Teddy Chipouras

+ Prior To Rain

I lost my chance once again I let it slip right out of my hands

I think I’m holding on or moving on but what's the difference

If I saw you once again I’d find that you weren’t listening So strange the way we wish for rain but when it comes it's all the same we dance and sing to get it away

I just can’t seem to feel the same prior to rain

A new bird sings the same old song deceiving to the gentle eye

But one will come along but move along on to a different lie

When it seems there is no truth a rope is handed down to you

Out of darkness light will shine through cracks at first but not confined to thoughts and feelings not far behind

This time you've crossed a different line, but I'll be fine

If I found it had no meaning, I’d say I've had enough

But that little ounce of hope comes in and makes the whole thing up

I want it when it's traveled to italy or spain but in Virginia it's all the same

So strange the way we wish for rain but when it comes it's all the same we dance and sing to get it away

I just can’t seem to feel the same prior to rain

+ Friends

Of all of the friends I’ve found on my way I’ve had a few who were right

Right by my side when the night turns to grey and said nothing when nothing seemed right

But the road seems to take some subtle turns sets a drift from here to other worlds

I found that where I started is a long way from here

Growing up and explaining your changing has been worse for some I fear

But joy comes from the right light

It's a new way of life you have chose for yourself I can't pretend to agree Some things just change move along I can't help but feel sad when our paths don't meet

But it's life moving on and running back to the past

Listen close and you'll hear our distant laughs

I found that where I started is a long way from here

Growing up and explaining your changing has been worse for some I fear

But joy comes from the right light

+ Telephones

Buildings fall while we’re looking down and I can't find that higher ground but I know what it is to be held and to be loved by you

Screens atop of our fingertips seem so wonderful until they conflict with the way that I’m held, with the way I can be loved by you

Don't you think of what it was before apartment complexes before the dirt turned into mud

And aren’t you scared of what's to come when confrontation conversations exist on our telephones

I can’t, I don't want to be a part of this get me out, I don't want to be a part of this

So let that ivy grow on the windowsill don't burn it down so you can fill your bags with the guilt and the promise to come back again

Lay on your back look up and stare at the clouds above and breathe in the air and you'll know what it is to be held and to be loved again

Don't you think of what it was before apartment complexes before the dirt turned into mud

And aren’t you scared of what's to come when confrontation conversations exist on our telephones

I can’t, I don't want to be a part of this get me out, I don't want to be a part of this

+ Happy Song

It seemed to be the day but then you had nothing to say and you were gone

Another lonely nightmare on a train that's going nowhere in the dark

But you were stressed out and you kept me on the phone

A few more quarters please a ticket honey get me home

The days all seem to pass and the nights just seem to last without you

The thoughts inside my head they seem to crowd around my bedroom from my view

You can take my money run and hide just don't take my soul

Put me on a mantle dress me up till you're ready to go

The waves are white and the waters high but I’ll go down without my pride

Unlike a captain from his ship I won't mind one bit

It's a happy song about the things I hate

It's a simple scene where everything just crumbles in my wake

And what I can't decide is when to smile when everything seems fake

If you could only see you’d be a lot like me

The keys on my piano are all broken and abandoned in my head

It's hard to write a song about you when just throw me a glance

And what I can't say is what I want to tell you the most

And for a split second all I found inside was a ghost of me

As the buildings fall and bridges break I'll stand by and watch them shake

With no feeling of remorse It's happened once before

It's a happy song about the things I hate

It's a simple scene where everything just crumbles in my wake

And what I can't decide is when to smile when everything seems fake

If you could only see you’d be a lot like me

If you could only see you’d be a lot like me

+ Hotel

Give me a minute to think it out

These days minutes feel like hours

My hotel phone don't work like it should conversations with the front desk aren’t as good

As talking to you right before you sleep

Your eyes get tired I have to tell you to hang up on me

The clock says half past 9 but I'm three hours behind

You say “I love you but it's time to say goodnight” I love you, goodnight

I can look around and count my good friends on one hand

I can't see them now cause california changed my plans again

I’m grateful, yes I’m grateful for the chance

But that don't mean, that don't mean I don't miss my friends

I cannot sleep through the night

I count the green blinks from the smoke detector light

My sheets are made when the morning comes but I would rather have the chore and get it done

I cannot be away from you this long

I cannot be away from those who make me write my songs

Ignorance is bliss, but distance is a bitch

They say time will fly right by and we’ll be home

But these minutes turn to hours turn to stone

I can look around and count my good friends on one hand

I can't see them now cause california changed my plans again

I’m grateful, yes I’m grateful for the chance

But that don't mean, that don't mean I don't miss my friends

+ The Garden

May your teeth they sharp and your aim it stay true cause I know this is all that you wanted

Breathe out through the chemicals and push through the pain don't let poison take over your garden

I wasn’t there when you planted the seeds but god I am here while it's growing

Damn all the things that could pull you away I won't just sit by while it's burning

You're good enough for anything

Give time for your thoughts to push past the urge to turn all that you've made into nothing

Growth takes a long time to stand up this tall so don't let it fall just for one thing

I wasn’t there when you planted the seeds but god I am here while it's growing

Damn all the things that could pull you away I won't just sit by while it's burning

You're good enough for anything

I am here now as the water rains down and the soil is rich as the finest king

Don't you forget that your power’s unkept if you don't think it is where it ought to be

You're good enough for anything

+ The Ghost

Well the pine’s the only thing that stayed the leaves died off that winter day and god you left me digging in the dirt

I said why what have you done to me as of late I’ve become hard to see I speak to passerbys to no avail

I’ve counted the mistakes I made it helps to write them down to keep them in your brain the satisfaction comes from telling other people what I know

But my students seem to run away they tell their friends the story of that haunted day and then you came along with pen in hand and mind exposed enough

So sit down, take a note or two don’t think you had the choice to be me or you just listen to the words I have to say and you'll make it through

My advice to you is to come clean to all your faults and promise me to live your life with pride and passion, wish for no more than you're given

It's not worth your time to dwell

I've roamed a long time if you can't tell

From up here it doesn't seem so bad death and all it always used to seem so sad but man where did all the time tick tick tick on to

Let the credits roll as they always do just hope you get your name in a line or two I find it funny how we judge the way we live different when we die

So sit down, take a note or two

Don’t think you had the choice to be me or you

Just listen to the words I have to say and you'll make it through

My advice to you is to come clean to all your faults and promise me to live your life with pride and passion, wish for no more than you're given

It's not worth your time to dwell

I've roamed a long time if you can't tell

So sit down, take a note or two

+ Caught In Between

You're all there is that's what I wanted you to say

It's just a dream I'll save it for another day where I might just have the guts to say what I feel

I hope and swear to god no this isn't real

My wandering mind takes things I never even said and says come with me I’ll take you two steps ahead

I get lost in the forest without you even knowing that I went

No genuine direction no time or money being spent

You get caught in between

These lines

They seem to be real

They seem to be real

The feeble feelings that I almost had for you were torn apart and taken in a piece of two

And then sewn back together only re-appearing in my sleep

Subconscious taking over telling me exactly what I need

You get caught in between

These lines

They seem to be real

They seem to be real

+ Blue Eyes

Blue eyes shine somewhere across the open globe

Look at you so beautiful but you don't even know

I'm glad I said what I wanted though it took a little time

Now I can't even imagine who I’d be if you weren't mine

Virginia seems smaller when you're on the other side

I hate it here on my own I want to see your smile

Miles turn time into a language I never want to learn

So I’ll spend 30 bucks on a new tank and drive it till it burns

Let’s read some books tonight

Have some coffee by the fire

One thing’s for sure I don't want nothing more

Than your hand in mine

Than your hand in mine

So proud to be the one that you are always thinking of

I go to sleep just to wake and be with you my love

The time I spend with you talking is never long enough

So hear these words as they come out but they won't be enough

Let’s read some books tonight

Have some coffee by the fire

One thing’s for sure I don't want nothing more

Than your hand in mine

Than your hand in mine

I love you

+ Willy

My friend since I was three years old I never thought you’d grow so tall

Remember all those days out by the apple tree

We thought we had to worry ‘bout the men that we had to be

Days flew past like a drunkard's dream sipping whisky to daddy’s extreme

We’d hide out in the woods pretend that this is all a game

I’d tell you if I told you you’d have every right to be ashamed

Deep down under the water so clear hatred grew strong but the words never appeared

The letter I read in blood signed his name

It read wait back Willy ‘till a quarter to three let the fire burn low but don't let him see

Grab the musket by the mantel and run out back by the trees

Don't look back Willy it’ll do you no good keep your legs movin’ fast like a locomotive would

Like a hound on your heels you’ll bargain for a plea

If you run fast enough one day Willy you’ll be free

Then one day I’d take it no more I'm going up north to fight this civil war

Not for my brother, father, or anyone in Danville’s name

The crime of delusion leaves nothing in this world to blame

Deep down under the water so still your heart keeps talking but your lips never will

The letter you read in blood signed my name

It read wait back Willy ‘till a quarter to three let the fire burn low but don't let him see

Grab the musket by the mantel and run out back by the trees

Don't look back Willy it’ll do you no good keep your legs movin’ fast like a locomotive would

Like a hound on your heels you’ll bargain for a plea

If you run fast enough one day Willy you’ll be free

Well you got the the river all you found was a new name

You found that your mind was playing the same games

You thought that I’d stay a while longer

Well I turned out to be the same as your father

I said wait back Willy ‘till a quarter to three let the fire burn low but don't let him see

Grab the musket by the mantel and run out back by the trees

Don't look back Willy it’ll do you no good keep your legs movin’ fast like a locomotive would

Like a hound on your heels you’ll bargain for a plea

If you run fast enough one day Willy you’ll be free

+ Papers When I'm Gone

I hope this ain't the last time I feel this way again

The moments of my past time are fleeting with no end

The folk and love and stories we tell to get us by

All amount to something more than you and I

I hope I don't leave papers when I'm gone

Evidence I gave up on the song

Cause office space and real estate they dry up when we move on

I hope I don't leave papers when I'm gone

The scenes I can remember, the quotes that all came true

Were mumbled from my elders to us who had no clue

How fast our lives would take us through every twist and turn

How time can rob you blindly or give you everything you’ve earned

I hope I don't leave papers when I'm gone

Evidence I gave up on the song

Cause office space and real estate they dry up when we move on

I hope I don't leave papers when I'm gone

+ The Leaving

Oh I once was a king a little bolder

I had to escape from this French country border all my problems had gone, far enough

So I hopped in the stagecoach ran past the station

Marie got mad I was leaving the nation I was forced to accept, we were too far to turn back

Now I know, you can’t run from the troubles of the past

Now I know you can’t see what’s scheduled in the time to come

What I forgot is that I can't see what's right there in front of me even if it was my enemy

All I knew is that I had to get out of the place that I was

We got seventeen miles from the Austrian line the guard came up, he thought I was dyin’ I tried to keep my cool but the scare was too much for me

He checked in my bag, I was ready to run

Now that I think of it, I wish I had my gun but it's too late for that now the deed has already been done

Now I know, you can’t run from the troubles of the past

Now I know you can’t see what’s scheduled in the time to come

What I forgot is that I can't see what's right there in front of me even if it was my enemy

All I knew is that I had to get out of the place that I was

I know there was a time, I should have accepted the way things were goin’ instead I left it now half is in the basket and half is lyin’ on the ground.

+ Other Corner

Why do we stay when we know we don't like it

We all want to get out but we, we all just hide it

We stay doing something that's not meant, that's just not right for us

Scared to speak up cause you think it might blind you

Can't figure out if someone should just remind you

That what you’re doing is what you want to do you just forgot along the way

And you know that you’re scared

And you think there’s nothing there

But you'll find that when you get to where you want to be there will be no need to look back

If I wait too long I'll always wonder what it could’ve been and if I leave too soon it’ll come around the other corner

That’s why you've got to go with what's inside your chest and try not to dwell on what could’ve been

Why am I still here because I know it's not me

Staying steady and strong but oh, can you all see

I'm missing something here I wish I had the key to go, to where I want to be

And I know that I'm scared

And I think there’s nothing there

But I'll find that when I get to where I want to be there will be no need to look back

If I wait too long I'll always wonder what it could’ve been and if I leave too soon it’ll come around the other corner

That’s why you've got to go with what's inside your chest and try not to dwell on what could’ve been

+ Rolling Hills

The rolling hills find quiet time

But unlike the i'm not as wise

The stars that shine away from here

They shine away to better years

The barn that creaks and shakes alone

Finds company through little songs

And the pond it sits ons overgrown

The way it should be all alone

The way it sits and stares is a sight I can't compare

To the waving city lights my peace and comfort will deny

The mountains that lay far out west

Don’t communicate through contact lists

And the trees that fight for sunlights kiss

Are some things that we all should miss

The way it sits and stares is a sight I can't compare

To the waving city lights my peace and comfort will deny

I know you might not see it now, or maybe it's the other way

Or maybe I can't see much further than the sun that's setting low today

But I can't find the evidence, or what i'll think five years from today

All I know is that I love an open field, and that distant mountain range

The way it sits and stares is a sight I can't compare

To the waving city lights my peace and comfort will deny.

+ Prior To Rain

Well I found you a candle for when you can’t see

Well I hope that you use it it would mean the world to me

Now you’re using a lighter when the light says good day

Well I know you don't need it just don't let the flame fade away

Well he’s caught up in union station his fears proceed to grow

Not believin’ the only reason he’s here is the candle she holds

Well you held my candle for as long as you could

Well your hands got tired I understand or at least I should

So I grabbed my coat, and got in my car

Drove too far away

I got to the river and sat on the bank let the mud heal my fragile wounds

Well he’s caught up in union station his fears proceed to grow

Not believin’ the only reason he’s here is the candle she holds

+ Rusted Silver Dime

His hands were young and his feet were stable but he ran too fast with his name on the label he thought only for himself, locked inside his self-reflected mind

He said, “All is good, for we will live forever.” but his plans collapsed, and we won’t stay together she said, “You've burned all your bridges and for that I wish not for your return.” His momma said, “Be careful, here’s twenty bucks and a set of new terms.”

He wandered down the road, occupation on mind. Looked down on the ground and saw that rusted silver dime. It said, “I’m from 1922 and been through much more than you will ever know.”

It said, “Don't steal don't cheat, and with everyone you meet show gratitude and grace, but give them their space. I learned from living in their pockets that silence and forgiveness wins the race. Trust your closest enemies you'll find that in your mirror lies their face.”

With the dimes advice at heart, the boy went out searching for Who knows what, but he knew it was worth it Or he’d pay the price for all the debts, lies, mistakes and troubles he had made He loved his friends and family but there’s no way that he could ever stay.

Well he found somewhere that's good and cold, a place to keep his thoughts inside his soul

His mind could sleep, his bitter teeth could brush themselves to clean when they were told

He’d need no company no enemies for he was out there on his own

He was happy knowing not what's there but only focused on what's right below.

+ By The Wayside

She looked up, looked down, decided it was in her best way to stay even if she hadn't found a way she knew that she would one day

He wanted her gone but nothing could change it even if she built back the whole population her sins full of blood and her mind’s corrupt enough

But he knew she was in there somewhere

He said if you find her send for me and tell me where she is because she's not where she claims to be i'm frightened for the kids

Their shallow minds can't take much more as she grows more remiss

I'm sorry that I left you, I'm sorry that it's done, but I can't go back home

He left that town with a vengeance and a beating heart a new start had come upon him

The waves pushed him back far enough and the guilt ensued

His suitcase came along and remorse came in it he had to find a way to deal with his untrue decision

The only way to cope with the fear was to hear the roar

The page was blank and clean but the mind knew more

He wrote if you find her send for me and tell me where she is because she's not where she claims to be i'm frightened for the kids

Their shallow minds can't take much more as she grows more remiss

I'm sorry that I left you,

I'm sorry that it's done,

I hope some day that I can come back home

Well he found a way to deal with the pain but the stain showed through the cloth of truth

The fear crawled up his spine he couldn't take it no more

The time didn't wait for the wounds to heal, four years had gone by the wayside

Well he found her and sent for me to tell him what she needs

A good night sleep and medicine makes all you've ever dreamed

A fickle heart will grow much more with care and company

I'm sorry that I left you, I'm sorry that it's done, but you won’t need to make it all alone.