lyrics
Circles
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
Why am I always running 'round in circles
When it feels like everybody else is walking in a straight line
Why does it seem that when the walls come crashing down
I close my eyes and say that everything is fine
Uncertainty, it circles me
Pulls at my courage with so much gravity
There's got to be somebody
Waiting in the shadows with silent answers
Where is that woman I've seen in all the magazines
Look in the mirror, all I see is time goin' by
Where's the conclusion if I'm always starting over
I reach for angels when nobody hears my cry.
Uncertainty, it circles me
Pulls at my courage like so much gravity
There's got to be somebody
Waiting in the shadows with silent answers
How can I love my neighbor when he hurts his wife
He rules the family, for the bible tells him so
How dare we teach that black is black and white is white
Are children dying for a glimpse of god these days
Uncertainty, it circles me
Pulls at my courage with all that gravity
There's got to be somebody
Waiting in the shadows with silent answers, whispering answers
Why am I always running 'round in circles when it
Feels like everybody else is walking in some strange, straight line
Why does it seem that when the walls come crashing down
I close my eyes and say that everything is fine
Ode To A Woolworth’s Store
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
Have you heard, they’ve closed the doors
It’s the last of the Woolworth’s stores
Now they’ve gone the way of the dinosaurs
No more waltzing the aisles anymore
It was Molly and me and all my friends
Clockwatching ‘til the school day would end
Each hoping the other had money to lend
Oh, the nickels and dimes and the hours that we’d spend
At the Woolworth Store, my childhood hallmark
At the Woolworth Store, an ancestor of Wal-Mart
Nostalgia that still tastes like cherry coke and fries
I remember the day when I first realized
That the Woolworth Store was no longer where it’s at
The Woolworth Store, how I’ve been missing all that worthless crap
How little we knew what our Woolworth’s was worth
In that nickel and dime store world
A parade of blue beanies in plaid Catholic skirts
Headed downtown in our virgin-white shirts
It was back in the days of our innocent ways
How we’d flirt with the boys in the back
I can still hear the popcorn, the parakeets’ song
The Hamilton Beach blender blending along
And the cashiers who worked there, old ladies with blue hair
Would frown from above as be all fell in love
At the Woolworth Store, my childhood hallmark
At the Woolworth Store, an ancestor of Wal-Mart
Nostalgia that still tastes like cherry coke and fries
I remember the day when I first realized
That the Woolworth Store was no longer where it’s at
The Woolworth Store, how I’ve been missing all that worthless crap
How little we knew what our Woolworth’s was worth
In that nickel and dime store world.
Have you heard, they’ve closed the doors
It’s the last of the Woolworth’s stores
Now they’ve gone the way of the dinosaurs
Yeah, they’ve gone away like the dinosaurs
Oh, they’ve gone away and they’ve closed the doors
Of my nickel and dime store world
Of our nickel and dime store world
Like A Fire
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
It was on a summer wind back in nineteen-sixty-five
I was just a little girl when my baby brother died
Oh where did he go, mama, now mama, can he fly through the sky
Is he talkin' with the angels, can he hear my cry
That love was like a fire burning me up inside
Cold darkness reigned until I finally realized
That through love he's alive
You were like a rising sun to this woman grown and wise
Or were you just the reflection of the stars in my eyes
One day your dream drifted far away from mine
And I was left with a nightmare of my own design
Your love was like a fire burning me up inside
Cold darkness reigned until I finally realized
That through love you're alive
Sometimes we run away
Before the spark could every ignite the flame
And like the flowers need the bittersweet rain
If you're gonna give your heart
You can't escape the pain
There once was a time I felt so cold alone
Now I'm warmed by a new love, been out on my own
Seasons flow, summer goes, now autumn paints the land
That's when my thoughts return to you like the tides to the sand
And love can be like a fire burning you up inside
Cold darkness reigns until you finally realize
That love can be like a fire, it will burn you up inside
But through love we're alive
Between My Lines
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
Wrote you a letter just the other day
Filled it with words, though I didn't have much to say
Since I've been here tried to let go of there
Don't know why, but it seems like
My heart and my dreams kind of stayed behind
You can read in between my lines
Now time's been my friend, and it's been my foe
It comes too quickly and I move too slow
Haven't found a heart that could send my soul
So I send out this prayer
Hoping somehow or somewhere you'll find me
And in between my lines, I'm reminded of you
You could see the rain through my stormy smiles
You could taste the salt of my tears
I hope it's true what they say about silver linings
Cuz it's been kind of cloudy 'round here.
Sleepless nights wondering should I write, should I call
Will I say too much, will I say anything at all
Still reach for your arms to catch me when I fall
Don't know why but it seems like
My heart and your dreams are a beat behind
And in between my lines, I'm reminded of you.
I could never hide all my pain or my sorrows
My unspoken words you could hear
In between my lines, don't look for a rainbow
I've clicked my heels, and you don't appear
Sleepless nights wondering should I write, should I call
Will I say too much, will I say anything at all
Still reach for your arms to catch me when I fall
Don't know why but it seems like my heart
And your dreams are a beat behind
And in between my lines
Oh, in between my lines
Oh, In between my lines, I'm reminded of you
Lay Your Burdens Down
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
When I was just a little child
I used to walk with my feet barely touching the ground
Then one day I looked around, and oh,
Imagine my surprise to find
Someone had clipped the wings from my heels
And tied them up with many strings
Attached to many things
Fly away, little girl
Cut those ties that you've kept hanging 'round you
Like some holy gown
Dry your eyes, little girl
You've a wild heart beating in that body
Don't you think it's time to lay those burdens down
From the cradle to the crone
A prisoner of pattern, society's daughters and sons
I'm always a prodigal one
On this unfamiliar flight
Heavenly voices are haunting me deep in the night
They're telling me with ancient cries,
Give up your ghosts, and learn to fly
Fly away, little girl
Cut those ties that you've kept hanging 'round you
Like some holy gown
Dry your eyes, little girl
You've a wild heart beating in that body
Don't you think it's time to lay those burdens down
You'll never know what lies beyond the rainbow's end
And the poets say a broken heart is stronger when it mends
So lift your voice and point it to the sky
Spread your downy wings and learn to fly
Fly away, little girl
Cut those ties that you've kept hanging 'round you
Like some holy gown
Dry your eyes, little girl
You've a wild heart beating in that body
Don't you think it's time to lay those burdens down
What It’s Not
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
Well they cut down the trees when nobody sees
Until the job’s complete
They strip all the green, what’s left to be seen
Of the forest is concrete
Oh the cities have suburbs, the suburbs have suburbs
There’s no place left to hide
If this is what they meant by development
What’s gonna happen to the countryside
If you’re married or single or recently widowed
A multiple family, a new divorcee
You’ll find all the joys you’ve ever imagined
Golf, tennis, swimming, and cable TV
No lawns to care for, no natural stuff
Just plenty of man-made frills
They’ve renovated the forest, remodeled the woods
And they call it Evergreen Hills.
An apartment or condo to buy or to rent
Or a prefabricated modular house
The choices are many, they could cost a small fortune
But, hey, what’s money anyhow
When you can uproot an orchard, or bulldoze a farm
To make a multi-million dollar lot
Well for God’s sake, won’t you give me a break
And don’t call it what it’s not
If you’re married or single or recently widowed
A multiple family, a new divorcee
You’ll find all the joys you’ve ever imagined
Jacuzzi, track lighting, your own balcony
No lawns to care for, no natural stuff
But plenty of man-made things
They’ve renovated the forest, remodeled the woods
And they call it Meadowbrook Springs
The mayor owed a favor to a building company
For some campaign funds passed under the table
But the land that he wanted, some two-thousand acres
Was slightly unavailable
But like some politicians, he had a one-track mind
Simply to get ahead
So they built his library on an old cemetery
But first, they had to transplant the dead
So if you’re married or single or recently widowed
A multiple family, a new divorcee
You’ll find all the joys you’ve ever imagined
Now you can do your reading where a tombstone used to be
No lawns to care for, no natural stuff
Just parking spaces, no trees at all
They’ve renovated the forest, remodeled the woods
And they call it Southpoint Mall
And they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
Oh, for God’s sake, won’t you give me a break
Don’t call it what it’s not
And for land’s sake, before my heart breaks
Don’t call it what it’s not
The Hero's Story
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
There's trouble in the water, it's been troubling me
Oh, there's trouble in the water, it's been troubling to me
And there's a storm raging over the ocean
And it's swallowing the sea
Oh, there's trouble in the water, it's been troubling me
There's fear flowing like river, and it's underneath my skin
Oh, there's fear flowing like a river, running underneath my skin
And my blood is quickening like silver and it's burning within
Don't walk away from the light
Don't turn your back to the sun
When fear fills you like a fountain
Let courage climb you like a mountain
Wear your wings of golden glory
Dare to live the hero's story
There's fire in the belly of the mountain, I've been walking on the rim
Oh, there's fire in the belly of the mountain, I've been walking on the rim
And my blood's been quickening like silver and it's burning within
Don't walk away from the light
Don't turn your back to the sun
When fear fills you like a fountain
Let courage climb you like a mountain
Wear your wings of golden glory
Dare to live the hero's story
Dare to live the hero's story
There's fire in the belly of the mountain
There's fear raging like a river
Oh, there's trouble in the water
Oh, there's trouble in the water
Oh, there's trouble in the water
And it's been troubling me
Not A Christmas Song
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
It sure feels like summer tho' December is here
I've had such a hard time of feeling that ol' Christmas cheer
People decking the halls when it's eighty degrees
There's green where a whole lot of white ought to be
Just as soon as I pack up my sleigh gonna fly away home
My head's here in North Carolina but my heart's not at home
I long for a chill that you feel way down deep in your bones
Tho' my back doesn't miss the whole shoveling scene
Those white-knuckled drives when the road can't be seen
But I would gas up my old Toyota and drive all the way home
Are you building a snowman, building a fire in the stove
Are there ski tracks that secretly lead to that old jackpine grove
A blanket of winter to cover the earth
As she sleeps tucked away from the cold
Before she awakes from her slumber, I've got to get home
I've been missing the sound of the ice as it cracks on the lake
And walks in the woods, how the silence can give you a sweet heartache
I'm like a fish outta water, an oyster with no pearl
Guess you can't take the north country out of the girl
So as soon as a north wind blows gonna sail away home
Are you thinking of me as I gaze on the same winter's moon
Can you still hear the sound of my voice in the cry of the loon
It's coming on Christmas, but down here you'd think
It was August or middle of June
When your birds head south I'll be flying north, I'll be coming home soon
It still feels like summer tho' December's been here
I've had such a hard time of feeling that ol' Christmas cheer
To everything, there is a season I'm told
But you just can't have Christmas without any cold
So as soon as I pack up my sleigh gonna fly away home
Yeah, as soon as I pack up my sleigh
I'll be home
Very Small Town
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
It was a very small town, not quite a city
Not in the news very often
Full of old men, the girls often pretty
But so many things they'd forgotten
Where they made pork and beans and factory machines
Kept food on the table
I've got to get out of this town as soon as I'm able
I gotta a new way of looking at things now that I came here
Some revolutionary thoughts are living inside this brain
I don't get too close, or people may notice how small town I appear
But as long as I'm out of that town, I've nothing to fear
I was stuck in place as I searched for some space
That would give before it would take
But I had stayed too long, and tho' my mind grew strong
My heart had started to break
It took four years of college to learn to acknowledge
Myself, if I wasn't too late
Oh, I've got to get out of this town, and out of this state.
I gotta a new way of looking at things now that I came here
Some revolutionary thoughts are living inside this brain, dear
I don't get too close, or people may notice how small town I appear
But as long as I'm out of that town, I've nothing to fear
But this new home I've found is a true turn-around
From the places I've come from
Here people pass on the street refusing to speak
Is this their idea of wisdom
And if you say the right thing you'll catch the brass ring
Doesn't matter who you've walked on
Oh, I've gotta get out of this city, and back to my small town.
It's still a very small town, not quite a city
Not in the news very often
Full of old men, the girls still pretty
But so many dreams I'd forgotten
And it's still pork and beans and factory machines
Keeping food on their tables
I've got to get back to this town as soon as I'm able
I've got to get back to my own very, very small town.
I've got a new way of looking at things
The Turning of a Phrase.
Richard Edwards
The Turning of a Phrase
The sweet has gone to sour
The light has gone to haze
The bloom is off the flower
The Turning of a Phrase
When everyone's gone home
Leaving in this space
Each of them alone
Words once rarely spoken become the everyday
Dropped in like a token just to get you on your way
When the only words that matter have nothing left to say
Then everything will scatter in the turning of a phrase
The Turning of a Phrase
So slight he didn't hear
The emphasis misplaced
The meaning disappeared
The Turning of a Phrase
So slow she didn't mind
The ending they'd erased
The dreams she'd left behind
Words once rarely spoken become the everyday
Dropped in like a token just to get you on your way
When the only words that matter have nothing left to say
Then everything will scatter in the turning of a phrase
The Turning of a Phrase
When love's set out too long
And bitter is the taste of that song
Words once rarely spoken become the everyday
Dropped in like a token just to get you on your way
And if they ever meant it, almost since they said I do
They've been turning their I love you's, into
I love you too, and I love you too, and I love you too
Time In The Past
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
I have this picture of you
I carry it 'round in my head
I take it to bed
Now my therapist said he'd prescribe some meds
To help me move ahead
But I said I think I'm doing just fine, do you mind
I'd like to spend a little quality
Time in the past
There's no time like the present for
Time in the past
To remember what isn't
Time in the past
You don't have to regret it
Time in the past
You can rewrite and edit
'Til you get it
So I whisper your name
And nobody knows that you're there
You're everywhere
Why does anyone care what a cross I bear
What melancholy I wear
Oh, I swear I feel I'm doing just fine, do you mind
I'd like to spend a little quality
Time in the past
There's no time like the present for
Time in the past
To remember what isn't
Time in the past
You don't have to regret it
Time in the past
You can rewrite and edit
'Til you get it
Love Isn't Dead
2010 @ Sheila Fleming
Love hasn't died
It's only hiding in the dirty clothes
A million times I've watched him pick his nose
They say it happens, and it did
The thrill isn't gone
I feel it every time I fall into
The toilet water because you know who
Forgot to flush and close the lid
Somehow we make it through disaster
We're living happily ever after
We're perfect for each other
He says that I remind him of his mother
And yet the passion emerges
We still fulfill each other's urges
It isn't easy, everybody said
Sometimes it's difficult
But love isn't dead
Love's still around
He blows me kisses while he mows the yard
I blow our money on the Mastercard
He pays the piper, I pay no attention
Love will survive
I do believe I make the perfect wife
If only he'd go out and get a life
I'm only kidding, did I fail to mention
That still we make it through disaster
We're living happily ever after
We're perfect for each other
He says that I remind him of his mother
And yet the passion emerges
We still fulfill each other's urges
It isn't easy, everybody said
Sometimes it dissipates
But love isn't dead
Love is sublime
Though I'm from Venus, he's from Mars, they say
It's love the interplanetary way
I want the stars, he gives the moon
Love is divine
There's never been a more celestial pair
And probably in a previous life somewhere
Our names were really Ward and June
Somehow we make it through disaster
We're living happily ever after
We're perfect for each other
I'm a true reincarnation of his mother
And yet the passion emerges
We still fulfill each other's urges
It isn't easy, everybody said
Oh, yeah, it's difficult
But love isn't dead
The thrill isn't gone
Love will survive
Love can't go wrong
No love hasn't died