J.R. Mallard

Friend of Misery


Friend of misery
Wish I’d met you sooner
Before my life went spiraling down
But you know what they say

Sharing misery
Brings two people closer
Than a keg at Red Star Down
And you know what they say

If misery loves company
Then we’re in for a treat

Friend of misery
Friend of disarray
Keep me on my feet
Catch me when I sway
Share my misery
Never turn away
Never let me down

You can lean on me
When the air gets colder
And the ice piles on the ground
I will light our way

I’ll be all you need
And for worse or better
When we’re offered sleeping ground
We’ll press on our way

Our lives are holding by a thread
But we’re too proud to beg

Friend of misery
Friend of disarray
Keep me on my feet
Catch me when I sway
Share my misery
Never turn away
Never let me down

Friend of misery
Wish I’d met you sooner
Before our lives went spiraling down
...But it’s too late to dwell

Friend of misery
Friend of disarray
Keep me on my feet
Catch me when I sway
Share my misery
Never turn away
Never let me down

Friend of misery
Friend of dire days
If the end is near
Pretend it’s okay
Keep me company
Digging up my grave
...And then lay me down

Friend of misery


J.R. Mallard : 14/06/2022

One Hundred Words

I opened my mouth
I think there's something I wanted to say
But you had walked out
And it's been years now since we went our own separate ways

I don't like surprises
I thought you knew that after all those years
I should have known, you said
But I'm the kind who have their eyes open as they dream

And you know I know you were right
And I know you know I was pure
But pride weaved its tissue of lies
And good intentions fell through

One hundred words were left unsaid
When we let pride get in the way
One hundred words we should have said
But we let pride get in the way

Yesterday was nice
We had a lot of catching up to do
It felt just like old times
Except for that day that's become our well guarded taboo

And you know I meant to bring it up
And I know you waited for me to
Opened my mouth but the words got stuck
And like last time, you left too soon

One hundred words were left unsaid
When we let pride get in the way
One hundred words we should have said
But we let pride get in the way

We've been doing fine
It's a bittersweet thought all by itself
And maybe in time
We will be ready to pick this old book off the shelf

Then one hundred words we should have said
And we'd been holding onto all this time
One hundred words will at last be said
And "sorry" will be one hundred and one


J.R. Mallard 10/10/2014

We Are The Heirs

We are the heirs
Of a time gone by
The heirs of wars
The heirs of tides

Of cycles and seasons , some mild and some wild
We are the heirs of a time gone by

We walk the lands
In our forebears’ strides
The lands spread far
The lands spread wide

The mountains and valleys still echo their cries
We walk the lands in our forebears’ strides

We learn the tales
That scripted our ties
The tales tell all
The tales tell why

The heroes and journeys alive in our minds
We learn the tales that scripted our ties

We sing the songs
Of eternal rhymes
The songs ring low
The songs ring high

Our voices and chanting resounding with pride
We sing the songs of eternal rhymes

We are the heirs
Of a time gone by
The heirs of wars
The heirs of tides

We are the heirs
Of a time gone by
Frozen in time


J.R. Mallard 16/05/2019

Wail Mary

Wail Mary
Full of rage
For he has left you
All consuming is your torment
And ever more deepening your gloom
Jesus
Weepy Mary
Fountain of sobs
Don’t be sinister
And rue the day that you ever met
A man

He gave you a glimpse of Heaven
But it was in vain
A unicorn
A hero born
Yet soon dead and back to Heaven
For now your white angel has fled
And with each day that passes
The more crushing and heavy becomes your cross
As you come to the realization
He was but a simple mortal:
A man

Wail Mary
Full of rage
For he has left you
All consuming is your torment
And ever more deepening your gloom
Jesus
Weepy Mary
Fountain of sobs
Don’t be sinister
And rue the day that you ever met
A man

Wail Mary
Full of rage
For he has left you
All consuming is your torment
And ever more deepening your gloom
Jesus
Weepy Mary
Fountain of sobs
Don’t be sinister
And rue the day that you ever met
A man

He gave you a taste of Heaven
Now he is your bane
Hot is your scorn
Sharp like the horns
Of the one who fell from Heaven
You cursed him with every tear shed
But with each day that passes
Your sour resentment slowly turns to dust
And your sore eyes open to reason
He was not angel nor devil:
A man


J.R. Mallard 26/02/2019

Imagine It


How do you know that a dream was tailor-made for you?
Are you aware of your heart skipping a beat or two?
Does the thought get you feeling warm?
Does the hair stand up on your arms?
That’s it, you’re the chosen one

Now
How do you pursue the dream with the odds against you?
How do you transform a dream into a dream come true?
It’s easier than meets the eye
Breathe in and out and close your eyes
That’s right, you’re on the right track

Imagine it
Imagine it
Fill up your heart
With happy thoughts of it
They say ‘bow your head and work hard’
But you know that a dream can tip tomorrow’s odds
So till your hands are holding it
Imagine it

How do you know the way home from a fork in the road?
How do you weather the storm and make it back to shore?
Follow the compass of your heart
Blindly believing is an art
And now’s the perfect time to start

Imagine it
Imagine it
With all your heart
Every part of it
They’ll say ‘you’re taking it too far’
But you know that a dream can ensure the outcome
So till your eyes can look at it
Imagine it

Imagine it
Pour all your heart
Into attracting it
Today, it may still seem so far
But you know if you dream, life will answer the call
So unless you want no part in it...

Imagine it
Imagine it
Fill up your heart
With happy thoughts of it
They say ‘bow your head and work hard’
But you know that a dream can tip tomorrow’s odds
So till your hands are holding it
And till your eyes can look at it

...Untill you’re finally living it
Imagine it


J.R. Mallard : 07/07/2022

En couleurs

J’étais un garçon triste
Avec des rêves d’artiste
Qui les a négligés
Pour une part de marché

Ma mère ne m’disait pas
Qu’j’étais l’plus beau des mômes
Mon père n’était pas là
Quand j’ai eu mon diplôme

Plutôt qu’faire des histoires
J’imprimais celles des autres
Des ballets de fils noirs
Au fil des planches couleur de chaux

Dans ma vie douce-amère
Aux espoirs illusoires
Et bonheurs éphémères
T’as ouvert un tiroir
De mille et une couleurs

Au roman noir et gris
Des histoires de ma vie
Tu t’es dictée auteure
D’un passage de bonheur
Comme les encres d’Asie
Tu as marqué ma vie
Et signé sur mon coeur
Une page en couleurs

J’étais un vieux garçon
Qui manquait d’ambition
Dont les jours s’enfilaient
Comme les perles d’un chap’let

Les filles me r’gardaient pas
Comme elles r’gardent les rockers
Les gars se passaient d’moi
Dans les soirées poker

Et dans ma chambre noire
J’dév’loppais pour les autres
En A4 blancs et noirs
Leurs pans de vie en marée haute

Dans ma vie claire-obscure
Aux contours un peu flous
Et aux contrastes trop durs
T’as taillé un bijou
De mille et une couleurs

Dans l’album noir et gris
Des clichés de ma vie
Tu as posé des fleurs
Un bouquet de douceur
Et quand, seul, je soupire
Je revois en souv’nir
Imprimée sur mon coeur
Ta photo en couleurs

J’étais un garçon triste
Avec des rêves d’artiste
Qui a vu en ton coeur
Sa palette de couleurs

Au roman noir et gris
Des histoires de ma vie
Tu t’es dictée auteure
D’un passage de bonheur
Comme les encres d’Asie
Tu as marqué ma vie
Et signé sur mon coeur
Une page en couleurs

Dans l’album noir et gris
Des clichés de ma vie
Tu as posé des fleurs
Un bouquet de douceur
Et quand, seul, je soupire
Je revois en souv’nir
Imprimée sur mon coeur
Ta photo en couleurs

Quand mes jours étaient gris
Tu as bercé mes nuits
Et fait rêver mon coeur
De mille et une couleurs


Jacinthe Mallard 20/12/2020

No More Room for Two

No more « I love you »
No more waiting for you
No more room for two
I’ve grown tired of missing you

Gotta look at the facts
You spend most of the week
Lining up business trips
And then on the weekends
You hang out with your friends
There’s just no room for me
In the life that you live

Every night spent waiting
On an oversized bed
In some classy hotel
Feeling shunned and jaded
Like discarded luggage
I longed for a future
That’s not found in brochures

It’s not fair
It’s not right
Why should I be
The only one who fights
To keep us where
We started at?

No more « I love you »
No more waiting for you
No more room for two
I’ve grown tired of missing you

Gotta look at the facts
We’ve grown so far apart
I’ve been playing the part
Of your ghostly shadow
Or a mourning widow
Cause you’re just never here
Truth is you’re dead to me

It’s not fair
It’s not right
Why should I be
The only one who fights
When you don’t care
And you don’t try?

No more « I love you »
No more waiting for you
No more room for two
I’ve grown tired of missing you

Gotta look at the facts
Gotta ask myself why
Why should I be
The only one who cries?

No more « I love you »
No more waiting for you
No more room for two
I’ve grown tired of missing you

No more « I love you »
No more waiting for you
No more room for two
I’ve grown tired of missing you

I’m so tired of missing you

I’m too tired
Be seeing you


J.R. Mallard 21/02/2019

My Misery

It’s been such a long time coming
The end was foreseen from the very beginning
How did I not see it coming?

How miserable I’ve been with you
Such a sad, sorry, boneless puppet on your string
But I’m no better without you
For now that we’re well and truly through

The sound of your name is my misery
Your voice in my brain is your legacy
The lessons I learned
The pictures I burned
Forever branded in my memory

Your scent in my sheets is my misery
Your face in my sleep is your victory
The feelings that broke
The misses that wrote
The torn out pages of our history

Aagh, twisting the tale for my misery

So perfect was your masquerade
Sparkling glitter on your crimson angel wings
How shocked was I when the mask fell

And there’s no one coming to my aid
Sober and bitter as I refind my bearings
And all that’s left to do is dwell
For now that I’ve shaken off your spell

The thought of your smile is my misery
My « upgraded » style is your legacy
The causes I fought
The battles I lost
Confusing romance and slavery

Your taste on my lips is my misery
Your name on my skin is your victory
The lies I believed
The dreams I conceived
Calling it fated or destiny

Aagh, spinning the web of my misery

(Instrumental/Guitar solo)

It was such a long time coming
The end was foreseen from the very beginning
How did I not see it coming?

And now that the lych bell is tolling

The sound of your name is my misery
Your voice in my brain is your legacy
Your words of disdain
The loss and the pain
Staging the last act of the tragedy

The cold in my heart is my misery
The hole in my house is your legacy
The days gone for sure
The future obscure
Still cloaked in a thick veil of mystery

Aagh, spelling no rest for my misery


J.R. Mallard : 08/03/2018 ( revised: 07/2022 )