"The Stuff in the Middle" lyrics
All songs written by Brian McGinty
Lyrics used by permission
All rights reserved
Like The Breeze
© 2002 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Now and then she slips right in to my surprise
Comes and goes, she ebbs and flows in silent tides
And I shiver amazed as I stand in her wake
Drawing in from her now with each breath that I take
Going out of my mind with the fear that my heart’s gonna break
Like the breeze she rolls over my senses with ease
Showing signs of affection in cautious degrees
Then she leaves my defenseless down here on my knees
And she rolls right over me
Like the breeze
True to form a soul so warm can be so cold
Leads me on, but then she’s gone, too quick to hold
Do I reach out for something that’s not even there
Do I cry out in vain or pretend not to care
Do I dare to believe there could be something more in the air
Like the breeze she floats down from the tops of the trees
And she hovers above me ignoring my pleas
Then she blows me a kiss, but that’s only a tease
And she rolls right over me
Like the breeze
And I try to rise above, but I’m not up to the task
Wanna be the one you love, but I’m only fit to
Bask in the glory of all that you are
Like some hopeless fool wishing on some lucky star
Wondering what it might take to get close to a light that’s so far
Now and then she slips right in to where I live
Comes and goes, but never knows what I would give
To be more than somebody she’s just blowing past
To make more of these moments that don’t seem to last
To be more than an afterthought fading away too fast, way to fast
So I let her roll over my senses with ease
Showing cautious affection in larger degrees
Then she leaves me defenseless down here on my knees
With my head in the clouds as I shiver and freeze
Never knowing for certain if she even sees
When I reach out to her at the tops of the trees
And she hovers above as I beg and I plead
That her subtle advances are not just a tease
And she rolls right over me
Yes she rolls right over me
Yes she rolls right over me
Like the breeze
Now and then she slips right in
Comes and goes but never knows
Room For Me
© 2002 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Long time, no see
Had you forgotten about me
Been traveling down this twisted road
Dragging ‘round my heavy load
The price for calling myself free
But my feet are tired and my back is sore
I could use a home and I hope it’s yours
‘Cause when things go wrong you can steer me right
Is there room for me in your bed tonight
I’ve always moved at my own pace
I’m never happy in one place
And when I try to settle down
Before my feet can touch the ground
I’m off again without a trace
But if just this once I choose not to roam
And I’m on your doorstep when you get home
Tell me would you find me a welcome sight
Is there room for me in your bed tonight
I guess it’s selfish and unfair
To just show up and think you’d care
I throw myself upon your mercy and I pray
That you can give me shelter now
That you can finally show me how
To open up my eyes and face another day
Long time, no see
Have you been wondering about me
I’d like to say that I’ll stay long
But we both know that I’d be wrong
That’s not the man I’ll ever be
So I won’t make promises I can’t keep
Or let my emotions run way to deep
But between the evening and morning light
I can keep you warm and I can hold you tight
You could comfort me, I could comfort you
And before this long lonely night is through
Maybe all that’s wrong, we can make it right
Is there room for me in your bed tonight
Useless Information
© 2001 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
The daily news floats through the air
A headline here, a headline there
I read enough to show I care
About issues of the day
Important causes, worldly ways
And from the comfort of my bed
The sound bites rattle through my head
Convincing me enough’s been said
For me to understand what’s true
For me to form a point of view
And I would tell you that I’m right
But I don’t know if I am
And I would love to join the fight
But I don’t know where I stand
I’m so preoccupied with useless information
Meaningful thoughts are more than I can bare today
The opera season’s just begun
I could buy tickets for each one
But sitcoms really are more fun
They make it so easy to maintain
This feeling of calm inside my brain
Infomercials, late night shows
1-900-make-more-dough
Scrambled porn and HBO
So many channels you can’t lose
But it can be so hard to choose
And I would like to be well read
But it just puts me to sleep
I like the junk food for my head
Because it never gets too deep
And I’m so keenly versed on useless information
Anything valuable would just be in my way
It’s so important to be well informed and rightly educated
Every neuron firing and every muscle stimulated
Every detail organized and every item collated
Knowledge is the new horizon my friend
It’s hard to get a moment’s rest with all there is to do and see
A thousand screaming points of light and I just want my MTV
I sit for hours basking in the glow of new technology
But where does it, where does it, where does it, where does it,
Where does it, where does it, where does it, where does it end
I would tell you that I’m right
But I don’t know if I am
And I would love to join the fight
But I don’t know where I stand
I’m so preoccupied with useless information
Meaningful thoughts are more than I can bare today
I would like to be well read
But it just puts me to sleep
I like the junk food for my head
Because it never gets too deep
And I’m so keenly versed on useless information
Anything valuable would just be in my way
Los Angeles Tears
© 1997 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Stumbling bravely down the boulevard
Voices carry me to where you are
So little patience left
To allow me to hold back the tears
It seems that fate has brought us here tonight
Like two travelers without a light
Feeling our way through the dark
In the hope that a new light appears
Vagabonds and fallen angels
Scattered ‘round on the streets in shambles
The crowd so thick
That inside it I cease to be
Just me
No city crowd can hide
What Los Angeles tears can see
So we’ll do our little dance again
But never dare to let each other in
Steping away to protect
Two hearts that have been trampled on
But if by chance your eyes should meet with mine
Please don’t turn your face away this time
Maybe we both can find
Something in them we thought was long gone
And if you promise just to speak true
Then I promise I will not judge you
For opening your eyes
And for showing me what we feel
Is real
These city lights can’t hide
What Los Angeles tears can reveal
It’s like a sickness when I’m in these moods
I can’t control a thing I say or do
All of my darker thoughts
Do whatever they can to be freed
I don’t expect that you would understand, but
If you could walk with me and hold my hand
Just that simple touch
May be all of the healing I need
Not a word needs to be spoken
Any sound and the spell would be broken
Our words would collide
And the moment would just decay
Away
No city noise can hide what Los Angeles tears can say
No city noise can hide what Los Angeles tears can say
No city noise can hide what Los Angeles tears can say
Wasn’t That You
© 2009 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
The other day I found a picture of myself from years ago
I stood there staring at the face like it was someone I don’t know
When did I get to be so far away from who I was then
When did it get to be so hard to tell the where and the when
As bits and pieces of old memories came drifting into view
I pieced together several stories that I’m not even sure are true
There was a time, there was a place, there was a friend there with me
Details are fuzzy, but I’m certain there’s a friendly face I see
In all the best parts of my ancient history
And wasn’t that you
Wasn’t that something that we did when there was
Little else that either of us knew
Wasn’t that something we used to do
And hey, wasn’t that me
Wasn’t I standing right beside you
When beside you was my favorite place to be
Wasn’t that something we held as true
Wasn’t that you
I spent an hour getting wrapped up in my favorite memories
Dug up old photographs and relics of the kid I used to be
I’ve always had a sentimental way of looking at my youth
I like to think the nicest version of the story is the truth
The evidence of passing time is hanging on me everywhere
Another pound, another line on my face, another gray hair
It isn’t hard to understand this fascination with the past
Sometimes it feels like everything is rushing by me way to fast
Is it so wrong that I want certain things to last
And wasn’t that you
Wasn’t that something that we did when there was
Little else that either of us knew
Wasn’t that something we used to do
And hey, wasn’t that me
Wasn’t I standing right beside you
When beside you was my favorite place to be
Wasn’t that something we held as true
Wasn’t that you
And if you could go back again
Is there anything you’d change
Is there anything that might have been
And if it were all the same
Would you still be who you are
Would you still become what you became
Sometimes we’d all like to play
To be young again as they say
But I’m not thinking that way
At least not today
There’s only so much time that anyone can spend on looking back
The here and now needs my attention and it won’t cut me any slack
Not much to gain from living in the past or looking far ahead
I’d rather try to live inside the current moment instead
I put away all those mementos, tossed those photos in a drawer
Lord knows I don’t need them to tell me everything that came before
Some things will always define me and they don’t need to be named
Some images are still with me and that don’t need to be framed
And some people always make me happy just the same
And wasn’t that you
Wasn’t that something that we did when there was
Little else that either of us knew
Wasn’t that something we used to do
And hey, wasn’t that me
Wasn’t I standing right beside you
When beside you was my favorite place to be
Wasn’t that something we held as true
Wasn’t that you
One More Minute
© 1991 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Calling out your name from down in the street below
Watching you lean out the window sill
And something as simple as the way the wind
Will blow your hair around
Can make the world around me stand so still
If we had met in another place and another time
Maybe these moments wouldn’t cause me pain
Cause pondering the question of what might have been
Makes the shadows of regret and doubt remain
And I want to touch you, but it’s just for the minute
And I want to hold you, but I know I’ll regret it
Every time that I kiss you I feel this pounding in my heart
That begs me to cling to you with all my strength
Instead of pulling us apart
And I know that everything about us is so wrong
But when I leave the heartache is so strong
So I’ll make the moment last awhile if it won’t do any harm
And I’ll just stay for one more minute in your arms
And the thought of us as lovers is a fleeting fantasy
Just a pretty dream of something that I know could never be
But the practical persuasions don’t convince me when I find
Even when you’re half a world away you’re forever on my mind
And after everything that’s ever passed between us
I still don’t know just what these feelings mean to us
As our differences confine us to something less than I dream of
Beyond this empty word call “friendship” lies a deeper kind of love
And I want to touch you, but it’s just for the minute
And I want to hold you, but I know I’ll regret it
Every time that I kiss you I feel this pounding in my heart
That begs me to cling to you with all my strength
Instead of pulling us apart
And I know that everything about us is so wrong
But when I leave the heartache is so strong
So I’ll make the moment last awhile if it won’t do any harm
And I’ll just stay for one more minute in your arms
Can I stay for one more minute in your arms
Please let me stay for one more minute in your arms
Falling Out of Love
© 1991 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
You tell me you’re leaving
You tell me we’re through
You say there’s nothing more that we can do
Well tell me then baby
If it’s so cut and dry
Why are those tear drops falling from your eyes
I’ve been up and down these streeets
Chasing ‘round and ‘round
I’m searching for some answers but they’re nowhere to be found
So I’ll just suffer through the nights
Wander through the days
Somewhere between love and hate we lost our way
Don’t feel no earth beneath me
Don’t see no stars above
I really don’t feel anything at all since we’ve been falling out of love
Falling out of love
Now the first time I saw you
I knew you’d be mine
We’d be together till the end of time
But so many years later
And we’re not even friends
What’s there left to do when your eternity ends
When the passion starts to leave you
And the memories cease to haunt
You realize the one you’re with in not the one you want
So we’ll just go our separate ways
Go where fortune leads
Hope that somewhere down the road we find what we need
Don’t see no stars above
I really don’t feel anything at all since we’ve been falling out of love
Falling out of love
I’ve been up and down these streeets
Chasing ‘round and ‘round
I’m searching for some answers but they’re nowhere to be found
So I’ll just suffer through the nights
Wander through the days
Somewhere between love and hate we lost our way
Don’t feel no earth beneath me
Don’t see no stars above
I really don’t feel anything at all since we’ve been falling out of love
Falling out of love
Daredevil
© 2009 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
The little boy stood atop the tower
Every second felt like an hour
At the edge of the high dive in the wind
He thought the jump would be so exciting
He thought the water looked so inviting
He just couldn’t find the courage to dive in
When the weight of your fears
Becomes more than you know
It can somehow be the hardest thing to simply let it go
When the volume of tears
Is only making you blind
Then the hardest thing to see it that the pain is in your mind
Sometimes I cling to the ground when I’m too scared to fly
Just dig my heels in and watch as the world races by
My jealous eyes follow braver souls up through the sky
But never dare to go so high
I saw my brother while he was in motion
Pausing briefly to see the ocean
He carried on like a true explorer does
With a smile that he couldn’t stifle
He rode off on his motorcycle
He never even knew how brave he was
And if I could just learn
A little lesson from him
Would I stand here in the sand or would I brave the waves and swim
I’ve been waiting my turn
I’ve been standing in line
But it’s time for me to stand up for myself and take what’s mine
So if I saw him again could he teach me to fly
I used to stand there amazed as he went racing by
My jealous eyes vainly followed him up through the sky
But never dared to go so high
Read every book I can find, but it’s no use
Confusion in my mind, but it’s no excuse
I don’t have to take the abuse
That I keep on bringing from deep inside
Cause I have these hands, this heart, these eyes
I’m a whole lot stronger than I realize
There are no more reasons to compromise
The best part of the journey is the ride
The daredevil was atop the tower
Shining brightly in his finest hour
Looking out at the skyline in the wind
The desert air felt so exciting
The Vegas Strip looked so inviting
I swear to god he could’ve jumped it end to end
And I guess I know now
What was true all along
Just because you can’t stand, that doesn’t mean that you’re not strong
Is it clear to me how
I can live for the day
Cause there’s never gonna be a net to catch me anyway
No need to cling to the ground when you know you can fly
Just hear that thunderous applause as you go racing by
A million jealous eyes follow you up through the sky
No such thing as too high
And if I chose to let go, I believe I can fly
Just feel the wind in my hair as I go racing by
A million jealous eyes follow me up through the sky
Watch me dare to go so high
Beggars and Buskers
© 1998 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
It won’t be the first time that I
Sit on the street and sing this song
It may be the first time that you hear me
It won’t get me one dime if I
Don’t have the will to stay here long
And wait for the crowd to gather near me
Oh and there are some days when the inspiration hits me
Fate pays me a compliment that fits me
Hope stays for the time I sat and played
My sidewalk serenade
It won’t be the first time that I
Struggled to write these words of mine
Sitting alone out here for hours
I’ll look for a good rhyme but I
Can’t find a way to end each line
It seems to be well beyond my powers
Oh but there are some days when the inspiration hits me
Fate pays me a compliment that fits me
Hope stays for the time I sat and played
My sidewalk serenade
There is a clarity that comes
When you’re living on the road
And you’re just getting by with the pennies in your guitar case
If your gonna get from place to place
You’ve gotta lighten up your load
It won’t be the last time that I
Stand here and watch the sun go down
I have a feeling that I’ll return here
I think there are good times coming
For beggars and buskers in this town
There’s more than just money that I can earn here
Oh and there are some days when the inspiration hits me
Fate pays me a compliment that fits me
Hope stays for the time I sat and played
My sidewalk serenade
The Way Things Are
© 2009 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
A thought that rolls across my mind once in a while
I try to picture you and I see this little child
I haven’t seen for so long
I think of all those dreams we carried in our hands
And just because things didn’t work out like we planned
It doesn’t mean the dreams were wrong
This is how things are
It’s nothing I can change
But I don’t know where I stand
When familiar things look strange
I can only take so much
I can only push so far
And I wish that there was more
But that’s not the way things are
With thoughts so restless and emotions running wild
I guess I still see myself as this frightened child
Who’s never pleased with what he’s got
So when I find myself in the face of tragedy
How do I come to terms with what I’m supposed to be
Or make peace with what I’m not
Cause this is how things are
And I’m not so naive
To belief that I can change
Or to change what I believe
I can only cry so much
I can only grieve so far
And there has to come a time
To accept the way things are
I have always tried to see myself
As a well-enlightened man
But I still don’t know if Hell is real
Of if Heaven gives a damn
And at the heart of it
There’s just so much I’ll never understand
It seems the simplest things can always make me smile
I see myself these days and I know I’m not a child
As much as I might like to be
When I can focus in on what my life’s about
When I can calm my mind and let go of my doubts
That’s when I find the real me
And this is how things are
It’s awful and sublime
It’s a frenzied rate of change
Through the slow parade of time
I can only do so much
I can only go so far
This is not a perfect world
But I like the way things are
Lyrics used by permission
All rights reserved
Like The Breeze
© 2002 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Now and then she slips right in to my surprise
Comes and goes, she ebbs and flows in silent tides
And I shiver amazed as I stand in her wake
Drawing in from her now with each breath that I take
Going out of my mind with the fear that my heart’s gonna break
Like the breeze she rolls over my senses with ease
Showing signs of affection in cautious degrees
Then she leaves my defenseless down here on my knees
And she rolls right over me
Like the breeze
True to form a soul so warm can be so cold
Leads me on, but then she’s gone, too quick to hold
Do I reach out for something that’s not even there
Do I cry out in vain or pretend not to care
Do I dare to believe there could be something more in the air
Like the breeze she floats down from the tops of the trees
And she hovers above me ignoring my pleas
Then she blows me a kiss, but that’s only a tease
And she rolls right over me
Like the breeze
And I try to rise above, but I’m not up to the task
Wanna be the one you love, but I’m only fit to
Bask in the glory of all that you are
Like some hopeless fool wishing on some lucky star
Wondering what it might take to get close to a light that’s so far
Now and then she slips right in to where I live
Comes and goes, but never knows what I would give
To be more than somebody she’s just blowing past
To make more of these moments that don’t seem to last
To be more than an afterthought fading away too fast, way to fast
So I let her roll over my senses with ease
Showing cautious affection in larger degrees
Then she leaves me defenseless down here on my knees
With my head in the clouds as I shiver and freeze
Never knowing for certain if she even sees
When I reach out to her at the tops of the trees
And she hovers above as I beg and I plead
That her subtle advances are not just a tease
And she rolls right over me
Yes she rolls right over me
Yes she rolls right over me
Like the breeze
Now and then she slips right in
Comes and goes but never knows
Room For Me
© 2002 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Long time, no see
Had you forgotten about me
Been traveling down this twisted road
Dragging ‘round my heavy load
The price for calling myself free
But my feet are tired and my back is sore
I could use a home and I hope it’s yours
‘Cause when things go wrong you can steer me right
Is there room for me in your bed tonight
I’ve always moved at my own pace
I’m never happy in one place
And when I try to settle down
Before my feet can touch the ground
I’m off again without a trace
But if just this once I choose not to roam
And I’m on your doorstep when you get home
Tell me would you find me a welcome sight
Is there room for me in your bed tonight
I guess it’s selfish and unfair
To just show up and think you’d care
I throw myself upon your mercy and I pray
That you can give me shelter now
That you can finally show me how
To open up my eyes and face another day
Long time, no see
Have you been wondering about me
I’d like to say that I’ll stay long
But we both know that I’d be wrong
That’s not the man I’ll ever be
So I won’t make promises I can’t keep
Or let my emotions run way to deep
But between the evening and morning light
I can keep you warm and I can hold you tight
You could comfort me, I could comfort you
And before this long lonely night is through
Maybe all that’s wrong, we can make it right
Is there room for me in your bed tonight
Useless Information
© 2001 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
The daily news floats through the air
A headline here, a headline there
I read enough to show I care
About issues of the day
Important causes, worldly ways
And from the comfort of my bed
The sound bites rattle through my head
Convincing me enough’s been said
For me to understand what’s true
For me to form a point of view
And I would tell you that I’m right
But I don’t know if I am
And I would love to join the fight
But I don’t know where I stand
I’m so preoccupied with useless information
Meaningful thoughts are more than I can bare today
The opera season’s just begun
I could buy tickets for each one
But sitcoms really are more fun
They make it so easy to maintain
This feeling of calm inside my brain
Infomercials, late night shows
1-900-make-more-dough
Scrambled porn and HBO
So many channels you can’t lose
But it can be so hard to choose
And I would like to be well read
But it just puts me to sleep
I like the junk food for my head
Because it never gets too deep
And I’m so keenly versed on useless information
Anything valuable would just be in my way
It’s so important to be well informed and rightly educated
Every neuron firing and every muscle stimulated
Every detail organized and every item collated
Knowledge is the new horizon my friend
It’s hard to get a moment’s rest with all there is to do and see
A thousand screaming points of light and I just want my MTV
I sit for hours basking in the glow of new technology
But where does it, where does it, where does it, where does it,
Where does it, where does it, where does it, where does it end
I would tell you that I’m right
But I don’t know if I am
And I would love to join the fight
But I don’t know where I stand
I’m so preoccupied with useless information
Meaningful thoughts are more than I can bare today
I would like to be well read
But it just puts me to sleep
I like the junk food for my head
Because it never gets too deep
And I’m so keenly versed on useless information
Anything valuable would just be in my way
Los Angeles Tears
© 1997 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Stumbling bravely down the boulevard
Voices carry me to where you are
So little patience left
To allow me to hold back the tears
It seems that fate has brought us here tonight
Like two travelers without a light
Feeling our way through the dark
In the hope that a new light appears
Vagabonds and fallen angels
Scattered ‘round on the streets in shambles
The crowd so thick
That inside it I cease to be
Just me
No city crowd can hide
What Los Angeles tears can see
So we’ll do our little dance again
But never dare to let each other in
Steping away to protect
Two hearts that have been trampled on
But if by chance your eyes should meet with mine
Please don’t turn your face away this time
Maybe we both can find
Something in them we thought was long gone
And if you promise just to speak true
Then I promise I will not judge you
For opening your eyes
And for showing me what we feel
Is real
These city lights can’t hide
What Los Angeles tears can reveal
It’s like a sickness when I’m in these moods
I can’t control a thing I say or do
All of my darker thoughts
Do whatever they can to be freed
I don’t expect that you would understand, but
If you could walk with me and hold my hand
Just that simple touch
May be all of the healing I need
Not a word needs to be spoken
Any sound and the spell would be broken
Our words would collide
And the moment would just decay
Away
No city noise can hide what Los Angeles tears can say
No city noise can hide what Los Angeles tears can say
No city noise can hide what Los Angeles tears can say
Wasn’t That You
© 2009 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
The other day I found a picture of myself from years ago
I stood there staring at the face like it was someone I don’t know
When did I get to be so far away from who I was then
When did it get to be so hard to tell the where and the when
As bits and pieces of old memories came drifting into view
I pieced together several stories that I’m not even sure are true
There was a time, there was a place, there was a friend there with me
Details are fuzzy, but I’m certain there’s a friendly face I see
In all the best parts of my ancient history
And wasn’t that you
Wasn’t that something that we did when there was
Little else that either of us knew
Wasn’t that something we used to do
And hey, wasn’t that me
Wasn’t I standing right beside you
When beside you was my favorite place to be
Wasn’t that something we held as true
Wasn’t that you
I spent an hour getting wrapped up in my favorite memories
Dug up old photographs and relics of the kid I used to be
I’ve always had a sentimental way of looking at my youth
I like to think the nicest version of the story is the truth
The evidence of passing time is hanging on me everywhere
Another pound, another line on my face, another gray hair
It isn’t hard to understand this fascination with the past
Sometimes it feels like everything is rushing by me way to fast
Is it so wrong that I want certain things to last
And wasn’t that you
Wasn’t that something that we did when there was
Little else that either of us knew
Wasn’t that something we used to do
And hey, wasn’t that me
Wasn’t I standing right beside you
When beside you was my favorite place to be
Wasn’t that something we held as true
Wasn’t that you
And if you could go back again
Is there anything you’d change
Is there anything that might have been
And if it were all the same
Would you still be who you are
Would you still become what you became
Sometimes we’d all like to play
To be young again as they say
But I’m not thinking that way
At least not today
There’s only so much time that anyone can spend on looking back
The here and now needs my attention and it won’t cut me any slack
Not much to gain from living in the past or looking far ahead
I’d rather try to live inside the current moment instead
I put away all those mementos, tossed those photos in a drawer
Lord knows I don’t need them to tell me everything that came before
Some things will always define me and they don’t need to be named
Some images are still with me and that don’t need to be framed
And some people always make me happy just the same
And wasn’t that you
Wasn’t that something that we did when there was
Little else that either of us knew
Wasn’t that something we used to do
And hey, wasn’t that me
Wasn’t I standing right beside you
When beside you was my favorite place to be
Wasn’t that something we held as true
Wasn’t that you
One More Minute
© 1991 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
Calling out your name from down in the street below
Watching you lean out the window sill
And something as simple as the way the wind
Will blow your hair around
Can make the world around me stand so still
If we had met in another place and another time
Maybe these moments wouldn’t cause me pain
Cause pondering the question of what might have been
Makes the shadows of regret and doubt remain
And I want to touch you, but it’s just for the minute
And I want to hold you, but I know I’ll regret it
Every time that I kiss you I feel this pounding in my heart
That begs me to cling to you with all my strength
Instead of pulling us apart
And I know that everything about us is so wrong
But when I leave the heartache is so strong
So I’ll make the moment last awhile if it won’t do any harm
And I’ll just stay for one more minute in your arms
And the thought of us as lovers is a fleeting fantasy
Just a pretty dream of something that I know could never be
But the practical persuasions don’t convince me when I find
Even when you’re half a world away you’re forever on my mind
And after everything that’s ever passed between us
I still don’t know just what these feelings mean to us
As our differences confine us to something less than I dream of
Beyond this empty word call “friendship” lies a deeper kind of love
And I want to touch you, but it’s just for the minute
And I want to hold you, but I know I’ll regret it
Every time that I kiss you I feel this pounding in my heart
That begs me to cling to you with all my strength
Instead of pulling us apart
And I know that everything about us is so wrong
But when I leave the heartache is so strong
So I’ll make the moment last awhile if it won’t do any harm
And I’ll just stay for one more minute in your arms
Can I stay for one more minute in your arms
Please let me stay for one more minute in your arms
Falling Out of Love
© 1991 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
You tell me you’re leaving
You tell me we’re through
You say there’s nothing more that we can do
Well tell me then baby
If it’s so cut and dry
Why are those tear drops falling from your eyes
I’ve been up and down these streeets
Chasing ‘round and ‘round
I’m searching for some answers but they’re nowhere to be found
So I’ll just suffer through the nights
Wander through the days
Somewhere between love and hate we lost our way
Don’t feel no earth beneath me
Don’t see no stars above
I really don’t feel anything at all since we’ve been falling out of love
Falling out of love
Now the first time I saw you
I knew you’d be mine
We’d be together till the end of time
But so many years later
And we’re not even friends
What’s there left to do when your eternity ends
When the passion starts to leave you
And the memories cease to haunt
You realize the one you’re with in not the one you want
So we’ll just go our separate ways
Go where fortune leads
Hope that somewhere down the road we find what we need
Don’t see no stars above
I really don’t feel anything at all since we’ve been falling out of love
Falling out of love
I’ve been up and down these streeets
Chasing ‘round and ‘round
I’m searching for some answers but they’re nowhere to be found
So I’ll just suffer through the nights
Wander through the days
Somewhere between love and hate we lost our way
Don’t feel no earth beneath me
Don’t see no stars above
I really don’t feel anything at all since we’ve been falling out of love
Falling out of love
Daredevil
© 2009 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
The little boy stood atop the tower
Every second felt like an hour
At the edge of the high dive in the wind
He thought the jump would be so exciting
He thought the water looked so inviting
He just couldn’t find the courage to dive in
When the weight of your fears
Becomes more than you know
It can somehow be the hardest thing to simply let it go
When the volume of tears
Is only making you blind
Then the hardest thing to see it that the pain is in your mind
Sometimes I cling to the ground when I’m too scared to fly
Just dig my heels in and watch as the world races by
My jealous eyes follow braver souls up through the sky
But never dare to go so high
I saw my brother while he was in motion
Pausing briefly to see the ocean
He carried on like a true explorer does
With a smile that he couldn’t stifle
He rode off on his motorcycle
He never even knew how brave he was
And if I could just learn
A little lesson from him
Would I stand here in the sand or would I brave the waves and swim
I’ve been waiting my turn
I’ve been standing in line
But it’s time for me to stand up for myself and take what’s mine
So if I saw him again could he teach me to fly
I used to stand there amazed as he went racing by
My jealous eyes vainly followed him up through the sky
But never dared to go so high
Read every book I can find, but it’s no use
Confusion in my mind, but it’s no excuse
I don’t have to take the abuse
That I keep on bringing from deep inside
Cause I have these hands, this heart, these eyes
I’m a whole lot stronger than I realize
There are no more reasons to compromise
The best part of the journey is the ride
The daredevil was atop the tower
Shining brightly in his finest hour
Looking out at the skyline in the wind
The desert air felt so exciting
The Vegas Strip looked so inviting
I swear to god he could’ve jumped it end to end
And I guess I know now
What was true all along
Just because you can’t stand, that doesn’t mean that you’re not strong
Is it clear to me how
I can live for the day
Cause there’s never gonna be a net to catch me anyway
No need to cling to the ground when you know you can fly
Just hear that thunderous applause as you go racing by
A million jealous eyes follow you up through the sky
No such thing as too high
And if I chose to let go, I believe I can fly
Just feel the wind in my hair as I go racing by
A million jealous eyes follow me up through the sky
Watch me dare to go so high
Beggars and Buskers
© 1998 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
It won’t be the first time that I
Sit on the street and sing this song
It may be the first time that you hear me
It won’t get me one dime if I
Don’t have the will to stay here long
And wait for the crowd to gather near me
Oh and there are some days when the inspiration hits me
Fate pays me a compliment that fits me
Hope stays for the time I sat and played
My sidewalk serenade
It won’t be the first time that I
Struggled to write these words of mine
Sitting alone out here for hours
I’ll look for a good rhyme but I
Can’t find a way to end each line
It seems to be well beyond my powers
Oh but there are some days when the inspiration hits me
Fate pays me a compliment that fits me
Hope stays for the time I sat and played
My sidewalk serenade
There is a clarity that comes
When you’re living on the road
And you’re just getting by with the pennies in your guitar case
If your gonna get from place to place
You’ve gotta lighten up your load
It won’t be the last time that I
Stand here and watch the sun go down
I have a feeling that I’ll return here
I think there are good times coming
For beggars and buskers in this town
There’s more than just money that I can earn here
Oh and there are some days when the inspiration hits me
Fate pays me a compliment that fits me
Hope stays for the time I sat and played
My sidewalk serenade
The Way Things Are
© 2009 Larpin Lane Publishing (BMI)
A thought that rolls across my mind once in a while
I try to picture you and I see this little child
I haven’t seen for so long
I think of all those dreams we carried in our hands
And just because things didn’t work out like we planned
It doesn’t mean the dreams were wrong
This is how things are
It’s nothing I can change
But I don’t know where I stand
When familiar things look strange
I can only take so much
I can only push so far
And I wish that there was more
But that’s not the way things are
With thoughts so restless and emotions running wild
I guess I still see myself as this frightened child
Who’s never pleased with what he’s got
So when I find myself in the face of tragedy
How do I come to terms with what I’m supposed to be
Or make peace with what I’m not
Cause this is how things are
And I’m not so naive
To belief that I can change
Or to change what I believe
I can only cry so much
I can only grieve so far
And there has to come a time
To accept the way things are
I have always tried to see myself
As a well-enlightened man
But I still don’t know if Hell is real
Of if Heaven gives a damn
And at the heart of it
There’s just so much I’ll never understand
It seems the simplest things can always make me smile
I see myself these days and I know I’m not a child
As much as I might like to be
When I can focus in on what my life’s about
When I can calm my mind and let go of my doubts
That’s when I find the real me
And this is how things are
It’s awful and sublime
It’s a frenzied rate of change
Through the slow parade of time
I can only do so much
I can only go so far
This is not a perfect world
But I like the way things are