1. |
Painter On The Shore
05:39
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Painter On The Shore
The years pile up like dusty books in a third floor corner where no one looks But the past is only what you think it is
I may have taken the hard road but I found out what I needed to know And it done me good i think it done me good
But sometimes i wish with all my might when i’m lost and lonely late at night And the rain comes down like the walls of jerico
That i could have a word or two with you
I didn’t always mean to seem so angry
But part of me always had to fly free
I guess these sound like empty words to you
I never asked for your surrender
I only want you to remember
That time can renew
I believe that’s true
When the evening sun was in your sky you showed me how to use my eyes Like a painter on the shore you pictured every view
But i guess i stood too close to see the colors that you showed to me
So i sat up late and wrote this song for you
They say that strong men stand alone but i don’t know if i’m all that strong When the rain comes down like the walls of jerico
‘Cause i need to have a word or two with you
I didn’t always mean to seem so angry
But part of me always had to fly free
I guess these sound like empty words to you
I never asked for your surrender
I only want you to remember
That time can renew
I believe that’s true
When I hold my child upon my knee
I can see your blue eyes smiling at me
The length of the road and the long long years
Try and hide the tears
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2. |
Your Deep And Quiet Soul
04:55
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Your Deep And Quiet Soul
I need the touch of a lady and a mother’s smile
When the distances i’ve come to can’t be measured out in miles Standin like a hobo in borrowed clothes
Thinkin you know something nobody knows but when its over And all said and done
I need to touch your deep and quiet soul
So like a blind man at a corner i don’t know where to turn So close to the flame i got my fingers burned
But when i return to my photographs and letters
I just have to laugh ‘cause when its over
And all said and done
I need to touch your deep and quiet soul
Magazines blow past my door
Half my songs lie on the floor
Waitin for the words to fill their empty lines Frost on the window cat’s on the sill Junk in the mailbox me i’m still out
on the road standin
in the rain puddles
round my shoes
So the curtain’s up and the crowd is hushed and you’re all alone At the drop of a hat you’ve sung em all now the rush is gone Just like a dancer on closing night you linger
for the love of the white spotlight but when its over
And all said and done
I need to touch your deep and quiet soul
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3. |
Roll Me In Your Arms
04:49
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Roll Me In Your Arms
When the witches and the winds come stealin in the night movin in takin over
When the days are growin shorter and the sky is growin white need the shelter of a lover
Like a knight in rusted armor i’m gonna get out of the fight gonna gather all my good friends around me tonight And if the sky don’t open up on us and drive me away
I’m gonna lie down on the banks of the river gonna rest my weary bones
Gonna lie down on the banks of the sweet sweet river til you roll me in your arms
til you roll me in your arms
Like a child at the circus when the tents are comin down somethins ended somethins just begun
I’m just goin through the motions of a dance i learned somehow sometimes laugh when i don’t think its funny
But you brought the strength i needed then and i somehow won the fight gonna gather all of your lovin around me tonight
And if the sky don’t open up on us and drive you away
I’m gonna lie down on the banks of the river gonna rest my weary bones
Gonna lie down on the banks of the sweet sweet river til you roll me in your arms
til you roll me in your arms
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4. |
Thunderhead
05:47
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Thunderhead
They say that lightning don’t strike twice but i can see the storm clouds in your eyes
Lookin out i can feel a trace of rain on the wind Everything i ever thought was true washed away the moment i met you
I don’t need a weather man to see on through the haze
Never understood how these changes come over you
But they ain’t nothin compared to the changes you put me through
You’re like a thunderhead Stormin in the night Just like a thunderhead Rollin in on an endless flight
(Coffee’s on, woman’s gone)
If you live like a rock then you’ll die with a heart of stone
I can read your eyes like the morning news between the lines are all the worn out clues
That take the cover from the ruse that you keep on the shelf Watchin you i can understand how the rivers overflow the land
How you play it to the end when you only hurt yourself
You’re a puzzle i’ve always seen in the wrong light But i think i put you together in my song tonight
You’re like a thunderhead Stormin in the night Just like a thunderhead Rollin in on an endless flight
(Coffee’s on, woman’s gone)
If you live like a rock then you’ll die with a heart of stone
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5. |
Famous Dreams
03:54
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Famous Dreams
Sittin under low lights fakin it through the slow nights Savin the best ones for last
All the restless ones talkin they’re like hungry cats stalkin One another in some hollywood cast
The smiles come easy but they don’t stay long Like a grade school playground like a juke box song So you listen to the sound
Listen to the sound
Of your famous dreams comin down
All the pavement pounders and night time rounders Gather in the down town dark
Over whisky wet tables they fold out fables that fall Sorry short of the mark
Smoke ring room makes a bleary eyed scene They talk real smooth but you know what they mean Listen to the sound
Listen to the sound
Of your famous dreams comin down
You’re feelin like a gypsy moth caught under glass Wings pinned down for a second grade class to see Listen to the sound
Listen to the sound
Of your famous dreams comin down
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6. |
Runnin' In The Rain
03:41
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Runnin’ In The Rain
Friends can come and friends can go like candles burning low You never can depend of friends to let you know
But marking time in no man’s land where love is just a word Is easier than lettin your love go
And its a long time
Since I’ve seen the sunshine on your face And the price it takes away from me Just ain’t worth a winnin game
I feel just like I’m runnin in the rain
In the rain
I feel just like I’m runnin in the rain
Now you gave me the answers and I ran up the score
Now i can’t remember all the answers anymore
So the time has come for questions and the time has come for words I need to know the answers like before
And its a long time
Since I’ve seen the sunshine on your face And the price it takes away from me Just ain’t worth a winnin game
I feel just like I’m runnin in the rain
In the rain
I feel just like I’m runnin in the rain
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7. |
To Make You Mine
04:59
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To Make You Mine
I can’t believe the words you say, they simply can’t be true. That our time is like a river runnin dry. Now i’m fightin my own feelings but i’m losing them to you. I know its over but I don’t know why. I’ve got a way to make you laugh, got a way to make you smile. But i can’t find a way to make you mine.
You told me when this started not to get my hopes too high. But i rushed in never thinkin of the time. Now the days they are forgotten and the time is rushin by and someone else has what i thought was mine. I’ve got a way to make you laugh, got a way to make you smile but i can’t find a way to make you mine.
I don’t understand your feelings and i can’t understand your mind. I thought i had somethin to believe in but it was my own eyes that made me blind.
I thought that i was safe within the boundaries we drew, but you turned away and it opened up my eyes. You shook me from my sleep and now the words i hear from you ain’t nothin but a way to get you by. I’ve got a way to make you laugh,
got a way to make you smile but i can’t find a way to make you mine.
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8. |
Chessie
03:39
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Chessie
Chessie, i think you know there’s too much confusion here Chessie, i’m gonna go before there’s more losin here
You’re livin on appearance and approval and that’s
a game no one can win
Sprung from childrens’ dreams and grown ups’ schemes But i see you’re playin again
Time to come down from the sky and in the morning you won’t know why You climbed so high just to tumble down again
Freedom sometimes comes in disguises you can’t tell
the sorcery from what you see when heaven turns to hell
Woman of the world just another baby girl
Tryin to find yourself when you’ve left yourself behind
Stealin’ away, standin outside on the city street Learnin to say you don’t mind when you’re thinkin you’re beat One eye open all the time and the other on the thin white line That keeps you runnin keeps you runnin out of time
Open up the door behind you it
ain’t so hard to find
Don’t look down when you turn around even though you’ll feel inclined
To run out in the lanes and to burn up in the flames That feel so warm and safe when you’re standin far away
Stealin’ away, standin outside on the city street Learnin to say you don’t mind when you’re thinkin you’re beat One eye open all the time and the other on the thin white line That keeps you runnin keeps you runnin out of time Keeps you runnin keeps you runnin out of time
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9. |
Bring A Little Love
04:20
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Bring A Little Love
I guess it rained this morning Looks like rain again today Just like an old time movie Nothin good to say
So I’m standin at the bottom Of a dried out wishin well Dreams are fallin all around me If they’re mine its hard to tell Hard to tell
But I’ll be alright if you hold me tonight Tonight
Save me from the water
Risin up so high above my site
Save me from the water Love me tonight
So I’m standin in the hallway Starin at the empty room
Never meant to seem so far away Never meant to lose so soon
So soon
If i saw you at my window
I would tell you to come in And i wouldn’t even ask you To tell me where you been Where you been
But i’ll be alright if i can hold you tonight Tonight
Save me from the water
Risin up so high above my site
Save me from the water Love me tonight
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Jim Ballard Akron, Ohio
Jim Ballard
A native of NE Ohio, Jim Ballard has been, for many years a part of the recording/performing
community. After touring and performing all over the country with artists from 10,000 Maniacs to Gordon Lightfoot,The Mekons to Pete Seeger, he moved into his studio, Skylyne. There, he has recorded and worked with artists from Michael Stanley to Don Dixon and Alex Bevan.
... more
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