Songs by
Daniel Weinstein
2022 Australian Songwriting Contest – Shortlists
Last December I entered eight songs in the 2022 Australian Songwriting Contest. They were entered in a range of different categories. I’ve been informed that four of the songs have reached the short-list for their respective categories. Each category will be narrowed down to the final 30 by the end of June.
Freely Flowing
Verse 1:
Sunlight shining softly in the summertime
Feeling all the feelings flowing through my mind
Have you heard the words that make you feel so free.
And have you got the time to spend some time with me.
Chorus:
Freely flowing
Sing a song of the river moving on
Freely flowing
Wait a while and watch the river rushing right along
The river seems to know - you’re right where you belong
Verse 2:
You know now baby pretty soon your gunna see
The same river flowing through you is flowing through me
I want to know you cuz you see we have to care
We gotta lotta love and we can learn to share.
Chorus:
Freely flowing
Sing a song of the river moving on
Freely flowing
Wait a while and watch the river rushing right along
The river seems to know - you’re right where you belong
Verse 3:
Sing your songs now baby sing your soul to me
Let’s sit beside the river cuz it flows so free
Freely Flowing was selected in the
OPEN category
Too Many Words
Chorus 1:
Too many words
Get in the way
Of all the clever things
I was planning to say
Too many words
I'm Over the top
I know what I'm doing
But can't seem to stop
Verse 1:
I've been nervous thinking
About what I'd say tonight
I rehearsed a whole lot cuz
I wanted to get it right
I was looking here and there
Through all the words I knew
To find the words to tell you
How I feel about you
Chorus 2:
Too many words
Got in the way
Of whatever it was I thought
That I wanted say
The very most important things
Are hard to convey
That's when too many words
Get in the way
Bridge:
Long as I remember it's always been this way
No matter what I talk about I've got too much to say
All my songs are far too long
All my stories are long too
I rarely choose a single word when 5 or 10 will do.
Verse 2:
I stumbled over adjectives
Adverbs, nouns and verbs
All I heard myself say
was a jumbled mess of words
Felt i should Apologise
For what I'd put you through
Before I could you smiled and said
You already knew
Chorus 3:
I wasn't sure
What it was I heard
I was still caught up in
my avalanche of words
I felt so alive like I could
Laugh and dance and sing
But I couldn't manage
to say a single thing
Chorus 4:
You taught me a lot
‘bout talking since that day
I’ve learned that what you hear
Matters more than what I say
I still got a ways to go
Before I master brevity
But I’m getting better at telling you
what you mean to me
I took some time and thought about
All the words I could do without
One by one I cut them out
'Til the only words left numbered three
Too Many Words was selected in the CONTEMPORARY/POP/DANCE category.
Annette
Verse 1
Annette Funnicello taught me 'bout boobs
I was just a little fella, and back then boobs were news
I remember seeing Annette on black and white TV
A mousekateer from the Mickey Mouse Club entering puberty
Verse 2:
That was a lot of years ago I was only nine or ten
Pretty soon my own hormones decided to kick in
Boobs loomed large in those years, but I guess that’s no surprise
Testosterone had direct control over both my eyes.
Bridge 1:
Curiosity's normal
But it's kinda hard to hide
If you're caught there is no way
It can ever be denied
So I pretend that I don't notice
I don't pay 'em any mind
I simply wear dark glasses
And act as if I'm blind
Verse 3:
As an adolescent boy I’m sure I had no choice at all
I remember Farah Fawcet in a swimsuit on my wall
She added a couple details that brightened up the joint
Everything was new to me but i still got the point
Verse 4:
But even while my hormones were distorting what was true
I learned that there were rules about what I could say or do
It seemed that staring at a woman’s breasts always annoys
And I should never talk about boobs except with other boys
Bridge 2:
I know they're just a body part
Let me say in my defense
I recognise this obsession
Don't make any kind ofsense
When I go to the beach, watch a movie
Or see anything on the tube
I get to see that it's not just me
The whole wide world loves boobs
Verse 5:
These days I'm much older my reactions more sedate
I've seen so many breasts over so many years that their power is not so great
Still if I met young Annette simply out there on a stroll
My eyes might take a short detour - it's not in my control
Outro
Trust me, it’s not intentional it’s simply out of my control
Annette was selected in the
COMEDY/NOVELTY category.
One song made the shortlist in the ROCK/INDIE category but they haven’t told me which one. Both Best I Knew How and Little Big C were entered. If the song makes it to the final 30 I’ll know which one it was by the end of June. Otherwise they’ll tell me in September.
Best That I Knew How
Verse 1:
We started talking about nothing at all
we shared a bit of something and I started to fall
A little bit in love I guess I answered a call
Made her more than a friend
So we got married in a rush of youth
Feeling so free, playing fast and loose
I always meant well you know that's the truth
But I stuffed it up in the end
Chorus:
Wish I could say that I did my best
But it's simply not true
I could have done a whole lot better
If I'd known what to do
I did as much as who I was at the time would allow
I'd like to think that whatever I did I did the best that I knew how
Verse 2:
We brought you home your mum and me
You entered our house turned two into three
So I went to work thought my job was to be
Bringing home big buckets of security
Who knew back then what a father should be
Who knew what a little boy or girl might need
I learned too late what I needed to see
More than anything you needed more of me.
Chorus:
Wish I could say that I did my best
But it's simply not true
I could have done a whole lot better
If I'd known what to do
I did as much as who I was at the time would allow
I'd like to think that whatever I did I did the best that I knew how
Bridge:
That's not to say that I didn't try
That's all I ever did and that's no lie
If I didn't live up to the standards I had
I never thought that I was doing all that bad
The only life I've known has been in my own skin
I've never been the man I wish I'd been
Chorus:
Wish I could say that I did my best
But it's simply not true
I could have done a whole lot better
If I'd known what to do
I did as much as who I was at the time would allow
I'd like to think that whatever I did I did the best that I knew how
Little Big C
Verse 1:
Walking along, minding my business
Pretty much an ordinary day to me
When I encountered a remarkably small
A diminutive little big C
Verse 2:
It hit me as an almighty interruption
In the middle of my day to day
It didn't seem to make any kind of sense
How could I be sick when I was feeling Ok
Chorus:
Now I find myself inside the system
The medical mechanical machinery
All i want is to get out alive
Minus that little bitty ol' C
Verse 3:
I'm not one to bemoan my fate
Or say "how could this have happened to me"
Maybe it’s genetic maybe it’s just bad luck
Doesn’t seem to matter to the Little Big C
Verse 4:
People tell me if I change the way the way I think
Or the things that I eat and this will all go away
Nice to think it all could be that simple
But I'm pretty sure C doesn't roll that way
Chorus:
I still find myself inside the system
The medical mechanical machinery
All i want is to get out alive
Minus that little bitty ol' C
Bridge:
The doc read out some numbers
Such and such percent
At the time i couldn't puzzle out
What it was he meant
Cuz I don't think I heard another word
After I heard big C
But pretty soon all those numbers
Became important to me
Verse 5:
I'm not the first that ever got this message
And I know that I won't be the last
Everything is moving so impossibly slowly
But somehow it’s feeling too damn fast
Verse 6:
So far I’ve been lucky - dodged a bullet
Haven’t needed chemo or surgery
But I’ve still got another five years
Till they let me out of the machinery
Chorus:
And I still find myself inside the system
The medical mechanical machinery
All i want is to get out alive
Minus that little bitty ol' C
More Songs
I'll Be There
Verse 1:
’ll be there when you need me
I’ll be there at the source
Of strength and hope in the face
Of sorrow and remorse
I’ll be there in those moments
When all you feel is pain
And even if I’ve been before
I’ll return again.
Verse 2:
When the day is getting darker
And all there is is night
When ground starts to shaking
And the others all take flight
The storm all engulfing
Saps your strength with it’s might
If you think you know who’s with you
You just might be right
Verse 3:
You’re a part of everyone
And we’re all a part of you
No one is ever quite alone
I think you know that's true
You have no need of magic
Or supernatural beings
You and I we are alone here
You and I can share the dream
Verse 4:
When you and I learn things
How the world is full of pain
How injustice and violence
Are enacted in our name
We can draw upon each others strength
And let our voice ring clear
With our brothers and our sisters
We can’t be stopped by fear
Verse 5:
And if you ever wonder
If you can do great things
Just remember what I told you
In the early days of spring
Together we are who we are
And together we’ll be there.
And if you ever doubt it just remember
I’ll be there
Leone
Verse 1:
She shared her name with her car
Funny what memories do
Except for the end of her tale
Her name and her car were all that I knew
Verse 2:
I really didn’t know her at all
But even now I remember her name
The thing thing that made her easy to recall
Her name and her car’s were exactly the same
Chorus 1:
Leone was a friend of my first wife
After we split I didn’t see her any more
A Subaru Leone - that's the car that she drove
They stopped making those cars in 1994
Verse 3:
I’m not going to tell you the story
You can look it up for yourself
Boxing Day 2004
If you’re old enough you'll remember it well
Verse 4:
She was lost with so many
A quarter of a million on that day alone
So many people died on that day
But Leone was the only one I’d ever known
Chorus 2:
Tragedies happen all of the time
Somewhere in the world every day
We've all felt the ripples in time
No matter how far away
Verse 5:
Big stories and small
All those beginnings and ends
Leone's final story was sad story
It’s mostly remembered by her family and friends
Verse 6:
She shared her name with her car
Funny what memories do
Except for the end of her tale
Her name and her car were all that I knew
Appreciation
Verse 1:
I’ve got a little bit of time on my hands
Quite unexpected not a part of my plans
But just the same I’ve got nothing to do today
It’s the kind of nothing that can fill all the space
That’s always been here surrounding this place
So full of busy that is constantly in my way
Chorus 1:
I could have started on a project or two
There were a million things that I could do
Instead I stumbled into something new... appreciation
Verse 2:
Look at the sky and there sits the moon
And wonder how it found its way back so soon
It's like its hardly even been away
I always knew there were stars in the sky
Tiny holes in the curtain- they're hard to deny
I didn't notice - there was always something in the way
Chorus 2:
How could I have missed it, it was everywhere
I didn't see didn't let myself care
But something stopped me - i discovered something rare ... appreciation
Bridge:
In these quiet moments i wonder what's true
Exploring the magic of nothing to do
It seems to me when I let myself be
I might dicover something new .. appreciation
Verse 3:
I can't explain how my life got this way
Why do i fill every moment every day
Life so very full there’s not enough room for me
When i finally saw the value of slow
The value of finally having nowhere to go
I got a glimpse of parts of life i could never see
Chorus 3:
Dont get me wrong i like the life that i've got
But it wouldn't hurt in fact it might help a lot
If Once in a while i opened my eye to see .. appreciation
Outro:
I’ve got a little bit of time on my hands
Quite unexpected not a part of my plans
But just the same I’ve got nothing to do
Oh... I got nothing to do
Easy to Smile
Verse 1:
It’s more than a song
But less than a dream
I know what I say
Is not what I mean
Pretending my words
Aren’t meant to deceive
I’m playing with doubt
I want to believe
I know that it’s hard
To explain why I’m here
I complain though I know
There is nothing to fear
But the fear and the doubt
That wind through my mind
Are inventions of mine
That help pass the time
Chorus:
So here is my song
I wrote it for me
I need to recall
That it’s easy to be
The times that I’ve faced
My life as a trial
Have taught me to see
That it’s easy to smile
Verse 2:
I’m more than a child
But less than a man
I know where I’ve been
But not who I am
I'll say that I'm strong
I'll tell you I’m free
But none of that's true
I just want it to be
Once I entered a room
I pulled down the shade
I turned out the lights
I wanted to fade
But I noticed the wall
Right there looking at me
Pretending to be blind
I really wanted to see
Chorus:
So here is my song
I wrote it for me
I need to recall
That it’s easy to be
The times that I’ve faced
My life as a trial
Have taught me to see
That it’s easy to smile
Verse 3:
It all seemed to happen
A while ago
At a time I was lost
I just didn’t know
That doubting was simply
A game that I had
It gave me a reason
For feeling this bad
There are times there are changes
My memory moves
Preaching the patterns
I’ve worn into grooves
Repeating mistakes
I made in my youth
Learning the lines
And calling them truth
I can’t help but change
Can't help but survive
I might drown in doubt
But I'll still be alive
Chorus:
So here is my song
I wrote it for me
I need to recall
That it’s easy to be
The times that I’ve faced
My life as a trial
Have taught me to see
That it’s easy to smile
Blue Book
Verse 1:
Patrick played guitar in a Mexican bar back in 1972
We hung around together, made some music for a week or two
That Frenchman wrote a song
I wrote some lyrics then went traveling on
Wrote it down it in my Blue Book like I’d sometimes do
I added "Freely Flowing" to the list of songs in my repetoire
Back in those days I was playing quite a lot
But time plays games I guess
Over time I was playing less and less
Until I couldn’t even recall what it was that I'd forgot
Chorus:
A blue book from my younger years
Full of hope and dreams and all my personal fears
There's no music but the words still last
Becoming part of today from the deep past
Verse 2:
Going through old stuff I happened on my blue book
Full with memories of at least some of those days
There was that song
And than a little bit later on
His name and address were sitting right there on the page
Thought these days it might be possible to find Patrick
Can’t know what you can do unless you take a chance
But I'll admit surprise
When the story that hit my eyes
Was about a rock and roll star in France
Chorus:
A blue book from my younger years
Full of hope and dreams and all my personal fears
There's no music but the words still last
Becomming part of today from the deep past
Verse 3:
He was a faded star cuz just like me he was old now
I figured i'd send him a message and wait and see
I'd found my words
But I had lost his tune
Who knows, maybe he might remember me
Sad to say there really isn’t a happy ending
By the time I finally looked he had drifted so very far
Why your memory goes
I guess that nobody know
In May of 21 he finally put down his last guitar
Chorus:
A blue book from my younger years
Full of hope and dreams and all my personal fears
There's no music but the words still last
Becomming part of today from the deep past
Mistaken
Verse 1:
Looked mighty fine, couldn't help but see
How bout that? she's looking back at me
Ignorant and lonely, I was all of that stuff
She smiled at me, that was enough
We gave it time, we had some fun
Decided she should be my only one
Screwed up my nerve, decided to ask her
Knew that we'd be happy forever after
Chorus:
I couldn't have been more mistaken
I was travelling on a road I never should have taken
It's my own damn fault that my heart is breaking
I'm never going to do it again
Verse 2:
Fake it 'till you make it, they said to me
Never pass up an opportunity
The point of the process is how much you can make
It's a zero sum game a little give a lot of take
Get a lot of money then make a little more
After all it's only a way of keepin' score
Gonna find my happiness in wealth and fame
Going figure out the rules of the game
Chorus:
I couldn't have been more mistaken
I was travelling on a road I never should have taken
I see what I did and my confidence is shaken
I'm never going to do it again
Bridge:
Mistakes are made
Life's like that
But mostly we recover
We find our way back
But you never know
If one day or another
We'll screw up so badly
We'll never recover
Verse 4:
Uncovered this stuff, burned real good
Used it to power anything we could
It looked to be something that could satisfy
A hunger for power that would never run dry
All we had to do was drill and dig
Power would be cheap, profits would be big
We'd never have to worry about expenses
Cuz there'd never be any consequences
Chorus:
We couldn't have been more mistaken
We're travelling down a road we never should have taken
It's our own damn fault that our world is breaking
We're Never going to do it again
Equal Time
Verse 1:
We're singing songs in harmony
All our voices clear and free
But somehow something doesn't feel quite right
I don't want to be offensive
Or sound like I’m being defensive
But there's something that I want to say tonight
Verse 2:
I'm a fan of gospel music
I love sound it makes
But I do not intend to deceive
Can't say that I feel proud
Singing Gospel songs out loud
I sing those words but I don't believe.
Chorus 1:
So I want equal time for those that don't believe
Songs that celebrate Reality
They don't need to rhyme
Or even take much time
Some non-believer's gospel songs
That's equal time
Verse 3:
If we sing about the holy ghost
I try to look sincere
But I wonder what I'm singing for
I might like the noise we make
And I could ignore the toll it takes
But I ain’t gunna sing about cheeses anymore.
Chorus 2:
So I want equal time for those that don't believe
Songs that celebrate Reality
They don't need to rhyme
Or even take much time
Some non-believer's gospel songs
That's equal time
Bridge:
If you don't believe in Zeus or Mars or Thor
Or any of the thousand gods who ruled the world before
Our beliefs are similar once you think it thru
I just believe in one god less than you.
Chorus 3:
So I want equal time for those that don't believe
Equal Time, Oh yes indeed
They don't need to rhyme
Or even take much time
Some non-believer's gospel songs
That's equal time
Outro:
Equal time, equal time
Equal time, equal time
Equal time, equal time
Some non-believer's gospel songs
That's equal time
Kiss it Better
Verse 1:
New love like a new born child
Do anything just to make her smile
She keeps me on my feet
And makes my life complete
But she's just a little baby for a while
Verse 2:
A couple of years she's a two year old
Practicing the art of saying no
There's a touch of power play
And watching what you say
And working out where love is meant to go
Chorus:
Watching my love grow every day
She takes a few wrong steps along the way
If my love lies bleeding I'll always say
I will kiss it better in every way
Verse 3:
At 7 love's a thing to behold
No longer young but hardly old
She wants to get around
And she's harder to hold down
At 7 love won't do what she's told
Verse 4:
A teenage love is hard to explain
At times a teenage love forgets its name
By the time that you're fifteen
You'd think you'd know what love should mean
But love will keep you guessing just the same
Chorus:
Watching my love grow every day
She takes a few wrong steps along the way
If my love lies bleeding I'll always say
I will kiss it better in every way
Mad Hatter
Verse 1:
Looking for hat that comes from south of the border
He needs very big one so it must be made to order
All we really know is that he's from a northern nation
Where he took off his sombrero and he left it in the station
Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter
Verse 2:
Morning takes his head and hides it in the corner
But that can’t conceal the fact that he’s been heading for the border
So he takes a couple pills just to prove he’s not a purist
Puts a wig hat on his head so he looks just like a tourist
Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter
Verse 3:
Paradise is just a place he touches on the run
The loving and the living give him strength for moving on
The world’s out there waiting but it always strikes him funny
When he ends up in some hell hole and he’s just run out of money
Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter
Verse 4:
Can’t tell you bout his future, can’t tell you bout his past
Sometimes he says he’s happy and hopes that it’ll last
More often in the night in his hotel all alone
He wonders what he’s doing why he hasn’t got a home
Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter
My Entire Life
Verse 1:
I couldn't have pretended any harder than I did
I shouldn't have tried so hard to hide the things I hid
But I was just a child of the time I'm living through
And I no longer trust those things that I once thought were true
Verse 2:
I sometimes think I know how I got from there to here
I think that I remember and my memory is clear
But Then I notice something's else I never knew about
No one ever told me and I never quite found out
Chorus 1:
I might love my lady
Might make her my wife
I might love my children
For my entire life
I hope and try to pray
That there's someplace left to go
Where they keep all of the answers
To the endless I don't know
Verse 3:
Reality is a fox that's out to swindle me
An illusion, a distortion of what I wish I'd see
The picture watches while I think I'm watching you
But illusion doesn't help me when I don't know what to do
Verse 4:
In these times that we all share it'll come as no surprise
That I wonder what is true and what are simply lies
The truth no longer counts, it doesn't matter anymore
All I learned I've now forgotten - can't recall what it was for
Chorus 2:
I might love my lady
Might make her my wife
I might love my children
For my entire life
All the days and the years
I've been living with you all
Have taught me many things
that I wish I could recall
Chorus 3:
I might love my lady
Might make her my wife
I might love my children
For my entire life
I'll try to learn to live
until i finally learn to die
And for my entire life
I'm sure I won't know why
Verse 5:
The illusion of my life and how it makes me feel
Leave me wondering why I care if any of it's real
But on the face of never really knowing what is true
I find that I'm still thankful for the gift of knowing you
Collaborator
Verse 1:
Last night I had a dream
I dreamt about a beautiful song
The words were deeply moving
And the melody was strong
I got up right away
I picked up my guitar
I tried to compose my dream
But I didn't get very far
Verse 2:
The notes I played were nothing like
The melody in my dream
And the words came out as doggerel
If you know what I mean
This sort of thing happens all the time
When I get a song in my head
I tried to write that song for a while
Then I got back into bed
Chorus:
I need a collaborator
To help me do what I want to do
Someone to help fill in the puzzle
Make one and one equal more than two
I need a collaborator if I'm ever going to be great
And once I find a collaborator we can collaborate
Verse 3:
I'm not too proud to tell you I'm
Not the world's most talented guy
I guess that's just the way it is
No point in asking why
But maybe with the right kind of help
I could do more with the talent I've got
The right sort of partnership
Could take me straight to the top
Chorus:
I need a collaborator
To help me do what I want to do
Someone to help fill in the puzzle
Make one and one equal more than two
I need a collaborator if I'm ever going to be great
And once I find a collaborator we can collaborate
Bridge:
I can do a lot of things
But I can't do it all
If I found me a number
I just might make a call
Maybe there's somebody out there
Who could fill in the missing bit
and if they're looking for someone
We just might be a perfect fit
Verse 4:
My whole life my tendency has been
to do everything on my own
That's meant there's a whole lot of things
that somehow never get done
No one really makes it alone
They get a little help on the way
Maybe if I find a collaborator
Everything will work out Ok
Chorus:
I need a collaborator
To help me do what I want to do
Someone to help fill in the puzzle
Make one and one equal more than two
I need a collaborator if I'm ever going to be great
And once I find a collaborator we can collaborate
Missing People
Verse 1:
Streets wind their way through places I called home
I didn't give them a second thought as I walked those streets alone
I'd register what and who I saw everywhere I'd go
If anyone ever noticed me I'd swear I didn't know
Verse 2:
For the longest time I couldn't tell what it was that seemed so strange
Something seemed to be missing but I didn't know what had changed
As years go by I'm becoming more invisible day by day
Losing a bit of who I was while I slowly fade away
Chorus:
Missing people I didn’t know at all
They didn't touch me in a meaningful way
But just the fact that I existed for them
Brought some light to my day
Verse 3:
It's like someone has left that I didn't even know was there
Maybe I pretended not to notice now I pretend not to care
The city streets are smaller now Something made them contract
Life's a little bit emptier since they stopped looking back
Chorus:
Missing people I didn’t know at all
They didn't touch me in a meaningful way
But just the fact that I existed for them
Brought some light to my day
The Best
Verse 1:
We started talking about nothing at all
we shared a bit of something and I started to fall
A little bit in love I guess I answered a call
Made her more than a friend
So we got married in a rush of youth
Feeling so free, playing fast and loose
I always meant well you know that's the truth
But I stuffed it up in the end
Chorus:
Wish I could say that I did my best
But it's simply not true
I could have done a whole lot better
If I'd known what to do
I did as much as who I was at the time would allow
I'd like to think that whatever I did I did the best that I knew how
Verse 2:
We brought you home your mum and me
You entered our house turned two into three
So I went to work thought my job was to be
Bringing home big buckets of security
Who knew back then what a father should be
Who knew what a little boy or girl might need
I learned too late what I needed to see
More than anything you needed more of me.
Chorus:
Wish I could say that I did my best
But it's simply not true
I could have done a whole lot better
If I'd known what to do
I did as much as who I was at the time would allow
I'd like to think that whatever I did I did the best that I knew how
Chorus:
Wish I could say that I did my best
But it's simply not true
I could have done a whole lot better
If I'd known what to do
I did as much as who I was at the time would allow
I'd like to think that whatever I did I did the best that I knew how
Love Song Kind of Guy
Verse 1
I started writing songs some time ago
Don't know why I guess that I just decided to give it a go
I would write about this or that anything i could
I didn't know and hardly cared if it was any good
But I never touched the theme of love, I really don't know why
It occurred to me I might not be a love song kind of guy
Verse 2
At first that didn't bother me, I had a lot to say
Just me and this old guitar, I was still learning to play
But as I learned to weave my words between and around a tune
I'd try my hand at a song of love but it always seemed too soon
Over time it became a missing piece - something I could not deny
By and by I decided I'm not a love song kind of guy
Bridge
I'm inclined to write a line to make you think or smile
Or find something in my words that'll make my song worthwhile
But when it comes to you and me all my words run dry
I guess I'm not a love song kind of guy
Verse 3
It all changed a while ago when everything turned real
Now it's important to me to express the way I feel
But I don't know how to say that your smile lights up my day
Or how much love I feel for you but don't have the words to say
I can't make the words work no matter how I try
I have to face that it's not my place to be a love song kind of guy
I'll Be Dead Before It Happens
by Daniel Weinstein
I'll Be Dead
Verse 1:
They tell me that the seas will rise
And maybe they are right
And maybe not, I don't really care
Nothing's going to happen over night
And by the time it does
I'll have moved into sweet repose
Someone else will have to clean up the mess
That’s just the way it goes
Chorus:
I'll be dead before it happens
It's no concern of mine
It's someone else's problem
In somebody else's time
Verse 2:
If the whole wide world
Becomes an ugly place to be
Someone will have to be living there
But that someone won't be me
So while I'm still alive
I proudly do not care
I'm not particularly interested
Because I won't be there
Chorus:
I'll be dead before it happens
It's no concern of mine
It's someone else's problem
In somebody else's time
Verse 3:
There are strange men on the TV
They claim that it's all a hoax
While they might not making perfect sense
They seem to be clever folk
It suits me to believe
That they just might be right
But let me tell you none of it
Is keeping me up at night.
Chorus:
I'll be dead before it happens
It's no concern of mine
It's someone else's problem
In somebody else's time
Verse 4:
One day in the Future
My grandkids will be grown
Maybe they'll judge me harshly
But I'll be dead so i wont know
I guess I've dodged a bullet
It’s pretty great to be me
I’ve finally found a benefit
Of being over 70
Chorus:
I'll be dead before it happens
It's no concern of mine
It's someone else's problem
In somebody else's time
Perfect is the Enemy
Verse 1:
There was that short descriptions on page 195
It wasn’t really what I had intended to describe
And after many hours of working on the text
I gave up and decided that it was hopeless to expect
That I’d ever have the talent to do better than ok
I tossed that novel in the bin, there’s nothing more to say
It will forever go unread, I did the best I could
Perfect is the enemy of good
Chorus:
Perfect is the enemy
Perfect is the enemy
Perfect is the enemy of good
If I could make it better don’t you think I would
If I say it’s not good enough, I hope it's understood
Perfect is the enemy of good
Verse 2:
Our partnership was based on love and trust and fun
But I was undecided, would she ever be the one
Was she what I wanted, was she a perfect fit
A goddess with golden hair and unrivalled wit
A libertine, a temptress, that lovely girl next door
I let her go, so I'd be free for whatever was in store
Learned a lot about loneliness, more than I really should
Perfect is the enemy of good
Bridge:
Nothing’s ever finished
Nothing’s ever done
Always trying, waiting
While the race is being run
Perfect is my enemy
It keeps me playing small
For all that I’ve attempted
There’s not much to show at all
Verse 3:
The novel I was writing spoke of sadness and regret
For a love I’d lost so long ago that I still can’t forget
With this song I’m hoping for some closure on my past
I’m trying hard - I hope I can redeem myself at last
You’ll probably never hear this song - it won’t pass the test
That just allows perfection - I give up on all the rest
But who knows maybe this time I’ll cut myself a break
And sing this song with all it’s flaws - it’s a chance that I should take
Not perfect but maybe the very best I could
Perfect is the enemy of good
Chorus:
Perfect is the enemy
Perfect is the enemy
Perfect is the enemy of good
If I could make it better don’t you think I would
If I say it’s not good enough, I hope it's understood
Perfect is the enemy of good
Perfect is the enemy of good
Twenty-two
Verse 1:
It was 22 years ago you be came my wife
For 22 years our partnership has has been central to my life
Our private journeys down the road of life we've been walking side by side
Step by step into who knows what it's been a magic and a thrilling ride
Verse 2:
22 is just a number it's not even prime
But 22 years is a big part of my whole lifetime
Our love has grown deeper that I thought it could ever be
I'm not surprised but I'm astonished we reached our 22nd anniversary
Bridge:
Arbitrary numbers we use to measure our lives
Counting up then counting down until the final day arrives
22 is just a number and I think I'll let it be
At least until the number finally reaches 23
Verse 3:
Now after 22 years I want to celebrate this day with you
Let's re- read our vows and see which ones we're living up to
I tell you how deep is my love and admiration for you
You'll say as much and the magic is that I'll believe it's true
Outro
So let's raise a glass to 22
A number, just a number, but it will have to do.
Somehow it says a whole lot, about me and you
And I'll end this song with my favourite words "I love you"
November Day
Verse 1:
So far away and a long time ago
I was sure I'd left you behind
Life had moved on in that way that you know
Life is moving on on all the time
I wasn't prepared for the changes that struck
On that sunny November day
I'd known you were hurting and down on your luck
But I still thought you'd be ok.
Chorus 1:
I think I've lost you again
As you drift ever further away
I'm shocked by the depth of the pain
I felt on that November day
Verse 2:
I thought I'd finally moved on
The past was simply the past
The life I had then was all gone
But today life is moving so fast
I felt certain that I was quite free
You were hardly a part of my life
But the news was so shocking to me
It cut with the heat of a knife
Chorus 2:
I guess I've lost you again
As you drift ever further away
I'm shocked by the depth of the pain
I felt on that November day.
Bridge:
That early November no one could foresee it
I watched as you stumbled and couldn't believe it
You gave all you had for something much stranger
You must have known something but ignored the danger
Verse 3:
I always knew you had madness inside
But somehow you kept it in check
So it pains me to say that I cried and I cried
As I watched you lose all self respect
I fear for the people who live with you still
How can they know what to do
If it's this hard for me I just can't conceive
What they must be going through
Chorus 3:
Now that I've lost you again
And you drift ever further away
I'm shocked by the depth of the pain
I felt on that November day
Immortality
Verse 1:
I used to be immortal
I remember it very well
I had no fear of dying
Not as far as i could tell
I had no doubt I would live forever
Knew the day I'd die 'cuz that would be never
I had endless time for any endeavour
I knew everything cus i was so clever
Verse 2:
Way back in the day
I thought I knew an awful lot
I guess I got away with it
At least i didn't get caught
I was lucky, hanging by a thread
I lived to tell the tale, I didn’t end up dead
I suppose I became a man, you see
By surviving, my immortality
Chorus:
I lived through the never dying
Not for the lack of trying
But I got older and the time got short
Life got a hold on me
Years went by when I wasn’t looking
They got away from me
Then one day like it or not I lost
... My immortality
Verse 3:
It’s not what you remember
About me when I’m gone
It’s not about living
On and on and on and on
It’s the way I found myself living
It seemed there wasn't any other way to be
If life was only going to be temporary
Why should I give up... my immortality
Chorus:
I lived through the never dying
Not for the lack of trying
But I got older and time got short
Life got a hold on me
Years went by when I wasn’t looking
They got away from me
And one day like it or not I lost
... My immortaliy
Verse 4:
Every year there are new immortals
Following in my wake
I watch take some silly risks
And make the same mistake
That I made back when the whole world
Seemed a risk free place to be
I really hope that they survive
... Their immortality
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