Solomon's Game

Rake the leaves off cobblestones
Or scratch the chalkboard
Familiar sounds, I hear them every night
When you grind your teeth in troubled sleep
And dream of home
And lonely children growing up alone

Walk the dog, a tree-lined road
Philadelphia autumn
Little half-brother and sister tag along
Their Ma and Pa are over at the courthouse playing
Solomon's game, deja vu, been here before

CHORUS
Just look out on the bright side, oh my darling
You've always been a half a smile away
But you've carried broken glass inside your pockets
Blood on hands on eyes obscured the way

Shattered mirror, hide the pieces
Don't let them see
Take the bad luck as it were your own
Carry it with you all over just to be sure
Those shards will never cut them at the core

CHORUS

So look out on the bright side, oh my darling
You've always been a half a smile away
But you've carried broken glass - just let it pass
And look out on the bright side, not the past

So look out on the bright side, oh my darling
You've always been a half a smile away
But you've carried broken glass - its time to let it pass
And look out on the bright side, not the past
Look out on the bright side
Look out on the bright side
Look out on the bright side
The bright side
Look out on the bright side
Look out on the bright side
Look out on the bright side

SPLIT ROCK SYMPHONY

May Day flautists Pan the 4PM moon
On wine lips and passion breath the cavalcade roams
Through sandstone, split-rock syphonies and a sigh
Over cholla fields, purple, pink and red blooms

Tumbleweed towns roll away like a ghost
They follow pied pipers offering up their glad toasts
Crows on the wind surf Appollonian sky
Dancing with the breeze and singing out with a cry

CHORUS
They sing holy holy holy holy holy
Holy holy holy holy Hey
Ring around the rosie
Seven times it goes
Throw posies
Raise a Phoenix
Crush a glass
And square the circle at last

Cascade lovers strum through rivers of stone
Snatch a joyous tune from a ribbon rock drone
Coyotes scramble ‘cross the peaks and howl through the night
Raising desert’s dome with wild shrieks of delight

CHORUS
CHORUS

JADE THE STONE

Jade the stone has bought a lot
Of tractor-trailer treaded hearts
Dressed with neon, spiced with asphalt
Tastes familiar, tastes a lot like home

He rides the bus each day at nine
Some comfort just to recognize
Those concrete gazes paved with faces
Rocking roads on tarred and feathered pride

CHORUS
Jade's falling for tin-timbred ice elation
He's got lots of love to trade for freon veins
Now he's got temporary patience
But murmuring desperation - stalks Stone

He cracks a sparrow, tacks a wing
On pavement walks beyond the factories'
Sugar-sweet black smoking breeze
He tramples spring and steamrolls linden leaves

CHORUS 2
Jade's falling for tin-timbred isolation
He's got lots of love to trade for free
On veins now he's got temporary patience
But abulic desperation...Ohhh

BRIDGE

CHORUS (3)
And Jade's calling for tin-timbred expiation
He's got lots of time to wait for dispensation
He's been blessed by track filled patience
Freon veins and cool ablation Ohhhh...

He bangs alone
He's Jade the Stone
He hangs alone
He rocks the road
On tired, wired pride
Allied
With none
With none
With one
He's won
He's won
One...