SLOW RIDE | mysite

SLOW RIDE (1991)
Lyrics to ALL 21 Songs

11. Good Indian

A pipe-bomb blast on the Upper St. Croix

A heart beats fast in a good old boy

Peeking through the brush where he hides

If his aim is true an indian dies

And he'll snicker like his daddy did when he was a kid

"The only good Indian...."

White folks curse and they spit on the floor

Don't care who came first---they ain't gonna take it no more

The fish belong to the white man

The treaty's wrong---this is a white man's land

And they snicker like their daddys did when they was a kid

"The only good Indian...."

Cold, dark pines in the shivering North

The ghost of times when the klan came forth

The Indians on the lakes with their spears

The shore's begun to ring with heckles and jeers

And they snicker like their daddys did when they was a kid

"The only good Indian...."

A pack of whites baring ugly hearts

Treaty rights---they'd like to tear them apart

They bark and whine... a wooden Indian head

On a pitchfork's tines they're waving high overhead

And they snicker like their daddys did when they was a kid

"The only good Indian...."

He likes to fish and his skin is white

I guess he'd wish he had the Indian's right

He feels ripped off---cheated where he stands

He doesn't get all the fish---he only got all the land

And he snickers like his daddy did when he was a kid

"The only good Indian...."

The sands of time serve to bury the past

Covered up so the memories can't last

He recalls what he wants to recall

Details change... both the big and small

And he'll snicker like his daddy did when he was a kid

"The only good Indian...."

12. Cafe De Mort

Fold up the paper, turn off the TV

It's just a report on some fish in the sea

And something they sprayed on the red apple trees

Let's eat out tonight... hey, supper's on me!

On the menu tonight at the Cafe De Mort

Are delectible dishes of all different sorts

Hors d'ouevres and entrees pastries and tortes

Enjoy your last supper at the Cafe De Mort

There's fish on the griddle fresh from the seas

Packin' a poison they call PCB's

We ladle the chemicals into the lakes

And they spice each and every bite that we take

If you need fuel for your engine to rev

May I recommend the Chicken Kiev

There's alar on apples and ducks full of lead

And we needn't discuss any meats that are red...

On the menu tonight at the Cafe De Mort

Are delectible dishes of all different sorts

Hors d'ouevres and entrees pastries and tortes

Enjoy your last supper at the Cafe De Mort

No bugs in our bread 'cause we spray all the flour

So no bug wants to be in the bread we devour

How can you blame them for crawling away

From the stuff that we stuff in our mouths every day?

Geese full of mercury, man, what a treat!

Jump in the car and we'll drive down the street

Order your choice: fur, fin or feather

We can enjoy our last supper together

On the menu tonight at the Cafe De Mort

Are delectible dishes of all different sorts

Hors d'ouevres and entrees pastries and tortes

Enjoy your last supper at the Cafe De Mort

13. Make Up Life As You Go

When there’s no map to guide you

Where the highways end

Take a look deep inside you

Set your sights on a star, and then

Let your dreams give direction

Let your heart do it’s thing

You’re gonna make the connection

Your voice will find the right song to sing

Make up life as you go

A plan’s a good companion

It’s good to think ahead

But when you’re countin’ on canyons

And a mountain appears instead

Make up life as you go

Anything you want to do there’s really nothing to it... do it

All you’ve really gotta do is put your heart into it... do it

Do it... do it...

Fly as free as an eagle

Open up to the sky

No, it isn’t illegal

To skip the script and improvise

Make up life as you go

There’s nothing to it

14. Carrie's Song

I am a grandma in Oklahoma

Older than the children, younger than the earth

Somewhere between them I see the future

And I've come to speak up now for all I'm worth

Singing, blue skies are the eyes of my children's children...

The golden wheat their hair, blowing in the sun!

You've come here today, risking our tomorrows

All for a power you say we need

But you know nothing about our land here

And you care nothing about our seed

Blue skies are the eyes of my children's children...

The golden wheat their hair, blowing in the sun!

I see you're angry at this old woman

You say I waste your time... that's where you're wrong.

We do not own time, blue skies or wheatfields

We only borrow from our children till we're gone

Singing, blue skies are the eyes of my children's children...

The golden wheat their hair, blowing in the sun!

You think I'm crazy to sell my farmhouse

Raising the money to stop your plans

A house is nothing... just wood and windows

But this is my flesh and blood! This is my land!

Blue skies are the eyes of my children's children...

The golden wheat their hair, blowing in the sun!

Seeds from these wheatfields blow through the blue skies

Deep in the prairie they'll drink their fill

Seeds of my children will grow up beside them

They always have here. They always will.

Singing, blue skies are the eyes of my children's children...

The golden wheat their hair, blowing in the sun!

15. The Trees Are On Fire

Don't you know, whenever the weather turns cold

And the autumn's here, some magic takes hold

Of the trees. And they echo our own desire

Against the chill wind for the warmth of a fire.

They feel the touch of the winds as they turn.

And, as if to tell us they're ready to burn,

They go up just like someone strikes a match

Kindling a yearning we can't help but catch.

Oh, oh, the trees are on fire

They seem unwilling to leave it up to chance.

As if somehow we might forget the dance

Of the fire drawing warmth from wood,

So they flare up to make sure we've understood.

Oh, oh, the trees are on fire

In our flickering eyes, their beauty is such

Skin shivers anxiously for the touch

Of hot air and sparks when the hissing wood heaves

Conjured up by the crackle of crisp-colored leaves

Everytime I first catch sight of trees

Wearing colors lit up by the breeze

I hear voices from their autumnal pyre

"We're ready to burn... can't you see we're on fire?"

Oh, oh, the trees are on fire

16. Every morning

When I was young, my Daddy caught me crying

I couldn't reach the branches way up high

I said, "I'll never climb that tree." but this was his reply:

Every morning the sun do shine

Every morning a new babe's crying

Every morning brings one more chance to try

Scraping knees and elbows I kept trying

Falling to the ground I often cried

But through the wind that dried my tears His voice would softly sigh:

Every morning the sun do shine

Every morning a new babe's crying

Every morning brings one more chance to try

Maybe it was just imagination

Maybe just a daydream floating by

But looking down through leaves at last, I knew the reason why:

Every morning the sun do shine

Every morning a new babe's crying

Every morning brings one more chance to try

One leg up and then the other

That's how we climb

One leg up and then the other

It just takes time

Now I'm grown, and now I am a young man

The trees grow ever wider, strong and high

But through the forest of my fears, I still can hear him sigh:

Every morning the sun do shine

Every morning a new babe's crying

Every morning brings one more chance to try

18. After The Snow

After the snowflakes fall

When all the world is glistening

Deep in a dream that lasts until the spring

That's how I feel with you

Old loves lie deep beneath the snow

Yours are the only footprints memory knows

It doesn't matter to me

Let the rest be forgotten

It doesn't matter to me

Watching the snowflakes fall

‘Cause ever since you found me

A love so deep surrounds me

Nothing else matters at all

Tinted tracks lead away

Lavender shadows in the wood

Leading at last where love is understood

Dreaming before a fire

Flickering faces, dying flames

When the wind whispers, all I hear's your name

It doesn't matter to me

Let the rest be forgotten

It doesn't matter to me

Watching the snowflakes fall

‘Cause ever since you found me

A love so deep surrounds me

Nothing else matters at all

19. Warm Slippers

Warm... Warm... Warm... Warm…

Warm slippers! Warm slippers!

I can't wait to slip them on

Fuzzballs in-between my toasty toes

Are pleasure's double dipper

All I want is warm, warm, warm, warm slippers

Sittin' round the house in January

Weather out the window gettin' scary

Chill I feel is extraordinary

Listen to the wind blow

All the windows shiver, shake and rattle

Tellin' me it's high time I skeedaddle

To my closet for the one thing that'll

Satisfy my toes

Warm slippers! Warm slippers!

I can't wait to slip them on

Fuzzballs in-between my toasty toes

Are pleasure's double dipper

All I want is warm, warm, warm, warm slippers

All the bathroom floor tiles gettin' chilly

Makin' every goose bump shiver silly

I begin to tiptoe willy nilly

Off to my closet door

When the moment I'm anticipatin'

Comes the satisfaction's worth the waitin'

Slippin' on the slippers I feel great in

Who could ask for more?

Warm slippers! Warm slippers!

I can't wait to slip them on

Fuzzballs in-between my toasty toes

Are pleasure's double dipper

All I want is warm, warm, warm, warm slippers

20. Precious Friend

Through all the years I've laughed and cried

Always knowing somehow you would be there at my side

To share a smile and dry my eyes

But now you're leaving and I know even as we say goodbye

We'll meet again

I can't say how or where or when

But sure as this road, before the end

I'll see you again... precious friend

I never dreamed we'd ever part

And now by breaking our paths in two, it nearly breaks my heart

The road we've left behind is long

I hear it whispering and in my heart I know I can't be wrong

We'll meet again

I can't say how or where or when

But sure as this road, before the end

I'll see you again... precious friend

And now the sun is sinking low

With you on your road to somewhere... and me on my road to I don't know

But every step I ever take

Is one step closer to you... it's a feeling that I just can't shake

We'll meet again

I can't say how or where or when

But sure as this road, before the end

I'll see you again... precious friend

21. Children Of The River

(written for my musical version of Babar The Elephant)

We will find a way, we will find a way

The river’s gonna run forever in the sun

Time will take us there, time will take us there

The river’s gonna run forever in the sun

We are children of the river, we go on and on

Gentle as a rolling river, and just as strong

Children of the river… children of the river…

There will come a day, there will come a day

The river’s gonna run forever in the sun

1. Every Time I Hold You

I want to hold you now

You're the sweetest thing that I've ever seen

I don't need a lamp lit now

There's a moon outside burning like kerosene

So let me hold you...

Let me taste your kisses sweet

Have I told you

How my heart begins to beat

Everytime I hold you

You move around my life

Like a little nymph through the woods might do

No wonder that I feel

Something magical at the sight of you

Let me hold you...

Let me taste your kisses sweet

Have I told you

How my heart begins to beat

Everytime I hold you

No need to ask me if I love you

You know I do

Listen... the whispering stars above you

Are telling you, telling you, they’re telling you

What can a poor boy do

But willingly wander where the heart goes

Surrendering to you

Is the easiest thing I ever will know

So let me hold you...

Let me taste your kisses sweet

Have I told you

How my heart begins to beat

Everytime I hold you

2. The Reason We Are Here

Some try to find the reason they live this life at all

They watch the winters into spring... the summers into fall

Chasing their ambitions like leaves blown in the wind

When all along the answer's in the faces of their friends

Picture if you can the face of someone that you love

And you need look no further to find the meaning of

This life in which you struggle like a willow in the wind

You hold your ground to give and take the strength you gain from friends

For in the face of friendship the picture becomes clear

Lines that trace the smiles and the sorrows of your years

Are etched with care around the eyes of those who hold you dear

You see in them, they see in you… the reason we are here

You'd do anything for him---he'd do anything for you

It's been that way so long it seems as if he always knew

The feelings deep inside you before you knew yourself

And you'd rather be with your friend than anybody else

She understands a part of you you didn't know was there

You can't remember what your life was like before she cared

And when she isn't speaking, no one else can say as much

She stirs the deepest part of you with just the lightest touch

For in the face of friendship the picture becomes clear

Lines that trace the smiles and the sorrows of your years

Are etched with care around the eyes of those who hold you dear

You see in them, they see in you… the reason we are here

You never need to wonder why it is you live

You only want to offer in return the love they give

And do your part today so that tomorrow's children, too

Can watch the lines grow deeply in the face of friends like you

For in the face of friendship the picture becomes clear

Lines that trace the smiles and the sorrows of your years

Are etched with care around the eyes of those who hold you dear

You see in them, they see in you… the reason we are here

3. Pickup Truck Song

Daddy had a pickup when I was young

A rusty old weather-beaten one

He set it out in the noonday sun to waste away

That proud old pickup was over the hill

It didn't seem to mind sittin' still

It wore a smile on it's rusty grill as if to say:

I'll settle in the tall grass - Kick off my fenders

Let a robin build a nest in my engine and surrender

Livin' the good life - Underneath a willow

I'll sit and watch the sun go down

And the world spin 'round

With a flower for my pillow

The pickup sank and the grass grew high

A piece of chrome sparkled in it's eye

When soft rains fell from the summer sky it didn't mind

Daddy's hair started turnin' gray

He and that pickup across the way

Watched the world hurry by while they took their time

And settled in the tall grass - Kicked off their fenders

Let a robin build a nest in their engines and surrendered

Livin' the good life - Underneath a willow

They'd sit and watch the sun go down

And the world spin 'round

With a flower for a pillow

Daddy's gone, and the pickup, too

But what they taught me stuck like glue

Just give me the sun and a sky of blue and I'll be fine

I'll settle in the tall grass - Kick off my fenders

Let a robin build a nest in my engine and surrender

Livin' the good life - Underneath a willow

I'll sit and watch the sun go down

And the world spin 'round

With a flower for my pillow

4. Coast To Coast

We put the pedal to the metal ...

'Cause we're running out of gas

I guess we know we're going nowhere...

We wanna be sure and get there fast

We need a little more momentum ...

As we're burning our last drop

‘Coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

A fool coulda seen it coming...

Across a couple of country miles

After the gasoline embargoes...

Conserving went right out of style

We didn't want to face the music...

Wanted to party til we dropped

Now coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

It wasn't Sheiks out in the desert...

That put us in this awful fix

They can't help it we're addicted...

To that sweet high-octane mix

We wanna rev our little engines...

Put back the old ragtop

‘Cause coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

This reverie of engine revving...

Was a right of passage we adored

Ecstasy in every Chevy...

Squealing wheels in every Ford

Didn't wanna talk mass transportation...

Needed those auto making jobs

Now coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

We wanna drive our El Dorados...

We want our LTD's

We want our Lincoln Continentals...

8 miles per gallon (with a breeze)

We wanna gallop in our Broncos...

Take little Susie to the Hop

Coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

Look how we hung on to the Cowboy...

After the Wild West was gone

And people keep on sighting Elvis...

'cCause they can't let go of his song

Like children clinging to the notion...

We don't have to grow up

Coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

So let me go on guzzling...

Oblivious to all the signs

Talk all you want about belt tightening...

Aslong as the belt ain't mine

Down the highway with a blindfold...

So I can't see the gas gauge drop

Coast to coast we're coasting, coasting to a stop!

5. Slow Ride

Everybody's in a hurry, everybody's moving fast

Try idling your engine, ease up off the gas

And take a slow ride, take a slow ride

You don't need to move so fast... ease up off the gas

And take a slow ride

From the day you're born they tell you, "Got to hurry things along..."

Almost seems like they can't wait until you're dead and gone

Take a slow ride, take a slow ride

You don't need to move so fast... ease up off the gas

And take a slow ride

Kick it into low gear, take it down an old dirt road

Let your fingers flutter, let 'em hang out your window

On a slow ride, take a slow ride

You don't need to move so fast... ease up off the gas

And take a slow ride

Stop and smell the wildflowers...

Where the colors leap and bloom

Listen to the voice inside...

Gather up that sweet perfume

The only thing that justifies...

Ever climbing out the womb

Take your time today...

Take your lover walking on a starry summer night

Tell her all the things you meant to say, but didn't quite...

On a slow ride, take a slow ride

You don't need to move so fast... ease up off the gas

And take a slow ride

6. Fry Fish Fry

The fish all fry on Friday here... it's part of our religion

They come with cole slaw and cold beer... it's part of our religion

Oh... put the perch upon a tray

Oh... feed your friends a fish fillet

Oh... all that you can eat today

Fry, fish, fry

Eat until you're overweight... it's part of our religion

We all exceed the national weight rate... it's part of our religion

Oh... put the perch upon a tray

Oh... feed your friends a fish fillet

Oh... bring another brewski, hey

Fry, fish, fry

Watch the Packers on TV... it's part of our religion

Toast the ghost of Lombardi... it's part of our religion

Oh... put the perch upon a tray

Oh... feed your friends a fish fillet

Oh... satisfied till Saturday

Fry, fish, fry

Drill a hole and fish through ice... it's part of our religion

Smirk at cars from Illinois... it's part of our religion

Oh... put the perch upon a tray

Oh... feed your friends a fish fillet

Oh... all that you can eat today

Bring another brewski, hey

Satisfied till Saturday

It's not much, but what the hey:

Fry, fish, fry

7. Apple Pickin' Time

Apple pickin' time... red, green and yellow

Apple pickin' time... call Farmer John

Apple pickin' time... load up the flat bed

Apple pickin' time for a song

Pickin' apples in the fall

Like kids we scramble off the truck

The engine sputters to a stop

And we start off to try our luck

Pickin' apples in the fall

Running up and down the hills

In the trees or on the ground

Farmer John says, "Take your fill! Take your fill!"

Apple pickin' time... red, green and yellow

Apple pickin' time... call Farmer John

Apple pickin' time... load up the flat bed

Apple pickin' time for a song

Picking apples in the fall

Once we've gathered up a mess

We toss our bundles worms and all

Into a sticky cider press

Picking apples in the fall

Grind that handle round and round

Squeezing juice into a jar

Dry fruit crumbles to the ground, to the ground

Picking apples in the fall

Sun goes down, our eyelids, too

Legs and arms and shoulders tired

From a hard day's apple brew

Picking apples in the fall

Jugs of juice slosh back and forth

As the old truck rumbles home

We toast the good trees of the North, of the North

Apple pickin' time... red, green and yellow

Apple pickin' time... call Farmer John

Apple pickin' time... load up the flat bed

Apple pickin' time for a song

8. The World To Me

She's the kiss of summer rain

She's a flower in the wood

She's a riddle unexplained

She knows she's the world to me

She's a fluttering of wings

She's a ripple in the pond

She's a rising voice that sings

She knows she's the world to me

Ever turning toward a new sunrise

Ever learning... wisdom lights her eyes

She's a fawn with frightened eyes

She's a rustling of leaves

She's an answer in disguise

She knows she's the world to me

From the moment of her birth... her coo and cry

To the time I heard her first soft footsteps fall

All I wanted was the best for her in life

That's all... that's all...

She's the sunlight on the grass

She's the wisdom of the moon

She's the future and the past

She knows she's the world to me

Ever turning toward a new sunrise

Ever learning... wisdom lights her eyes

9. River Love

I met a river man when I was just fifteen

He told me about the river love and what it means

He said the river love's a kind that lasts a long, long time

Even round the darkest bend it's light will wind

That's all you need before you're gone

Is to let the river love shine on

He set me thinkin' about my possibilities

Wonderin' what the world was gonna make of me

Maybe I should 've listened more when I was in school

But I could dimly recollect a golden rule

That's all you need before you're gone

Is to let the river love shine on

Time's in such a hurry, man, he won't slow down

You've got to sail the golden river while it's still around

Love won't come a knock-a-knockin' at your door

Meet it halfway like a river meets the shore

That's all you need before you're gone

Is to let the river love shine on

10. I Don't Mind

We give and take... our hearts may break

But even so, the world keeps turning

We rise and fall... and through it all

You know that deep inside we're learning