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MusicMusic

Without Sight (2012)
Without Sight (2012)
Buy from CDBaby
Without Sight (2012)

All Song Lyrics written by Vanessa Torres except “Eloise” written by Vanessa Torres and Connor Garvey, and “Cambia” written by Julio Numhauser, sung as performed by Mercedes Sosa.

©2012, Vanessa Torres (ASCAP) .

 

For music, photos, and updated show information visit: http://www.vanessatorresmusic.com

Contact: vanessatorresmusic@yahoo.com

 

Album Cover Artwork by Nick Rofe, “Not Quite Right Designs”

Email: nqrofe@hotmail.com, or on Facebook “Nick Rofe”.

CD Design by Mai Bloomfield.

 

This album is dedicated to the all the teachers past and present who have been guides in seeking to understand the balance between darkness and light.

 

With Gratitude and big love,

Vanessa Torres.


Credits
1. Thelma and Louise
Thelma and Louise
I am a solid engine, you are gasoline
We take each other travelling the world
But just one match lit on a cold night
Struck at just the right time
Melts the tires, runs us right off the road

One match, we’re off like a firework display
All the thunder and the ashes and the light
Just one match, unpredictable as a gust of wind
Send us flying with a prayer for safe landing

This time we’ll need a team, of firefighters on call
To lean into the flames, raise the alarm
And I’m calling out for ladders
For an old school fire escape, spray us down with an ocean
We’ve got no time to waste

One match, we’re off like a firework display
All the thunder and the ashes and the light
Just one match, unpredictable as a gust of wind
Send us flying with a prayer for safe landing

And I’m praying for safe landing
I’m praying for safe landing
Oh I’m praying for safe landing

In your eyes I see a warning
On your mouth, I taste your thirst
I know you like to go faster
And I know these brakes don’t work
I’m a solid engine
Give me your gasoline
I’m not afraid to be your Thelma
If you’ll be my Louise

One match, we’re off like a firework display
All the thunder and the ashes and the light
Just one match, unpredictable as a gust of wind
Send us flying with a prayer for safe landing
For safe landing…
Lyrics
2. When the Wind Blows
When the Wind Blows
Each Day I check your sky
From halfway across the world
To see where the clouds lie
Over your sleeping town
I’m looking for storm fronts
Trying to catch a glimpse of you
From my silent screen
It’s all I know how to do

I had so many dreams
Of who I thought I’d be
Be the rock you called your home
Be the boat you took to see
But the sky turned dark
And those waves got bigger
I just watched you disappear
I was too scared of swimming

Do you need a raincoat?
Or an umbrella?
Did you button up real tight?
Is it short sleeves weather?
Do you miss me when the sun shines?
Or when it’s twenty below?
Can you feel my love reaching out to you, Oh, when the wind blows?

There’s someone who knows your eyes
How they change with the light
There’s someone who’s holding on
Even if you don’t realize
And I’m gonna love you
Chart every season
The heart don’t need a prayer
It don’t need a reason

Do you need a raincoat?
Or an umbrella?
Did you button up real tight?
Is it short sleeves weather?
Do you miss me when the sun shines?
Or when it’s twenty below?
Can you feel my love reaching out to you,
Oh, when the wind blows?

I can’t stop this fade
The axis turns around
I’ve lost another day
I can’t stop this fade
The axis turns around
Changes everything

When these trees were young
Your laughter flooded me
Love stopped all the clocks
Days were eternity
But those trees are bent now
One holds a raven there
She’s watching the winter melt
She’s watching the summer end

She’s watching your face change
She’s watching your hair grow
She’s flying above you now
She’s right outside your window
So if you’re ever lonely
Just keep your eyes closed
Unlock your shutters now,
Can you feel….feel the wind blow????
Oooh, feel the wind blow…
Lyrics
3. Without Sight
Without Sight
Sun is gone with the day
Just rose up, fell away
Black as coal is the night
I navigate without touch,
Without sight

I beat my wings like a drum
You cant hear me but I’m singing your song
Always out of reach
Still you shine in my memory

Give me your lips, for a taste
I’ve got a hunger I’m too weak to shake
Give me a language, like the sea
Wide enough to stretch from you to me
Make it wide enough

Music’s playing in the square
Couples dancing all around me standing here
Dance me slow, dance me close
I can feel you even though I’m all alone

Give me your lips, for a taste
I’ve got a hunger I’m too weak to shake
Give me a language, like the sea
Wide enough to stretch from you to me
Make it wide enough

Sun is gone with the day
Just rose up, fell away
Black as coal is the night
I navigate without touch without sight
Lyrics
4. Paper Airplanes
Paper Airplanes
When everything’s possible
Before the sun rises
Will you sit beside me and dream
Make a thousand promises
And we can fly them like paper airplanes
We know can’t last too long
Let’s try to be pilots anyway
Urge them along

The truth is I’m afraid of falling
And you’re afraid of heights
We make a pretty good pair up here
High above the tree-tops
But when you hold my hand
My wingspan is twice as wide
I can almost feel my feathers now
Trying to rise

So let’s try not to let go
All the way down
And when we get scared we’ll take turns
Being the strong one
Let’s keep our eyes
Trained on the rising sun
And let’s not be afraid of promises
When everything’s possible

The sun is stronger than sleep
It pulls us awake though we try
To hang on to this sweetness
Before it passes us by
And our bed is an island
But the tides coming in
Before it pulls us away

Kiss me once again
Once again

So let’s try not to let go
All the way down
And when we get scared we’ll take turns
Being the strong one
Let’s keep our eyes
Trained on the rising sun
And let’s not be afraid of promises

When everything’s possible
When everything’s possible oooohh
Everything’s possible,
Trained on the rising sun
Possible…

When everything’s possible
Before the sun rises
Will you sit beside me and dream
Make a thousand promises
And we can fly them like paper airplanes
We know can’t last too long
Let’s try to be pilots anyway
Urge them along
Urge them beyond…
Lyrics
5. Sand Castle
Sand Castle
If I build, this castle out of sand
As far from the tide, as I can go
If I build, this castle out of sand
Will there be any record at all

Such a humble thing made of so many grains
Shells that once were, living things
Such a humble thing made, of so many grains
What can I hold, when it’s washed away

I feel the shifting ground
I know the rain
I want to hold on I want to run, away

If we whisper, if we walk on tiptoe
If we leave all the lights off when we’re home
If we whisper, if we walk on tiptop
Will it keep us safe, will it keep our hearts whole

I feel the shifting ground
I know the rain
Nothing gets through this world unchanged
I feel the shifting ground, I know the rain
I want to hold on I want to run…away
Lyrics
6. Follow
Follow
Oh, when the well runs dry
Ooohh, when the well runs dry
Put your ear to the ground,
Listen for that river sound
Follow

Oh when the engine dies
Ooooh when the engine dies
Lace your boots, raise your thumb
Start walking while there’s sun
To follow

Make something new of me
Earthquakes they form the sea
Broke all the windows,
Broke down the door
The girl you know, she don’t live here
Anymore

Oh, when your lover leaves
Ohhhhh when your lover leaves
Let your tears run you dry,
Take your time, take your pride
Follow

Make something new of me
Earthquakes they form the sea
Broke all the windows,
Broke down the door
The girl you know, she don’t live here
Anymore
Lyrics
7. Nameless
Nameless
My name is walking blind
My name is fearless heart
My name is no turning back
My name is borderline

My name is blistered hands
My name is never stop
My name is in the seed
Of your fruit,
My name is pulled apart

Where am I to go
Where am I to go
Where am I to go
Where am I to go

My name is a flatbed truck
My name is a dusty road
My name is reaching high
My name is chemicals

My name is no mailbox
My name is all alone
My name is never knowing
My name is, never really home

Where am I to go
Where am I to go
Where am I to go
Where am I to go

Miles to go before I sleep
Permission to work please

My name is barbed wire fence
My name is loaded guns
My name is I’ll do anything
My name is someone’s son

My name is on your table
My name is in your mouth
My name is take all that I give
My name is go and spit it out

Where am I to go
Where am I to go
Where am I to go
Where am I to go

Miles to go before I sleep
Permission to work please

My name is blown on the wind
It’s a migrating bird
My name is silence
My name you’ve never heard
My name is silence
My name you’ve never heard
Lyrics
8. Cambia
Cambia
Cambia lo superficial
Cambia tambien lo profundo
Cambia el modo de pensar
Cambia todo en este mundo

Cambia el clima con los anos
Cambia el pastor su rebano
Asi como todo cambia,
Que yo cambie no es extrano

Cambia el mas fino brillante
De mano y mano su brillo
Cambia el nido el pajarito
Cambia el sentir un amante

Cambia el rumbo el caminante
Aunque esto cause dano
Y asi como todo cambia
Que yo cambie no es extrano

Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia

Cambia el sol en su carerra
Cuando la noche subsiste
Cambia la planta y se viste
De verde la primavera

Cambia el pelaje la fiera
Cambia el cabello el anciano
A asi como todo cambia
Que yo cambie no es extrano

Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia

Pero no cambia mi amor
Por mas lejos que me encuentre
Ni el recuerdo, ni el dolor

De mi pueblo, y de mi gente
Y lo que cambio ayer
Tendra que cambiar manana
Y asi como cambio yo
En estas tierras lejanas

Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia

Pero no cambia mi amor
Por mas lejos que me encuentre
Ni el recuerdo, ni el dolor
De mi pueblo, y de mi gente
Y lo que cambio ayer
Tendra que cambiar manana
Y asi como cambio yo
En estas tierras lejanas

Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia
Lyrics
9. Antarctica
Antarctica
I know I have angels
They’re gathered all around
They won’t stop me from falling
Apart on this ground
They know that I must fall
Like the raining coming down
To grow something green
To find my own feet
To trust what I’ve found

I’m hapless and holy
I’m a rudderless boat
Lovely as a lighthouse
In Antarctica
I’m looking for guidance
I’ve vowed to go far
But a voice keeps insisting
Just stop resisting
Start where you are

Where am I now
Hell bent on salvation
Where am I now
My heart breaking like glass
I just want to give something
That’s bigger than myself
Can you harbor a storm
Lend me a home,
Even when I don’t ask

I can recall flight
From the warmth of my dreams
It didn’t ever feel like hard work
Just a light hovering
And I know that it’s in me
Just somewhere fast asleep

Can you cover my eyes
Say a quick prayer
And just push me please

Where am I now
Hell bent on salvation
Where am I now
My heart breaking like glass

I just want to give something
That’s bigger than myself
Can you harbor a storm
Lend me a home,
Even when I don’t ask

So I geared up and faced them
And the waves pummeled me
I was drowning and fighting
The earths cold gravity
And that heaviness shook me
With all the salt of the sea
I let go of hope
I let go of truth
I let go of me

Where am I now
Hell bent on salvation
Where am I now
My heart breaking like glass
I just want to give something
That’s bigger than myself
Can you harbor a storm
Lend me a home,
Even when I don’t ask
Lyrics
10. Die a Little
Die a Little
Sometimes loving you, it’s like drinking too much
We get careless babe, stuck in the mud
And this shiny red car keeps spinning its wheels
Yeah this pretty little mess, it’s gonna sink deeper till

We die a little die a little
Each time we breathe, naked like the trees
I want to break all these rules
Write our own history
Get carried out to sea

Imagine you’re walking on a long dirt road
There’s no sign to tell you, where you are
Are you getting closer, or further away?
Toss out that old compass, let the sun find your face
And

Die a little, Die a little
Each time we breathe, trust your walking feet
I want to break all these rules
Write our own history
Get carried out to sea

It’s hard telling time when I’m by your side
Well I don’t mind getting lost, getting pulled by the tides

There’s a dangerous curve to your friendly smile
But I’d give it all up, just to make you mine, I…

Die a little, Die A little each time I breathe
Falling like the leaves
I want to break all these rules, write our own history
Get carried out to sea
I want to lay you down girl, write out own history
Get carried out to sea
Lyrics
11. Eloise
Eloise
A skeleton of wood and sand
A body on the beach
Waves roll, galloping

Her bones were once home
On the holy sea
Souls trust, bravery
Eloise, Eloise

Three tall sails
Twenty men to keep
Compass points out to sea

Her sights were set on 2 lights
Heavy laden heart
Steer, hold, proudly
Eloise, Eloise

Fog rolls in,
Changing everything that’s known
Lights fade, against the breakers, against the stones
Sinking without a song
Was Eloise

A skeleton of wood and sand
A body on the beach
Waves roll, galloping
Lyrics
12. Beauty in the Dying
Beauty in the Dying
I drove away from everything I’d known
I drove into the summer rain
The kind that forces bikers under bridges
Forced my speed down to fifty
Forced me to hold one more memory
Just to let it fall
Our love was like an open prairie
But our lives, were just like fire
They just couldn’t slow….no.

Let go this longing
Let go all this tired trying
Another world is breaking open
There’s beauty in the dying

She was born at the turn of the century
My grandma lived before her time
Her life never did feel like her own
But she hung on till her body stopped the fight
At her funeral we gathered
To feed her ashes, to the sea
As her body turned to water
Dolphins rose around the boat,
And I believe
She was released….

Scatter my dreams across this highway
A thousand thistle plants in bloom
Let go of everyone I wished upon
One by one by one
Let go this longing
Let go all this tired trying

Another world is breaking open
There’s beauty in the dying
There’s beauty in the dying

His love was like an ocean
His heart, was like an ark
Each one he loved he had to lose
Except the lucky few that could brave the dark

For forty days and nights the heavens fell
And the world became a flood
And in the chasm of all he knew to be
Flew forth the body of a dove

Scatter my dreams across this highway
A thousand thistle plants in bloom
Let go of everyone I wished upon
One by one by one
Let go this longing
Let go all this tired trying
Another world is breaking open
There’s beauty in the dying
There’s beauty in the dying
Lyrics
13. So Hum (Bonus Track)
So Hum (Bonus Track)
Waters rising slow as the day
Knees against floor you learn how to pray
And there’s more time than you thought, you’d ever need before
Let your sorrow humble you, that’s what it’s for

So Hum, So Hum, So Hum Siva Hum,
So Hum So Hum, So Hum, Siva Hum

Drink it like liquor, sip it real slow
You can hate it, or blame it, it’s not personal
You try to run from your own heart
it’s like a school bus in the snow
Just remember when you slide, you’re not in control

So Hum, So Hum, So Hum Siva Hum,
So Hum So Hum, So Hum, Siva Hum
I am that I am, I am that I am,
I am that I am lord, I am that I am

When all that you know is given to the wind
Let it go, and be swallowed by it
In the hollow of loss
that’s where loves measure lies
in the belly of dark, are the stars

So Hum, So Hum, So Hum Siva Hum,
So Hum So Hum, So Hum, Siva Hum
I am that I am, I am that I am,
I am that I am lord, I am that I am

I am broken, I am mended
I am rooted, resurrected
I am lifted like a seed, to the sky
I am spilling, I am flooding,
by the current of your loving
Temper me with the grace of a fall

So Hum, So Hum, So Hum Siva Hum,
So Hum So Hum, So Hum, Siva Hum
I am that I am, I am that I am,
I am that I am lord, I am that I am
Lyrics
Witness (2008)
Witness (2008)
Buy from CDBaby
Witness (2008)

 

All songs written by Vanessa Torres, with the exception of:

(Old-time Chorus) in 'Aint no Grave'

(Gospel Intro., and call back) in When the Levee Breaks

 

Produced by David Goodrich, Associate Producer Tamara Torres

Recorded and mixed by Mark Thayer at Signature Sounds Studios, Pomfret CT

Mastered by Ian Kennedy, New Alliance, Cambridge MA

 

Vanessa Torres: lead vocals, supporting harmonies, guitar, harmonica

Tamara Torres: harmony vocals

Ra Criscitiello: banjo, accordion, supporting harmonies in Track 10

David Goodrich: nylon, resonator, electric and ebo guitar, piano

Corey Dimario: Double Bass

Phil Nyokai James: Shakuhachi flute

 

Credits
1. Bluest of Valleys Play
Bluest of Valleys
Track 1: Bluest of Valleys

If a freight train could haul all our memories clean
Past these fields full of cotton, the blood on our sleeves
Past your red cherry blossoms, softened with spring
There’s a mockingbird sitting there, she watches and sings

About ghosts in the woodwork in the hulls of old ships
She hears gospel in the rafters trying to rise out of it
And she hears Emmet Till calling from Mississippi
I can never leave the South so it can never leave me

Oh, looking back on my home
Those doorways to freedom were doorways of stone
Where the old kings of Memphis have all lost their crowns
It’s the bluest of valleys but such a long way down

There’s a footpath that winds down a long dusty road
Where the peaches and oranges are packed into rows
And that high reaching fruit will spoil on the ground
If there’s no hands to pick it and carry it down

Hands that are calloused, hands that are brown
And backs that are bent now from sun up to sun down
‘Cause the border is a high way, it’s dangerous and wide
And the crows peck the fruit that is rotting inside

Oh, looking back on my home
Those doorways to freedom were doorways of stone
Where the old kings of Memphis have all lost their crowns
It’s the bluest of valleys but such a long way down

There’s the mines that are hollowed with the silence they keep
Tracks laid by the light of the chain gangs’ dreams
There’s the crosses that are held up to look down on it all
And somewhere in the shadows that mockingbird calls
Oh my song is the echo of every song gone by
From the softest of whispers to the loudest of cries
And you’ll know me by sight, oh you’ll know me by heart
And I’ll sing through the light, and I’ll sing through the dark

Oh, looking back on my home
Those doorways to freedom were doorways of stone
Where the old kings of Memphis have all lost their crowns
It’s the bluest of valleys but such a long way down
Lyrics
2. Witness
Witness
Track 2: Witness

There’s not enough space in me, not enough room
To hold all the love, I have for you
I gather it like snow, trying to outlast the sun
You are my song when the day is done,
You are my song, you are the one

There’s not enough space in me, not enough skin
To hold the pain of this world, feel it rip, feel it sink in
The trees teach about breath in slow time
And I let the echo of your heart call out to mine
It’s calling out, it’s time

There’s a suicide jumper about to take flight
And bombs are splitting open Lebanon and Palestine
Under heavy skies we wonder, under heavy skies we pray

But today there was a harvest and the flowers opened anyway
Today there was a harvest and we gave it our hands

I just want to gather all I love close to me
My body is strong, you can make a shelter out of me
Your eyes are so clear, I swear it’s your soul opening
And if this is it, I found what I came to see
If this is it then I believe, I believe
If this is it….I believe
Lyrics
3. Drive Me Home
Drive Me Home
Track 3: Drive Me Home

You can drive me home
Tucked in tight to your car
Your strong hands steady as gospel music
As bass notes, as a lullaby sung to a child
You can drive me home
Your leg muscles flexing as you brake, and accelerate
A soft look slid my way
Between headlights down and over highways
And your eyes, a mixture of light and rain
Tonight they bruise my heart and beauty causes pain
So baby would you drive me, drive me home?

Tonight my heart feels like a minefield
Walking when I should be standing still
My feet keep searching uneven ground
It’s a tangled mess of love and fear

It’s like the memory of blood pumping someone’s name
Then cutting out midway through the last syllable
We’ve been cruising on empty for some time
But with you driving I know I’ll be all right, I’ll be all right
So baby, would you drive me, drive me home?

There’s a bubble in my chest about to burst
So drive me somewhere the ground doesn’t rumble so
I’ll lay my head between your bicep and your breast
Just take me somewhere wordless now
Now maybe I’ll cry this whole night through
Or press my lips to the warmth of you
Maybe I’ll slip into the gray green sea of dreams
I don’t care just let me crawl into you please
Please Baby would you drive me, drive me home
Yeah baby, please drive me, drive me home
Lyrics
4. Ain't No Grave Play
Ain't No Grave
Track 4: ‘Aint No Grave

I’ve been knocked down in my tracks
And I’ve been raked down to my bones
My heart’s been squeezed till it went dry, I’ve been left alone
But my momma taught me struggle and my sister called me blessed
My father made me stronger each and every time he left

And there ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
So when I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna get up outta’ the ground
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down

So come on river take me, won’t you bring me to my knees
It’s you who taught me how to swim, to rise about and breathe
My soul is on a journey though I can’t see round the bend
I got light to match your thunder, I got waves to match your wind

And there ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
So when I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna get up outta’ the ground
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down

There’s a song inside me singing and it’s calling out to me
There’s a warrior that’s drumming and she’s not afraid to bleed
Though I might be tired of drawing water from the bottomless well
I’ve spent some time in heaven and I’m not afraid of hell

‘Cause there ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
So when I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna get up outta’ the ground
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down

So meet me in the desert I’m waiting here for you
Thirst can make you do things that you never thought you’d do
But I won’t drink down this bitter, won’t let the world make me mean
There’s no way out but through, I gotta hold onto m

And there ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
So when I hear that trumpet sound, I’m gonna get up outta’ the ground
There ‘aint no grave gonna hold my body down
Lyrics
5. The Struggle
The Struggle
Track 5: The Struggle

Pushing both hands, head bent, and her heart is caving in
It’s been one life, this fight, and it’s just the state she’s in
And there’s always one foot on the brakes,
And then it’s double the gas
And there’s lots to be afraid of
When you’re moving that kind of fast

She says someone’s got to save me
Someone’s got to know
There must be some kind of formula
‘Cause all I know, is what I’ve done wrong
It’s what I’ve done

But in my dreams, I’m screaming
And I reach out to the lonely space at my side
And if struggle is the legacy I’m leaving
Then my children will know how hard I tried

Her love is a fickle thing
She wants nothing, she wants everything
She looks at me hard with that softness in her eyes
She says, it wasn’t easy babe, but I gave you everything I had
Oh everything I had, I had

But in my dreams, I’m screaming
And I reach out to the lonely space at my side
And if struggle is the legacy I’m leaving
Then my children will know how hard I tried
And if struggle is the legacy I’m leaving
Then my children will know how hard I tried, tried
If struggle is the legacy I’m leaving
Lyrics
6. Listening Play
Listening
Track 6: Listening

It’s your most beautiful intention
Tied up in all your grace
That’s what tethers me to you
As the ground beneath us shifts
You are a brilliant light refracted
By a million shadows in the wings
And I’m a reflection
I’m drinking you in

So let’s take a long drink
To loving blindly
Let’s raise our cups before we turn away
And let’s take a long drink
To magic happening
There’s an echo in this darkness, and I
I’m listening

Well you came to me heart-broken
Wilted flowers in your hands
Your eyes were deep as tunnels
And your knees were buckling
There’s was just one breath between us
And on three we both drew in
It felt like eternity
When our lungs opened like wings

And let’s take a long drink
To loving blindly
Let’s raise our cups before we turn away
And let’s take a long drink
To magic happening
There’s an echo in this darkness, and I
I’m listening
I’m listening, I’m listening, I’m listening, I’m listening

Well there’s bulbs you planted last year
But this spring we just got snow
And there’s sap beneath the surface though you think, you lost it now
Emptiness is full of hunger
And your sleep is full of dreams
When I leave I’ll take both with me and I’ll sing your memory

So let’s take a long drink
To loving blindly
Let’s raise our cups before we turn away
And let’s take a long drink
To magic happening
There’s an echo in this darkness, and I
I’m listening
I’m listening, I’m listening, I’m listening, I’m listening
Lyrics
7. When the Levee Breaks Play
When the Levee Breaks
Track 7:When the Levee Breaks

Wade in the water, Wade in the water children
Wade in the water, God’s gonna trouble the water
Wade in the water, Wade in the water children
Wade in the water, God’s gonna trouble the water

When the levee breaks where will your church be?
Laid in ruins on the banks of the Mississippi
When the levee breaks and the truth lays you down
There in the dark, too small a loss, to be found

Who to fix this ravaged home?
How to heal this gasping heart?
Where’s the door, where’s the door to board
This rocking ark, this rocking ark?
When the levee breaks

There’s no safety in poverty
We don’t run this government
We don’t trust the police
When there’s a flood that comes to take you away
Just dig your heals in ‘cause there’s no help on its way
No not today

Who to fix this ravaged home?
How to heal this gasping heart?
Where’s the door, where’s the door to board
This rocking ark, this rocking ark?
When the levee breaks

The ghost of New Orleans is what’s stirring all around
They set us up, and watched us fall, knees to the ground
They kept their money ‘cause they called us too far gone
Instead it’s funneled to the war in the name of freedom
Yeah that’s your freedom

Who are the children dressed in black? (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Well they must be the ones too poor to pack. (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Who are the children dressed in red? (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Well they must be the ones you left for dead. (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Who are the children dressed in blue? (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Must be the police who ran out on you. (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Who are those children dressed in white? (God’s gonna trouble the water)
Must be the government who ignored your cries…when you cried:
Who to fix this ravaged home?
How to heal this gasping heart?
Where’s the door, where’s the door to board
This rocking ark, this rocking ark?
When the levee breaks

And now vultures descend ‘cause there’s profits to be made
Where there’s misery and death, someone’s getting paid
We call this business, we call this democracy
For every dirty dollar there’s blood draining out of you and me
Into the Mississippi…

So just Wade in the water, Wade in the water children, Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water
Wade in the water, Wade in the water children, Wade in the water,
God’s gonna trouble the water, now God’s gonna trouble the water,
Your God’s gonna trouble the water
Lyrics
8. Sacred
Sacred
Track 8: Sacred

Give me something sacred
Show me something real
Break me off a piece of that
Just lead me out of here

Highways wrap around us
And there’s misery for news
I feel just like an island
Eroding slowly with the sea

Feed me something sacred
That my heart can climb like a tree
Let it take root, let it blossom
Ask it to please hold me

The heavy is pushing down
And we’re tired in our tracks
We’ve locked ourselves in our houses
And there’s a cancer growing fast

Dream me awake
Dream me alive
Give me the strength
Not to lay down, not to fade before my eyes

Would you show me your pulse
Would you walk with me a while
the T.V., turn off the phone
Let’s make our news in this fading light

Give me something sacred
Show me something real
Break me off a piece of that
Just lead me out of here

I think I’ve lost some kindness
On this journey here
The work week’s got me running
Survival’s got me sick with fear

I don’t want your riches
Don’t make me a shrine
I just want to touch what’s living underneath
Hold hands with what’s divine

It’s something sacred
It’s the memory of God
It’s the weight of all that we know
We have to dare to fill our lungs

Fill them with something sacred
Can you show me something real
Break me off a piece of that
Just lead me out of here
Lyrics
9. My Little Man
My Little Man
Track 9: My Little Man

My little man, got into trouble again
He’s found a market for all the recklessness
In which he’s grown
And with his two small hands
He’s found the tools we left standing
And he’s gonna bend, well he’s gonna break into
The pain he’s known

Barely 15 years old, he’s got a cynical mind
He’s used up eight lives, ‘cause he was told he might get nine
He’s in a rush ‘cause he’s got so much to prove
Now he’s dug himself a well because his thirst was just too much
And he’s sitting at the bottom, it’s hard to tell if he wants out
So you just throw one end of rope, try to peer into the dark

You can try to shut him out, say he’s not worth the trouble
Try to keep him quarantined, you better keep him separate
But these walls keep getting thinner between us and him
So do we give up on ourselves, or do we let him in?
Do we let him in?

His dad’s a prisoner of war hell bent on getting his revenge
His mom’s got her hands in the air, she just can’t stop crying
No one knows how our little boy became this man
I think we’re in denial, I think we’re terrified
‘Cause he’s a cracked mirror showing off what’s broken in our lives
So we just find clinical terms to diagnose his rare disease

So go ahead and shut him out, he’s not worth the trouble
Just try to keep him quarantined, you better keep him separate
But these walls keep getting thinner between us and him
So do we give up on ourselves, or do we let him in?
Do we give up on ourselves, or do we let him in?
Do we let him in? Do we let him in? Do we let him in?

My little man, he’s got into trouble again…
Lyrics
10. Love Some More Play
Love Some More
Track 10: Love Some More

He was prepared for our parade, with a camera ‘round his neck
He thought he’d, capture us in sin, and broadcast it after that
But we just kept on holding hands, we kissed for the photograph
‘Cause I’ve cowered long enough, yeah today it’s my turn to laugh

And I’m not trying to prove you wrong, ‘cause I won’t
This isn’t political, it’s personal
And you can call this your crusade, go ahead and wage your little war
I tell you what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna love
I’m gonna love some more

I’m not welcome in your churches
I can’t get married in your courts
The army says ‘don’t ask don’t tell’
But they’ll use me on the front lines of a war
The Boy Scouts don’t trust me with their kids
So why don’t I just take a back seat
‘Cause if I’m nice and quiet, you might not persecute me

And I’m not trying to prove you wrong, ‘cause I won’t
This isn’t political, it’s personal
And you can call this your crusade, go ahead and wage your little war
I tell you what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna love
I’m gonna love some more

Doesn’t this sound familiar
I think we’ve all been here before
‘Cause we all know civil rights weren’t really won with that Civil War
And I can see you’re still hoarding privilege for your chosen few
You like to call it family values,
Well I have a family too

And I’m not trying to prove you wrong, ‘cause I won’t
This isn’t political, it’s personal
And you can call this your crusade, go ahead and wage your little war
I tell you what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna love
I’m gonna love some more

So if our ship was sinking I think I’d lend you a hand
If you could just be kind and share, you might even make a friend
Now there’s not too much space between us, there’s no too much time to spend
So c’mon now let’s all pretend
Your world it’s not gonna end
And I’m not trying to prove you wrong, ‘cause I won’t
This isn’t political, it’s personal
And you can call this your crusade, go ahead and wage your little war
I tell you what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna love
I tell you what we’re gonna do,we’re gonna love
I tell you what you’re gonna have to do, you’re gonna have to love
You’re gonna love some more
Try and love some more
Love some more
Lyrics
11. Look to the Sky
Look to the Sky
Track 11: Look to the Sky

If I don’t water your rose, look to the sky
If you’re sitting at a red light
See my train pass you by
Well I won’t follow, I won’t speed
Write me a ticket when I leave
And if I don’t water your rose, look to the sky
Hey babe, if I don’t water your rose, look to the sky

Seems like you’ve got a lot of leaving left to do
So I’ll try and make it easier, oh easier on you
I broke my windows then I took out all those screens
I miss your heat babe but the breeze feels good on me
Oh well, I miss you but this breeze feels good to me

And all around us we got this space
So I’ll wish you happiness try and let go of your face
I’ll punch holes in all these clouds and then I’ll drink in the rain
Cry my eyes out and learn to laugh again
And if this distance makes it hard for you to tell
Just know I loved you well
Oh babe I love you so well

So if your leaves are straining for some other light
If you’re feeling like you’re losing ground you need to stand upright
Well let your sails fill with the mighty wind
I’ll meet you on that bright horizon
I’ll meet you on that bright horizon

And if I don’t water your rose, look to the sky
If you’re sitting at a red light see my train pass you by
Well I don’t follow, I won’t speed
‘Cause babe you know it’s plain to see
That if I don’t water your rose, look to the sky
Hey babe, if I don’t water your rose, look to the sky
Yes, if I don’t water your rose….look to the sky
Lyrics
12. Giddy-up
Giddy-up
Track 12: Giddy-up

I’ve got to hop a train
Through the country’s hills
I’ve got a cup that’s emptying from all these spills
I’m gonna chase this summer before it turns to Fall
I’m gonna pawn my memory on a glimpse of shooting stars

I wish I knew a pirate, ‘could lend me a map
Show me the beauty of a storm, or where the treasure’s stashed
But I’m far from legends, and I’m far from tracks
I’ve just got this guitar and a monkey on my back
And he tells me ‘Giddy-up’

My job has got me penned in
Like a tired sheep
I’m just walking the fence line up and down my constant week
But once I get some saved up I’m gonna skip this town
And leave a dust trail with all the promises I held

I wish I knew a cow-girl, ‘could show me how to ride
Out on the open plains, and sleep beneath the stars
I think I need a campfire, a flask of whiskey
‘Cause I’m getting older and the wind keeps whispering
And she tells me, ‘Giddy-up’

I don’t want to learn to settle down
I won’t trade my wings in for your milking cow
‘Cause I don’t have good credit but I’ve got these calloused hands
And I’ve got a dream of something wilder than we’ve planned

Once I was a traveler, far beyond these roads
Airplanes taking off, that was my favorite kind of home
But now I’m driving circles on an empty tank
I think I’m going faster but I can’t seem to get no where

I’ve heard of a bean stalk, and some magic seeds
I wonder if there gold and giants high above these trees
Sometimes it takes believing, or maybe just a fool
To put their ear to the ground to hear that deep rumble
And it sounds like giddy-up, oh giddy-up
C’mon girl now giddy-up, would you giddy-up
Lyrics
13. Live Again
Live Again
Track 13: Live Again


If I could live again I’d be a tree
Hold my arms to the wind gracefully
I’d be something strong and silent, my story kept for me
If I could live again I’d be a tree
If I get one more chance I’ll be a bird
Take to the air when I want to leave this world
I’d know freedom beyond borders
If I get one more chance I’ll be a bird

If I could try again I’d start from seed
Be an Iris painted blue for just two weeks
Then I’d tuck away my beauty, the rest of the year
If I could try again I’d start from seed

If I could wear forgiveness all year ‘round
Then I’d let go your mean words, your hateful sounds
I’d see you newborn when your smile could turn the whole world upside down
If I could wear forgiveness all year ‘round

If I had time enough for just one song
Then I’d play this with all the sweet breath in my lungs
I’d dedicate it to all the wishing, all the trying that we’ve done
If I had time enough for just one song, one song
Then I’d play this ‘till the morning came along
Lyrics
Sacred (Abridged) (2007)
Sacred (Abridged) (2007)
$10.00
Buy from CDBaby
Sacred (Abridged) (2007)
Vanessa Torres- lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
Tamara Torres- harmony vocals
Lauren Snead- djembe, ashiko, bass, mandolin
Ra Criscitiello- banjo, accordion, supporting harmonies
Credits
Hero's Parade Play
Pilgrim Play
Saturate Play
Vanessa Torres (2005)
Vanessa Torres (2005)
$15.00
Buy from CDBaby
Vanessa Torres (2005)
Vanessa Torres- lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
Tamara Torres- harmony vocals
Lauren Snead- djembe, ashiko, bass
Nate- mandolin
Credits
Breathe Play
Rockdoves Play
Beauty Play
Midst Of Things Play
I Don't Exist Play
All music and lyrics © 2007 Vanessa Torres. All Rights Reserved.
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