BAJA!
Bakin' all day in the hot sun
Find some other time to get the work done
Take a little walk along the seashore
Gettin' my serenity restored
Hey Amigo! Come and get slow
Livin' on the beach in Mexico
It's so hot!
Livin' the life in Baja.
Got no need of dinero
Just need to find my sombrero
Sunlight sparklin' in my eyes
Keepin' me busy 'til the moonrise
Hey Gringo, come and lay low
Livin' on the beach in Mexico
It's so hot!
Livin' the life in Baja.
Floating out over the ocean
I be tranquility in motion
Noontime a little siesta
Ah, but nighttime, we make the Fiesta!
We got marimbas, we got guitarras
Pagan love rites, dancin' in the moonlight
We got tequila, we got the ganja
Aphrodesia, Bacchanalia!
Mandalas made out of seashells
A wealth of Neptunian jewels
Takin' a clue from the dolphins
We be happy with plenty of nothin'
Hey bambino, come get sand in your toes
Livin' on the beach in Mexico...It's so hot!
Livin’ the life in Baja.
— R.W. - Oud, Yalii Tanbur, Kaval; Tom Freeman - Percussion
[ back ]
SANDMAN
He came down from the lands of fire and stone
Where he drank of the sun,
dancin' on the planet's bones
And he'd sing with the thunder,
makin' signs in the red-brown clay
And when he walked into town
most everyone was lookin' his way
Comes the Sandman,
looks like he grew right outta the ground
Sandman, blowin' through town
He moved slow, feather hangin' from his pack
Had an old wooden staff, bamboo flute at his back
And he smiled to the children,
passin' by without a sound
Built a fire in a cave in the hills just outside of town
Sandman, like a dust storm driftin' along
Sandman, blowin' his song
Now Mirabelle, just turned twelve, loved to come and listen to him play
But she hurt so bad 'cause her boyfriend's dad had taken his family away
'Cause the spring's goin' dry, cornfields turnin' to dust
And her momma asks why's this awful thing
happenin' to us
'Cause if God really loves us why's he sendin' this town to its grave?
Sandman, shakin' his head, wanders on back to his cave
Then a big ol' wind comes roarin' in from the lands of fire and stone
And the folks all hear with wondrous fear, just on the outskirts of town
Comes a thunder crash, soundin' like Judgment Day
Mirabelle runs to see if the Sandman's OK
And there's a new river flowin'
right outta the mouth of that cave
Broken staff floatin' by, children beginnin' to play
Sandman, he never had much to say
Sandman, blowin' away
— R.W. - Cümbüs, Shakuhachi, Bouzouki
[ back ]
HARBOR LIGHTS
Paradise lost again, you sail away
Finding some comfort in deep waters
But too long on the sea alone
The blues turn to grey
As the heart starts needing another
The call of a kindred soul you know you can't ignore
So trusting the winds of fate you cast 'round for
the shore
But the fogs are thick with fear
And they hide your guiding star
A lonely place to be, until at last you see
The harbor lights
When you're out there on your own
Let the harbor lights bring you home
You need the gentle seas to ease your pain
And you'd rather sail on alone than go through that again
But life needs love and love's what living's for
So find a softer shore, keep on looking for
The harbor lights
When you're out there on your own
The harbor lights
When it's right your heart will know
Let the harbor lights bring you home
The future's not for us to see
Life don't give no guarantees
But on that lonely sea
You'll find that trust is what you need
to set your spirit free
Listen and you can hear a still, small voice
Whispering it's love or fear, take your choice
So won't you please trust your heart and look at me
'Cause I'm praying that what you'll see are
Your harbor lights
Can't you see 'em in my eyes
Shining clear and bright
As you feel your spirit rise
The harbor lights
When you're out there on your own
Let the harbor lights bring you home.
— R.W. - Sarod; Don Harriss - Piano; Tom Bergeron - Alto Saxophone
[ back ]
LIVIN' IN A VAN
Cold wind was blowin', thunder in the hills
Lightnin' ripped the sky the moment I met her
Blond hair a-glowin', give me a neon chill
I said Hi, Lord I should have known better
Juices started risin', fire burnin' hot
We were in love, dancin' out off of the pier
And like a date with the hangman
We tied that fateful knot
Lord, even the preacher whispered good luck in my ear
Now I'm livin' in a van down by the river
Chokin' on the law, cold beans and liver
She took the house, and the car, my favorite old guitar
There's another thing or two I'd like to give her
Fire turned to ashes, empty cold embraces
Workin' two jobs, even cooked,
but it was never enough
She had to have her nightclubs, her designer dresses
'Course her brother was a lawyer
Lord, those two could play rough
How could I have been so incredibly stupid
When my mind turned to mush,
you'd think I'd have had a clue
Well you can fry that little fairie they call Cupid
Who lets your glands turn a man into a fool
Now I'm livin' in a van down by the river
Chokin’ on the law, cold beans and liver
She took the house, and the car, my favorite old guitar
There's another thing or two I'd like to give her
'Cause I'm livin' down by the river
— R.W. - Sarod; Don Harriss - Piano, Organ; Jim Church - Trombone; James Keigher - 2nd Vocal
[ back ]
DEAR MARIE
Dear Marie, thanks for writing me
I'm doin' OK, least that's what they say
It's kind of you inviting me
To visit some day, course they won't let me stay
Seems like forever, I'll never get used to these bars
Nurses keep watchin' me, doctors won't talk to me
Guess I'll have permanent scars
Met a new girl this mornin', the orderly warned me
She hasn't talked in years
I told her there's a film tonight
She walked away in tears
They give me pills twice a day now
And I sit in the hall, I look at the wall
Sometimes I wish I felt like playing
But I sit in the hall, I don't feel much at all
My days are so lonely here
I thought it might get easier
There's a garden below me
And sometimes I sit by the window
Oh, where'd it go? I don't know.
They say I used to live in New Orleans
I just can't quite remember what that means
So, Marie, I've got to go now
Please write me again, I'm glad you're my friend
How's your cat I was so fond of?
Give her my love, please give her my love
Give her my love
— R.W. - Bouzouki; Tom Bergeron - Clarinet; Gary Powell - Trombone
[ back ]
JUST A DREAM
A touch of madness, the cry of a loon,
A shroud of sadness in moonlight perfume
Haunt the lagoon
The will-o'-the-wisp sings a lonesome tune
The mournful sky's filled with owls and bats
Bloodthirsty swarms of mosquitoes and gnats
And somebody screams
Let me out of this dream
The Son of Sam's in town
He's got a job delivering pizzas
Been to college, chats up your daughter
Pleased to meet you
With moonlight in her eyes
The black widow moves so sweetly
In swaying dances, like the praying mantis
She loves you till she eats you
B-2 bombers and ICBM's
Floods and famines and wars without end
And somebody screams
But don't you worry, it's all just a dream
With garlands in her hair
Her pale skin strangely appealing
She floats away on a lazy river
Another fair Ophelia
As galaxies collide
Three hundred billion stars come...crashing together
But that's their problem, let's order a pizza
Enjoy this lovely weather
Killer computers, a boy's best friend
And plagues and parasites and songs that never end
And somebody screams
But don't you worry, it ain't what it seems
No, don't you worry, it's all just a dream
— Tom Bergeron - Clarinet
[ back ]
SANTA FE
Chokin' on this desert dust day after day
The sands of time 'bout left me blind in old Santa Fe
Dooley screamin' the mule I sold him died the very next day
And there's a papa with a shotgun
Sayin’ you better marry my Etta May
Seems the sun's gone down on this two-bit town
Guess I best be on my way
Slipped out from under my hotel bill
Kinda borrowed me someone's horse
A moonlight ride through the desert night
Down to Emmond's Ford
I'd heard report of a riverboat
headin' down the Rio Grande
Searchin' for a cave with the Star of David
Scratched by a dyin’ hand
And the tale's told Old Caleb's gold's
Lyin' buried there in the sand
Nothin' much else I had to do,
Thought I'd join up with the crew
Hope runs high when the luck runs dry
Seemed a mighty bright thing to do
The captain's cold but he can find that gold
I's led to understand
Just take a little ride on the wild side
Be a wise and wealthy man
It's a one-way ticket to the promised land
With the River-Rat in command
So I signed on board, we gave a Rebel yell
And the rapids ran to the canyonlands, straight into hell
And not one hour's ticked away,
ever since that fateful day
I didn't wish that I was back in Santa Fe
First to go was Bigelow, I can still hear him scream
All the captain would tell was that he slipped and fell,
Drunk or so it seemed
Then two days later it was Sukey White
Got his throat slit in the night
The captain agreed it was a mystery
We'd look around when it got light
'Course the bastard was a traitor and he talked too much
Said it probably served him right
The weeks rolled by under that evil eye
Must have searched through fifty caves
Wondering each time if what I'd find
Would be my unmarked grave
Well, I was covered in gnats and I lost my hat
There's maggots in the meat
The captain suspects a demon's hex
Is the thing that's got us beat
Lord, the River-Rat's ravin' 'bout Beelzebub
And he's starin' straight at me
So when I heard the banshee call
Man, I flew that canyon wall
But the water's gone in this desert dawn
And I'm down to a crawl
Send a miracle my way, let me make it through another day
Won't you help me make it back to Santa Fe
Well, I'll get me a job, I'll even work days
If I ever make it back to Santa Fe
I swear I'll change my ways, I'll even marry Etta May
If I ever make it back to Santa Fe
Lord, I'm wishin' I was back in Santa Fe
— R.W. - Dhotar, Bouzouki; Crystal Reeves - Fiddle
[ back ]
SCIROCCO
It was a wide-open town, 1874
Little out-of-the-way valley along the Colorado
You'd hear the damnedest tales ever told
from Montana down to Mexico
'Bout this strange saloon they got there,
with the funny name, Scirocco
Now Miss Desiré de Bouvier runs this here Scirocco
A mysterious and elegant lady
comes from someplace called Morocco
And just like she was dowsin' a glory-hole
she can look right into your soul
And see that empty longin' there in the shadow
Now Desire’d traveled far and wide for many a year
She'd lived with witch-doctors, lamas,
shamans, and seers
She knew the way to free the fire of unfulfilled desire
Was not to deny it, but completely satisfy it
Now no one really knows just how many rooms're back in that maze
You can lose your way, gladly wander 'round for days
But Miss de Bouvier'll quietly suggest
Some particular chamber that you might like best
And when you walk through that door
You'll be mighty glad you came out West
Now whiskey and a woman's what men usually think they need
But there's a thousand and one wonders to behold once your mind's been freed
She's got the strangest people
who come there and stay
To kinda guide you along your way
With their own special medicines,
there be elixirs indeed!
There's this tiny Mexican Brujo with the buttons off some cactus
There's a monk from the Himalayas
got people chantin' mantras
There's a guy from the Oregon Territories
brewin' up some mushrooms
There's some peculiar music playin',
exotic ladies dancin'
There's beautiful gardens
where you can sit next to the river
And a Chinese enchantress with a pipeful of dreams
There's epicurean cuisine from all around the planet
And a gamblin' casino with whiskey and women
There's a temple of bells and incense,
a statue of the Goddess
There's a medicine-man from the mountains,
sacred herb in his pipe of power
There's everything you'd want and more
That's just the first floor!
You'll see a new world around you
When you walk out that door
— R.W. - Sarod, Shakuhachi; Asya - Dancer
[ back ]
CALLING
Baby's comin', maybe next week
She's comin', I feel her movin' closer, closer
Baby's listenin', hopin' she'll hear
The song she saw in a dream-weaving, calling, calling
I reach a crossroads, they keep on comin'
So many paths there be
I stop and listen, will one of them speak to me
I believe in a guiding star
And blind luck, and destiny
And all the bright sparkling signs there are
For those who care to see
Baby's out there, maybe today
We'll turn a corner and learn the reason why
It's played out this way, this lonely, lonely way
You make your choices, you takes your chances
So many paths there be
The spirit quickens when one of them speaks to me
I'll keep my faith in that guiding star
And bliss and mystery
And I'll keep giving and living like
It's already come to be
Baby's comin', maybe next year
And like the swallow whose wings are growing weary
From flying alone
She's comin', comin' home
— R.W. - Oud, Bouzouki; Don Harriss - Synthesizer
[ back ]
OASIS
The days of fire are gone now
Cool breezes playin'
The burning sands that brought me here
Give way to palm trees swayin'
The parched and withered wasteland
Has kept my swagger
So on into the sweet oasis
Humbly I stagger
Chorus:
Cool, cool waters
Cool fountains of light
Comes a time when the hard part's over
You get to rest awhile
Comes the dawn to complete the darkness
And you can sing awhile
Now I believe in the deepest desert
There lies an emerald isle
Just waiting for your heart to know
You can let your dramas go
I believe in the shaman's drum, the rising sun
And better days to come
I floundered through the barrens
Had a caravan of baggage
All the crap I held so tight
Was holding me in bondage
Fear and lust and anger
All my great possessions
Clutched in caskets, bound in iron
A pitiful, ponderous procession
'Til in the desert's drumbeat
I saw my own reflection
A spirit smiling through the mists
In radiant perfection
The light of understanding
A song of compassion
So setting free my faithful demons
I headed out for the Heartland
Chorus
— R.W. - Kaval, Cümbüs; Tom Freeman - Congas
[ back ]
All Lyrics ©Copyright 2000 by Richard Williams - All rights reserved
