'won't do'

you won't do a thing that you need to do
you won't do a thing you know you should do
you won't do a thing someone tells you to do
you won't do a thing you don't wanna do

i can't help feelin yer not treatin me right
gets me to wonderin if it's some kind of spite
i'm like the mat by the door
when i'm only tryin to be polite
you won't do a thing that i ask you to 
you won't do a thing you don't wanna do

aint no explaining why yer bein so mean
way past the point of just letting off steam
i can't take it no more
it's all a terrible dream
you won't do a thing i ask you to
you won't do a thing you don't wanna do
you say we're just the same, i know it's true
cuz i won't do a thing i don't wanna do

stephenhsmith 4nov2010

das ist alles fur heute ... dang near half done

mo manana

gimme some ... 18mar2005

excuse me for bein so forward
it's just that where i come from
it's hard to keep it quiet when a woman
makes your motor hum
and if ya cain't give me everything
won't you please just gimme some
won't ya please just gimme some

and if that is out of the question
you say that you've gotta run
please stay with me til the mornin light
and decide it with the rising sun
cuz if ya cain't give me everything
won't ya please just gimme some

stephenhsmith 18mar2005

blues never end ... 31oct2003

there's comes a time, you've made so many mistakes
you can't get even with a thousand breaks
and all the pain will make you scream and shout
there's nothing left to do but play it out
your going crazy when you're dwelling on what might have been

CHORUS:
the sun comes up every mornin' and you think you're on the mend
this old world might stop turning, but the blues, they never end

so if you're thinking that you've got it made
your life is cruisin' all your debts are paid
be mighty careful what you do and say
or all your happiness will roll away
you know, "i love you"s gotta be the saddest words ever penned

long after everything is said and done
the love is over and the heartaches come
try to remember what i say to you
you know that cryin' is the devil's dew
and when i'm smiling dontcha know that it's only pretend

stephenhsmith 31oct2003

everyone lies ... 11aug2003

there's danger in the world today .. it's always been true
and if you're being honest they'll come looking for you
you try to practice honor you're in for a surprise
the truth can only come out when it wears a disguise

it's hard to get a bearing from promising and swearing
it does no good to look in their eyes
don'tcha know that everyone lies

and how did all this happen ... if you ain't got a clue
just listen to the TV and what they're telling you
they want you all to buy 'til you're in debt to your soul
and if you do not follow then you're "out of control"

it's hard to get a bearing from promising and swearing
and facts that everybody denies
can't you see we're drowning in lies

so now to get along you've got to smile and shut up
but that won't last too long 'cause soon it won't be enough
and if you're not contented with their shiny new toys
be careful what you're saying when you start making noise

and if no one is caring enough to stop the swearing
and do just what their wording implies
nothing's left when everyone lies

stephenhsmith 11aug2003

somebody else's blues ... 27apr2005

won't read it in the paper 'n you won't see it on the news
won't read it in the paper 'n you won't see it on the news
no story 'bout a man with    somebody else's blues

i stare out in the darkness 'n wonder how things got so bad
i stare out in the darkness 'n wonder how things got so bad
and think of all the goodtimes... that i never had

i pour a cup of coffee, i light myself a cigarette
i pour a cup of coffee, i light myself a cigarette
i'm waiting on the sunrise... it ain't come up yet

somewhere someone is smiling, 'n it's all because of me
somewhere someone is smiling, 'n it's all because of me
and they get to be happy  'cause i got their misery

don't need another heartache, i got me more than i can use
don't need another heartache, i got me more than i can use
ya know i think that i've got  somebody else's blues

SOMEBODY ELSE'S BLUES   stephenhsmith 27April2005

bleed ... 1nov2003

my dear, I hear you cry, I know the reason why
from all your chains I have been freed
but i still bleed

I do not feel ashamed, and now you've lost my name
I could not give you what you need
still i bleed

true love has caused this pain, it was not all in vain
to my broken heart you hold the deed
while i bleed

so down this road i go, some things i'll never know
the pain is ink, the writer's creed,
and i bleed

before i'm old or proud, i'll lay beneath a shroud
who knows what grows from just one seed?
so i bleed

stephenhsmith 1nov2003

cigarette kisses ... 10jul2003

it was a dark and stormy night near the oklahoma line
i stopped into a tavern to unwind
a woman with a troubled past is what i'd hoped to find
and her kisses taste like cigarettes but her body tastes like wine

off into the corner 'bout as far as i could see
a beauty staring burning holes in me
just one question haunted me from the vault within my mind
would her kisses taste like cigarettes and her body taste like wine ?

prophetic was the lightnin's flash just as she said "hello"
she softly smiled when i replied "let's go"
and then we were transported to another place and time
her kisses taste like cigarettes and her body tastes like wine
her kisses taste like cigarettes ... and her body still tastes like wine

stephenhsmith 10jul2003

that man ... 6jan2005

all those years i spent in school, tryin' hard to act so cool
got more confused with every day, too much to say, i lost my way

I used to be that Man, I used to be that Man
I used to be that Man, I used to be ............. that Man

i found a collar's not for me, and by the clock's no way to be
i had no heart for makin' rules or suffer fools, it seemed so cruel 
chorus
a loving husband at her side, a common form of civic pride
i couldn't see her point of view and now we're through, ain't nothin new 
chorus

stephenhsmith 6jan2005

angels in cadillacs ... 13jul2005

don't ask me how i know this story's true
be careful when you're lost without a clue
the age old tales of mortal men
from time to time repeat again
and everyone believes it's something new
it's all revealed by a circumstance of intentions untoward
there ain't no angels in cadillacs when the devil drives a ford

the lessons you won't learn unless you bleed
a mighty oak won't grow without a seed
the memories will never end
in what you save and what you spend
you'll find that you've got all you really need
i long assumed it a consequence of the feelings i've ignored
'cuz there ain't no angels in cadillacs when the devil drives a ford

i hope you learn before it's time to go
there's no escape and you'll reap just what you sew
when contemplating doing wrong
remember you once heard a song
that told you everything you need to know
when your wings appear do not hesitate
for the dance is it's own reward ...
now there's no more angels in cadillacs 'cuz the devil's gotten bored

stephenhsmith 7.13.05

goin nowhere ... 5apr2004

I came here in a cold November
in what year i don't remember 
so long, been so long, now i'm thinkin'
it's time to go home

i came here for somethin' better
I've been here seems like forever
alone, goin home, goin nowhere
'cause nowhere is my home

quit countin' all the tears that i've cried
failing is just a matter of pride
when i leave here i'll know that i tried
and i tried

i can't help but do it my way
i head for that lonely highway
the road, to my home, goin nowhere
'cause nowhere is my home

stephenhsmith 5apr2004

all this too will pass ... 12may2005

when the river has no current and the ocean's got no tide
not the faintest breeze floatin' through the trees
and i'm all locked up inside
i lose my mind in the stillness   every step's on broken glass
what a witness sees   in a moment freezed... is true
"all this too will pass", all this too will pass
every day is new and all this too will pass 5.5.05
--------------------------------------------------------------------
with the hands of fate upon me  when i'm tryin' not to think
holdin' back the tears    from all my fears
and the spirit starts to sink
when a minute seems like hours, every song becomes a mass
in my tear-stained shirt  every heartbeat hurts... with you
but all this too will pass, all this too will pass
every day is new and all this too will pass 5.6.05
-------------------------------------------------------------------
when it's time at last for movin'   with a warm wind at my back
i unleash the sails    and all travails
have faded into black
with the sun on the horizon     underneath the brightest moon
over many a mile   with a constant smile... and soon 
all this too will pass, all this too will pass
every day is new and all this too will pass  5.12.05

cartoons ... 19jun2004

oh the hip cartoons, the toy balloons, 
and silly tunes, they're gone to soon

we both had a laugh, that's all in the past

now all the new things are movin' in fast

i try not to cry when waving good-bye

the sunlit junes, on sandy dunes
the summer moons are gone too soon

set down by the tide, the things we'd confide

our hearts couldn't hide the feelings inside

i try not to cry when waving good-bye

and now you've grown, you're on your own
and time has shown the seeds i've sown

the price that you'll pay as you make your own way

wish we could return to our yesterday

and now i just cry when you're waving good-bye

stephenhsmith 19jun2004

that's just fine ... 13jul2003

walking thru the morning mist holding hands with little miss

laughing and we both were feeling fine

wonders they are all around, they're in the air and on the ground

wonder what on earth that she will find

 

daddy will you push me in the swing

daddy can you make the robins sing

daddy can i love you all the time

well ... that's just fine

 

parent's day at middle school, i'm trying hard to be so cool

smiling as we all stand there in line

worried what her friends would think

and would i cause her heart to sink

and then she gave me her little sign

 

dad this silly boy just smiles and begs

daddy can i start to shave my legs

dad you know you're still my valentine

well.... that's just fine

 

on her graduation day, my little girl has gone away

a women stands before me, oh so fine

she met a man and planned her schemes

fulfilling all her hopes and dreams

forever loving, handsome, and kind

 

daddy now i know his heart is true

daddy now you know he's alot like you

daddy i just have to make him mine

well.... that's just fine

 

stephenhsmith  7.13.03

how did i get here ... 20may2004

it started back in Dallas, when we had another fight

we both needed a break 'cause we knew som'n wasn't right

i thought i'd take a trip, got in the car and headed west

my life was stuck in places that i never would have guessed

just two important questions were filling up my mind

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

 

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

was i too busy thinking wrong to ever wonder why?

should i just give up or maybe have another try

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

 

it was just outside of Lubbock, where i made a fateful turn

i didn't know my way around but i figured i would learn

i stopped beside a honky-tonk to get a little rest

a custom silver bus pulled up just for a special guest

a man in mirror shades stepped out, said "would you be so kind"

tell me "how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

 

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

i told him that i felt the same and we went for a ride

inside them boys were smokin' things that really blew my mind

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

 

the next thing i remember i was in some foreign land

pickin' and a singing songs i did not understand

things were kinda fuzzy, was it Ft. Worth or Hong Kong

i couldn't tell the difference, but it sounded like a song

the answers to some questions, here's two don't ever try

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

 

"how did i get here?" and "where the hell am i?"

put your best foot forward, never stop to wonder why

i'm going back to Dallas and i'll stay there til i die

that's how i got here is how i'll testify 

 

stephenhsmith  20may2004

i have my doubts ... 17may2004

what seems was unintended, might well have been the plan

judging from the consequence of some "ordinary" man

in retrospect it's evident, there was a better way

by then it's done, in time to come, we'll all have hell to pay

the issue is decided as if your opinion counts

that's the schoolbook story but you know i have my doubts

 

i have my doubts, and they're intense

i've listened to the explanations, and they make no sense

i'm unconvinced, by all accounts

it could be all coincidence, but you know i have my doubts

 

the truth is undefended in a desert full of lies

it is locked up in the cabinet, away from prying eyes

it's for our own protection, like children we are told

all we can do is hope and pray and watch events unfold

you're for us or a'gin us, the banner waver shouts

he says it's for old glory but you know i have my doubts

 

when faith is apprehended by bureaucratic tools

there's no freedom in the number of their arbitrary rules

competing for complete control of what we do and say

each insisting that they are the one and only way

somewhere a scribe is listing just who'll be "ins" and "outs"

that's the good book story, but you know i have my doubts

 

stephenhsmith  17may2004

just another blue ... 9sep2004

i dreamed i awoke from a terrible dream

i couldn't stop falling, was too late to scream

a new kind of darkness came down from the skies

it came thru the window and opened my eyes

 

and when it all came into view

i felt it was long overdue

that's when i noticed it was nothing new

'twas just another blue

 

i had the sensation i'd been here before

a room with a window but not with a door

i know someone's knocking but don't hear a sound

and if they are looking i'll never be found

 

the colours all came into view

i felt that i already knew

my eyes can just see only one kind of hue

just another blue  

 

such dreams are a warning that you mustn't heed

beware of the wanting, seek out what you need

you'll find in the dawning a new kind of light

that opens the window and brings back your sight

 

don't wait for the most perfect ones

you'll only be burned by the suns

tomorrow I'll wake and start over again

but tomorrow never comes

 

stephenhsmith 9sep2004

shame on me ... 21mar2004

shame on me.....  shame on you.....

a heart can't see  a point of view

true ................... a heart must  be

shame on me

 

life throws you a curve in the dead of the night

when it takes all your nerve to still chase the light

somehow you learn what will be has to be

ain't nothing wrong with being free ............

 

the blame's on me,  the blame's on you

it had to be,  you know it's true

fools ...............to blind to see

the blame's on me

 

that bridge has been burned, in a beautiful light

hard lessons i've learned, with a will not to fight

all wisdom is earned, in the stars i can see

i've found my song, and i'm free

 

hooray for me,  hooray for me,  hooray for me...

she loves me anyway ... 16jan2004

a little smoke tornado rises from my cigarette

in the twilight of the evenin when it isn't dark just yet

i contemplate my hopes and dreams

and my eternal debt

old triumphs and disasters

the sun begins to set

and lo across these many years at the end of every day

though i have so many faults she loves me anyway

before i set myself to sleep i'll have another beer

and wonder where she is tonight n' wipe away the tear

grateful for every little thing 

that came from one so dear

and dream of our tomorrow

without a trace of fear

and lo across these many years at the end of every day

the comfort of always knowing that she loves me anyway

across the many years to come any price i'll gladly pay

to see my daughter's smile and know, she loves me anyway

 

a little smoke tornado rises from my cigarette

in the twilight of the evenin when it isn't dark just yet

 

stephenhsmith 16jan2004

 

 

today i have the blues ... 13jan2004

when i heard the news this morning, my heart just blew a fuse

we're damned now if we do or don't no matter what we choose

i'd be outta here tomorrow if i could buy some walkin' shoes
'cause today i have the blues  

who knows what's more destructive, a car bomb or a pen

and who's knows how long it'll be 'fore it's safe to care again

guess i'll try again tomorrow, i can't afford no walkin' shoes

but today i have the blues

we're ruled by guns and money from underground to outer space

some people think it's funny when they lie right to your face

i sure hope there's a tomorrow 'cause i can't find no walkin' shoes

and today i have the blues

stephenhsmith 13jan2004

things i won't tell ... 4aug2004

i know things that you don't know ...but i won't tell

the kind of things that barely show ..but i won't tell 

the secrets hidden there in your eyes

the things you try so hard to disguise

the simple things i've come to know ..but i won't tell

the little things, just goes to show    ..but i won't tell

you know when someone's winning a prize

you cannot hide behind alibis

the time has come for me to go.. but i won't tell

and why i'm gone you'll want to know.. but i won't tell

before you think it's all in your head

some things you know are better not said

stephenhsmith 8.4.04

too many rules ... 1apr2004

in the church and the state we are ruled by the few

there's too many rules,  there's too many rules

for putting it straight we are long overdue

there's too many rules,  there's too many rules

 

lawyers and bureaucrats battle to extend their control

never surrender or else you will forfeit your soul 

first thing to do, right away, is stop digging this hole

 

from corporate boardrooms they dangle the "new" 

there's too many fools,  there's too many fools

they act out a "fight" but it's one point of view 

there's too many fools,  there's too many fools

 

willing to trade all our freedom to the face on TV 

who urge them to buy a big house and a new SUV 

how worse will it get before people will wake up and see? 

 

stephenhsmith  1apr04

voices ... 16jun2003

Sunset on the old Seawall, the raindrops fall, I hear this call 

Voices all around my head, say "do not dread, you'll be misled

At daylight you will be anew, and all you're due, will come to you

 

It's best now you be on your way, no need to stay, forget today

And when I opened up my eyes, I finally realized,

All those "truths" you told me were only lies

 

Hear now what I say to you, when you are blue, without a clue

Voices they will tell you things of pawns and kings, and diamond rings

And how you can defeat the blues, you win or lose, by what you choose

So listen to the voices true, they're telling you, it's up to you

 

And when you open up your eyes, you'll finally realize,

All the clouds are gone from the open skies

 

stephenhsmith 16jun2003

you ain't ever gonna know ... 13apr2003

I remember, on a long summer day ....  

you were busy, we didn't get to play,

I'm wondering, are many chances left to go 

                                

And in the autumn, when the moon was shining bright... 

out in the darkness, we're blinded by the light

I'm wondering, if there's still time to let it show 

 

You missed some things that would have made you proud

Between the tears you'd 've laughed out loud

If you don't know about those things by now,  

you ain't ever,  you ain't ever gonna know

 

Then came that winter and the longest of the night, 

and only silence to avoid another fight

I'm wondering,  how we ever got so low

 

And now it's springtime, is there nothing left to say, 

there's no accounting for the price we'll have to pay

And I'm wondering, perhaps it's best to let it go

 

Did you forget about the why and the how, 

along the way to your silvered brow,

Those are things if you don't know by now, 

you ain't ever, you ain't ever gonna know  

 

stephenhsmith  4.13.03 

youthful indiscretion ... 11jan2004

the road less traveled, so they said, would lead to better things

so i maintained my freedom and avoided diamond rings

but i grew up so slowly, did so little in my prime

a youthful indiscretion now i'm old before my time 

old before my time

 

never knew being wrong was a curse

or being right all along, which is worse

the price you pay for it all, being first ... in line

a youthful indiscretion made me old before my time

 

lurking in the shadows makes it hard to see the light

the difference of a winter's day from a summer's night

the consequence of standing still while others make their time

a youthful indiscretion's now an everlasting crime  

 

stephenhsmith 11jan2004

 

words ... 11dec2003

i guess i have a proper place, somewhere in all this time and space,
but damned if i know where, and when, and how.
perhaps i'm bound for some great thing, a timeless phrase, perhaps to sing,
but scribbling will have to do for now.
i'm lost amidst the shifting sands, the twilight looms a thousand strands,
i feel my legs are buried in the dunes.
i thirst for time to slow it's move, so i may yet come to disprove,
'cause all i am, so far, is words and worn out tunes.

i'm waitin' on a thunderbolt from some prophetic line i wrote
to light the sky perhaps to start a fire
for now i have to plod along lookin' for that perfect song
to pull me out of all this muck and mire
i hope someday i'll learn my way to say the things i have to say
on crowded nights and lonely afternoons
til then i struggle on my own and hope when all my seeds are grown
that i'll be so much more than words and worn out tunes.

stephenhsmith 11dec2003

professor of the blues ... 16nov2003

Ain't got no fancy paper, but I got my degree
From majoring in rhythm, and dark philosophy
I roam across the country still looking back to Baton Rouge
I learned alotta lessons, I'm a Professor of the Blues

My baby found another and broke my little heart
Then I discovered drinkin', that's how i got my start
I went to school in Memphis, to get away from Baton Rouge
I learned another lesson, I'm a Professor of the Blues

And when I got to Cleveland, I thought that I would die
The women warm and willing, but they don't ever cry
I learned alot in Cleveland, but it's too far from Baton Rouge
Another painful lesson, I'm a Professor of the Blues

Way down in Texarkana, the lesson that I learned
Don't sell your soul for comfort or Buddy you will burn
A costly education, but it's the kind you never lose
I graduate with honors as a Professor of the Blues

Ain't got no fancy paper, but I got my degree
Combinin' tone with rhythm and dark philosophy
And now I'm down in Dallas, someday I'll get to Baton Rouge
There's work in Looziana for a Professor of the Blues.

PROFESSOR OF THE BLUES by stephenhsmith 11.16.03

one night of love ... 4nov2003

1 night of love, 2 months of hell, 3 years in the pen
sometimes it seems this whole bad dream will never end
and i feel kinda bad every now and then
after 1 night of love, 2 months of hell,
the judge just gave me 3 years in the pen

the sparkin' turned to fuss and fight day after day
til finally i had reached the point where i'd nothing left to say
i guess it proves a jealous fool don't make a good spouse
but oh it made a lovely light when i burned down our house
chorus...
i guess it's kinda stupid but i couldn't help myself
you could say i took it bad when you put me on a shelf
it's not like me to do the things that others call a crime
but babe i had to light yer fire just one last time
chorus...
i'll eat real good and exercise my three years on ice
maybe less if i am good and act really nice
i'm coming back a different man without a doubt
and i will find another flame when i get out

*only cost me 3 years in the pen
*sometimes it seems this whole bad dream will finally end
stephenhsmith 4nov2003

what time gives ... 22jun2003

The passage of Time is a burden, a blessing, and curse
Living is hard but I'm told that dying is worse
All of your worldly possessions you can't take with you
So many times I sold my soul for a dollar or two
I've learned a few things, but only one I know is true
After all's said and done, there ain't nothin' that's new

Oh what Time does to a man
While he's living..... the best that he can

This crazy old world is a wonder, as strange as it seems
Out among all of the strife, there is still room for dreams
I'm looking forward to learning the things that I'll know
And I hope that when the time comes, I'll be ready to go
After I'm gone I am hoping it won't be the end
Maybe for once I'll get lucky and come back again
Oh what Time gives to a man
For living the best that he can

stephenhsmith 22JUN03

u-boot blaus ... 25jun2003

The lights of the harbor are pointing the way
To carry me home, carry me home
Out on patrol for the last hundred days
Now carry me home, carry me home

A life underwater's a desperate plan
The boredom and fear take their toll on a man
Fighting a war where there's no Sun or Land
Oh won't you carry me home

We sighted the convoy an hour away
to battle we roam, to battle we roam
A tanker in two by the end of the day
a hundred men gone, ten thousand tonnes gone
The straits off of Ireland's a desperate plight
So unforgiving with no moon in sight
There's no escaping the wolfpack at night
now if we only get home

The planes and destroyers are hounds on the chase
so carry me home, carry me home
The hunter's now hunted, it's time that we race
to carry me home, carry me home
The danger had found us in the Bay of Biscay
For just one more hour of life do I pray
The bottom's our grave within sight of the quay
Forever and ever our home, now I am finally home
The water's forever my home

stephenhsmith 25jun03

when i wasn't lookin ... 20apr2003

when i wasn't looking, lord i'm afraid that i've been found
in all night extradition on the other side of town
now i'm frozen in the headlights, i'm about to get run down
with an anxious resignation to the fate of which i'm bound

maybe i should stop and fight
maybe i'm not doing right
maybe just another night and then...

when i wasn't lookin', lord i'm afraid that i've been found
in an all night exposition though i never made a sound
in the rivers i've been swimmin', damned if i ain't gone and drowned
i forgot the admonition, "what goes up will come around"

one thing i never thought
i'd be the one whose caught
my freedom can't be bought again...
when i wasn't looking.....

stephenhsmith 20apr2003

goin to looziana ... 25may2003

daylight and the rain is fallin', the highway's callin' me
back to my bayou cradle, where folks don't label me
going to Louisiana ...... going to Louisiana ................

bayou's on a misty mornin' , the gators roaming free
down in the land i was born in the summer of oh-three
going to Louisiana ...... going to Louisiana ................

down there where no phones are ringin', the crickets singin' sweet
back home where the moss is hangin' from the old oak trees
up here with the big jets soaring, this life is boring me
no more of these people screamin', tomorrow i'll be free
going to Louisiana ...... going to Louisiana ................

stephenhsmith 5.25.2003

detached and fragmented ... 1jun2003

Well I found me a spot way up on a hill
Away from the eight-lane run of the mill
Where I can see it all without a quota to fill
(In all this commotion, I'll be better off still)
Watching it happen is the quietest thrill
Passive and often offended
Always Detached and Fragmented

Happy at last with a particular view
Marvel at how there's never nothing that's new
Expecting a change to come from out of the blue
Hearing the lies and knowing all of it's true
Laughing but never lamented
Still I'm Detached and Fragmented

Betting the sum is more than parts of the whole
Avoiding the roads that always come with a toll
Just sitting still with an occasional stroll
Keeping the Title to my unwritten soul
Not bought but so often rented
Scratched up but not even dented
Quiet-ly I have commented
Ever Detached and Fragmented

stephenhsmith 1jun2003

today ... 8dec2003

i didn't wanna write this song, but it would not let me be
if ya don't think there's some'n wrong, then i guess we'll disagree
been waitin' on a thunderbolt,  but it ain't happenin' today 

and while the sky is turning red,  people look the other way
pretty soon we'll all be dead, and those left will have to pay
meanwhile we keep on playin', 'cause it ain't happenin' today 

what i say might make you mad,  but my song ain't nothin' new
take your comfort from the past, the way we always muddle through
but please listen for a moment, to my apocalyptic view

mr dylan told us all,  back in nineteen sixty-two
he said a hard rain is gonna fall, and i do believe it's true
been waitin' on a mushroom cloud, and i think we're almost due

now i thank you for your time, it's best i be on my way
hope you heard my warning rhyme, that is all i had to say 
it doesn't mean there's nothing wrong, 'cause it ain't happenin' today 

stephenhsmith 8dec2003

white trash black sheep ... 30mar2003

It always seemed so wrong to me that i was born to lose
But so much happens in this world, I still ain't heard the news
So many pretty offers come in, how could I refuse?
So I told a lie, and I made her cry
And now this white trash black sheep has the blues

A taste of life intoxicates, just like the finest booze
There seems to be a consequence, no matter what I choose
The lessons learned at your expense still count as unpaid dues
And it makes me sigh 'til I almost die
When this ole white trash black sheep gets the blues

Be careful with that match if you're about to light that fuse
Notice all the signs and pay attention to the clues
They say a man with nuthin' well... he ain't got much to lose
Well now that's a lie, and I'll tell you why
Cause even white trash black sheep get the blues


WHITE TRASH BLACK SHEEP by stephenhsmith 3.30.03

some kind of fever ... 16aug2009

it's some kind of fever, it's some sorta spell
the kind of a secret that you cannot tell
it hits you when yer hearin a song
n realizin somethin is wrong
n feelin like yer everthing is all gone to hell
n don't i know that feelin so well

it's some kind of fever, it's some sorta spell
a dream outta sequence that stumbled and fell
n you don't know the part that you play
forgettin what the line is you say
all around you's shoutin then the sound of a bell
you know you know that ringin' so well

when you get the fever, when you hear the bell
keep hold to the secret you better not tell
add it to the list you must do
when mysteries of life come in view
hold yer tongue and wait until the time comes to sell
the gold in secrets you know so well
are only gold if you didn't tell

stephenhsmith 16aug2009

testament (sliding truth) ... 25apr2004

some people think the truth is big
some people think the truth is small
some people think it's all a lie
(that) there is no truth at all

across a million years or more
it hasn't been so very long
many have claimed they'd found the truth
i think they were all wrong

from everything i've seen in life
in all i've learned and how i've grown
the only truth i think there is
you find out on your own

the truth is such a simple thing
in what you say and what you do
though it gets harder everyday
it all comes down to you

we make mistakes, forgive yourself
each take our turn to play the fool
to live in peace remember this
there's just one golden rule

(TESTAMENT) by stephenhsmith 4.25.04

the horizon ... 29jan2005

'The Horizon'

And the truth isn't hidden in the wisdom of fools
It lies in our leaders who make up the rules
And the lies that you swallow will pass into fact
For once you have followed there's no turning back
Will the history read when it's our turn to go
More pathetic excuses, "we just didn't know" ?

The Horizon is cloudy
There's red in the sky
Going faster and faster
Without asking "Why?"
And our children will pay
For the hell that we raise
When all our tomorrows become
... yesterdays

To the voices of reason we've turned deaf and blind
As we choose to abandon the lessons of Time
But what if what we've been isn't what we'll become?
Turn away from the piper, don't march to the drum
Or belong to the ages with nothing to show
Of the power that comes from the guts to say "NO"

The Horizon is cloudy
There's red in the sky
Going faster and faster
Without asking "Why?"
And our children will pay
For the Hell that we raise
When all our tomorrows become
... yesterdays

stephenhsmith 29Jan2005

que sirhan sirhan ... 1999

When I was just a little boy
I asked my Mother, who's Kennedy?
Was he a Bastard, was he a Mensch?
Here's what she said to me...

Que' Sirhan Sirhan
He shot Robert Kennedy
Set Nixon and Hoffa free
Que' Sirhan Sirhan

stephenhsmith circa 1999

weasel pop ... 22nov1993

The Mafia had a master plan
With Hoover in the middle
Lyndon doing the covering up
Jackie's a Widow

The left turn slows the motorcade
With Oswald in the window
Grassy Knoll off to the right
Jackie's a Widow

stephenhsmith
22nov1993

song list

alexanders green 10.20.05
a memory 10.10.05
what do you want 9.5.05
i believe in the morning 7.30.05
already gone 6.2.05
all this too will pass 5.5.05
empty lives 4.29.05
somebody else's blues 4.27.05
strum and holler 4.20.05
muleboy blues 4.15.05
burn it up 3.30.05
gimme some 3.18.05
the ticket 3.7.05
muleboy boogie 2.27.05
address unknown 2.15.05
the blues say hello 2.6.05
the horizon 1.29.05
remember your name 1.13.05
gulf dreams 1.12.05
that man 1.6.05
another new years eve 12.31.04
was arkansas 12.21.04
damifino blues 12.7.04
hole in my head 12.1.04
chevrolet 9.16.04
just another blue 9.9.04
i don't wanna be the 1st to say 8.16.04
things i won't tell 8.4.04
i had help 8.4.04
don't ever slow down 8.1.04
cartoons 6.18.04
sometimes (my mistakes) 6.4.04
i can't make up my mind 6.1.04
how did i get here 5.20.04
i have my doubts 5.17.04
the sliding truth 4.25.04
i lie like hell 4.24.04
blues all over me 4.22.04
the burning 4.15.04
goin nowhere 4.7.04
doit again 4.4.04
too many rules 4.1.04
'til i get blue 3.23.04
shame on me 3.21.04
someone believed in me 2.24.04
call me thunder 2.23.04
ty shuffle 1.22.04
she loves me anyway 1.16.04
today i have the blues 1.13.04
youthful indiscretion 1.11.04
today (it ain't happenin') 12.7.03
cut me down slowly 12.5.03
money is 12.3.03
jist juan blues 11.24.03
professor of the blues 11.16.03
the greg song 11.15.03
our perfect day 11.11.03
only a dream 11.10.03
don't evereverever 11.09.03
what to dream for 11.09.03
1 nite of love (d.a.a.) 11.04.03
bleed 11.01.03
blues never end 10.31.03
hide in the light 10.27.03
movin' too fast for me 10.24.03
long and lean 10.21.03
oh hell yeah 10.21.03
my heart's in the strings 10.20.03
livin here in a song 10.20.03
do it again 10.18.03
sometimes 10.11.03
rotten 10.7.03
2001 blues 8.29.03
don't know why 8.26.03
road to nowhere 8.24.03
well alright 8.17.03
against the wall (d.a.a.*) 8.17.03
whipped (my baby) 8.16.03
everyone lies 8.11.03
6-string highway 8.09.03
it's time for you to go 8.04.03
kiss me 8.03.03
waitin' on the sun 7.27.03
i'm stupid 7.21.03
galveston sun 7.20.03
give it time 7.15.03
letter to... 7.14.03
don't go 7.13.03
that's just fine 7.13.03
burning in the night 7.13.03
cigarette kisses 7.10.03
midnight sun 7.02.03
what time gives 6.22.03
voices 6.16.03
u-boat blues 6.13.03
twilight zone 6.8.03
detached & fragmented 6.1.03
going to louisiana 5.25.03
i've lied 5.17.03
stolen blues 5.12.03
i don't belong here anymore 5.5.03
when i wasn't looking 4.24.03
same old thing, only different 4.22.03
round-the-clock-livin' 4.21.03
you ain't ever gonna know 4.13.03
sometimes it's better not to know 4.6.03
writin's on the wall 4.4.03
whitetrash black sheep #13 3.31.03
unconvicted felon 10.22.02

stoneslidewah (1990 found 20Jun03)
became "Gone" 8.17.03
diddleedoo (1990 found 20Jun03)
became "Let it Slide" 8.5.03
little louise (3rd verse April 2003)
groovin' mood
staring at the clock slide vamp
never stop western skies
western a riff cgd chorus
(became Our Perfect Day 11.11.03)
jazz vamp (became 'stolen blues' may2003)
ridin' the stolen storm out jan89
(became u-boot blues JUN03)
same mistakes * late 1988

stolen blues ... 12may2003

A hot summer day, the steaks are burnin'
The adults at play, with the same old yearnin'
But not far away, the wheels are turnin'
The longer I live, the more I'm learnin'

I ain't got no right, ain't paid no dues
Ain't black or white, ain't made no news
But I'm still up here, livin' on stolen blues

So let's get it on, no use in waitin'
Life is too short for hes-i-tatin'
Just get in a groove, and stop that skatin'
When troubles are few, 's no consecratin'

Ain't got nothin' I can't refuse
Just got too much from which to choose
I'm way up here, livin' on stolen blues

stephenhsmith
lyrics 5.12.2003 /chords Oct1996

unconvicted felon ... 20Oct2002

I’m an unconvicted felon, on the wrong side of the law
I’ve been breakin’ rules forever, I just ain’t been caught is all
I’m an educated professor, but one without degree
I’m a never-ending teacher of the things you will not see
I’m an unrequited lover, with a heart that’s made of gold
An unreconstructed Rebel, with a soul that ain’t been sold

I can see the other side of every truth that can’t be told
I can fight with all my might against my growing far too old
I can never find a reason why this world should ever mend
I can only hope the answer’ll be revealed before I end

There is pain in every pleasure, and a truth in every lie
There’s a profit in the crawling, and a cost for trying to fly
There are spirits all around us though the reasons are unknown
I’m a consecrated pagan, who believes we’re not alone
There are many lonely questions, we must answer for ourselves
There’s at least a million heavens, but I haven’t found no hells

I’ve been taken to the jailhouse, I’ve been charged with every crime
Indicted for just livin’, then turned loose without a fine
I am innocent and guilty but I’ve never done no time
I discovered there are secrets, in the music and the rhyme

I have lost and I have prospered from the things I did not say
I have cheated many hangmen and another judgement day
In the black and white of living, I’m at home within the grey
When I don’t believe in nothin’ I have found the time to pray
I persevere and endeavor, and I hope it’s worth the cost
I am on the road to somewhere, but I fear that I am lost

I can see the other side of all the truths and all the lies
I can understand the reasons for a thousand alibis
I can roam without a compass, but I never tow the line
And I hope to find the answers before runnin’ out of time

And the answers to the questions will come with time and tide
And I hope that I’ll be welcome when I reach the other side
In the darkness of my message, I hope you’ll see the light
While the truth is all around us, we are blinded by the night
In the meantime count your blessings, heed the warnings of this fool
With the sirens in the distance, I give all my love to you.

It’s an unintended consequence to fly before you fall
Bowing to omnipotence before you stand up tall
There’s a meaning to coincidence apparent after all
I’m an unconvicted felon that just ain’t been caught is all.

stephenhsmith
22oct2002

all rights reserved or alright i'm reserved

i been meanin to do this all decade long
bout time i got round to it

stephenhsmith (muleboy303)

12Sept2009