1. Moons Of Jupiter
When first you said my name the stars came out,
The moons of Jupiter spun around.
But nothing’s been the same since the fire went out,
This galaxy of embers don’t make a sound.
When we looked through that telescope
We could see the future,
Light bouncing off time.
But oh, that was when we had hope,
Now a broken suture we walk the line.
Every single day you held my hand,
Tried to understand the harder things about me.
But then love went astray, ran into the woods
Where the old oaks stood, playing hide and seek.
The wind blew through the window,
You let me keep it open,
Despite the noise.
But now that window’s broken,
The boards went up between our voices.
The moons of Jupiter looked down with a tear in their eye,
Just four diamonds in the sky, always dancing.
We looked up with naked eyes, through the black to our surprise
We saw them dancing.
Tales of ever lasting love, if you seek then you shall find,
Galileo did.
When he drew the rings of Saturn, no-one believed,
Even through the fall of Troy the stars were shining,
But you had to walk away.
When first you said my name the stars came out,
The moons of Jupiter spun around…
*3. Satellite
All she ever wanted was to see a Satellite,
She talked about its beauty and the magic of its light,
She went on about the future and the endless games he played,
Like a wave forever cresting, her desire would not fade.
The beach was made of pebbles, the kind of stones you’d skim,
The waters danced with triumph as the storm came rolling in,
She sat inside a row-boat and wrote a couple words,
A prayer meant for her brother, then she prayed that he had heard.
Throw it in the water, count the leaps and bounds,
Hear the ripples thunder causing havoc underground,
Sink your teeth in gently, taste the blood you drew,
Remark upon her beauty, for she’s your perfect view.
All she ever wanted was to write the perfect song,
She dug for inspiration, but the map she read was wrong,
She went through all his letters, but he never cared to ask,
Their love a silent playground, a castle in the sand.
So, throw it in the water, count the leaps and bounds,
Hear the ripples thunder causing havoc underground,
Sink your teeth in gently, taste the blood you drew,
Remark upon her beauty, for she’s your perfect view.
A stillness overcame her every thought and every whim,
The future she had made was never meant for her or him,
A satellite flew over, but she missed it all the same
As she whispered from her row-boat a prayer, said in loves name.
Throw it in the water, count the leaps and bounds,
Hear the ripples thunder causing havoc underground,
Sink your teeth in gently, taste the blood you drew,
Remark upon her beauty, for she’s your perfect view.
*5. Anonymous Journeys
I had only just begun to write you a letter
Held this pen between my finger and thumb to write words that would make it better.
‘Cause you were always on the run in search of the ever after,
You took my heart and took your gun to exchange these tears for laughter.
A lady on the stoop cried out, “you better slow down before you fall”
But she had lived a life of doubt, she couldn’t see that she had it all.
A man at work put down his tools, he stopped and took a deep breath in,
Picked up the phone to call his wife, though he knew she would not be in.
Traffic marks a slow return, anonymous journeys,
A senseless place to lose your mind and face a slow return…
In the end you read my letter, you traced the words a dozen times,
They made no sense, but you felt better knowing life wasn't made of lines
Traffic marks a slow return, anonymous journeys,
A senseless place to lose your mind, and face a slow return…
Now you had only just begun to write me a letter
Held that pen between your finger and thumb to write words that would make it better.
*7. Satin Grey
It’s raining in the city, the paving stones are sighing,
There’s not a sense of pity, even when the skies are crying.
I get this funny feeling when the air is thick and yellow,
The sky is slowly peeling of it’s face so pale and mellow,
Then it spits into the face of every optimistic stranger,
The prelude to a summer storm, just fragments in the air.
He sits beside a fountain in an unforgotten place,
His camera poised and ready to reveal and unseen face,
She walks with such intention, her leather soles take lead,
He captures her dimension, though their eyes would never meet,
And I stand under the awning of a yawning all night store,
And watch the raindrops tumbling down, then I watch them fall some more.
And though I try to hide inside a warm cafe,
This feeling here inside of me, oh this feeling here inside of me.
Oh, this feeling here inside of me just won’t go away...
So, what is there now left for me to do today,
I’m soaked through to the bone, which is romantic in it’s way.
The clouds are busy dancing in shrouds of satin grey,
And the summer’s long forgotten in this summer storm today.
*9. Rational Thought
Please don’t answer me with you rational thought,
Belittling this emotion,
Just take a step back, look into your heart,
You won’t find any numbers there.
Who cares that I was never good at school,
That I retreated at the first sign of competition,
How dare you compete with me now,
Don’t make me retreat from you.
You think everything can just be thought away,
Like paper lanterns made of fire.
Statistics never took this moment into account,
Now who you gonna count on?
You don’t think to eat cause hunger knows you well,
You don’t think to drink cause the thirst in your will swell,
You don’t think to cum cause you trust in your desire,
And you don’t think to go, ‘cause you go alone.
Do you question the tears, the rare times they might fall?
Do you question a man just to prove that you know it all?
You don’t question laughter, you’re laughing ‘cause you’re free,
So why do you try to rationalize me?
Please don’t answer me with your rational thought?
Belittling this emotion,
Take a step back and look into your heart?
You won’t find any numbers there.
2. Gardens In My Mind
There’s a brick wall outside my window
And it’s glowing as the sun shines gold.
I use my imagination to see the people holding hands below.
Crane my neck to see the sky,
Is it blue or grey? I could not testify,
So I close my eyes and I smile at the gardens in my mind,
And if I could not see I would use my nose to smell this reverie.
We travel underground to get from A to B,
But can't you see it isn't human.
It’s deep and dark and crowded and it smells like pee!
I know that’s crude but we were born to run up there,
Where the air is clear, no stranger’s scent to share,
So I close my eyes and I smile at the gardens in my mind,
And if I could not see I would use my nose to smell this reverie.
Even in my dreams I like to close my eyes,
Flirting with the moonlight, dancing through the night
In the secret gardens of my mind.
Let’s open all the windows, tear down the blinds,
Take out the glass and wood, you know we really should
Remove all the bricks and cement and lime,
Reveal the earth worms there, show them we really care.
Plant a tree and sow some seeds,
A little patience now is, baby, all we need
So I close my eyes and I smile at the gardens in my mind,
And if I could not see I would use my nose to smell this reverie.
4. Distant Shore
I learned about the loss of you through someone else's eyes,
An article, an interview, a magazine’s point of view,
Their tears much clearer than the blur of mine.
Time seemed to be the thing that helped this chick the most,
Her nightmares turned to nightly dreams, then faded like a friendly ghost,
She said that it took a year or two.
When you went to sleep that night I stayed there on the floor,
Because we knew, though that’s life alright, I’d wake up to a different dawn,
With you on a distant shore.
Philosophers have spoken of the lack of God and loss of love,
I’m reading all about it now, I’ve almost turned these tears around,
But before they dry up altogether let me say,
I miss you,
Oh why don't you come back, just break the rules of time,
Like you used to do.
Oh your spirit’s still bright, it could light any fire.
Now my right side is aching, am I losing control?
My heart’s long past breaking, so now it’s time for my soul,
‘Cause we started together, and we ended the same,
But I’m left here to remember and to live with this pain.
If I danced in the rain would I see you again?
When you went to sleep that night I stayed there on the floor,
Because we knew, though that’s life alright, I’d wake up to a different dawn,
With you on a distant shore.
6. Patience
There they are lining up on the wire,
Iridescent wings shimmering blue
I don’t know what they’re waiting for
But we could learn a lot from their patience.
*8. This Is How You Make Me Feel
This is how you make me feel,
I just thought you ought to know.
You make me want to run and scream,
And go dancing in the snow.
This is how you make me feel,
Like a caged bird set free,
I didn't know how to fly at first,
Then you showed me.
You make me want to wash my hair
Sometimes three times a day,
And you make love to me
in every way.
This is how you make me feel,
I was lost, now I am found,
You never once told me
To keep my feet on the ground.
This is how you make me feel,
I just thought you ought to know,
You make me want to run and scream,
And go dancing in the snow.
10. Dreams of a Carousel (original words by Marc Petit)
“‘ello? Joanna?
Ah, you might be in asleep in bed at this time in New York,
What a shame.
I just listened to your Brighton song and
my mind keeps on describing circles around your melody.
I was sitting on a carousel,
And now I feel like a kid thinking ‘it always ends too soon’,
You know what I mean?
Believe me, I felt a gentle wind in my face,
it was incredible.
Everything was turning too quick to see clear…
Smiling faces, wooden horses, la plage, wow!
Sorry. I know it’s late for calling.
May this message reach you in your sleep, in your dreams also,
Take me once more on your carousel.
*11. Brighton Beach
You're thirsty for knowledge,
But you don't really wanna know the answer,
But there's a drought made of doubt,
So you're willing to take your chance here.
You're putting on your shoes,
The one's with the extra support in the heel.
You're tying up your laces,
Oh honey, I know how you feel.
You're following the breadcrumbs,
You simply want to find your way home,
But you got stuck in the rush-hour
Now you're really feeling quite alone.
All rationale escapes you
You're pissed off and hungry and just dog tired.
And you hope it isn't true,
But it's that hope that drives you wild.
You're picking up the pieces
of a heart that's yet to break,
You're tripping on your laces,
The color green is hard to shake.
At Time Square you made a quick decision
And ran across the platform onto the other train,
It was bound for Coney Island,
So it's January but the sea's the sea all the same.
And as soon as you get there,
You take off almost all your clothes,
Run toward the steely water, and in it's salt
Your tears,
Your anger,
Your envy,
Your doubt,
Your thirst for knowledge
dissolves…
© 2016 Joanna Wallfisch
* lyrics also featured on “The Origin of Adjustable Things”