Jim Heald

Album: Old Jalopy

Released April, 2007 on Missing Link Records.

All Songs © 1988-2007 Jim Heald. All Rights reserved.

Click on a Song Title to Go Directly to Those Lyrics

	Ginger and Fred
	The Thorns that Guard the Rose
	I’m not the One
	Wristwatch
	Old Jalopy
	Juliet’s On Fire
	The Psychologist Song
	When the Morning Comes
	The Moon is Shining Up Above
	Let's Get Away
	You’re The Angel
	I’ve Played the Game
	Don't You Know that There's Nothing
	Bonus Tracks
	Tear Down the Walls
	Come Back Darlin’

GINGER AND FRED

Walking down the road with your hand in mine.

We've got some bread and cheese and a bottle of wine.

The breeze is soft and the moon is bright.

The night's so hot, but it feels alright.

The sky fills with stars as we dance on the beach.

On wings of desire there's nothing out of reach.

I can hear your heartbeat soft and low,

saying you're the only girl I want to know.

CHORUS: Streaks of moonlight in your hair.

We've got sand between our toes and we ain't got a care.

We'll be like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire Tonight...

Like shells in the sand washed up by the sea,

I'm clinging to you and you're clinging to me.

We'll be dancing in the starlight

at the break of dawn.

My love for you goes on and on.

CHORUS

Tomorrow in the morning we'll be strolling along.

The birds up in the trees, they'll be singing our song.

You're eyes'll be like diamonds sparkling in the sun.

I've got no doubts that you're the one.

CHORUS

[Top]

THE THORNS THAT GUARD THE ROSE

I am the sun, I am the moon

I am the dream that ends too soon.

I am the deer, I am the lumbering bear

I am the catch that eludes the snare.

I am the grass, I am the flower

I am a lifetime or one short hour.

I am the tree, I am the leaf

I am a place beyond belief.

CHORUS: I am the flame that keeps you warm.

I am the calm before the storm.

I am the hurricane that blows.

I am the thorns that guard the rose.

I am the light, I am the dark

I am the arrow that hits the mark.

I am the snow, I am the rain

I am the touch that heals the pain.

CHORUS

BRIDGE: Everywhere you look, Everything you see

However far your mind goes, you'll still be with me.

I am the moon, I am the sun

I am the shining radiant one.

I am the black sky filled with stars,

I understand just who you are.

CHORUS

[Top]

I'M NOT THE ONE

I'm not the one to hang your hopes on.

I'm not the answer to your dreams

and if you're thinking I can love you

It's not as easy as it seems.

I may need someone to hold me

but I've been held by quite a few

and the sparks that lit those other nights

were just enough to get me through.

CHORUS: But don't you go away now, don't you go away.

I'm needing you to stay here tonight

I'm not the star that you should wish on

believe it's not your lucky day

and though I never want to hurt you

things they just might end that way.

CHORUS

I may need someone to love me,

but I don't know where to start.

I've been so afraid of losing,

I can't open up my heart.

CHORUS

[Top]

WRISTWATCH

I've been watching you baby, across this crowded room.

You're an angel in white,

shining brighter than the moon.

I've been searching in the darkness,

you're the diamond I was hoping to find.

And like the watch on your wrist, I'm starting to unwind.

CHORUS: Got to have some of your loving

kisses sweeter than wine.

I'm standing in the shadows about to lose my mind.

I'm breathing stale cigarette smoke;

someone's shouting in my ear.

It's the same broken record as I finish off a bottle of beer.

But now you're heading for the doorway;

darling don't you leave me behind.

'Cause like the watch on your wrist, I'm starting to unwind.

SECOND CHORUS: Got to have some of your loving

kisses sweeter than wine

I'm chasing through the shadows about to lose my mind.

You're a beacon in the darkness

You call me with a wave of your hand.

The stars are shining above us

the waves are rolling up on the sand.

It's around about midnight

we've got one thing on our minds

and like the watch on your wrist, we're both starting to unwind.

CHORUS

There's a candle on the dresser; our clothes are on the floor.

There's a band of fallen angels peeking under the door.

You're the treasure that I dream of,

the one I thought I'd never find.

And like the watch on your wrist, we're both starting to unwind.

[Top]

OLD JALOPY

You're an old jalopy

with a dented fender

sitting by the curb

on a couple of flats.

You ain't going nowhere;

no you ain't going nowhere...

Another Saturday night alone.

Out on the strip

bright lights are flashing

shiny cars are chasing

after young girls hearts.

But you're sitting here grounded

with your insides rusting out...

Another Saturday night alone.

CHORUS

A few quarts of oil and some paint for the rust

air in your tires and a rag for the dust

A spark in your engines is all that you need

You used to be so hot once --

King of the Road --

but your heart's about as low

as an old car leaking oil.

Where did it go boy

they left you in a cloud of dust?

Another Saturday night alone.

CHORUS

You press down the gas

and pull back the throttle,

but you can't hold the curves boy

you're moving much too fast.

You're swept up at closing

with a few broken bottles...

Another Saturday night alone.

CHORUS (Instrumental)

You're an old jalopy

with a dented fender

sitting by the curb

on a couple of flats.

You ain't going nowhere;

no you ain't going nowhere...

Another Saturday night alone.

[Top]

JULIET'S ON FIRE

Juliet's on fire, she's head over heels

Romeo's a nice kid, but he doesn't know how he feels.

He writes her poems, they lie laughing in the grass.

They feel the sunlight disappear they feel the moment pass

And she's on fire.

As they go walking hand in hand the sun is sliding down

She says it doesn't matter he's from the other side of town

They watch the clouds turn violet in each other's eyes

He tries to whisper love songs he can only manage sighs

He's on fire.

CHORUS: Don't run away from love, there's nowhere you can

hide.

Don't try to bottle up the things you feel inside.

And if it turns to ashes, there's no one you can blame

so open up your heart and reach out for the flame.

Juliet is sleeping and her head is full of dreams.

Romeo's in the garden splitting at the seams.

He reaches out to touch her and he softly calls her name.

Juliet is tumbling and her head is filled with flames.

They're on fire

CHORUS (Instrumental)

He's gazing at the window and he's dazzled by the light

and flames leap up around him as he runs off through the night

and somewhere in the darkness Romeo grows cold

Juliet's a spirit he didn't have the strength to hold.

CHORUS

[Top]

THE PSYCHOLOGIST SONG

I'm lyin’ on a couch here, spilling out my dreams.

I'd rather be someplace with my girl eating custard creams,

Drinkin’ wine or whiskey, maybe lighting up a smoke,

Sittin’ on a barstool telling all my friends a joke.

Tell me doctor, doctor that it's really not so bad.

Why do you quietly sit there scribbling on your pad?

Always in my fantasies I'm eatin’ apple pie,

dearly kiss my mother, maybe shoot a Russian spy.

One night I'll be the President with promises to keep;

then I'll ditch some cops in Santa Fe and they won't let me sleep.

I'll have one eye on the window, and one eye on the door,

and if I don't keep my foot down

they'll be coming through the floor.

Tell me doctor, doctor that it's true that all I've said

is not advanced dementia or problems home in bed.

Say I'm ok and you're ok and everything's all right.

I'll go quietly to the suburbs and I won't kick or bite.

I'll take a wife, make kiddies, get a mortgage from the bank.

We'll have two cars in the driveway and you're the one I'll thank.

But then every night my mother'll come and crawl inside my head,

the Chinese National Opera will start chanting in my bed.

There'll be tape recorded messages; invitations from the Pope.

I'll lust after my sister and I won't know how to cope.

And somewhere in the darkness I might reach out for your pills

and only find around me Lord an emptiness that kills.

I guess I'm just not ready and it's really not so bad

to be sittin’ here by the window while you're scribbling on your pad.

I've been payin’ your bills for 20 years and it may be 20 more,

but it's better than the barstool 'cause my friends think I'm a bore.

[Top]

WHEN THE MORNING COMES

I never thought that I would end up this way

go to work every morning come home at the end of the day.

Kiss my wife on the cheek, sit down and have something to eat

and drift off the sleep til the morning comes.

The days blend together and they all seem the same

the mechanical motions are driving me insane

and it all seems so unreal, I've got to get in touch with the things I feel

'cause life isn't something to steal when the morning comes

CHORUS: Open up a window take a breath of fresh air.

I could be anything, I can go anywhere.

There's a tape player spinning and whirling inside of my mind

and if I don't turn it off I may never learn to unwind

Heaven doesn't wait, and sooner or later may be too late

so I'd better not hesitate when the morning comes.

CHORUS

There's an angry beast roaring inside my heart

and his razor sharp claws are bound to tear me apart

I've got to break out of this trap, something inside is about to snap

I want to feel the sun on my back when the morning comes.

CHORUS

The road to heaven and the road to hell are the same

it's a choice you make and there's no one you can blame

I can open up any door, look at the stars instead of the floor

and cry out for more when the morning comes.

CHORUS

[Top]

THE MOON IS SHINING UP ABOVE

The moon is shining up above; the stars are up there shining too.

This ship's been tossed and turned, but now its course is true ...

And now I know that I'm in love with you.

I had an anchor tied to my soul; and I've had weights upon my feet.

I didn't know that love could drag a man so deep;

or that the water would feel so sweet.

CHORUS: Rocking on the waves the hours slip away

rolling in your arms all work has turned to play.

After all these years I finally understand

love is sailing open seas, not standing on dry land.

The breeze is whispering your name; the water shimmers in the light.

We're like two great birds, poised for flight;

I can't see the end of this delight.

CHORUS

The moon is shining up above; the stars are up there shining too.

This ship's been tossed and turned, but now its course is true ...

And now I know that I'm in love with you.

[Top]

LET'S GET AWAY

CHORUS: Let's get away to the sunshine

to a forgotten tropical isle

find me a sailing ship, find me a crew

find me a warm breeze and a table for two.

Over and over and over, the waves they just keep rolling in.

All through the day and all through the night

they're rolling right under my skin.

There is no reason to worry; there is no reason at all

laugh with the wind and the sun and the rain

laugh with the birds when they call.

CHORUS

I've had enough of this working, working myself to the bone.

Always living in fear of tomorrow,

in fear of the ring of the phone.

They say life is full of surprises,

but we dwell on the worry and pain.

open a window, stand in the sun

and throw away all of your chains.

CHORUS

I open my eyes in the morning; I see you smiling at me.

Life is so warm and secure here, now that we know we are free.

Living your dreams isn't easy,

but anything else makes no sense.

All of this energy we have been wasting

we should just get up and dance.

CHORUS

[Top]

YOU'RE THE ANGEL

You're the angel that I followed

through the clouds of my despair

and in the lightning of your smile

I see a heaven we might share.

Don't you know I'm tired of the darkness?

Don't you know I'm tired of the pain?

But I'm not ready for the blindness;

hold a woman in my arms again.

I'm a ship that's tossing on the ocean;

you're the waves that roll across my brow.

There's an angry god in heaven

I think this ship is going down.

You're the shadow in the mirror

You're the knocking at my door

and when I think that love has ended

your eyes meet mine and promise more.

Angel, light the path I'm walking

take my hand and show me how to fly.

Cast out the devils I've been stalking

We'll forget the loves that made us die.

You're the angel that I followed

through the clouds of my despair

and in the lightning of your smile

I see a heaven we might share.

I'VE PLAYED THE GAME

I've played the game and lost it

just as often as I tried.

The wheel spins round, the aces drop,

the dice fall and collide.

My pockets always empty

as they dim the lights and close.

I wander home through empty streets,

is this the life I chose?

Alarm clocks ring and devils fling

the sunlight in my eyes.

I've slept on pitchforks all night long

and listened to the lies

they've woven in my fantasies,

my wishes and my dreams...

this life is like a mattress

splitting at the seams.

I don't know how, or what or why

but something isn't right.

I think I've waited long enough

but I never found the light.

I'm not the man I thought I was

more often I'm a fool.

The time is just unraveling

and I'm left with the spool.

I've played the game so many times

there's nothing left to lose.

The winners are all sleeping

as I'm pulling off my shoes.

The mirror's looking terrible

the last drink's tasting stale.

I'm gazing out the window

and the moon is up for sale.

I've played the game and lost it

just as often as I tried.

The wheel spins round, the aces drop,

the dice fall and collide.

My pockets always empty

as they dim the lights and close.

I wander home through empty streets,

is this the life I chose?

DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S NOTHING

I opened up the window, and I stood in the sun;

I had a feeling today's the day I was gonna have some fun.

I went down to the river, and I stuck my big toe in.

Then I started to whistle a tune, and all the birds joined in.

CHORUS: Don't you know that there's nothing;

nothing that you can't do.

You've got the keys to the universe;

the power's inside of you.

I danced on down to the office and pulled my friends around.

I looked into their tired eyes

and tried to give them what I'd found.

I'd come down from the mountaintop and seen the angels dance.

You can hear the music of the spheres if you just give your ears a chance.

CHORUS

Some of them stared and mumbled, some of them laughed and cried;

then a few of them picked me up and threw me right outside.

I was lying in the lush, green grass

a bee was buzzing in my ear,

and then a little man inside my head, said never, never fear ...

CHORUS

BRIDGE: You can't take a man in chains and simply set him free.

'Cause if he thinks the world's a prison that's all he's gonna see.

So I went back to the river and I stuck my big toe in.

Then I started to whistle a tune and all the birds joined in.

CHORUS

[Top]

TEAR DOWN THE WALLS

Staring into emptiness a fertile vision grows
on the edges of the darkness that the light within us throws.
We aren't ready for the music but we can't resist the sound;
calling forth the changes as it rumbles through the ground.

The sun will shine so brightly and it's rays will keep us warm.
The moon will guide our journey as we sail beyond the storm.
And our dreams will be so vivid our minds will start to spin
as we struggle with the wisdom that the kingdom lies within.

Tear Down the Walls, Tear Down the Walls, Tear Down the Walls
and the walls come tumbling down.

The beauty of the flowers, it will smash through dull concrete
and rich men will stare dumbly as they stagger to their feet.
Some will cry in anguish at the beatific sounds;
we'll make love amidst the ruin as the walls come tumbling down.

CHORUS

We have lived too long in terror at the strangeness of the self
and our dreams they rot and fester as they lie upon the shelf
and we hurt the ones that love us, never giving it a thought
‘til we crumble ‘neath the weight of all the things that we've been taught.

CHORUS

Repeat verse 1 and Chorus

[Top]

COME BACK DARLIN'

Days like molasses the sun's shining bright
I dream about you every night
I dream about you every night

The cottonwoods swing and they sway in the breeze
magnolia blossoms and the buzzing of the bees oh
those sweet sweet honey bees

CHORUS

Come back darlin come back to me
you're all that I want you're all that I need
so come back baby and set me free

Swinging on the porch in the afternoon sun
kissing and hugging would be so much fun
kissing and hugging would be so much fun

CHORUS

Days like molasses the sun's shining bright
I dream about you every night
I dream about you every night

CHORUS (twice)

[Top]

HOME

Jim Heald

Album: Old Jalopy

Released April, 2007 on Missing Link Records. All Songs © 1988-2007 Jim Heald. All Rights reserved.

THE THORNS THAT GUARD THE ROSE

OLD JALOPY

YOU'RE THE ANGEL

[Top]

I'VE PLAYED THE GAME

[Top]

DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S NOTHING

TEAR DOWN THE WALLS

COME BACK DARLIN'

Released April, 2007 on Missing Link Records.

All Songs © 1988-2007 Jim Heald. All Rights reserved.