1. |
Newspapers (Live)
03:38
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Good news doesn’t sell newspapers
She flips the pages to read about celebrities
What they do when the movie cameras turn off
And what they say when they walk away from the microphone
Everybody is beautiful in the pages of her magazine
She has to read the dirt to make everyone seem a little less clean
Everybody is wonderful when they are thirty-foot-tall on the movie screen
But I know they are only perfect... only perfect in her dreams
Everybody is a great big star when I turn on my TV
But it is all trivial, next year no one knows there name
Gotta finish this photo shoot, my 15 minutes will only last so long
Fame is like a flame running out of air and it’s getting hard to breathe
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2. |
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She is a lovely distraction and she doesn't know
Everybody sees her when she comes to the shows and
They know her name
They know her name
CHORUS:
She's oblivious to what we see
Maybe not oblivious but she'd never believe...
She's who they want to be
She's who they want to be
She's carrying her camera, pocket full of dignity
She carrying her smile which she might release...
If you're lucky
She glides by with grace
Except when she trips
and She says, grace is still there when she falls
She said grace is still there when you fall
I said lend me your camera, I'll shoot what i see
If you see through my eyes then maybe you'll believe...
That you're a lovely distraction and I think you should know
I always see you when you come to the show
I know your name
I know your name
You might be oblivious to what I see
How can I make you believe?
You are a lovely distraction
I think you should know
everyone sees you when you come to the show
we know your name
Yes, we know your name
You might be oblivious to what we see
How can we make you believe?
Yes, how can we make you believe?
How can we make you believe?
How can we make you believe?
You are a lovely distraction
and I think you should know
I always see you when you come to the show
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3. |
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He looks like a young Frank Sinatra
He's even got his eyes
She looks like a young Rita Hayworth
With her red curls
You're so classic and beautiful it's a crime
You're so classic and beautiful it's a crime
Chorus:
It felt like a black and white movie
Just for the night
Except that the color was vivid
And film could never capture what I see
Film could never capture what I see
Gracefully they take the dance floor
and the spotlight
Dancing like Ginger Rogers
With Fred Astaire
Just like old Hollywood
Just like old Hollywood
Like a dream they left the building
But didn't leave my mind
I didn't know glamour existed
In this day and time
I had a glimpse of yesteryear tonight
I had a glimpse of yesteryear tonight
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4. |
Banter - Called Me Out -
01:34
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5. |
Called Me Out (Live)
03:18
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Lately, I haven't been answering my phone
Partly, because it is broken...
And partly because I just don't want to
Even if you've been calling me for days...
I probably missed your calls
But then again, you probably didn't miss me at all
Self-loathing isn't attractive on anyone...
But I think I wear it well, well, well
Well, I used to be charming as hell
CHORUS:
Hey babe you should have called me out
Hey now you should have called me out again
Hey babe you should have called me out
I'm sure I should have called
And I'm sure it's all my fault
I guess I'll deserve what I get
My phone broke when I threw it against the wall
Accidentally of course...
I mean it just slipped right out of my hands
The dent in the wall reminds me of better times
Back when you were kind and I was a knight in shiny armor
Sorry honey... I can't hang out tonight
I'm hanging out with Jack and Jim... and we are drinking..
When I finally called a man picked up the phone
I knew she lived alone so I hung up...
Must have been the wrong number
Double-checked the number...
I was sure that it was right
Feeling horrible from last night...
Don't need this right now, I redialed
This time she answered the phone...
And said haven't heard from you in weeks
I thought you were dead so I moved on.
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6. |
Banter - Fall Winds -
00:18
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7. |
Fall Winds (Live)
04:26
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Sometimes, it’s strange to be silent
Sometimes, it’s foreign to be still
Still, I strive to be perfect
Knowing that I never will
CHORUS:
But the fall winds come again
Telling stories of what has been
And I wonder if you knew
All the stories are about you
And I’ve driven across America
I’ve seen its mountains
I’ve seen her plains
I'm still searching for something
My biggest fear is that I'll remain the same
You may say that I’m an adventurer
Plunging deep in the great unknown
But I’ll tell you
Some days I feel like a coward
Always running away from home
But there’s a chill in the air
And I feel you here
There’s a chill in the air
And I feel you here
And it’s beautiful
I wonder if you knew
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8. |
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9. |
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Normandy, she is braver than me
She has seen more beds in a hospital that a child should ever see
She said jokingly that soon she'll be bald like me
Her sense of humor gets her through chemotherapy
She always makes the nurses laugh and she sticks out her tongue
They all have funny stories about what Normandy has done
CHORUS:
Another day, another victory
A victory for Normandy
Life against an invisible enemy
She made it to another birthday. She turned 13 (16) (18)
It was the 6th of June, It was a delightful day
Another day, another victory, a victory for Normandy
Against the odds she made it to see 13 (16) (18)
Normandy has seen things she should never see
All her friends around her are sick or dying
Sometimes she calls for her mother, in the middle of the night
But the bad dreams don't go away when she turns on the light
But she's made a lot of friends. She always tries to make them laugh.
Some of them got better but some of them have passed
Normandy, her nickname is “the general”
She calls the doctors her allies and the nurses her troops
To Normandy, all the nurses they salute
It's the little things that get them through the day
But the doctors said she wouldn't make it to see 18
So, on her 18th birthday, she came to visit and say...
“Another Day! Another victory! A victory for me!
You said I would never live to see 18!”
She stuck out her tongue and she yelled..
“Oh yeah, Here I am... I'm 18... Look at me!”
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10. |
Amusement Park (Live)
07:18
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She’s a little unruly, might be the whiskey
Might just be the fact we’re on the Jersey shore
Flips off her flip flops, rolls up her jeans
First time she’s seen the ocean in years
2 in the morning, moonlit waves
She turns cartwheels on the shore
She meets the water with bare feet, laughing all the way
Sultry, salty, laughing girl
CHORUS:
She says it’s hard sometimes to hide the age around my eyes
I said the moonlight boardwalk hides them well
She beckons me to the water, moon across her lips
I hesitate but I follow her
Sandy-toed and starry-eyed, salt-soaked jeans
There’s sometime about this beach
Long past it’s heyday, abandoned amusement park
But tonight we saw it come to life
Now the boardwalk's broken down with beer-breath bums
But tonight we had a peek into the past
But like an old carnival ride, she does this little thing with her eyes.
Rolls them around like she’s surprised....
This Amusement park is alive.
Ending:
She says it’s hard sometimes to hide the age around my eyes
But I said... “This amusement park is alive.”
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11. |
Spirit Of Detroit (Live)
04:38
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I rolled down Woodward Ave in my Father's old car
He gave his soul to GM, after the war
Back when the spirit of Detroit was still intact
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
'57 Chevy Bel-air, his pride and joy
Fresh, frisky with vigor and vim is what the advertisement said
Spit polished, running clean, until the day he passed
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
Been decades since I drove through our old neighborhood
I can't belief that was our old house in all my memories
Fence knocked down, yard overgrown, the windows cracked
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
'63 took me to see the red wings with Gordie Howe
How we loved the way he played, proud to be from Detroit
How could we let the city die before our eyes?
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
He'd always say we all get old, we all die
I pray for a resurrection.
I pray for a resurrection. Rebirth.
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12. |
Banter - I Am Your Radio
00:14
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13. |
I Am Your Radio (Live)
03:55
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She sings softly to me
She sings softly to me
She sings slightly off key...
Did I say slightly?
But it’s beautiful to me
My car radio is broken
but she doesn’t seem to mind
She fills in right where it left off
And now she's doing double time
Now we’re doing just fine
I said sing: Ah la la la la
I said try: do re mi
Singing lessons weren’t meant for her
She’s way beyond that now
Other cars just seem to watch her
As she swings, sings, bobs her head
Changing lyrics like I change lanes
Now we’re singing 'Clementine'
Oh my Darling Clementine
She waves to the car next to me
And then she jabs me in the ribs
She says do you think they know?
I am your radio
I said, yes I think they know
You sing loudly you see
Dancing confined in your seat
It’s quite likely that they see
Did I say likely?
But it's beautiful and she's so beautiful
It’s beautiful to me
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14. |
Banter - Giant
00:29
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15. |
Giant (Live)
03:09
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I build myself a suit of armor
I felt invincible
A giant among the giants
It wasn't long before they figured out
How to take me down
Their taste for blood was insatiable
CHORUS:
Enjoy the glory and fanfare while it lasts
Exciting and explosive as it is
The wisp of smoke will be your lifetime
But the fire and flash are quick to die
I build a great wall, all around me
I felt invisible
Hiding among the hidden
But as is happened, they learned to fly
And they left me
A crumbling sense of security
My legacy is just a stack of notebooks
Felt insurmountable
Writing the unwritten
Wishing I was still a giant
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16. |
Give Up (Live)
02:14
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Maybe I should just give up?
And tell the kids not to follow their dreams
Dreams never really amount to much
Maybe I should shine my shoes
Put on a business suit
Polish up my resume
chorus:
But I don’t want to be
Someone who always seems to say the same things like...
I wish I would’ve when I could've but I didn’t...
Thought I shouldn’t, thought I couldn’t...
So I didn’t... but I wish I would’ve... you know I could’ve
But now I’m just grown old
People give me advice
Tell what I should do
Like “when are you going to grad school?”
"Get yourself a nicer car."
"Buy yourself some fancy clothes."
"Get yourself a fat bank account."
I know life is tough
I got all these bills and such
I got holes in my favorite jeans
But I have this old guitar
I write these simple words
All I can give you is a song
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17. |
Green & Gray (Live)
04:15
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She’s got her mothers laugh
She’s got her father’s grin
But she’s got her grandma’s sense of style
She’s got her mother’s eyes
Causes her to see in a fog
Of indecision, she doesn’t like to be alone
Chorus:
She doesn’t even know who she is
She is covered in shades of green and gray
She doesn’t even recognize the subtlety in what she sees
I’ve got to get out of this town, I’m afraid it might grow on me
I don’t think I could call this place home for even one more day... So let’s run away
She says she’s got to leave here
I said, “yes, but when?”
She said, “In my mind I’m already gone.”
“One more thing I’ve got to do here.”
One more thing always turns to two
I don’t know if she’ll ever go
I wish that I could see her fire
I wish that I could fan her flame
I wish I could burn the bridges to her past
Adrift in the see of life
Follow our dreams, the waves push us around
Sometimes those waves aren’t big enough
She’s in a boat with a thousand pound anchor
Never drifts too far from home
Small town girl, big city dreams.
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18. |
Banter - OOO -
00:21
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19. |
Banter - Fearless
01:24
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20. |
Fearless (Live)
06:10
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She's at that naïve age, where she believes anything
She writes poetry
And she's gonna travel around the world
She's gonna see everything
She reads Kerouac
She wonders what life is like for me
She seems to envy what she sees.
She'll never know the true
She couldn't see the truth about me.
What would you say if I was old and gray... old and gray
Would you say, “I knew him when he was young and free...”
Implying to me I've lost it all
What would you say if I had one foot in my grave?
Would you say, “I knew him when he wasn't afraid of anything.”
How I long for a Georgia sunrise.
How I long for a Georgia sunrise.
Carolina sunsets.
What would you say, because I don't even know my name?
Would you say, “Surely... surely you speak in jest.”
You must be crazy..and you're so crazy...
You're so crazy...you say.
How I long for a Georgia sunrise.
How I long for a Georgia sunrise.
Your name is fearless
Your name is free
Your name is anything I want it to be.
You are my everything
My everything to me.
Your name is fearless
Your name is free
Your name is anything I damn well please
You are my everything... My everything...
And I said, “No.” ...and I said, “No.”
“You must be crazy. You are so crazy.
You're so crazy,” I say.
She's at that naïve age where she believes in anything...
And she writes poetry
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21. |
Peter on the Boat (Live)
04:43
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Sometimes, I feel like Peter on the boat
Afraid to step out on the waves
Everyone would say that I was crazy
And It would look like I was jumping overboard
If they couldn't see what I see
CHORUS:
Everyone would say it's just not possible
Everyone would yell it's just not practical
I practically yell that I'm invincible
But I don't.
Because I don't know if I am
Sometimes, I feel like Thomas in that room
Sometimes, it's just hard to have faith
Everyone would say that I was superstitious
And It would look like I was grasping at a ghost
If they couldn't see what I see
Sometimes, I feel like Paul out on that road
Took a decade and an angel to believe
The rest of the pharisees would cry, “Heresy!”
And It would look like I was a heretic
If they couldn't see what I see.
Everyone would say it's just not possible
Everyone would yell it's just not practical
I practically yell that I'm invincible
And sometimes I believe I AM
Let me believe I AM
Let me have faith
Let me have strength
Let me believe I AM.
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22. |
Dove (Live)
09:37
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Yo, I like to rhyme the whole day long
So, baby sit back, chill so listen to my song
I’m a folkman, born and bred
But I get these funky rhythms in my head
Rock is cool daddio, but I dig a hip-hop beat
So, give me something funky just to move my feet
chorus:
So, I say stay yeah, to my homies from downtown
I say leave my mind to my girl 'cause she runs around
The rhythm captures me, mind, body and soul
Music and God, these are the only truths I know
Love can be risky, sticky, even cold
Not everything that glitters is made of gold
I got my turn, to learn this lesson well
I got the thorns of the rose, but I was lured by the smell
So, stick to the melody, free as can be
Love is an illusion, take it from me
When it feels like life’s just going down the drain
You got left at the station 'cause you missed the last train
You’s blue cause your girl ain’t true
Well, listen up, I got a message for you
There is only one truth and it’s God up above
He’s got peace like a river and love like a dove (repeat)
I was just chilling down in Kalamazoo
Going to see G, Jimmy Jazz, and Thunderhouse too
I went past the State, to that little Jewish diner
It was G and special Sauce, what could be finer?
G’s the man of the blues hip-hop scene
I told him music is my life but I sing it to my King
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23. |
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24. |
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Olivia is always climbing trees
She thinks that she can fly
She might have been a bird in a former life
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...
CHORUS:
Oh, Oh, Oh, Olivia
It's a wonderful thing,
It's a wonderful thing...
It's a wonderful thing..
Olivia.
She's camped out for the twelfth night in a row
She's waiting for the aliens to come
Something about a dream or something about a sign
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...
She recites Shakespeare at lunchtime
She seems to know all the lines
She acts out all her favorite scenes out on the playground
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...
Olivia sees the world differently
And I don't think that's a bad thing
I think she reminds me of myself
What a strange, strange child...
What a strange, strange child...
She might have been a bird in a former life...
She might have been the bard in a former life...
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Dan Vaillancourt Midland, Michigan
Michigan-based singer-songwriter Dan Vaillancourt has performed nearly a thousand concerts in 40 states, has been heard on
the radio in all 50 states and many other things that sound impressive, but his friends will tell you that he is a dork.
"...Truly one of the eclectic original and iconic wordsmiths writing songs today." - Bob Gottlieb, Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
... more
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