1. |
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I first saw her in an army base hall
Streamers on the ceiling and a disco ball
My friends told me she was out of my league
Her in a gown and me in fatigues
Next thing I know I’m moving into her place
And I have to say I got a smile on my face
Her Great Dane sprawled on the floor
And she’s given me one of her bedroom drawers
She’s so different from me
She sees colors I don’t see
Listens on frequencies
New to me
She does those crossword puzzles
Spends Sunday morning with a pencil in her hand
She loves those random references
To books she’s read and travels she’s planned
She's got a record collection
People and songs I’ve never heard
She tells me she’s got a surprise
Then drops the needle and closes her eyes
[Chorus]
I know that one day I’ll wake up
When this deployment is done
I’ll open the door to her house
And she’ll be reading on the couch
[Instrumental]
[Chorus to end]
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2. |
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As you walk down the aisle
Even though it took a while
Seems to me you’ve opened up your hearts
And let the good things in that you need
On a mountain side near the tree line
I see the sun upon the snow
That’s where I picture you both together
In the sunshine and the wild’s where you go
You found
Something everybody’s looking for
You found
A way to wrap your arms around the world
And each other
There's no other
Way to go
On a frozen lake up in Maine
There isn’t anyone around
But the two of you with your open hearts
And the adventures that you start
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3. |
Rocking Chair
03:28
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There used to be a rocking chair
Of a golden brown
That told stories
To all the friends in town
Some were old and some pretty new
This town is not the same
That rocking chair knew very well
How everything has changed
You see, there used to be a fox beyond that tree
Chasing squirrels and running free
A rooster sat out on the lawn
He’d get you started at the break of dawn
Work was different—you know what I mean
No pushing buttons on computer screens
But we found the time to spin the yarn
And have a drink or three
And when we got to our loved ones
The stars would often shine
The neighbors came and shared their food
Like good friends do
That's the story of the home sweet home
Before the days of telephones
And now the fox doesn't play here anymore
But the rooster crows at the break of day
People moving, they're on their way
The world keeps turning and time keeps ticking on
So if you see a rocking chair
Of a golden brown
I hope you'll have a seat
And imagine this old town
It wasn't perfect we know very well
But it's healthy to reflect
There's some nuggets in there
It would be good to share
With folks in the younger set
And when you get to your loved ones
Remember that the stars still shine
Might be a little hazy in the city lights
But just you never mind...
Cause there used to be a rocking chair
Of a golden brown
Told stories to all the friends in town
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4. |
San Salvador
02:44
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Spent my birthday in San Salvador
Bottles and crumbs on the hotel room floor
I'm just a sad conquistador
Who's forgotten what he's looking for
City lights from the balcony
They hide a solemn history
Thirty years ago, it was all bad news
God knows these folks have paid their dues
So why the hell have I come down here
Running away from one bad year
Sometimes things can track you down
Sneak up on you without making a sound
The Maitre D’ in the cafe downstairs
Took some time, pulled up a chair
Told me stories about growing up
Toasted me with his coffee cup
It’s a toast I don’t deserve
Never really had the nerve
To figure out what’s best for me
And all the people surrounding me
So why the hell have I come down here
Running away from one bad year
Sometimes things can track you down
Sneak up on you without making a sound
This city is a brother to me
Both trying to be what we ought to be
But it’s not something I can decree
And why would anyone listen to me?
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5. |
Every Book I Read
03:43
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I pour my beer into a plastic cup
I step out and I look up
The sky has changed to a new shade of blue
I pull up an Adirondack chair
Take a breath of that springtime air
Open up my book to where I left off
I leave my body in my chair
Because now I’m flying through the air
Over Germany in 1945
I see the horizon through the pilot's eyes
Every book I read
Shows me something new
Something I can share with you
Now I'm in a woman's head
Navigating streets ahead
Every turn she makes I see what she sees
She’s a writer and a waitress, too
A needle slipping in a groove
Her life’s a complicated song
But I get the chance to sing along
At this time in our (ragged) history
We need to see what other people see
You can’t live in another man’s shoes
But you can listen to him sing his blues
Better still read a story from his point of view
Every book I read
Shows me something new
Something I can share with you
I pour my beer into that plastic cup
You might think I gave up
But I'm expanding my world view
And when this book is done
I'll start another one
My aim is simple and true
I’m just doing what I can do
Every book I read
Shows me something new
Something I can share with you
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6. |
What You Know Is Right
04:05
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I've known you since we were kids
Punching holes in mason jar lids
We’d catch all the fireflies we could see
And later that night we’d set them all free
Your Dad and mine spent their lives in this town
Shackled to earth and dragged underground
I swore I’d never be such a fool
I'm leaving when I finish school
Instr. Break
And you felt the same way as me
Outside the Dairy Queen
We talked about how we'd pack up and leave
A pledge of allegiance for just you and me
Then you met Shelly and everything changed
You were smitten and she took the reins
Next thing I know you had changed all your plans
I was leaving alone in a rusted-out van
Do you know what it's like
To leave your best friend
You've known all of your life
Do you know what it's like
When it's breaking your heart
To do what you know is right?
Inst. Break
I heard that you worked in the coal mine
Just like your Dad and mine
And it wore you down slowly and I know if only
You'd gotten out in time
You'd be fine
But Shelly, she left with the kids just last year
It played out just as I feared
She watched it go sour and counted the hours
Her decision was suddenly clear
I ran into Shelly one night in a bar
She'd just finished school and bought a new car
She told me she felt she was finally free
But she's holding your memory
And she asked me a question
As she went out the door
Same as the one I asked years before
CHORUS to End
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7. |
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She plucked a summer rose from her victory garden
Back in 1917
She tucked it in her hair and danced between
A row of sunflowers that stretched as far as she could see
Another world away, he watched her dance
He said he saw it in a dream
He stumbled in the trench, one last gasp of hope
And through the terror and the smoke
He saw the sunflowers
The story's traveled down
Generations now
And now it's in Ukraine
There's a soldier there
Had a vision where
The woman that he loved
Was dancing
In a row of sunflowers
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8. |
Gorham, New Hampshire
03:59
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She works at the Walmart
In Gorham, New Hampshire
She can see the mountains
From the parking lot
There’s a Winnebago parked
Near the carriage corral
She leans on the railing
And lights a Doral
The smoke from her cigarette
Billows up on the air
It’s her own smoke signal
To the world out there
She had a lover
A small town man
He had his own wood shop
He worked with his hands
By his wood stove in the shop
They made their plans
Even her a dad said
You found a good man
The smoke through the chimney
Billowed up on the air
Their own smoke signal
To the world out there
If you drive up old route sixteen
There’s an old ski jump you’ve probably seen
Two hundred feet it stretches up in the air
One Spring evening, he took her there
Under the trestles
Where the grass grew long
They sat by a fire
And he played her a song
She remembers every moment
Of that wonderful night
In the shadow of the past
And the firelight
The campfire smoke
Billowed up on the air
The lovers’ smoke signal
To the world out there
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Peter LaQuerre Nashua, New Hampshire
Singer-songwriter from Nashua, NH, USA.
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