Lyrics (songs alphabetically arranged by title) ©all songs copyright by Chaim Bezalel 2006-2011
Ashkelon
Dancing on the sands
Dancing on the shifting sands
Dancing on the ancient sands of Ashkelon.
Dancing with the past
Swaying with the leaves of grass
Nothing ever lasts, but just moves on
Dancing on the ancient sands of Ashkelon.
Planted on the ground
Reaching for thesky all around
Just the gentle sound of the sea.
Kingdoms rise and fall
Does it really matter at all
One more crumbling wall in history.
Dancing with the past, such mystery.
Dancing in the gate
Where once passed the small and the great
Dancing in the gate of Ashkelon.
Soaring like a bird
Dancing to a song without words
Dancing on the potsherds of Ashkelon
Dancing on the potsherds of Ashkelon.
By the Rivers of Babylon
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down.
By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and wept
When we remembered Zion,
When we remembered Zion.
There upon the willows our harps were hung
There our captors demanded of us a song.
Sing us a song of Zion
Sing us a song of Zion
How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land
If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand
Forget its cunning, forget its skill
Let my tongue cleave to my palate and be forever still
Flying up where the air is clear
Climbing into the blue
Smiling without a thing to fear
I'll remember you
I'll remember you.
And if sometimes I wasn't there
Still I tried to take your part
If you thought I didn't care
Still you broke my heart
Wanting what you couldn't even name
Crying out tears of rage
Reaching to grasp it just the same
I'll remember you
I'll remember you
And then one day you flew away
Climbing into the setting sun
Night gently following the day
Looking for the lights to show the way
You were so close and yet so far
Landing lights lit up in view
Falling just like a falling star
I'll remember you
I'll remember you
Oh my sister oh so sad and brave'
Oh so foolish and so wise
I could love you but I could not save
Your life or see it through your eyes
Repeat 1st verse
Life in the Slow Lane Living incognito on our isle of bliss Leaving all the world behind, can't it be like this The tide goes out and the tide comes in Apple tree blossoms and the summer begins That's life in the slow lane with you babe That's life in the slow lane I'll live a lot longer with you babe I wanna live a lot longer with you. Do you want to read awhile till we close our eyes\ We can talk tomorrow about our whats and whys The twilight goes on till almost midnight But we can turn out the light are you sleepy now - quite. Chorus I've been around the world and I've been to London too The sunset in Jerusalem is really quite a view Some days I wake up and don't know where I'm at Some say that home is wherever you hang your hat. Chorus I do not care about fortune or fame I do not care if they ever know my name I do not want to try any new toothpaste Living with anyone else would be a waste. Chorus Maagal shel Galuyot Maagal shel galuyot, maagal shel galuyot K' even nafla l'toch mayim osah taba'ot K' even nafla l'toch mayim osah taba'ot Lindod ba'midbar, lindod ba'aravah Eifo, eifo, eifo ahava - Eifo, eifo, eifo ahava Ne'evad v'neeylam, holech ca'an v'sham Holech od pa'am saviv ha olam Omrim ma'atza, ma'atza isha Matza tov, matza sof gaagua Matza tov, matza sof gaagua Ve ha isha, he mechaka B'emunah shlema, l'hgiyat he navad Maagal shel galuyot, maagal shel galuyot K' even zarach l'toch mayim oseh taba'ot K' even zarach l'toch mayim oseh taba'ot Cycle of exiles, cycle of exiles Like a stone thrown into the water making rings Wandering in the desert, wandering in the plain Where is love? Lost and disappeared, going to and fro Going around the world once more. They say, he who finds a wife finds a good thing, finds an end to longing. And the woman, she has waited in perfect faith For the arrival of this wanderer. Man Overboard Man overboard, man overboard Over the top and over the hill A little overbearing but I love you still Man overboard Can I keep on swimming Will I reach the shore Tell me if you’re out there I can’t wait much more Man overboard, man overboard Over the limit and over the line Well shiver me timbers I’m soaking in brine Man overboard Water water everywhere But not a drop to drink Should I just go under I know I’m on the brink Man overboard, man overboard Over the rainbow and over the moon Over my head if they don’t get here soon Man overboard I guess that we’re all wondering How this story ends Will somebody save my soul Before I get the bends Man overboard, man overboard It’s not over till it’s over and the fat lady sings Then it’s over in the clover with a pitchfork or wings Man overboard, man overboard, man overboardOne Foot Stuck in the Romantic Age
One foot stuck in the Romanitic Age it's too late now to die young
Like Keats and Shelley, James Dean and Grace Kelly, for me it's been a pretty long run.
Maybe you get to a certain age, you learn a lot of stuff
I'm just a late bloomer, a baby boomer, I'm tellin ya straight off the cuff
Maybe we've entered a different stage, where people don't lead from the heart,
But follow their heads, playin the odds instead, before they're even willing to start.
One foot stuck in the Romantic Age, I still believe in belief
If not for me then for those who can be like the lilies of the field in brief
Somewhere between a Romantic, and just an average Joe
A working stiff on the graveyard shift with an hour and a half to go.
But hey, I'm not a clock watcher, and it's not like I'm not having fun,
Inviting the muse in can be mighty amusin just as long as your not under the gun.
One foot stuck in the Romantic Age, got one more dragon to slay
I'll take the field with a sword and a shield, well tomorrow if not today
One foot stuck in the Romantic Age and one in the modern world
Don't mean to straddle, just choose my battles
With flag held high and unfurled
Maybe I'm a Don Quixote or maybe just his sidekick
Disbelief suspended till the story's ended, or the candle's burned down to its last wick.
One Life to Live
If I had only one life to live
And I do believe it's true
I would spend it with you.
You may know what I'm about to say
As you often do
But still I want to tell you that I love you
We're getting old
Hope we'll get older still
But I've been told
That's it's not all downhill
If I had to name the love of my life
No doubt who it'd be
Thank you for lovin me
I was drownin in a sea of strife
Just a refugee
Thank you for stickin with me
Things have resolved
Since I'm involved with you.
I'm a fortunate man
Since we began pushin through
How you doin' son
Must have learned a ton
Hope you're having fun
When will you be done
He says everything is fine
But I'm late on the rent
A little more would really help
And when will that be sent.
I'll send it right away
Yes without delay
You'll have it in a day
But I was being played
It had been at least a year
Since he'd attended classes
I was seeing everything
Through my rose colored glasses
I must have had a screw loose
I thought no news was good news
Am I a jerk well you choose
Falling for all his boo hoos.
Raised in the Suburbs I was raised in the suburbs Had all that I need Of material comfort It was all guaranteed My father he worked in the material trade He commuted to the city an hour each way That was back in the mid 20th century days When the cars all had fins and hula hoop was the craze We played Davy, Davy Crockett king of the wild frontier It was before the revolution But in some ways we were freer. This morning I heard of a typical kid Made a goal for the wrong side, they still laugh about what he did Well he signed up for the army as a young high school grad Now they're shipping his body back home from Bagdad Well I fled from the suburbs halfway round the world And I've learned a few lessons as my life has unfurled But I never regretted the way I did go Now I'm singing this song from South Camano. So remember the Alamo, remember the Maine And don't declare victory till the end of the game You may score one for the wrong side fore you learn how to shoot And still land up a hero and a sung one to boot. René René, you were my queen for a day I thought you’d want me to stay for a while Rene, you said our love is passé And now I’m cast away from your smile You say you are a woman of means You think I’m strictly pork and beans That I couldn’t fit in with your crowd anyhow And now you’ve smashed my heart to smithereens Without making any scenes You’re too proud. René, why did you treat me so blasé I thought that we were on our way To say I do. René, if we were only in a play This is the part where it would say End act two. If it were me, I’d stick around if just to see If boy gets girl back in Act Three And so should you But no, you’re giving me the old heave ho If it’s the end I’d rather know And say adieu. Seventeen Miles Away I wanna ride, I wanna ride away I wanna ride, I wanna ride away I wanna get down down Seventeen miles away. Take me down, down where the water is wide Take me down, down where the water is wide I want to walk the sand I want to sit and watch the tide Sometimes it’s hard, hard just to be a man Sometimes it’s hard, hard just to be a man When you face the music You can only do what you can When I came back to this country I went before the judge When I came back to this country I went before the judge I got a hundred days in prison On a misdemeanor he wouldn’t budge I’ve been high, gained the world but lost my soul Riding high, gained the world but lost my soul And I’ve been down so low Livin on the dole. I’ve had some women in my life, God knows I’ve had a few I’ve had some women in my life, God knows I’ve had a few The good the bad and the ugly Sometimes it’s hard to know who’s who I wanna ride, I wanna ride away I wanna ride, I wanna ride away I wanna get down down Seventeen miles away The Sky is Not Falling The sky is not falling Though prophets of doom are calling That maybe it will. Apocalypse is stalling Which some might find appalling But we still have time to kill Let’s settle in for the duration You can change the station I’ve had my fill. The planet may warm More than the norm So why don’t we chill. The Dow may keep dropping If shoppers stop shopping Like they did in the boom. It may be a bear But I really don’t care To share in the gloom. Don’t try to alarm me The Salvation Army has plenty of room And if they insist And I have to enlist I can still push a broom. If they tell you that we’re Going straight to hell in a handbasket Well, them’s the brakes. Sometimes I can almost smell The sulphur see the burning lake. If you fall down a well You can yell but still there’s Only one way to take That is higher, don’t expire or tire though it’s dire and you’re stuck in the mire and it’s down to the wire There’s much too much at stake.Song for Henri Rousseau
He was an ordinary man
A customs clerk somewhere in France
Till he retired at forty-nine
He lived a life inside his mind
He never left his native land
To paint what he had never seen
The sleeping gypsy in the sand
The world suspended in a dream.
He holds a staff still in his hand
A lion sniffs around his head
Is he asleep or just pretend
His lute is silent as the dead
The moon is watching from the sky
The stars are peering through the dawn
The lion gazes with his eye
The gypsy sleeps until the morn.
And there is even more to tell
The mountains rising from the plain
They play their part they cast their spell
A world where nothing is mundane.
The coat he wears like Joseph's own
Also a dreamer he was called
Of many colors it was sewn
Will it be torn will he be mauled
They say that always in the dream
Each thing you see is only you
Things are not always what they seem
Or what at first we may construe
A nude reclining on a chair
Where jungle vegetation grows
The creatures deep within all stare
Regarding Henri Rousseau.
He was an ordinary man
A customs clerk somewhere in France
Till he retired at forty-nine
He lived a life inside his mind
Train Song I can’t explain It’s like I’m on a train I see the fields go by I close my eyes It’s like I’m hypnotized I fall asleep for a while Train is rocking And my dreams unlocking All my memories Shifting places And I’m seeing faces From my history Time just gets swifter And I’m just a drifter A comet approaching the sun My orbit grows small As I fall and I fall And the years just rush by one by one. Can’t stop your brain And you can’t stop the train And you can’t stop time Life is sweet But the days are fleet It’s part of the design Please be patient Till we reach the station As we surely shall Enjoy the ride Watch the countryside That’s the rationale And then it goes back And it’s hard to keep track Of where I was when I began I am him inside And I cannot divide The child that is father to man. Tyee Store Tyee store tyee store Everything costs just a little bit more Shut them winders and close the door I'm goin down to Tyee store. My mama brought me up to be a real gourmet No Wonder Bread or Twinkies in the house she's say But here on the South End I've been led astray Tyee Store has 'em by the tray. Well I was readin' in the paper today There's twenty different kinds of frozen waffles they say If you want just one and are willin to pay Tyee store's just a mile away If you got the cabin fever or just the blues Button yer jacket and tie yer shoes Fer half a dozen eggs whatcha got to lose Tyee store is the place to choose If you got an extra million under the bed And wondrin' what to do with all that bread Just put the cash on the barrelhead You can buy the whole store, they'll throw in the shed Tyee store tyee store Everything costs just a little bit more Shut them winders and close the door I'm goin down to Tyee store. War in the Family This ain’t Tennessee Williams, This ain’t Eugene O’Neil Multiply that by a million Maybe then you’ll know how I feel. War in the family The plot is thickening Smiles and deception It’s almost sickening. It’s like Shakespeare or maybe the Bible Family feuds in a really big way If you value your survival Watch your back and mind what you say. War in the family The plot is thickening All the world’s a stage The pulse is quickening. Startin' out with Cain and Abel What makes us think we’re a different breed Lay lay our cards right on the table Court’s in session, how do you plead. War in the family A sword is beckoning Choosin' up sides For the day of reckoning. Desdemona loved Othello What made him think she done him wrong Shouldn’t have smothered her with a pillow Shoulda trusted her all along War in the family It’s so unsettling Don’t get in the middle You’d just be meddling. Don't have to tell you about Medea Her husband left her for a younger bride. She loved her children she was quite sincere But still she killed 'em cause he hurt her pride War in the family It's so unyielding Better pay attention To what your wielding Absalom may have looked like a hippie With his hair flowin' down his back He was a prince but he was still pretty creepy Takin' the palace in surprise attack War in the family It’s not just mythology Any shrink’ll tell ya It’s only psychology. Watchin’ the Senora Watching the senora digging out de’ dande’lions I’m out on the veranda just about siesta time The boat in the water looking like a toy And I’m feeling like a cabana boy Watching the senora digging out de’ dande’lions On my island, island in the sea Two turtle doves perchin’ in a tree Leave some of those weeds behind I don’t need an Eden but I’ll take what I can find Watching the senora digging out de’ dande’lions Watching the senora digging out de’ dande’lions She don’t sweat a lot cause de’ weather she’s so fine Just a little trickle down the small of her back And her hair hangin down from the brim of her hat Watching the senora digging out de’ dande’lions On my island, island in the sea Two turtle doves perchin’ in a tree Leave some of those weeds behind I don’t need an Eden but I’ll take what I can find Watching the senora digging out de’ dande’lions White Doeskin Shoes Oh bury me in my white doeskin shoes Bury me in my white doeskin shoes You didn't like them when I was walkin Now my shoes will do the talkin Oh bury me in my white doeskin shoes You didn't like to hear them slappin on the floor You didn't like to hear them slappin on the floor You said they sound like patent leather but they feel light as a feather Now you'll never hear that slappin sound again I'd take you dancin in my white doeskin shoes I'd take you dancin in my white doeskin shoes We'd a boogied all around Kinda floatin off the ground Dancin in my white doeskin shoesI was born in New York City, 1949
Near Kingsbridge Station on the IRT line
I can see the trains a-slowin at the station each night
I can see the clocktower glowin with a ghostly light
You can't go home again, you can't go home again
You can't go home again.
I'm standing at the window,
I can't be more than two
25-25 Aquaduct Avenue
Rosemary Clooney's on the radio
I don't know what she's singing
But she's crooning sweet and low.
You can't go home again, you can't go home again
You can't go home again.
I dreamed that all I wanted was to beat upon a drum
No one would give one to me but my sister bought me one.
Now my sister's she's not livin on this planet anymore
I hope she's finally happy and I hope she's learned the score
You can't go home again, you can't go home again
You can't go home again.
Doesn't matter where you come from
Doesn't matter who you are
Doesn't matter if you've wandered near or far
If you go by motor or if you go by rail.
If you are in prison or if you're out on bail.
You can't go home again, you can't go home again
You can't go home again.