Lyrics © 2002 by T. G. Vanini

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Seven baby sparrows Seven baby sparrows were sitting in their nest and they said to one another Let's fly, let's fly, let's fly And they opened up their wings and they all began to flap and they all began to flutter And they flew Oh there's power in our wings and there's laughter in our songs and there's nothing in our bellies Let's fly, let's fly, let's fly So they flapped 'em and they sang 'em and they filled 'em up with bugs and they filled 'em up with berries And they flew All summer long we'll eat and sing and play We'll be in love with what's around us And when we feel the cool dry breath of fall we'll turn to the south We'll put our shadows behind us Ten thousand miles - we'll fly ten thousand miles A little fluff of feathers and an ounce of flesh A belly full of berries and an empty nest We'll fly ten thousand miles And we don't know where we're going, but we know the way The stars by night, the sun by day We'll fly ten thousand miles And if you know how to listen, if you know where to look With the spring's warm breath you'll know we're back When we've flown ten thousand miles And seven baby sparrows will be sitting in their nest and they'll say to one another Let's fly, let's fly, let's fly And they'll open up their wings and they'll all begin to flap and they'll all begin to flutter

The double rainbow This is a door to go through Oh where it leads I cannot say And if you like I'll show you Though you already know the way You ought to try the one time You only ever get the one This is a door made of sunshine Your journey has begun But when you try to travel through You find the doorway moves with you Why is it so surprising? You're never where you're going to Somewhere on your horizon There's always something calling you The double rainbow fills the air The door within the empty door It's there and yet it isn't there Welcome the double rainbow Glowing bright and fine as lace And though the one's a wonder It's twice as good refracted twice One at a time you fade now Like a half-remembered face And now you're gone . . .

42 years on between the village and the stony beach there lived an old sailor he'd spent his life on the boundless seas and had many times crossed the equator he'd once had a lover he'd once had a friend these facts will be relevant later he awoke in his chair to hear voices that mocked the waves' endless rushing he raised the wick and stumbled outside unsettled by the commotion a fresh snow had fallen and covered the earth with a soft white cushion oh the ocean she flows like a river but deeper she crests in a flood and she's breathing I sway as I stand on the too solid ground and I'd rather be climbing the rigging but the sight of the snow on the moonlit trees is one worth seeing he set down his lantern and danced in the snow kicking up sprays of moonbows there was no-one to see him the village was sleeping there were no lights in the windows then a cloud veiled the moon who diffused her light on a world without colours or shadows but where are the voices who called me here and what are the hills that I'm seeing? I don't know their rhythm I don't share their swell so how can I tell what they're saying? when she told me my travelling days are gone was the white gull lying? he searched in vain for a landmark or clue that could guide him home to his cottage he climbed a tree and sat in a hole in his mind were the sounds of his village the ferry's whistle the wheels the bells of the priests at their useless vigil so he lived in a nest for a night in the morning he was damp and speckled with eggshell he followed a thread of smoke to a farm once rich now lonely and wretched the aged wife who looked like his mother gave him bread advice and directions on the road the first persons he met were much younger suffice it to say they were babies who flowed in crowds through the thickets and singly through the wooden chimneys and chambers they told him their news they were growing by learning to want what was out of their reaches in a town of a piece with his childhood they stood and delivered their speech to the grownups the cake's missing there's only icing another of everyone's foulups for that matter why should we help you to help us to cultivate hides like brazilnuts? humble and mindful how soft were those voices he crossed the glass forest whose beginning is marked with a sign enjoining all who pass to be silent after a day and a half he caught them floating down from the branches what if someone were being you at home while you're out here dreaming we're your lover and we're your friend and we're always and always leaving and you're always arriving and finding us gone one dead and one still living he met with a snake who kissed with care one by one his fingers they sprouted feathers and up he flew his whistles and swoops were infectious he soon left behind intercepting clusters of children and swallows and insects he alighted on one of those patches of ice that arise from the freezing of puddles and as the ice melted he tramped through the puddles the marshes the mud and the middens until he was back in the pocket of green that sequestered the beach from the village he opened his door to himself one sleepy one limping and speckled and spattered he could tell that he'd not been away from the stuffed owl and the humming kettle he made him some tea and they sat down to talk as if nothing unusual had happened

Monkey on your shoulder Though you might not see him now, there's a monkey on your shoulder And he looks a bit like you, and he's happy as a pup And the gift he brings to you is a fine imagination And aren't you glad you have him? Say you'll never let him drop Chorus You know the one thing that's sure is to treat ourselves with kindness And to treat each other well in the one world that we know Now I can hear your voice - yes, you're telling me a story And I love to hear your stories - tell me more before you go Now the monkey on your shoulder has nothing more to live for Than to look for some mischief or some story to make up So he jumps inside your head, and he's pure imagination And aren't you glad you have him? Say you'll never let him drop Chorus As you sleep, sure you dream - can you wake and still stay dreaming? If you feed that monkey well, then you'll never need to stop Though he isn't there at all - yes, it's your imagination But aren't you glad you have one? Say you'll never dry it up Chorus

Like an empty room There are some things too sad to put in words Like the sun's last goodbye to a sunny day Like the woodpecker's cry across the world As her lover's shot to earth by the laughing boy Like the glimmer of hope in the scavenger's eye Chorus Oh where does love go? Never ask a child to keep it warm You were my lover Now my heart resounds like an empty room Like an empty room This may seem too strange, but I'm missing you Now I'm spending my days in another skin If you don't find your way it doesn't matter now This room has no door to let you in And the warmth of the sun - well that's already gone Chorus Though I'm too shaken up for promises There's a catch in my breath just for you There's a sweet-smelling breeze - yes, it's summertime All the fruits of the day are on view If I lie down on the earth, will it feed me now? Chorus

Every moment is now Struggling through the long dark hours of night Wondering if the lowest point was past Something made me stand as still as a star Soft against my face I felt a breath And found myself beside a sleeping child Calm and pure and warm and safe as the Earth Was it in a dream I thought that he Turned to me and said these words Every moment is there for your heart And every moment is now Take good care of all I bring to you Let me know the things I mean to you Nothing else is sure and nothing's as fine You can help me shine my light for you I can see you through your night Every moment is there for your heart And every moment is now We're riding on a storm cloud galaxy Caught up in a deep blue hurricane A hundred billion stars are lost in the fog Don't wait around for fragile promises Or faded tales of hope to come Every moment is there for your heart And every moment is now

Heaven Once upon a time, something soft and warm Kept me in heaven - I was part of harmony Full of food and sleep, learning how to play I was enchanted by the life I meant to live That was all there was till you came along You're smarter than I am, but I'm better than you You've stolen my freedom and you've kept me from view This cage is constricting for what I want to do I want to go running and be able to move I'm groggy with poison that you put in my food But doesn't it strike you it'll end up in you? You're planning to eat me, though I'd never eat you So go on and kill me - I've got nothing to lose Once upon a time, something soft and warm Kept me in heaven - I was part of harmony Every now and then I know in a dream Somewhere out yonder there's a field of grass for me If I really try, I can taste the breeze I'm missing the twilight - it was cozy before The walls of my prison, why they're rubbing me raw I've started complaining, though it's breaking the law My neighbours are sullen and they feel just as sore The people who visit never open the door They feed us with offal and then feed us some more I wish they would sweep up al the shit off the floor There's never a moment to think what it's all for What in all the world did we use to share Will you remember how I used to look at you? Once upon a time, something soft and warm Kept me in heaven - I was part of harmony

The bargain I was going to the dance tonight, but never quite did make it, for I found myself a bargain and I really had to take it. I met a young man on the road who said, "Please understand me if I say I like your suit of clothes - they look so fine and dandy!" "Yes, you're right," says I, "they're the apple of my eye, and they're new this year, and they cost me rather dear. For I like to wear my fancy clothes when I dance." With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day He said, "I'm off to market, where I hope to sell my pig, and he's just gone out to take a stroll - he'll be back any second. For it's past his usual supper-time, which means that he'll come presently, for it's a damp and chilly night - he'll find it most unpleasant!" "Take my coat," says I, with a tear in my eye, for I hate to be told of someone feeling cold - "and when your pig gets home it'll keep him nice and warm!" With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day He thanked me very kindly, and he took my coat so gladly I could tell that when his pig was cold it grieved him very badly. He said, "I have the finest pig you ever laid your eyes on, but if you once let go of him he's over the horizon." "Here you are," says I, "won't you take my tie and when your pig gets back you can tie it round his neck. And with a leash so fine, why, he's sure to toe the line!" With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day He took my tie and said, "Oh my, you're really very clever, and I must be off to market soon, but I'm in your debt forever. I hope that he'll be fit to sell - he's such a messy eater. He looks a fright this time of night - how I wish that he was neater!" "Take my shirt," I says - "when he tries to make a mess then your fine and precious pig can use it as a bib, and he'll be the cleanest pig you've ever seen!" With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day He said, "There's something worries me - when I get my pig to market he'll have nothing but a coat on and the people will remark it. We'll be walking down the High Street and he'll only be half-dressed - did you ever hear of such a thing? He's bound to get arrested!" "Oh, won't you take my pants? Sure, they're much too tight to dance, I'd have split them anyway - I'll be full of pride to say that thanks to me he kept his modesty!" With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day Just then he started, struck his brow, and cried out in a frenzy: "I've just recalled it's Saturday night and the market's not till Wednesday! Why don't you buy my pig right now? You'll save me so much trouble that if you were to wait till market day I'd have to charge you double!" "It's a deal," says I, "and I'll pay you by and by, but my money for the dance is in the pocket of my pants." "That's all right," says he, "you can pay me presently, and if you wait right here then your pig will soon appear. So long!" and off he goes, and in his arms he has my clothes. With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day Oh, I would have liked to dance tonight, but never quite did make it, for I found myself a bargain and I really had to take it. And though I'm cold without my clothes this damp and chilly evening, just as soon as that fine pig gets back, it's then that I'll be leaving! With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle doh With my fiddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle diddle-de-idle day

October Butterfly October butterfly playing with the breeze Brush me with your golden wings to let me know you're real Stardust you left behind filters through my mind I want to be part of the joy you feel October butterfly take me for a ride I won't weigh you down I'm lighter than your friend the breeze I'll be your passenger high above the world We'll scatter the stardust from your golden wings And the whole wide world will be watching watching as we fly And the whole wide world will be catching all your precious gold

Tigerleaf and Lizard's Claw Under the beating sun Sweat mists up my eyes Although there's work to be done I must sit down The air's too heavy Let me breathe Over the dusty ground Through the thirsty corn Walking without a sound I knew you well Before and before Look at me Oh mother, can you see it's me? Oh mother, can you see it's me? Oh mother, can you see it's me? Oh mother I'm the face behind the silent windowpane I've come home - you'll never let me go again I'm the hope against all hope that's due to you No more nights of dread now I've come back to you I'm your newborn child - my name is Tigerleaf All our dreams will be entwined as memories Long before the day that I'll be snatched away from you I can see the lizard's claw that's never far from you Lizard's Claw, carry me High over the skin of Earth Hunched around our smallest moments Lizard's Claw Tigerleaf, your steps are fainter My memory is greyer Tigerleaf - rescue me We each hold in our hand Lizard's Claw We each hold in our hand Lizard's Claw We each hold in our hand Lizard's Claw Down among your empty streets and appetites There I've lingered all these endless troubled nights I'm the lizard's claw you're holding in your hand I'm the ocean reaching through the troubled land I'm the darkness arching round the skin of Earth All is different since you've loved me till it hurts Lizard's Claw, carry me High over the skin of Earth Hunched around our smallest moments Lizard's Claw Tigerleaf, your steps are fainter My memory is greyer Tigerleaf, sleeping child We each hold in our hand Lizard's Claw We each hold in our hand Lizard's Claw We each hold in our hand Lizard's Claw Oh mother, can you see it's me? Oh mother, can you see it's me? Oh mother, can you see it's me? Oh mother, can you see it's me? Over the dusty ground Through the thirsty corn Walking without a sound I knew you well Before and before

The dinosaur's advice This is the dinosaur's advice - it comes from the heart Once I was all you claim to be You had an ancestor who slipped from my grasp And now you rule instead of me Chorus This is the dinosaur's advice Like it or not you don't live all alone And since you've nowhere else to go Might as well take good care of your home I left you my pawprints in the mud - the earth we all share To give you my long term point of view Not one of your holy men had told you I was there Now look at all the things that I've taught you Chorus Of all the lords of all the earth, you won't be the last Though you're the smartest of us all You think that makes you so much better than the rest So you invented your soul Chorus Once in a million years I awake and look at the Earth Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I care Once there was ice and now there's fire - it's moving too fast And next time I look, you won't be there Chorus

City of visitors My family's hidden away from you who live well We live in a city of visitors perched on a hill It's here we pitched camp many years ago - here we are still Not much of a life to live on But at least we survive And one thing I've learned - our story's a commonplace one Chorus I'm twenty years a visitor For the children, being visitors is all they've known Our every breath is out of place The children never had a place that felt like home A house made of iron and cardboard is all that we own The house I grew up in had neat whitewashed walls made of stone With three or four chickens, a goat, and an acre of corn We made few demands on the world Just tended our land And one thing we knew - our poor piece of land was our own The day came when all that was ours wasn't ours any more That dawn as I opened my eyes the first things that I saw Were machine guns and sneers, and the splinters of the front door You're in the wrong place, a voice said And you're the wrong race And one thing I knew - we had to get out or be dead Chorus We saved what we could from the flames and we took to the road Then came the long trail, on foot, by bus, and by boat Odd jobs here and there got us something to eat - not a lot Too tired to move on, we stayed here Still struggle along And one thing I know - there's no road that leads back home Chorus

Chickadee I'm the angel of your morning When you're rising I'll be calling Chickadee, chickadee, chickadeedeedee Are you open to the daylight? When you hear me you'll be all right Chickadee, chickadee, chickadeedeedee All the power at my command Feeds a fire in your mind Every flower has its day So will you and so will I Chickadee, chickadee, chickadeedeedee When you hear me you'll be all right Are you open to the daylight? Chickadee, chickadee, chickadeedeedee When you're rising I'll be calling I'm the angel of your morning Chickadee, chickadee, chickadeedeedee

Hobbyhorse I rode my red hobbyhorse down to your door I wanted to show you how well I could ride You stood with that smile of yours - never a word I took it upon myself - I don't know why - To reach out one finger and touch your smile And that was the only time I can recall Only one touch - soft on my mind Stood by your door, smiling your smile for me I rode so well - proud of myself Light of your smile flooding my face Here I am still, riding my hobbyhorse to you I rode my red hobbyhorse down to your door I wanted to show you how well I could ride But no-one was there - I don't know why Only one touch - soft on my mind Stood by your door, smiling your smile for me I rode so well - proud of myself Light of your smile flooding my face Here I am still, riding my hobbyhorse to you

Late in the afternoon Late in the afternoon Look at the sky Isn't it wonderful? Oh my! If you want to see What's important to me How the world ought to be But so rarely is All that you have to do Look at the sky Motion is everywhere Whirlwind of light Brings us with every breath Closer to night It's a dark mystery What the future will be So we might as well see To the here and now While you still have the time Look at the sky

Appleberries Oh, underneath the appleberries eating our bananas Appleberries, appleberries, that's what I said Don't you know that royalty should never wear pajamas All that you can hope to do is push me out of bed Well, once upon a time there was a mother and a father Running to the riverbank to wrestle in the mud Three was me and four was you and five was Cousin Arthur Four years old and going strong, and three to one the odds Oh, underneath the appleberries... Well, one was good and two were good and three I couldn't handle For the five occasions when you made my face go red Four if you and three of me - it's too much of a scandal One night after dark I'll let you look inside my head Oh, underneath the appleberries...