Byron Wall - Song Lyrics

CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTED

When heavy decisions come up I don’t have to think twice
I’m so together Ann Landers writes me for advice
When world leaders get in a mess, I’m the expert they always request
What can I say, I was born that way,
Calm, Cool, and Collected.

In a car or a plane, at home, on the street, on the job,
Whatever comes up I can handle with dispatch, no prob
No matter how bumpy the ride, I take every pothole in stride,
For me nothing’s hard, on my business card it says
Calm, Cool, and Collected.

Verbal abuse leaves me mostly just mildly amused
Tell me to jump in the lake I just smile and refuse

I know how to pull out a plane when it pitches and rolls
When he’s in a tight spot Chuck Yeager hands me the controls
He knows when he’s in a jam, to call on the better man,
Nothing’s too tough when you’ve got the “right stuff” and you’re
Calm, Cool, and Collected.

Princess Diana felt no one’s as charming as me
If I weren’t so modest I guess I’d be forced to agree

With ten seconds left in a game that one basket will win
The crowd has no doubt as to which one the coach will put in
I dribble, pivot and set, as my impossible shot clears the net,
The crowd goes berserk when I go to work so
Calm, Cool, and Collected

LOUIS

Louis,
You were a hero to me
Music to you was like honey to bees
You never took yourself too seriously
Satchmo, you were a natural

Louis,
Your band was second to none
Billy Kyle, Edmond Hall, and Trummy Young
Stompin’ at the Savoy or on Sugar hill
No one could touch you no one ever will

(bridge)
I miss you Louis now where did you go
I guess the lord likes music so he booked your show
If there’s a heaven and you’re playing there
I’ll betcha old Gabriel’s playing second chair, to

Louis,
The whole world loved you a lot
Loved your spirit and you “les jazz hot”
I wanta thank you for the joy you brought
To us,
Louis.

LOVE FLOW LIKE A FOUNTAIN
(MIZPAH)

May your love flow like a fountain
May your days be free of doubt
May your life become as effortless
As breathing in and out
May you always complete what you begin
May you never have so much that you’re a slave to what you own
May you always have the wisdom to leave well enough alone
When dark clouds close around you
May you feel God’s light surround you when you pray
When you need someone to guide you may you know
God walks beside you all the way

May you always wake up cheerful
And give thanks for everyday
Know the love that you receive
Comes from the love you give away
May your faith be a cushion when you fall
May you know you always manifest whatever’s in your mind
If good is what you’re looking for then good is what you’ll find
When dark clouds close around you
May you feel God’s light surround you when you pray
When you need someone to guide you may you know
God walks beside you all the way

GRANDMA’S LETTER

The return address sticker told me it was from my Dad
I opened up the letter and this is what it said;

The funeral was last Friday, we flew the body back to Bismarck on a jet
Everyone was right on time, Grandma would have liked that you can bet
After all she suffered in some ways it’s a blessing that she’s gone
We know you couldn’t be there but the family felt your presence all along

I’m enclosing in this letter a note to you she never got to send
I hope it makes sense to you, ya know she got a little crazy at the end
Now we’re back home in Oregon after all that snow the rain feels good somehow
Love from your Mom and me, I guess from here on we’re the old folks now

Grandma’s Letter smelled of Ben Gay, Campho Phenique and stale perfume
From the Happy Manor Rest home smelling just like I remember Grandma’s room
It was written in a tiny hand I had to hold it real close to read
Writing isn’t easy when you’re crippled, nearly blind and ninety-three

“They treat me pretty good here and I’ve got a nice young doctor that I like
He tells everybody that he’s gonna run away with me some night
I’ve been eating better but still I’m getting thinner everyday
I’ve been sleeping pretty good and I find a lot of comfort when I pray

My roommate Mrs Campbell is starting to steal from me again
First she took my reading glass and yesterday my Christmas fountain pen
And that old grouch Mr Stone is spreading tales about Doc Nicholson and me
I swear this is a nuthouse you would not believe the things I hear and see

Your Dad drops by on Sundays drives me out past the orchards and the farms
It seems like only yesterday your Dad was just a baby in my arms
We went out last Sunday but the rain made it kinda hard to see
I know he’s awful busy but his visits always mean a lot to me.”

They phoned my father early on a Sunday morning just as it turned light
“We’re sorry to inform you, sir your mother passed away last night”
Dad called the family, there were lots of tears that fell that day
For all that she meant to us and all we never got around to say

I’m glad I knew my Grandma and I believe that we were truly blessed
Yes I believe in Grandmas and I thank God for giving me the best.

PRECIOUS LOVE

Love can lift you like a feather
Love can drop you like a stone
It can heal you make you better
It can cut you to the bone

Love’s a new song to a young girl
Love’s an old song when you’re old
It can be your sweet companion
Love can leave you all alone

CHORUS:

Precious love where are you hiding?
Precious love where did you go?
Tell me why you left me dying
Like a fire in the snow

Like a boat upon the water
Like a leaf upon the breeze
Love can lift you take you higher
Love can bring you to your knees

CHORUS;

Precious love where are you hiding
Precious love where did you go
Tell me why you left me dying
Like a fire in the snow

THINGS CHANGE

Things Change, hearts too,
Like me, like you,
Dreams die away
Til all that’s left is
Nothing left to say

Eyes flash, words fly,
Doors slam, hearts cry,
Tears fall like rain
Each convinced the
Other one’s to blame....

(bridge)
You rail against the certainty
This time she’s really gone
The late night revelations
Now too late to act upon
You cry for what it wasn’t
And all it might have been
Wondering if you’ve lost the heart
To ever love again

Things Change, hearts mend,
Hope blooms again
Time heals, peace comes,
Surely as the morning brings the sun

And you vow next time you choose,
You’ll choose with care
Two hearts don’t always make a pair.

WHEN I FOUND YOU

Like a rainbow on a rainy day you caught me by surprise
One look and I saw my future shining in your eyes
Radiant as emeralds or moonlight on the sand
Everyday with you ’s a day in wonderland

Like a ship without an anchor like a book without an end we’re floating free
Watching pieces fall in place defining me to you and you to me
You reach inside my solitude and take me where I cannot go alone
When I Found You, I knew my heart had found a home

I wouldn’t change a single troubled time, pain or heartache I’ve been through
Every tear that fell was one more link in the chain that led to you
We’ve both bet enough on losing hands to know a good one when it falls
It’s not hard to see that together you and me we have it all

So let the celebration start release the orphans in our hearts and let them play
Love the night away
We’ll thank our stars and toast the moon, we’ve paid the band we’ll call the tune,
We’ve earned the right to keep dancing all night

To know that you are more than I will ever know about you, I don’t mind
You are all I thought about before I ever dreamed you’re what I’d find
So let me share your solitude and take you where you cannot go alone
When I found you, I knew my heart had found a home
One kiss from you, I knew I was finally home.

THE WORLD’S A TUXEDO AND I’M A PAIR OF BROWN SHOES

To some I’m a sinner, to others a saint,
The truth is I’m tarnished and in need of some paint
I’m part of your union but I’m tired of paying them dues
The World’s A Tuxedo And I’m Just A Pair Of Brown Shoes.

I smoke more than heavy, I drink to escape,
At night when I’m sleeping I dream I’m awake
I got no one to talk to just them faces on the six o’clock news
The World’s A Tuxedo And I’m Just A Pair Of Brown Shoes.

(bridge)
I’d like to talk about your tendency to talk about me when I’m not around
You pound me in the ground
Now you’re gone, I feel so bad,
I never really knew the love we had until I blew it, threw it away;

I was a winner when I was a pup
I had some good habits but they all gave me up
I’ll sell you my soul if you promise it won’t be refused
The World’s A Tuxedo And I’m Just A Pair Of Brown Shoes.

(bridge)
I’d like to talk about the way we parted can’t you see I’m broken hearted
And I want you back again
Our tempers took us for a ride,
Too little love and too much pride made us blow it, throw it away;

I’m not conditioned to living alone
I hear the doorbell I pick up the phone
If one existed I’d be listed in the “Loser’s Who’s Who”
The World’s A Tuxedo And I’m Just A Pair Of Brown Shoes

NEXT TO YOU

Next to you,
The moon’s just a colored ball
The finest wine’s merely alcohol
Niagara ’s just another waterfall
Next to you.

Next to you
My heart’s on fire again
The world looks brighter than it’s ever been
Since I discovered that rainbow’s end
Next to you, Next to you.

(Bridge)
For as much as I tried I was dying inside
For someone who really cared
My broken hearted healing started
When I pulled up a chair...

Next to you
The redwood’s just another tree
Stardust is just another melody
Rest assured that I will always be
Next to you, Next to you

(Bridge)

Next to you
All my lonely nights are memories
Feels just like coming home to me
No question I was born to me
Next to you, Next to you.

Byron Walls
Thom Schuyler

LIKE AN EAGLE LOVES THE WIND

She came to me like morning to a new day
Her kisses felt like sunshine after the rain
She reached inside me solitude and touched me
Took away the darkness and set my heart aflame

CHORUS:

THE EARTH MOVED IN HER BODY
THE SUN ROSE IN HER EYES
SHE WAS WARMER THAN A SMALL TOWN GEORGIA
EVENING IN JULY
AS BEAUTIFUL A LADY AS I EVER LAID EYES ON
SHE CAME FAST AND JUST AS FAST WAS GONE
LIKE AN EAGLE ON THE WIND, SHE WAS GONE.

She gave me everything except tomorrow
She needed freedom like a wild bird needs the wind
In my heart I’ll keep a candle burning
Hoping Lord she sees the light and it guides her home again

CHORUS:

ODE TO CHEESE

I love cheese sliced thin or cheese in a ball
Or Par mesan, I like it all
However it comes don’t matter to me, I’ll have some
In french onion soup or grilled on bread
Or cracker cheese that comes in a spread
Like Camembert or Philadelphia cream

CHORUS:*

What a friend we have in cheeses
Mozzarella, Brie or Blue,
What a friend we have in cheeses
From feduccini to fondue.

For smoked, swiss, jack cheese I’m a fool
Port wine tastes fine and Tillamook to
Delis are me favorite places to browse;
It goes with everything I have found
I put it on my grape nuts when no one’s around
I know that’s weird but I love it so,

CHORUS:

* Sung to the tune of “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”

EASIER DREAMED THAN DONE

(verse)
Love can be a chancy business
It can break your heart
All your good intentions notwithstanding
We flew so high, so far, so fast,
Threw caution to the wind
Resulting in a less than perfect landing;

It’s Easier Dreamed Than Done
Easier wagered on than won
In spite of sunny weather at the start
Love like the seasons can change
And rain havoc on your heart

New love is fragile, unsecured,
An airborne baby bird,
With new wings uncertain how to land
Grasp too tight you crush it
Grip too light it slips out of your hand.

(bridge)
Wisdom comes easy when hindsight is your teacher
The prayer of every fool is for a second chance
Please say you’ll stay for one more dance
It’s too soon to let the music die

It’s easier hoped for than found
But with our feet on the ground
I know we can find our way again
Since love’s emotion driven, conflict is a given,
But it only makes you stronger in the end.

IF I KNEW THEN...

The sign says “Corvallis, Population 30,000 Drive With Care”
With the 13 local churches in gold letters listed over there
Beside that long list of service clubs with bullet holes dotting all the “i”s
It’s nice to be back home again this country town looks good to city eyes

I see the river’s just as pretty, that little steel bridge still looks the same
I remember it as bigger after 13 years your memory sure plays games
To see that one half of the city park’s been paved for city parking’s hard to take
But the Benton County Courthouse sure looks proud in it’s fresh new coat of paint

There’s McHenry’s Funeral Home where every winter I would shovel snow
Me and Walter Johnson earning dimes to take our girl friends to the show
We always double dated cause at twelve I was as shy as you can get
At Junior high school skating parties “Couples Only” always made me sweat

There it is Corvallis High, man I paid some dues inside those halls
For a letter on my sweater lord I would have given anything at all
But it’s hard to be a hero when the only scores you make are in your dreams
If I knew then what I know now at least I think I would have made the team

There’s the house where Janis lived, she sure was a pretty little thing
We’d walk home from rally dances neck for hours in her back porch swing
Back when nice girls only went so far and bad girls only scared good boys like me
If I knew then what I know now I’m certain I’d have done things differently

To sort out your memories and try to separate them’s quite a job
Like a trick or treat candy bag of chocolates, nuts, and redhots in a glob
Still if I could live them over just for one day, I’d give anything
Cause if I knew then what I know now there’s no doubt I’d have made out like a king.

A PIECE OF ME

Sometimes I’m not very nice to be with
I can be obnoxious and uncouth
Psychiatrists have told me it’s a pattern
That more than likely started in my youth
Stemming from a sad and painful truth

I’ve had a rotten disposition ever since my circumcision
My first post-natal, cradle memory
From that day to the present, I sure can get unpleasant,
Whenever anybody tries to get a piece of me

You can have my body, my heart’s yours for a song
But no one gets a piece of me unless I come along

Tax collectors hound me, my alimony grounds me,
I’m tired of being everyone’s cookie jar
My pound of flesh I’ve given so unless you’re tired of living,
Buzz off if you’re driven to get a little piece of me

Man cannot improve upon perfection God creates
Except for Dennis Rodman, God rarely makes mistakes

From the blood bank I get phone calls, the eye bank wants my eyeballs,
All my vital organs are spoken for
It’s time the world was tipped off, man, I’m tired of being ripped off,
Since that doctor flicked my bic off
They all want a piece, all want a piece, all want a piece of me.

AVOCADO
(Sung to the tune of “Desperado”)

Avocado,
I love your texture and flavor
You’re a fruit I’ve been savoring for so long now
My friends they mock me
I know that they have their reasons
But when you are in season I’m in heaven somehow.

I include you in my salads every time I’m able
For any meal you’re always a good bet
Now it seems to me some fine things have been laid upon my table
But none of them as fine as you as yet,

Avocado,
For any dining occasion
You’re a pear shaped sensation certain to mesh
And you taste down right holy, in guacamole,
As my eager tongue sinks into your soft, creamy flesh.

JUMP OFF THE EDGE AND FLY

Seeking some answers, looking around,
Car chasing them, foot racing them down
Through yesterdays alleys, canyons and valleys
The same old abandoned towns
Running in circles, falling behind,
Trapped and imprisoned in time
Awareness lies hidden, far off and forbidden,
Somewhere beyond your mind

Chorus;

Take off the mask, remove the dark glasses
Tune into the feeling til the feeling passes
Reach through the window and grab a handful of sky
Don’t be afraid to die;
Look into yourself feel your heartbeat dancing
Break through the walls and continue advancing
Open the window jump off the edge and fly.

Taking some chances, learning to be,
The original, unabridged me
Eyes that were burning, downcast, down turning,
Learning again to see
Finding some feelings, learning to cry,
Watching some dead heroes die
But the dead are forgiving, and life is for the living,
So you stretch out your wings and fly

Chorus:

"His songs were cleverly written
and handsomely delivered."

HOLLYWOOD DAILY VARIETY

"Mr. Walls' talent for interesting wording and
stories in his songs makes for a wonderful
audience experience."

THE TOLUCAN TIMES

ON THE RUN

CHORUS:
It’s hard to grow up when you live in a shadow
And the bigger trees take all the sun
He couldn’t grow up as the family disaster
So he learned to grow up on the run, up on the run

On a scale from one to ten Tom was a zero
And his mother was there to remind him the times he forgot
By the time he was 16 he was less than the sum of his virtues
Being mostly aware of a whole lot of things he was not

Tom was a little too short and shy around women
He was in love with a fold-out he kept in the drawer
To his dad he was worthless to his mom just some more dirty linen
He took his first breath the day that he walked out the door

CHORUS:

Joyce was born uninvited a pain and a problem
And her parents were there to remind her the times she forgot
By the time she was 16 her face and her breasts were her heroes
In backseats with boys she could forget the things she was not

Joyce got into trouble so she went to Cleveland
Tom joined the army and fought hand to hand in the war
He won some medals and learned about love from a waitress
Joyce started working and she learned about love from her child

CHORUS:

On a hot August night in an army bar outside Salinas
Tom was on furlough and Joyce was on nine until two
They felt like old friends the minute that they started talking
His eyes said, “I know you,” her smile said, “I’ve waited for you”

They talked of beginnings, of losing and winning
And lessons they learned on the run
They grew up crooked together they shook it
In the sunlight they found in the love that they won

CHORUS: