MOVING PARTS

01. White Whale

You’re outside your pleasant dome
for centuries you roam
middle of the ocean
now you call your home

you’ve been lost at sea since the day you first set sail
it’s just you in the blue you’re chasing your great white whale

lonesome cities, mountaintops
ghost towns and coffee shops
lush valleys and dessert plains
yhe sea alone remains

you won’t know what you’ve got till you’re ready to lift the vail
it’s just you in the blue and you’re chasing your great white whale

as long as you think you can make up for what you lack
you’ll be carrying broken wings upon your back

every day and every night
no comfort or end in sight
your dreams are your companions
but they’re gone by morning light

there’s a hole in the boat grab a bucket there’s water to bale
it’s just you in the blue and you’re just chasing the great white whale

you’ve been lost at sea since the day you first set sail
it’s just you in the blue you’re chasing your great white whale

02. Fighter Jet

Speed of sound
you took off faster than a fighter jet
the earth is around
I know cause I haven’t fallen off just yet

wherever you are
I’ll wait for the day you come around
to see how the story ends
shooting star
you fall from the sky but you don’t come down
never be this high again

03. Change of Scene

The silver screen
you're standing by the exit of the mezzanine
maybe your imaginary limousine
awaits outside
for a moonlight ride

a city street
walk all day for miles on your pretty feet
sights and sounds then maybe grab a bite to eat
in the open air
from anywhere
in the world

and it's strange
but it's all worthwhile
and the band's on trial
while you play your tambourine
any change
to the facts on file
must be heeded
but maybe all you needed was a change of scene

a rocky shore
you never been to such a picture perfect place before
some say they don't make them like this anymore
the salty breeze
you lost your keys

a sunny day
that warms you up to wonder where you'd fly away
to a hillside in a country somewhere far away
you're open wide
on the other side
of the world

and it's strange
but it's all worthwhile
and the band's on trial
while you play your tambourine
any change
to the facts on file
must be heeded
but maybe all you needed was a change of scene

04. Moving Parts

Go to work you pick up the kids
clean the house find the missing sock
match all the topless jars with lids
kids to karate, the dogs for a walk

at the end of the day when you’ve lost your will
but the moon is bright and the night is still
and you feel like your life is made of fits and starts
moving parts

barely slept now you’re up and dressed
go to the gym but you lost your shoes
the dr. wants to do one more test
the 10 lbs you lost weren’t yours to lose

and the blood in your veins needs another kill
you’re barely 40 but you’re over the hill
you’ve lost your game but your aim is off the charts
moving parts

breath in breath out
don’t let the day divide you
take ten, timeout
don’t let the little things, the dents and dings, the broken strings, the daily stings
don't let the little things decide you decide you

you found your groove but it’s off the track
you learn to dance to a different beat
when the door is locked go around to the back
the window's open away from the street

when your old routine’s got you feeling strange
and your vision’s clear but nothing has changed
and you’ve finally found the way out where it starts
moving parts

05. Can't Say No

Let's take another pass
I know you didn't like the last one
honey no hard feelings
it was really just a fast one
I was trying to be cute and clever
you don't have to like it
but what you like I'll never really know
whoah oh...

and we could make a life
like a husband and a wife
run around, raise a rug-rat
tread both sides of the knife
we can rub two sticks together
turn this spark into a fire
like two lovers in a winter long ago
whoah oh...

well I'm on my way
you say go slow
I get so high
you lay me low
I'd gladly pour my heart out
but you'd already know
when you say yes...
I can't say no

06. Some Regrets

When my road has ended
when my day is done
I might fall off course
but I'll ride my horse
into the setting sun
and I'll get down on my knees
and welcome what's to come
my whole body's hurting
I lay down my burden
lord it weighs a ton

and I'll have some regrets
I'll have some regrets
I'll have some regrets
but you're not one

when the dust has settled
when the deal goes down
from the highest rafter
you'll find your ever after
in a one-horse town
and when you think it's over
and your race is run
if you climb the ladder
it doesn't really matter
if you lost or won

and I'll have some regrets
yeah I'll have some regrets
I'll have some regrets
but you're not one

and we'll lay on a grassy hill in the shade
while we laugh and cry over the life we made
and just as daylight starts to fade
I'll find a moment of peace in your eyes

if we could start all over
if it were all undone
don't know what I'd change
or rearrange
but you'd still be the one

and I'll have some regrets
yeah I'll have some regrets
I'll have some regrets
but you're not one

07. Didn't See it Coming

Slicing through headwinds like a warm winter knife
been dodging disaster for most of my life
if you take the high road, I'll handle the fall
I'll lend you a hand when your back's to the wall

you're blocked for days knocked back a ways
you'd better check the plumbing
time to turn the page to a new age
you didn't see it coming

dress for success that's the name of the game
even when you win you might still take the blame
middle of the road where dreams go to stall
if you want to play it safe better don't play at all

cause it's now or never just pull the lever
the engine's on and humming
time to turn the page to the new age
but you didn't see it coming

you move to New England the land of the free
but seldom things work out the way you thought they would be
the heart carries more than the body can take
just make it home safe before the dam starts to break

you've been out for days you're in a new phase
and the side effects are numbing
the band has left the stage it's a new age
and you didn't see it coming

and it's now or never just pull the lever
the engine's hot and humming
time to turn the page, straight through middle age
but you didn't see it coming

you didn't see it coming
you didn't see it coming
you didn't see it coming
you didn't see it coming
no you didn't see it coming
no you didn't see it coming
you didn't see it coming
no you didn't see it coming
no you didn't see it coming

08. The city will never sleep again

We could take a ride if we wanted to
drive around the city look for something new
cause I know every minute the city is born again
we could wind up on a roof at night
look up at the sky till the morning light
and I know soon enough we'll be talking bout the way back when
blink and you might miss your night go from zero to ten
the city will never sleep again

meet me out where the lights are bright
monday blues on a sunday night
cause I know we might not be back this way again
we lost our muse on the magic mile
but we can find it on the fm dial
cause I know we're standing on the shoulders of better men
blink and you might miss your night go from zero to ten
the city will never sleep again

a small fish in the deep blue sea
you're not sure if it's the place to be
and I know you've never been one to wade into the deeper end
but stick your head out from the underground
the traffic's fine if you avoid downtown
but I know that's where there's something new waiting round every bend
blink and you might miss your night go from zero to ten
the city will never sleep again
you still don't know if you'll be back this way or when
this city will never sleep again
you'll find your way but you don't have a dime to spend
the city will never sleep again
the heat is rising almost reached a hundred and ten
the city will never sleep again

09. Missing Peace

Where do all the little things come from
where do all the little things go
who steadies the hand who works the land
where all the little things grow

you've been the bottom of the barrel
the silver lining on a cloud
you've been a big fish in a tiny town
you've been lost in a crowd

but I've been running all day
trying to put some money away
relief comes but it doesn't stay
trying to get out of my own way

I spent the summer in California
the redwoods could have held me in their view
I tried to write a hit song but it took too long
to make it home to you

then one day staring at the ocean
as it mirrored back the great pacific sky
I had purpose and command
but I never had a plan to say goodbye

and I've been running all day
trying to put some money away
relief comes but it doesn't stay
just trying to get out of my own way
trying to get out of my own way

they tell you not to worry about the little things
they say just let the little things go
but you could fit a hundred million little things
in the space that they don't know

I'm going home to meet the maker
but I'll work every day till my release
though my eyes can see they must be blind
I hope someday I'll find my missing peace
yeah I hope someday I'll find my missing peace

10. World Without Heroes

We're living in a world without heroes
we've got blue screens we've got ones we've got zeroes
Where are all the JFK's and the Bobby DeNiros
when you need em
if you can't join em, you might as well beat em

And I'm writing this song cause I can't write a letter
my handwriting used to be so much better
I tried to sing it for my love but it only upset her
cause now we're living now in a world without heroes

I thought about my mother, I thought about my father
I love them both but it's complicated
I know you understand
I think about the world and who'd even bother
trying to save it
maybe it's time to start over
make a new plan

but for now
we're living in a world without heroes
we've got blue screens we've got ones we've got zeroes
where are all the JFK's and rabbi Shapiros
when you need em
if you can't join em, well you might as well beat em

and I hope this is just a narrow little passage of time
I hope no one makes the mistake of paying me any mind
and I hope everyone I love and even those I don't
can find their own way
but mostly
I hope all the heroes come back someday

THE BACKUP PLAN

01. Old Letters

These days they disappear
they come and go so fast
yesterday’s already gone away
tomorrow don’t ever last

we walk the straight and narrow line
between our families and our careers
I opened up a box today
I haven’t opened in 20 years

and I sorted through old photographs and letters
spent all morning looking through
took me to another time and another place
took me right back to you

I read all your old letters
so long ago I put away
wonder if I knew back then
I’d be reading them today

and every word flew off the page
some I read more than twice
I might not be reading your old letters right now
if I’d kept my own advice

and I know I still owe you a letter
and I’m sorry cause I could have done better
you were a good friend to me I know
I never meant to let you go

and now I wonder where you are
and I wonder how you’ve been
and I wonder if I’ll ever
get to see you again

we’re living in a brave new world
each day's stranger than the one before
disconnected through a cold blue screen
nobody’s writing letters anymore

but if you send me your address in a postcard
I promise I’ll do better than before
I’ll write you that letter that I owe you
watch me bring it right up to your door
but till then I’ve got all your old letters
after 20 years I still can’t throw away
I’ll just put them right back in that dusty old box
so I can find em again someday…

02. Long Distance Runner

I knew it was you when you walked through the door
same wild eyes and smile as before
we don’t have too much in common anymore
but old friend I’m still glad to see you

I heard it’s been rough at least that’s what Debra said
that you’ve been in and out of a hospital bed
doctors looking around inside your head
trying to figure out how to free you

and you’ve got nothing left to prove to me
who you are and who you’re not won’t ever change my memory

I see you brought your running shoes
like a detective running after clues
down the backroads and the avenues
you’re lost but you keep on going

if you go too far or if you’ve had enough
you can call me and I’ll pick you up
don’t wait till the going gets too tough
don’t wait till the cold winds start blowing

but we can’t expect it to be just like it was before
there’s a chance I might not be the guy you knew anymore

we started talking bout the good old days
before we grew up and went our separate ways
the older I get the more that feeling stays with me
but gone are almost all the scars

I remember sitting on the dock that night
with you and Deb watching the northern lights
talking about the future in our sights
awed by the invention of stars

and though we might not be like we were long ago
we could still turn it on, laugh it out, let it go

the years go by and the days run long
I’m mostly done thinking bout what went wrong
I see you still take your coffee strong
well some things never change

I got a family now and a life that’s good
a little blue house in a quiet neighborhood
I never did it like they said I should
I’ve turned over so many new pages

and I’ve still got a long, long way to go and that’s fine
and if you should ever use up all your nerve I’ll give you mine

and long distance runner it’s alright
I’m running out of things to say
you’re a long distance runner
but really you’re, really you’re just running away

and long distance runner it’s alright
you’re still a good old friend of mine
you keep on running and maybe I’ll see you
somewhere down the line

long Distance Runner
oh oh oh

03. What I Learned From Pete the Trucker

Thumbing down the highway, who’s going my way
can’t help but thinking about the highs and lows
of living on the road sometimes they stop sometimes they don’t
it’s just the way it goes
18 wheels pulled over, just before the rain turned to sleet
he said, come on in, my name is Jim, but folks this side of Tuscon call me Pete

and I was 22 I thought I knew a thing or two; but looking back I realize
I was no more than a boy
I packed a bag and hit the road looking for angels and answers and anyone
whose company I might enjoy
he had sad eyes, he looked weary and wise he had a bag of nuts and dried cherries in his lap
he had a kind face and something I could not place, he wore a Kansas City baseball cap

you make better time at night he said and told me bout his wife and kids back home in North Caroline
he’s seven out the gate, rolling late, he’s pushing 8, he’s hauling to be home by nine
twenty years this fall, he said, I’ve been doing the long haul trying to make an honest living
but no amount of driving in a straight line could make up for a lifetime of bad decisions

he offered me a bag of pills he said the blue ones help him sleep the red ones help him drive all night.
or I got a little something we can roll if all you really want to do is feel alright.
I asked him does it ever get old Pete, this living on the road, knowin every little town by name
he didn’t crack a smile when he told me after a while, boy, you know it’s all the same

the sun came up we stopped for a cup of coffee I thought maybe it was time for me to be on my way
I thanked him for the ride I said maybe I’ll see you, Pete, somewhere up or down this lonesome stretch some day.
he took his coffee black, He tilted his head back and threw down two little red pills
and he told me
if you ain’t home taking care of the woman you love, somebody else will
if you ain’t home taking care of the ones you love, somebody else will

thumbing down the highway, who’s going my way
can’t help but thinking about the highs and lows
of living on the road sometimes they stop sometimes they don’t
it’s just the way it goes

04. Last Laugh

Looking for a place to start
step right up or take a smaller part
don’t be afraid to put your heels down
maybe take a minute or two
do what you can to let it through
sooner or later you’ll have to put the wheels down

there’s trouble on the east side
a hole in the city a mile wide
no way to get over or around it
another poor man’s decree
you’re never where you’d rather be
don’t matter what you got as long as you found it

and you’ll know the real thing the real thing
you know you’ll know the real thing

you’re staring at the wall again
you’re no one’s gonna call again
you wonder why you still don’t get invited
your vanity is on the rocks
there’s a message waiting in your inbox
don’t get too excited

act the part don’t get in the way
don’t say more than you need to say
you’re gettin good at gettin in and gettin out
pack a bag you’re good as gone
put the top down and the radio on
don’t be afraid to stick your head out

and you can have the last laugh the last laugh
you can have the last laugh

if I could teach you just one trick
it’d be to let it out and make it stick
you and me we’d both be famous
while looking like you’ve seen a ghost
might get you farther along than most
it’s nothing next to knowing what the game is.

you fix your eyes on a new mirage
undercover in your mom’s garage
dust it off and now you’re rollin
you made it all the way on charm
you’d never done a body harm
next man to cross you you’ll put a hole in

and you can have the last laugh the last laugh
you can have the last laugh

call the press you found a cure
how can you be how can you be
how can you be sure
you fell in love with rock and roll
you chased it down the rabbit hole
you’d follow it anywhere as long as it’s pure

you know you’ll know the real thing the real thing
you know you’ll know the real thing
you know you’ll know the real thing the real thing the real thing
you know you’ll know the real thing

and you can have the last laugh the last laugh
you can have the last laugh
and you can have the last laugh the last laugh the last laugh
you can have the last laugh

05. Hard Life Blues

Mad man side of the road
you’ll never get to work when your car is towed
65 hours don’t pay the bills
whatever don’t make you stronger kills
it’s been a hard day, a hard year, a hard life then you die
train keeps a rollin you better get on.

neighbor next door always mowing the grass
some folks never let a good day pass
three days come and gone grows right back
he’ll be dead in two years of a heart attack
it’s been a hard day, a hard year, a hard life then you die
train keeps a rollin you better get on.

blind man in a park downtown.
seeing eye dog helps him get around.
dog’s named Buddy he’s the man’s best friend
when the dog up and dies what’s the man do then
it’s been a hard day, a hard week, a hard life then you die
train keeps a rollin you better get on
or that train gonna pass you by

selling knives going door to door
stay at home wife can’t be too poor
sooner or later she’ll invite you in
some are looking for love she’s looking for sin
it’s been a hard day, a hard week, a hard life then you die
train keeps a rollin you better get on
or that train gonna pass you by

work 20 years no 401K
never took a day off never went away
company was sold to another offshore
they told him that he didn’t have a job no more
it’s been a hard day, a hard week, a hard year, it’s been a hard life then you die
train keeps a rollin you better get on
before the devil hears you cry

it’s been a hard day, a hard week, a hard year, it’s been a hard life then you die
train keeps a rollin you better get on
before the devil hears you cry
train keeps a rollin you better get on
before the devil hears you cry
train keeps a rollin you better get on
before the devil hears you cry

06. Here For You

I’m here for you
I am here for you
I ain’t running around nowhere no more
no honey I’m here for you

and it’s been a long time
but you’ve been on my mind
it’s been a long and lost and lonely time
but honey I’m here for you

you’ve been out on your own
through the canyons deep and wide
some bridges you’ll cross alone
and I’ll be on the other side
yeah honey I’m here for you

I don’t know right from wrong
but I know I’m where I belong
and I could make a list of every chance we missed
a thousand miles long.

but I’m still on your side
my arms they’re open wide
I can’t make you stand but I can hold your hand
yeah honey I’m here for you

sometimes the first step
is the hardest one you’ll take
the pounding silence
is yours alone to break
but honey I’m here for you

you’ve got to walk to run
you’ve got to talk to sing
a bird’s a kite without a string
you can do anything

and I’m here for you
oh honey I’m here for you
I can’t make the answers appear for you
but honey I’m here for you

before you buy your bread
you’ll count the pennies in your cup
before you strike a nail
you’ve got to lift this hammer up

I can’t lift it for you
but honey I’m here for you
yeah I’m here for you

07. Running Out of Time

Hey there said the old man on the corner
for years now you’ve just looked the other way
and I’m sure you’ve got your reasons and I’ve got my own
and I don’t know where you’re running to today

but maybe someday you could sit a while
I’m not asking for a nickel or a dime
I’m just running out of time he said I’m running out of time

you’re always walking by in such a hurry
like you’re running from the scene of a crime
your days are filled with restlessness and worry
but any fool can see you’re running out of time

you’re running out of time he said you’re running out of time

slow down, don’t be so tough
it’ll all be over soon enough
might as well enjoy the climb

you’re running out of time he said
you’re running out of time
you’re running out of time he said
you’re running out of time
we’re running out of time he said
we’re running out of time
you’re running out of time he said
you’re running out of time

08. Backup Plan

When you were young your heart of gold
was a little wild and restless to hold
the days were long and the nights were cold
and the world came down on you to fall in line

you washed dishes to earn a buck
bought an old Nissan pickup truck
you had to get or you’d get stuck
so you left your friends and your family behind

and everyone said you had stars in your eyes
but the highway before you was open and wide
any the bumps in the road you’d take them in stride
you weren’t thinking about the backup plan

you never had too much trouble with the law
till you met the minister’s daughter in Omaha
a prettier vandal you never saw you told her
you’d take her all the way to Corvallis

you slept in the back of your truck each night
made plans and promises in the moonlight
somewhere in the Dakotas she saw the light
turned out to be the Aurora Borealis

you rose like a flame and you fell with a thud
and your pickup truck got stuck in the mud
the promises you made weren’t written in blood
you didn’t know you’d need a backup plan

one night in the northwest you wished on a star
you sold the truck you bought an electric guitar
in the beginning you just played for the jar
one stop on the way to being famous

they said you were off to a brilliant career
they had you playing 300 shows a year
but the road ahead gets less and less clear
when nobody knows what your name is

and the nights were high and the days were low
and your failures they weren’t all for show
but you shook it off gave it another go
you weren’t ready for the backup plan

and just when you thought you had the lay of the land
then your dad got sick and the shit hit the fan
you can never prepare for what you don’t understand
you start working on the backup plan
years later you’re settled down.
you run a little café in the center of town
you got a wife a kid and dog named Brown
but the little girl next door calls him Bandit

at night you all sit by the Christmas tree
you dim the overheads and turn on the tv
and there’s plenty to watch but there’s not much to see
and it’s not exactly how you planned it

but you know it might be time to give up the ghost
one last downshift and you’re ready to coast
you might be smarter than some but you’re luckier than most
it’ll all be gone in the blink of an eye

and a bang on a pot’s like the beat of a drum
and the music you hear is the ordinary hum
of a day in the life in this place you have come to
when you’re ready to give the backup plan a try
and you’re ready for the backup plan
yeah you’re ready for the backup plan

09. Hours in a Day

Summertime ends
it’s getting dark early
there’s a chill in the air
soon the trees will be bare
white will block out the sun

while I’ve got you right here
maybe you could stay a while

I only want you near
we could go for a walk
find our own country mile

and In winter the hours
slow down to a crawl
we come and we go
but only some of us know
the snow will cover us all

and you know you can never go home again
and it’s a long road to walk on your own
and It’s too short to keep making the same mistakes
but we don’t have to walk it alone

and we only grow older
at the end of the day
but we could grow bolder
we could say what we mean
we could mean what we say

and you know you can never go home again
and it’s a long road to walk on your own
and it’s too short to keep making the same mistakes
but we don’t have to walk it alone

and the hours in a day
and the days in a year
and we don’t ever know
when it’s our time to go
let’s love while we’re here

I’d like to spend some time with you
maybe go for a walk
I’d like to hold your hand
write your name in the sand
we don’t have to talk

10. Every Now and Then

Heat wave rolls in early and the cocks are sleeping in
moonlit skies and fireflies it’s summertime again
green and blue for miles from the mountains to the sea
I wonder if you still remember me

we laid on a blanket on a lazy riverbed
we’d while away the day till stars were shining overhead
my memory is hazy can’t remember where or when
but I think about you every now and then

every now and then
every now and then
every letter I would write and never send
so many years and different roads and the miles never end
but I think about you every now and then.
the August wind’s a whisper and the evenings start to cool
some time away then Labor Day and the kids are back in school
I look up to the sky one night and catch a shooting star
I make a wish and wonder where you are

campfire eves and Autumn leaves they turn to red and gold
creatures big and small collecting nuts before the cold
so many mistakes I’ve made but I would do it all again
and I think about you every now and then

every now and then
every now and then
every letter I would write and never send
so many years and different roads and the miles never end
but I think about you every now and then.

the leaves are gone the kettle’s on and the wild things retire
it’s winter on Lake Michigan and it’s time to feed the fire
frost is on the windowpane my tea is on the sill
and I wonder if you think about me still

buried in a blanket of a freshly fallen snow
brings back a time when you were mine so many years ago
we took a frozen walk into our favorite hidden glen
and I think about you every now and then

every now and then
every now and then
every letter I would write and never send
so many years and different roads and the miles never end
but I think about you every now and then.

the snowmelt makes the rivers rush and the frost it turns to dew
crocuses and daffodils they’re starting to peek through
last night in a dream I gazed out on a shining sea
and I wonder if you ever think of me

not sure I remember where my memories begin
but there’s dinner on the table now and the family settles in
I wonder if I’ll see you every highway has an end
and I think about you every now and then

every now and then
every now and then
every letter I would write and never send
so many years and different roads and the miles never end
but I think about you every now and then.

every now and then
every now and then
every letter I would write and never send
so many years and different roads and the miles never end
but I think about you every now and then

every now and then
every now and then
every now and then
every now and then

11. Gone Days

Hard to believe
more than a dozen years
we’ve been through it all
from laughter to tears
and I’m on your side
to a million and ten
and I’d do it all over again

and the grass is still green
and the future is bright
and I heard you on the
telephone last night
telling Gracie all about
your latest shopping spree
and I knew it wouldn’t always be me

and it’s hard to tell
when the line gets drawn
one minute you’re here
and the next one you’re gone
you’re so worth it and then
so honey I’ll stick around
maybe we could take a walk downtown

some office pranks
maybe a video game
there’s that one you always beat me on
but I forget the name
we can talk about the weather
stay up past 10
and I’d do it all over again

and it’s 1, 2, 3
won’t you hang with me
we could sit on the couch
maybe see what’s on the tv
1 and 1 makes 3
4, 5, 6, 7
daddy’s little girl should be home by 11
no phone for a week
unless you’re ready to speak
or I hear you in the basement playing hide and seek
now your mama’s on a mean streak
story at 11
gone are the days we’re in bed by 7.
and they’re gone, gone
gone are the gone days

your bags are packed
you’re getting on a plane
maybe think about me
when you’re on the coast of Spain
you can send me a postcard
or drop me a line
an email from your phone
to let me know you’re doing fine

I’ll see you in the morning
in the warm sunshine
I’ll see you in your mama
when she’s searching for a line
you gotta get a good start
so we can skip to the end
so we can do it all over again

and it’s 1, 2, 3
won't you hang with me
or we could sit on the couch
maybe see what’s on the tv
1 and 1 makes 3
4, 5, 6, 7
daddy’s little girl should be home by 11
and it might sound strange
but keep your phone for a change
odds are good that you won’t always be so out of range
your mother and I miss
a million of your little ways
and gone are the gone days
and they’re gone, gone
gone are the gone days
and they’re gone, gone
gone are the gone days
and they’re gone, gone
gone are the gone days
and they’re gone, gone
gone are the gone days