Being Productive

Here's some Sugarland.

Time, Time, Time
it creeps toward the end of days
it fills my head with clouds and haze
which hide the light and shade my life,
obscure all truth and spark blind strife.

I wait until the sky will clear
I choke the while on my fear
that I will never see the sun
but just the dark that makes me run.
paranoia spreads unchecked
makes all normalcy a wreck.
terror poisons dead with dread
I dream this nightmare, hope has fled

along the banks of blackened shores
I find a boat with holes and oars.
I swim toward the murk I've drawn
seeking later early dawn.

-Nuttin' For Christmas-
At christmas time we should have fun
so tell me why I must be good.
It's true I laugh at people's pain
though I know better, that I should
be kind to them , not be their bane
(if only for my own sweet gain)
but I don't want to be a nun,
I 'd rather please my hoodlum brain
with firecrackers in the wood
or chasing cats with my squirt gun.
It may be sinful to be vain
or mean to spit in sister's bun
but i'm gettin nothin' for Christmas
so why start now, it's far too late.
I'm getting nothin' for Christmas
now help me loosen Papa's skates.

-Coming Home-
You know
I  just  can't  stand
to be
alone  in  this  house.
It's just
too  big  for  me
without
you  here  to  be
my best
friend  in  this  world
and my 
lover.  I  see
just how 
lonely  I  am.
Now this
here  is  it  now.
no more
waiting  for  you,
I'm lea-
ving  if  you're  not
coming  home.

-Down in Missisippi (Up to No Good)-
One two three four runnin' out the front door
Five six seven eight none of us is gonna wait
Dance, bound, hit the town, shake away the breakdown
Buy a round, music sounds, take the floor it's profound
Shimmy, shake, it's getting late but we ain't going home straight
First we have to hit the clubs, stoppin' in at all the pubs
See you in the morning loves, tonight we gonna rise above.

Maybe, Baby (New Year's Day)

This is my favourite song on the album. It's an amazing piece about love and second chances, with the most beautifully sketched climax I've ever heard (or seen for that matter.)

-Maybe, Baby (New Year's Day)-
One long step, two long step.
Breathe cold air, holds me back.
Wind whips hard, shivers my spine.
Hot smoke tang, fireworks early.

One step two step, one step two step.
Your eyes dropped down, my eyes squeezed shut.
Tears seared pale skin. Cold left, pain came.
Anger then, fear now. Fear fuels fast forward.

Step step, step step, step step.
Moon up, guard down, chill fills.
Turn round, face home, go back?
Wind blows, whistles 'No,' course set.

Run run run run run run run run.
Pain will not ease past will not leave.
Countdown starts now 10 9 8 7.
Door snips hand grips 3 2 1 lips.

City of Silver Dreams

-City of Silver Dreams-
Windows dressed in frost and ice.
Candles glimmer, flicker, gleam.

Bright star beckons home
travelers far, journeyers wide.

Bells shimmy, shimmering silver,
singing angels golden songs.

Snow soaks sounds, liquifies light,
gives birth to the spirit of dreams.

NOT a Christmas Poem

In case anyone's wondering, the reason I'm posting at 4:28 in the morning is because I'm at an all nighter. It's one of my favourite parts of the holiday season, specifically on New Year's Eve, when my friends and I traditionally pull an all nighter.
There may be a poem about the middle of the night in a while, but also I might sleep, I'm not sure yet. In the mean time here's another poem off the Sugarland Christmas album. This is one of my favourite songs on the album. Although it is a traditional Christmas hymn, my poem has nothing at all to do with Christmas. Anyway, here it is.

-O Come, O Come, Emmanuel-

Is it grand or is it wrong or
is it sad to sing a song all
'bout a life we never had when
all that's left are crippled dreams.

I can hear melodic verse which,
spoken loud, makes true the worst of
what was said between our souls. We
face each other and our holes where

used to dwell a potent love with
chords reduced now to a dove of
deepest black and to a song of
frigid ice. With faces long we

fill the hall and echoes loud make
still us all although we vowed to
never leave we cannot stay here
anymore as our day ends.

Christmas Carols

So we're approaching Christmas again (and Hannukah, and Kwanzaa, and others, but for the sake of this post Christmas is the point.)
Every year, I am dissapointed by all the people who complain about Christmas music. Some of the complaints have some factual basis: cheesy, repetitive, and those I understand even if I don't agree with them. But some of the complaints completely confound me, such as claims that they are "too happy" which is apparently "not natural." My question is: why is that a bad thing? Why is it a bad thing that for just one month a year, we are expected to be happy. Personally I support happiness year round, but apparently I'm just about the only one.
So in order to create a little holiday cheer, I'm going to continue my Sugarland project by adapting thier Christmas album (almost all of which is original music by the way, thus disproving the theory that Christmas music is just identical reproductions of the same handful of songs.)
Anyway here is the beginning of my version of Sugarland's Gold and Gold and Green

-Gold and Green-

Golden glow bathes my home.
Candle sticks flicker shades.
Butterscotch melts on wick.

Sparkling snow glimmers bright.
Optic tricks fill the dark.
Diamonds, watch, reflect stars.

Twinkletrees standing high
White but warm guarding heart.
Green of life, sliver sparks.

Darkness flees in moments.
Colour storm on sky's coast.
Peace is rife with lit dark.

The Very Last Country Song

This is a poem inspired by Sugarland's incredible song of the same name

The Very Last Country Song

David sits at home alone

Still young he’s never known

the pain of love

till now



Alicia shuts the door and cries

Her husband in the kitchen doesn’t know

She doesn’t let him hear

her tears crash to the floor, for fear

of losing him



Miranda stares at a photo in its frame

of her and her husband

And she fills with shame

because the very next year

he died



But if life stayed the way it was

and lovers never fell out of love

If memories didn't last so long

If nobody did nobody wrong

If we knew what we had before it was gone

If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song



Alicia hates herself

for doing this to him

She tries to make excuses

but there’s just no way to win

‘cause she’s in love



David wants to leave

but doesn’t know how to do it

No father around to ask

He would now just how

to mask

the anger and the pain

but he died



Miranda’s son would flip

He needs his father back

She wants him just as bad

but what if this is it

What if this great man

Is her chance at love again



But if life stayed the way it was

And lovers never fell out of love

If memories didn't last so long

If nobody did nobody wrong

If we knew what we had before it was gone

If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song



Alicia has to tell him

she has to speak the truth

That nothing ever happened

and nothing ever will

Settling for less than more

she opens the bedroom door



Miranda lies in bed

with a man she knows she loves

Happy long at last

the guilt is washed away

by the knowledge in her heart:

they’re gonna be okay

As she smiles at his back

the bedroom door opens



David sees his mother’s tears

She didn’t know, she didn’t know

He needs to quell his fears

and tell her

He can’t stay any longer

in this town where love is dead



But if life stayed the way it was

And lovers never fell out of love

If memories didn't last so long

If nobody did nobody wrong

If we knew what we had before it was gone

If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song

If we knew what we had before it was gone



If every road led back home

This would be the very last country song.

by Julian Legere