Tuesday's Photo Fun

There is a theme to today's photo fun: 'Apprehension.' Enjoy!

"Ok, lets just double check this one more time; seat belt buckled? Check."

"So, let me get this strait. You want me to walk
with these crazy things on my feet... where?"

Gold Dust

The song below is verse-less. It has a two long choruses, an intro, and a bridge, but no consecutive verses. I'm trying something different, all while borrowing old words from myself. I've been listening to a lot of Damian Rice here lately. This seems like the kinds of words he would use.

Gold Dust

Intro
Heaven stayed awake one night,
And created the world by mistake.
It slept through most the dreamy day,
And took forever to awake.

Chorus
We were made in the stars the two of us,
But the star fades from gold to gold dust,
And then just to dust,
We trust because we must.

The lightning supports the evidence,
That the spark in our kiss is relevant
To the eloquence
Of the universe.

It's just as much to be me,
As it is to be
The moon,
The stars,
And the sea.

Bridge
And if in waking you seem to find,
Or don't and disappear;
See no reason to withstand,
Withdraw, and wither to tears.

Chorus
We were made in the stars the two of us,
But the star fades from gold to gold dust,
And then just to dust,
We trust because we must.

The lightning supports the evidence,
That the spark in our kiss is relevant
To the eloquence
Of the universe.

It's just as much to be me,
As it is to be
The moon,
The stars,
And the sea.

For the Farmer's Daughter

I've accepted who I am as an artist. I am the guy who writes the really sad, slow song. I'm okay with that, somebody has to. It's better to know who you are, than to try to be something that you are not. This song is about being on the cusp of something really good, but being unable to tilt the scales in your favor. At least that was my motivation. Songs have a way of writing themselves.

For the Farmer's Daughter

Verse
And I know what
The song has been talking about;
It's not just words after all.

And I know why
You stand at a distance,
And refuse to surrender your wall.

Prechorus
How did we get here,
And who has the reins?
And if you could
Would there be anything you'd change?

Chorus
Tell me a story;
Write our lives together.
I'll sit by your side
And pit sorrow against sadness,
Love against madness,
And hope against fear.
All the dreams that you write me
Just might incite me,
But will most likely
Just
Disappear.

Verse
And I know how,
Its not really a mystery,
That it grew from nothing at all.

And I know now
What I wish I'd known then,
Its only now that I have the chance to fall.

Prechorus
How did we get here,
And who has the keys?
And if you would,
Remove the weakness in me.

Chorus
Tell me a story,
Line by line our fiction.
And I'll sit at your lap
And pit faith against indifference,
Lust against forgiveness,
Change against you my dear.
All the dreams that you write me
Just might incite me,
But will most likely
Just
Disappear.

Outro
So for the farmer's daughter,
For the dreams without pretense,
For the wish in a well that's run dry.

For the passion to run through our veins,
We lack more than just change.
Tell me more of the same, and I'll try.

We carry ourselves on our own shoulders,
And weigh as much as boulders,
And wait as we wish it was here:

The chance for us to fall down,
And the walls that we have built around
Ourselves
Just
Disappear.

Tuesday's Photo Fun

Ava: "Princesses do their lips like this, Hannah."

A Song For a Rainy Day

It is always amazing to me the level of control in which the weather has on our emotions. At least mine, I won't speak for you. It is a catapult for whatever emotion we are feeling the most. If we are in a good mood already and it is a nice, warm, sunny day that helps propel the good emotions. Likewise for the rain and any bad emotions. Hence...

To the Sound of the Rain

Verse
Water distorts the images;

The drops are sliding down the glass.

I am calling you from inside my car,

To tell you I am falling way too fast.

PreChorus

To the sounds of the rain,

I feel the source of my pain.

You can call it disdain,

Call it anything.

To give it a name,

Doesn't mean it'll change,

Don't mean a damn thing

If you say it in vain.

Chorus

I know I don't quite seem like myself.

I'm just a back against the wall, and a heart on a shelf.

I know I don't quite seem like myself.

But tell me, how can I be anyone else?

Verse
The trees assert their fortitude,
But the wind still finds its way to me.
It's smoked me out of every bush,
And out of everything I told myself to be.

PreChorus

To the sounds of the rain,

I feel the source of my pain.

You can call it disdain,

Call it anything.

To give it a name,

Doesn't mean it'll change,

Don't mean a damn thing

If you say it in vain.

Chorus

I know I don't quite seem like myself.

I'm just a back against the wall, and a heart on a shelf.

I know I don't quite seem like myself.

But tell me, how can I be anyone else?

Outro
Drop by drop like the beating clock
Of a lover's breath, or the retreating stop
Of a restless day.
The rain is in my face,
And in my veins.
Most days I feel this way.

Beautiful Brick

I've gone backwards on here, missing my Tuesday Photo Fun. I've been so busy. Well, here is a song at least. I wrote this last night. See if you can spot which fairy tale character it eludes to. Again, I have such wordy songs these days.

Beautiful Brick

Verse
From the moment you wake up
You feel so alone.
Your castle's a throne,
But never a home,
And nobody's there.

From high in your tower
You get a bird's eye view.
You're unable to do,
But I am too.
So, honey let down your hair.

Prechorus
When the birds fly out with the breeze,
You're afraid of what you might see.
Let your eyes follow your heart.
Fold out your hands;
Give us a start.

Chorus
You make the world you live in;
Brick by brick by beautiful brick.
Before the walls collapse and give in,
You have the keys. I'm on my knees.
Honey let down your hair,
And I'll climb up.

Verse
You spend hours on make up
That no one will see.
The burden's the beast
With eyes like the sea,
That just go on forever.

If you should fall backwards,
Who would break your fall?
The cathedral walls,
And the angels that crawl,
Their wings plucked of the feathers.

Chorus
You make the world you live in;
Brick by brick by beautiful brick.
Before the walls collapse and give in,
You have the keys. I'm on my knees.
Honey let down your hair,
And I'll climb up.

Belated Spooks

Here are my little girls on Halloween! I'm the only one that can look at the camera. Thanks Debbie!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

It felt weird to talk about politics on here. (Shakes it off) Today is Hannah's birthday! She has been saying, "Remember, remember, the fifth of November," for several weeks now. A quote from 'V for Vendetta' that I taught her. I will have pictures from her party and from Halloween as soon as I can find my camera's usb cord.

I was especially proud of Hannah's mom and I. We did the party for ourselves and our families only last night. This was the first 'family event' since Carrie and I have been divorced. And it means a lot to me, and really says a lot for our parenting, that we can set the personal stuff aside and put the kids first. It really gives me high hopes for the girls' future, and it really helps me feel like although we may not be making the decisions other couples or parents might make, we will not negate our children's happiness because of it.

So Happy Birthday Hannah! I love you so much and I am so proud of you!

Chase goes all political on you... Sorry

I missed my Tuesday's photo fun, I apologize. But for now I would like to do a very special political announcement. I don't usually do this, but since this blog is more for myself than anyone else, it would be nice to reflect one day on how I felt this morning after such a historic night. This may be political suicide for my campaign for presidency in 2020, but this is my message to America:

"Whether you are a republican, a democrat, or vote independent; whether you are white, black, Hispanic, or Asian; all of us in this great melting pot are unified by one thing: we are American. It is for America that we must let our party stances and cultural differences go, at least momentarily, to reflect on the great achievement that all of America accomplished in yesterday's presidential race. As a people we have decided that race is not an issue in who is fit to lead this country.

Being a white American the impact this has on me can not be as great as the impression it leaves on the minorities in this country, especially African Americans; but this does have a resounding effect on all of us. It's a true acknowledgment of the American way. It is a statement to the world of how powerful our democracy is; that any son or daughter of America has not only a chance to better their life, but that they can lead this country in the highest elected office.

To think that only two centuries ago it was black slaves that built the white house, and now a black first-family will reside inside its walls. This is a testament that America can evolve; that its leaders can reflect its demographic and highest ideals. Once again the world watched America last night with hopeful eyes, as we again showed them the true might of our democracy.

The challenge now will be for us as Americans and our political leaders who have become complacent with the wars, the economy, the suffering health care programs, and the waning job opportunities to not rely on what initial resides inside parenthesis beside our names, but to embrace ourselves as Americans. The change the country needs will not come because of one man, or one party rule; equally it will not come swiftly. However, we can be proud again, actively help create a country that will lead the world, and leave this country a better place for our children and our children's children."

Everything and Nothing

I am writing such wordy songs these days. I am incapable of doing short and sweet right now. This next song is all words. It might as well be poetry. I like the fact that each verse goes into a different variation of the overall theme. Increasing or decreasing in intensity.

I wrote this about 6 months ago. What I did was I took all of the angst and passion of my youth, and played off of the dramaticsm, and the naivety. I like the result. Its kind of a flipped view on who I am, and who I was. The me now would never feel this way, I would be more "Whatever, it's cool." But its nice I can still write about it. This another one of the few songs I write for myself and no one else; a progress report of sorts.

Everything and Nothing

Verse
I'm just a child watching the wind blow the grass.

I'm just the sky watching the clouds as they form.

I'm just a heart whose only thought is to beat.

I'm just a tree telling my leaves to come out.

Chorus
I'm everything
And I'm nothing.

You can tell yourself

Whatever you want.
If you believe something
It doesn't make it true.

Verse
I am a lion's paw running on the dessert.
I am a warrior's call as he's charging into war.

I'm the broken glass shattered in a wind storm.

I'm a lover scorned torn from the pages of a play.

Chorus
I'm all of this

And I'm nothing.

You can tell yourself,

If it helps you sleep at night.
If you believe something
It doesn't make it true.

Verse

I'm the car you drive, always running on empty.

I am the sign you hang outside your bedroom door.
I am the hair you twirl around your middle finger.
I am the clothes scattered by the bed on your floor.

Bridge/Build
I am the dirt on the chewing gum on your shoe.

I am the broken lamp you fixed with crazy glue.

I am the cigarette smoke you're waiting to exhale.
I am the paradigm shift.
I'm a white snow drift.
The harmony, the build,
And the lead guitar riff.
I am the center of the stage,
And the bars on your cage.
The holes in your jeans;
The face in your dreams.

PreChorus
You told me you loved me.

You told me you loved me.

You told me you loved me.
What a silly thing to believe.

Chorus

It's easier to believe

That I can be all
Of these other things,
Than someone that means
Anything to you.

Outro
You're my favorite sweater.
You're the skip in the song.

You're a brownie pan with all the corner pieces gone.

You're the sprinklers on my childhood lawn.
If you believe something

Why can't it just come true?