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High Mileage

by t heislen

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1.
Dreamer 03:28
Dreamer, tell us of the night Dreamer, tell us of the bright and distant stars Dreamer, speak to us of light – Dreamer, sound through this guitar, tell us what the portents are of the night that falls so fast. Dreamer, lead us through the day Dreamer, bend our steps back to the path we’ve lost Dreamer, help us find our way Dreamer, take my voice and shout, let it bring the hidden out reveal it in the day. Ran the race so fast tumbled headlong, face down in the grass In that taste of dirt did I learn more than I could have, crossing the line first? Dreamer, tell us of the night Raise our eyes to the bright and distant stars Dreamer, bear the vision bright Dreamer, speak out loud and true, shout out what to share and do against the night that falls so fast. © Terry Heislen, BMI
2.
Warriors 03:54
Jimmy’s our dumpster diver – He’s doin’ the aluminum crawl He can use your spare tin and copper, glass, lead, papers and all Disability picks the rent up, scrap buys food and wine A winch to lift his chair in the truck, and pot to pass the time Don’t we treat our warriors well? Don’t we treat our warriors? Jackie ran the wife and kids off – most nights he just sits and cries The discharge papers say he’s fine – the discharge papers lie Don’t we treat our warriors well? Don’t we treat our warriors? For what were Jimmy’s legs given, Jackie’s peace sacrificed? Death merchant’s riches, and politicians’ lies? Jimmy’s our dumpster diver – He’s doin’ the aluminum crawl He can use your spare tin and copper, glass, lead, papers and all Don’t we treat our warriors well? © Terry Heislen, BMI
3.
Bag of Bones 03:07
This bag of bones that carries me around for now might be fun, but I’m not sure it’s home it can slow me down, and hold me back keep me from where I want to go This sack of flesh borrowed from the dust likes to push its agendas on me it wants what it wants now, to hell with higher thoughts food and pleasure before a moment’s peace My earthen vessel doesn’t change the way I do as I learn more it grays and dims its eyes it was strongest when I barely knew my way around now it gets weaker as I grow wise This temple takes hard work to keep up now I didn’t used to give it that much thought the man in the mirror’s not the one in my mind not all this middle, or the hair I haven’t got In spite of all its aches I’m sure I’ll miss this frame when it is dust again and I am light our fights and triumphs, beauty found and lovers lost wrapped together will be prize and price Humility and humor – lessons sometimes harshly taught by the shape I struggle to keep up we both could have been kinder, I suppose but this forced marriage still has seen some love This bag of bones that carries me around for now might be fun, but I’m not sure it’s home © Terry Heislen, BMI
4.
Pale sliver of a crescent moon noonday high in a bright blue sky Wisp of white in a foreign place arrests the sweeping eye The moon’s still right where it should be it’s not mine to make the rules of time and space The noonday moon’s no stranger than me in this strange place High noon crescent moon, what do you show me? Blue sky, call the tune – sing and set me free. Red sun flashing through the trees hours ago so painfully bright Dimmed ‘til you can look it in the face as day fades into night The sun’s still all life’s powerhouse - my edge of day is noon to another’s eye It will surely shine tomorrow and somehow so must I High noon crescent moon, what do you show me? Red sun, call the tune – sing and set me free. She wasn’t who she said she was but by the time he saw that, she was gone A violet-tinted memory that tugged and teased him through the fitful dawn And he wonders where she wanders now for he can’t see how she ever could slow down but the girl that he remembers is neither who she was or who she may be now Last star to fade before the dawn speaks from long ago and far away Light older than the ground I tread, what word for this new day? The stars will shine again tonight and bless eyes young or wise enough to wonder Will I remember morning’s word when this day fades into another? High noon crescent moon, what do you show me? Bright star, call the tune – sing and set me free. Pale sliver of a crescent moon noonday high in a bright blue sky © Terry Heislen, bmi
5.
The ruthlessness may not seem fitting for the position that she’s in She doesn’t care about perception She only wants to win There is no time for justice for a jury to weigh in it’s not about legality she just wants to win There is no grace or peace here There is no charity The world is defined here by allegiance or enmity She doesn’t care what’s right that the line is growing thin it’s not about the light she just wants to win Don’t waste time trying to change the tone Don’t misunderstand the game you’re in Civility is of no consequence she only wants to win You weren’t looking for a contest it’s not supposed to be that way Now it’s coming down to fight or fly can you lay it down and walk away? Won’t turn tail like the playground bully if she takes one on the chin Doesn’t care about staying pretty she only wants to win Though the wind may sometimes seem to shift and the fogs of conflict thin don’t misread the movement of the tides she just wants to win It’s Mister Burroughs’ algebra behind the death-mask grin the need that sweeps the rest away she only wants to win ©Terry Heislen, bmi
6.
Well, I know you’re out there somewhere but I really don’t know where I’m just dropping another letter into the void hoping it finds it’s way to you and baby, did all your dreams come true? And I’m thinking of that December If I hadn’t changed my mind where would we be sitting now -- would our paths have disentwined? Have you found a loving friend? And will I ever see you again? Each day we change with the decisions we’re making But we can’t change the past we’ve taken But oh, if I could only hold you tight -- touch your cheek, and know that you’re alright We could light a fire – sit up and talk all night Each day we change with the decisions we’re making But we can’t change the past we’ve taken So if you get my letter call me sometime late at night or catch a bus, grab a train, take the early flight, or just send a postcard Tell me if you’re all right after all that you’ve been through Things are going pretty well here but it can’t hurt to hear from you Light from a soul that shines so true © Terry Heislen, bmi
7.
Driving southbound through a blizzard toward a bridge on fire got a blanket for a heater and just one snow tire Had two when I started but one didn’t get far cop stopped to watch me change it but he stayed in his warm car Coffee with Kentucky sweetener is all I’ve got for lunch I might have left that situation but it beat me to the punch now I’m southbound in a snowstorm toward another door I’d closed she might open it just far enough to slam it on my nose There’s no future in the past they say that house cannot be home but of all the places I can’t go it’s one that still answers the phone Cold duck in a hot shower feeling comes back to my feet still not sure where they are going is this forward or retreat? Waking up from running headlong after someone else’s dream in a nowhere prairie motel while the television screams Ran away from one fine mess to fall into another one worse now I’ve got nowhere to go but to slip and slide back to the first Broke my buggy in six places so far I’ve just fixed five promise to sell it to a good home if I get back South alive Hitched my wagon to a falling star that wasn’t even mine now I’m freezing off to somewhere else I thought I’d left behind Blizzard to a burning bridge will I get across this time? © Terry Heislen, bmi
8.
I remember where I was when I first heard-- yes, I remember the night that it happened You called me on the phone at work to see if I knew, I said, “sit tight, I promise I’ll be home soon” What happened to those people? They were so in time, so in tune The gravity defying couple running on love and rock-n-roll fumes We held on for a while, but it all went to hell all the back and forth finally ended I hated giving him the chance to think he was right, that he might take some credit for stealing the light What happened to those people? How’d they run out of time, fall out of tune? Did gravity burst their bubble pull down their love, turn one into two? I can weep for the songs that never got sung, give thanks for the time we were given Hard not to shake my head at what went wrong when what was right still gives me the shivers What happened to those people? Once upon a time, lives rang in tune A meteor disguised as a couple fire in the sky that fades into blue © Terry Heislen, bmi
9.
I wish he’d left you blind on that Damascus road, set you back to sewing sails by the sea. Too many held down for the sake of your words who ought to be set free. I wish he’d stilled the pens that wrote in your name to raise themselves and lay others low. Took your voice to keep another silent, gave a least one nowhere to go. The mean and the greedy made it not his house but yours, to keep the ones he blessed outside the doors. How did your voice become the one to call the shots, to judge and name the ins and the outs? Put hard hearts and closed minds in the judgment seat, lift law high and put love to rout. (chorus instr.) I wish he’d left you blind on that Damascus road, set you back to sewing sails by the sea; or left you there eating dust while your name echoed off the stones you’d cast at me. © Terry Heislen (BMI)
10.
The Journey 04:24
Tumbling down the endless stairs as was my wont to do hit upright on a landing somehow, standing next to you Momentum took us down a flight ‘til we found our feet again grabbed the rail and turned around upward step by step since then Jumping through a thousand hoops to prove just where we stand jump right through a thousand more for a little patch of land You think the nest is empty it fills back up again sneak a couple of days to run and hide from the bills now and then The joy is in the journey we keep climbing, hand in hand don’t tell us to act our age or how much fun to have Laughter in the dark of night stolen moments in the day may not know where we’re going but we’ll have fun along the way Tumbling down the twisting path sometimes rocky, sometimes smooth catch each other’s misstep harmonize each other’s tune Have a spot upon the map but never be pinned down still some mountains left to climb with feet just off the ground The joy is in the journey we keep climbing, hand in hand don’t tell us to act our age or how much fun to have Laughter in the dark of night stolen moments in the day may not know where we’re going but we’ll have fun along the way ©Terry Heislen, bmi
11.
Go 03:49
Hand in the small of my back says go Time is short – don’t miss the show Give ‘em all you got – tell ‘em all you know Hand in the small of my back says go Fist in the small of my back says now Give to the need, not the sacred cow Flag’s in the air, hand’s on the plow Fist in the small of back says now What am I holding back for? Who do I think that’s gonna save? Find one good reason to keep silent standing this side of the grave Knee in the small of my back says run Build up the love, melt down the gun Let the gravediggers be gardeners once you’ve done Knee in the small of my back says run (chorus) Kick in the small of my back says fire Scream it to the world, don’t preach to the choir Ride the tidal wave, run ‘cross the wire Voice in my ear screams go, now, run, fire cry out, cry out, cry out, cry © Terry Heislen, bmi

credits

released December 6, 2012

musicians:
Brian Alderman: electric guitar on Warriors, The Only Thing, Blizzard to a Burning Bridge, & Damascus Road
Joe Stobaugh: soprano sax on Dreamer & ms. found in a dead letter office
t: the other bits

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t heislen Plano, Texas

Plays right, writes left.
Pipes, passion, and a 12-string.

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