Lyrics from True Compass CD
Look What Love Has Given Me
Warm bodies roll together
Skin on skin and heart to heart
A cat on my head and dogs at my feet
Nothing can pull us apart
The sun comes through the morning blinds
The light draws lines on pastel dreams
I wake and turn and move the cat
Look what love has given me
So I lift one eye to see you dressing
Off to work and in the car
I rise to make you lunch and say
“I wish you didn’t go so far”
But as the daylight turns to powder
Turns the world to ebony
I race to find you coming home
Look what love has given me
Chorus
Love makes love and laughter suits us
Music fills our heads with sound
You, the dogs and the cat that’s purring
I got it right this time around
So I walk the dogs down by the lake
The moonlight shimmers through the reeds
I breathe the air that warms my soul
I turn to find you next to me
Back at home the fire started
Red and gold of autumn leaves
I hold you fast I kiss you harder
Look what love has given me
Chorus
Back at home the fire’s burning
Red and gold of autumn leaves
I hold you fast I kiss you harder
Look what love has given me
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True Compass
I would have missed you
i would have never known your name
I would have missed out, afraid to play the game
If I hadn’t taken this one chance
This chance to find romance
This romance where I dance my way to you
Then I wouldn’t be here
Chorus
Will you share the things I love
Will you bear the push and shove
Will you cherish me as much as I will cherish you
North and South, East and West
I promise you my best
I promise you are my One True Compass
You are my One True Compass
You are my steady course
I didn’t know where I was going
When I chose to make that drive
When I took the plunge and let fate have its way
If I hadn’t looked into your eyes
Those eyes that held surprise
Surprised by all this sudden inspiration
Then I wouldn’t be here
Chorus
Now I know what true love really means
I see my future clearer than my dreams
And I can’t wait to see it all come true with you
Chorus
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Summer To Me
We caught lightning bugs
Put ‘em in a jar
Poked a few holes in the lid
Took ‘em to the yard
Watched them through the glass
The way they’d glow
That was summer to me
Under the big elm trees
That was summer to me
Standing in the moonlight
Feeling the breeze
Playing kick the can
Out in the streets
We rode our bikes hard
‘Til we had to come in
That was summer to me
Under the big elm trees
That was summer to me
Chorus
We slept with all the windows wide
Trying to stay cool
The nights were hot and sticky
And the days spent at the pool
And I could hear my mom and dad
With the TV turned way down
But the feel of the sheets
And the sweat on my brow
Are all that I am left with right now
We listened to the cubbies
On the radio waves
Trying to hit a home run
Playing against the Braves
When they were in Milwaukee
And that was long ago
But that was summer to me
Under the big elm trees
That was summer to me
Chorus
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Six Beers
It’s ten after one, the jukebox still playing
The crowd’s thininng out, noone is staying
But I’ll be here, I’ll be here until closing
There’s nowhere to go, noone to go home to
The house is so empty, cold rooms to roam through
So I’ll be here, I’ll be here until closing
Chorus
If six beers won’t do it, twelve won’t either
The nights just get longer and the loneliness wider
But I just didn’t have the nerve
Now that it’s over
Now that you’re gone
I just don’t know how I’ll move on
Well, the bartender’s mad, says I should get on
Get off of my butt, and try to be strong
But he don’t know, he don’t know what it feels like
We all make mistakes, but this one was tragic
A chance to find happiness, a chance to find magic
Now I don’t know, I don’t know what it feels like
Chorus
Ooh, these lonesome days
Building a life through a desperate haze
What’s a woman to do
But children and comfort and work made me stay
But mostly I couldn’t get out of my way
And you were, you were all that I thought of
I just couldn’t manage to let myself go
Stuck in a life where I’d rarely show
And you were, you were all that I thought of
Chorus
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The Storm
There’s a storm that cuts across Superior
It’s a storm that weathers through time
And it breaks all boundaries and borders
And it batters the shifting shoreline
And the waves come pounding like a heart beat
With a rhythm that keeps its own time
What I’ve learned from the pull of the tide is that
The storm keeps the waters in line
Why would we dive into deep waters
Why would we risk life and limb
If not to experience euphoria
And if not to dive right in
And isn’t love the same as the storm line
Don’t we throw ourselves into that sea
But with a hope that the rescue will always be there
For you and for me
Chorus:
There’s a dark, dark cloud on the horizon
And it boils up to the sky
And it holds the sea in its strong arms
And it rains it down with a cry
And I wonder why few seems to notice
As the pressure continues to rise
That love is the truest barometer
And the absence of love our demise
So I offer you my warmest
And I take you out of the wind
And I hold you until you stop shaking
And I warm you without and within
And the storms are a constant reminder
That nothing in life holds still
It’s an endless battle of highs and lows
It’s a weathered battle of wills
Chorus
So I’ll treasure every moment
Be it winter, fall, summer or spring
And I know the beat of the storm front
And I feel the cleansing it brings
You can always take cover from lightning
You can stoke the fire against the cold
But to run away from a darkening sky
Is to never let love take hold
Chorus
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Small Town
Oh the streets are so wide, you can diagonally park
In athat small town, a small town
Yeah the streets are so wide but the theater has gone dark
In the small town. that small town
Chorus
Where your business is everybody’s business
And everybody’s nose is in your business
And everybody knows more than you wish they did
In that small, small town
The concrete’s so worn, there are cracks for every year
Of that small town, that small town
When the mercantile closed, everybody was in tears
In that small town, that small town
Then our parents grew old and the kids all moved away
From that small town, that small town
With no prospects in sight athere’s no reason to stay
In a small town, a very small town
Chorus
My cousin, Kenny owned the pool hall where grandpa cooked each day
In that small town, that small town
Making breakfast for the farmers and conversation by the way
In that small town, that small town
And my Grandpa would brag, though bragging’s not the way
Of a small town, a small town
I’m the oldest man around here and I walk five miles a day
In this small town
Chorus
Ooh, hear the whistle blow as the train rolls by, as the train rolls by
And oh, it never stops here anymore
Well it’s a piece of our history, it’s a part of our past
The small town, the small town
But like all things worth saving, there’s a chance that it won’t last
The small town, the very small town
Chorus
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32 Years
32 long years, three girls now grown
All back to help you get on your way
A doctor, a teacher with kids of their own
The last one your baby and always will stay so
Time to leave this house that held you so fast
Time to put behind a lifetime of living
Take down the pictures that harbor the past
A time for letting go and forgiving
Chorus
All the dreams you’ve dreamed here are wrapped up
All the years you’ve lived are packed up and moved away
Memories like boxes folded and filled up
Tears seal the seams
And tear you away
Up to the attic, old Barbie Dolls
Out on the driveway, the sound of a free throw
Echoes of yesterday bounce through these halls
And right now it seems like all that you know
Chorus
Sometimes moving forward
Seems like two steps behind
Sometimes what is best is hardest to find
Just remember the blessing
Just remember the grace
And thank God for daughters like you raised
You sit in a circle around a treasure chest
Laughing and crying at all you remember
Little time to linger, less time to rest
But these times will always be marked by September
Chorus
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Try
Drums and bombs and little children
Heading off to war
Wired cars and wired martyrs
Falling to the sword
What in the world has the world come to?
What has separated me from you?
What the hell are we supposed to do
When the heart has lost its way?
Holy cities, holy terror
Holding out for peace
Young men scream and babies wail
And war will never cease
As long as power is the strongest drug
As long as leaders always act so smug
As long as we bow and bend and shrug
And let hatred have its way
Chorus
I can reach another door
I can open it
We can put an end to war
But we must try, try, try, try, try
I can see another road
I can travel it
We can write a better episode
But we must try, try, try, try, try
Missiles fly and skies turn black
And nothing really changes
Burning bridges, broken bodies
Dodging darkened dangers
Helping hands of hypocrisy
Who defines what is democracy?
Why is peace now a commodity
And where is right and truth?
Chorus
Try to see things in another light
In the end we’re all just the same
Try to put yourself in someone else’s hands
Then maybe you can understand,
Oh maybe we can understand
Oh maybe, oh maybe
Chorus
Drums and bomobs and little children
Heading off to war
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My Love For You
That gravel road won’t lead me home
Parades at nightfall since I’ve been gone
You know forever’s still far away
And I love you more today than yesterday
There are no boundaries in this life
Contagious heartache, conjunctive strife
While in this maze I wander lost
I’ll still find you at any cost
I’m testifying with this long face
I feel I’ve fallen too far from grace
But if you will meet me for midnight’s call
I’ll dig my way out, I’ll climb that wall
I’ve bent the rules, I’ve skimmed the air
Across the water, deep in the dare
When I come home, it’s none too soon
By light of sun, by pull of moon
If transportation is all I need
The golden chariot, the silver bead
Then in stolen moments I’ve traveled far
I’m always heading to where you are
Inside my pocket, inside my head
I’ve got more change, I’ve got more lead
I’ve got the secret, love’s boundless ways
These are the words of which I’m made
Nothing can touch my love for you
When in the company of devil’s strangers
I dream of you, I’m out of danger
I turn a rhythm, tomorrow’s news
Visions of love, visions of you
All broken hearts will mend the same
Whether in forgiveness, whether in blame
Remembered harmonies, forgotten sins
Open the door, I’m coming in
Nothin can touch my love for you
Old blind dogs don’t lose their scent
Moving in darkness and forward intent
Remaining faithful to the last
I love you like that, so hard and fast
There are no boundaries in my love
What lies below us soars above
And if you will meet me for midnight’s call
I’ll pledge forever, I’ll pledge it all
Cause nothing can touch my love for you
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Nothing Can Harm Our Love
The sun comes up earlier
The light in the room
Holds the promise of spring and renewal
Though the temperatures plummet
And the wind chill is brittle
In our house there’s plenty of fuel
Nothing can harm our love
Nothing can harm our love
Like the promise of sunlight
That falls from above
Nothing can harm our love
The world news is bleak
The apathy bleaker
There’s a promise of peace called war
Though the numbers keep climbing
And there’s no end in sight
In our house we don’t keep score
Nothing can harm our love
Nothing can harm our love
Like a prayer for compassion
That falls from above
Nothing can harm our love
We hope for a miracle
That winter just ends
That hatred is left at the station
And though you can’t stop that train
By even pulling the cord
At least it shows determination
The night throws a blanket
Over all the earth’s ills
For the comfort and rest that’s required
With sleep comes repair
The body renewed
But these days the world seems so tired
Nothing can harm our love
Nothing can harm our love
Like moonlight on water
That falls from above
Nothing can harm our love
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Leap of Faith
It was a long road
It was a long time
It was a long way around this stuck mind
It was the way that I was looking
And the things I couldn’t see
And it was the way that you were looking at me
It was a late night
It was the late fall
It was a late hour to make a late call
It was the things that I was hearing
And the things I couldn’t see
And it was the way that you were looking at me
Sometimes it takes a miracle
Sometimes it takes a stand
Sometimes it’s quite empirical
And sometimes it’s so grand
But most of all it needs to be
A sudden leap of faith
It’s a leap of faith
It was a new dream
It was an old car
It was a back road
And a bright star
It was the things that I was feeling
And the things I couldn’t see
And it was the way that you were looking at me
Sometimes it’s rude awakenings
Sometimes…it’s about time
Sometimes the earth is shaking
Sometimes the world is mine
But most of all it needs to be
A sudden leap of faith
It’s a leap of faith
It was a lifeline
It was a long rest
It was a life long dream
And a hard test
It was the things that I was bearing
And the things I couldn’t see
And it was the way that you were looking at me
Sometimes it takes a miracle
Sometimes it takes a stand
Sometimes it’s quite empirical
And sometimes it’s so grand
But most of all it needs to be
A sudden leap of faith
It’s a leap of faith
And this is what I know
And this is what I see
It was the way that I was looking at me
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Sail Away
There’s a longing in my heart
To see you in the morning
There’s a longing in my heart
To rest my face against your check
But I guess I’ll have to wait
Until that last great dawning
When I take that mighty boat across the sea
Chorus
Sail away, I can almost see you smiling
Sail away, I can almost hear you breathe
Sail away, I will reach out for your hand
When I take that mighty boat across the sea
I’m staring at the phone
Wishing I could call you
Like I’ve done so many mornings
In the years you’ve been with me
But the phone would go unanswered
And I would be left hanging
Til I take the mighty boat across the sea
Chorus
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