The Christ Child's Lullaby lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Oh dear, the eye that softly looks
Oh dear, the heart that foundly loves
Though but a tender babe thy arth
The graces all grow up with thee

Oh dear, the wind that pulls the trees
Oh dear, the rain that softly falls
Though but a tender babe thy arth
The graces all grow up with thee

Oh sweet, the night that holds your name
Oh sweet, the star that truly shines
Though but a tender babe thy arth
The graces all grow up with thee

Oh dear, the eye that softly looks
Oh dear, the heart that foundly loves
Though but a tender babe thy arth
The graces all grow up with thee

Close Your Eyes lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Close your eyes
Close your eyes
Go to sleep now, my darling
There's a Sandman
Old and white
Bringing happy dreams to you
Tattle Tail
Go to sleep
Til the quiet night passes
You are safe in my arms
In my arms all night through

Now the moon
Riding high
Turns the shadow to silver
And the night winds with a sigh
Whisper soft across the hill
It's a bright, enchanted land
Where the unicorn dances
Til the stars disappear
And the whole world is still

"A Few Small Repairs" (1996)

Sunny Came Home lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Sunny came home to her favorite room
Sunny sat down in the kitchen
She opened a book and a box of tools
Sunny came home with a mission

She says "Days go by, I'm hypnotized
I'm walking on a wire
I close my eyes and fly out of my mind
Into the fire"

Sunny came home with a list of names
She didn't believe in transcendence
And it's time for a few small repairs, she said
Sunny came home with a vengeance

She says "Days go by, I don't know why
I'm walking on a wire
I close my eyes and fly out of my mind
Into the fire"

Get the kids and bring a sweater
Dry is good and wind is better
Count the years, you always knew it
Strike a match, go on and do it

Oh, days go by, I'm hypnotized
I'm walking on a wire
I close my eyes and fly out of my mind
Into the fire

Oh, light the sky and hold on tight
The world is burning down
She's out there on her own, and she's all right
Sunny came home

Sunny came home
Came home
Home

Get Out Of This House lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Go jump in the lake, go ride up the hill
Get out of this house
It's a house of your making, it's a house of ill will
Get out of this house

Go listen to Buddha, go listen to Joe
Get out of this house
If anyone asks, you tell them you don't know
Get out of this house

I spent 11 long years in a hothouse zone
I spent 29 more trying to get home
Well, I never got home, but I did what I did
And I got myself this house, and you can't come in, oh

Yeah
Get out of this house
Get out of this house

I'm the queen of my castle, I'm the king of my room
Get out, get out of this house
I got more than I need, more than I ever could use
Get out, get out of this house

I spent 17 years trying to save my soul
I spent 23 more down in the hole
Now my soul is all right, but I might get found out
And I got myself this house now, and I can't get ou-out

Get out of this house
Get out of this house

If I see you again, it will be in my head at the end of a cloud
If you see me again, it will be in your head telling you to get out

You act like a baby, you talk like a fool
Get out of this house
Go back to your mama, go back to high school
Get out of this house

Go jump in the lake, go jump out the door
Get out, get out of this house
I've had all I can stand, and I can't stand no more
Get out, get out of this house
Get out of this house

The Facts About Jimmy lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Jimmy is married and he lives down south
His wife lives somewhere colder
He sees another woman in a badlands town
And she cries upon his shoulder

Jimmy thinks that he's a helpless man
He thinks about love in a vacuum
And he won't remember that talk you had
When you were walking into the bedroom

He'll say I don't know why we met
The simple truth is always the best
C'est la vie - what's done is done
And there's somebody for everyone

Jimmy has debts and Jimmy has ties
That he can't get out from under
If you look far enough into his eyes
It'll rock you just like thunder

Jimmy broke locks and Jimmy broke bolts
Just to get himself out from under
When you feel like you're lying in a prison cell
It'll kind of make you wonder

He'll say it's destiny we met
The simple truth is always the best
Don't you see what's done is done
And there's somebody for everyone

I used to get drunk to get my spark
And it used to work just fine
It made me wretched but it gave me heart
I miss Jimmy like I miss my wine

Jimmy as if you didn't know by now
Let me tell you a thing or two
Everybody might have someone
But everyone falls in love with you...

He'll say you get just what you get
The simple truth is always the best
Don't you see what's done is done?
And there's somebody for everyone

You And The Mona Lisa lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Hold me down to anything
Anything that you see
I should walk away right now
I'll be there, so never mind
I'll be the one to fall
Waiting for you to look up at me

Oh I love you the most
Always giving up the ghost
In your own private conversation
You're a sweet mystery
There is nothing in between
You and the Mona Lisa

Nothing in particular
And everything in between
This is what you mean to me
Only you and only me
Climbing in the right direction
On the way to everything

We were walking up high
And no one thought to try
But I was the one to blame
And it was just a mirage
So I hid in the garage
'Til somebody called your name

Oh I love you the most
Always giving up the ghost
In your own private conversation
You're a sweet mystery
And there's nothing in between
You and the Mona Lisa

Nothing in particular
Just you and the Mona Lisa...

Trouble lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Baby let me set you down
You look so troubled and I think I know
Just when you think you've come around
There you go

Now I know the business of the heart
And it'll get you anyway it can
You need someone to walk with in the dark, well
I'm your man

I go to the trouble like a magnet
That's where I'll be
Trouble is just a place to sing
It's what you need

I swear you look like you're in jail
And all at once you're halfway out the door
One foot dancing, one foot nailed
To the floor

Chasing those circles in the ground
The same old shit is still the same old lie
Just when you think you've got it down
Watch it fly

I go to the trouble like a light
Or like a dare
Trouble is just a friend to me, I know
It'll always be there

It's really hard to make your peace
So give me some credit for the hell I've paid
This world's a blessing and a beast
Everyday

So come on baby let me show you how
The less you know the more I comprehend
You don't have to drag me down
I descend

I go to the trouble and I like it
That's where I'll be
Trouble is just like love, if it's half the way
It's all I can see
And it's just what you need

I Want It Back lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I lost the thread, I lost the map
It's not a feeling, it's a fact
I had it once, I was on track
Why won't it stay? I want it back

I see you there in that magazine
You're looking smart, you sound supreme
You got such lip, you know the street
You been around, you took some heat

You mighta killed, you might be cruel
You might be stupid but we love you
You're in the paper, you're in the air
You're in my head, you're everywhere

I want it back

You're so extreme, you're feast or famine
You got one mission, just like a salmon
You said in life, mistakes are many
How come you never admit to any?

Are you for real or are you bluffing?
You really get me, famous for nothing
And every morning you got a name
In a world where people all look the same

I want it back

I can't give love, I don't know how
I write in code so you won't know
I was on drugs, I took a nap
I didn't mean it, I want it back

I dreamed again of paradise
I floated steady, it felt so nice
to sell your soul, just think of that
I'm halfway there, I want it back

I want it back

If I Were Brave lyrics - Shawn Colvin


All the happy couples on their way to New Orleans
Reminding me of when we got along
They're only renting time and space to fill up with their dreams
And dreams are what they'll have when they have gone

How could it be that I was born without a clue to carry on
And still it is the same now I am older
Armed with just a will and then this love for singing songs
And minding less and less if I am colder

But I have this funny ache and it's burning in my chest
And it spreads just like a fire inside my body
Is it something God left out in my spirit or my flesh
Would I be saved if I were brave and had a baby

It was never clear what would come but that's the risk and that's the test
And you were the only one so far to follow
And no one talks about when one might stop and need to rest
Or how long you sit alone before you stop looking back
It's like you're waiting for Godot
And then you pick your sorry ass up off the street and
Go...

And what the hell is this? Who made this bloody mess?
And someone always answers like a martyr
Is it something you should know, did you never do your best
Would you be saved if you were brave and just tried harder

So now I ride the ought one thirtyfive to New Orleans
I float a mile above life's toil and trouble
A thousand lonely lifetimes I still wait and then go on
A clown to entertain the happy couples

Wichita Skyline lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Down at the train they go to Independence every day
But anywhere else now seems like a million miles away
And I must have been high to believe that i would ever leave
Now I'm just a flat fine line like the Wichita Skyline

I rode on the airstream across the great lonesome afternoon
I wished hard enough to hurt, drove fast enough to catch the moon
But i must have been dreamin' again 'cause there's nothing around the bend
Except for that flat fine line, the Wichita skyline

As far as Salina I can get that good station from LaRue
I'm searching the dial while I'm Scanning the sky for a patch of blue
And I watch that black clouds roll in chasing me back again
Back to the Flat Fine Line, the Wichita skyline.

Wichita Skyline [x2]



84,000 Different Delusions lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Good love
bad love
good love
yeah
My time
your time
my time
yeah

84,000 different delusions
Take a ride in the car
84,000 different delusions

Good times
bad times
good times
yeah
Our world
their world
our world
yeah

84,000 different delusions
Meet me down at the bar
84,000 different delusions

Go look at the lake, please
Go look at the sky
Go look at a baby
We're all gonna die

84,000 different delusions
We don't know who we are
84,000 different delusions
We don't get very far
84,000 different delusions
Everyone is a star
84,000 different delusions...

Suicide Alley lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Wait for me by the banshee tree
Let me be your wailing companion
Pass 'em on by, don't look 'em in the eye
Suicide Alley is callin'

You thought you were dreaming
You could wake up dead
And you'll never know what's real
All this damage is runnin' loose in your head
And it really matters to me

Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley

Downtown baby it's a million to one
You might as well name your poison
And stand in line by the exit sign
Suicide Alley is waiting

You're a loose cannonball on a sinking ship
From the belly of the beast, shot from the hip
But you don't have to be going down the dark hall
You're not tied to the chair, you're not nailed to the wall

Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley

Sitting naked by the window in the middle of the night
I can see you wearing your halo
If only in the daybreak of the dirty street light
I know baby wasn't born to follow

You know I wasn't born I was spat out at a wall
And nobody even knew my name
The sun hatched me out, cradle and all
On the corner of First and Insane

For the souls of the departed and the renegades of love
You and me we gotta be all we dreamed of
In the ruins of mischief through the ravages of time
You got a place in this world of mine

Oh, no, baby don't go
Walkin' down Suicide Alley

New Thing Now lyrics - Shawn Colvin

This is your new thing now
Naked as a rose
Everything exposed
But not quite
This is your new thing now
Cards out on the table
A genius with no label
But not quite, not quite

God, I swear it's good to be back home
Waiting for the newest Rolling Stone
All the other girls are still at war
The best and worst of 1994
Sometimes I see the half and not the whole
Sometimes I see the face and not the soul
Sometimes I think this place has no part
For anyone who ever had a heart

This is your new thing now
And it looks so good in print
Just a poet and her pimps
But not quite
This is your new thing now
A prom dress and a sneer
The woman of the year
But not quite, not quite

Gee, it's good to see a dream come true
People smile and bless all over you
Mixing up those latest junkie-isms
With all the pretty terms of religion
And don't you love the leader of the band
Equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan
All the other kids are sad again
A legend's not a legend 'til it ends

This is your new thing now
And it makes the whole world spin
It's as least as old as sin
But not quite
This is your new thing now
And now you're turning grinning
But maybe no one's listening
And you might lose it all my darling, yes you might

This is your new thing now
And it feels so good to doubt you
I could almost live without you
But not quite

Nothin On Me lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Well I don't tell jokes
And I don't take notes
You been sayin'
There ain't much hope
You got nothin' on me

I got friends uptown
And they don't talk down
They've been keepin me safe and sound
We got somethin' to be

So in case you hadn't noticed
I'm alright
Not like it was before
Things used to be so hopeless
But not tonight
Tonight I'm walkin' out that door

I'm not gonna cry
When wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me

Well it ain't that tough
To score the usual stuff
One heartache is more than enough
There ain't nothing to see
Nothing

I got friends uptown
And they still come 'round
They've been keepin' me safe and sound
We got somethin' to be

So don't you try to save me
With your advice
Or turn me into something else
'Cuz I'm not crazy
And you're not nice

Baby if you do
Keep it to yourself

I'm not gonna cry
And I'm wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me

(No nothin' on me)

I'm not gonna cry
And I'm wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me

I'm not gonna cry
And I'm wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me

"Cover Girl" (1994)

Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic lyrics - Shawn Colvin

(originally by Sting)

Well, I've tried before to tell him
All the feelings I have for him in my heart
Every time that I come near him
I just loose my nerve as I've done from the start

'Cause every little thing he does is magic
Every thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for him goes on

Do I have to tell the story
Of the thousand rainy days since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me who ends up getting wet

'Cause every little thing he does is magic
Every thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for him goes on

I resolve to call him up
A thousand times a day
And ask him if he'll marry me
In some old fashioned way

But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has stripped me
Must I always be alone?

Every little thing he does is magic
Every thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for him goes on

And every little thing he does is magic
Every thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for him goes on
It goes on, it goes on

(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night lyrics - Shawn Colvin

(originally by Tom Waits)

Well you gassed her up
Behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one
In your Oldsmobile
Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of saturday night

And you got paid on Friday
And your pockets are jinglin'
And you see the lights
You get all a tinglin' cause
you're cruisin' with a 6
And you're looking for the heart of Saturday night

Then you comb your hair
Shave your face
Tryin' to wipe out ev'ry trace
All the other days
In the week you know that this'll be the Saturday
You're reachin' your peak

Stoppin' on the red
You're goin' to the green
'Cause tonight'll be like nothin'
You've ever seen
And you're barrelin' down the boulevard
Lookin' for the heart of saturday night

Tell me is the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin?
Telephone's ringin'; it's your second cousin
Is it the barmaid that's smilin' from the corner of her eye?
Magic of the melacholy tear in your eye.

Makes it kind of quiver down in the core
'Cause you're dreamin' of them
Saturdays that came before
And now you're stumblin'
You're stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night

Well you gassed her up
Behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one
In your Oldsmobile
Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of saturday night

Is the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin?
Telephone's ringin'; it's your second cousin
Is it the barmaid that's smilin' from the corner of her eye?
Magic of the melacholy tear in your eye.

Makes it kind of special down in the core
And you're dreamin' of them
Saturdays that came before
And now you're stumblin'
You're stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night

So you gassed her up
Behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one
In your Oldsmobile.
Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of saturday night.

Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of saturday night.

Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of saturday night.

One Cool Remove lyrics - Shawn Colvin

One cool remove
One cool remove
And forever let me stay
One cool remove away

One cool remove
One cool remove
See it all in a passion play
One cool remove away

[CHORUS:]
One cool remove from the white sun,
Rising like a cloud above the land.
One cool remove from the red moon,
Falling like a hand.

One cool remove
One cool remove
And neither come nor go nor stay
One cool remove away.

[CHORUS]

One cool remove
One cool remove
And neither come nor go nor stay
One cool remove away.

Satin Sheets lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I wish I was a millionare
I'd play rock music and grow long hair
Tell you boys
I'd buy a new Rolls-Royce

Pretty people come to me
I'd give 'em all the third degree
I'd give 'em satin sheets
And keep 'em off the streets.....
Hallaleulah - What's it to ya'?
Praise the Lord and pass the mescaline
Praise Jehovah
And He'll come over
As soon as you see me
boogie-woogie across the silver screen.....

I hang 'em high I hang 'em low
I put 'em on the ceilings wherever I go
And they swing all the night
From the rafter light

Hallaleulah - I'm gonna sock it to ya
You got your coffee, me, I've got my spanish tea
Praise Jehovah - Maybe He'll come over
As soon as you see me playin' my calliope

I wish I was a millionare
I'd play rock music and grow long hair
Tell you boys - I'd buy a new Rolls-Royce
Tell you boys - I'd buy a new Rolls-Royce

There's A Rugged Road lyrics - Shawn Colvin

There's a rugged road on the prairie
Stretchin' all across the last frontier
There a stranger strives solitary
Blessed is the lonesome pioneer
Roll on, roll on, roll on
Night birds are flyin'
Come on, the light is gone
Hope's slowly dyin'
Tell me how you come ridin' through
Still surveyin' the miles yet to run
On the long and lonely road to kingdom come

She can blaze a trail, through the rumblin'
Dims her guiding light to just a spark
When the hour is low, she comes tumblin'
When the moon is high she gives her heart

Roll on, roll on, roll on
Night birds are flyin'
Come on, the light is gone
Hope's slowly dyin'
Tell me how you come ridin' through
Gainin' steady till this round is won
On the long and lonely road to kingdom come

People far below chasin'pleasures
Offer her directions on the run
Prophets on the path offertreasures
Though she's mighty hungry she takes none

Roll on, roll on, roll on
Night birds are flyin'
Come on, the light is gone
Hope's slowly dyin'
Tell me how you come ridin' through
Blindly faithful but followin' none
On the long & lonely road to kingdom come

When the sun goes down at the right time
She comes windin' through the purple haze
Just a feather's touch in the nighttime
But it'll color all my weary days

Shinin' finer than this earthly sun
On the ragged rugged road to kingdom come
On the ragged rugged road to kingdom come

Killing The Blues lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Leaves were falling, just like embers,
In colors red and gold, they set us on fire
Burning just like moonbeams in our eyes.

[Chorus:]
Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues.

Now I'm guilty of something ...
I hope you never do
Because there is nothing
Any sadder than losing yourself in love.

[Chorus]

And then you've ask me ...just to leave you
To set out on my own
And get what I needed.
You want me to find what I've already had .

[Chorus 2x]

Window To The World lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Neon flickers with a pale glow
And all the shadows that come and go
Sometimes I can hear them laugh and cry
In my lonely room with a view
I can't sleep and so I think of you
And watch the world as it passes by

I can't close my eyes
I can't close my eyes

[Chorus:]
This is my window to the world
All of the lonely boys and girls
Are a reflection in my eyes
Of me and you
This is my window to it all
I see the heroes rise and fall
This is my window to the world
And I can see

As the night turns into day
Old ladies shuffle by and wave
And the kids sell drugs to cars that slowly cruise
Young lovers walk across my street
Oblivious to the refugees
And the lonely lost baby, that's me and you

I can't close my eyes
I can't close my eyes

[Chorus]

Someday lyrics - Shawn Colvin

There ain't a lot that you can do in this town.
You drive down to the lake and then you turn back around.
You go to school and you learn to read and write.
So you can walk into the county bank and sign away your life.

I work at the fillin' station on the interstate.
Pumpin' gasoline and countin' out of state plates.
They ask me how far into Memphis girl, and where's the nearest beer.
And they don't even know that there's a town around here.
Someday I'm finally gonna let go.
'Cause I know there's a better way.
And I wanna know what's over that rainbow.
I'm gonna get out of here someday.

Now my brother went to college cause he played football.
I'm still hangin' round cause I'm a little bit small.
I got me a 67 Chevy, she's low and sleek and black.
Someday I'll put her on the interstate and never look back.

Twilight lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Over by the wildwood, hot summer night.
We lay in the tall grass, til the mornin' light come shining

If I had my way I'd never get the urge to roam.
Sometimes to serve my country , Sometimes I stay at home.

Just don't put me in the frame upon the mantel
Where memories turn dusty old and grey.
Don't leave me alone in the twilight.
Twilight is the loneliest time of day .

Never gave a second thought, never crossed my mind.
What's right and what's not. I'm not the judgin' kind.
I could take the darkness and the storms from the skies.
But we all got certain trials burnin' up inside.
Don't send me no distant salutations.
Or silly souvenirs from far away.
Don't leave me alone in the twilight.
Twilight is the loneliest time a day.

Don't put me in the frame upon the mantel.
Where memories turn dusty old and grey.
Don't leave me alone in the twilight.
Twilight is the loneliest time a day.

If These Walls Could Speak lyrics - Shawn Colvin

If these old walls, if these old walls could speak.
What a tale they have to tell, hard headed people raisin' hell.
A couple in love livin' week to week.
Rooms full of laughter, if these old walls could speak.

If these old halls, if hallowed halls could talk.
These would have a tale to tell, the sun goin' down and dinner bells.
And children playin' at hide and seek.
From floor to rafters, if these old walls could speak.

They would tell you that I'm sorry.
For bein' and cold and blind and weak.
They would tell you that it's only that I have a stubborn streak.
If these old walls could speak.
If these old fashion window panes had eyes.
I guess they would have seen it all.
Each little tear and silence step fall.
And every dream that we came to seek,
And followed after, if these old walls could speak.

They would tell you that I owe you,
More that I could ever pay.
Here's someone who really loves you,
Don't ever go away.
That's what these walls would say.

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) lyrics - Shawn Colvin

(originally by Talking Heads)

Home
It's where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I come home
Born with a weak heart
I guess I must be having fun

But the less we say about it the better
Let's make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground
Head in the clouds
I'm okay, I know nothing's wrong

Hi ho
Got plenty of time

Mm, yeah
Hi ho
You got light in your eyes

And you're standing here beside me
I love the passing of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say good night
Say good night

Home
That's where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home
You lifted up your wings
I guess this must be the place

Because I can't tell one from another
Did I find you or you find me?
There was a time before we were born
If someone asks this is where I'll be

Hi ho
We drift in and out

Mm, yeah
Hi ho
Sing into my mouth

And out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
And I am just an animal looking for a home
To share the same space for a minute or two

Will you love me until my heart stops?
Will you love me until I'm dead?

You got eyes that'll light up
Eyes that look through
Cover up the blank spot
Hit me on the head

Say good night
Say good night
Say good night

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I've seen love go by my door, it's never been this close before,
It's never been so easy or so slow.
I've been sooting in the dark too long, when something's not right it's wrong.
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Purple clover, Queen Anne's Lace, crimson hair across your face,
You could make me cry if you don't know.
I don't remember when I was thinking of, you might be spoiling me with too much love,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

There are dragon cloud so high above, I have only know careless love.
It always hit me front below.
But this time 'round it's more correct, it's right on target and so direct.
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Flowers on the hillside blowing crazy.
Crickets talking back and forth in rhyme.
Blue river running slow and lazy.
I could stay with you for ever, and never realize the time.

But situations have ended sad, relationships have all been bad,
Mine have been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud's
But there's no way I can compare all them scenes with this affair, honey
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Oh, you're gonna make me wonder what I'm doing,
Staying far behing without you.
You're gonna make me wonder what I'm saying,
You're gonna make me give myself a good talking to.

I will I look for you in Honolulu, San Fransisco, Ashtabula,
You're gonna have to leave me now, I know.
But I'll see you in the skies above, in the tall grass and the ones I love
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.
You're gonna make me lonesome.

"Fat City" (1992)

Polaroids lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Please no more therapy
Mother take care of me
Piece me together with a
Needle and thread
Wrap me in eiderdown
Lace from your wedding gown
Fold me and lay me down
On your bed
Or liken me to a shoe
Blackened and spit-shined through
Kicking back home to you
Smiling back home
Singing back home to you
Laughing back home to you
Dragging back home to you

I was so wary then
The ugly American
Thinner than oxygen
Tough as a whore
I said you can lie to me
I own what's inside of me
And nothing surprises me anymore
But forests in Germany
Kids in the Tuileries
Broken-down fortresses
In old Italy
And claiming his victory
Shrouded in mystery
He went running away with me

Back in our home New York
Walking these streets forlorn
We all in our uniforms
Black and black
Doing that slouch and jive
The artist must survive
We've got all we need we cried
And we don't look back
Thinking we had it made
Poised for the hit parade
Knee deep in accolades
The conceptual pair
But ever the malcontent
He left without incident
Vanished into thin air

Now I am always amazed
Words can fill up a page
Pages fill up the days
Between him and me
But the vows that we never keep
From bedrooms to business-speak
Make me remember how cheap
Words can be
And the letters I wrote you of
Were those of the desperate stuff
Like begging for love in a suicide threat
But I am too young to die
Too old for a lullaby
Too tired for life on the ledge

But I had a dream last night
Of lovers who walked the plank
Out on the edge of time
Amidst ridicule
They laughed as they rocked and reeled
Over the mining fields
Coming to rest on this ship of fools
But he just took polaroids
Of her smile in the light
Of the dawn of the menacing sky
And before they went overboard
She turned and held up a card
And it said Valentine

Tennessee lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I got a cool head doin' alright
But I been up here so long I was starving
For some hot spells, summer lights
Shinin' on your back roads
Tennessee

Somebody hit me hard
Right in my own backyard
Somebody put a hope lock on my heart
Runnin' down your back roads
Tennessee

Oh you got the banjos
And they play real slow
Not to me, not to me
I never heard such rock and roll
As on your back roads
Tennessee

Now I know you're not to blame
But you know that you should have
told me
That I would never be the same
After riding down your back roads
Tennessee

Somebody held me tight
Somebody tried to fight
Somebody raced out in the night
Runnin' down your back roads
Tennessee

Oh you kissed the soul of a rebel
In a Yankee girl
You got to me
I heard you callin' 'round the world
From your back roads
Tennessee

I saw somebody standin'
In a field with a crutch
Behind his rich southern daddy
With a Midas touch
They said be outta here by sundown
They said good luck
You might say I was the stranger
Who knew too much

Somebody took a hope lock from my heart
And threw it down your back roads
Tennessee

Oh you feel the north wind blow
That's only me
I want to hear some rock and roll
On your back roads
Tennessee

I'm not the bad city girl
Come down to rape you
I'm not the hometown queen
Who wants to save you
I heard you callin' to my soul
From your back roads
Tennessee

Tenderness On The Block lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Mamma where's your pretty little girl tonight
She's tryin' to run before she can walk
That's right
She's growing up
She's got a young man waiting
She's growing up
She's got a young man waiting

She's wide-eyed
She'll be streetwise
To the lies
And the jive talk
But she'll find true love
And tenderness on the block

Now daddy don't you ask her when
she's comin' home
When she's back don't ask her where
she's been
She's going out
She's got a young man waiting
She's going out
She's got a young man waiting

She'll be okay
Let her have her way
It's a long way
It's a long walk
But she'll find true love
And tenderness on the block
She's gonna find true love
She's gonna find true love
She's gonna find true love
And tenderness on the block

Now I know how much it hurts to see her go
But she's got a mind of her own you know
She's all grown-up
She's got a young man waiting
She's all grown-up
She's got a young man waiting

She was wide-eyed
Now she's streetwise
To the lies
And the jive talk
But she'll find true love
And tenderness on the block

She's gonna find true love

Round Of Blues lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Here we go again
Another round of blues
Several miles ago
I set down my angel shoes
On a lost highway
For a better view
Now in my mind's eye
All roads lead to you

[Chorus:]
So wherever you go
You better take care of me
This time
If you're gonna go
Remember me and all
This time

We had our bitter cheer
And sweet sorrow
We lost a lot today
We get it back tomorrow
I hear the sound of wheels
I know the rainbow's end
I see lights in a fat city
I feel love again

[Chorus]

All this time
I been makin' deals
Shades of black and white
On a Hollywood reel
All this time
I been missing
Something so real
All this time
I been a face in the crowd
Now I'm living in color
And laughing out loud
All these names
For just foolin' around
It's a new breakthrough
It's an old break down

We smoked a lot of hope
We did our cryin' , too
We're finally waking up
To what real love can do
Down a lost highway
Under the twilight moon
A chorus in your eyes
Another round of blues

[Chorus]

We had all
This time
We had all
This time

Monopoly lyrics- Shawn Colvin

I don't know what else to do
I would rather do anything
Than write this song for you
And perpetuate this thing
In my head, in my living room
With the usual arsenal
Of broken chords and rusty strings
To surrender all

And I don't like to be so weak
Retreating behind these lines
The same old tongue-in-cheek
Regretting that both are mine
And I don't like to live this way
This is really true
But I know better than to pray now
About what I just have to learn to do
But imagine the nerve of God
Letting me let you in
And I thought I could let you go in grace
I've gotta think again

Because right now I would be bought and sold
To see your face somewhere
I would sell your sweet soul
Just to touch your crazy black gold hair
I don't care what's really real
I was someone that you'd heard of
I saw heaven in your eyes
And we made a deal
And that's what I know of love

Music, it never goes
But I told you I hate that shit
When people say "well you know you got a song out of it"
But I don't know what else to do
I would rather be anywhere
Than here without you

Orion In The Sky lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Maybe somewhere in the southern
hemisphere
There could be room for all this love
Where they've saved a place for innocence
And what is still mysterious
And their dreaming time
They're dreaming time

Because we've broken down the
wilderness
And we've blackened up the skies
And we cry 'cause we've got no vision left
While the smoke gets in our eyes
And there's no more time
And the dream is dying

But I love you baby
And I know you and I
Can find a way to heaven
Just like Orion in the sky
He's the long lost hero
He's the guardian of your son
But can he protect us baby
From all the sad things we've done

Now I know there's no sense in hiding
And we can't escape this war
And I have made my peace with dying
Down here on this killing floor
In a world gone blind
Where there's no more time

But I love you baby
And I know by and by
We gonna find a way to heaven
Just like Orion in the sky
He can walk upon the water
He can shine for everyone
But can he protect us baby
From all the sad things we've done

Is it too much to ask in a lifetime
For just one shot at happiness
Do you just have to laugh at the right lines
Until you come face to face
With the looking glass
To be reckoned with the sins of our time

I love you baby
I can see you and I
As we fly away together
Up to Orion in the sky
He's the last of the fallen angels
He's the light of the Southern Cross
Maybe he can take us baby
Back to the paradise we've lost

So I'll see you darlin'
Now fly baby, fly
Down across the Fiji Islands
To where the Seven Sisters cry
Gather all your dreams and take them
Somewhere so far out of reach
Follow the sword of the hunter, baby
And meet me on the beach
We are forever tied
Still on the run
To the medicine man
For all the sad, sad things
We've done

Climb On (A Back That's Strong) lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Oh, my soul
Sometimes we don't know what to do
We work so hard
Being tough on our own
But now it's me and you

Let's give it up, sad bones
'Cause we all fall on hard times
But you don't have to stand up all alone
Just put your hand in mine

Climb on a back that's strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that's strong

If you could save me
A place in heaven
With a clean, well-lighted room
I'll muscle up to Armageddon
And I'll wave to you, darlin'
Be home soon

And if you could show me
The story of love
I would write it
Again and again
And then you could be
The woman you need
If you just let me be
The man that I am

Climb on a back that's strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that's strong

Oh, I don't know
Sometimes we try too hard to see
But we got one down now
And one more to go
That's when you say to me, hey

Climb on a back that's strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that's strong

Climb on a back that's strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
So climb on a back that's strong, oh yeah

Climb on a back that's strong
Hey, hey, you can get what you want
Climb on a back that's strong

Climb on, oh yeah
You can get what you want
Climb on a back that's strong, whoa, yeah

Set The Prairie On Fire lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Full full moon and
That same sad nature
I wanna cover every inch of you
Like ink on paper
Like the blind parade of souls
Consumed by religion
I can't wait 'til I get you
In that defenseless position

[Chorus:]
When we set the prairie on fire
Oh we go down to the water
Naked and slow
You and me
And the heart of desire
We set the prairie on fire
How hard will the wind blow
How far will it go

When the feeling burns down
To one solitary color
The velocity of longing
Melting into each other
It's a song our fingers play
All at once and together
You can bet we never learned it
But we've known it forever

Oh I dreamed that we were flying
Carried up from the ashes
Black silhouettes of velvet
Against the crimson of passion
We can almost hear the echoes
From the smoldering meadow
It's the rapture of the angels
And the rage of the devil

[Chorus]

In the cool dusk of horses
Through the rusted wires of sleep
With our arms around midnight
We're headed for release
We go riding in the wind
We go riding in the dark
Go riding, riding

[Chorus]

Object Of My Affection lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Jump into the night
Gas up and downshift
Cruise up the coast
On the FM drift
It's a crazy world
On the head of a pin

Some other time
Some other star
I might've cried but now
You only need to look so far
As the smile on my face
To see the shape I'm in

Try love in a bottle
Try love in a box
Play it all night long
Dance 'til you drop
And it sure got soul
It's not flesh and blood

I tried looking for love
But I guess it's true
You don't look for love
It's gonna look for you
Well you found me, honey
And you sound so good

You're the object
Of my affection
Not a dream
Or make believe
You're the object
Of my affection
Come to me

Now we see the women
In the photograph
Sweet Anne of mercy
And Sylvia Plath
For a thousand words
They got a life sentence

If we lined up all the girls
Who died in vain
We could walk on their heads
To hell and back again
But I got the big book
And antidepressants

You're the object
Of my affection
Not a phantom fantasy
You're the object
Of my affection
Come to me

You're the object
Of my affection
Not a toy with batteries
You're the object
Of my affection
Not a rescue remedy
You're the object
Of my affection
Come to me

Kill The Messenger lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Jane it sure looks like rain
These Canadian plains
And their windblown hair
Jane the bruise colored clouds
The smell of the ground
In the ripening air

I have seen you
In your fluttering dress
And your dry face of steel
As you're dragging your red rowing boat
Cross the forever fields

See Jane something's gone dead
Inside my head
There's nothing but fear
Jane the rivers of grief
The tears of relief
Seem ages from here

Sometimes the beauty of life
Hits like lightening washing everything
clear
And these dimmers of doubt flicker
Fade out and disappear

But Jane that is a luxury
There are those of little faith it seems
And they beg for truth like charity
And I see them on every street corner

They are holding out one righteous hand
While the other leads the marching band
In the shadow hymn of the scratchman
Heed the message, kill the messenger

Jane I heard you found love
Wriggling up from the mud
On the shores of Granville
But Jane in the wink of an eye
The naysayers fly
Like hounds at your heels

Jane they'll whisper your name
And you won't feel the chains
And you won't see the moss
Oh, Jane there's an art to the game
The aesthetics of love
The athletics of loss

Sometimes someone drifts by
And our nets get entwined in the sea
And in time I might find
They still mean something to me

But Jane that is a luxury
There are those of little faith in me
And they pull me down like gravity
And I see them on every street corner

They are masters in the sleight of hand
They are dancers and they step so grand
To the shibboleth of Shadowland
Heed the message, kill the messenger

I Don't Know Why lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I don't know why
The sky is so blue
And I don't know why
I'm so in love with you
But if there were no music
Then I would not get through
I don't know why
I know these things, but I do

I don't know why
But somewhere dreams come true
And I don't know where
But there will be a place for you
And every time you look that way
I would lay down my life for you
I don't know why
I know these things, but I do

I don't know why
But some are going to make you cry
And I don't know how
But I will get you by, I will try
They're not trying to cause you pain
They're just afraid of loving you
I don't know why
I know these things, but I do

I don't know why
The trees grow so tall
And I don't know why
I don't know anything at all
But if there were no music
Then I would not get through
I don't know why
I know these things, but I do
I don't know why
I know these things, but I do

"Steady On" (1989)

Steady On lyrics - Shawn Colvin

China gets broken
And it will never be the same
Boats on the ocean
Find their way back again
I am weaving
Like a drunkard
Like a balloon up in the air
I am needing a puncture and someone
To point me somewhere
I'm gonna keep my head on straight
I just hope it's not too late
Open up the gate I go straight on, steady on

Steady on!

I was feeling imploded
A wooden smile, a wooden heart
The things exploded
Like rockets in the dark
Now I'm pulling out splinters
And I'm off to hibernate somewhere
For the nuclear winter
Of another love affair

'Cause he seemed like a miracle
I ate it up like cereal
But it was something like shrapnel

Steady On!

It's like ten miles of a two-lane
On a South Dakota wheat plain
In the middle of a hard rain
A slow boat or a fast train
I am gonna keep my head on straight
I'm gonna keep my head on straight

Steady on!

Diamond In The Rough lyrics - Shawn Colvin

As a little girl I came down to the water
With a little stone in my hand
It would shimmer and sing
And we knew everything
As a little girl I came down

But in a little while I got steeped in authority
Heaven only knows what went wrong
There is nothing so cruel than
to bury that jewel
When it was mine all along
I'm gonna find it

You're shining I can see you
You're smiling that's enough
I'm holding on to you
Like a diamond in the rough

Every now and then
I can see that I'm getting somewhere
Where I have to go is so deep
I was angry back then and you
know I still am
I have lost too much sleep
But I'm gonna find it

You're shining I can see you
You're smiling that's enough
I'm holding on to you
Like a diamond in the rough
Like a diamond in the rough

Snake's in the grass
Better step on the gas
Snake's in the grass
Better step on the gas
Snake's in the grass
Better step on the gas

In my dreams I go down by the water
With a little girl in my arms
And we shimmer and sing
And we know everything
In my dreams I go down
I go down, I go down, I go down

You're shining I can see you
You're smiling that's enough
I'm holding on to you
Like a diamond in the rough
Like a diamond in the rough

Shotgun Down The Avalanche lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I'm riding shotgun down the avalanche
Tumbling and falling down the avalanche

So be quiet tonight the stars
shine bright
On this mountain of new fallen snow
But I will raise up my voice into
the void
You have left me nowhere to go

I love you so much and it's so bizarre
A mystery that goes on and on and on
This is the best thing and the very
most hard
And we don't get along

After countless appeals we keep
spinning our wheels
On this mountain of new fallen snow
So I let go the catch and we are
over the edge
You have left me nowhere to go

I'm riding shotgun down the avalanche

Sometimes you make me lose my will
to live
And just become a beacon for your soul
But the past is stronger than my will
to forgive
Forgive you or myself, I don't know

I'm riding shotgun down the avalanche
Tumbling and falling down the avalanche

So be quiet tonight be sure to
step lightly
On this mountain of new fallen snow
But I will raise up my voice into
the void
You have left me nowhere to go

I'm riding shotgun down the avalanche

Stranded lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Was it really two summers ago
Or was it outer space
We both had nowhere to go
In search of a state of grace
All in all we never had time
When we met each other we stopped
on a dime

Floating nowhere
Suspended in dreams
That we were side by side
We both had to see what it means
Whenever two worlds collide
All in all the pieces were scattered
A world so small that nothing else
mattered

Was it really two light years past
We left the atmosphere
We both had to catch our breath
Somewhere way down here
All in all and by and by
The tears for forgiveness
Will hang out to dry

Another Long One lyrics - Shawn Colvin

If losing sleep were any indication
Of the loving that I've missed
I would wrap myself around you
But how likely can that be when I feel like this
And if life were not unfortunate
And reason blew like summer through the trees
I would stop to let you catch me
But I think that you would find me on my knees

And it's gonna be another long one tonight
It's just me and my well-intentioned spite
I said someone did this to me
But no one did, there's no injustices
I just can't afford to be right no more
I bought myself another bad dream tonight
With these little boys in my head sleeping tight
It's gonna be another long one tonight

There is comfort in a memory
And in roses just before you cut them down
There is danger in most everything
That's all the better when it's not around
And the last time I had the sense to notice
You were right here being kind
But if I think that you are with me
Then I know that you can always change your mind

And it's gonna be another long one tonight
It's just me and my well-intentioned spite
I said someone did this to me
But no one did, there's no injustices
I just can't afford to be right no more
I bought myself another bad dream tonight
With these little boys in my head sleeping tight
It's gonna be another long one tonight

Cry Like An Angel lyrics - Shawn Colvin

The streets of my town are not
what they were
They are haloed in anger, bitter
and hurt
And it's not so you'd notice but
it's a sinister thing
Like the wheels of ambition at
the christening

So I went out walking on the
streets of the dead
With a chip on my shoulder
And a voice in my head
It said you have been brought here
Though you don't know what for

Well the mystery train is coming
right to your door

And I hear you calling, you
don't have to call so loud
I see you falling and you don't
have to walk so proud
You can run all night but we
can take you where
You can cry like an angel

There were high school night dances
When we played stump the band
We were raising each other
In a strange land
There were hard pills to swallow
But we drank 'em all down
Oh the nights were too short then
And now they're a little too long

I hear you calling and you
don't have to call so loud
I see you falling and you don't
have to walk so proud
You can run all night but we
can take you where
You can shout out in anger
You can laugh like a fool
You can cry like an angel

So look homeward baby
Keep your eyes on the sky
They will never forgive you
So don't ask them to try
This is your party, I know
it's not your ideal
May we all find salvation
In professions that heal

I hear you calling, you
don't have to call so loud
I see you falling and you don't
have to walk so proud
You can run all night but we
can take you where
You can shout out an answer
You can laugh like a fool

You can call up to heaven
We'll be listening to you
You can sing hallelujah
You can fly like a bird
You can cry like angel
When there are no words

Something To Believe In lyrics - Shawn Colvin

You will wander around
And it won't be the same
All the signs will be down
And it's starting to rain out
It's a lonely place
That you've brought it to now
You wanted to love
You didn't know how but
There will always be something to believe in

Do you believe in a miracle
Or just the things that you heard
Do you believe in a lover
Or just the curve of the world
Another stab every morning
To make sense of it all
Now you can go home
To nothing at all
There will always be something to believe in

There will always be stars in the wind
Little lines on your face when you grin
When it looks like you've done it again
And you just don't know where to begin
There will always be something to believe in

The Story lyrics - Shawn Colvin

Well we pounded the pavement between
dotted lines
But we always belonged to the
fugitive kind
We were never the best but we were
better than this
To be made to bow down among princes
I got thrown around hallways and
bedrooms and towns
And you run from that voice and
it drags you around
It don't matter the ruse or the
weapons we choose
There is only one thing that can free us

Oh so here I am
The lion and the lamb
I was born to be telling this story
I could only be telling this story
I will always be telling this story

Well our father married our
mother too young
And he took on a world like a
fortunate son
But in the cellar downstairs waiting
for the bomb scare
He would hide from us under the kitchen
Where she simmered so soft with
her weapons of tin
And like so many suppers she just
gave us to him
And he never did guess in her cast
iron dress
She was burning beyond recognition

Oh it's not over yet
I can't forget
I am going to be telling this story
I was born to be telling this story
I will always be telling this story

Sometimes I feel so reckless and wild
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
I gave nobody life, I am nobody's wife
And I seem to be nobody's daughter
So red is the color that I like the best
It's your Indian skin and the badge
on my chest
The heat of my pride
The lips of a bride
The sad heart of the truth
And the flag of youth
And blood that is thicker than water

I was made to be telling this story
I was born to be telling this story
I am going to be telling this story
I could only be telling this story
I will always be telling this story

Ricochet In Time lyrics - Shawn Colvin

I've been sleeping fair
Lately I could swear I'm thinking
clearer and clearer
And I've been working hard
Looking at my punch card and
my mirror, my mirror
But I daydream in my room
I'm baying at the moon
Ricochet in time to the the music
You just pick a day and I'm in
a new destination

I take too many planes
I know too many names and I
forget them
I wanted to know if dreams
would lie
You said they would try and I
said let them
You just let them
But I kill dreams in the chase
I slap love in the face
Ricochet in time to the music
You just pick a day and I'm in
a new destination

I crawled up from the sewer
For something that was truer
than I intended
I ended up on my knees
In this big city I was befriended
I transcended
But I bruise my friends for more
I rail at heaven's door
Ricochet in time to the music
You just pick a day and I'm in
a new destination

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