Bright as Babylon
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"GRACE OF GOD"
I was walking down on Main Street,
late one cold December night
When a shadow man approached me
underneath the corner light
His clothes were torn and tattered
and his eyes had lost their shine,
But I recognized that old school friend of mine.
He lost his home and all he owned
when they closed the factory down
He lost his wife and family when the bottle came around,
He lost his faith, he lost his hope, he lost his sense of pride,
I say there but for the Grace of God go I.
There but for the Grace of God go I,
And today may bring you fortune, and tomorrow pass you by,
I cant’ always help my brother, but I’m bound at least to try,
I know there but for the Grace of God go I.
When I see the senseless suffering every night on my T.V.,
The corruption, and the violence, and the inhumanity,
See the wrath of mother nature, hear the hungry children cry,
I say there but for the Grace of God go I.
There but for the Grace of God go I,
And the world can turn around you in the blinking of an eye ........
And when I see my children sleeping safely in their beds,
I get down upon my knees and prayers of thanks are said,
Then I think of all the lost and lonely souls along the way,
And I pray there’s something I can do,
to lift them up, to help them through,
To give them hope to face another day .....
We are all God’s chosen people in some great eternal plan,
And we touch the heart of Heaven when we help our fellow man
If we’re judged by our compassion in that great, sweet by and by,
I hope there but through the grace of God go I.
There but through the Grace of God go I,
And I hope to find a home up in that Mansion in the Sky .....
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“BRIGHT AS BABYLON”
We’ll be burning Bright as Babylon, Spirit shining on,
Won’t you come along when we all go home (2x)
Brothers and Sisters, there’s just one world for all,
Frightened and fragile, highly vulnerable,
God in his Heaven, looking down on you,
Waiting to help you, but you must help each other too,
And we’ll be burning .....
Bright as Babylon .....
Brothers and Sisters, are you blind to the pain,
Heartache and hunger, tears are falling like rain,
Look to the Heavens, if and when you do,
After the tempest, they’ll be a rainbow passing through,
And we’ll be burning .....
Bright as Babylon ......
Going home, where the lion and the lamb shall lay in peace,
Going home, where the burden of our hearts shall be released,
Let us go .......
And we’ll be burning ......
Bright as Babylon ......
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“DRAWN TO THE FLAME”
Let me tell you a story, ‘bout a man I know,
Gave his heart to a woman, who was dark and cold,
Bet his fame and fortune, in a losing game,
He was burned by the fire, but he’s Drawn to the Flame.
The want of a woman, makes a man unwise,
One promise of pleasure, is worth a thousand lies,
All his worldly wisdom, can’t control the game,
He was burned by the fire, but he’s Drawn to the Flame.
Flames of desire can fan the fire,
Burn you down to the bone,
Moth to the candle, too hot to handle,
But he just can’t leave it alone.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam had a home,
God made him a woman, she turned his love light on,
‘Till that sweet temptation, shot him down in shame,
He was burned by the fire, but he’s Drawn to the Flame.
Flames of desire .......
King Herod the ancient, didn’t stand a chance,
When the daughter of evil, she did her deadly dance,
Gave his wealth and kingdom, drove that man insane,
He was burned by the fire, but he’s Drawn to the Flame.
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"LONDON RAIN"
Lady went to London on a golden airplane,
Checked into a hotel under someone else's name,
And I don't know where to find her,
And I don't know what I'd say,
When I close my eyes I can see her
walkin' in that London Rain,
London Rain, like a river raging 'round me,
London Rain, like a tempest on the Thames,
I need that girl beside me, and it drives me insane,
And the California sunshine feels like London Rain.
Lady went to Dublin on St. Paddy's day,
Walkin' through the green grass
where her granddaddy played,
As she dances down through the cobble stones
like an angel on display,
Does she hear the cry of a kindred heart
beating half-a-world away,
London Rain .........
It was early in the morning when the telegram came,
Lady's gone to Paris, gonna' paint by the Seine,
She said, "I don't know what I'm looking for,
and I don't know what I'll find,
And the price you pay for freedom
is the love you leave behind"
London Rain .........
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“NEXT STOP, NASHVILLE”
All my life I’ve been on the road,
Playin’ my guitar from show to show,
Livin’ my life out in a song from coast to coast,
New York, Memphis, and Muscle Shoals,
L.A., Atlanta, and that Detroit Soul,
But now I’m bound for the town
where the music means the most.
Next stop, Nashville, I’m hitting the road today,
Gotta’ thousand songs to play,
And I know I can make it there,
Bye Bye L.A., I’m heading down to Tennessee,
Gotta’ dream waiting there for me.
Now it’s Nashville all the way,
Next stop, Nashville.
Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Hall,
Living legends standing ten feet tall,
The sounds of America, playin’ everywhere you go,
Don’t need boots or a cowboy hat,
Folks down there, they’re smarter than that,
Well, they know what they like when
they hear it and they tell you so.
Next stop, Nashville, Music City U.S.A. .......
They’re pickin’ and a’ singin’ and a’
dancin’ and a’ swingin’ up a storm,
From the early, early evening to the wee, wee
hours of the morn’ ..... Rock On, Nashville ......
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“THE HARDER I TRY”
I sat down and wrote you a letter,
I said every thing on my mind.
I gave you my blessing, there’ll be no regressing,
I’m leaving the heartache behind,
I read through it over and over again,
Fighting back tears from my eyes.
There’ll be no pretending, no fairy tale ending,
It’s finally over this time.
Angels may play in my heart someday,
Or the Devil may take it all,
The harder I try to forget about you,
The deeper in love I fall.
I drank some Commemorativo,
In our favorite old watering hole,
I started to talk with the boys in the band,
Confession is good for the soul,
They said that they saw you last Saturday night,
You were laughing with somebody new,
My head said it’s time to get on with my life,
But my heart said my whole life is you.
Angels may play .......
Love’s a game of joy and pain,
You get no guarantee,
And prayers, and spells, and wishing wells,
Won’t bring her back to me .....
I go out with friends on weekends,
I dance with a lady or two,
Their sweet smiling faces, their eager embraces,
They only remind me of you,
I’ll never have you to hold in the night,
Or taste of your sweet lips again,
I’ll live instead with a ghost in my bed,
And memories of what might have been.
Angels may play ...........
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“SAVING GRACE”
Oh, won’t you be my Saving Grace,
Into your arms my heart I’ll place,
I’ll live and die in your dear embrace,
The Sweet Salvation of your Saving Grace.
Oh, I’ve been around the world a time or two,
But I never knew what love was
‘till the day that I found you,
A gentle soul who loves me through and through,
I was out there on my own,
Now I’m right where I belong, darlin’ .....
Won’t you be my Saving Grace .....
You know, the love between a woman and a man,
It’s like a little piece of Heaven
you can hold right in your hand,
You look into her eyes, she understands,
I don’t have to say a word,
‘Cause her heart’s already heard, darlin’ .....
Won’t you be my Saving Grace .....
No more nights of solitaire,
Staying up and staring at the ceiling.
Even in the darkest night,
Love is burning brightly all around me,
I’m so glad you found me .....
Your Saving Grace, unchained my heart,
My tears and fears, erased,
True love’s a safe and sacred place,
The Sweet Salvation of your Saving Grace.
Save a little grace for someone,
Spread a little love around ya',
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“GARDEN OF GOLD”
I am Chico Mendez, a poor simple man,
A proud Serenquero, a child of the land,
My home is Brasilia, The Great Emerald Sea,
On land handed down from my father to me
We gather our treasures with love and with care,
So each generation may take of it’s share,
But some come to plunder the wealth they behold,
They sell out their soul for a Garden of Gold.
High in the heavens, the flame dances on
Who’ll bare the blame when the fire is gone?
Sins of the Fathers will finally unfold,
Paradise lost, in the Garden of Gold.
The wealthy rancheros are set in their way,
They level the land so their cattle may graze,
They pay pistoleros to drive us away,
United we stand, and united we stay!
High in the heavens .......
“Quando yo te via, profunamente rompistas mi corazon”
A blast from a shotgun explodes in the night,,
They orphan my children, they widow my wife,
They silence my voice, but the truth will be told,
We all pay a price for the Garden of Gold.
And now that my spirit has risen and gone,
I leave as my legacy one final song,
For those who destroy for the sake of their wealth,
You steal from God’s grace, and you steal from yourself.
High in the heavens .......
“Quando yo te via, profunamente rompistas mi corazon”
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“SANIBEL”
There’s a ship, and it sails a sea of light,
On it’s way to me tonight, from a distant shore,
Taking me home once more,
And the waves, and the whistle of the wind,
Makes me come alive again,
My destiny at my door.
Gonna’ leave this town forever,
And go where I never need an overcoat no more,
Where they cry ........
Ooo La La La La .......every night, every day,
Sitting by the Gulf Coast, just a thousand miles away,
Ooo La La La La ....... on an isle I will dwell,
Star lit nights in Paradise, on the isle of Sanibel.
There’s a girl, and I see her dressed in white,
As she lies there in the night, I can hear her cry,
Where has he gone and why?
But she knows, that someday he will arrive,
And it keeps her love alive,
Her dream will never die.
She looks across the ocean,
For sails in motion in the early morning sky,
Where they cry .......
Ooo La La La la ..........
Angels of the waters, sirens of the seas,
Whispering their sweet love songs,
Calling out to me,
What a sweet, sweet, melody,
They cry ......
Ooo La La La La ........
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“THE MAN BEHIND THE MAN”
I am a modern minstrel, a traveling troubadour,
I’ve sung my song from town to town, for twenty years or more,
I’ve played in halls and honky tonks, in bars and rodeos,
But standing in the shadows, there’s a face nobody knows,
The man who books the cars and planes
and rooms in every town,
He wrangles the equipment, calls the lights, and mixes sound,
He works the longest hours, but he gives his heart and soul,
He’s the man behind the music, he’s the rock that makes it roll.
You may not be the hero, you may not be the star,
But you’ll always be the man behind the man behind the guitar.
You don’t live in the spotlight, you’re not known near and far,
But you’ll always be the man behind the man behind the guitar.
Nerves of steel behind the wheel in ice and blinding snow,
Through driving rains and hurricanes, we never missed a show,
In times of doubts and dangers, I’d just say a prayer or two,
And between the Lord and my main man
we’d always make it through.
You may not be the hero .......
And when the world’s a boulder that my shoulder cannot bare,
He’s the one to talk me down, soul confessor, circus clown,
Finest fan and friend around, he makes me well aware,
The magic of the music keeps us here.
And when I get to Heaven, I won’t worry ‘bout a thing,
There’s bound to be a smiling face awaiting in the wings,
To hand me off a cold one, and a guitar that’s in tune,
And I’ll join the angels choir while my buddy mixes the room.
You may not be the hero .........
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“SHINE ON”
Are there times when you feel that the world is unreal,
And it’s just an illusion of pain?
And you try all you can, but you don’t understand,
There are signs all around you to guide you along,
So hold up your head and Shine On.
Shine On, through the darkness,
Shine On, through the rain,
There’s a light at the end of the line,
Hang on to a meaning,
Hold on through the pain,
Rise up and Shine On again.
When the fires inside have dwindled and died,
And you loose all your will to go on,
There’s a word, and a song, that’ll help you along,
Though your castles come tumbling down from the skies,
We’ll build them up by and by.
Shine On, through the darkness,
Shine On, through the rain,
There’s a light at the end of the line,
Hang on to a meaning,
Hold on through the pain,
Rise up and Shine On again.
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“IT’S ABOUT THE LORD”
The city streets are crowded, and the snow is on the ground,
And the lights they hung on Main Street can be seen for miles around,
The storefront window’s filled with endless things that we can buy,
And it seems we can’t afford them all, but feel we have to try,
Well, these are things we all can do without,
So cherish and remember what the season’s all about,
It’s about the Coming of the Lord,
It’s about the Birth of a Savior,
It’s a Celebration of the World,
Living in a Heavenly Behavior,
It’s about God’s Eternal Plan,
It’s about the Brotherhood of Man,
It’s about a Dream Restored,
It’s about the Lord.
It’s early Christmas morning, and we gather ‘round the tree,
And the brightly colored presents are a sight for all to see,
We listen to the laughter of our children as they play,
And the miracle in Bethlehem seems oh, so far away,
But teach them all the meaning of that day,
When God sent down his Sacred Son
To take our sins away.
It’s about the Coming of the Lord .............
It’s about the Lord ............
From a virgin birth, the Prince of Peace on Earth,
Praise the baby boy, sing it out with joy,
Every sister and brother, learning how to love one another,
Everybody livin’ free, singing out in harmony,
In one, sweet, perfect, chord .........
It’s about the Coming of the Lord .............
It’s about the Lord ................
Gonna’ sing the glory, of the Gospel story,
From a virgin birth, the Prince of Peace on Earth,
Praise the baby boy, sing it out with joy,
The little baby Jesus, he came down to free us.
.......... AMEN
