today I made my mark
the wait is over
the work the strain the doubt
I scratched it all out
today I wrote out me
for all to see
accepting who I am
so others can
today I let it be
all the yous and me
on the line together
the very short and dotted tether
today I let it run
out the tip onto the page
so little but so much
it took my breath away
today I joined a crew
on a leaky paper boat
like a sailor for a day
with a puddle for a hope
today I laid it down
points and dots and spots
now signing at the last
all together in a row
Verse 1
Grabbing keys and coffee
Running ten minutes behind
You kissed me like routine
But not like you were mine
I paused there at the doorway
Like something held me still
Was it just the morning haze
Or something we don’t feel?
Verse 2
Your voice was soft but distant
Your eyes were somewhere else
I laughed and said, “I’ll miss you”
But I was talking to myself
I turned to go, then lingered
With nothing left to do
I didn’t say goodbye again
‘Cause maybe neither did you
Chorus
You already said goodbye
Already let it die
Already in the way you wiped
a teardrop from your eye
Goodbye, then let it be
But goodbye won’t work for me
So maybe we should try
before we say goodbye
Verse 3
Now I’m driving past the red lights
In a life we used to share
Wishing you'd just scream or fight
At least that means you care
But silence made its statement
So quiet yet so loud
You left before the leaving
And I caught it in the sound
Square up on the floor, music starts to shine
Heads and sides they sway and I'm calling the line
Smiles on every face, filling up the place
Slippers boots and hands ready for some grace
Hand in hand they glide, moving side by side
Circle left this time, swing yours I'll swing mine
Strangers for a time, now I know they're mine
Every night it's heaven, calling the line
Chorus:
Calling the line in square dance time
Calling the line to make it rhyme
Couples turning in design
Making the dancefloor shine
Calling the line, calling the line
How I love this life of mine
Weaving the ring one more time
Calling the line
today I made my mark
the wait is over
the work the strain the doubt
I scratched it all out
today I wrote out me
for all to see
accepting who I am
so others can
today I let it be
all the yous and me
on the line together
the very short and dotted tether
today I let it run
out the tip onto the page
so little but so much
it took my breath away
today I joined a crew
on a leaky paper boat
like a sailor for a day
with a puddle for a hope
today I laid it down
points and dots and spots
now signing at the last
all together in a row
Verse 1
Grabbing keys and coffee
Running ten minutes behind
You kissed me like routine
But not like you were mine
I paused there at the doorway
Like something held me still
Was it just the morning haze
Or something we don’t feel?
Verse 2
Your voice was soft but distant
Your eyes were somewhere else
I laughed and said, “I’ll miss you”
But I was talking to myself
I turned to go, then lingered
With nothing left to do
I didn’t say goodbye again
‘Cause maybe neither did you
Chorus
You already said goodbye
Already let it die
Already in the way you wiped
a teardrop from your eye
Goodbye, then let it be
But goodbye won’t work for me
So maybe we should try
before we say goodbye
Verse 3
Now I’m driving past the red lights
In a life we used to share
Wishing you'd just scream or fight
At least that means you care
But silence made its statement
So quiet yet so loud
You left before the leaving
And I caught it in the sound
Square up on the floor, music starts to shine
Heads and sides they sway and I'm calling the line
Smiles on every face, filling up the place
Slippers boots and hands ready for some grace
Hand in hand they glide, moving side by side
Circle left this time, swing yours I'll swing mine
Strangers for a time, now I know they're mine
Every night it's heaven, calling the line
Chorus:
Calling the line in square dance time
Calling the line to make it rhyme
Couples turning in design
Making the dancefloor shine
Calling the line, calling the line
How I love this life of mine
Weaving the ring one more time
Calling the line
the desert gets more beautiful every mile
the skies get bigger every day
the blacktop reaches for the future
through the bones of yesterday
and when you get there at last
and stand in the wind
feel the dust and smell the grass
like your spirit taking wings
in the pale blue morning
when the sun races across the plain
you turn again to the sunset
and you drive on again
drive on again
like the road never bends
and the sunset never ends
to your foes and to your friends
Standing by the roadside
Start a brand new day
Somewhere near El Paso
Let it slip away
I got a woman I love
Treat her the best I can
Whenever we're together
I always got a plan
I know what she likes to hear
And I come through when I can
Just whisper in her little ear
And be a sweet talking man
Sweet talking man, oh yeah
Sweet talking man
I give my love the best I can
And be a sweet talking man
Now you might think it's crazy
But I make it up as I go
Don't let your mind get lazy
When you're talking sweet and low
Just let the moment fill your heart
Let the sweet nothings flow
Remember where you started
And you'll know just where to go
Out by the ravine, he sits alone
Watching the fields he used to call home
Lights from the tractor dance in the haze
Bringing him back to those harvest days
The city’s his now, but it feels far away
The roar of the combine calls to yesterday
Fields full of wheat, the stars shining bright
Echoes of home fill the silence tonight
We all have a ravine we cross in our lives
A place where the memories never quite die
Looking back through the dust and the moon's gentle light
The past and the present meet here in the night
He remembers the days when he worked with his kin
Under the harvest moon, the nights closing in
Now he watches from here, as the farm carries on
That life’s never lost, though he’s long been gone
She’s my sweetie I’m her terrier
I would follow her most anywhere
She calls me her good dog, and I sure try to be
But I still got some bad dog in me
I learned my lesson now I sit and stay
Obedient and true’s the only way
I'm living like good dog, it's in my pedigree
But I still got some bad dog in me
Instrumental (dog sounds over the verse)
A good dog is what I want to be
Doing all those good dog tricks for home and family
People ask me cause they want to know
What’s it like to be the best in show
It’s great to be a good dog, as anyone one can see
But I still got some bad dog in me
One day she bakes and quilts and sews
And spends the day inside
The next day she’s out on a march
For freedom rights and pride
She loves to wear an apron
But she’s got to have her say
She’s an old fashioned girl
With young fashioned ways
I saw her at a concert
Dancing in her chair
I thought I saw an angel girl
With wings and long brown hair
Before too long she let me know
There’s more to life than play
She’s an old fashioned girl
With young fashioned ways
She’s an old fashioned girl
With young fashioned ways
And she’s largely responsible
For the man I am today
So fellas if you’re looking
For a partner for your life
Do you want a movie star
Or nympho for a wife? (No!)
Or a floozie or a tart?
At the end of the day
Find an old fashioned girl
With young fashioned ways
today I made my mark
the wait is over
the work the strain the doubt
I scratched it all out
today I wrote out me
for all to see
accepting who I am
so others can
today I let it be
all the yous and me
on the line together
the very short and dotted tether
today I let it run
out the tip onto the page
so little but so much
it took my breath away
today I joined a crew
on a leaky paper boat
like a sailor for a day
with a puddle for a hope
today I laid it down
points and dots and spots
now signing at the last
all together in a row
Verse 1
Grabbing keys and coffee
Running ten minutes behind
You kissed me like routine
But not like you were mine
I paused there at the doorway
Like something held me still
Was it just the morning haze
Or something we don’t feel?
Verse 2
Your voice was soft but distant
Your eyes were somewhere else
I laughed and said, “I’ll miss you”
But I was talking to myself
I turned to go, then lingered
With nothing left to do
I didn’t say goodbye again
‘Cause maybe neither did you
Chorus
You already said goodbye
Already let it die
Already in the way you wiped
a teardrop from your eye
Goodbye, then let it be
But goodbye won’t work for me
So maybe we should try
before we say goodbye
Verse 3
Now I’m driving past the red lights
In a life we used to share
Wishing you'd just scream or fight
At least that means you care
But silence made its statement
So quiet yet so loud
You left before the leaving
And I caught it in the sound
Square up on the floor, music starts to shine
Heads and sides they sway and I'm calling the line
Smiles on every face, filling up the place
Slippers boots and hands ready for some grace
Hand in hand they glide, moving side by side
Circle left this time, swing yours I'll swing mine
Strangers for a time, now I know they're mine
Every night it's heaven, calling the line
Chorus:
Calling the line in square dance time
Calling the line to make it rhyme
Couples turning in design
Making the dancefloor shine
Calling the line, calling the line
How I love this life of mine
Weaving the ring one more time
Calling the line
the desert gets more beautiful every mile
the skies get bigger every day
the blacktop reaches for the future
through the bones of yesterday
and when you get there at last
and stand in the wind
feel the dust and smell the grass
like your spirit taking wings
in the pale blue morning
when the sun races across the plain
you turn again to the sunset
and you drive on again
drive on again
like the road never bends
and the sunset never ends
to your foes and to your friends
Standing by the roadside
Start a brand new day
Somewhere near El Paso
Let it slip away
I got a woman I love
Treat her the best I can
Whenever we're together
I always got a plan
I know what she likes to hear
And I come through when I can
Just whisper in her little ear
And be a sweet talking man
Sweet talking man, oh yeah
Sweet talking man
I give my love the best I can
And be a sweet talking man
Now you might think it's crazy
But I make it up as I go
Don't let your mind get lazy
When you're talking sweet and low
Just let the moment fill your heart
Let the sweet nothings flow
Remember where you started
And you'll know just where to go
Out by the ravine, he sits alone
Watching the fields he used to call home
Lights from the tractor dance in the haze
Bringing him back to those harvest days
The city’s his now, but it feels far away
The roar of the combine calls to yesterday
Fields full of wheat, the stars shining bright
Echoes of home fill the silence tonight
We all have a ravine we cross in our lives
A place where the memories never quite die
Looking back through the dust and the moon's gentle light
The past and the present meet here in the night
He remembers the days when he worked with his kin
Under the harvest moon, the nights closing in
Now he watches from here, as the farm carries on
That life’s never lost, though he’s long been gone
I grew up in the southwest and now live in the northwest. I've been performing all my life and writing about the people I know and the experiences I've had with them. My songs were inspired at an early age by what came out of the little plastic Arvin radio that sat on the kitchen table in the trailer I grew up in. My education has taught me about style and words and I use that in my songwriting. I perform many songs I've written and people seem to like them.
I've performed in bands in Lubbock, TX: The Strange Attractors, The Prophets of Rockabilly, and on my own as a singer of my own stuff. When I moved north a few years ago I started a duo called The Parklanders in Edmonton, Alberta, named after The Flatlanders in West Texas. I work in the realm of community music: open mics, local venues, and local concerts, and community halls. I enjoy performing more than recording and I always try to give a good show.
I continue to host the Square 1 Open Mic and promote Community Music Day every July 1. My bass player and I do our "tours" of community leagues, promoting membership, encouraging volunteers, and supporting car shows, dances, weddings, parties, concerts, and other arts-related musical events. I'm proud to be engaged with arts organizations in my community. There's a whole world of music out there to perform and be a part of and I am sustained by it.
