storm
Inside
What am I gonna do with him, where am I gonna
wash my clothes
Chorus
First-Two
Wheeler
Moving to Brooklyn was the right thing to
do. The apartment is much bigger. The character of our
neighborhood is dramatically different from Greenwich Village. One
day we say a dad and his daughter. When she mastered her first
solo, no training wheels ride, you could see the pride on his
face. But as she rode through the first intersection, his faced
changed in an instant. (Co-written with Barry Henson , his first
song credit!)
Don’t
be frightened but I’m gonna let go
Don’t think
about falling just let it roll
Keep pedaling steady keep your
eyes straight ahead
You’ll be surprised how far you’ll
go
Now the world’s wide open and before you
know
You’re riding twice as far as a week ago
Once you
taste freedom once you feel the wind
You can‘t wait to
see how far you can go
On a dime I turned from pride to
fear
And I tried not to surrender
But the only way to keep
you near
Is to let you ride forever
I’m a little
bit frightened please take it slow
I never really though about
how far you’d go
You keep pedaling steady keep your eyes
straight ahead
I’ll try to remember I’m the one who
let go
In time I turned from fear to faith
Once I
learned how to surrender
To the power of love, and hope, and
grace
To keep you safe Forever
Now I'm filled with
wonder at the way you've grown
Rode into the world and found
your home
You learned how to be steady how to get ahead
But
even when you rider away, you never let go
Even when you ride
away you never let go
Please
Try Love
Aidan crafted the music and rhythm of this in his
head. Planned where each of the words would fit into the music.
How the melody would work. But the only word he actually had was
'please'. He's strange. wonderful but strange. (Jagoda on
percussion, Tom Prasada-Rao on mandolin)
Please,
Please keep an open mind
Please, Please recognize that hearts
exist in many different kinds
We are all the same
We
know love and hate
We have the power to choose
Which side to
take
Try, Try seeing other sides
Try, Try walking in the
shoes of those who struggle to feel pride
Chorus
Love,
Love in spite of fear
Love, Love until the lines that come
between us disappear
Chorus
Eleanor
Not
exactly a true story. Close though. (just CS and AQ, but we swap
instruments!)
Eleanor
McHenry lived on my block
We sat in the same class and we
talked a lot
After school we raced home really fast
Picked
out our favorite games, Eleanor always chose last
She was the
best friend I ever had
And that’s saying a lot
We
started junior high she fell behind
Teachers said she was smart
but just didn’t apply
I wrote for the paper, went out for
track
Elly made new friends and never looked back
She was
the best friend I ever lost
And that’s saying a lot
We
got to high school El learned to smoke
Wore too much eyeliner,
cursed when she spoke
There were rumors about drinking and
going too far with boys
I turned my head and block out the
noise
She was the best friend I ever left
And that’s
saying a lot
A week before I left home Eleanor
crashed
There were things going on at home that made her act
rash
She never told anyone never reached out for help
Bottled
it up inside kept it all to her self
She was the best friend I
ever lost
And that’s saying a lot
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