VOYAGEUR

Before the snow fall comes to the mountains
Before the ice flows stop the river run
Like the night owl flies to the forest
To protect her young

She was heading for the cabin, running barefoot in the snow
As she cradled wood to keep away the cold
Though the fever came the month before
She carries with his child

And she is there
Raven hair
Voyageur

Before the west wind blows upon the prairie
Before the dust clouds block out the sun
Like a thunder from across the heavens
The bison run

There is nothing left behind her, no place back to go
Just the memory of something that was lost
Soon the days grow long
The snow is gone
The river breaks apart

And she will bear
Raven hair
Voyageur

AMERICAN FLYER

On the cold royal blue of a midnight rail
Standing proud in the mist
In the shroud of a mystical veil

She was all fired up in a blaze of light
Like a winged silver dollar
On the winds of a beautiful flight

As the steamline ghost rides
Through the dark sky
Lonely hearts beware

By lantern glow
The traveler knows
The devil takes the fare

And the steam engine screams
With the steel and the fire in her eyes
She’s a flyer!

From the rings of the moon
Of an endless sun
Mother ship of the planets
Mother earth on an infinite run

An American Flyer of truth and grace
You can hear all the years
You can see all the tears on her face

As the steamline ghost rides
Through the dark sky
Lonely hearts beware

By lantern glow
The traveler knows
The devil takes the fare

And the steam engine screams
With the steel and the fire in her eyes
She’s a flyer!

AFTER THE BUFFALO

Calling from a northern land
Reminds me of my youth
Spirit mist upon the lake
Blood upon the earth

Why did I leave
I have no place to go
You cannot understand
Why it haunts me so

I grew and I left the land
Like marching off to war
I traveled south to meet the man
At the open door

There was death
Alone in every room
The only song I ever heard
Was one of ancient doom

I see the flying of the geese
I hear the crying of the loon
I know the stories of the old ones
And the wolves cursing the moon

But I follow the dream
Through the back streets of Toronto
All the way to the icy winds
On the shore at Buffalo

Crawling through the naked towns
Singing without a band
What kind of life can there be
In playing one-night stands

Darkened rooms
Then brilliant color beams
I cannot give them what they want
Despite their mournful screams

I must travel north again
I have many wounds to mend

A LONG WAY BACK

In the years before the madness and the fears
the bitter tears would flow like rivers
raging harder

Drown the spirit and the rhyme
beneath the waves to ebb in time
beyond the tempest of the martyr

Curse the dark and damn rain
cut through the bars cast off the chains
and run the demons from their shadows

In the mirror are the lies
beside the ghost the paralyzes
the will and chills the marrow

We are lost the captain said
then laid his hands upon the dead
and set adrift the broken hearted

Down the long and winding stair
through darkened halls still unaware
the labyrinth keeps them where they started

It’s a long way back
Hang me from the tree of the sorrow
It’s a long way back
Set the sail and rise upon the morrow

HE SANG A PLAIN SONG

Bring on the great silence
the battles are gone
And hear not a tear
nor the piper at dawn
Lock the gates to the highway
surrender the sky
Cast the shadows of everyman
from his eye

Come down from the mountain
the valley atones
The river of darkness
runs deep through the stones
Lock the gates to the highway
surrender the sky
Cast the shadows of everyman
from his eye

The winds of the desert
the winds of the snow
The winds of the ocean
desolate ice flows
Lock the gates to the highway
surrender the sky
Cast the shadows of everyman
from his eye

He sang a plain song

THERE IS A TIME

Take me down to the banks of the river where it runs
never ending, never dying
Tell me stories, I know just how they started, they went,
There is a time

Take me down to the valley of the eagle and the sun
in the shadow of the pines
Tell me stories, I know just how they started, they went,
There is a time

Lay me down, let me sleep with angels,
spread new linens upon my bed
I hear stories as child, as they started, I know
There is a time

There is time to search for silver
There is a time to search for gold
There is a time to be a miner
And find the light before you’re old
In the darkness, find direction onward
Turn the pages, find the passage homeward
There is a time that cures with the ages
The wounds we have endured

GIRL ZYDECO

You know, it’s been too long
You know, ma jolie blonde
Two step across the floor
Turn around, music encore

You know, we’ve got to go
Dancing at the fais do do
Long live, live for today
Laissez, les bon temps roule

So dance with the angels, dance in the circle of light
To the songs of a heartbeat, songs in the rhythm of life
The dream is there in the glow of her eyes
Serene, the spell of her mystical fire
Burn low, Girl Zydeco

DOMINION BLUE

Oh, wash away the mountains
and cast the rocks upon the angry sea
Take the strength that was within me
and go where you will, into the ruin

And take away the forest
and burn the timber ever to the ground
Take the life that grew within me
and go where you will, across the moon

Oh, stop the rolling river
and turn the wellspring to a barren dust
Take the soul that flowed within me
and go where you will, Dominion Blue

And turn away the sorrows
that dwell within as witnesses to every passing day
I have reason to hear
the echo of a tear saying to you, Dominion Blue

Adieu, mon coeur du nord, adieu

THREE SHIPS

At the north of the sky
where the spirits are crying in hymns
and the anchors are crossed on the wings
of a thousand (sea) farers lost

In the arc of the glow
on the water surrounding the deep and narrow
as the tears of the angels
turn to stone

Keep a watch on the gales that are breaking below
A watch at the eye of the storm
For three ships will sail from the distances
Hailing a light on the shore

AND STILL REMAIN

Angels of mercy descending
to cover my eyes with a prayer
Breaking from earth and ascending
to fly on the winds ever fair
Consumed by the fire,
driven by the rain
Until I weather the storms of the Erie,
and still remain

Madness is coming upon us
cracking the wood and the beam
Ragged and old is the canvass
tearing apart at the seams
Headlong in the blackness
through hell and deep water the same
Until I weather the storms of the Erie,
and still remain

Leave me alone in the darkness
no sleep, no reward, no one saved
Give up the ghost and the fortress
no purpose disturbing their graves
There is nothing beyond here
and there is nothing that is sane
Until I weather the storms of the Erie,
and still remain

UNTITLED

I am a loner, a dreamer by trade
and I can’t remember a dollar I made
a hole in my shoes, a hole in my jeans,
a hole in my head where my sense should be
A poet, a prophet, a saint I once knew
they’re dead now and I still have nothing to do
so I am writing the words in the wee, early morn
out of love, out of scorn

A weaver of colours, a woman of life
took spray from the ocean and made me a wife
but tide soon ran out for us all the shore
the woodlands seem safer for sure
The birds all have flown to the south now it seems
and winter is covering the spaces of dreams
close the door, build the walls, let the curtains hang down
and bring the circle around

A young lad is wondering and kicking the stones
in search of his shadow, his life to unfold
with innocence flowing like rivers of wine
he follows his angel divine
And what will become of this idyllic peace,
through love lost and anguish the nightmares increase
tell a tale of the earth and of devils who reign
and victims of sorrow of pain

Come writers of wisdom, come painters of charm
your days that are numbered must surely be harm
the fantasies offered I laugh at with glee
and witness your downfall for free
And where are the values we held long ago
they’re down at the bar where I feel I must go
fair you well, you’d do well to look to yourselves
instead of the idols you sell

What angels of mercy, what choirs above
can bring from the heavens a fountain of love
the castaway sinners, the madness released
will enter the portals un-ceased
The reckless of youth and the wretched of all
can no longer stand to the battle so cold
turn your coat, bow your head and fall to your knees
and bare your soul to the freeze

The thunder clouds roll and the earth is to quake
a life is to give and a life is to take
the mountains are high and the oceans are deep
and dangers surround my sleep
Now where is the traveler to come be my guide
without his assistance I surely must hide
all the doubts and the fears of having to roam
this far away from my home

And I met an old man who looked just like me
all wizened and ruined and drunk as can be
he opened his book and he wrote out his life
the pages were covered with strife
And yet still a twinkle escaped from his eye
a light in the forest, a star in the sky
he could show me the way, but I was denied
the reason to teach me why

OH, SWEET MARY

She was born in the thunder of a hurricane
driven by an angry moon
With the blood in her eyes
as she rolled out on the bay
Going straight for the heart, never turning to say
will it self-destruct too soon
And fired all of her guns
across the line where we would lay

It was the dark wind beauty of an autumn night
in the cold New England rain
That held us close by the shore
warm in each other's sight
But as the tides must turn and the gulls take flight
lovers weep in vain
And the storm clouds gather
for a landfall at first light

She was the red sky warning a November day
driven by an angry moon
With the blood in her eyes
as she rolled out on the bay
Going straight for the heart, never turning to say
will it self-destruct too soon
And fired all of her guns
across the line where we would lay

And my life is blowing away
And your life just gets in the way
Seasons change
And I must go away

And oh, Sweet Mary
Come to carry me home