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The Music

The Music

Alex Woodard has toured nationally behind five critically-acclaimed albums. He’s earned prestigious industry nods throughout his career and shared the stage with notable performers.

Start Making Me Laugh

This is the companion EP to the book “Living Halfway,” as well as the answer to 2018’s “Stop Making Me Cry.” We recorded this live, both at the ranch and at Sean Watkins’ family house, with me, Sean, and Andy Powers singing and playing next to each other.

For the sender series
Album One
2012

Four Letters. Twelve Songs. One Story.

The ‘family dinners’ started across the street from my house. I’d spent years chasing a dream and was beat down, discouraged and looking for a place to land, when one night I was invited to a neighbor’s house for dinner.

I walked through her front door and stumbled into many of the musicians you’ll meet in this story. After dinner we played guitars and traded songs with the thundering of a big south swell against the cliffs.

I butchered a Bon Jovi cover and went to bed that night feeling like a little piece of me had found a place to rest. A few ‘family dinners’ later, I showed the letter from Emily to Sean Watkins.

We wrote the song ‘FOR THE SENDER’ about her letter, and FOR THE SENDER was born.

Album Lyrics

Hello my friend
It’s me again
Writing words i can not send you
Autumn’s cold
The leaves all know
To let go but not me
Cause it’s when we met
And its when you left
And its when our love was the best
So every year
I write you this letter
Like a prayer
Its more for the sender
Do you remember
Sometimes i swear
You’re in the air
Am i just a great
Pretender
Am i alone
I want to know
Do you ever remember
Cause it’s when we met
And its when you left
And its when our love was the best
So every year
I write you this letter
Like a prayer
Its more for the sender
Do you remember
Do you remember
Do you remember
Do you remember

Under amber autumn sky
Forever never say goodbye
You held me close darling don’t you cry
To love at all is the reason why
When you breathe I’m breathing inside you
When you run I’m running behind you (you said)
When you’re feeling lost in the crowd
My love will find you
Another autumn come undone
I still surrender the love we won
To the pages of Tennyson
Who loves at all is the lucky one
When you breathe I’m breathing inside you (I breathe)
When you run I’m running behind you (I run)
When you’re feeling lost in the crowd
My love will find you
When you sleep I’m dreaming your gray skies blue (I sleep to dream)
Shining down out loud
My love will find you
In sky blue
I find you
You
Ever since you went away
I try to smile my way through the day
I wrote you this letter to tell you I remember
And on this autumn wind I still hear you say
When you breathe I’m breathing inside you (I breathe)
When you run I’m running behind you (I run)
When you’re feeling lost in the crowd
My love will find you
When you sleep I’m dreaming your gray skies blue (I sleep to dream)
Shining down out loud
My love will find you
When you cry I’m crying inside you (I cry)
When you stand I’m standing beside you (I stand)
When you need a beautiful sign
I will remind you
When you sleep I’m dreaming your gray skies blue (I sleep to dream)
Shining down out loud
My love will find you

We watched the western sky
Filling like a landslide
We saw the half-light disappear
I know how it hurts inside
To watch the dead leaves dry
On your own year after year
But i would never leave you
I would never leave you
Even in your pain
You are never alone
You are never alone
We walk the streets tonight
Lost in the tears we cried
For these dead and dying years
I can feel you heart beat running
I know we’re not home yet honey
But let your hope out with your fears
Because i would never leave you
I would never leave you
Even in your pain
You are never alone
Can you hear my heart beat
Can you hear my heart beat
Can you hear my heart beat
Can you hear my heart beat
Keep it running
Can you hear my heart beat keep running
Can you hear my heart beat keep running
Can you hear my heart beat
I would never leave you
I would never leave you
Even in your pain
You are never alone
I would never leave you
I would never leave you
Even in your pain
You are never alone
You are never alone
You are never alone

Out on the margins of town
I been stuck hanging round
These amateur clowns
Wondering where were you
The only song we knew
Was our amateur blues
If you believed why’d you leave me
If you believed why’d you leave me
Even after sticks and stones were spoken
I’m alive
I’m alive
And I’m unbroken
I’m unbroken
I been abused and misled
I been stuck in my head
Unsung and unsaid
Been on needles and thread
I been left for dead
But i’m living instead
If you believed why’d you leave me
If you believed why’d you leave me
Even after sticks and stones were spoken
I’m alive
I’m alive
And i’m unbroken
I’m unbroken
Give me a song to sing
Something to balance out
The fits and starts
That life can bring
I’m waiting
Give me a song to sing
A decent melody
Because i’m alone and i’m nineteen
And I feel like the world
Is trying to swallow me whole
Like it’s trying to swallow me whole
If you believed why’d you leave me
If you believed why’d you leave me
Even after our sticks and stones were spoken
I’m alive
I’m alive
And i’m unbroken
Yeah i’m unbroken
I’m unbroken
I’m alive
And I’m unbroken

Couldn’t think of the right words to say
Don’t know if it mattered that much anyway
I can’t believe that it’s already been a week
I’m alright i finally got something to eat
And ok ‘cause i found a place to sleep
’Cause it gets hard
When it gets dark
But i can see
What i’m doing to me
I couldn’t breathe when i
Couldn’t think of the right words to say
Don’t know if it mattered that much anyway
You wouldn’t change so i couldn’t stay
Don’t know if i mattered that much anyway
Now i’m here just living on the streets
I sell myself while i get my kicks for free
Don’t know who i was when i was me
And it got hard
When it got dark
But i could see
What it was doing to me
I couldn’t breathe when i
Couldn’t think of the right words to say
Don’t know if it mattered that much anyway
You wouldn’t change so i couldn’t stay
Don’t know if i mattered that much anyway
And then you came around
The right words make such a beautiful sound
You are beautiful
You are beautiful
Make me over
Washing myself clean
ANd now i’m finding the right words say
Learning what matters at the end of the day
Found a place where my soul can stay
And change for the better a little more every day
Now i’m finding the right words to say
Now i’m finding the right words to say

Love began as a whisper
From under the door
Locking a house where
I don’t live no more
I’m here on the porch stair
In my ugly coat
Love began as a whisper
And started to grow
You are beautiful
And you’re almost home
From a lonesome corner
With no place to go
Those words were my streetlights
Leading me home
While hunger and shame were
Holding hands with hope
Love began as a whisper
And started to grow
You are beautiful
So beautiful
And you’re almost home
So i crawled the last mile to
Love’s front door
But now i hear nothing
But the symphony roar
One hand on the trigger
One hand on the door
Is this the moment
I been waiting for
One hand on the trigger
One hand on the door
You are beautiful
So beautiful
You are beautiful

I don’t know how i got here
I don’t know what i done
I only know i been buried
Where the end has begun
Because all i see is darkness
And i don’t see no light
And nobody’s asking if i’m alright
I need you to come to my rescue
I need you (i will be your hallelujah)
Sometimes i can hear voices
Coming from up above
Sometimes they sound like sirens
Sometimes they sound like love (hello)
But all i see is darkness
And i don’t feel no light
And nobody’s asking if i’m alright
I need you to come to my rescue
I need you to come to my rescue
Ain’t there anything you can do
To come to my rescue
Now i can’t tell if it’s heaven
But there’s a light drawing near
And i can’t tell if i’m flying
(I will be your)
Or if i’m still lying here
(Hallelujah)
Then i see shadows around me
(So hold on darling)
I hear a dog somewhere
(I am coming)
I feel arms around me
(Can you hold on somehow)
And a change in the air
(It won’t be long now)
Then i am out of the darkness
(I need you to be)
And i am into the light
(Singing with me)
Somebody’s asking am i
(Hallelujah)
Somebody’s asking am i
(Hallelujah)
I hear you asking
Are you alright

Never been so shattered i couldn’t think
Never been thirsty with no sweet water to drink
Never been so alone with no friend to hold
Never felt so much sorrow touching my soul
My heart was broken wide open
Heaven let the light shine in
My heart was broken wide open
And i’ll never be the same again
Broken wide open
The night covers the pain and the dirt of the day
When angel voices sing my troubles away
Blessings in disguise are hard to believe
It took a mountain falling on me
Before i was ready to receive
My heart was broken wide open
Heaven let the light shine in
My heart was broken wide open
And i’ll never be the same again
Been trying to find
Where the wrong meets the right
We don’t always know where that’s at
What’s gone is gone
It will never come back
And i’ll just have to live with that
My heart’s been broken wide open
That let the light shine in
My heart’s been broken wide open
And i’ll never be the same again
Broken wide open
Broken wide open
Broken wide open

I’m in the trouble and the trouble’s in me
And there ain’t no way to escape this reality
What i see blasts my eyes run down my spine
Like a lightning rod
But i don’t know who to blame for it because
It’s just an act of god
There’s so much pain here but there’s so much good
People do more beautiful things in times of trouble
Than i ever thought they would
I said i really cared before but that was a façade
I guess you never know the truth
Til you know an act of god
And if god makes the sunset and he makes the deep blue sea
He makes the earthquake the tornado
The typhoon the volcano and me
Then my church is this ocean my sky this stained glass view
And my offering is this open hand brother that i’m holding out to you
Now the trouble’s half a world away but
The trouble’s still in me
I came two thousand miles home to watch
The same sun setting in the sea
As i take the pen of yesterday
And i slowly start to draw
I can see the whole picture clear now
And it’s all an act of god
If the master plan is perfect
I guess it’s we who are flawed
When we don’t understand the suffering
That’s part of an act of god

I watched the pile burn
Smoke across my sky
There are lessons to learn
In goodbye
I turned down this road
Stripped of my disguise
As a new moon strode
Across my eyes
From the ashes i watched
Beauty rise
Smoke faded away
And i began to hope
Through this blanket of grey
Green would grow
In time i found a friend
And to my surprise
The burn began to mend
Before our eyes
From the ashes we watched
Beauty rise
I watched the pile burn
Smoke across my sky
There are lessons to learn
In goodbye
In the wreckage truth still lies
Through the remnants of our lives
From the ashes we watch
Beauty rise

Hush my darling
Hush my dear
Close your eyes your mama’s here
Hush my darling
Should you weep
I will sing you off to sleep
If i could turn back time
Hush my darling
Hush my love
Hear the angels up above
Hush my darling
Should you weep
I will pray your soul to keep
If i could turn back time
Your papa would be coming home
Your papa would be coming home
Your papa would be coming home
Tonight
Hush my darling
Hush my dear
Close your eyes your mama’s here
Hush my darling
Hush my love
Hear the angels up above
If i could turn back time
Your papa would be coming home
Your papa would be coming home
But your papa he ain’t coming home
Tonight

My mom moved on when i was so young
I never did know my dad
But we had a house full of laughter and love
The best home a boy ever had
Still growing up i wondered about him
Til in a box under the bed
I found a letter he wrote to my mom
And held back the tears as i read it said
I love you more than life itself
But i know i’ll probably die young
So when i’m gone i want you to go on
And finish what we have begun
Oh finish what we have begun
I asked my mom what that letter meant
And why my dad went away
She said son there’s a hero’s call
And a job for those who stay
I love you more than life itself
But i know i’ll probably die young
So when i’m gone i want you to go on
And finish what we have begun
Oh finish what we have begun
There’s no place to hide
This world ain’t no free ride
You gotta take what’s wrong
And try to make it right
That’s why i’m here
Far away from you dear
Writing this letter tonight
Now i ride under the same troubled sky
Helping out like my old man did
And i sit here and write with this pen in my hand
The same words to my wife and kid
I love you more than life itself
But i know i’ll probably die young
So when i’m gone i want you to go on
And finish what we have begun
Oh finish what we have begun

For the sender series
Album Two
2016

Love is (not a feeling)

On For The Sender Love Is (Not a Feeling), I’m joined by singers Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory) and Molly Jenson, both of whom were involved in this first For the Sender album that was released in 2012.

Based on the letters found in the book of the same name, the songs explore the many messages we receive daily about the most powerful of human emotions: love.

This latest record was written and recorded between my place in San Diego and Idaho, and mixed by Grammy Award-winner David Thoener.

Learn About the Book

Album Lyrics

remember when we watched the sinking sun
we were twin souls young on fire running free
along the razor edge horizon
remember when you smiled and turned to me

the beauty

oh lord i
never felt so alive
oh lord i
could just breathe the sky

dark clouds circled low overhead
the last time i was sitting here with you
your smile was all i thought you had left
i wondered how i’d ever make it through

without you

oh lord i
never felt so alive
oh lord i
could just breathe the sky

and now the sun is setting on the lake tonight
just the beginning to another morning light
feeling you’re still real and here by my side
if i could i would carry you all night


i’ll carry you over
i’ll carry you tonight
i’ll carry you over
i’ll carry you home

oh lord i
never felt so alive
oh lord i
wish I could
breathe the sky

oh lord i
(and the sun is setting on the lake tonight)
never felt so alive
(just the beginning to another morning light)
oh lord i
(if i could i would carry you all night)
wish i could
breathe the sky

i can sing about redemption
i can sing about the pain
of watching my best friend
slip away in
to the soft summer rain

but i can’t sing a love song
so i want you to know
when i wrap my arms around you tonight
i may never let you go
i may never let you go
i may never let you go
i may never let you go

’cause you make me a better man
yeah you make me stand tall
higher than this steel and wire
like it don’t matter at all

but I don’t know how to tell you
what i want you to know
when i wrap my arms around you tonight
i may never let you go
i may never let you go
i may never let you go
i may never let you go

so let the sun sink low
and the stars cover the sky
we can take one down for you and i

maybe then i can show you
what i want you to know
when i wrap my arms around you tonight
i may never let you go (so hold me tonight)
i may never let you go (we’ll float over streetlights)
i may never let you go (as stars grow older)
i may never let you go
i may never let you go (hope won’t be over)
i may never let you go (if you hold me closer)
i may never let you go (as stars grow older)
i may never let you go
i may never let you go

there’s no goodbye
there’s no farewell
that’s the way it’s meant to be
far as i can tell
though we may never meet again
there’s no end to our road as friends

and the things we did together
gonna make us live forever
you and i
there’s no farewell
there’s no goodbye

there’s no goodbye
things just move on
and the sunset’s just the start
of tomorrow’s dawn
we sat and watched the stars come out
talked and wondered what this life is all about

and the things we did together
gonna make us live forever
you and i
there’s no farewell
there’s no goodbye

we carry each other
from day to day
life give us so much
love and beauty
then takes it all away

there’s no goodbye
there’s no farewell
that’s the way it’s meant to be
far as i can tell
though we may never meet again
there’s no end to our road as friends

because the things we did together
gonna make us live forever
you and i
there’s no farewell
for you and i
there’s no farewell
there’s no goodbye

they took me from the fire
metal forged my skin
for what darker of desires
lay in the hearts of men

then they put me in a box
with others just like me
high upon a shelf
for all the world to see

i could have landed in a twelve point
under amber autumn sky
or in the old fallen willow
where paper targets die
but i don’t make those kind of choices
i have to go where I am sent
i never know where I am going
until I know where I went

he took the box down in secret
and left me in his room
underneath a glowing screen
where he drowned himself in doom

until he had enough one day
when he took me in his hand
and put me in a darker place
where i heard the hammer slam

i could have flown over the ocean
in an officer’s salute
or taken down your killer
before he had time to shoot
but i don’t make those kind of choices
i have to go where I am sent
i never know where I am going
until I know where i went

i flew
closer
and closer
i flew
closer
and closer
i flew
closer
and closer
and closer
to you

but i didn’t mean to hurt you
i had to go where I was sent
i didn’t know where I was going
but now I know where I went

i wrote it high up in the sky
white bright against the blue
then again across the bridge
where the wind would carry you
and in the frost on your window
just before i had to go

so you would know i didn’t leave you
so you would know i won’t forget you
so you would know
every lonesome road you roam
miles away from hope and home
remember to look where you may go
i wrote love there so you would know

we pray the lord our souls to keep
but my soul sings out loud
a forgotten melody
we must remember now
from dark skies to shining sea
where there is love there is me

so you would know i didn’t leave you
so you would know i won’t forget you
so you would know

every lonesome road you roam
miles away from hope and home
remember this where you may go
i wrote love there so you would know

to chase the dark into the light
come what may will come what might
remember this where you may go
i wrote love there so you would know

so you would know i didn’t leave you
so you would know i won’t forget you
so you would know
so you would know

every lonesome road you roam
miles away from hope and home
remember this where you may go
i wrote love there so you would know

to chase the dark into the light
come what may will come what might
remember this where you may go
i wrote love there so you would know

to never let a day slip by
without your face raised to the sky
remember this where you may go
i wrote love there so you would know

that there is only one way out
where we whispered we must shout
remember wherever you may go
love is forever and now you know

i would write these words
and put them in a frame
to hang in God’s kitchen
when he calls your name

grace beauty light love
strength courage determination

i would write these words
and put them in a song
a soundtrack to your life
for the world to sing along

celebration
celebration
celebration
celebration

and now that your time has come
now that your time has come
now that your time has come
i can see clearly

i already wrote the words
against His melody
grateful for the music
God has given me
with my pen and His guitar
your life became a song
i will always love you Jesse
i will always sing along

celebration

celebration

celebration

celebration

hey dad i got your letter
and i ain’t much of a writer
so i’ll sing you a song
i’ve seen big ships pull out of nasty weather
rock back and forth and sail on

and now there’s a storm moving through
tell me dad what’s a boy to do

not gonna lie this don’t sit well
and it hurts my heart to see you go through hell
i say my prayers every night in my bed
when heaps of thoughts run through my head
don’t cry
we got a life to live

thank you for bringing me up right
you always seem to know just what i need
i owe you one for keeping me out of trouble that night
yeah i’m a wild one but you planted the seed

i say i wouldn’t do nothing you wouldn’t do
don’t we both know that ain’t true

not gonna lie this don’t sit well
but we’re taking it strong far as i can tell
i say my prayers every night in my bed
when heaps of thoughts run through my head
don’t cry
we got a life to live

daddy please don’t cry
we ain’t got the time

not gonna lie this don’t sit well
and it hurts my heart to see you go through hell
i say my prayers every night in my bed
when heaps of thoughts run through my head
don’t cry
we got a life to live
yeah we got a life to live

hey dad i got your letter
and i ain’t much of a writer
so i’ll sing you a song
i’ve seen big ships pull out of nasty weather
rock back and forth and sail on

and now there’s a storm moving through
tell me dad what’s a boy to do

not gonna lie this don’t sit well
and it hurts my heart to see you go through hell
i say my prayers every night in my bed
when heaps of thoughts run through my head
don’t cry
we got a life to live

thank you for bringing me up right
you always seem to know just what i need
i owe you one for keeping me out of trouble that night
yeah i’m a wild one but you planted the seed

i say i wouldn’t do nothing you wouldn’t do
don’t we both know that ain’t true

not gonna lie this don’t sit well
but we’re taking it strong far as i can tell
i say my prayers every night in my bed
when heaps of thoughts run through my head
don’t cry
we got a life to live

daddy please don’t cry
we ain’t got the time

not gonna lie this don’t sit well
and it hurts my heart to see you go through hell
i say my prayers every night in my bed
when heaps of thoughts run through my head
don’t cry
we got a life to live
yeah we got a life to live

so you want to know something about me
what kind of man you can expect me to be
will i stand right here beside you faithfully

some pictures are worth more than words

there’s a photo over there where the light’s shining down
on a rental tuxedo and worn wedding gown
his promise was forever when this city was a town

that photo on the wall
of who I come from
can answer any question at all

so what if i got a decision
between drinking and fishing with him
will i hold his hand by the ocean if he don’t swim

some pictures are worth more than words

there’s another one there before you hit the door
he’s holding my hand as I stumble down the shore
i think we’re going fishing he knows it’s something more

those photos on the wall
of who I come from
can answer any question at all

now if that don’t tell you something
about the song i’m gonna sing
take another look over there darling

there’s a photo over there where the light’s shining down
on my daddy’s tuxedo and mama’s wedding gown
his promise was forever he never backed down

and there’s another one there before you hit the door
he’s holding my hand as I stumble down the shore
i think we’re going fishing he knows it’s something more

those photos on the wall
of who I come from
can answer any question at all

if you want to know something about me
what kind of man you can expect me to be

sometimes I lie awake early a.m.
and feel that feeling come on again
the way dust settles on the river run dry

i watch as the mountain she comes alive
and the last morning star fades into light
til dark falls away from the sky

and i rise
brother i rise

I come to my door and i patiently wait
for the sound of your voice outside the gate
I know you’re coming for me

we walk this road an eternal mile
the pain goes away when I feel you smile
and for now we can be free

and we rise
brother we rise
we fly
brother we fly
good bye
good bye

and oh how we soar
oh like never before

until the day and the night turns to one
by our second turn around the sun
something beautiful has begun

when we rise
brother we rise
we fly
brother we fly
good bye
good bye
we ain’t ever coming down
we ain’t ever coming down
but we always come down

sometimes i lie awake early a.m.
and I feel that feeling come on again
the way dust settles on the river run dry

carrying the burden everyday
you give yourself away
in return for hope and love
is hand in hand with faith

walk this road
share this heavy load
when i’m with you
my arms are wings
my words i sing
i am everything
when i’m with you

i have always wondered if it’s true
if deep inside of you
an ancient heart beats loud
and strong like the beating of a drum

walk this road
share this heavy load
when i’m with you
my arms are wings
my words i sing
i am everything
when i’m with you
i am everything
when i’m with you
i am everything
when i’m with you
i am everything
when i’m with you

i have always wondered if it’s true
if deep inside of you
an ancient heart beats loud and strong

in the hour before dawn
under breaking western skies
i believe you carry on
i can see with closing eyes

in the way the sun lay
upon your skin
free somehow between now
and what has been
long may you roam
long may you roam

far away from the chain
they have made to hold you in
between sage and desert rain
i believe you walk again

into light under flight
of ancient wing
all around hear the sound
of angels sing
long may you roam
long may you roam
long may you roam

dear annie
i can’t believe
you’re coming to me
i dreamt you running
long before i knew your name
dear annie
did you dream the same

dear annie
you’re a wing and a prayer
out a field somewhere
you came from a southern sunrise
on a missouri breeze
dear annie
i hope i make you happy

you came from a southern sunrise
on a missouri breeze
and i’m going to love you
deep as the next winter’s freeze
dear annie
i hope i make you happy

For the sender series
Album Three
2016

Love Letters From Vietnam

Letters sent back in time to a soldier in Vietnam inspired this collection of songs as a soundtrack to the third book in the For The Sender series.

Album Lyrics

i got a bullet in my pocket
and a patch upon my sleeve
i got a feeling i can’t stop it
and a feeling i can’t leave

wait
you said wait
i couldn’t wait

the heat here it’s like a killer
your love is like a rope
i got one hand on the trigger
and one hand on the hope

wait
you said wait
i couldn’t wait

so meet me tonight
in an east texas sky
there ain’t nothing like
a southern girl in the summertime
in an east texas sky

i got the echoes of my brothers
they’re my remember-whens
i got a young wife i made a mother
and hope i see her again

wait
she said wait
i couldn’t wait
wait
you said wait i couldn’t wait

so meet me tonight
in an east texas sky
there ain’t nothing like
a southern girl in the summertime
in an east texas sky

where there ain’t no war
no fighting back home no more
dying alone
what good would dying do
if i don’t die for you

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love look at you now
i have never been so proud
as tonight
my angel in white

love look at you now
southern boy in luck somehow
when we met
and a man when you left

and if i made you cry
your tears are mine tonight
in the twilight

remember 68
love i couldn’t wait
to see you then
and touch you again

so now take my hand
in yours as we dance
across the floor
could you love me more

and if i made you cry
your tears are mine tonight
in the twilight
and i shine when you shine
your eyes are mine
tonight
in the twilight

because the living thing is a forgiving thing
let go of everything
hear the guitar sing

in the twilight
we dance around the room
like we used to do

love look at you now
i have never been so proud
as tonight
my angel in white

love look at you now
southern boy in luck somehow
when we met
and a man when you left

and if i made you cry
your tears are mine tonight
in the twilight

remember 68
love i couldn’t wait
to see you then
and touch you again

so now take my hand
in yours as we dance
across the floor
could you love me more

and if i made you cry
your tears are mine tonight
in the twilight
and i shine when you shine
your eyes are mine
tonight
in the twilight

because the living thing is a forgiving thing
let go of everything
hear the guitar sing

in the twilight
we dance around the room
like we used to do

maybe i’m a rose
starting to unfold
these layers are like petals in the wind
one day i’m quiet the next day bold
one night a diamond
next night i’m a pearl
maybe i’m a rose
but first

i’m your date at a red-dirt barbeque
where you taught me to light that pit
if i need to jump a truck
you taught me to drive stick
if i get caught in a corner i can throw a punch
but most of all i loved how much
we would dance
your hand my hair a twirl
maybe i’m a rose
but first i’m your girl

maybe i’m a rose
ceremonial
saluting in the early morning light
when you grieve
if your love leaves
i’ll be there when your dreams start to unfurl
maybe i’m a rose
but first

if i need to say no i can say it strong
and saying yes don’t make me wrong
i live deep
as deep as the day is long
you taught me to give when i don’t have much
and i remember your touch
when we would dance
your hand my hair a twirl
maybe i’m a rose
but first i’m your girl

and i remember that sunset
golden like a poem
i wanted to touch the light in your eyes
before he took you home
i hope you know
i am so grateful
that i am your rose

opening up

in the dead of the night on the side of road
you taught me to change a flat
when i am lost
you taught me to read a map
i can swing a hammer better than a boy
do you remember the joy
when we would dance
your hand my hair a twirl
maybe i’m a rose
maybe i’m a rose
but first i’m your girl

EP
2018

Stop Making Me Cry

I haven’t recorded my own collection of songs in a decade. After ten years, three books, and three albums about other people’s stories, I had some of my own waiting to be born.

So I invited Sean and Dominique Arciero over to the ranch and we recorded 5 songs, in between feeding horses and playing with dogs. I didn’t do the typical build-up to a release for this album, with a countdown tracker or daily documentation of the recording process.

These songs open a very personal window close to my heart, and I thought I’d just let you know when they were ready to be heard. They are.

Album Lyrics

Darling this won’t hurt
No longer than you need it to
It’s just a little dirt
And we all got a scar or two

I put a clean sheet on the bed
And the water on for you
We all bleed this red
And we all got a scar or two

Nothing left to say
And there’s nothing left to do
Daybreak’s a breath away
And we all got a scar
We all got a scar
We all got a scar or two

Like a ship still at sea
Like a moment hoping to be
Like a chain fighting the rust
Like a diamond fighting the dust

We ride the night
In search of a sign
If you show me your heart
I’ll show you mine

Like a prisoner unsure he’s sprung
Like a river wanting to run
Like a desert chasing the rain
Like a needle chasing the pain

We ride the night
In search of a sign
If you show me your heart
Show me your heart
If you show me your heart
I’ll show you mine

By the light of an unseen star
Love here we are

We are the night
Coming alive
If you show me your heart
Show me your heart
If you show me your heart
I’ll show you mine

Girl in a frame shop
Down on Cedros
I found you the way the wind blows through
Your torn up leather gloves

I wanted to take you somewhere out here
And tuck your hair behind your ear
Show you all I know about love

But what do I know about love

I’m almost falling in your eyes
When I realize

Girl in a frame shop
You don’t know me
There’s nothing you could show me
I ain’t already seen

I got a habit
Of making a story
Of honor faith and glory
To the spaces in between

Where I find what I believe

I’m almost falling in your eyes
When I realize

I believe in the melody
And some things left undone
The dark will part in front of me
And the best is yet to come
I believe in consequence
And life not being fair
But you can’t take me there

Girl in a frame shop
Down on Cedros
I found you the way the wind blows through
Your torn up leather gloves

Where are you going
So far away
You’re further down the road
Every day

I don’t know what to do now
To bring you back to me
Where are you going
Amy

Sometimes I still see you
Like it was yesterday
Before autumn light on blonde hair
Faded to gray

Watching this ain’t easy
So I hold my memory
Sometimes I still see you
Amy

I hear a whisper on the night wind
I see a flicker in the dark
Along this road we travel
Searching for a spark
I’m going to start a fire tonight
With all the tinder I can find
To light your slow walk home
Through this shadow in your mind

If you can see where you are going
The road will bring you back to me
The road will only be a circle
The road will only be a circle
The road is only a circle
Amy

This hell I miss out of you
Is all around me now
In this fire Sam and me
Made with Charlie
I hope I can get to you somehow

I will spend a thousand nights in this lie
For one more night with you
I will fight these demons running through my mind
If Rebecca you stay true

Your name darling this song
I sing whenever I’m alone
In the hard sweat of these men
The closer we get
The farther I’m from home

But I will spend a thousand nights in this lie
For one more night with you
I will fight the demons running through my mind
If Rebecca you stay true

And now one more night has come
You’re in my arms and again
And then
Here I go again

I will spend a thousand nights in this lie
For one more night with you
I will fight the demons running through my mind
If Rebecca you stay true

EP
2006

Up with the Sun

This record was made in 2006, mostly in Los Angeles at Stanley Studios. I produced the album with John Would and it features the introduction of Ike Marr, a multi-instrumentalist who would become a fixture with me on record and stage.

His mandolin playing and background vocals influenced my direction at the time, and you can hear it right from the album’s opening track ‘Open Road’. I put this album out independently and it follows my questions about where I’m supposed to be in my life.

I felt like I should have arrived at some sort a destination in many ways by this point, highlighted by the song ‘I Thought I’d Be There By Now’. There’s a hidden track at the end of the 12 song album.

Album Lyrics

Open road in the morning
Yellow lines passing through
And I don’t know where I am going
But I know what I’m telling you

Wherever you may go
Walk the open road

And so I went to meet my dream
Found her face down in the gutter
But you know before she rises she sleeps
To wait out stormy weather

Wherever you may go
Walk the open road
Walk the open road

And if you must go tomorrow
There is no need to cry
Happiness is cloaked in sorrow
And hello is draped in goodbye

Goodbye

I don’t know where I’m going
But I know this is true
That wherever you may go
Be it today or tomorrow
You take it easy take it slow

And walk the open road
Walk the open road
She might be a lonesome road

Sometimes I would see you
In an airplane or a train
Places meant for going away
There’d be conversation
A knowing glance or two
And I’d go my way
And so would you
It’s true

It could’ve been love
It could’ve been anything at all
It could’ve been love
It could’ve been

The first time I was early
The next time I was late
Now I’m dreaming
My days away
In the heat of glass and asphalt
The city takes me in
And leaves me waiting
For life to begin
Again

It could’ve been love
It could’ve been anything at all
It could’ve been love
It could’ve been

And I got a light by my bedside for you
And a million dreams waiting too
For you

So if you’re out there searching
And you wonder where I go
There’s a light that shines under my door
And it ain’t hard to find me
I’m where I’ve always been
I’m just dreaming again
And tired of saying

It could’ve been love
It could’ve been anything at all
It could’ve been love
It could’ve been

I don’t think you know me
But I see you in the hall
I’m the one who looks lonely
Building castles in the wall
Sometimes you smile
It stays for a while

And all my life turns around
What’s wrong is right
What’s lost is found
You lift me up

You’re quiet in the morning
But I can hear you leave
I catch you in the moment
You disappear in the street
I remember your smile
It stays for a while

And all my life turns around
What’s wrong is right
What’s lost is found
You lift me up

Now your door is a castle to me
Nothing more
And I can’t believe I’m knocking
And the door is opening

And all my life turns around
What’s wrong is right
What’s lost is found
You lift me up

All my life is turning around
Now all my life

Watched the sunrise over the hill
Turned the car to the west
And you said baby
We’re gonna be different than the rest
We drove all day through the amber
Surrounding workers in the fields
You said we only need to remember what is real

Like the sweet peace
I keep with me
When I think of you

And in the California Dessert
We made a true lover’s pact
You said you know you don’t move forward
When you’re looking back
You spend some time understanding
You spend some time getting through
And if you give your heart tonight
I’ll give mine to you

Like the sweet peace
I keep with me
When I think of you

And now life gets in the way
These days
Between what we say
What we need

So let’s go for a drive tonight
Watch the sun rise over the hill
And if you need me to hold you tight
You know I will

Like the sweet peace
I keep with me
Wherever I go
Whatever I do
When I think of you
It’s the sweet peace
When I think of you

Get your ticket and I’ll meet you at the station
Get your ticket and I’ll meet you down there
Train’s leaving at a quarter past the hour
Train’s leaving and there’s room to spare

Way down there
I hear they love their brothers
Way down there
I hear they fight for truth
Way down there
You can do just what you want to
Way down there
I’ll fall in love with you

Lately I been feelin a little left over
Lately I been feelin a little left out
Train’s leaving at a quarter past the hour
Train’s leaving and I’m gonna find out

If way down there
They love their brothers
Way down there
I hear they fight for truth
Way down there
You can do just what you want to
Way down there
I’ll fall in love with you

Way down here
We love their brothers
Way down here
We fight for truth
Way down here
We can be just what you want to
Way down here
I’m waiting for you
Way down here
I’m waiting for you
Way down here
I’m waiting for you

I’ll meet you at the crossroads
Of hand in hand
Forever ever after
In this promised land

I never really loved her
Like I love you
And I never really kissed her
The way I’m missing you

Adelaide
I’m sorry for the mistake I made
My Adelaide
I’ll make it up to you
Someday

I’ll fly you through the texas night
If you spread your wings
I’ll gather these tears you’ve cried
And save them for better things

Adelaide
I’m sorry for the mistake I made
My Adelaide
I’ll make it up to you
Someday

I never really loved her
Like I love you
I never really kissed her
The way I’m missing you

Adelaide
I’m sorry for the mistake I made
My Adelaide
I’ll make it up to you
Someday

Well when I was younger
I was a dreamer
Building castles in my mind
And now that I’m older
With more weight to shoulder
I dream about you all the time

When we’re holding hands up in heaven
In a yellow circle sun

Well we lived on emotion
Then we went through the motions
Until I woke up one sunrise
And you were taken
God mistaken
Lord I tell him every night

When we’re holding hands up in heaven
In a yellow circle sun

So if you’re listening
You can hear me singing
I am praising you and your light
Because I still need you
And I’m gonna see you
When my time is right

We’ll be holding hands maybe somewhere soon the sky shines on
We’ll be holding hands every star we rested our dreams on

When we’re holding hands up in heaven
In a yellow circle sun

Today
Was a good day
I saw you here

I saw the way
You looked into me
But I don’t know your name
I saw you here

My world before you
Is nothing I knew
Til I saw you here
I saw you here

I saw the sun rise
In every scene of my life
But I don’t know
Quite why

I saw you here
And I try to find you
I will always try

But today
Was a good day
I saw you here
And I try to find you
I will always try

Til I see you here
I saw you here
Do you see me here

I will lay you down
And I will close your eyes
And you will dream
Of precious things tonight

Like the back porch stairs
Breathing in this summer night
I promise to be there
In fields of candle light

When the lights go down
And there’s no one around
In your sleepy little town

I will take your hand
And slow we begin to rise
Over deserts of regret
And oceans of compromise

Little things left unsaid
We’ll scream into the night
A chorus of angels by your bed
Will sing you this lullaby

When the lights go down
And there’s no one around
In your sleepy little town

Hear the angels sing

As we come back down
You begin to cry
May the tears caught in these clouds
Rain on you tonight
And wash away the dust
That’s gathered on your dreams
And fill your glass with love
And all these precious things

When the lights go down
And there’s no one around
In your sleepy little town

I thought that I’d be there by now
This night is echoing loud
As I drive
There’s a sign around the bend
Will you take me home again

Oh the way
You came back today
But I don’t know how to love you now
When I thought I’d be there by now

I thought that I’d be there by now
That I’d make it through somehow
Did I find my way
It seems a long way to go
To find that no one’s home

Oh the way
You came back today
But I don’t know how to love you now
When I thought I’d be there by now

Now I’m up with the sun
Am I the only one
Feeling a little undone

And oh the way
I hope that it’s today
But I don’t know how to love you now
When I thought I’d be there by now

Wake up today
Put on my clothes
Turn on my radio

Kitchen breathes cold
Dust holds the light
I pull myself close
And hold myself tight

Coffee is done
Black as it gets
Table for one
Newspaper’s wet

Cup’s in my sink
Spirit half full
Take my first drink
Look out my window

In moving pictures
My momma’s holding me
I’m so much older now
Than I ever thought I’d be

I think its my birthday
There are candles on a cake
My momma’s smiling at every move I make
In pictures faded and gray
Life’s like that some ways

Then I am running
On a playground in wintertime
I’m king of the world
And the camera in your eyes
And everything’s alright
Life’s like that sometimes

And I don’t know if I ever told you
Just what that meant to me

And so this thank you
For all you’ve given me
You’ve given me life
And all these memories
In all this quiet beauty
Life’s like that to me

EP
2004

Mile High

I recorded this album in 2004 at Pete Droge’s house on Vashon Island in Washington state. I’d take the ferry across the Puget Sound from Seattle every morning and think about how cool it was to be able to record with one of my songwriting heroes producing.

Mile High was originally released on 33rd Street Records, which was owned by Tower Records. Tower Records (and 33rd Street) went out of business soon after the release, so the album never really got a proper introduction to the world.

There are 10 tracks on Mile High, mostly looking at a relationship’s end and my own sense of displacement in Seattle at the time.

The closing track is the nearest to my heart; it’s about my grandmother and her struggle to leave this world.

Album Lyrics

A small apartment in the highlands
You light your candles all around
We sit and watch the lights go down
On everything

And I think I am a mile high
I’ve never felt nothing quite like this
The more I love you
The higher I fly

Everywhere I go a voice is calling
You’re done running now
Run back to me
Why do I only feel right when I’m falling
Into dreams

And I think I am a mile high
I’ve never felt nothing quite like this
The more I love you
The higher I fly

I dream through windows
I dream alive
I dream in memories tonight

Two a.m. and I’m tired of the waiting
I’m tired of holding my own hand
Pick up the phone my fingers remember
Where I am

And I think I am a mile high
I’ve never felt nothing quite like this
The more I love you
The higher I fly

Stood on the roof
Watching the sun going down
Over you
And the truth is hard to lose
So I’m turning it loose

And I’m one step further away
Into the silver gray
Closer every day
To wonderful

Interstate 5
Watching the sun going down
As I drive
And the sky is lit up right
The stars are diamonds tonight

And I’m one step further away
Into the silver gray
Closer every day
To wonderful

She rises to meet you
She always will
Across bridges and mountains
And green grass hills
Heaven only knows what someday brings

Interstate 5
Had a conversation with me last night
Drive
Leave it behind
You’re just in time

And you’re one step further away
Into the silver gray
Closer every day
To wonderful

So this is it the turning around
You left your keys in the door
And you’re standing in the middle
Of the living room floor
You say your light is fading away
All these colors bleeding in this rain

I don’t need to see the sun
To know she shines like you

You got a little light attached to you
You do
You move around the room
Like you don’t know it
But I know it’s true
I know it’s true

You say you got things that you’re going through
I’ve seen your smile light up this room

I don’t need to see the sun
To know she shines like you

You got a little light attached to you
You do
You move around the room
Like you don’t know it
But I know it’s true
I know it’s true

Those colors you dream
Those mountains you climb
Funny how they seemed
Like everything last night
When you said is this
The beautiful life

You got a little light attached to you
You do
You move around the room
Like you don’t know it
But I know it’s true
I know it’s true

May your heart always be full
In times of light in times of trouble
May you love, but never too far,
You lose yourself, and you can’t find who you are
And if the dawn is slow to show her face

Take good care
Of all
Ya might find there is not enough love out here sometimes
Not enough love out here sometimes

May you give of all your treasures
What ever shape they may be
May you live one day for others
We’re all some crazy family
And if the dawn is slow to show her face

Take good care
Of all
Ya might find there is not enough love out here sometimes
Not enough love out here sometimes

And if the dawn is slow to show her face

Take good care
Of all
Ya might find there is not enough love out here sometimes
Not enough love out here sometimes

Give you one last look
In this evening light
Came this far
Just to say goodnight

I will miss the way
You smiled in the morning
I will miss the way
You dragged me down
I will miss your
Voice on the wire

I give you one last touch
Through this car window
You can tell me you love me
One last time

I will miss the way
You smiled in the morning
I will miss the way
You dragged me down
I will miss your
Voice on the wire

Sometimes I cry because it’s over
Sometimes I smile it happened at all

But I still have your smell on my pillow
I still have your hair on my clothes
I still miss your
Voice on the wire

Down in Ft. Worthless Texas
Jumped a train FLA
Leaving blood on the tracks back in Memphis
He’s still bleeding there today

Whatever road you may travel
Wherever you may roam
You’re gonna find blood and salt and silver
On this road paved with gold

Toyota pickup with a flatbed
Running the North Dakota plains
Sometimes this dream it ain’t worth living
Maybe I’ve forgotten what it means

Whatever road you may travel
Wherever you may roam
You’re gonna find blood and salt and silver
On this road paved with gold

I am standing at the ocean in California
I wonder how long it will be
I got gold now in my pocket
But it don’t help me feel you
Feel me

Whatever road you may travel
Wherever you may roam
You’re gonna find blood and salt and silver
On this road paved with gold

She says I hope I keep on breathing through the night
But she can’t hold a conversation and a drink at the same time
And as she looks around the room I can see it in her eyes
Cry

Step outside to find the college boys passing us by
Cigarettes maybe salvation at the end of the night
And all the while I want to take her someplace quiet
And let her cry

Sixth street is lit up tonight
My apartment is quiet inside
Strike a match and turn down the light
I don’t want anything, alright
I just want you to sleep tonight

I hope I keep breathing through the night

She says I hope I keep on breathing through the night
And she ain’t altogether wrong because she ain’t altogether right
She’s like you and I
And I let her cry

I hope I keep breathing through the night

I hope I keep on breathing through the night

He walks alone
And he thinks about her now and then
The moment’s gone
He don’t really recollect
He can remember New York
TV tonight, Yankees and Los Angeles
And most of the time
He don’t know what time it is
But he can remember New York

With the loss and the pain and the love that remains
And the hope that hangs over everything

He takes one step for love
He takes two steps to fight
He takes three steps for all those Saturday nights

He walks outside
See the people keeping on living their lives
Step through them then they’re gone
But he remembers New York
Then he sees her smile
He feels her in the air
He’s there for a while
And all the words stops and stares
He is back in New York

With the loss and the pain and the love that remains
And the hope that hangs over everything

He takes one step for love
He takes two steps to fight
He takes three steps for all those Saturday nights

It’s the loss and the pain and the love that remains
It’s the hope that hangs over everything
As the night comes untied and he opens his eyes to realize

He takes one step for love
He takes two steps to fight
He takes three steps for all those Saturday nights

We take one step for love
We take two steps to fight
We take three steps for all of those Saturday nights

It was only yesterday
Somehow everything has changed
Since you looked at me

Now I hang on every word that you say
Scared it’s gonna fade away
So I hang on every word that you say

All I want is you to stay
Beautiful everyday
So I hang on every word that you say

As we walked under the pier
If there’s some place better than here
I would go with you

Now I hang on every word that you say
Scared it’s gonna fade away
So I hang on every word that you say

All I want is you to stay
Beautiful everyday
So I hang on every word that you say
Every word you say

I heard your name again today
But somehow everything has changed

And I hung on every word you say
Scared it’s gonna fade away
So I hang on every word that you say

Every word you say

All I want is you to stay
Beautiful everyday
So I hang on every word that you say

Every word you say

Heaven I do believe I heard you
Heaven I do believe you called
Heaven I would like to come and see you

I think I’m tired of the waiting
I think I’d like to find some peace
Heaven is this an invitation
For me

It reads bring your autumn and your winter
Bring your summer and your spring
There is a dance in the quiet morning

Heaven I’ve walked a million miles
To stand before you here tonight
I think I’d like to rest awhile
If that’s alright

I brought my autumn and my winter
I brought my summer and my spring
I brought my invitation
Please

EP
2008

Alex Woodard

Most of this album was done at my house in San Diego in 2008 and I produced it with help on a few tracks from Rex Schnelle, John Would, and Martin Feveyear, who produced my first two full-length albums in Seattle in the late ’90s.

Ike and I went back up to Seattle to revisit a couple of songs at Martin’s studio, where I had recorded them 10 years before (‘Billie Holiday’ and ‘Photograph’).

We kept the rhythm tracks and some guitars but I re-sang the vocals and Ike played fiddle and mandolin to bring the songs more in line with where I was heading musically. The 11 track album also features ‘Reno’, which went to #1 on CMT’s Pure Country Countdown and stayed in the top 10 for a month and a half.

Album Lyrics

Nights like this I used to dream
I was so much younger then
Life turned so suddenly
Caught me remembering when

This heart was true
And the dream was too

Maybe my best days aren’t behind me
If I start living and forgiving
Then one night you might find me
Broke down on your shoulder
And we’ll go together
This beautiful road
Getting older

Time’s been running away from us
Gotta make this night turn true
Dreams settlin’ into dust
And I’m still looking for you

But this heart is true
And the dream is too

Maybe my best days aren’t behind me
If I start living and forgiving
Then one night you might find me
Broke down on your shoulder
And we’ll walk together
This beautiful road
Getting older

The lines on your face
Get more beautiful everyday
They lead me all the way to you

Until I wake one day beside you
I’m going to hold you like I told you
I always knew I would find you
Broke down on your shoulder
I was not getting older
I was getting closer
On this beautiful road
Getting older
Are you out there
Getting older
Getting closer
I’m getting closer and closer
And closer and closer
To you

I pulled out of Memphis
With her on my mind
She reminds me of someone I left behind
In a hotel in Nashville
Or a club in L.A.
Or maybe a lover’s house on the way

Been working in Reno
Trying to get out
I’ve got a lonesome I worry about
It ain’t the same feeling
As being alone
It’s more how my lover’s house
Ain’t a home no more

So I need to know
Is it time to let go
Is it time to leave
These dreams behind me
In Reno

She was there at the station
When i stopped to fill up
This diesel tank and stained out coffee cup
He says he needs coffee
But I think he means me
So I’m filling his cup
With all my dreams

How i need to know
Is it time to let go
Is it time to leave
These dreams behind me
In Reno
I think i know
its time to let go
its time to leave
These dream behind me
In Reno

I pulled out of Reno
With her by my side

He sits down at the table
She’s been gone about a year
He says the cancer took her sudden
But her spirit keeps her near

Right here

He says the world keeps on turning
Like it don’t know that she’s gone
So I hold on to moments
And I turn the radio on

We dance around the room
Like we used to do and then
She’s in my arms again
Boy I’m telling you
We dance around the room

And then the music ends

Then I go back to being me
And I turn down the lights
Sometimes I stare at the ceiling
Sometimes I close my eyes

We dance around the room
Like we used to do and then
She’s in my arms again
Boy I’m telling you
We dance around the room
And then the music ends

Every time I try to sleep
Every time I think she’s next me
Every time she makes me believe

He gets up from the table
Says if heaven’s up to me
She’s gonna meet me at the old house

And slowly

We’ll dance around the room
Like we used to do and then
She’s in my arms again
Boy I’m telling you
We’ll dance around that room
And the music will never end

It’s been a long time gone
And where I am now
It ain’t where I’m from
I used to sleep to the sound
Of the night falling down

In a mountain town

I thought I needed a change
I thought I heard this city call my name
So I made my way

I got played a time or two
Until I learned how to do the playing too
A long ways from the sound
Of the night falling down

In a mountain town

And you don’t know where to go
Until you follow your own road
But sometimes
It takes you back home

The town is in my sights
I know this old road
I see the main street lights
I wonder if she’s still around

I wanna sleep to the sound
I wanna sleep to the sound
I wanna sleep to the sound

Of her
In a mountain town
I wanna sleep to the sound
Of her
Here in this mountain town

There’s a burned out Chevrolet
Out on the interstate
I left her halfway
When I found this little town
And started settling down
And selling out
And wondering what my life was about now

Living halfway
To someday

So I dreamed me away
Out over the waves
In that Chevrolet
Behind blue skies gray
I heard my angel say
There’s no other way
From your yesterday

To someday

When you’re living halfway
You’re living halfway

To someday

See here’s your ocean
Here’s your wave
Here’s your island
Here’s the way
Silver waves I road
All the way back home
Where I awoke

Alone

In that same old house
In that same old town
With the same road out

To that interstate
There’s that Chevrolet now
Take me all the way home

To someday

See here’s my ocean
Here’s my wave
Here’s my island

Here’s the way

To someday

Take me all the way home

Highway One late July
You took a picture beneath that auburn sky
And I’ve been wondering why
That summer’s end always meant goodbye
I never thought about it
I worked my way around it
But tucked away one December day

I found a black and white photograph
I am smiling in the summer sun
Life was turning around so fast
I found a black and white

Now I ain’t seen you in years
But I’d be first in line to dry your tears
If you needed a friend
Theres only one love left in the end
Sometimes I think about it
I always live without it
I want the days I can’t replace

I have a black and white photograph
I am smiling in the summer sun
Life’s been turning around so fast
I have a black and white

Well I’m doing alright
I’m just hoping to find
Those beautiful photograph moments in time

Still tucked away for those winter days

I have a black and white photograph
I am smiling in the summer sun
life’s been turning around so fast
I have a black and white

I have a black and white photograph
I’m smiling in the summer sun
Life’s been turning around so fast
I have a black and white photograph

Today you turned on the TV
Got the kids out of bed
Get up sleepy head

Good morning sunrise,
I love your tired eyes
And oh have I told you how
You’re beautiful now
You’re a hot mom now

And those things they tell you
Those things that they do
Darling, they don’t know
Not the way I know

I’ve seen you sleeping
And tangled up in children
In the morning and oh
Have I told you how

You’re beautiful now
You’re a hot mom now

And those dreams you thought were hiding
Those dreams are all around

And today
Today is a good day
You’re beautiful now
Take a look around
You’ll see
Those dreams you thought were dying
Those dreams are all around

You’re beautiful now
You’re a hot mom now
You’re a hot mom now
Some kind of beautiful now
You’re more beautiful now

She wore silver hoop earrings
Had a little bit of gut
Truth being told, she was kind of beat up
I loved her so
How was I to know

That one night lying by the washing machine
I’d find a Sears catalog with wedding rings
And a post it note, just so I would know

Oh no
Oh no

Well I took off running didn’t ever looked back
Right past the church and the railroad tracks
I caught my breath and took off again
I stopped in California a couple months gone
Down by the ocean where nothing goes wrong
I built my home I was all alone

With no
Do what you’re told
Hoops to jump through anymore
That’s all she wore

Well I tried making love with the model types
Found me a winner that could read and write
If we went slow, so slow
But I couldn’t get away from a dream I had
Back in Carolina on the porch with her dad
Drinking Bud, we were so in love

With no
Do what you’re told
Silver or gold
Hoops to jump through anymore
That’s all she wore

In the middle of the dream she says to me
You better get back soon, Daddy’s on the loose,
You see this baby boy, looks a little like me
And a lot like you

Well I woke up cold but I knew what I had to do

I ran right back to those silver hoop earrings
And a little bit of gut
Truth being told the kid’s kind of beat up
I love them so
And now the world knows
‘Cause we got married at the church by the track
Every now and then I never look back
Take it from me
There’s a moral to the story

Silver hoop earrings gonna win every time
Gonna find you a man
Everything’ll be fine
All you need are silver hoop earrings

Life gives and takes and takes away again
I miss you I do
Trying to find a goodbye at the end
Of life with you

Do you remember what we used to do
We used to

Lay in bed all day wasting the day away
With sinatra and Billie Holiday
Lay awake all day
Wasting sundays
You me and Billie Holiday

Come to find my bright side
Made you blind and confused
Shining light on lives best left behind
And unused

Do you remember what we used to do
We used to

Lay in bed all day wasting the day away
With sinatra and Billie Holiday
Lay awake all day
Wasting sundays
You me and Billie Holiday

Now it’s 10:30 on a solo sunday morning
I am not alone
You’re there in the air I breathe

Do you remember what we used to do
We used to

Lay in bed all day wasting the day away
With sinatra and Billie Holiday
Lay awake all day
Wasting sundays
You me and Billie Holiday

In my time of dying,
I hope I find the grace
To say I’ve made some beautiful mistakes
Some will be the right ones
Some will carry on
To weigh me down when all my hope is gone

But it’s all right now
It’s all right now

That girl I will remember
How could I forget
Every day’s been better since we met
She taught me that forever
Is right here in my hand
And some things I will never understand

But it’s all right now
It’s all right now
Life is right now

It’s all right now

Well I hope I am courageous
And not afraid to give
And in my time of dying
I hope I live
I hope I live

And I hope you live
And I hope you live

she stood strong on the front porch
watched the taillights turn down main

thinking

there is a time for crying
there is a time for pain
but there is no more time to waste

he turned the car down main
watched the stoplight go red to green
thinking

there is a time to rise up
there is a time to change
and there is no more time to waste

she came in from the front porch
lit a cigarette for old time’s sake
as he pulled into the drive
lit a cigarette and threw it away

thinking

there is a time for sunrise
there is a time for rain
but there is no more time
no more time
there is no more time to waste
today