DAN MAY

 

BEACON LYRICS    
©2014 All Words and Music by Dan May.    
Except * - Words by Dan May.  Music by Dan May and Tom Hampton

1. DRAGGING THAT CHAIN *  
    

You hear thunder rolling

Over your head

You feel lightning under your skin

And the wolves are howling there at your door

Though you’ve seen ‘em before 

You keep lettin’ them in

 

Run rabbit

Out in the woods

Dodging shots from the duck blind

And the bloodhounds they caught scent of your trail

And they’re hot on your tail

But you really you don’t mind

 

CHORUS

Abel turned the tables somehow

And killed his brother Cain

Your shackle’s good and loose now

Would you care to explain

Why you’re still dragging that chain?

 

VERSE 2

There’s a road that leads you

Out of the dark

But you don’t know where to begin

And the moon lights up the blood on your door

And you’ve seen it before

It’s original sin

 

Just one more

Jack-of-no-trades

Eating crumbs from the bread line

So you tiptoe through the scattering rats

"Cause you’re better than that

And you really don’t mind

 

CHORUS

Abel turned the tables somehow

And killed his brother Cain

Your shackle’s good and loose now

Would you care to explain

Why you’re still dragging that chain?

 

BRIDGE

Link by link

Yard by yard

You don’t have to work so hard

You paid you dues

Man, they cut you loose

 

CHORUS

Abel turned the tables somehow

Killed his brother Cain

The shackle’s good and loose now

Would you care to explain

Why you’re still dragging that chain?

Abel turned the tables somehow
Killed his brother Cain

The shackle’s good and loose now

Would you care to explain

Why you’re still dragging that chain?

 

VERSE THREE

You hear thunder rolling 

Over your head

You feel lightning under your skin


2. CRAWLING TO CLEVELAND

I’ve been spending my nights
Down near Wilshire and Vine
Got a friend there I know
Don’t mind sharing his wine
After passing the bottle 
And singing some songs
He tells me the good days are gone

I’m hoping that maybe he’s wrong

CHORUS
So I’m crawling to Cleveland
And not turning back
With some things that I saved 
In an old cotton sack
Take a right at Sandusky
And follow the Lake
A good place to hide my mistakes
Till I can be a better man

VERSE TWO
I met a girl out in Tulsa
A pretty young thing
She was desperately pawning
Her grandmother’s ring
She was headed out West
In the morning and so
She asked me if I’d like to go

When I think back I should of said no

CHORUS
So I’m crawling to Cleveland
And not turning back
With some things that I saved 
In an old cotton sack
Take a right at Sandusky
And follow the Lake
I'll stay there as long as it takes
Till I can be a better man

BRIDGE
But don’t tell my friends
I’m coming home
They’d only say
They’d always known
They’re still busy stealing my soul

VERSE THREE
We'd been hanging out down there
By Gene Autry’s star
When I fell asleep and she stole my guitar
If a trip back to Tulsa’s the price that it brings
I hope that she does the right thing
‘Cause it sure could use some new strings

CHORUS
So I’m crawling to Cleveland
And not turning back
With some things that I saved 
In an old cotton sack
Take a right at Sandusky
And follow the Lake
I’ll stay there as long as it takes
Till I can
Be a better man

Till I can be a better man

3. VELCRO

I heard Grandad say that day
“Son, hand me down my walkin’ cane"
“With loads of time and miles to go
We can get there if we take it slow”

CHORUS
Underneath the velvet sky
Fate’s riding on the wind tonight
Stick with me and you’ll go far
Like Velcro on a shooting star

VERSE TWO
I knew this girl from Tennessee
She had wavy hair and pearly teeth
I said, “I can’t sing, but I can dance
If you’d only give me half a chance

CHORUS
Underneath the velvet sky
Fate’s riding on the wind tonight
Stick with me and you’ll go far
Like Velcro on a shooting star

BRIDGE
Someone tell me why 
Do the years melt away?
Like winter ice on a warm April day
On a sinking ship 
Holding one paper cup
We can bail like hell
But it’s never enough

VERSE 3
I said to my grandson, “Hey”
“Son, hand me down my walkin’ cane”
“With loads of time and miles to go
We can get there if we take it slow”

CHORUS
Underneath the velvet sky
Fate’s riding on the wind tonight
Stick to me and you’ll go far
Like Velcro on a shooting star

Underneath the velvet sky
Fate’s riding on the wind tonight
Stick to me and you’ll go far
Like Velcro on a shooting star

Just like Velcro on a shooting star


4. EASY

We tried to take Mohammed to the mountain
But he just didn’t want to go
So we’ll just bring the mountain to Mohammed
Nothing’s simple man, you know

CHORUS
Takes a lotta effort 
Takes a lotta time
Takes a lotta insight
Open up your mind

Tell it to the mountains
Sing it to the sea
Listen when I tell you
Nothing good comes easy

VERSE TWO
We tried to build a castle at the seashore
But it just didn’t want to stand
Sometimes what you get, and what you paid for
Is a little different than you planned

CHORUS
Takes a lotta effort 
Takes a lotta time
Takes a lotta insight
Open up your mind

Tell it to the mountains
Sing it to the sea
Listen when I tell you
Nothing good comes easy

BRIDGE
My father said one lesson I should learn
He said son,that you appreciate the things you earn

And I heard

VERSE THREE
Tried to take Mohammed to the mountain
But he just didn’t want to go

CHORUS
Takes a lotta effort 
Takes a lotta time
Takes a lotta insight
Open up your mind

Tell it to the mountains
Sing it to the sea
Listen when I tell you
Nothing good comes easy

Nothing good comes easy

5. BEACON
 
When I was just a kid
A child of maybe three or four
You turned your head
And I went wandering out the kitchen door
Knee-deep in laundry
You lost sight of me for just a spell
I walked to the neighbors 
Then right back, you must have taught me well

CHORUS
That when the shoreline has faded from view
I know I’ll still find my way back to you
You’ve been the lighthouse that I’ve always known
That beacon guiding me home

VERSE TWO
When I was nine or ten
I climbed aboard my bike and said,
“I’m heading West,” you said “OK”
And “Adios, my friend.”

I rode a mile, then did a U-turn
Like a bolt of light
‘Cause I remembered it was Thursday
Your spaghetti night

CHORUS
And when the shoreline has faded from view
I know I’ll still find my way back to you
You’ve been the lighthouse that I’ve always known
That beacon guiding me home

BRIDGE

And I’ve sailed the oceans and all Seven Seas
I’ve been separated by all Six Degrees
When breaking my bones or just skinning my knees
You’ve always been such a comfort to me

VERSE 3
I’m grown up now
And I have children of my own, you know
Lived East and West
But never found that place, my second home
So when I’m troubled
Or I’m lost out in the darkest night
It’s always nice to know
That you left on the front porch light

CHORUS
And when the shoreline has faded from view
I know I’ll still find my way back to you
You been the lighthouse that I’ve always known
Though it’s been ten years since your light has shown
It’s still you, guiding me home

And I’m never too far from home


6. THIS LAND

This land ain't your land, this land ain't my land
Not California, not the New York Island
We'll cut the Redwood forest and choke the Gulfstream Waters
Till we leave nothing for our sons and daughters

CHORUS
We don't own this land, you know
It is borrowed from our children, so
We owe them this, to give our best
To save this world, and nothing less
This land wasn't made for you and me

VERSE 2
As I went driving this ribbon of highway
Where once above us an endless skyway
With billboards rising one after another
Like stolen beauty, my sister and brother

CHORUS
We don't own this land, you know
It is borrowed from our children, so
We owe them this, to give our best
To save this world, and nothing less
This land wasn't made for you and me

Lai lai lai lai lai,
Lai lai lai lai lo

VERSE 2
I hear behind me, approaching footsteps
Soon to be memories, and only silence
The voices echo through empty canyons
And sing our song of reckless abandon

CHORUS
We don't own this land, you know
It is borrowed from our children, so
We owe them this, to give our best
To save this world, and nothing less
We manifested this destiny
But this land wasn't made for you and me

Lai lai lai lai lai,
Lai lai lai lai lo

EPILOGUE
("Can't get enough, keep filling our cup till we use it all up)
(Don't leave nothing at all…"



7. THE LESS WE KNOW

Life is a paper cup
Filled to the brim, but
There's still an ocean we don't see
And love is a grain of sand
Lost in the desert man
A "slip through your fingers"
Memory

CHORUS
Oh, it seemed so simple when
It was all a dream
The more we learn
The less we know, it seems
The less we know
It seems to me
The less we know

VERSE 2
More than a little tired
Caught in the crossfire
I'll take the lead
You cover me
We're in for a bumpy ride
Here on the landslide
When we're just a part 
Of the debris

CHORUS
Oh, it seemed so simple when
It was all a dream
The more we learn
The less we know, it seems
The less we know
It seems to me
The less we know

BRIDGE
And it seems to me
If we build these walls so carefully
When we knock them down
We'll be buried in the rubble now

VERSE 3
Time's never slower than
Watching the clock, man
Each minute an eternity
And love is a sweet song
But it doesn't last long
Sing it again now with me


CHORUS
Oh, it seemed so simple when
It was all a dream
The more we learn
The less we know 

Oh, it seemed so simple when
It was all a dream
The more we learn
The less we know, it seems
The less we know
It seems to me
The less we know

8. DOVE

There
Half a world away there waits a child
Whose eyes are filled with longing, but a smile
Knowing hope, and help are on the way

Here
We hold it in our hands and in our hearts
The power that we have to make a start
Promise made, of hope and better days

CHORUS
On the wings of a dove
We will rise high above
All our differences, so far in the past
Through the eyes of the children
See the bridges we’re building
Hope will find a way
Love will save the day
And peace will last

VERSE 2
Then
We were young and far away from home
Cast into a world we’d never known
In a time, so surreal

Now
There’s a chance to go back and repair
Damage that was done when we were there
Pain we feel, scars we heal

CHORUS
On the wings of a dove
We will rise high above
All our differences, so far in the past
Through the eyes of the children
See the bridges we’re building
Hope will find a way
Love will save the day
And peace will last

BRIDGE
And the chasm that we’re spanning
With peace and understanding
A chance for making right
What once was wrong

Friendship that will give us
Solace and forgiveness
And bonds we hope will last
Forever strong

CHORUS
On the wings of a dove
We will rise high above
All our differences, so far in the past

And the fences we’re mending
With the message we’re sending
Hope will find a way
Love will save the day
And peace will last

Hope will find a way
Love will save the day

And peace will last



9. MAGPIE 
                          
Holly gets her blackberries fresh as can be
Apples, ripe and juicy from the top of the tree
Chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, pecan
Lime custard, belt buster, need I go on?

CHORUS
Magpie, Magpie 
Holly's got the Magpie
A slice of heaven, I guarantee
Magpie, Magpie
Gotta love the Magpie
Take a bite and you will agree
With me

VERSE TWO
She heard a voice call from the back of her mind
"Girl, you got The Gift, leave your old life behind."
"Down on South Street's your place in the sun."
"A rock solid promise, if you build it, they'll come…"

CHORUS
To Magpie, Magpie 
Holly's got the Magpie
A slice of heaven, I guarantee
Magpie, Magpie
Gotta love the Magpie
Take a bite and you will agree
With me

INTERLUDE
Take a little sugar, take a little flour
Crack some eggs, bake half an hour
Take a little sugar, take a little flour
Pixie dust and magic power

BRIDGE
I want it sweet (I want it savory)  3X
Give it to me
Give it to me
I want it sweet (I want it savory) 3X
Give it to me
Give it to me

CHORUS
Magpie, Magpie 
Holly's got the Magpie
A slice of heaven, I guarantee
Magpie, Magpie
Gotta love the Magpie
Take a bite and you will agree

Magpie, Magpie 
Holly's got the Magpie
A slice of heaven, I guarantee
Magpie, Magpie
Gotta love the Magpie
Take a bite and you will agree
With me

(Magpie, Magpie, Holly's got the Magpie)

(Holly...)


10. SOME LOVE  

Some love can break you down

And bring you to your knees

Some love can lock you up 

And throw away the keys

 

Some love’s a swampland

And you’re waist-deep in the mire

Some love will burn you

And consume you in the fire

 

CHORUS

But when love rolls you nice and easy

Like summer, soft and breezy

And you can never get enough

When love will rock you slow and gentle

Warm and sentimental

Fit you like a glove

Then that’s some love

 

VERSE 2 

Some love’s a cinder block

That’s tied around your waist

Some love’s a smorgasbord

But you never get a taste

 

Some love will strangle you

And hang you out to dry

Some love’s a sharp stick

That’ll poke you in the eye

 

CHORUS

But when love rolls you nice and easy

Like summer, soft and breezy

And you can never get enough

When love will rock you slow and gentle

Warm and sentimental

Fit you like a glove

Then that’s some love

 

BRIDGE

It’s not hard

It’s not tough

Throw in the towel when you’ve had enough

Don’t want no part 

Of breaking hearts

In the name of love

 

VERSE 3

Some love will slice you, dice you, marinate you too

With a little fava bean, it’ll make a meal of you

Not trying to scare you, but you know I’ve seen a lot

Any love is good, but then again, well maybe not

 

CHORUS

But when love rolls you nice and easy

Like summer, soft and breezy

And you can never get enough

When love will rock you slow and gentle

Warm and sentimental

Fit you like a glove

Then that’s some love

 

That’s some love

 

(I wouldn’t lie)


11. FAST EDDIE

We'd run down Lawrence and walk down Monroe
We'd hide in the bushes, and nobody'd know
I swear some people are just born to run
Oh, you and me and Jerry, we just weren't the ones

CHORUS
Oh, Fast Eddie
The race just started
And you won already
Oh boys, don't you know
We might as well relax take it slow
We ain't got the wheels to catch Eddie-O

VERSE 2
While old Fast Eddie was running 'round the town
Oh, we'd lay low at my grandmother's house
He'd sprint by and we'd hear him shout
"Hey Dan and Jerry, you guys c'mon out."

CHORUS
Oh, Fast Eddie
The race just started
And you won already
Whoa boys, don't you know
We might as well relax take it slow
We ain't got the wheels to catch Eddie-O

BRIDGE
While Ed wins every race
We're back here in last place
Watching the scenery, nothing to lose
One great view of the back of Ed's shoes

VERSE 3
And we'd run down Lawrence and walk down Monroe
We'd hide in the bushes, and nobody'd know
I swear some people are just born to run
I'm telling you Edward you were the one

CHORUS
Oh, Fast Eddie
The race just started
And you won already
Whoa boys, don't you know
We might as well relax take it slow
We ain't got the wheels to catch Eddie-O
We ain't got the speed to win, place or show

And we ain't got the wheels to catch Eddie-O

Run on Eddie-O


12. MOTHER'S DAY

She wakes again from a restless night
Grabs a cigarette that she doesn’t light
But she likes the way it feels between her lips

Sees the sunlight dawn as she prays for rain
Pours her day-old coffee down the kitchen drain
Like a ticking clock she taps her fingertips

CHORUS
Hums lullabies, she won’t let go
For a daughter somewhere she’ll never know
But proudly held for one day way back when
And the dried up roses on the window sill
And the empty space that she’ll never fill
Silently remind her now and then
That she’ll cry alone on Mother’s Day again

VERSE TWO
She goes to work at the restaurant
With a heavy heart and a ghost that haunts her
Every waking hour of every day

Sees a family laughing in the corner where
She serves them silently, ‘cause she’s not there
Her mind it drifts a thousand miles away

CHORUS
Hums lullabies, she won’t let go
For a daughter somewhere she’ll never know
But proudly held for one day way back when
And the dried up roses on the window sill
And the empty space that she’ll never fill
Silently remind her now and then
That she’ll cry alone on Mother’s Day again

BRIDGE
And she dreams of a place where she can go
With a family of her own
But she wakes up all alone

VERSE 3
Morning after a restless night
Grabs a cigarette that she doesn’t light
But it gives her comfort there between her lips


CHORUS
Hums lullabies, she won’t let go
For a daughter somewhere she’ll never know
But proudly held for one day way back when
And the dried up roses on the window sill
And the empty space that she’ll never fill
Silently remind her now and then

That life is real and love is just pretend

And she’ll cry alone on Mother’s Day again


13.  NOTHIN’

All your life you’ve had nothin’ to lose
You’ve had nothin’ to prove
You’ve had nothin’

You lay your head on a rock while you sleep
And you wake up and think 
You’ll find somethin’

CHORUS
And raise your hand 
If you think that life
Owes us a dime

It don’t

Oh, when all you gave your whole life is nothin’
You get back a whole lotta nothin’

VERSE
You take a knife and peel back your skin
And you look deep within
And find nothin’

Your heart and soul are hollow although
You’d a thought that you would have
Found somethin’

CHORUS
And say “Amen” 
If you thought that life
Gives you a damn

It don't

Oh, when all you gave your whole life is nothin’
You get back a whole lotta nothin’

BRIDGE
And nothin' is what you earn 
With every tie you cut
And bridge you burn
And nothin' is what
You have to show
For everything, you know

Nothin'

Nothin'

All your life you’ve had nothin’ to lose 
You’ve had nothin’ to prove, and you’re nothin’
And I’m nothin’
And we’re nothin’



14. RING AROUND THE ROSIE

What’s the use in trying?
We tried everything
Still the rain pours in
As we drown again
In this loathsome lingering

Way back when we were children

The days were long and sweet

And we’d breathe them in 

As if they’d never end

And life was so complete

 

CHORUS

We’d Ring around the Rosie

And then we’d all fall down

Stare into that big open sky

Then close our eyes and sigh

Bid innocence one last goodbye

 

VERSE TWO

You’re like golden oleander

Swaying in the breeze

Though the beauty’s true

It can poison you

Like it’s slowly killing me

 

Silent and unwilling

To touch the virgin snow

Which, once walked upon

Can’t undone

Like youth, so long ago

 

CHORUS

When we’d Ring around the Rosie

And then we’d all fall down

We'd stare into that big open sky

And watch the world pass by

Bid innocence one last goodbye

 

BRIDGE

Oh, the life we’re leading

So, so incomplete and no,
There’s nothing we can do

 

Oh, not what you wanted

So, the years undaunted go
Not waiting round for you

 

CHORUS

Let’s Ring around the Rosie

And watch it all fall down

We’ll stare into that big open sky

And watch the world pass by

 

We’ll Ring around the Rosie

And then we’ll all fall down

We’ll stare into that big open sky

Then close our eyes and cry

Nothing we can do, but sigh

 

And bid innocence one last goodbye

 

PROLOGUE

What’s the use in trying?

We tried everything

15. THINKING ‘BOUT YOU  

Thinking ‘bout a sad old song
Wondering where the time has gone
When we were young and innocent
And days were heaven sent    
The burden of the passing time
Laying heavy on my mind    
Trying not to
What can I do?
I’m thinking ‘bout you

VERSE TWO
Sally, we were green and gold
Long before our dreams were sold
Fitting like a glove I guess
Forgetting all the rest
And surely as the sun would shine
And wake me up again to find
All I could do 
All the day through
Was think about you

REPEAT CHORUS
Like a lighting bolt of emotion
Or the thunder shaking the sky
Or the North Star over the ocean
Winking its lonely eye
Thinking 'bout a sad old song 
Wondering where the time has gone
Trying not to
What can I do
I'm thinking 'bout

VERSE THREE
The colors of the brightest days
Eventually they fade away
Hear it in your beating chest
Echoes of love I guess

Trying to relive the past 
‘But good times, they never last
Trying not to
But what can I do
I’m thinking ‘bout you

CHORUS
And the emptiness of emotion
And the loneliness of goodbye
Like a full moon over the ocean
Winking its lonely eye
Thinking 'bout a sad old song 
Wondering where the time has gone
Trying not to
What can I do
I'm thinking 'bout

BRIDGE
And I don’t really want to talk about it
After all that we have both been through
And do I think were better off without it?
I doubt it
But we’ve shouted 
Until we were blue 

REPEAT CHORUS
Thinking ‘bout a sad old song
Wondering where the time has gone
Trying not to
What can I do?
Thinking ‘bout you
Trying not to... 

Thinking ‘bout a sad old song