1. |
What? Why?
02:53
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I never forgot what you told me
But I never bought what you sold me
Now I think of you
And how do you do
I just wonder what makes you happy
And I wonder if ever I’ll be
As happy as you
Or if I’ll be blue
What is life?
What makes wrong turn right?
Why go on?
What makes us go wrong?
Ah-ah ah ah-ah-ah-ah
I can’t figure out what the story
Is or isn’t – where is the glory
In rut and routine?
So what does it mean?
There’s no answer is there? And why not?
Life is all there is there so try not
To waste half your time
Know-ing what you’ll find
What is life?
What makes wrong turn right?
Why go on?
What makes us go wrong?
Ah-ah ah ah-ah-ah-ah
It’s personal / It’s universal
One thing it’s not / Is a dress rehearsal
It moves too fast / It goes too slow
We’ll just make up / What we don’t know
What is life?
What makes wrong turn right?
Why go on?
What makes us go wrong?
Ah-ah ah ah-ah-ah-ah
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2. |
MAP
03:00
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<chorus>
Show me a map and I’ll follow
Gimme a plan and I’ll execute
Tell me a shortcut or a long way around
Gotta be a way to get to you
<verse 1>
It’s like I’m in the winter / nothing here but snow
Walk in giant circles / I don’t even know
Didn’t I see that old / Cabin yesterday
When I was coming in / Or was I going away?
<chorus>
<verse 2>
I was so crazy / I didn’t understand
Running in a haze / Doesn’t make a plan
Gotta settle down / Gotta focus on my goal
Standing by itself / Like a flag on a pole
<chorus>
<bridge>
Don’t know where I’m going / But I know what I want
Standing here alone / I gotta get started
Someone was here before / There’s a signpost on the ground
But now the path’s a mess / There’s no-one else on it
<instrumental>
<verse 3>
Moving in the dark / Or even in the light
Don’t need any help / If I know I’m moving right
Wind in my face / Just means l have to tack
But getting near the end / Its like a rail track
<Chorus>
Repeat last line of chorus twice
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3. |
1,000 Miles From Nowhere
04:49
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One Thousand Miles From Nowhere
Two thousand miles from home
Hope springs eternal in the heart of pain
‘n this heart’s the only one I own
Hitching a ride in north Ontario
“Go West Young Man” through the snow
Leave my troubles far behind me now
With the ones I’ll never know
Thanks for the ride; let me tell my tale
And you can see for yourself
How a broken man begins again
And takes his life back off the shelf
Now things went wrong like I thought they would
To run away was not the plan
I guess they saw us do what they called wrong
So there went the “Brotherhood of Man”
They ran us down like a hungry wolf
Takes the crippled for its prey
But the real wolves out in the woods
Don’t ask for more than we can pay
‘cause I’m
One Thousand Miles From Nowhere
Two thousand miles from home
Hope springs eternal in the heart of pain
And this heart it beats alone
I’ll ride a boxcar through Saskatchewan
Hop a valley to the coast
Find a mountain there to hide behind
A twenty-first century ghost
Life in the shadows where I can’t be seen
And what they look for can’t be found
They wouldn’t know a free man if they had him trapped
And when they’re gone I’ll be around
I’ll be
One Thousand Miles From Nowhere
Two thousand miles I will roam
Free at ease with my peace of mind
On the steps of my new home
One Thousand Miles from Nowhere
On the steps of my new home
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4. |
Take Your Life And Run
03:01
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Living in a world where the summertime’s fun
Easy to forget that the winter still comes
But when it’s bitter cold and the snow hides the sun
It’ll be too late to think what you might have done
You’ve got to take your life and run
Never look back now ‘til it’s done
Life is a race; go and have some fun
If you end satisfied then you’ll know you’ve won
When you’re growing up everyone’s got a plan
You’ll be rich and famous, maybe king of the land
Get some good friends and they’ll give you a hand
But don’t try to walk before you can stand
But when you’re just a kid all you want to do is play
And your twenties seem to go by in a day
Spend your thirties and your forties in the family way Standing there at fifty what are you going to say?
Make up your mind and give it your best
You will regret doing anything less
And if you find you can pass this little test:
Are you happy? If you are, you’re a success!
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5. |
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Fifty two times a year just waiting to happen
It’s gonna happen now so what’ll it be
Friday Saturday Sunday o’clock
Wanna go play but your gear is in hock
From all of those previous gigs for which you never got paid
Friday Saturday Sunday o’clock
Bottle of wine and a book on the dock
All the troubles and chaos are drifting away
Fifty two times a year just waiting to happen
It’s gonna happen now so what’ll it be
Friday Saturday Sunday o’clock
It’s a two and a half day block
Just enough time to spend all the money you made
Friday Saturday Sunday o’clock
Watching all afternoon the tick tock
Flying to Vegas tonight and you’re gonna get laid
<solo>
Fifty two times a year just waiting to happen
It’s gonna happen now so what’ll it be
Friday Saturday Sunday o’clock
All week long you been rolling the rock
Up the hill to the top and now you’re running away
Friday Saturday Sunday o’clock
Heading home and your mom is in shock
She hasn’t seen your face in two years less a day
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6. |
Round We Go
03:30
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Round round round we go / Will it ever stop? No one really knows
Spin until we hit the floor / Then get up and do some more
Go, go have some fun / It's always our goal - numero, number one
Run and laugh, jump up and down / hard to keep us on the ground
Sing, sing shout it out / It’s our favourite song - that’s what it’s all about
This’ll ring inside your head / All the years until you’re dead
Round round round we go / Will it ever stop? No one really knows
Spin until we hit the floor / Then get up and do some more
Down, down, down we go / Underwater, underground or in the mine below
Runnin’ underneath the town / just our way to get around
Up Up Up we rise / Leave the earth behind, reaching for the skies
Floating up in our balloon / don’t think we’ll be back so soon
Round round round we go / Will it ever stop / no one really knows
Spin until we hit the floor / Then get up and do some more
Round round / round we go
Round round / round we go
Go, go have some fun
Sing sing shout it out
Round round round we go
Round round round we go
Up Up we rise
Round round round we go
Round round round we go
Round round round we go
Round round round we go
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7. |
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What do I know about love?
‘cept it’s all everybody thinks of
Sure I love my mom and my dad
And I love all the friends that I’ve had
You know I love the sun in the summertime
But hey, what do I know about love?
We’re talking love with a capital “L”
And not the kind of love you can sell
I read about it once in a book
And a movie then gave me a look
All those songs about love in the back of a Dodge
But now, what do I know about love?
You can’t get your love at the store
And when it’s gone it’s awfully hard to find more
Some people say they make it all night
But in the day it’s hidden well out of sight
And until somebody shows me what I’m s’posed to look for
How will I know about love?
I know a bit about a lot of things
Saying vows and buying diamond rings
Holding hands while the birdie sings
But what do I know about love?
<instrumental>
I’ve often heard about those husbands and wives
They’re in love for the rest of their lives
If I ask they will insist that it’s true
“And by the way, we wonder, what about you?”
I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind now and then
But hey, what do I know
What do I know
What do I know about love?
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8. |
Hard Edged World
03:33
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It’s a hard edged world now
No shamans, dreams or elves
It’s all about the money now
We’ve done it to ourselves
And it’s a hard edged world now
Easter’s based on a powerful story
Of life and death and hope
But now it’s more about selling chocolate
And purple easter soap
Hallowe’en was a great excuse
To dress up and meet your neighbour
Now a costume might offend someone
And a treat could hide a razor
Christmas is birth and Santa Claus
A joyful time indeed
Poisoned by Black Friday
To sell you what you don’t need
Where is the joy?
Where is the fun?
Where are the dreams?
What have we done?
We’re not going back
We’re moving ahead
So look to the children
And not to the dead
So make a soft edged world now
Full of shamans, dreams, and elves
Forget about the money now
Forget about ourselves
And make a soft edge world now
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9. |
The Yukon Doesn't Care
03:24
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The Yukon doesn’t care / If you’re here or if you’re there
The rivers always flow / Come and raft them if you dare
And for all that you accomplish in that crazy world out there
The mountains watch impassively / The Yukon doesn’t care
We came from far and wide / To give ourselves a test
To run the mighty river / And run it with the best
We’re looking at computers / We’re mapping out the route
We lie awake at night / Thinking of rapids that we’ll shoot
But the Yukon doesn’t care / If you’re here or if you’re there
The rivers always flow / Come and raft them if you dare
If your southern situation has you pulling out your hair
It’s all so very far away / The Yukon doesn’t care
We travel with our families / Fly here with our friends
We’re gonna go exploring / Forget the latest trends
Looking for a grizzly bear / It’s all about the quest
To know if you can do it or / To check the bucket list
<bridge>
I’m floating far and wide / drifting down the river
A chunk of glacier ice melting in my drink
Soaring limestone peaks / skirted by spruce forests
The peacefulness and quiet gives me time to think
But the Yukon doesn’t care / And Alaska doesn’t care
The Territories, Nunavut / they didn’t ask you there
Dig a mine, chop a tree, shoot a wild bear
A hundred thousand years from now /The Yukon will not care
So docking on the stony beach / Laughing with new friends
You’ll be packing up and understand / The journey never ends
What the river taught you / Of life and love and space
It’s all about the flow / and Mother Nature calls the race
But the Yukon doesn’t care / If you’re here or if you’re there
The rivers always flow / Come and raft them if you dare
Plan your trip for summer time / Go ahead, prepare
It may snow or turn to ice /The Yukon doesn’t care
Ah the Yukon doesn’t care / no it really doesn’t care
Who you worship, how you look, or even what you wear
The north is fine all by itself / It doesn’t need you there
Go tough it out in wintertime / The Yukon doesn’t care
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10. |
Trans-Pacific Beach Bum
03:36
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Going to Hawaii, gonna work on my tan
Going to Hawaii, gonna find what kind of man
I wanna be / Sittin’ by the sea
Lying on the beach, lazing in the sand
Sleeping on the beach, and I’m gonna make a plan
For something new / What’cha gonna do?
___________________________________________
Going to California, gonna live the dream
Going to California, life is but a meme
Sweetheart / Never gonna part
Gimme sunny days and shorelines full of salt
If it all collapses it’s San Andreas’ fault
And not mine / Living on the line
___________________________________________
Going to Australia, living upside down
Going to Australia, a smile not a frown
It’s alright / Surfin’ in the night
Floating on the ocean, riding on the wave
Sinking in the ocean, another life to save
And it’s mine / Running outta time
___________________________________________
Got a reservation, get me on a plane
Here’s my ticket mister, I won’t be back again
‘cause I’m Going to Hawaii, workin’ on my tan
Going to California, gonna find what kind of man is
Going to Australia, living upside down
Heading off to Bali, getting out of town
And end up in Hawaii, workin’ on my tan
Going to Hawaii, gonna be the kind of man who’s / Going to Hawaii…. (fade)
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11. |
Fooling Yourself
03:34
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Wearing glasses in the dark / Won’t help you see better
Pretty girls in the park / Won’t make you forget her
Reading all the news / Won’t change a bit of weather
You’ll be well informed / But you’ll still be getting wetter
You’re just fooling yourself / Think you got it goin’ on
Makes me feel sorry that / You think there’s nothin’ wrong
You’re just fooling yourself / But not me
Living in the city / where there’s people in their millions
Payin’ all the bills / with percentages of billions
A thousand times / up and down / in the elevator
You never said a word to her / Not even “see you later”
<Chorus>
<instr>
You’re just fooling yourself / Think you got it goin’ on
Look up from your mirror / You’ll see everybody’s gone
And no amount of yelling / From the bottom of the net
In all caps bolded / Will make anyone forget
<Chorus>
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12. |
I Know A Man
04:04
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I know a man who only has good times
He tells me his life is nothing but fun
He likes to play games against losers
Just to be sure of the side that he's on
I know a man who'll always be moving
When he's in town he's always on time
If you catch up y'know he was just leaving
"Life is a race and you can't fall behind"
These are some people that I know; sometimes I think about what they do
And if there's something to be learned I hope you're learning too
'Cause one of these people that I know / Just might be you-hoo
I know a man who's about to turn fifty
He's lost his job, his home and his wife
But he doesn't worry; he'll pick up the pieces
Find number two and get on with his life
These are some people that I know; sometimes I think about what they do
And if there's something to be learned I hope you're learning too
'Cause one of these people that I know / Just might be, just might be, you-hoo
There’s lots of ways how to live your life
Laughing out loud or drowning in strife
It’s not so much how the cards are dealt
But if you play them right yeah year
<instrumental >
I know a man who's fallen in love now
It feels like his heart'll burst out of his shirt
To all of his friends it looks like a disaster
And inevitably someone nice'll get hurt
These are some people that I know; sometimes I think about what they do
And if there's something to be learned I hope you're learning too
'Cause one of these people that I know
Just might be, just might be, just might be, you-hoo
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13. |
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Say goodbye to the sad man / Seems he’s leaving town today
Thought he’d find someone to care for / Ah, but now he’s on his way
Au revoir, mister sad man / On your journey far away
If he had someone to talk to / Maybe this is what he’d say
<chorus>
I wanted someone I could care for / Maybe somebody would like me
But there’s no one here and therefore / On the road again I’ll be
Down the road goes the sad man / Lonely figure dressed in black
His hand is cold and grips the suitcase / Didn’t take too long to pack
Sayonara mister sad man / As the snow fills in his track
No one waves goodbye to sad men / That’s okay, they don’t look back
He hums….
<Repeat chorus>
No one remembers the sad man / Or knows where all his time was spent
Probably not such a bad man / But as he goes there’s no lament
Why he came, what he expected / No one seems to have found out
And though he wasn’t quite rejected / He wasn’t thought too much about
He goes…
<Repeat chorus>
(last line….all alone again I’ll be)
I guess our town was full of sad men / They’ve been leaving one by one
Tomorrow’s my turn and the sign then / Will read “population: none”
Maybe other towns are better / Maybe worse, oh I don’t know
File my resignation letter / And I’ll be singing as I go
<Repeat chorus>
(add last line….all alone again I’ll be)
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14. |
Fully Committed
02:53
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I’m fully committed
Don’t know how to stop and I admit it
Said I would and I did it
‘Cause you know I’m fully committed
Gonna do my job / gonna do my job now
Getting’ paid ‘cause I’m / the only one who knows how
Gonna play the game / gonna play the game now
Score the goal / win the cup / go and take a bow
‘Cause I’m fully committed
Don’t know how to stop and I admit it
Said I would and I did it
‘Cause you know I’m fully committed
Gonna make love / gonna make some love now
Gotta figure out / what she will and won’t allow
Gonna get married / getting’ married right now
Think I’m in love / so I’ll go and say the vow
‘Cause I’m fully committed
Don’t know how to stop and I admit it
Said I would and I did it
‘Cause you know I’m fully committed
Gonna fight the war / gonna fight the war now
Never gonna stop / ‘cause nobody knows how
Gonna sell a stock / gonna sell my stock now
Buyin’ low sellin’ high / that’s how I beat the Dow
‘Cause I’m fully committed
Don’t know how to stop and I admit it
Said I would and I did it
‘Cause you know I’m fully committed
Yeah I’m fully committed
I don’t know how to stop and I admit it
Always said I would and then I did it
When I promise I’m fully committed
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15. |
I'm Coming Over Tonight
03:42
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Chorus:
Can I come over tonight / Let me come over tonight
I’m comin' over tonight / 'Cos we're gonna have a party all right right right!
Verse 1:
Another lonesome night in the city / Internet’s down and the radio’s shitty
I wanna hear some rock & roll music tonight
Another wasted day at the office / How can eight hours seem so endless?
Now it’s over and done with and I’m ready to go
Verse 2:
Dump that suit and tie in the closet / Five years ago who woulda thought it?
Forget about the money now I got time to be spent
Bye bye yesterday, who cares about tomorrow / Doin’ it now, no more time to borrow
Gotta let go tonight or I’m gonna explode
Verse 3:
Get ‘em all over, that’s what we got friends for / Put the lights on and open up the front door
Let’s let the neighbourhood know we’ve got a party tonight
And a big “so what” if it happens to be Tuesday / I don't care, it’s my nothin’ left to lose day
You gotta be kidding if I’m waiting for a Saturday night
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16. |
I Met Her Yesterday
02:07
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I met her yesterday but now I see
That she was not the kind to stay with me
It was fun but that’s how they say these things must go
I wondered how it would be just once; now I know
I loved her yesterday but now she’s gone
She’s travelled far away but life goes on
I can go back to work as if nothing has changed
But on the inside everything is rearranged
We had our time apart
And too few hours together
We started in the sunshine
But turned to stormy weather
I lost her yesterday but I’m still glad
I never will forget good times we had
Yesterday’s over but if bad times are to come
I know I will feel good if I think of the one
Who I met yesterday
Who I loved yesterday
Who I lost yesterday
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17. |
You, Me, Love
03:35
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We’ve roamed the world now, you and I
Beaches, mountains, and crystal skies
No one knows what we have seen
Countries, cities, and space between
We’ve had adventures, you and I
Underwater and way up high
Scared and tired, but what to do?
Holding hands, we’d see it through
‘Cause it’s you / And it’s me / And it’s us / Can they see?
That it’s you / And it’s me / And our love / Sets us free
We’ve raised our children, you and I
Laughs and tears, but they learned to fly
Forever family but still we’re friends
Bound together from start to end
We worked all those years, you and I
Building cities and growing minds
Made our world a bit better place
Never trying to win the race
‘Cause it’s you / And it’s me / And it’s us / Can they see?
That it’s you / And it’s me / And our love / Sets us free
Curiosity fed this journey
Just to see how it turns out
Moving on without a road map
Mixing confidence and doubt
<instrumental>
We lie together now, you and I
Still that twinkle in your eye
Murmured dreams of future days
While our memories turn to haze
‘Cause it’s you / And it’s me / And it’s us / Can they see?
That it’s you / And it’s me / And our love / Sets us free
And it’s you / And it’s me / And it’s us / Can they see?
That it’s you / And it’s me / And our love / Sets us free
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18. |
Elegy
06:29
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Run through life in a hurry / Don’t understand what we’re waiting for
All the stress and the worry / Money and lies ‘til there are no more
It’s been so long and I’m tired / Staying awake and I don’t know why
All the things I admired / Don’t work now ‘n’ it makes me cry
Hey, throw me the keys / I got things to do
People to see / Some place that’s new
Know what I need / And I know what’s cool
What I wanna be / Is not up to you
------------- / It’s not up to you
I don’t receive what you’re sending / my hearing and mem’ry have gone to hell
Everything has an ending / infinity’s not what we do so well
The sun will burn down to coals / I always wondered ‘bout space and time
And whatever happened to goals / You get distracted, oh never mind
All the time just wasted / All the paths not taken
All the food not tasted / All the friends forsaken
All the old stamps pasted / All the albums I’m makin’
All the words I erased / and All the times I was fakin’
I guess that’s all there is to it / Everything has been said and done
Looking back I don’t rue it / There’s no do-over; I’ve had my run
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Stephen Schijns Kelowna, British Columbia
From 60s singles to CFRC/CKCU DJ to garage band archivist to chart documentarian to songwriter and guitar player, Steve Schijns (pronounced "Skines") has soaked up classic influences over several decades to begin building his recording career as a mature and distinctive pop-rock creator. He is based in Kelowna, BC, Canada. ... more
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