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1. |
Back In The Day
06:05
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I grew up in a suburban field,
Waiting for my hopes and dreams to be revealed.
While grownups talked of civil rights and Vietnam,
Books and imaginary friends all kept me calm.
Just four channels on a black and white TV,
Three had cartoons and that suited me.
Nowadays the news and sounds just make me drop,
I must be getting old, I’m not hip to the hop.
I know the wheels of time don’t roll in reverse,
I know that there were things back then that made it worse.
In modern times, we’re all wont to dismiss it,
But I wouldn’t mind going back there for a visit.
Back when our faith and our hearts were stronger,
And we stayed kids just a little bit longer.
The cure for my depression is a small dose of regression,
All in all, we all turned out okay,
Living like we did back in the day.
My dad grew up on a citrus farm,
Nine older siblings kept him out of harm.
While grownups talked of crops and banks that both might fail,
Dad got real good with a hammer and a nail.
Just four stations on a big old radio,
Three had gospel, swinging sweet and low.
I remember times when Dad just seemed so old,
He didn’t understand this thing called rock and roll.
I know the wheels of time don’t roll in reverse,
I know that there were things back then that made it worse.
In modern times, we’re all wont to dismiss it,
But I wouldn’t mind going back there for a visit.
Back when our faith and our hearts were stronger,
And we stayed kids just a little bit longer.
The cure for my depression is a small dose of regression,
All in all, we all turned out okay,
Living like we did back in the day.
Drink the water from the garden hose,
Fall down from the tree and break your nose,
No hands, no helmets, and no knee pads in between,
Don’t you wonder how we made it to eighteen?
I know the wheels of time don’t roll in reverse,
I know that there were things back then that made it worse.
In modern times, we’re all wont to dismiss it,
But I wouldn’t mind going back there for a visit.
Back when our faith and our hearts were stronger,
And we stayed kids just a little bit longer.
The cure for my depression is a small dose of regression,
All in all, we all turned out okay,
Living like we did back in the day.
©2017 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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2. |
The Feast
04:36
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I asked you to come here tonight to join the celebration,
I wanted you to know that I have put away my pride.
And though it’s no surprise that you’d reject the invitation,
The time has come for us to set our differences aside.
There will be a feast tonight right here at my own table,
I’ll take down my good china and prepare your favorite meal.
You know that I would tell you to your face if I was able,
but I must bare my conscience in the hope that I can heal.
I prepare a table in the presence of my enemy,
the one in the mirror who seeks to be released.
I will break this bread and raise a glass to your memory,
Rise up from the table and walk away in peace,
Rise up and be grateful for the feast.
I’ll start the conversation by accepting your apology,
The one you never offered that you don’t even know you owe.
And I will do my best to understand your terminology,
Knowing that your silence is the blessing you bestowl.
When the meal is over, I’ll smile and walk you to the door,
Thank you for the evening and bid a fond farewell.
And as I clear the table, a peace I never felt before
Will rise up from within me and I’ll know that all is well.
I prepare a table in the presence of my enemy,
the one in the mirror who seeks to be released.
I will break this bread and raise a glass to your memory,
Rise up from the table and walk away in peace,
Rise up and be grateful for the feast.
And I’ll forgive you, I’ll let it go,
But there’s one thing you’ve got to know.
The only way to see this through
Is if I learn to forgive me, too.
I prepare a table in the presence of my enemy,
the one in the mirror who seeks to be released.
I will break this bread and raise a glass to your memory,
Rise up from the table and walk away in peace,
Rise up and be grateful for the feast.
©2017 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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3. |
Breathe Awhile
03:28
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It’s true what they say, Jack’s a dull boy,
All work and no play, he’s getting annoyed.
Been chasing a dream, a life well spent,
Someday he’s gonna wonder where the time all went.
When the struggle is real and you’re down on your knees,
Live in the moment, see the forest for the trees.
It’s the distractions that make it all worthwhile,
You’ve got to breathe awhile.
The ship won’t run aground just because you’re not around,
You don’t need to make an excuse.
And if you wanna stay, get out of the way,
Put a chair up on the deck and just enjoy the cruise.
What have you got when the dealing is done?
When it’s time for counting, what have you won?
You can’t take it with you, so don’t be misled,
He who dies with the most toys, ain’t nothing but dead.
When the struggle is real and you’re down on your knees,
Live in the moment, see the forest for the trees.
It’s the distractions that make it all worthwhile,
You’ve got to breathe awhile.
If it’s been too long, then sing your favorite song,
Even if it feels a little strange.
There isn’t any shame if it doesn’t sound the same,
The classics never die, they just get rearranged.
When the struggle is real and you’re down on your knees,
Live in the moment, see the forest for the trees.
It’s the distractions that make it all worthwhile,
You’ve got to breathe awhile.
Life is for living, so give it all you got,
Even Jack can do it, there isn’t nothing to it,
You’ve got to breathe awhile.
©2016 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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4. |
Take It All In Stride
03:52
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Been working hard for as long as you can,
You paid your dues, and now you’re the man.
You’re on the top and you’re looking around,
Hold on tight ‘cause it’s a long way down.
One day you’re master and lord of it all,
Next thing you know, you’re taking the fall.
You landed hard but it don’t hurt for long,
There’s other mountains, you gotta stay strong;
The dream is still alive, so take it all in stride.
Life is good,
It don’t always work like we think it should.
You’re doing better than you thought that you could,
So lighten up a little, knock on wood.
Old man Cupid shot your arrow at last,
It missed your heart and nailed you in the ass.
It bounced right off and it just left a bruise,
Every love song’s got a little bit of blues;
The dream is still alive, so take it all in stride.
Life is good,
It don’t always work like we think it should.
You’re doing better than you thought that you could,
So lighten up a little, knock on wood.
There’s ups and downs, there’s ebb and flow,
Work it out, make it up as you go.
That other mountaintop is looking real fine,
It’s all yours if you just give it time;
The dream is still alive, so take it all in stride.
©2016 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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5. |
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I was a young man with ideals, and a future away from the fields
that my Daddy left when he died in ninety four.
I never cared much for the farm, but the family would come to harm
if we didn’t keep it going like we did before.
We always did what we could to survive,
so I traded my briefcase in for a scythe.
Ever since I was seven or eight, I started planning my escape
from the Beckham County farm where I was born.
It didn’t go the way I planned, so we held on to the land,
It worked for a while but the years have left me worn.
The tough get going when the going gets tough,
But twenty two years has been long enough,
It’s gritty and rough and it never has been any fun,
and I’m starting to think, maybe my work here is done.
I used to dream of concrete canyons and intellectual companions,
Even as I plowed this field, I planned to depart.
Now I realize profoundly, as it withers all around me,
I still have time but I don’t know where to start.
Now the family’s grown and gone, packed it up and moved it on,
The way I wish I had back in the day.
I thought that one might stay around, but the dry and dusty ground
from the drought of twenty twelve drove him away.
Completing the task is the measure of a man,
But I won’t die with this scythe in my hand,
I worked the land and the land worked me and it won,
Now I’m looking around, maybe my work here is done.
Now I lay me down, baby, my work here is done.
©2016 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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6. |
Gillie's All Night Diner
04:31
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On the north end of the city, off of Highway 54,
There’s a cozy little diner, been there thirty years or more.
Good food fast and friendly, every local knows,
They pile it tall, and best of all, they never, ever close.
In a booth there after midnight, a woman turns to stone,
She lives around the corner, but she’s scared of going home.
She wonders how it happened, how it all turned out this way,
And thinks of men, the three of them, who share her life today.
One who holds her hostage, one who holds her heart,
One who holds her secrets cold, a thousand miles apart.
Under cover of the darkness, there’s a whole world here inside,
They’re coming here, from far and near, to set the world aside.
Gillie’s all night diner, it’s your respite from the road,
Get yourself a Coney dog while you’re shaking off the cold.
Gillie’s all night diner, come on and sit a spell,
It’s a little taste of heaven, one mile north of hell.
Well, the waitress brings another to the woman in the booth,
Head hung over her iPhone as she’s searching for the truth.
Waiting for the one to sleep and the other to disappear,
She sends a text, to tell what’s next, to the secret volunteer.
It says, “I’ve got to be moving, I can’t stay here for long,
I’m tired of people saying everything I do is wrong.
All I need’s a change of venue, and I’ll get it all on track,
I’ll be for sure, an entrepreneur, and I’m never looking back.”
She’s gonna throw away the script and change her life today,
For number three is me, you see, and I’m gonna steal her away.
Under cover of broad daylight, I’m gonna make that girl my own,
But not until I get my fill of the taste that tastes like home.
Gillie’s all night diner, it’s your respite from the road,
Get yourself a Coney dog while you’re shaking off the cold.
Gillie’s all night diner, come on and sit a spell,
It’s a little taste of heaven, one mile north of hell.
It’s a little taste of heaven, one mile north of hell.
©2017 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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7. |
Right Here
03:28
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You pack my bags and point to the door,
I’ve had to sing for my supper before.
We can’t agree on the way it should be,
We can’t agree to disagree.
You make me pretty, make me look hot,
You try to make me into something I’m not.
Hold me up for the world to see,
Line your pockets with my misery.
What’s it all for? I don’t need anymore,
I’m walking out the door.
This is the moment when your butt hits leather, sign on the line,
It’s now or never, make up your mind.
It’s my endeavor, this is my time,
This is the moment you fear.
You take it your way, I’ll take the highway,
‘cause I’ve got what I need,
Right here.
You told me lies, you said you believed,
I didn’t know what you had up your sleeve.
You had me fooled with your perfect smile,
You had me fooled for a little while.
You took my vision, you took control,
You took my body but you can’t have my soul.
Throw me some anger, throw me some shade,
You’ve got a lot, but I’ve got it made.
You think you own me, but I’m breaking free,
I’ve got my dignity.
This is the moment when your butt hits leather, sign on the line,
It’s now or never, make up your mind.
It’s my endeavor, this is my time,
This is the moment you fear.
You take it your way, I’ll take the highway,
‘cause I’ve got what I need,
Right here.
©2017 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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8. |
No Comment
05:38
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I got a phone in my pocket for fun,
Helps with my day, helps me get things done.
Keeps me in touch with long lost friends,
Even traffic and weather together on the tens.
But when I use it to check out the news
It don’t do nothing but give me the blues.
As if the stories aren’t bad enough,
I get to read all this other stuff.
Everyone throws in their two cents for free,
But two cents ain’t worth what it used to be.
I’ve turned the page, I don’t care anymore,
I’m done with the rage and I’ve tuned out the roar.
I’m not disengaged and I won’t be a bore, no, far from it.
But I’m not a sheep and I won’t be a shill,
I don’t need to bleep just to earn your goodwill,
I could peep but I’d rather be still, no comment.
I’m nearly driven to tears,
By people I’ve known for years.
Tryin’ to get in the last word first,
Only brings out everyone’s worst.
My attention is imperative,
If the story fits their narrative.
Even those with whom I agree
Make me want to turn and flee.
Force-fed opinion, served with a whine,
Is the quickest way to close an open mind.
I’ve turned the page, I don’t care anymore,
I’m done with the rage and I’ve tuned out the roar.
I’m not disengaged and I won’t be a bore, no, far from it.
But I’m not a sheep and I won’t be a shill,
I don’t need to bleep just to earn your goodwill,
I could peep but I’d rather be still, no comment.
I know where they stand, and I know what they’ll say,
I’m gonna be their friend anyway.
But lately now, when it all comes around,
I tap the screen and I scroll on down.
I’ve turned the page, I don’t care anymore,
I’m done with the rage and I’ve tuned out the roar.
I’m not disengaged and I won’t be a bore, no, far from it.
But I’m not a sheep and I won’t be a shill,
I don’t need to bleep just to earn your goodwill,
I could peep but I’d rather be still.
©2017 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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9. |
Lay Your Burdens On Down
04:27
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With the rising sun
Came the dawning of your new eternal day.
All at once, you’re young,
Singing with the angels as they carry you away.
Your pain is over and your tears have all been dried,
But I still feel a bit of emptiness inside.
I watched your garden grow,
Watched you plant and water, weed and wait for fall.
You learn it as you go,
Plow the bad back under, share the good with all.
So many lessons we learned in our back yard,
Life isn’t easy, but it’s really not that hard.
Give thanks above, do what you love,
and lay your burdens on down.
In those times you fall,
Ask forgiveness and then carry on your way.
It happens to us all,
Try to make tomorrow better than today.
There’s no competition to be the better man,
when the best that you can do is to do the best you can.
And give thanks above, do what you love,
Lay your burdens on down.
The good and faithful servant has gone to his reward,
I can never pay him back, but I can pay it forward.
You know I miss you, Dad,
Just a little more each and every day.
But how can I be sad,
With all the things you left to help me on my way?
I may shed a tear every now and then,
But I’ll keep you close to me until we meet again,
And give thanks above, do what I love,
Lay my burdens on down.
Give thanks above, do what you love,
and lay your burdens on down.
©2017 David L. Laurence (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Dave Laurence Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Folksy, but rock solid. Soft with a hard edge. Eclectic, yet familiar. Unpretentious, but confident. Buys his stage clothes in thrift shops.
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