LYRICS FROM STONE BY STONE CD
Afterlife
You step outside, you just don’t know
You step outside, you just let go
And in that movement, in that fall
In that instant it all comes to a halt
Afterlife, afterlife
We’re sitting here wondering what comes up
Afterlife, afterlife
You’re a little off, you’re not yourself
You’re a little off, you call for help
So it’s off to the doctor, off for some tests
It turns out to be more than just bed rest
Afterlife, afterlife
We’re sitting here wondering what comes up
Afterlife, afterlife
Chorus:
One foot in front of the other
One laugh longing for more
One kiss blown to the one you love
As you turn to choose which door will be the door
You’re on the plane, you’re flying somewhere
You’re on the plane, you’re slightly scared
A little bit turbulent, a little rough air
You’re holding your breath and saying a prayer
Afterlife, afterlife
We’re sitting here wondering what comes up
Afterlife, afterlife
Chorus:
So you get in your car, you’re on the road
You get in your car, you’re headed home
Suddenly headlights are headed right at you
Somebody lost control
Afterlife, afterlife
We’re sitting here wondering what comes up
Afterlife, afterlife
Chorus
———————————————-
Stone by Stone
I had a life, it seemed so beautiful
I had a home, it was quite large
There were two horses and a studio
A great big fireplace and I built the barn
7 acres in the country
In 93, my mother died
For 7 years, somewhat numbly
We walked the pasture, stride by stride
Chorus
It is amazing that life continues
And stone by stone we move along
I have a new life, it too is beautiful
I keep the old inside my songs
I had a life, I lived in Madison
I had a home and it was small
But it was cozy, it had a lot of sun
I raked the leaves come every fall
For 10 good years, it felt like home
Until our lost love left me cold
I shoveled snowand did it all alone
I kept my chin up, both brave and bold
Chorus
Now I have a life near the ocean
I’ve traveled far for another shot
And I have children and great commotion
And a wife, who would have thought
In all my years, in all these miles
And all the shoes that I have worn
There is renewal once in a while
We die a little to be reborn
Chorus
It is amazing how life continues
And stone by stone, we move along
I have a new life, it too is beautiful
I keep the old inside my song
———————————————-
Monuments
Chorus
Tear down the walls
Tear down the monuments
To end ignorance
Is our main pursuit
Take away the hatred
Take away the arrogance
Why can’t we all focus on truth
Some say the past is the past
That it’s no longer real
But that only opens wounds
That have never healed
The result is the same
Whether by force or a sleepy driver
We all are complicit
In the face of the survivors
Chorus
Each generation has questions
Where they find different ends
To make sense of a world
On which their life depends
So much goes unsaid
When the saying is imperative
How do we find our voice
In this ever changing narrative
Chorus
As old as the civil war
As new as black lives matters
Society disrupted
Democracy in tatters
Celebrated by some
And detested by others
In the end we must remember
We’re all sisters and brothers
Chorus
———————————————-
Far Too Fast
I look out the window, what do I see
Nobody there, just a reflection of me
2020, the world full of woe
We’re stuck here with no place to go
So many friends are already gone
I pull down the shades, afraid of the dawn
Slivers of memories slip through the blinds
How will we get through these times
CHORUS
Far too fast
Far too vast
Farther than we could imagine
When we’ve all been touched
By something that we can’t fathom
Run to the door, lock it up tight
A dark storm is brewing, boiling all night
Swallowing all that stands in its way
Pray for that brand new day
CHORUS
Look to the elders, the ones still here
Let their words guide you, let go of your fear
Pay close attention, don’t waiver or stray
We’ll get to that brand new day
So turn to the future, turn to the youth
They carry the courage, they hold the truth
Pay close attention, don’t waiver or stray
We’ll get to that brand new day
Chorus
———————————————-
Artist and the Writer
I love to watch your hands
The way they smooth the cloth
As you cut across the lines
I love to see your eye
As you’re imagining
The finished design
Chorus
The artist and the writer
Look how far we’ve come
How the world shines much brighter
Another turn around the sun
We took a sacred vow
Inside a hurricane
The wind so overloaded
We danced the very first dance
Before our families
Then the dance floor exploded
Chorus
Storm clouds were threatening
As I walked in your door
I looked in your eyes
As I moved across the floor
Wasn’t quite sure
Wasn’t in my right mind
But suddenly I saw blue skies
Now we dance most days
And we dream most nights
I hold you while you’re sleeping
If I had one more wish
Well, it would surely be
That time would treat us sweetly
Chorus
———————————————-
Prayer and the Wheel
I watched you walk away
And I watched us fall apart
And I wondered how we’d get through it
And how I’d ever regain my heart
But the sun still shines
And the rain still falls
And the moon comes out
And the birds still call
And forgiveness is a powerful thing
I can still hear those words
And sense the pain in my heart
But I don’t lie awake any longer
Wondering how it all came apart
Cause the sun still shines
And the rain still falls
And the moon comes out
And the birds still call
And forgiveness is a powerful thing
And I wish you the best
And I wish you so well
And I hope you never, ever have
To go through that hell
But the beautiful thing
Is that hell isn’t real
It’s when you’re caught between
The prayer and the wheel
And because I let you go
My stilled heart started anew
And because I didn’t let my sorrow linger
I found a whole new world and a love so true
Cause the sun still shines
And the rain still falls
And the moon comes out
And the birds still call
And forgiveness is a powerful thing
Old Tin Cup
My dear daughter
You kept that old tin measuring cup
The one that I so treasured
That I couldn’t quite give up
I used it most of my life
It suited me just fine
Measuring my ingredients
Leveling to the line
My dear daughter
It was so dented and so worn
But I used it every day
Before even you were born
Like an old friend I could count on
It was something clearly mine
But the thing I failed to measure
Was time
Chorus
I kept it all those years
Now you keep it on display
I didn’t want to part with it
I used it every day
It measured life and love and food so fine
For you it measures the passage of time
My dear daughter
I’m gone 27 years
I know that when you hold that cup
Your eyes well up with tears
Now it measures all the
Many ways you’ve grown
A testament to all you’ve done
And all the things you’ know
Chorus
My dear daughter
You lived many of my dreams
A singer and an artist
And a good cook, so it seems
When your time is done
Will you also pass it on
To Austin, or your daughter
Or your son
Chorus
———————————————-
Welcome To America
God knows when they met
But sometime during the war
A flame flared up quite quick
When he walked in her door
A fantasy unspoken
He was charged, she was sure
They walked right up to each other
Forevermore
They married soon I know
But when, I really can’t say
They’ve left us all and gone off
To another place
But they bore three gorgeous children
On that Adriatic Sea
They walked right up to each other
It was meant to be
Chorus
Oh those old memories
Oh those old days
All I have is a photo
And what little I’ve learned
From a lower class, a poorer life
And a mighty strong will
They made their way to America
Papa, he came first
And he forgot to go back
Nonon didn’t speak to him
She was so mad
Finally wrote, get home for us
Or don’t you bother to come
He got right back to the family
Afraid they was done
Chorus
All alone in a world
They don’t know
In a neighborhood that hated them
For their differences
But they managed with each other
And grew strong despite the spite
Welcome to America
Papa died at 62
He had a bad heart
At 83
Nonon played her last card
From the photo, you would have thought
They were much older than their days
But that generation wore time
In a different way
Chorus
———————————————-
My First Guitar
Chorus
When I was 11 years old
We left our home in Chicago
Traveling to the north, so far
I didn’t what was in store
Only knew I wanted more
And that was when I got my first guitar
4 kids, my mom and dad
Pots and pans, and football pads
A davenport, twin beds and a dinette set
A hot dog wagon from the Price is Right
My dad won it on the show one night
That was how we showed up in Marquette
I hated leaving that one block street
30 kids, including me
4 years of playing in that empty lot
Said goodby to my best friend
Don’t think I ever saw him again
But this was not my choice, like it or not
Chorus
And that guitar saved my life
A new chapter was in my sights
Took it from my brother when he walked in that door
Didn’t matter what new friends I made
Just wanted that guitar to play
Hell we had already moved 4 times before
Chorus
———————————————-
One More Game
Chorus
Just one more game before I go
Just one more chance
To see a home run
From my favorite team
My favorite game
Before I board the one way train
Across that great divide.
I know I’m walking the thinnest line
The doctors told me I had little time
At 99, it’s fine to be on my way
But all I ask for is one more game
I can’t wait to hear the play by play
As I awaken grateful every day
And I remember every player’s name
And all I ask right now is one more game
Chorus
Score by score and pitch by pitch
A right field catch from a home run hit
The crack of the bat and the ball in play
How I loved that one more game
I got my father’s cap, his cribbage board
A favorite memory of a great golf score
His joy in the game and his competitive streak
And a love that runs so deep
So just one more game before he goes
Just one more chance to see a home run
From his favorite team
His favorite game
Before he boards the one way train
Across that great divide.
———————————————-
Always, Forever and Now
I was minding my own business
Chasing demons in my head
While the devil was afoot
Feeding off the dead
Stripping off the tasty bits
Devouring the best
Just a few things
I need to get off my chest
Mindlessly we turn away
The heart is stopped
The skin is cold
As we watch this tragedy unfold
Endlessly, we turn our backs
As the screams get louder
The blood turns black
A darkness the we knew was foretold
But we can change it
We can turn it into gold
We can stop the hatred
From sickening our souls
We have the means
Because love is on our side
Always, forever and now
We’ve all given permission
For the bullies to misbehave
Supporting them with silence
Reticence and shame
It’s time to raise our sword
Time to show our might
To throw back the curtains
And let in the light
———————————————-
Across the Room
I can’t hear you from across the room
I can’t see you from across the room
How can I feel you from across the room
Across the room
I can’t hold you from across the room
I can barely find you across the room
It’s impossible to hold your hand across the room
Across the room
Is this the new norm, not my normal
Not my choice, not my room
I don’t want to live so far from you
And only get to see you…on zoom
I was getting comfortable next to you
All my life I’ve wanted to be next to you
Now I can’t even walk over to be next to you
You’re across the room
At least I can sing to you from across the room
And you can tell me stories from across the room
But I hate that I can’t hug you from across the room
Across the room
For me it’s inconvenient while people are crying
The magnitude is brutal, people are dying
Trying to be truthful while others are lying
And I only want to see you…
Is this the new norm? Not my normal
Not my choice, not my room
I don’t want to live so far from you
And only get to see you…on zoom
