Freddie Long

Music

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It's Been A Year

Here's a song I wrote and recorded around the 1-year anniversary of the pandemic, just reflecting on it all. I also posted a video for the song of me playing/recording it live in my living room, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuqiWy_06x4. Released March 17, 2021.

Just A Hand

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Just A Hand

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Single written for and featured in the SHIP of Frederick County and Maryland Ensemble Theater production of 'There's No Place Like Home - Life Without the Ruby Slippers', illuminating the struggles of homelessness. Released January 6, 2016

Nashville

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1.	Nashville	Nashville Can't remember how I got here Can't remember why I came All that whiskey down on Broadway And hands of strangers that I shake I can feel the Cumberland straining at the seams With the tears of so many washed-up dreams Oh, Nashville You always tip your hat in such a sad, sad way Oh, Nashville You're a friend that can't remember my name It'd hard to know where I'm supposed to stand When all of this town is just a stage The more I try to be different The more it seems I'm just the same I can feel the Cumberland straining at the seams With the tears of so many washed-up dreams Oh, Nashville You always tip your hat in such a sad, sad way Oh, Nashville You're a friend that can't remember my name I just wanna curl up with my baby Sleep in my own bed See my dog, hug my mama And rest my weary head Oh, Nashville You always tip your hat in such a sad, sad way Oh, Nashville You're a friend that can't remember my name
2.	Natalie	Natalie I sit in my car and look up at the night Your message is still playing in my mind And here I am and you could be anywhere But your words I’ve kept with me all this time And I wish I could’ve seen you The way I see you now Oh, Natalie I know our time was brief But oh, Natalie You’ve helped me when it’s been hard to believe And your little kindness has gone a long way with me Oh, Natalie Another Thursday night at Johnson’s Trying to thin the blood that makes me who I am You let this stray follow you home and then you drove me back Across the town to the house where I lived And I wish I could’ve seen you The way I see you now Oh, Natalie I know our time was brief But oh, Natalie You’ve helped me when it’s been hard to believe And your little kindness has gone a long way with me Oh, Natalie Maybe someday we’ll have a few drinks and a chance to catch up Or maybe the parts we played were all that were written for us And I wish I could’ve seen you The way I see you now Oh, Natalie I know our time was brief But oh, Natalie You’ve helped me when it’s been hard to believe Your little kindness has gone a long way with me Your little kindness has gone a long way with me A little kindness can go a long way you see Oh, Natalie
3.	Blanket	Blanket You're the kind that tells me I look good Days I know it's far from the truth You and I, ya know, we're not that different I just hide it more than you And I know it's not what I do best But I've got to get this off my chest Well I know I don't say it often But you take the shiver out of growing old Sometimes I'll see your face and feel so good about my place You're like a blanket for my soul Yeah I know I like to give you a hard time And sometimes you take it personally But I'd never ever mean to hurt you 'Cause you define that genuine kind of sweet And I know it's not what I do best But I've got to get this off my chest Well I know I don't say it often But you take the shiver out of growing old Sometimes I'll see your face and feel so good about my place You're like a blanket for my soul The world is full of unsung heroes 'Cause it's hard sometimes to say what's on your heart But I'm giving it a shot, and if you know it or not I love you and who you are Well I know I don't say it often But you take the shiver out of growing old Sometimes I'll see your face and feel so good about my place You're like a blanket for my soul ...You keep me warm when it gets cold
4.	Four Long Years	Four Long Years Every new day that I get up to face It isn't long before I'm wondering how you are And for as much that has changed between us The same old feelings fill my heart And I wish there was some way you could know All the searching and the hurting that I've been through 'Cause it's been four long years without you, baby But I've taken you with me everywhere I think about you every day, no your memory never fades Believe me when I say It's been four long years I still wear that shirt that you say never fit me And the cross you gave me hangs around my neck I kept that picture of us standing in my driveway I'm holding on to you with every breath And I wish there was some way you could know All the searching and the hurting that I've been through 'Cause it's been four long years without you, baby But I've taken you with me everywhere I think about you every day, no your memory never fades Believe me when I say It's been four long years And I wish there was some way you could know All the searching and the hurting that I've been through 'Cause it's been four long years without you, baby But I've taken you with me everywhere I think about you every day, no your memory never fades Believe me when I say It's been four long years
5.	Stranger	Stranger I’m a stranger in my own body I feel like a stranger almost everywhere that I go And tonight I just can’t be the person that I seem And I almost like being alone I’m not the one that you think you know I wish I could play the part that I wrote But I’m out of identity and I’m running low on hope You can talk about me when I leave ‘Cause I’m a stranger in my own body I feel like a stranger almost everywhere that I go And tonight I just can’t be the person that I seem And I almost like being alone Tomorrow I’ll remember most of my lines And with a convincing delivery I’ll recite But my memory will remember that those words aren’t really mine Back into the wings ‘Cause I’m a stranger in my own body I feel like a stranger almost everywhere that I go And tonight I just can’t be the person that I seem And I almost like being alone Yeah I almost like being alone
6.	Hard-Up and Lonesome	Hard-Up and Lonesome I’ve got an empty bottle of dreams I’ve got a memory full of crime I’ve got an old rusty compass And buckets full of wasted time The dust of yesterday stings my face As the tumbleweed rolls on by I ain’t going nowhere Ain’t got no one to call my own I don’t even know what I believe in Stranded at the corner of hard-up and lonesome Turned down a ride from a handful of angels Don’t seem they’d take me where I need to go What could they know about a drifter Who just hasn’t found the breeze to blow him home I stand by this quiet roadway Looking for the answers in the sky I ain’t going nowhere Ain’t got no one to call my own I don’t even know what I believe in Stranded at the corner of hard-up and lonesome I wish I was the mountains, or the trees, or the sun But even they won’t live forever when all is said and done I want to wrap myself in a quilt of fields before they pull the plow I want to get the hell out of here, but I just don’t know how The ocean kindly spoke to me Said it’s time to start walkin’, walkin’ for a while I ain’t going nowhere Ain’t got no one to call my own I don’t even know what I believe in Stranded at the corner of hard-up and lonesome
7.	Wish You Had	Wish You Had I was so into you I gave the best of what I knew My strawberries and champagne But I was just your convenience Not to be seen by your friends Your back-up plan for your rainy day And I never made your priority list So just put me down for one regret ‘Cause I’m gonna be, so out of your league By the time you realize your mistakes ‘Cause I’m everything, yeah I’m everything You gonna wish you had someday You gonna wish you had me I played your game for way too long I couldn’t stand when you didn’t call I was a fool the way I’d wait You’d love me and leave me Kiss me and keep me Then you’d just give yourself away And I never made your priority list So just put me down for one regret ‘Cause I’m gonna be, so out of your league By the time you realize your mistakes ‘Cause I’m everything, yeah I’m everything You gonna wish you had someday You gonna wish you had me Just give me that piece of mind, that happenstance When I get to smile and say that you had your chance Yeah, you had your chance ‘Cause I’m gonna be, so out of your league By the time you realize your mistakes ‘Cause I’m everything, yeah I’m everything You gonna wish you had Wish you had Wish you had someday You gonna wish you had me You gonna wish you had me You gonna wish you had me
8.	Anyone But Me	Anyone But Me Another day, wasting away Spinning my wheels Slept ‘til three, you know it’s so hard to be When hopelessness is all that I can feel The grey of the afternoon Is shining through the blinds I wish I was anywhere but here I wish it was anytime but now I wish I could have a say, find a way Just to work things out I wish it was anyone but you But you are the only one I see And right now I wish I was anyone but me The hum and rattle of the ceiling fan on high The only conversation I can stand The pictures on the wall, a silent vigil Crowded ‘round a broken, bleeding man The dark quiet of the nighttime The only time the action fits the scene I wish I was anywhere but here I wish it was anytime but now I wish I could have a say, find a way Just to work things out I wish it was anyone but you But you are the only one I see And right now I wish I was anyone but me I sleep through the promise of the morning It’s a promise that’s been broke a thousand times I wish I was anywhere but here I wish it was anytime but now I wish I could have a say, find a way Just to work things out I wish it was anyone but you But you are the only one I see And right now I wish I was anyone but me Yeah right now I wish I was anyone but me
9.	Save The Day	Save The Day Don't know how to fly and I can't stop a train But I guess I have my moments now and then Still it's hard for me to reconcile what will never be And what will never ever be again But I keep holding on Yeah, I keep holding on Do you think the Lone Ranger ever gets lonely? Bet it ain't easy being Batman and Bruce Wayne And I'm sure Superman misses his home and his family The world's a funny place It gives then it takes And we all die trying to save the day It's difficult for me to know that I can't change the wind Trying to set my sails just right across the breeze And I'm not sure I'd wish myself on anybody else But then again, there's no one else I'd rather be So I keep holding on Yeah, I keep holding on Do you think the Lone Ranger ever gets lonely? Bet it ain't easy being Batman and Bruce Wayne And I'm sure Superman misses his home and his family The world's a funny place It gives then it takes And we all die trying to save the day I never signed up for this I never signed up for this, you understand No, I never signed up for this But I'm gonna do the best that I can Do you think the Lone Ranger ever gets lonely? Bet it ain't easy being Batman and Bruce Wayne And I'm sure Superman misses his home and his family The world's a funny place It gives then it takes And we all die trying to save the day
10.	The Punch Line	The Punch Line I look at life and I can’t keep a straight face I take comfort in the lighter side I tend to laugh in the midst of tragedy Might as well, won’t make it out this life alive I used to worry about anything I could find But all that ever seemed to do was ruin my good time Season’s change and time passes by The good times leave us in the blink of an eye Live, laugh, and love and everything’ll be fine Cause sometimes life is just a joke and we’re all the punch line I’ve been through a lot these last few years Seen my dreams and I’ve seen the shadow descend But ain’t it funny how things work themselves out And often times it’s for the better in the end Well I never meant to hurt nobody, but I’ve made my share of bad mistakes So I’ll take all my lemons, make them lemonade, but I won’t forget how those lemons taste Season’s change and time passes by The good times leave us in the blink of an eye Live, laugh, and love and everything’ll be fine Cause sometimes life is just a joke and we’re all the punch line I found out in full that I’m not invincible, I’m just thankful to still be alive Thankful for the life and love that I have Don’t lose sight, see the portrait of your life, take a look around and let it slide And you may find that the worst really ain’t that bad Season’s change and time passes by The good times leave us in the blink of an eye Live, laugh, and love and everything’ll be fine Cause sometimes life is just a joke and we’re all the punch line
11.	Still Home	Still Home Across the street there used to be a farm where Steve and I would play But now there’s a brand new neighborhood And right next door there was a red cart that sold the fruits of this land But when Mr. Watkins passed, they closed the stand for good Leaving me with a nostalgic depression The years never asked for my permission Tell me what happened to this place that I grew up in It’s getting harder to recognize these roads Even though the little things are fading away When I’m in the drive I know that I’m still home Well I used to walk right into 103 to say hello But I find it’s hard to talk to a machine And the drag strip on the corner, it’s been here for thirty years But by November it’s a place for the elderly Leaving me with a nostalgic depression The years never asked for my permission Tell me what happened to this place that I grew up in It’s getting harder to recognize these roads Even though the little things are fading away When I’m in the drive I know that I’m still home I still walk barefoot down to get the mail And I know not to take that turn too fast And I can take you to the sidewalk where I had my first kiss Oh thank God that there are some things that time can’t even have Tell me what happened to this place that I grew up in It’s getting harder to recognize these roads Even though the little things are fading away When I’m in the drive I know that I’m still home I know that I’m still home I know that I’m still home I know that it’s still home
12.	Cecil	Cecil Cecil looks in the mirror Make-up running from his eyes The silly clothes that he’s wearing Are far from what he ever had in mind Well he puts on his face he puts himself away And he goes out and puts on a show But there’s so much music inside of him That these folks will never know He puts on his hat and he puts on his shoes Forty years of motions he’s been going through, and he says I wanna be a poet, I wanna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer But this live has made a jester of me I walked into the bar, it’s a Sunday Just a quarter past ten It’s just me and the barman and a fella in the front Just sitting there hanging his head Over an empty glass of whiskey and a half lit Parliament cigarette I say, ‘let me sit down I will buy you a round And you can tell me where you’ve been’ He said the women and the whiskey never give him no peace From being everywhere except where he needs to be, and he said I wanna be a poet, I wanna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer But this live has made a jester of me Last week, I think it was a Wednesday I went into town Walked out of that corner store Saw Cecil sitting on a Greyhound He grinned when he turned and he saw me And I will never forget that glow He got up from his seat to say goodbye to me But it was already time to go Stuck his head out the window as he rolled away And some nights I still hear him say, he said I’m gonna be a poet, I’m gonna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer And this live ain’t gonna make no jester of me I’m gonna be a poet, I’m gonna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer And this live ain’t gonna make no jester of me

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Acoustic album recorded in Nashville, TN.
Released on April 22, 2011

Shotgun With The Devil

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1.	Shotgun With The Devil	Shotgun With The Devil Well a nun was putting gas into a Taurus And I went dancing with a bride that wasn’t mine I’m just waiting for the day the karma-roller runs me over Down my corpse they’ll paint two brand new yellow lines Oh, ain’t that about right Now I’m wearing my bad luck shirt on purpose I’ve been playing chicken with the universe I’m a five-year-old in a crane pushing buttons in my brain Wish I could stop this thing before someone gets hurt But it’s hard to know where to hold on When you’re stuck between the cosmos and an atom Fear is riding shotgun with the devil The warden and the reaper in the back window seat And I can’t seem to find my safety belt Should’ve never stuck my thumb out on that street Threw a handful of quarters down the hallway Won’t be long until the twister forms again And my mind is just a pair of star-crossed lovers And a sword is just a cross from the other end It’s hard to know where to hold on When you’re stuck between the cosmos and an atom Fear is riding shotgun with the devil The warden and the reaper in the back window seat And I can’t seem to find my safety belt Should’ve never stuck my thumb out on that street Slow down, stop the car Let me out, I don’t care where we are It’s hard to know where to hold on When you’re stuck between the cosmos and an atom Fear is riding shotgun with the devil The warden and the reaper in the back window seat And I can’t seem to find my safety belt Should’ve never stuck my thumb out Should’ve never stuck my thumb out Should’ve never stuck my thumb out on that street
2.	Hard-Up and Lonesome	Hard-Up and Lonesome I’ve got an empty bottle of dreams I’ve got a memory full of crime I’ve got an old rusty compass And buckets full of wasted time The dust of yesterday stings my face As the tumbleweed rolls on by I ain’t going nowhere Ain’t got no one to call my own I don’t even know what I believe in Stranded at the corner of hard-up and lonesome Turned down a ride from a handful of angels Don’t seem they’d take me where I need to go What could they know about a drifter Who just hasn’t found the breeze to blow him home I stand by this quiet roadway Looking for the answers in the sky I ain’t going nowhere Ain’t got no one to call my own I don’t even know what I believe in Stranded at the corner of hard-up and lonesome I wish I was the mountains, or the trees, or the sun But even they won’t live forever when all is said and done I want to wrap myself in a quilt of fields before they pull the plow I want to get the hell out of here, but I just don’t know how The ocean kindly spoke to me Said it’s time to start walkin’, walkin’ for a while I ain’t going nowhere Ain’t got no one to call my own I don’t even know what I believe in Stranded at the corner of hard-up and lonesome
3.	Take It Or Leave It	Take It Or Leave It Baby everyday I’m trying Vying for your attention You know that I love you, you know that I need you It’s hell living without your affection ‘Cause there ain’t nobody else And I know what I gotta do I’m gonna give my love to you (give my love to you) I’m gonna give my love to you (give my love to you) I’m gonna give my love to you And you can take it or leave it You can take it or leave it All I do is think about you All I am is what you are And I know you feel the same about me So why’d you run away so far ‘Cause there ain’t nobody else And I know what I gotta do I’m gonna give my love to you (give my love to you) I’m gonna give my love to you (give my love to you) I’m gonna give my love to you And you can take it or leave it You can take it or leave it I’ll give you everything I have, every ounce of myself It may not seem like much right now, but one of these days it will I’m gonna give my love to you (give my love to you) I’m gonna give my love to you (give my love to you) I’m gonna give my love to you And you can take it or leave it You can take it or leave it …Oh, but baby don’t you leave it
4.	April Showers	April Showers Writhing in bed I whispered aloud “Lord, won’t you help me please” Bev is dying and inside I can’t stop crying There ain’t an ounce of hope left in me Then I woke to a harmony of voices Too beautiful to be coincidence Maybe Mama was right Maybe there’s someone listening out there And all these April Showers are bringing beautiful flowers In the bloom of an answered prayer Yesterday Greg buried his father But not before one more duet Oh I wept as I read his story And felt it bring me back from the dead Did someone out there really hear me? Are we angels for each other after all? Maybe Mama was right Maybe there’s someone listening out there And all these April Showers are bringing beautiful flowers In the bloom of an answered prayer Hold on to me, and I’ll hold on to you Hold on to me, and I’ll hold on to you Maybe Mama was right Maybe there’s someone listening out there And all these April Showers are bringing beautiful flowers In the bloom of an answered prayer Maybe Mama was right Maybe there’s someone listening out there And all these April Showers are bringing beautiful flowers In the bloom of an answered prayer
5.	Anyone But Me	Anyone But Me Another day, wasting away Spinning my wheels Slept ‘til three, you know it’s so hard to be When hopelessness is all that I can feel The grey of the afternoon Is shining through the blinds I wish I was anywhere but here I wish it was anytime but now I wish I could have a say, find a way Just to work things out I wish it was anyone but you But you are the only one I see And right now I wish I was anyone but me The hum and rattle of the ceiling fan on high The only conversation I can stand The pictures on the wall, a silent vigil Crowded ‘round a broken, bleeding man The dark quiet of the nighttime The only time the action fits the scene I wish I was anywhere but here I wish it was anytime but now I wish I could have a say, find a way Just to work things out I wish it was anyone but you But you are the only one I see And right now I wish I was anyone but me I sleep through the promise of the morning It’s a promise that’s been broke a thousand times I wish I was anywhere but here I wish it was anytime but now I wish I could have a say, find a way Just to work things out I wish it was anyone but you But you are the only one I see And right now I wish I was anyone but me Yeah right now I wish I was anyone but me
6.	Just What To Do	Just What To Do You’re the kind of distraction that I like Turned up to 11 with the body of a 10 and you’re dressed down to the 9s Now I ain’t worried ‘bout your brother or the one who thinks you’re his Just trust me baby when you hear me say you’re gonna want what I got to give Ain’t got time to take it slow So baby is there somewhere you and me can go ‘Cause I’m a sucker for a girl in a tank top And a pair of painted jeans No we haven’t met but I would bet We’d get along if you know what I mean You got lips like a pair of razor blades Coffee skin with a cream or two And I think tonight that you just might Be the one who knows just what to do Caught you looking at me, I guess you caught me looking back Just a couple of wild animals looking for a midnight snack The dimples on the back of your waist, one hell of a baited hook Gonna sink my teeth so I can see if you taste as good as you look Ain’t got time to play no games Baby all I really wanna know’s your name ‘Cause I’m a sucker for a girl in a tank top And a pair of painted jeans No we haven’t met but I would bet We’d get along if you know what I mean You got lips like a pair of razor blades Coffee skin with a cream or two And I think tonight that you just might Be the one who knows just what to do Ain’t got time to be hanging around But I could make a little time with you right now ‘Cause I’m a sucker for a girl in a tank top And a pair of painted jeans No we haven’t met but I would bet We’d get along if you know what I mean You got lips like a pair of razor blades Coffee skin with a cream or two And I think tonight that you just might Be the one who knows just what to do
7.	That's The Way	That's The Way Dr. Braem was my college French professor Sometimes we’d talk after class let out Said his wife was also a teacher But she stayed in Richmond a couple hundred miles south Every weekend he’d drive up and back Just to see her for a couple of days That’s the way I care about you baby Love without a reason, love without fear There’s nothing to question, nothing to say Nothing that could take your place That’s the way It was the last class before the final He gave us a take-home and I knew something was wrong He said, ‘My sweetheart’s been losing a battle So I’m leaving now and don’t know how long I’ll be gone.’ See, they’d been trying to find a cure in Virginia And I wish you could’ve seen his face That’s the way I care about you baby Love without a reason, love without fear There’s nothing to question, nothing to say Nothing that could take your place That’s the way Saw Dr. Braem at graduation But I knew where his heart had stayed That’s the way I care about you baby Love without a reason, love without fear There’s nothing to question, nothing to say Nothing that could take your place That’s the way
8.	Catherine, Come Through My Window	Catherine, Come Through My Window I haven’t been the same since that morning I left my heart on the stairs by your room And there ain’t nothing in this world more reckless Than a man with no heart left to lose But I’m trying to fight the feeling Make sense of it all Oh but time ain’t doing much healing It won’t while you’re gone Catherine, come through my window Catherine, come to me tonight Catherine, come through my window And let the wind blow you back into my life Catherine, come through my window Everyday I wake inside this cage An animal trapped inside itself Oh but I still believe in you and me And one day you will free me from this hell I’m pounding and I’m pleading Rattling these walls Hoping somewhere ‘bove the ceiling You’re hearing my calls Catherine, come through my window Catherine, come to me tonight Catherine, come through my window And let the wind blow you back into my life Catherine, come through my window Some nights I dream you’re here with me It’s so real but I wake up alone I’m trying to fight the feeling Make sense of it all Oh but time ain’t doing much healing It won’t while you’re gone Catherine, come through my window Catherine, come to me tonight Catherine, come through my window And let the wind blow you back into my life Catherine, come through my window
9.	Born To Shine	Born To Shine Fifteen minute drive takes two hours Next thing you know ten years have gone on by A cigarette and a five dollar coffee Shouldn’t be the only joys in life It ain’t making a living If nothing about you is alive So all my brothers and sisters You painters and you givers Can’t you hear that voice inside? You don’t have to be no saint To give this world a little grace Just listen to your light ‘Cause we were born to shine Hey Sisyphus put down your stone, you ain’t going nowhere Come with me, I’ve got a plan Let’s climb these towers of Babylon And show these folks that there’s life outside the man There’s something noble in a means to an end Just can’t ever let the end become the means So all my brothers and sisters You painters and you givers Can’t you hear that voice inside? You don’t have to be no saint To give this world a little grace Just listen to your light ‘Cause we were born to shine Born, born, born, born to shine Born, born, born, born to shine Born, born, born, born to shine Born, born, born, born to shine So all my brothers and sisters You painters and you givers Can’t you hear that voice inside? You don’t have to be no saint To give this world a little grace Just listen to your light ‘Cause we were born to shine
10.	Cecil	Cecil Cecil looks in the mirror Make-up running from his eyes The silly clothes that he’s wearing Are far from what he ever had in mind Well he puts on his face he puts himself away And he goes out and puts on a show But there’s so much music inside of him That these folks will never know He puts on his hat and he puts on his shoes Forty years of motions he’s been going through, and he says I wanna be a poet, I wanna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer But this live has made a jester of me I walked into the bar, it’s a Sunday Just a quarter past ten It’s just me and the barman and a fella in the front Just sitting there hanging his head Over an empty glass of whiskey and a half lit Parliament cigarette I say, ‘let me sit down I will buy you a round And you can tell me where you’ve been’ He said the women and the whiskey never give him no peace From being everywhere except where he needs to be, and he said I wanna be a poet, I wanna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer But this live has made a jester of me Last week, I think it was a Wednesday I went into town Walked out of that corner store Saw Cecil sitting on a Greyhound He grinned when he turned and he saw me And I will never forget that glow He got up from his seat to say goodbye to me But it was already time to go Stuck his head out the window as he rolled away And some nights I still hear him say, he said I’m gonna be a poet, I’m gonna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer And this live ain’t gonna make no jester of me I’m gonna be a poet, I’m gonna live by the sea You know I’ve always been a dreamer And this live ain’t gonna make no jester of me
11.	A Body For Romance	A Body For Romance Wisconsin born and raised, Midwestern drawl on all of your ‘A’s’ Kills me every time So strangely captivating, beauty so self-deprecating And since we met I can’t get you out of my mind So have me over, let me in I promise I won’t stop, Until you tell me when Because you’ve got a body for romance And you know I’d treat you right Oh what I wouldn’t do for the chance To show that body a little romance tonight Light a candle and let me handle all the rest now I wanna give you love, love you gonna remember As our flame of passion burns I will leave no stone unturned Until I feel the glow of your every ember So have me over, let me in I promise I won’t stop, Until you tell me when Because you’ve got a body for romance And you know I’d treat you right Oh what I wouldn’t do for the chance To show that body a little romance tonight So have me over, let me in I promise I won’t stop, Until you tell me when Because you’ve got a body for romance And you know I’d treat you right Oh what I wouldn’t do for the chance To show that body a little romance tonight
12.	Madison's Song	Madison's Song Sweetheart won't you let me see you smile And I'll smile too cause you brighten up the air You're my candlelight of faith in this world A breathing miracle with brown eyes and dark hair Your first words will be a serenade You'll go from riding bikes to driving cars Yeah life might try and see what you are made of Just don't forget where you're from and who you are And we'll be the first ones to get there and the last ones to leave The first ones to tell you it's alright We'll be the first ones to hold you cause we were the first ones to love you The day you opened up those eyes Now I am not a man of wisdom I'm still finding things out for myself But I do believe in the power of compassion And I hope you'll reach to the those who need your help And I do know that I'm so very thankful For you and every moment that we have And I hope you'll learn to find the humor in yourself and in this life And if things get kinda funny I hope you'll laugh And we'll be the first ones to get there and the last ones to leave The first ones to tell you it's alright We'll be the first ones to hold you cause we were the first ones to love you The day you opened up those eyes Stop and smell every rose along the way Dream as though the sky is yours to make And we'll be the first ones to get there and the last ones to leave The first ones to tell you it's alright We'll be the first ones to hold you cause we were the first ones to love you The day you opened up those eyes
13.	Catch-23	Catch-23 So much violence atop my shoulders The injured and the dead lay in between I’m begging for some kind of coexistence But everyone’s too stubborn to agree And the past is just that, everybody’s got regrets Funny how you can’t remember until you start to forget I wish they’d leave me alone but they won’t let me be I’m a soldier and civilian in this paradox of me The fight begets the glory, but I’m a man of peace I wish they’d leave me alone but I know I’m just a catch-23 I’ve made friends along my travels And they don’t stop calling me to come out and play But I’m playing for both sides will someone tell me where’s the line Between equilibrium and tragedy And the past is just that, everybody’s got regrets Funny how you can’t remember until you start to forget I wish they’d leave me alone but they won’t let me be I’m a soldier and civilian in this paradox of me The fight begets the glory, but I’m a man of peace I wish they’d leave me alone but I know I’m just a catch-23 Come on back to me, Come on back to me Come on back to me, Come on back to me Come on back to me, Come on back to me They won’t let me be, ‘cause they’re a part of me I wish they’d leave me alone but they won’t let me be I’m a soldier and civilian in this paradox of me The fight begets the glory, but I’m a man of peace I wish they’d leave me alone but I know I’m just a catch-23
14.	Heavy	Heavy Liz sits at the bar and smokes a cigarette She says she don’t care like most do or like she used to in the past She’s scared I can see, tears fall from her laughter Five years are all the doctors say she has So I just try to make her smile ‘Cause oh, sometimes it gets so heavy And it’s hard not to buckle at the knees Everybody needs somebody and that might be all this means When oh it gets so heavy Richard’s drowning in a see of booze His parents split and they left him on his own His anger dissolves in trails down his face He says, ‘I got no place to go! I got no place to go!’ So I try to tell him that he’s got me ‘Cause oh, sometimes it gets so heavy And it’s hard not to buckle at the knees Everybody needs somebody and that might be all this means When oh it gets so heavy I know my time is coming soon So please don’t leave me alone Evelyn sits across the street alone It’s been years since Wayne passed She was thinking of suing the hospital But that won’t bring her husband back I wish I could bring him back Oh, sometimes it gets so heavy And it’s hard not to buckle at the knees Everybody needs somebody and that might be all this means When oh it gets so heavy
15.	The Stuff Inside	The Stuff Inside Sometimes it feels like you can't go on Nothing's working and everything is wrong But the brightest lights shine through the darkest days You gotta dig deep down, hold your ground, and keep moving on your way It's the measure of a man What he holds in his heart is what he holds in his hand So here's to the stuff inside I raise my glass to the moments we define And if you follow that feeling you'll always be right So here's to the stuff inside We get so lonely but we never are alone Take for granted all the love that we've been shown Appearance is deceiving and talk can be so cheap But if you step on back you may find that you got everything you need It's the measure of a man What he holds in his heart is what he holds in his hand So here's to the stuff inside I raise my glass to the moments we define And if you follow that feeling you'll always be right So here's to the stuff inside It's holding out a hand and helping someone through Taking one more step when it feels like you can't move Trying to do the best, the best that you can do And giving back more than what's been given to you So here's to the stuff inside I raise my glass to the moments we define And if you follow that feeling you'll always be right So here's to the stuff inside So here's to the stuff inside I raise my glass to the moments we define And if you follow that feeling you'll always be right So here's to the stuff inside Here's to the stuff inside
16.	Back To Me	Back To Me I still remember how it all began Saw your face across the table and was never again the same The feeling grew and grew, I fell so hard and fast and true One touch was worth a lifetime of pain But then the hands of something cruel pulled us apart And shot a bullet full of sorrow that lodged into my heart So I will wander the earth for you I will bleed you onto everyone I see I will beg, I will burn, I’ll be the ghost of your return Until the day you come back to me These days I stagger clutching my chest Every broken beat getting weaker by the day No good to anyone else and I guess it’s just as well As I lay here in your memory’s shallow grave I’ve stabbed myself a thousand times I drink bottles and bottles of poison, but I never seem to die So I will wander the earth for you I will bleed you onto everyone I see I will beg, I will burn, I’ll be the ghost of your return Until the day you come back to me It’s been so long without the warmth you bring And I’ll never heal until I feel it once again, I gotta feel it once again So I will wander the earth for you I will bleed you onto everyone I see I will beg, I will burn, I’ll be the ghost of your return Until the day you come back to me Until the day you come back to me
17.	Shotgun With The Devil (farewell reprise)

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The FLB's sophomore release.
Released 8/15/09.

Strangers and Friends

Credits

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1.	Wish You Had	Wish You Had I was so into you I gave the best of what I knew My strawberries and champagne But I was just your convenience Not to be seen by your friends Your back-up plan for your rainy day And I never made your priority list So just put me down for one regret ‘Cause I’m gonna be, so out of your league By the time you realize your mistakes ‘Cause I’m everything, yeah I’m everything You gonna wish you had someday You gonna wish you had me I played your game for way too long I couldn’t stand when you didn’t call I was a fool the way I’d wait You’d love me and leave me Kiss me and keep me Then you’d just give yourself away And I never made your priority list So just put me down for one regret ‘Cause I’m gonna be, so out of your league By the time you realize your mistakes ‘Cause I’m everything, yeah I’m everything You gonna wish you had someday You gonna wish you had me Just give me that piece of mind, that happenstance When I get to smile and say that you had your chance Yeah, you had your chance ‘Cause I’m gonna be, so out of your league By the time you realize your mistakes ‘Cause I’m everything, yeah I’m everything You gonna wish you had Wish you had Wish you had someday You gonna wish you had me You gonna wish you had me You gonna wish you had me
2.	She's	She's She's a 5 foot 9 walking inspiration She's got a reputation turning heads She's got a smile could lead a criminal to Jesus Her eyes more than twice have led this jumper down from his ledge In the presense of such a woman I am but a child She's so amazing Me, I'm just crazy She can make a man forget all his best intentions She can take one moment and forever make it last She's got a face that conveys a deliverance From the guilt and the shame of the shadows that I've cast In the presense of such a woman I am but a child She's so amazing Me, I'm just crazy One look and you'll see She's the sweetest blend of perfection and modesty Her hips in those jeans Change the way I look at all my dreams She's so amazing Me, I'm just crazy She's so amazing Me, I'm just crazy She's so amazing Me, I'm just crazy
3.	Natalie	Natalie I sit in my car and look up at the night Your message is still playing in my mind And here I am and you could be anywhere But your words I’ve kept with me all this time And I wish I could’ve seen you The way I see you now Oh, Natalie I know our time was brief But oh, Natalie You’ve helped me when it’s been hard to believe And your little kindness has gone a long way with me Oh, Natalie Another Thursday night at Johnson’s Trying to thin the blood that makes me who I am You let this stray follow you home and then you drove me back Across the town to the house where I lived And I wish I could’ve seen you The way I see you now Oh, Natalie I know our time was brief But oh, Natalie You’ve helped me when it’s been hard to believe And your little kindness has gone a long way with me Oh, Natalie Maybe someday we’ll have a few drinks and a chance to catch up Or maybe the parts we played were all that were written for us And I wish I could’ve seen you The way I see you now Oh, Natalie I know our time was brief But oh, Natalie You’ve helped me when it’s been hard to believe Your little kindness has gone a long way with me Your little kindness has gone a long way with me A little kindness can go a long way you see Oh, Natalie
4.	The Punch Line	The Punch Line I look at life and I can’t keep a straight face I take comfort in the lighter side I tend to laugh in the midst of tragedy Might as well, won’t make it out this life alive I used to worry about anything I could find But all that ever seemed to do was ruin my good time Season’s change and time passes by The good times leave us in the blink of an eye Live, laugh, and love and everything’ll be fine Cause sometimes life is just a joke and we’re all the punch line I’ve been through a lot these last few years Seen my dreams and I’ve seen the shadow descend But ain’t it funny how things work themselves out And often times it’s for the better in the end Well I never meant to hurt nobody, but I’ve made my share of bad mistakes So I’ll take all my lemons, make them lemonade, but I won’t forget how those lemons taste Season’s change and time passes by The good times leave us in the blink of an eye Live, laugh, and love and everything’ll be fine Cause sometimes life is just a joke and we’re all the punch line I found out in full that I’m not invincible, I’m just thankful to still be alive Thankful for the life and love that I have Don’t lose sight, see the portrait of your life, take a look around and let it slide And you may find that the worst really ain’t that bad Season’s change and time passes by The good times leave us in the blink of an eye Live, laugh, and love and everything’ll be fine Cause sometimes life is just a joke and we’re all the punch line
5.	Stay The Night	Stay The Night You were always my favorite contradiction A star of David playing Jars of Clay You don't like to swear, but you'll swear that you don't lie And then you'll smile at me and lie right to my face There's an edge to that grin that your eyes they just can't match But I always knew better than that And if my heart is a hallway Lined with rooms in a soul I've yet to find Oh then I'll be standing in your doorway Hoping you'll ask if I'll stay the night Lying in your bed, you cracked me open But now there's so much that we don't say And it's not that I don't think about you It's just so damn hard for me to communicate You're so hard to read Sometimes you're all I have, sometimes you're all I need And if my heart is a hallway Lined with rooms in a soul I've yet to find Oh then I'll be standing in your doorway Hoping you'll ask if I'll stay the night And if words can be spoken Without expectations being broken Then let me offer a few I love you Somedays I'm not sure If you've ever heard how wonderful you are And if my heart is a hallway Lined with rooms in a soul I've yet to find Oh then I'll be standing in your doorway Hoping you'll ask if I'll, Hoping you'll ask if I'll, Hoping you'll ask if I'll stay the night
6.	Blanket	Blanket You're the kind that tells me I look good Days I know it's far from the truth You and I, ya know, we're not that different I just hide it more than you And I know it's not what I do best But I've got to get this off my chest Well I know I don't say it often But you take the shiver out of growing old Sometimes I'll see your face and feel so good about my place You're like a blanket for my soul Yeah I know I like to give you a hard time And sometimes you take it personally But I'd never ever mean to hurt you 'Cause you define that genuine kind of sweet And I know it's not what I do best But I've got to get this off my chest Well I know I don't say it often But you take the shiver out of growing old Sometimes I'll see your face and feel so good about my place You're like a blanket for my soul The world is full of unsung heroes 'Cause it's hard sometimes to say what's on your heart But I'm giving it a shot, and if you know it or not I love you and who you are Well I know I don't say it often But you take the shiver out of growing old Sometimes I'll see your face and feel so good about my place You're like a blanket for my soul ...You keep me warm when it gets cold
7.	Gullible	Gullible I turn on the television Listen to my favorite songs Don't catch all of what they're selling But I'll buy most of it before I turn them off I wanna be the bad guy I wanna show them I'm a man Turn into people I swore I'd never be And I hope that's not who I am I wish that I wasn't so gullible But I fall for it every time And you'd think I'd recognize The hook, the sinker, and the line Oh sometimes I'm just so gullible Afraid to miss the party We all do care what they think But I know there's so much more to this life Than getting off and waiting for that drink One is all you really need to tango So I'm not placing any blame I guess I'm praying for an answer Should I accept or do I need to change I wish that I wasn't so gullible But I fall for it every time And you'd think I'd recognize The hook, the sinker, and the line Oh sometimes I'm just so gullible Echoes of my grandfather and the final words he said Boys grow up and be among the kind and gentle men Somedays I act like a fool, somedays I walk with him Somedays I think I'm so cool, somedays I hang my head I wish that I wasn't so gullible But I fall for it every time And you'd think I'd recognize The hook, the sinker, and the line Oh sometimes I'm just so gullible
8.	Behind Every Set	Behind Every Set Cigarettes and flourescent light Joe's been drinking since he got up today Another night down on Mid County I say to Joe, "I don't want to read about you on the front page." He pulls my face against his and with polluted breath Says, "If I go know I died a happy man." But in his bloodshot eyes I see the deepest roots Of a pain I hope I never comprehend His father never gave him a prayer But he's got a good heart, I just hope he knows that it's still there Behind every set of hardened eyes Is just someone who wants to feel loved inside Then there's the tough guy with a streak oh so mean Doing lines for good times, never outside his crew But I bet if you could see past that look in his eye You would see someone just like me and you And I wonder where it all went wrong I hope he finds that love he never had or might've lost Behind every set of hardened eyes Is just someone who wants to feel loved inside So everyone you've ever written off Why don't you go pencil them back in Love thy enemies And don't be surprised if you get love from them Behind every set of hardened eyes Is just someone who wants to feel loved inside Behind every set of hardened eyes Is just someone who wants to feel loved inside
9.	Still Home	Still Home Across the street there used to be a farm where Steve and I would play But now there’s a brand new neighborhood And right next door there was a red cart that sold the fruits of this land But when Mr. Watkins passed, they closed the stand for good Leaving me with a nostalgic depression The years never asked for my permission Tell me what happened to this place that I grew up in It’s getting harder to recognize these roads Even though the little things are fading away When I’m in the drive I know that I’m still home Well I used to walk right into 103 to say hello But I find it’s hard to talk to a machine And the drag strip on the corner, it’s been here for thirty years But by November it’s a place for the elderly Leaving me with a nostalgic depression The years never asked for my permission Tell me what happened to this place that I grew up in It’s getting harder to recognize these roads Even though the little things are fading away When I’m in the drive I know that I’m still home I still walk barefoot down to get the mail And I know not to take that turn too fast And I can take you to the sidewalk where I had my first kiss Oh thank God that there are some things that time can’t even have Tell me what happened to this place that I grew up in It’s getting harder to recognize these roads Even though the little things are fading away When I’m in the drive I know that I’m still home I know that I’m still home I know that I’m still home I know that it’s still home
10.	Unconditional	Unconditional Last night I saw two kids falling in love Sitting on the back of a Jeep And as I drove out of that parking lot I wished that one was you and the other one was me I thought I had cut the ties that bound me But last week I woke up in a sweat Seems in my dreams somehow you'd found me So much for trying to forget I guess I'll always wish we'd go back where it started But if we never make it that far You will always live inside each moment So go on and walk all over me, leave me standing in the storm 'Cause there's no fine print to read, just a lifetime guarantee From now on my love is unconditional It been weeks since our last farewell episode I guess I'm a little early in this cycle we have made I've been trying to think it through but all I really think I know Is that I don't want to live without you and sure as hell can't walk away I'm so tired of fighting So I'm kneeling down and handing you my sword You will always live inside each moment So go on and walk all over me, leave me standing in the storm 'Cause there's no fine print to read, just a lifetime guarantee From now on my love is unconditional I could dwell on our misunderstandings But I'd like to think that's really all they are And I'd much rather tell you that you're beautiful And that I'll never be too far You will always live inside each moment So go on and walk all over me, leave me standing in the storm 'Cause there's no fine print to read, just a lifetime guarantee From now on my love is unconditional
11.	Bittersweet Memories	Bittersweet Memories Through the door and up the stairs, Like a ghost from another life Down the hall and past your room I'm overcome With the feeling of an era lost in time Of sleepovers with you lying in my arms, And nights that we'd wrestle to the floor Remembering the way you made me feel, Like I'd found something that I had lost before Looking back it seems close enough to make it real again But chasing the past is a game that we can never win But I miss you and the times in my mind I still see Thinking through the pages of my bittersweet memories Someone once told me The older you get, the faster it goes by And I swear I cursed out loud the day I found out That it didn't take long before they were right Looking back it seems close enough to make it real again But chasing the past is a game that we can never win But I miss you and the times in my mind I still see Thinking through the pages of my bittersweet memories Well I guess everything has its place in time The hands keep turning as they should And I think sometimes not knowing what you have Is the very thing that makes it so good Looking back it seems close enough to make it real again But chasing the past is a game that we can never win But I miss you and the times in my mind I still see Thinking through the pages of my bittersweet memories Thinking through the pages of my bittersweet memories
12.	Figure Me Out	Figure Me Out "There's something wrong with you," she whispered As I climbed into her bed She didn't know how right she was But things have been so messed up in my head And I use remedies no doctor would prescribe And all they do is leave me with a hollow sense of pride Have you ever been so hopelessly conflicted? Standing on the edge of breaking down I hope someday that I am able to fix this mess I've made But I'm still trying to figure me out Desparate for a beacon Tossed among relentless seas There's so many things I have compromised I've broken things that don't belong to me I hear everything they say And the ghosts that I've created I see twice a day Have you ever been so hopelessly conflicted? Standing on the edge of breaking down I hope someday that I am able to fix this mess I've made But I'm still trying to figure me out Right now all that's keeping me together Is the love of two people a hundred miles away So as I wave goodbye to youth and struggle with the truth The only thing that's left to do is pray Have you ever been so hopelessly conflicted? Standing on the edge of breaking down I hope someday that I am able to fix this mess I've made But I'm still trying to figure me out
13.	BONUS TRACK: Stranger	BONUS TRACK: Stranger I’m a stranger in my own body I feel like a stranger almost everywhere that I go And tonight I just can’t be the person that I seem And I almost like being alone I’m not the one that you think you know I wish I could play the part that I wrote But I’m out of identity and I’m running low on hope You can talk about me when I leave ‘Cause I’m a stranger in my own body I feel like a stranger almost everywhere that I go And tonight I just can’t be the person that I seem And I almost like being alone Tomorrow I’ll remember most of my lines And with a convincing delivery I’ll recite But my memory will remember that those words aren’t really mine Back into the wings ‘Cause I’m a stranger in my own body I feel like a stranger almost everywhere that I go And tonight I just can’t be the person that I seem And I almost like being alone Yeah I almost like being alone

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The FLB's self-produced debut release.
Released 2/3/07.

Rock-Can-Roll Compilation to Benefit Autism Speaks: Volume 1

The Original Music Association of Philadelphia, Inc, in association with Fifth Stone Music School and Studios and Ride Now Philadelphia, are proud to announce an original music compilation to benefit Autism Speaks and the Cure Autism Now Foundation.

'Blanket' is track number 12 of this 16-song compilation.

Show your support and purchase by clicking HERE.