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2. |
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WHEN YOU WANT SOMEBODY (To Make Love To)
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
Late-night coffee and sharing class notes
Solved global problems on the telephone
It was oh so long ago
(Optional 2nd Verse)
Surprised by grief’s inventing new rules
Cassette love letters mocked this old school fool
Turning cruelly into woe —
CHORUS:
When you want somebody to make love to – you want it to be a friend
When you need somebody to make love to —
You need it to be a friend
Fast-form forward and counting gray hairs
Still soul-locked and caught, shocked unawares
An old song told us so----
(CHORUS)
Tell it like it is —
Remember flame’s fast fire and the freeze of death, uh huh
Tell it like it is —
Faded ember’s flare, awake with merest breath, it won't take so long —
(CHORUS)
Seized and cuffed snug to your heart’s pin
Locked in place no safe word comprehends
These bonds held fast by you
(CHORUS)
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3. |
Carry You (Redux)
03:40
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CARRY YOU (Redux)
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
CHORUS:
“Carry you, I will carry you
When the sand slips
Shifts the ground beneath your shoes”
You went out walking in heels & peep-toes
Uneven concrete, slippery seashores
I held your hand but then you faltered
Breaking our dual stride
Lying there you smiled in anguish
Your ankle sprained, you thought you’d vanquished
Terrain of risky, unsure trial
Tenderly, I explained:
(CHORUS)
And now it seems my health declining
Fears and stress they redefine me
My eyes wide open as I recline
You bend to me and then you say
(CHORUS)
Love’s not always sex and laughter
Late-night drinks, the mornings after
Someone to hold us, to whisper in our ears:
“Carry you, I will carry you -----"
(CHORUS)
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4. |
Lovesville
02:53
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LOVESVILLE
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
It’s a real live pleasure in the palm of my hand
I’d never sought such treasure from these psalms in the sand
And now measure for measure I’m not sure where I stand
In Lovesville
She’s a luscious guitar made of ash and steel string
So languid and lush how her curved body sings
Who knew her siren’s voice would cause her to bring me
To Lovesville
But there in the middle of torn magazines,
In detritus of people and places I’d seen
A song sweetly sang from that ash guitar—
I thought Lovesville was just a place in my mind
Just filled with lost faces that I’d left behind
As my world grew grander never thought I’d find myself
In Lovesville
But there in the midst of old picture frames
Among love letters from long lost flames
A lone guitar lay on an unopened case—
I’d never played her strings, I’d never heard her notes
I’d never heard the way her melody floats
Never knew that joy ‘til I was grabbed by the throat
In Lovesville
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5. |
Battered & Broke
03:42
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BATTERED & BROKE
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
Counting the cost
of all the years I have lost
While wasting my life loving you
I marked my time
to see what was and wasn’t mine
Believing that your love would see me through, I’m—
CHORUS 1:
Battered and broke
My dreams are shattered, up in smoke
My love just did not matter much to you
I thought for a while
reciprocity might be your style
and you would wait for me as I had for you, I’m--
(CHORUS 1)
All of my life
Why did I never notice that knife
Mimed and blind to what you’d do, you—
CHORUS 2:
(You) sliced me so cruel
So casual, so cool
Then walked away and left me dying in a pool
My arrival was late
You didn’t hesitate
And I was just a weight –
a burden to you
(GUITAR SOLO)
All of my life
Why did I never notice that knife
The unyielding ways you wield that tool
(CHORUS 2)
(CHORUS 1)
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6. |
Moral Blight
04:04
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MORAL BLIGHT
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
(previously released as URBAN BLIGHT from the eponymous album Point No Point [Optional Art, 1988])
Changing scenes:
I see your blue-line flags and—
Memes obscene: peace signs changed to:
“Don’t you “tread on me”
By bitter Boomers in their Eve
(And I want to--)
REFRAIN:
Run a-way (I want to)
Run a-way (I want to)
Run a-way
From your moral blight
Pristine machines: it hurts to see your life in
Old magazines: visions of a time of hope and
Utopian dreams: peace was just a slogan away
(And I want to--)
(REFRAIN)
Serving soup lines in a slum
You were doing your best to try to right some wrongs
Placed a flower in a rifle bore
You were doing your best to try to stop a war
And I’ll laugh, laugh – at naivete
But I’ll cry, cry—‘cause it’s gone away
I think I’ll laugh, laugh – at what it represents
But I’ll cry, cry – ‘cause your love’s long-spent
A world fact-free: I see’ your Q-inspired
Fantasies: bombast-built, requiring no
Expertise: and you say it’s Reality
(and I want to—)
(REFRAIN)
Laugh, laugh
Cry, cry
Laugh, laugh
Cry, cry
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7. |
Bend the Arc
03:54
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BEND THE ARC
Lyrics by Stewart Lyman, © Stewart Lyman, BMI
Music by Richard Horton, Charlie Maliszewski, Heidi Mosbarger, © Hortones, BMI
The arc of the moral universe,
Bends toward justice we’ve been told,
But the world is full of suffering
Toxic schemes that still unfold.
Some say the arc is far too mighty,
It can’t possibly be bent.
But joining the fight against injustice
Is how we pay our moral rent.
CHORUS 1:
Let’s bend the moral arc (with kindness)
Lift our sunburned, fevered brows
Shift its shape with understanding -- now
Centuries of torment to reject
Suspended balances and checks,
Terrible tales of brutal acts
With angry knees on tender necks.
(CHORUS 1)
Fight for justice now!
It’s not permanent
The arc is bendable to some extent
We’ll pull until we’re spent
Strong words express our discontent
While Hatred attempts to circumvent
Our power – we won’t relent
Nor request their consent
CHORUS 2
The arc won’t bend without us
We’ve got to help it move along
Our hopes remain ascendant
Justice needs us strong.
(CHORUS 1)
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8. |
Up To You
02:31
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UP TO YOU
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
Everyday finally ends
(See the night, its shadows bend)
The new day begins again
(We see exactly when)
You might say it’s not your problem
But we know that’s not true, and I’ll—
Leave (it to you)
It up to you (I will leave)
The new day—up to you
All chapters come to an end
(The story still extends)
New ones start the story again
(Re-boot and re-send)
I could regret that it’s over
Regrettable but true, but I’ll—
Leave (it to you)
It up to you (I will leave)
This book to read — up to you
Day follows night
And night follows day
Now, it’s up to you
All good songs come to an end
(Love to sing them with my friends)
Sing them so the voices blend
(New songs being again)
I’ve heard you wrote a new song
You sing so sweet and true, and I’ll—
Leave (it to you)
It up to you (I will leave)
Your new song — up to you
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9. |
Saving Sunset
03:11
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10. |
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A TEENAGE HYMN
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
Part One: TAN ALL OVER
What is it about Mrs. Page?
Nobody sees her in the summer at all
And everyone’s stunned when she returns in the Fall
And they wonder about Mrs. Page
‘Cause she glows like gold and all the dads on our street
They all nod to her, but they stare at their feet
I overhear the things they say
“How does she gleam in this way?”
(She must be--)
REFRAIN:
Tan all over – tan all over
Tan all over – tan all over
I’ve heard the talk about Mrs. Page
About all the beaches where she makes her escapes
Lounging around in leopard-skin drapes
But she’s just the mom next door
And I’ve never been this curious before
(Is she really---)
(REFRAIN)
Now I’ve seen the truth, and it really opened up my eyes
Just one look in my dad’s workshop
A calendar discovered –
Mrs. Page glowing bronze
Now she’s haunting me in all my dreams
Now I know all about Mrs. Page
And every month I see more of her –
A new calendar page in all her glory uncovered
And I’m her biggest fan
I love looking at her tan, because she’s—
(REFRAIN)
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11. |
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A TEENAGE HYMN
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
Part Two: Dragging Main (1964)
Up and down eight blocks of Main Street
Nightly rites of steel and glass
To see and hear and hope to be seen
As in their fathers’ cars they pass
Metal, moving altars, symbols
Acolytes in awkward space
Communal worship, pop-chart hymnals
Conscience clear with spring-like grace
At the stoplight brown rust Rambler
Idle caught in coughing choke
She sidles up with cautious candor
He shares his ciggie, lights her smoke
Back seat of Dad’s El Dorado
Auburn hair from English class
She likes his jokes, his false bravado
He like her legs, her spark, her sass
Eucharist by drive-in neon
He made a pledge, she paid a toll
She drank his cola with his class ring on
Their marriage bed was tuck-and-roll
Rolled-down window, rites of passage
A maiden voyage on teenage sea
A stain remains, writes Lust’s short message
Radio played “please, please me”
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12. |
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13. |
You Are Always Right
03:33
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YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT
by Richard Horton © Hortones, BMI
CHORUS:
You are always right –
Tick tick tock, your mind is working overtime
You are always right –
Knock, knock, knock -- the middle of the night
You always catch me in this situation
(Wrong location now)
And you are always right
You are always right
Your seeing-eye shoes pique such confusion
I’m bruised and nursing my contusions
Notions disarrayed – it seems a game you play
Chastising, reprising
My excitement’s not to your delighting
I am always wrong; you’re right
I’m not longing for this fight, ‘cause
(CHORUS)
My two left feet dance, they show my bare skin
Sinful it seems to be so caught up in
Castles in the sand – isn’t life just grand
Tantalizing, criticizing,
Iciness is not the way I fantasize you
I am always wrong; you’re right
I’m not longing for this fight, ‘cause
(CHORUS)
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14. |
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THEMA TOH SELAH (Zambian Zombie Samba)
by Richard Horton & Jeb Bolan © Hortones, BMI
Meyshey kayshey lei-shoon
Thema toh sey lah
Zooboo joobooleishoon, yahh!
Eetuh mee creemeyshoon
Eetuh mee shoat stew
Yoo mooch meddeekayshoon
Brehkee kohceetreyshoon, hoo-hoo!
Thema toh sey lah!
CHORUS:
Hey! Thema toh selah!
Meckayoo wanna shehkayoo
Zooboo joobooleishoon
Heyyy! Thema toh selah!
Meckayoo wanna shehka yoo
Zooboo joobooleishoon, yahhhh!
Lahkkoo eereegehshoon,
Thema toh sey lah
Kohzoo kohsteepehshoon, yaaah!
See yoonitee neyshoon
Beylei too dee-bah
Wut yoo gonnuh do
Wen dey sey “Rihzzee Boozoh,” ah-hah??
See lei homnee dah!
(CHORUS)
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15. |
Lullabye for Lola
01:59
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Rich Arithmetic Bellingham, Washington
Rich Arithmetic serves up power pop, psych-pop, and folk-meets-surf-and-sand harmonies that "eliminate the gaps between the ‘60s, ‘80s and the 2020's" - Steve Stav, stevestav.com
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