YOU STOP MY HEART copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

You stop my heart
Every time you walk by
You stop my heart
Every time you look in my eye
You stop my heart

You lock my jaw
Every time I try to speak
You lock my jaw
How can I tell you you're so sweet
You stop my heart

You make weak
I canÕt stop my legs from shaking
You make me weak
You start the whole earth quaking
You stop my heart

A body like yours is a work of art
I'd love to look you over but before I can start
You stop my heart

You knock me dead
I think my engine's seizing
You knock me dead
All vital functions ceasing
You stop my heart

I'm such a mess 'cause you look so sharp
You got it together but I fall apart
You stop my heart

APATHY BLUES copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

Well I woke this morning about a quarter-to-ten
Stared up at the ceiling, fell asleep again
Woke up once more about a quarter-to-four
Dragged my body up and put my feet on the floor

I didn't shave
Didn't comb my hair
Didn't iron my clothes and I didn't care
I'm feeling kind of funny
I'm not funny usually
I think I'm coming down with apathy

Well I'm eating my breakfast at a quarter-to-five
The boss is probably wondering if I'm still alive
I won't call him; he won't be calling me today
The phone's off the hook and it can stay that way

My body's inactive
My mind is drained
Nothing ventured
Nothing gained
I don't care about you
I don't care about me
I got a bad case of apathy

My girl comes around about a quarter-to-six
Says the way I'm acting has her in a fix
She's all dressed up for some fancy affair
Baby, I don't think we're going anywhere

My body's inactive
My mind is drained
Nothing ventured
Nothing gained
I don't care about you
I don't care about me
I got a bad case of apathy

Oh, I don't care where my life is going
Hey, I wasn't doing that much with it anyway

Well now it's late in the day and soon I'll go back to sleep
I'm not too concerned about the hours I keep
Maybe tomorrow my boss will understand
Maybe I'll end up with lots more time on my hands

But I still won't shave
Still won't comb my hair
Won't iron my clothes
And I still won't care
I kinda like this laziness that's come over me
I don't care if I ever lose this apathy

Well don't tell me 'bout your troubles 'cause I really don't care
Lord, I got those apathy blues

LIAR IN THE MIRROR copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

Pretend that time has left your face alone
Pretend your skin retains its youthful tone
Pretend that your complexion
Is closer to perfection
Now you're old

Imagine that your hair is like the tide
Advancing and receding in your mind
Comb it very carefully
Pretending no one else will see you're old

Liar in the mirror
Is it all becoming clearer
Is that fear appearing
As the end approaches nearer
Or can't you just pretend
That your life will never end
Liar in the mirror

Pretend your back is straight, your shoulders square
Pretend that bulging waistline isn't there
Relax a little longer
You're not getting any stronger
Now you're old

Liar in the mirror
Is it all becoming clearer
Is that fear appearing
As the end approaches nearer
Or can't you just pretend
That your life will never end
Liar in the mirror

Can time be outrun
By pretending that you're young
Can't you face the truth
You no longer have your youth
Liar in the mirror

Pretend that no one knows your real age
Pretend you're not as old as people say
The only way to last
Is by hiding in the past
Now you're old

Liar in the mirror
Is it all becoming clearer
Do you stare in terror
As the end approaches nearer
Or can't you just pretend
That your life will never end
Liar in the mirror

ROUND AND ROUND copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

Just like a sun that never seems to set
My heart's been rising ever since we met
I'm swirling like a skater in a pirouette
I'm just about as happy as a clown in love can get

Just like a frisbee flying through the breeze
My head is spinning up into the trees
My heart's a top, you've pulled the string and set me free
Now I'm getting dizzy 'cause you're all I'll ever see

Going round and round and round and round and round and round
Can't seem to keep my feet on the ground
Going round and round and round and round and round and round

Just like a snowball rolling down a hill
I gather up more energy until
You've wound me up so tightly time is standing still
My spring is sprung
I feel so young
We're just like Jack and Jill

Going round and round and round and round and round and round
Can't seem to keep my feet on the ground
Going round and round and round and round and round and round

HERE'S TO THE GALS copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

Here's to the gals
Who helped me see what I could be if I just simply tried
They gave me courage to encourage my creative side
Can't thank them enough
Life isn't so rough when they're here
Here's to the gals

Here's to the gals
Who often parted broken-hearted from a love affair
Then sang a tune about the ruin they discovered there
They kept me aware
Of how much I care about love
Here's to the gals

Suzzy is funny
Terre is very pretty
If I whispered to Maggie I love her
Would her aching heart ever recover

Suzzy wears purses
Terre likes hairy horses
Though Maggie's a mystery in lacy white
On vinyl she's finally mine tonight

Here's to the gals
Who pull me through when I can do with some companionship
Whose hypnotizing harmonizing is a pleasure trip
I'm glad that they're here
If only on my stereo

Oh I know there's a way dreams can sometimes come true
But my daydreams will just have to do
I love them so dearly
I hope it's not merely a fanciful passing romance
I'm taking a chance that the world loves a lover
I'll put on a record, invite the world over
To listen to my bosom pals
Here's to the gals

Here's to Maggie and Terre and Suzzy
I think those gals are G-R-E-A-T

THE ZEE SONG copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

Down in Zambogana
Where zarebas are zananas
They have zemstvos that zone zoos with such zeal
You hardly can believe that it's real
That zoophilic way that they feel
They formed some zollveriens to fine
The kine that zlipped the borderline
And when those cows were brought to their knees
They said we've done just what we please
Let's all go catch some zees

Zucchinis in zymosis
Zmell a lot like halitosis
But the zingare make zinfandel wine
From whatever zymed zucchinis they find
And a zillion yards of zoft zibeline
Then they barf into their zarfs
And count their zlory in the dark
And after that digest some zwieback and cheese
And after they've eaten as much as they please
They all go catch some zees

"Thus Homer was in rapture and Athens"

A little zapateado
And a zeugma zaid by Zeno
As he rode a zebra into Zaire
He heard Zola whisper into his ear
"Zephaniah prophecizes your fear"
You may pay the zamindari
With the zesty zedoary
You can zleep on a zastruga and freeze
And after you've done just what you please
Feel free to catch some zees

I DON"T LIKE WHAT I SEE copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

I don't like what I see
It don't look right to me at all

There's a man in the gutter clawing at my feet
Buried underneath the trash in the street
How can a man remain a man
Living in a city that's a garbage can
What's the world coming to -- I can't understand

I don't like what I see
It don't look right to me at all

There's a man on the corner with a needle in his arm
Lying without caring if it's doing him harm
His brain is dead but his body's still alive
So stick him in a clinic and see if he'll revive
What's the world coming to -- we'll never survive

I don't like what I see
It don't look right to me at all

So many sleeping on sidewalks at night
But the rich politicians say money's too tight
Just move the homeless out of sight

There's a woman with her belly blown up with child
Standing on the street trying to make men smile
Turning a trick in some filthy hotel
Having a baby that grows up in hell
What's the world coming to -- I don't feel so well

I don't like what I see
It don't look right to me at all

TIRED SHOES BLUES copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

Well I'm out of work, haven't got a dime
I'm so broke I ain't even got the time

Well I'm pounding the pavement all over town
But it seems I'm never needed every time I come around

I pack my sack and travel on
And hear the sound of gravel on my tired shoes
They got the blues

Well I don't know how far I've come and gone
And I don't know which direction is right or wrong
And I don't really care if I get there before long

I pack my sack and travel on
And hear the sound of gravel on my tired shoes
They got the blues

I thought when I was younger
I had too much to squander
Now all I do is wander
I close my eyes
My body cries
My tired shoes
They got the blues

Well I feel my body getting weak
And I'm feeling lost on a familiar street
I don't know how much longer I can wander with these sleepy feet

I pack my sack and travel on
And hear the sound of gravel on my tired shoes
They got the blues

CLEVER THESE JAPANESE copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

I doubt my town is still my own
They're telling me my city block is here on loan
Weren't our new neighbors once our enemies
Clever these Japanese

Their country's overcrowded
They need more land
The USA has plenty on hand
We're eager to sell and they're eager to please
Clever these Japanese

We're hungry mice eating their cheese
Clever these Japanese

They're building planes that fly so fast
We'll be going Tokyoing with all of our cash
"Don't shop at home -- travel overseas!"
Clever these Japanese

We dropped the bomb
Made them taste defeat
We thought we had them at our feet
Now we're buried underneath their new technologies
Clever these Japanese

Walkmans, videotapes, CDs
Clever these Japanese

PRISONERS OF INDUSTRY copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

At this point in history
We're prisoners of industry
Prisoners of industry
Slaves to modern times

Comfort is our ball
And money is our chain
We drag them with us all our lives
To pacify our pain

How could we get to work
Were cars to disappear
And how would we relax at home without a frosty beer

At this point in history
We're prisoners of industry
Prisoners of industry
Slaves to modern times

How could we read a book without electric light
Why learn to read a book
When TV's on all night

At this point in history
We're prisoners of industry
Prisoners of industry
Slaves to modern times

Who cares how many guns are sold
How many lives we lose
We got lots of Lucy reruns
Drowning out such news

For sickness there's a hospital
And when you're well Club Med
Don't worry, there are industries
That take you when you're dead

At this point in history
We're prisoners of industry
Prisoners of industry
Slaves to modern times

TAKING THE HARD ROAD AGAIN copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

standing on a highway
pacing in the snow
slamming my fists on my stalled and frozen car
no way to make a phone call
no way to get a tow
can't turn back now because I've come too far

standing on the highway
not knowing where to turn
just like I've done so many times before
I always see the warning signs
and still I never learn
to recognize that old familiar road

all alone
in the middle of nowhere
my calls for help
unanswered in the night
I took a wrong turn
that I can't set right
I'm taking the hard road again

staring at the windshield
fresh with winter frost
inside the car is totally obscured
nowhere I can run to
when I'm standing here so lost
frozen on that old familiar road

all alone
in the middle of nowhere
I should have been
a little more prepared
I should have been more cautious
but what good is "should have been"
I'm taking the hard road again

no one to blame but myself for how things are
but it's easier to blame it on the car
maybe it's the fault of some higher power
or maybe I'm just

all alone
in the middle of nowhere
the highway stretches off into the dark
I button up my coat
and begin to walk
I'm taking the hard road again

RAINBOW AT MY FEET copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

I followed the sun
Into the rain
I heard a fable
Of wealth I might gain
Chasing a rainbow
Until I found
The riches I dreamed of lying on the ground

Now a rainbow is at my feet
But no gold waits for me
Just soft grass and fallen leaves
And a rainbow at my feet

I look around
In disbelief
Overturning
Every leaf
Moving rocks
Where gold should be
Staring down
But all I can see

Is a rainbow is at my feet
But no gold waits for me
Just soft grass and fallen leaves
And a rainbow at my feet

I dig at the sand
With my trembling hands
Hours of toil
Removing the soil
Frustration feeds
My impatient greed
Till I look in the hole
Where I buried my soul

I suddenly notice a change in the sky
The sun returns, the clouds roll by
The forest springs to life once more
With treasures I ignored before

Now a rainbow is at my feet
And gold no longer matters to me
Just soft grass and forest leaves
And a rainbow at my feet

FEEL LIKE FIRE copyright Jay Ducharme 1990

circling 'round me
flames closed in
floating embers
landed on my skin
I feel like fire once again
thinking how she loved me then
heart grew faint
will grew weak
finally I gave in to the heat

I felt like fire
scared of love so often spurned
I felt like fire
all she did was touch me and I burned

gently stroking
warm with tenderness
wanting pleasure
from her soft caress
I came to her self-consciously
afraid of feeling ecstasy
afraid of love
afraid of shame
she took my fears and smothered them in flame

I feel like fire
every time I think of her
I feel like fire
longing to relive the way we were
I feel like fire
though it happened years ago
I feel like fire
even frozen time is set aglow