something new
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
In the back of this old wagon, headed into town
Can't see where I'm going, only where I've been
The Old Man thinks the marketplace is the answer to our prayers
He's abandoned his convictions; he's too proud to even care
CHORUS
Something out there's calling me; I can hear it in the rain
There's more to life than what I've known; more than death and pain
I won't wait forever; I won't wait for you
'Cause I can feel it in the lightning and it feels like something new
The Old Man thinks I'm crazy
Says my head's up in the clouds
But he stopped dreaming years ago
And I won't be like him
CHORUS
Something out there's calling me; I can hear it in the rain
There's more to life than what I've known; more than death and pain
I can't help believing; I can't say the same for you
But I can hear it in the thunder and it sounds like something new
CHORUS
Well, something out there's calling me; I can hear it in the rain
There's more to life than what I've known; more than death and pain
You can keep your anger; you can keep all the money, too
'Cause there's something moving up ahead and it looks like something new
David Simpkins: Acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Doug Bickel: Piano, Hammond B3
Brian Bunn & Josh Reedy: Backing vocals
Rick Krajnyak: Electric guitar
Nick Ours: Pedal steel guitar
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
take me down
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
Old Man stares out a window at the rain
Roll a cigarette, spill tobacco on the floor
Old Woman sighs at the ruins of her hands
Remembering a ring and a handsome young beau
Old House creaks like a wet rope pullin'
Down a dead tree in a rusty backyard
Old pain cries like a pump drips water
On boards stained grey like the heavens above
Young Man grabs for the shiny brass ring
Livin' for today, just livin' for the money
Young Woman cries in the silence of the night
Wonderin' what happened to the man she knew
Black Dog scufflin' in the shadows of an alley
White Dog lookin' for a quick way out
Rich Man ridin' in the back of a limo
Poor Man hopin' that the sun won't rise
CHORUS
Let the end come soon, let the devil take me down
Let the end come soon, oh let the devil take me down
Some folks say there's a land of milk and honey
At the end of the rainbow just over that hill
Some folks say you can't trust nobody
Got to take what you want, got to get all you can
CHORUS
David Simpkins: Electric rhythm guitar, lead vocal
Kathy Acosta: Backing vocals
Doug Bickel: Hammond B3
Rick Krajnyak: Electric lead guitar
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
half a dozen lies
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
I wrote a pure pop masterpiece but the radio won't play it
They say I'm not angry and tough; they say I'm not hurting enough
I've got a message on my lips; I can't find the right words to say it
Forgive me for caring so much; forgive me for craving your touch
CHORUS
Half a dozen lies that I've been telling
Half a dozen lies say I'm not willing to tell you the truth
I took a page from the Book of Love; never thought I'd live to regret
it
I opened your door with a trick; my scales were shiny and slick
And when tomorrow comes again, I'll tell myself to forget it
There's no sense in breaking your heart; no need to tear you apart
CHORUS
Half a dozen lies that keep you from knowing
Half a dozen lies that keep me from showing my real self to you
BRIDGE
I don't know what to do with myself
I don't know what to do about you
CHORUS
Half a dozen lies that keep you from knowing
Half a dozen lies (I swear I won't hurt you)
Half a dozen lies that keep me from showing my real self to you
David Simpkins: Acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Kathy Acosta: Backing vocals
Doug Bickel: Piano, Hammond B3
Rick Krajnyak: All electric guitars
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
commandment eleven
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
At the edge we watch the water drift beneath the bridge
that never seems to reach the other side and never quite remembers
Have we passed this way before -- or is it someone else's dream
that keeps us living out our lives in this eternal void?
If it's freedom we're seeking, then we're blind to the river
If it's justice we're lacking, then we must blame ourselves
I sat down to write you something; anything instead of nothing
I decided not to fake it and tell you everything I feel
As I tried a laugh or two in place of all this sorrow
The paper burst into a flame and burned away my lies
If it's penance I'm seeking, then I'm lost to the ages
If it's wisdom I'm lacking, then I must blame myself
CHORUS
The Eleventh Commandment is the one that I'm breaking
I'm in deep contemplation of the water below
I've been sponging up the knowledge
I've been keeping up my reading
I've been sponging, I've been reading
Try to read my mind
If you can't see the teardrops, then you're missing the message
If you can't hear the heartbreak, then you must blame yourself
CHORUS (last line four times)
David Simpkins: Acoustic & electric rhythm guitars, lead vocal
Kathy Acosta: Harmony vocal
Doug Bickel: Hammond B3
Rick Krajnyak: Electric lead guitar
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
window
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
I opened up the window; early morning light
The distance to the ground below was a heartbeat
Instead, I dropped my favorite again and again and again
My footsteps on the stairs were soft echoes in the silence
of a house that was no home; of a room without a door;
of a smile that held no kindness or a sound worth listening for...
I was feeding on your frenzy; I danced your drunkard's waltz
I bounced from wall to wall in my madness
Soft hand on a stormy brow; cool touch and a whisper
If I was asking too much -- if I was saying it wrong --
you never told me; you were silent
In a house that was no home; in a room without a door;
With a smile that held no kindness or a sound worth listening for...
If I should die... (before I wake)
Will someone miss me? Will someone cry?
Maybe I'll come back here someday and I'll burn this place to the ground
'Cause when I least expect it; when I'm not prepared
I'm right back at that window and I catch my breath in the silence
of a house that is no home; of a room without a door;
of a smile that holds no kindness or a sound worth listening for...
And when I die... (my soul to take)
David Simpkins: Acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Kathy Acosta: Backing vocals
Doug Bickel: Piano
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
after glory
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
In time, the best of all these visions go dark and cold into the ground
Convinced that someone guessed the secret
reborn and blessed in hallowed sound
You wear it like a uniform - a soldier standing proud
And blind to strings and fascinations, you kneel down
The fear of death and purgatory carves out a smile on your face
Precious and chasing after glory
desperate to secure some kind of place
Enraptured by the hate inside - captured by the guilt
Following a voice that isn't speaking ... and never will
CHORUS
Judgment for judgment; who has the power?
Passion for passion; late is the hour
Content to hide behind the thunder
and sparkle of theatrics from the stage
Frightened of a sense of wonder
Thankful for the safety of your cage
Remember how it used to be? Remember what you said
when faith and trust were more than voices in your head?
CHORUS TWICE
David Simpkins: Acoustic rhythm guitar, harmonica, lead vocal
Scott Fore: Acoustic lead guitar, banjo
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
positively polk street
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
I should cut my losses while the cutting's good
I've invested far too much of my time
It feels like I have never seen this place before
No one here can say I didn't try
I'm protected, I'm covered, I'm safe
You don't need me to tell you where the money's hid
You don't need me to tell another lie
You've got so many options you don't know where to turn
And every one is better than a future at my side
You're a loner, a winner, my brother -- and you're gone
You found a way to lose and that's your perfect crime
I will always know your secret fear
You go on pretending that you're above it all
I am just the chain that keeps you here
We're faithless, we're shallow, we're grown (three times)
And we're wrong
David Simpkins: All guitars, lead vocal
Doug Bickel: Hammond B3
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
from baltimore
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
Drivin' down this rainswept highway, just a little past midnight
I'm distracted by the passing cars and the distant city lights
But I can't seem to get it out of my head, how she walked away from me
I'm just outside of Baltimore but the past won't let me be
BRIDGE ONE
The highway cries, the wipers sigh, and the rain might never end
The road twists and turns and the memories burn
and I'm losing my way again
It's been at least a year or more since she said goodbye
I wonder if she still thinks of me, if she'd give me one more try
Sometimes I feel so certain, most times I have my doubts
A few more miles to Baltimore and I still can't sort it out
BRIDGE TWO
The highway cries, the wipers sigh, and the rain won't ever end
I lost my nerve on that long sweeping curve
and I'm on the road again
The morning sun was blinding me so now I'm headed west
Something said keep running, do the thing that you do best
I guess I'll keep on driving until my wheels run out of road
A thousand miles from Baltimore and a million more to go
David Simpkins: Acoustic rhythm guitar, lead vocal
Doug Bickel: Piano
Nick Ours: Pedal steel guitar
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
promise me
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
And when the dust has cleared and the long road ahead is waiting
I'll take stock of what I've gained and what I've lost
If I can hold you in my arms where nothing can harm you
I will pay the price of love no matter the cost
CHORUS
Shake me up, break me down, make me listen
Show me all my limitations, tell me no lies
Take my heart, take my mind, take all my possessions
But promise me, promise me, promise me you'll stay by my side
BRIDGE
Can I count on your love
to show me the way through the darkness?
Can I count on your love
to show me the way to the light?
'Cause on the streets tonight there's an endless parade of the hopeless
Locked into a life of pain and unending fear
In my arms, you're safe from all of those sorrows
Nothing can hurt you, nothing can touch you if you'll stay right here
CHORUS
David Simpkins: Acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Kathy Acosta: Backing vocals
Doug Bickel: Piano, Hammond B3
Rick Krajnyak: All electric guitars
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
all because of you
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
I threw the watch and rings off the old New River bridge;
I hid the rest in secret all along the river ridge
It's righteous to be faithful; precious to be true
It's everything or nothing and it's all because of you
I watched her hide herself behind a brand new fancy dan
A mile-a-minute talker and an ace at sleight-of-hand
His cards were on the table; a joker up his sleeve
I could have called his bluff but then she motioned me to leave
All because of you; all because of you
CHORUS
All hail the winner; to the victor goes the prize
Notice how the trophy has tears in her eyes
It's too late for a rescue; it's too late for that now
She's drifting down the river with a hole clean through the bow
She says it's what she wanted; she says it's heaven-sent
She says she can't remember where her sense of humor went
All because of you; all because of you
CHORUS
BRIDGE
I must have been crazy; I must have been mad
I must have been crazy; I must have been mad
CHORUS (TWICE)
All because of you; all because of you ...
David Simpkins: Acoustic & electric rhythm guitar, cowbell, lead
vocal
Doug Bickel: Hammond B3
Jiminy & the Wicked Wilson Crickett: Backing vocals
Rick Krajnyak: Electric tremolo guitar, lead guitar
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
the consumer
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
Perfect set-up, perfect crime; no one here's the wiser
A hand in the pocket of a pastry chef; a stolen appetizer
I'm holding out for the main course, baby
I'm the one with the hollow leg
I'll wait around until the table's cleared
but you'll never see me beg
'Cause I'm the one who gets his way; I'm the consumer
Counting all the redheads in the park; they serve as a reminder
of disposable victims in a throw-away world
I suppose your way was kinder
The proof's in the pudding and the pudding's been stirred
and left out on the ground
Some guy back there with a rusty knife
is pleased with what he's found
'Cause he's the one who's needs are met; he's the consumer
CHORUS
I'm in a hurry, haven't got much time
There's a meeting behind this door
I'm not mistaken and I'm not wrong
It's you they're waiting for
'Cause you're the consumer
Condense it, pal, 'cause I'm on the run
Got no time for the printed page
Serve it up on video, don't waste time
I'm the king of this modern age
Just give me the highlights, the exciting stuff
and skip all the boring parts
I've got a presentation at a half past three
and I'm just waiting for the fun to start
'Cause I'm the one who calls the shots; I'm the consumer
CHORUS
David Simpkins: All guitars, lead vocal
Kathy Acosta & Britt Mistele: Backing vocals
Doug Bickel: Piano, Hammond B3
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums
lighthouse
© 2004 David Simpkins ASCAP
Restless eyes; another night and nothing comes
Laughing fool; the room reflects in broken glass
I believe I'm chasing shadows, lost so many times before
Inspiration from a bottle should have caught me up by now
Empty words written madly in the dark
Candle flame draws a circle on the wall
Fear comes crowding 'round the table; hear the echoes from the past
Act as if it never mattered; turn my face away again
CHORUS
Feel the hours pass in numbers
Know the darkness of the soul
Turn to any sound that beckons
Reach for any hand that holds
Twisted moon fading into morning light
Slate grey sky; watercolor washed in tears
The ocean blushes full of secrets; hidden spirals one by one
Lighthouse waiting by the water reveals the dreams I've locked inside
CHORUS TWICE
David Simpkins: Acoustic guitar, lead vocal
Doug Bickel: Piano
Alan Weinstein: Cello
Dylan Locke: Bass
George Penn: Drums