Songs of Ed Fram
This land is your land
I dreamed of a meadow
some mythical land
Always in your shadow
a guitar in my hand
I walked in the wood
and what did I see?
I walked where she stood
sculpting Guthrie and me
I’ll write you a song
a fare-thee-well
It won’t take long
I’m under your spell
She made you of bronze
idle lying where the lady lay
We speak of bygones
what it’d take to make you stay
Dream with me, o! Guthrie
Tell me of these lands
Bound for glory, our destiny
With guitars in our hands ...
some mythical land
Always in your shadow
a guitar in my hand
I walked in the wood
and what did I see?
I walked where she stood
sculpting Guthrie and me
I’ll write you a song
a fare-thee-well
It won’t take long
I’m under your spell
She made you of bronze
idle lying where the lady lay
We speak of bygones
what it’d take to make you stay
Dream with me, o! Guthrie
Tell me of these lands
Bound for glory, our destiny
With guitars in our hands ...
That Kind of Beauty
You can crown your dome with a parasol
Drape your neck with the jewels you stole
But your purpose drifts so distantly, like a port lost at sea
Tell me, how much pain must there be, to contain that kind of beauty?
With no place to hide, tethered to each tide
And nothing but a broken temple inside, in which to confide
How could you ever be free?
Now tell me, is it him you see while you’re here looking at me?
You always were a few steps ahead of anything I ever said
All has been settled and seen, but who bled the roses red?
Take my dreams, put them with yours
And tell me, does it leave you wanting more - will it open heaven’s doors?
You can crown your dome with a parasol
Drape your neck with the jewels you stole
But your purpose drifts so distantly, like a port lost at sea
Tell me, how much pain must there be, to contain that kind of beauty?
Drape your neck with the jewels you stole
But your purpose drifts so distantly, like a port lost at sea
Tell me, how much pain must there be, to contain that kind of beauty?
With no place to hide, tethered to each tide
And nothing but a broken temple inside, in which to confide
How could you ever be free?
Now tell me, is it him you see while you’re here looking at me?
You always were a few steps ahead of anything I ever said
All has been settled and seen, but who bled the roses red?
Take my dreams, put them with yours
And tell me, does it leave you wanting more - will it open heaven’s doors?
You can crown your dome with a parasol
Drape your neck with the jewels you stole
But your purpose drifts so distantly, like a port lost at sea
Tell me, how much pain must there be, to contain that kind of beauty?
Endless Highway
I turned aside the great divide,
first this way and now that.
I never left but they say I’ve arrived,
demanding directions at the drop of a hat.
I turned to see the changing sky;
all crimson, honey and rust.
Down the same road, who knows why;
better figure it out before we turn to dust
I turned my eyes to the top of the hill,
where a lonely flag did stand.
I turned my ears to the wind but it blew so still,
as I stood where the sea meets the sand.
I turned my dreams towards His will,
then headed for the land.
I turned my hand to toil the land,
but only dust and stone it returned.
I turned on my heel for one last stand,
to bone and skin with nothing learned.
I turned my fears to His command,
now there’s no need to be concerned.
I turned to reach all the truths,
as pearls for the pigs below.
I turned towards the steps of my youth,
Eternity has time to kill, that I much know.
I turned to silence the streams of my heart,
let us forever grow but never apart.
I turned to wait at the sea of snow,
aside trains with no place to go.
I turned to the peaks of the Pyrenees,
their beauty will have you on your knees!
I turned to say goodbye to the graces of the Lord,
and all the joys we could never afford.
I turned and turned to stumble on stones,
desolation deep to the marrow of bones.
I turned away though He did call,
ignoring starry nights that make you feel small.
I turned to silence the streams of my heart,
let us forever love like it was the start.
We turn to the road as it takes you and I
to the same destination, though a different place.
Now there’s nothing we will ever pass by
which cannot be replaced.
The road turns my mind back to Pa,
did he travel it in vain?
The road carries on without you Ma;
this song is all that remains …
first this way and now that.
I never left but they say I’ve arrived,
demanding directions at the drop of a hat.
I turned to see the changing sky;
all crimson, honey and rust.
Down the same road, who knows why;
better figure it out before we turn to dust
I turned my eyes to the top of the hill,
where a lonely flag did stand.
I turned my ears to the wind but it blew so still,
as I stood where the sea meets the sand.
I turned my dreams towards His will,
then headed for the land.
I turned my hand to toil the land,
but only dust and stone it returned.
I turned on my heel for one last stand,
to bone and skin with nothing learned.
I turned my fears to His command,
now there’s no need to be concerned.
I turned to reach all the truths,
as pearls for the pigs below.
I turned towards the steps of my youth,
Eternity has time to kill, that I much know.
I turned to silence the streams of my heart,
let us forever grow but never apart.
I turned to wait at the sea of snow,
aside trains with no place to go.
I turned to the peaks of the Pyrenees,
their beauty will have you on your knees!
I turned to say goodbye to the graces of the Lord,
and all the joys we could never afford.
I turned and turned to stumble on stones,
desolation deep to the marrow of bones.
I turned away though He did call,
ignoring starry nights that make you feel small.
I turned to silence the streams of my heart,
let us forever love like it was the start.
We turn to the road as it takes you and I
to the same destination, though a different place.
Now there’s nothing we will ever pass by
which cannot be replaced.
The road turns my mind back to Pa,
did he travel it in vain?
The road carries on without you Ma;
this song is all that remains …
From London to Duluth
Lord knows who crowned you,
the Queen of my heart!
Were you lost when I found you,
puzzling over Picasso’s art?
Your mystical manner turned my world upside down, like luckless Job’s
You tore down my crown and accused me of being in robbed robes
It’s been a minute before midnight for a long old while
And I hear falling in love is going out of style
We danced naked, bare beneath the truth
Knowing we’d make it anywhere, from London to Duluth ...
You came in on steely seas, the weary traveller here to please
In danger I’d been a dabbler, never lived a moment I didn’t seize
But I must confess a little shiver came down me, it came down from my face to my feet
When I saw a slither of your leg, from underneath your neat pleat
It’s been a minute before midnight for a long old while
And I hear falling in love is going out of style
We danced naked, bare beneath the truth
Knowing we’d make it anywhere, from London to Duluth ...
You said “Don’t be (sad and) bereft”, as you turned to wave at my door
I realised then you’d never left, we’d been here before
With our jail bars overlapping, in adjoining cells
When the inspector comes tapping, cast him under your spell
It’s been a minute before midnight for a long old while
And I hear falling in love is going out of style
We danced naked, bare beneath the truth
Knowing we’d make it anywhere, from London to Duluth ...
the Queen of my heart!
Were you lost when I found you,
puzzling over Picasso’s art?
Your mystical manner turned my world upside down, like luckless Job’s
You tore down my crown and accused me of being in robbed robes
It’s been a minute before midnight for a long old while
And I hear falling in love is going out of style
We danced naked, bare beneath the truth
Knowing we’d make it anywhere, from London to Duluth ...
You came in on steely seas, the weary traveller here to please
In danger I’d been a dabbler, never lived a moment I didn’t seize
But I must confess a little shiver came down me, it came down from my face to my feet
When I saw a slither of your leg, from underneath your neat pleat
It’s been a minute before midnight for a long old while
And I hear falling in love is going out of style
We danced naked, bare beneath the truth
Knowing we’d make it anywhere, from London to Duluth ...
You said “Don’t be (sad and) bereft”, as you turned to wave at my door
I realised then you’d never left, we’d been here before
With our jail bars overlapping, in adjoining cells
When the inspector comes tapping, cast him under your spell
It’s been a minute before midnight for a long old while
And I hear falling in love is going out of style
We danced naked, bare beneath the truth
Knowing we’d make it anywhere, from London to Duluth ...
Siberian Sunsets
I hiked a ride with my thumb pointing down
So she took me back downtown
Where nothing looked the same as when I left
She later wrote a note blaming me for her death
There ain’t a word these judges won’t twist
I ain’t no fighter, I can’t make a living with my fist
But sometimes that’s just how it goes
Good men laid low, Lord knows
That’s just how it goes ...
Some can’t imagine a world in which they don’t exist
But you never showed me reason to resist
The urge to leave here in haste
Some come with plus ones
Wanting to be seen from outer space
Some go minus egos
Too meek to seek their true place
From now, I’ll follow the righteous road
From here to where the Tiber once flowed
I’ll follow the righteous road ...
You can’t even call in on me from time to time
There’s no crossing these lines
From the east out to the west
And those Siberian sunsets you liked best
It’s all fading from your view
And know that I’ll be passing through
Where the good men are so few
I’ll be passing through and through ...
So she took me back downtown
Where nothing looked the same as when I left
She later wrote a note blaming me for her death
There ain’t a word these judges won’t twist
I ain’t no fighter, I can’t make a living with my fist
But sometimes that’s just how it goes
Good men laid low, Lord knows
That’s just how it goes ...
Some can’t imagine a world in which they don’t exist
But you never showed me reason to resist
The urge to leave here in haste
Some come with plus ones
Wanting to be seen from outer space
Some go minus egos
Too meek to seek their true place
From now, I’ll follow the righteous road
From here to where the Tiber once flowed
I’ll follow the righteous road ...
You can’t even call in on me from time to time
There’s no crossing these lines
From the east out to the west
And those Siberian sunsets you liked best
It’s all fading from your view
And know that I’ll be passing through
Where the good men are so few
I’ll be passing through and through ...
Only in Dreams
Even now as my mind gathers dust
Golden thoughts of you could never rust
You had what I want but I got what you need
Days with dreams and routines still to feed
Like lovers and their silly schemes
We'll live on only in dreams
But it's always you that I'll miss
If you take nothing then please take this
It's always you that I'll miss
It's always you that I'll miss ...
You're so eager to know what's happenin'
You can change your shirt but not your skin
She ain't French but I like the way she kissed
Only it reminds me it's you that I miss
Like lovers and their silly schemes
We'll live on only in dreams
But it's always you that I'll miss
If you take nothing then please take this
It's always you that I'll miss
It's always you that I'll miss ...
So I'll just get high before too long
Or maybe I'll get drunk on our song
And I'll forget all the money I could earn
And I'll be learnin' to live or else live to learn
Like lovers and their silly schemes
We'll live on only in dreams
But it's always you that I'll miss
If you take nothing then please take this
It's always you that I'll miss
It's always you that I'll miss ...
Golden thoughts of you could never rust
You had what I want but I got what you need
Days with dreams and routines still to feed
Like lovers and their silly schemes
We'll live on only in dreams
But it's always you that I'll miss
If you take nothing then please take this
It's always you that I'll miss
It's always you that I'll miss ...
You're so eager to know what's happenin'
You can change your shirt but not your skin
She ain't French but I like the way she kissed
Only it reminds me it's you that I miss
Like lovers and their silly schemes
We'll live on only in dreams
But it's always you that I'll miss
If you take nothing then please take this
It's always you that I'll miss
It's always you that I'll miss ...
So I'll just get high before too long
Or maybe I'll get drunk on our song
And I'll forget all the money I could earn
And I'll be learnin' to live or else live to learn
Like lovers and their silly schemes
We'll live on only in dreams
But it's always you that I'll miss
If you take nothing then please take this
It's always you that I'll miss
It's always you that I'll miss ...
The Shadow of a Star
Together we’ll dance,
alone we must mourn
Those that have died,
those never born.
You are all I am,
I am all you are
Let’s light the path by candle,
or the shadow of a star.
The devil’s not in the detail, it’s in the way he walks.
So loosen the tongue twisted in idle talk,
for scheming, so rotten on the downtrodden.
In fields forever fallow, with the scent of flowers long forgotten,
they’ll bind you saying “love is the key to wedlock”.
But in their suitor there’s no piety to unfrock.
So turn your sail to the isle far away,
where you and I will some day lay ...
And together we’ll dance,
alone we must mourn
Those that have died,
those never born.
You are all I am,
I am all you are
Let’s light the path by candle,
or the shadow of a star.
For His robes we’ll be picking cotton,
pure as the snowdrops of Hermon.
Praise Him, the only begotten, turn our ears for to hear the sermon.
With sacred oil upon his beard and face,
He leads, to where peace and righteousness embrace;
where hatred and greed disappear without a trace,
far beyond the mountain road to the land of grace ...
Together we’ll dance,
alone we must mourn
Those that have died,
those never born.
You are all I am,
I am all you are
Let’s light the path by candle,
or the shadow of a star.
alone we must mourn
Those that have died,
those never born.
You are all I am,
I am all you are
Let’s light the path by candle,
or the shadow of a star.
The devil’s not in the detail, it’s in the way he walks.
So loosen the tongue twisted in idle talk,
for scheming, so rotten on the downtrodden.
In fields forever fallow, with the scent of flowers long forgotten,
they’ll bind you saying “love is the key to wedlock”.
But in their suitor there’s no piety to unfrock.
So turn your sail to the isle far away,
where you and I will some day lay ...
And together we’ll dance,
alone we must mourn
Those that have died,
those never born.
You are all I am,
I am all you are
Let’s light the path by candle,
or the shadow of a star.
For His robes we’ll be picking cotton,
pure as the snowdrops of Hermon.
Praise Him, the only begotten, turn our ears for to hear the sermon.
With sacred oil upon his beard and face,
He leads, to where peace and righteousness embrace;
where hatred and greed disappear without a trace,
far beyond the mountain road to the land of grace ...
Together we’ll dance,
alone we must mourn
Those that have died,
those never born.
You are all I am,
I am all you are
Let’s light the path by candle,
or the shadow of a star.
The Man in Black
The man in black who blazed the trail
Many followed and many failed
But will I reach him before death does
To know who I am, could be who he was?
Yes, will I reach him before death does?
The same flame going by a different name
Speaking truth without regret or shame
And if from the same cloth we’re torn
A hard rain is gonna fall, together we’ll warn
Yes, a hard rain is gonna fall, we’ll warn ...
The man in black who blazed the trail
Many followed and many failed
But will I reach him before death does
To know who I am, could be who he was?
Yes, will I reach him before death does?
Painting the same picture, the one without a frame
Playing our hand before knowing the rules of the game
And if we’re holding the same cards
He’ll pass the torch, we’ll change the guard
And warn again the rain is gonna fall so hard
Yes, the rain is gonna fall so hard ...
The man in black who blazed the trail
Many followed and many failed
But I will reach him before death does
To know who I am, is who he was
Yes, I will reach him before death does
Yes, I will reach him before death does ...
(To know who I am, is who he was
And will ever more be, to me
And will ever more be, to me ...)
Many followed and many failed
But will I reach him before death does
To know who I am, could be who he was?
Yes, will I reach him before death does?
The same flame going by a different name
Speaking truth without regret or shame
And if from the same cloth we’re torn
A hard rain is gonna fall, together we’ll warn
Yes, a hard rain is gonna fall, we’ll warn ...
The man in black who blazed the trail
Many followed and many failed
But will I reach him before death does
To know who I am, could be who he was?
Yes, will I reach him before death does?
Painting the same picture, the one without a frame
Playing our hand before knowing the rules of the game
And if we’re holding the same cards
He’ll pass the torch, we’ll change the guard
And warn again the rain is gonna fall so hard
Yes, the rain is gonna fall so hard ...
The man in black who blazed the trail
Many followed and many failed
But I will reach him before death does
To know who I am, is who he was
Yes, I will reach him before death does
Yes, I will reach him before death does ...
(To know who I am, is who he was
And will ever more be, to me
And will ever more be, to me ...)
Heathen Heights of Hades
"Come with me" into the vade mecum, I'll take them;
into my treasured torture tome, cover etched with skull and bone.
Their name finds a home.
Now they'll forever be kept with me, under lock and key,
inside the heathen heights of Hades
Gold to make them groan.
Through her, his diabolical deeds he honed.
For the Devil don't work alone, he ain't no sole trader.
So with furtive fetters he made her do as he please,
now no chance of release.
All in a day's work, outside the heathen heights of Hades.
For her the watchtowers are looming, all around black roses blooming;
beyond, acrid fumes pluming.
Now see the gargoyles' ghoulish glare, their tangled trumpets blare,
to the tune of this frightful fanfare.
For newcomers to greet to his satanic seat,
inside the heathen heights of Hades.
Now find the suited, booted kingpin - always a grin, but he ain't no clown.
With slight nod of head the iron rod crashes down;
his enemies dead.
But no crystal chalice for him now, just cupped hand for his anaesthetic to land;
just a sip for his sin-filled eyes to kip
and drift between gatherings of herb movers and sheiks,
inside the gates of the heathen heights of Hades
Together their souls lie flat on belly aches.
No food to be found amidst yellow lakes.
A melancholic moan from those placed prone.
A collective gramophone of grief beyond all belief.
Normal sounds from the grounds,
that surround the heathen heights of Hades
Others found spine supine 'neath the soaring satanic skies.
But resting this way or that, arms raised or flat;
all guarded over by the King of Lies,
any wrongdoing he denies,
inside the heathen heights of Hades.
Cerebus, chewing on a shoe is there watching over them too.
Extinguishing all love, hope and faith in the doomed dirt pit;
his eternal remit.
One head for each of those ought to do.
But there's plenty of backup here too.
Everyone's got a job to do,
inside the heathen heights of Hades
All souls bought with His blood, to be ageless heavenly angels.
Now their pain tells of the error of their ways,
Looking on the One they betray;
And together they say,
"Send us a second Son please!
Save us from the heathen heights of Hades!"
"No can do, He was the only One.
He was sent to warn, but you chose to adorn
with scorn and Jerusalem thorn.
So now you're reborn as babies of Hades;
No ifs, buts or maybes.
Your souls' sacred shelters are torn,
For your loss the saints do mourn.
And with Tartarus' triumph your part of paradise does perish,
a place a true believer would cherish"
His words echo, slow;
A parting blow, for those below,
inside the heathen heights of Hades.
And one by one we didn't heed the call,
as paradise vanishes for us all;
into a demonic daze, with our souls ablaze;
to be languishing lights for the heathen heights of Hades.
Yes, paradise vanishes for us all.
The rivers of Eden run dry, from the Tigris to the Euphrates.
And all that’s left are the heathen heights of Hades.
into my treasured torture tome, cover etched with skull and bone.
Their name finds a home.
Now they'll forever be kept with me, under lock and key,
inside the heathen heights of Hades
Gold to make them groan.
Through her, his diabolical deeds he honed.
For the Devil don't work alone, he ain't no sole trader.
So with furtive fetters he made her do as he please,
now no chance of release.
All in a day's work, outside the heathen heights of Hades.
For her the watchtowers are looming, all around black roses blooming;
beyond, acrid fumes pluming.
Now see the gargoyles' ghoulish glare, their tangled trumpets blare,
to the tune of this frightful fanfare.
For newcomers to greet to his satanic seat,
inside the heathen heights of Hades.
Now find the suited, booted kingpin - always a grin, but he ain't no clown.
With slight nod of head the iron rod crashes down;
his enemies dead.
But no crystal chalice for him now, just cupped hand for his anaesthetic to land;
just a sip for his sin-filled eyes to kip
and drift between gatherings of herb movers and sheiks,
inside the gates of the heathen heights of Hades
Together their souls lie flat on belly aches.
No food to be found amidst yellow lakes.
A melancholic moan from those placed prone.
A collective gramophone of grief beyond all belief.
Normal sounds from the grounds,
that surround the heathen heights of Hades
Others found spine supine 'neath the soaring satanic skies.
But resting this way or that, arms raised or flat;
all guarded over by the King of Lies,
any wrongdoing he denies,
inside the heathen heights of Hades.
Cerebus, chewing on a shoe is there watching over them too.
Extinguishing all love, hope and faith in the doomed dirt pit;
his eternal remit.
One head for each of those ought to do.
But there's plenty of backup here too.
Everyone's got a job to do,
inside the heathen heights of Hades
All souls bought with His blood, to be ageless heavenly angels.
Now their pain tells of the error of their ways,
Looking on the One they betray;
And together they say,
"Send us a second Son please!
Save us from the heathen heights of Hades!"
"No can do, He was the only One.
He was sent to warn, but you chose to adorn
with scorn and Jerusalem thorn.
So now you're reborn as babies of Hades;
No ifs, buts or maybes.
Your souls' sacred shelters are torn,
For your loss the saints do mourn.
And with Tartarus' triumph your part of paradise does perish,
a place a true believer would cherish"
His words echo, slow;
A parting blow, for those below,
inside the heathen heights of Hades.
And one by one we didn't heed the call,
as paradise vanishes for us all;
into a demonic daze, with our souls ablaze;
to be languishing lights for the heathen heights of Hades.
Yes, paradise vanishes for us all.
The rivers of Eden run dry, from the Tigris to the Euphrates.
And all that’s left are the heathen heights of Hades.