A World Without Corners Lyrics
A World Without Corners
You’ve pushed me backwards just as far as I can go
There’s no more air
Not even a chair
But from where I stand there’s nothing left to know
I have no doubt
The only way is out
The sovereign bird has flown
The tiger’s free to roam
The spider weaves its home all alone
In a world without corners
You like to think that you’ve been messing with my head
My eyes are closed
You seem composed
But there’s something else you’ve given me instead
Beyond these walls
Where shadows fall
The salmon swims upstream
The lion lives the dream
The princely peacock preens blue and green
In a world without corners
Infinite fences to the left and right
Clouds that never rise
My kingdom come’s begun
To wither in my eyes
A cup of tea to contemplate
The poison of your lies
Time and tide won’t wait for me
To whisper my goodbyes
If I allow myself the daydream that’s been brewed
You won’t see me
I could be free
I’ve known you long enough, it’s time you came unglued
You amateur
Next time I’ll be your saboteur
The dolphin rides the wave
The grizzly leaves its cave
We could be bold and brave, we’d be saved
In a world without corners.
Bittersweet Rain
How can you see what can’t be seen?
There’s a hole in the river where your body has been
You walk the banks, the rocks, the green
Looking for clues like in a mystery scene
How do you hear what can’t be heard?
The healing song is like a distant bird
And every sound is just a made-up word
The whole scenario is so absurd
Walk on, you walk on
That’s what you do
The Bittersweet Rain will only fortify you
Walk on, you walk on
There’s no other way
‘Cause if you stop you start to fade away
Is that a light coming out of the fog?
A glowing ember from the shadowy bog
Can’t find the flea in the hair of the dog
A burning flame never touches the log
Walk on, you walk on
Whatever you do
The Bittersweet Rain will only fortify you
Walk on, you walk on
There’s no other way
‘Cause if you stop you start to fade away
There’s a Name For It
I used to sing about long ago
I had no words to share
Stars in my eyes, day after day
Had to hang on to something there
I heard the whispers all in my ear
Waited for words to share
Talk to myself, every day
Every second, everywhere
There’s a name for it
When you’re too young for it
You can aim for it
Or just get over it
I used to think about moving on
I had no words to share
Run from my life, day after day
Thought I had all that I could bear
There’s a name for it
When you’re too young for it
You can aim for it
Or just get over it
This moment is the one moment
This time is for all time
Water
They say our bodies are mostly water
But I am thirsty
And I’m drowning in the shapelessness of the air
Can I swim in you?
Your sea is blue
And warm to go through
Fill me up with just a drop of water
How can our bodies be mostly water?
‘Cause when I spring a leak
And I stumble in the puddles I helped to pour
The desert cries
With arid eyes
And I am surprised
By the quenching from a drop of water
They say our bodies are mostly water
And so is the world
With all the mysteries far beneath its sky-kissed shell
And we will pray
In our own way
Imagine what we’d say
If we were floating in a drop of water
Take the Boat Out
Constellation of pine trees
Hemlock and spruce
On pillows of granite
That bolster the roots
A whisper of water
Sunset to sunrise
Embracing the primal
The old and the wise
Caught up in the tide pool of empathy and age
Mapping through the wilderness that rises from the page
I take the boat out
A moment, a movement
The still and the sound
A heartbeat that echoes
I’m lost and I’m found
A simple surrender
The fire and the dust
Today and forever
In love with the trust
Winding with the reedy river, knee deep in the day
Dreaming of the estuary that feeds the lonely bay
I take the boat out
Push off from the shore
Feel the whispers carry me
As much in control as I am at its mercy
Fruitless to ignore
The infinite humanity
Alone with the wild of the call
What happens, the homefront?
Concrete and steel
Forgotten the water
That knows how I feel
Beginning the lesson
The wrong and the right
The search for tomorrow
The pull of the light
Hold my breath and count to ten
Choose what to live for
When the sun comes ‘round again
I’ll open up the door
And take the boat out
Write You
Could I deal the right card
Could I play in your yard
Could I stand on guard
Over you
Would I eat from the dust
Would I strip off the rust
Would I imperil your trust
In me
I’ll sing you to sleep
And write you a love song
I know it’s hard to believe
I’ll write you a love song
There’s no guarantee
But it’s easy to see
It’s you and it’s me
In the heart of this love song
Could I drink from your smile
Could I sway and beguile
Could I once in a while
Just stay
Should I hold onto your hand
Should I draw a line in the sand
Should I hope you understand
My way
I’ll sing you to sleep
And write you a love song
Now you can believe
I’ll write you a love song
There’s no guarantee
But it’s easy to see
It’s you and it’s me
In the heart of this love song
Over the Fence
The sky is clear
That’s all I see from over here
If I look around
I’m seeing things I’ve always found
Greener grass
Brighter tiles
Bigger lives with bigger smiles
The sky is blue
It’s the same one hanging over you
And it’s no surprise
I’m seeing things with my own eyes.
Look where I’ve been
I’ve travelled miles
Same old shit just different piles
Over the fence
In between the past and present tense
Think it over
Look it over
Over the fence
The sky is wide
It seems to wrap around the whole outside
But in my mind
It’s a fitting end to what I find
A simple man
Subjective style
The sky this side is well worthwhile
Over the fence
Could it be a scene that makes more sense
Think it over
Look it over
Over the fence
I’ve been dreaming
And I’ve been flying
To where the mountains meet the sky
Lazy
Call me lazy if you think I need to hear it
I’ve been called worse by better men
Call me crazy but I think you’ve lost the spirit
Call me lazy
You can say that again
Sarah ran a marathon
Said she did it just for fun
Mona wrote a novel
Now she’s working on another one
My cousin makes a dozen deals
Before he has his toast
He’s on the road to CEO
But it’s no reason to boast
They can do what they want to do
If it satisfies their soul
A man amounts to nothing
If he’s never been in a hole
So call me lazy if you think I need to hear it
I can’t believe you’ve never been
Call me crazy but I think you’ve lost the spirit
Call me lazy
You can say that again
Silas joined the circus
Walks the tightrope on his hands
Rudy took Mount Fuji
Now he’s playing in a bigger band
My brother made another million
Hardly ever sleeps
His bank account is handsome
But his face gives me the creeps
They can say what they want to say
If they think they’re in control
Just stop and take a breather
Or it will always take its toll
Call me lazy if you think I need to hear it
I’ll close my eyes and count to ten
Call me crazy but I think you’ve lost the spirit
Call me lazy
You can say that again
A tidal wave might rise above
The bottom feeders, the living cheaters
If lazy is as lazy does
You know you’ll find me loving lazy
What I’ve Wanted All Along
If a cloud can be a dragon or the wings of a gull
If its shadow on the water is both affluent and dull
If a grain of sand’s a planet and each planet just a grain
If the rain can be a parable for happiness or pain
Then why can’t a smile just be a smile
A word a word
A song a song?
Why can’t I gather what I’ve wanted all along?
If the mirrors of my memory can paralyse and pierce
If a millionth of a second can be heartbreakingly fierce
If a twinkle of an eye can lead to savagery or worse
If the only thing I’ve lifted from my past has been the curse
Then why can’t a rose just be a rose
A touch a touch
A song a song?
Why can’t I gather what I’ve wanted all along?
If a dislocated melody can sabotage the day
If a Whitman or a Hemingway can tear your soul away
If someone holds the secrets to the infinite domain
If they keep it to themselves before they pour it down the drain
Then why can’t a wave just be a wave
A tear a tear
A song a song?
Why can’t I gather what I’ve wanted all along?
The Scaffold
From the first day, a little wink, a gentle hug
Holding hands like you’re walking a dog
Two pages back to back in the same book
Snicker and blink while you’re sharing a look
He acts his age on the stage
It’s a kind of shadowy cage
In the wings while he sings
‘Cause you’re chasing the brass ring
Holding on
Do you believe?
It keeps rolling on like a melody
A few years later, turn the card, laugh out loud
Two of a kind while you’re one of the crowd
What can you say at the end of the day? ‘You’ll be fine.
You go your way. I’ll go mine.’
Far away amid the fray
You’re a part in a different play
There’s something there when you stare
Maybe it’s not fair
Holding on
Do you believe?
It goes up and down like a melody
Everything will feel much better now
Comes a time that you’ve forgotten now
Here today to greet tomorrow
The one thing you could always settle for
Reincarnated, a single night, the time is right
See what you missed in a particular kiss
Once in a lifetime, a second chance, hand in glove
Two of a kind like you’re falling in love
It’s a scene from the screen
Now you know what a family means
You’re growing old but it’s gold
Now you’re building your scaffold
Holding on
You’ve got to believe
It keeps rolling on like a melody
All songs Copyright © Jon Magidsohn 2019