Read My Stuff Best to Worst — 2 of 10

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HALF TOLD by Tom Jensen

Behind my eyes I can’t let you in

The best I can do is begin again

I let you down and myself to

With all the sh*t I put you through

Been having a hard time 

holding my head up high

Been having a hard time 

sorting truth from lies

I’m not sure where I should go from here

I don’t know if it shows

 but I’m f*cking scared

Seems like everyone I know has disappeared… 

through the years

I’ve been looking for something new

And I don’t know what to do

I’ve been seeking to make changes

Having thoughts that are the strangest

I’ve been hiding from my demons

While pretending I don’t see them

Yet I feel their presence creeping

Around my room when I am sleeping

And I find it quite disturbing

More than a little bit unnerving

When you’re trying to go straight

but keep on swerving

And before it’s too late 

the lesson you are learning

Is you can’t go back and change the past

It catches up with you living fast

As shiny gold turns to rusty bronze

You have to ask yourself 

where’d I go wrong?

As you trace back the last twenty years

Wondering how on earth did I end up here?

Yet you’re unsure 

of whether to laugh or cry

Though you’re not tired 

you close your eyes…

You feel a tear and you don’t know why?

So with retrospect you gaze inside

Never been alone – not with pain and fear

Your travelling companions 

through the years…

Yet you’re scared 

of some the past seeds you’ve sowed

So your conscious carries 

such a heavy load…

I’ve grown tired of these escapades

I’m trying to take back the day

The hands of time can’t be rewound

But I refuse to stay sorrow bound

They say everybody’s got a story

A fall from grace or shining in glory

As of now the tale’s only half told

And my fate awaits just up open the road, yeah!

CLIMBING THE LADDER By Tom Jensen

You'd be wise to take my advice

Before you fall in love

With a fool's paradise

You had better think twice

I don't have any vices

And that's priceless

Considering where I've come from

Everything I once believed in

Was so misleading

I'm lucky I'm still breathing

Considering all the things I've done

I scaled the drug ladder

Straight to the top

Got up so high

I almost couldn't get of

I could not control

The cravings inside my brain

That boy's on the ladder

And he's climbing up again

From cigarettes...

To booze...

To weed...

To speed...

To acid ...

To mushrooms...

To E...

To crack-cocaine

You'd be wise to take my advice

Before you fall in love

With a fool's paradise

You had better think twice

A lot of my old friends

Now sleep in the gutter

Toss an eight ball on the table

And watch them try to kill each other

My d-d-dad's a p-p-pothead

Who s-s-speaks with a s-s-stutter

Just another nicotine fiend

That describes my mother

A raging alcoholic

Yeah, that's my brother

And my sister…well guys

I suggest you use a rubber

There, now I think

I've got everybody covered

If you want to know about somebody

Investigate their friends and family

Even still I’m not quite sure

How I let it happen to me

But I've escaped the demons

And now I'm free

You'd be wise to take my advice

Before you fall in love

With a fool's paradise

You had better think twice

Well if you're hooked

And you're looking to beat it

Listen closely and I'll tell you a secret

If you've climbed the ladder so high

That you duck when planes fly

You can't just jump off or else you’ll die

It's too hard to cold turkey

What was years in the making

Pressure like that

Is like an oven baking

You managed to climb up

So you've got to climb back down

One step at a time

Until your feet hit the ground

LITTLE BIRD by Tom Jensen

Wondering deep inside my own fascination

Gathering all my strength just to open up the door

Close my eyes with a little hesitation

Knowing I’ll never hear your music any more

How could someone so dear to me

Keep me so confused and from the truth for so long?

Whispering of love when she was so near to me

When deep inside she knew it was only a song

Oh little bird

Sing what’s in your heart

Never sing a song 

That should never have been heard

Oh little bird

You turned your trickery into an art

Humming a melody

These ears should have never heard 

Oh little bird

Oh little bird

Sing what's in your heart

Never sing a song 

That should never have been heard

Oh little bird

You turned your trickery into an art

Humming a melody

These ears should have never heard 

Oh little bird

HERE AND NOW 

by Tom Jensen

The time is getting late

Your lifetime is passing

Why should you wait

Is the question you are asking

Paralyzed by fear 

Frozen by the uncertain

Unknowing in how far or near

Is the final curtain

But you can never tell

What lies ahead 

Maybe Heaven, maybe Hell

Only one man sorts the dead

Yea you can never tell

What lies ahead 

Maybe Heaven, maybe Hell

Only one man sorts the dead

In the here and now 

Is where heroes are made

In this world we live

We die even villains fade

With our vision to achieve

Great statues are erected

And although we still believe

What is strived for is never perfected

But you can never tell

What lies ahead 

Maybe Heaven, maybe Hell

Only one man sorts the dead

Yea you can never tell

What lies ahead 

Maybe Heaven, maybe Hell

Only one man sorts the dead

In the here and now is where we are

You may try to run -- but you won't get far

As the dreams you hold may never be

Just as the light that shines 

you may never see

But you can never tell

What lies ahead 

Maybe Heaven, maybe Hell

Only one man sorts the dead

No, you can never tell

What lies ahead 

Maybe Heaven, maybe Hell

Only one man sorts the dead

FIGHT FOR PEACE by Tom Jensen Lynette

Come now citizens of the world

Let us knock down this mental wall

Time to let a new flag unfurl

Large enough to cover us all

Endless sea of humanity

That will bridge both the land and shore

Become one global family

Let us not divide anymore

Realize difference makes us great

Opposed to tearing us apart

I swear to you it's not too late

And all it takes is one to start

It could be you who makes a stand

One burning monk can end a war

Wouldn't fight in Iraq...I ran

Didn't deem it worth fighting for

Unlock the door you have the key

Finally let this madness cease

Everybody say it with me

What is my belief? Can’t fight for peace

Come now citizens of the world

Let us knock down this mental wall

Time to let a new flag unfurl

Large enough to cover us all

Endless sea of humanity

That will bridge both the land and shore

Become one global family

Let us not divide anymore

Realize difference makes us great

Opposed to tearing us apart

I swear to you it's not too late

And all it takes is one to start

Unlock the door you have the key

Finally let this madness cease

Everybody say it with me

What is my belief? Can’t fight for peace

SNIPER'S SONG By Tom Jensen

Who am I?

And what are my reasons?

I've got my rifle by my side

And it's hunting season

I'm just another face in the crowd

Waiting to make my next move

Eight A.M. and I'm already out on the prowl

I wonder just how long I can keep my cool

Random is the way it has to be

Can't have any motive or connection

Following after me

One bullet at a time

I write the headlines of the front page

I am God, I am death, I am your old age

At random

Or in seclusion

I am reality

This is no illusion

Who am I?

And what are my reasons?

I've got my rifle by my side

And it's hunting season

I'm just another face in the crowd

Waiting to make my next move

Nine A.M. and I'm already out on the prowl

I wonder just how long I can keep my cool

Go about your business

This sniper will find you

Look over your left shoulder

I am right behind you

You cannot see me

I am in seclusion

Death is reality

I am no illusion

Who am I?

And what are my reasons?

I've got my rifle by my side

And it's hunting season

I'm just another face in the crowd

Waiting to make my next move

Ten A.M. and I'm already out on the prowl

I wonder just how long I can keep my cool

Some may call me crazy

But I don't see it that way

I am just another hunter

And you are all my prey

I could be your neighbor

I could be your best friend

I could be a terrorist

But only when you catch me...

Will you be safe again

GET OUTTA MY HOUSE By Tom Jensen

They say diamonds are a girl's best friend

I guess it's good 

to have something left when

When the feeling ends

When the love is gone

All that's left is a song

You make love to your bong

As quiet as a mouse 

when your loving wife says

"Get outta my house!"

After mistakes have been made

Just as the song said

She threw a vase

Smacked you in the face

And when you said ouch

She made you sleep on the couch

You never saw the writing on the wall

Kept telling yourself tomorrow she'd call

From days to months to years

From happiness to sadness to tears

Your lasting memories 

concern her tight blouse

And the night she said

"Get outta my house!"

The carriage of gold which you both rode

Down along the cove on your wedding day

Somehow became untracked and unhitched

And every one of them horses 

they got up and ran away

After every mistake

followed another excuse

As the chain started to break

She figured what's the use

For when you called for a truce

She challenged you to a joust

On her shield she soon wrote in your blood

"Get outta my house!"

Hearts once ablaze and set afire

Have gradually lost their flame

Dreams once you both together aspired

No longer remain the same

Coals in need of stoking 

have lost all chance of smoking

Leaving each night's watchmen 

pointing blame

The mood grows colder 

as the time grows older

It's time to move south

When you're bleeding from the mouth

Because she sprayed you in the nose

And then smacked you with the hose

Even Smoky the Bear

Knew that the fire's been doused

On the night she said

"Get outta my house!"

They say diamonds are a girl's best friend

I guess it's good 

to have something left when

When the feeling ends

When the love is gone

All that's left is a song

You make love to your bong

As quiet as a mouse

When your loving wife says

"Get the fu#$ outta my house!"

"Get the fu#$ outta my house!"

EX-POEM By Tom Jensen

When someone says your name I duck

Because now I'm careful of whom I trust

Sometimes in love you really get fu$%ed

Sometimes a smiling face

Turns into disgust

Second chances...you got them

But for a second time you hit rock bottom

Third chances... you want them

Still trying to sell me some fruit

That you know is rotten

Calling on the phone

And knocking on the door

So scared to be alone

When you finally realize

That you can't have

What you once had any more

But you brought it on yourself

So why are you so surprised?

Love is dead

It has been beheaded

Get it through your head

We'll never be wedded

My phone rings

But I don't pick it up

I give easy hints

But you won't pick them up

Often there's no voice

On the other end of the receiver

It is true I once worshipped you

But now I'm no longer a believer

When someone says your name I duck

Because now I'm careful of whom I trust

Sometimes in love you really get fu$%ed

Sometimes a smiling face

Turns into disgust

ONE SLIP OF THE KNIFE

by Tom Jensen

Whenever you feel down

When in your mind you feel truly alone

Take a walk among the dead

Read each name upon each stone

If your eyes don't change

Join them in name join them in spirit

Be one and the same

From some pains you can never run away

Though sometimes forgotten -- the scars will always stay

For sometimes it seems like there's no escape

And yet all it takes is one simple mistake

To burn down the mansion you built 

To knock the clown off of his stilts

But don't let your judgment fail you

Know what you're finding before it's found

Don't ever let your cross nail you

A weight so heavy it'll drag you down

And when your inner voice seems to have no sound

And all this pain builds up inside

You are here alone - with no one around

One thought stalks you: there's nowhere left to hide.....

And on the table lies a 12-inch blade.

As night creeps in as black as a spade

Would it really matter?

One slip of the knife?

Would anyone notice -- a worthless life?

She lies on the floor

Her last thought so guilted

Clutching a rose now fallen and wilted

NATURE OF MAN

by Tom Jensen

You set her up for a fall

And she wasn't ready to be let down

You left her feeling so small

She felt like she got put down

For soon she sees

It was never meant to be

As so painfully

She finds out about your history

It's not a name

It's not a face 

It's not a time

It's not a place

It's just the nature of man

She could never understand

It's not a game and no one's to blame

But she feels the shame 

and carries the weight

It's just the nature of man

She could never understand

It's just the primal urge

It's the way of the earth

A thrill can come in many forms

And you can get it just about anywhere

When you go looking for fun

You just might find that fun's someone if you really don't care

And soon she will see

It was never meant to be

As so painfully

She finds out about your ways and means

It's not a name

It's not a face 

It's not a time

It's not a place

It's just the nature of man

She could never understand

It's not a game and no one's to blame

But she feels the shame 

and carries the weight

It's just the nature of man

She could never understand

It's just the primal urge

It's the way of the earth

ANOTHER by Tom Jensen

I’m fired up

I’ve had enough

Of backing down

And getting pushed around

I’m standing tall

I will not fall

I’ll be the wrecking ball

Right through your brick wall

I’m rising up through the ashes

Taking names and kicking asses

Finally the tide has turned

And I’m laying claim to what I deserve

I’ve waited

And found waiting brings nothing

Dedicated

I know I’m bound to find something

Educated

By both books and streets

Frustrated

I can neither find nor keep

The love that’s been missing

Was there and now it isn’t

Was here and then it wasn’t

I placed myself above it

Alone and incomplete 

I’ve been lacking inner peace

All I’m really after 

Is a good night’s sleep

So it’s time to find another

Who will be my lover

To make the circle complete

SMITTY’S ANTHEM (NO TEARS) 

by Tom Jensen

I’ve got no tears left to cry

It just feels dead inside 

And no, I’m not gonna lie

I love to hate you more

Than I ever loved to love you

And it may be 

Yeah, that this one’s on me

But as you see by my misery

It’s all I can do 

To not scream through the roof

There’s a red flag at half mast

You whistle as you walk past

Yes, the graveyard is full of souls

Whose decaying remains fill all those holes

While the blind man with the thirsty ears

Longs for love during his final years

And the middle-aged man 

with a broken past

Clings to lies remembering them as facts

And the bullet proof youth 

takes advice from none

Learns the hard way 

that’s when the troubles come… 

As he looks around not sure what to do

He blames me and I blame you…

Yeah, I was driving

F*cking flying!

Running away as fast as I can

She was lying

Then starts crying

I tell her, “Go find another man!”

Lonely…

Not me…

I’m already making other plans

You try to hold on

But baby I’m gone

Now you know I’m still in demand

This is a new song

I hear you humming along

Got you thinking about clapping your hands…

Since you’ve grown tired

Of living uninspired

Finally my friend you understand…

THIRTY SECONDS By Tom Jensen

I got about thirty seconds…

To get inside your head

So let us save the small talk

For another time instead

Now I have only twenty seconds left…

To sew this little seed to try to

Turn my belief into your belief

How do I get you to see that 

Once you unplug yourself from your TV

You can begin to make a difference

To someone else, yourself and me…

Uh oh…just ten seconds more…

To let you know that there are 

Countless caverns 

Left within your mind

Just waiting to be explored...

PEN AND PAPER By Tom Jensen

Well I'm...

Struggling against the tide

Pen and paper by my side

Feeling great, oh wait, I lied

There's not much I trust

And that sucks, but why cry?

Seems that something's

Gonna have to be sacrificed

To keep on playing this game

To keep on living this life

Release me

From the worldwide 

weight of humanity

Too much for this 

writer to decipher

The many causes of insanity

He pauses...then continues

As he counts his losses...

His inner voice asks him,

"Is it in you?"

To be the leader

when it is so easy to follow

Never need to be the owner

When everything 

can be borrowed

Though you'll never find

Yourself being a loner

You just might be hollow

And it's such a waste of time...

Following the blind

Open up your eyes

Haven't you realized?

'Tis better to lead them...

And still be breathing

Than it is to follow

And be the one 

left bleeding

Never wading in the 

springs of freedom....

And not understanding

These things I speak of

Contemplating something

Hollow and misleading

And it brings many things...

Such as a false disguise 

by a gypsy king

In his lies we 

discover many truths...

Through his eyes 

we uncover his abuse

And his song of sorrow 

so many sing

Well I've got those

Same old blues again

It seems that life is game

You can never win

Cannot change your past

You can't change 

where you've been

It seems you were 

having a blast

But now you don't like

The position you're in

Once they stuck you 

in your caste

You ended up taking 

it on the chin

Now labeled a has-been

You got no friends

Just want it to end

Let your soul be recast

Let us try it again

TRAIN by Tom Jensen

The conductor blows his whistle

Time for the train to leave the gate

As I'm sitting by the window

Wondering why you’re late

I promised myself that you’d be here

Been telling myself that for so long

But as the cars start in motion

I'm thinking maybe that I’m wrong

Maybe you forgot your ticket

Or else on another track

On this train I’m leaving

And I'm never coming back

I said I'd meet you at the station

With suitcases in my hand

But why you never showed up

I'll never understand

You know I paid for your ticket

Even before I bought one for myself

Perhaps you boarded the next car

And sitting with someone else

In all of this confusion

You know I’ve lost my mind

While hurrying for the train

I left my heart behind 

WHAT I'LL DO

by Tom Jensen

I faded silently into the fog

From where I first came

Long before I knew you...

Of your legend or your name

The hardest thing I've ever done

Or that'll I'll ever do

Not because of fear of pain

But because it was best for you

Sure, I miss our conversations

Of course I miss your point of view

But there was little hesitation

Of course I breathed a sigh or two...

But it was best for you

You said you needed time

To reflect in your mind

About the past and the new

And since time is all I have...

I've given it to you

I've never spoken empty words

At least as far as you're concerned

I've never wished these tables turned

I stand behind my promises

My thoughts and my deeds

And my desire to give you 

Everything you need

Whatever you wish

I'll do my best to make

Your wish come true

What you see in all your dreams

I'll do my best

To make those dreams come true

Whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

Whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

Whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

Yeah, whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

What I'll do

TIME BOMB By Tom Jensen

My boo boo…

My uncle just dropped a bomb (Uncle Sam)

Right through your roof ….

Killing your dad and your mom…. (God Damn)

So when you grow up to be 

Big, brave and strong

When you grow up tell me 

Whose side will you be on?

Tick tock….tick tock….

My nickname is time bomb

My friends are waiting for me to explode

Today was the day I woke up

It was kinda warm – still I grabbed for my coat

And I grabbed my package….

My surprise…oh soon…

Everyone will know…..

See my big grin…

it’s right here…From ear to ear 

right above my chin….

oh oh oh

Oh just what I got

Oh won’t you take a guess?

With this I’ve come all this way 

So many miles West

J.C. sees me on the bus

Asks me what’s under my coat?

I looked back at him and said softly…

Eanie meanie miney moe

I got a present for somebody 

But just who is it – I don’t yet know

I think I’ll bide my time and pen a little rhyme

Let us drive a little further on down the road….

Yeah my nick name is time bomb

And pretty soon I'm gonna explode!

TRAFFIC By Tom Jensen

Traffic...

Caught in traffic

Traffic...

Caught in traffic

Addict ...

Caught in traffic

Addict...

Caught in traffic

Traffic...

Is tragic

False illusion

They work their magic

Tragic...

Believe in magic

Traffic...

Is tragic

One solution...

End the sadness

Tragic...

To see such madness

Burning trees...

Burning trees...

Dropping lit matches

Burning trees...

And fixing black

holes with patches

Burning trees...

Burning trees...

If you're green

It's worse than crosses

One hundred degrees

Two hundred degrees

Burning trees...

Still can't breathe

Can you help me?

Burning trees

People got other causes

And silly me...

Counting up our losses

Traffic... Caught in traffic

WE ARE THE ONES by Tom Jensen 

We are the hunched over old man 

who makes your shoes shine

We are the policemen and women 

who help reduce crime

We are the ones who cook 

and serve your meals at lunch time

We are the bartenders you find 

right before closing time

If you're overworked and underpaid

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

Pick up your shovel, grab your spade

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

Get back to work, carry on your trade

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

Quit complaining about making 

minimum wage

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

If you're overworked and underpaid

Don't complain just get in line

We are the tracks on which society is laid

Don't complain just get in line

From our broken backs 

millionaires are made

Don't complain just get in line

It starts when you're a little kid 

selling lemonade

Don't complain just get in line

Let us unite from here, there, 

from everywhere

For now is our time to shine

Scream out if your life's defined 

by more than just your career

For now is our time to shine

If you're in your car join our motorcade

For now is our time to shine

Sing the refrain and join our parade

For now is our time to shine

You might drink the wine 

but we're the ones who 

pulled the grapes from the vine

You may own the oil

 but we're the ones that built the pipeline

They might worship you 

but we're the ones who erected the shrine

You may sing the song…

Sing us a song… sing us a song…

But we're the ones who wrote the rhyme

                                           We are the ones who wrote the rhyme                                                                                                        

part two

coming up...

MONITIZATION By Tom Jensen

This time I'm feeling like the criminal

But all communication is subliminal

Sure my treatment might be deferential

'Cause now others notice my potential

They got silver tongues

And their eyes? They're green

They're the best paid talkers

That you've ever seen

You know those who smile at themselves?

Well....now they were smiling at me

They said you could make money for us

If you can trick the rest into thinking

you got something

In which they can still believe

After some pondering

I started responding

And I kindly replied:

Yeah...part of me has died

And I'd like to find that something

I can finally stake my faith and creed in...

But hopefully

it'll either be

mental clarity

Oh gee,

maybe sanity...

or perhaps even freedom

Then maybe

there would be

No more forced insanity

that any amount of money

can pay the fee

For forgetting all about humanity

and human dignity

What has happened to some

I hope it doesn't

happen to me

I'm still trying to find a reason to wake up

Maybe it's to give everything a shake up

Some poor pawn's got to lead the charge

Take a musket ball for society at large

Heck, I'd rather be the host

or the maître d'

Than some bourgeoisie

attendee

To a committee brunch

designed to oversee

Who gets to select

who gets the gold trophy

For having the charity

That spends the most on vanity

I guess we just

fundamentally

disagree

For you see

I don't wanna be

a trainee

to be a trustee

Because I don't agree

Subscribe or believe

In such self-serving fantasies

For sometimes money

Is one's own worst enemy

Just search through

the texts of history

From King Midas to Judas

to Bush and Cheney

When money becomes everything

then I don't want any...

Nah...

I don't want any

LET ME IN By Tom Jensen

Won't you let me in

Into your heart

Into your mind

That would keep me satisfied

To become one 

With your subconscious

And with your soul

You know I'd never try to gain control

Over your feelings

Or your actions

I'd just smile wide

With satisfaction

And I'd help you find the truth

Amongst all these distractions

For I believe we both could use

Each other as a book of matches

When the world seems dark

Or when things look bleak

When we could use a spark

To light a flame for each other to see

Won't you let me in

Into your world

Into your thoughts

As for my own - I've shared a lot

Still I long for yours

Tell me what do you see 

When you look at the world

And when you look at me?

Because I want to view life

Through a second pair of eyes

For sometimes even I need a guide

To show me a new and better path

And to know there's 

Someone standing there

Standing behind me 

When I look back...

For I long to see a light

When the trail starts winding

As the day's becoming night

And the way's not easy finding

My eyes are tired 

And I'm losing sight

Won't you let me in

Into your door when I am cold

Into your arms so I can hold

Onto someone 

Onto something

When I'm spinning out of control

When I'm beginning to feel old

And less reassured than when I was a kid

When I question everything in my life

And what I've done with it

We could share secret thoughts 

That thus far we've kept hid

Won't you let me in...

Oh, won't you let me in?

Won't you let me in?

MY PRECIOUS By Tom Jensen

Two mourning doves rest upon a limb

Begin the day with a praising hymn

To the gods of grass and rain and wind

For it’s what they know 

what they're surrounded in

Contrast that to me who prays for fame

Golden statues and plaques 

bearing my name

Sure it might seem to some a little vain

But it’s what I know what I'm surrounded in

Every sight I am seeing

Every thought I am thinking

Every sentence I am speaking

Everything I've been believing

The roots are imperial

Facts often mytherial

Logic hypocritical

True intentions deceiving

With all of our wealth 

we haven't had much success

Still got people sleepin'

On mattresses made of pavement

Their pillows are our steps

Why is gold so precious?

What makes silver so fine?

Who first chose to call this wealth?

Back in history and time

I wish that I could have told them

Being rich was all for show

Then I would have shown them

There was a better way to go

We could have changed

Our chain-of-being

Into something non - material

Then we could live our lives

For something meaningful

We could've reach new highs

I'm talking spiritual

FALLEN CLOUDS

by William Elmore Tom Jensen

The stories told beside a campfire so many years ago

Still echo through the canyons melt the newly fallen snow

The legend of great heroes now rest upon the stars

Along the craters of the moon lay dark and blemished scars

There's no one here to judge the living

Or sort through the dead

No one here to dictate terms

Nor record what was said

The laws of these lands has not been etched in stone

The king who holds the scepter can still be overthrown

Hanging clouds drift above after the battle in the sky

Fallen soldiers through love and war each one picking sides

So many wandering souls

Set adrift way up high

Listen through the canyons

We hear another deep sad sigh

You can never see their face

They can never find their place

When lightning strikes 

The fire runs wild

Falling raindrops through the sky…

Fallen clouds…

Fallen

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

by Max Weltman Tom Jensen

I've got something on my mind 

so I better just say it

I hear the music in my heart 

but I just can't play it

I feel good inside but I can't explain it

I don't mind when people cry

I don't mind when it's raining

I don't mind when most people die

At least they stop their complaining

I've been led by many people, 

places and things

There's just so much out there 

in which to believe

I've loved many people 

and then had to cut my strings

Just to end up watching 

each of them leave

Have to go and plant another seed

Go and find something to fill the void

For idle time is the devil's toy

For sometimes being alone

Is worse than being unemployed

Sometimes you're Siegfried

Sometimes you're the tiger

And sometimes you're Roy

High above

An angel cries

And down below

Even storms have eyes

What grows in me 

I now despise

Deep inside

another man dies

Blood clot...........

Gunshot

It's all the same

Heartache......

A big mistake

Just part of the game

Weeds growing wild

A saddened child

Just who is to blame?

Another birthday cake

Wear black at the wake

We're so glad you came

It's a vicious cycle

You better stay on your toes

It's a downward spiral

It comes and goes...

RAINYDAY SUNSHINE by Tom Jensen

My life it would have been your shrine

If my ways had been refined

Before I looked into your big brown eyes

I never knew I was blind

‘Twas you who coulda seen me through

Over the only mountain that I’d yet to climb

I have only one path to take...

Try to walk a straight line this time

And it is you I'm still trying to find

My rainy day sunshine

Without you I may be just fine

But with you I'd be so much better 

It’s you, my rainy day sunshine

Who’s my every day valentine

The only one who could ever have changed

Both the seasons and the weather

I hope I’ll be all right in time

I'm praying someday I'm gonna find

You again and you’ll fill all this emptiness inside

We’ll rebuild this broken mind of mine

So now…it’s you I am trying to find

My rainy day sunshine

Without you I may be just fine

But with you I'd be so much better 

Yeah with you I'd be so much better

PARADIGM By Tom Jensen

There's no such thing

As wasting time

When you are trying

To design the paradigm

Can you be the one

Who helps mold mankind?

Behold that role's

Not so well-defined

Yet it truly

Doesn't take a mastermind

To really blow someone else's mind

Crawling through no man's land

Holding onto your brother's hand

Helping him to stay alive

As you both try to survive

In between the battle lines

My job is to show you

All that there is to see

And to tell you that what is

Is not how it is supposed to be

Please believe in me...

I startled a man in the street

Simply by saying hello

He said,

"Hey kid, stop bothering me!"

Doesn't he know

I have a college degree?

And that I've been known

To write a little poetry

And create a new history

By unlocking that old mystery

Through my literacy?

"Can't there be someone else

You can follow?"

That's what he said to me

His brown eyes were hollow

Thus I retreated in sorrow

Just another who failed to see

That he just might have been

Bettered by me

Forgetting we're all one

In the global family

We all evolved from

The same family tree

Used to crawl around on all fours

Just like a monkey or a junkie

Your background

Your skin tone

Your color

Your race...

No one's ever asked your preference

You know you can't choose your face

And as you see your reflection

You realize that in difference

Here lies the root of hate

So let us end this great debate

Over this city-less state...

We can agree to disagree

I no longer wish to participate

Just as equality waits...

So does our fate

DIRT by Tom Jensen

Who’s got the dirt on you?

Or maybe you’ve been keeping secrets from yourself

Do you know who I’ve been talking to?

No it wasn’t her it was somebody else…

Ooh, I see someone’s afraid of sunlight

Stays lurking in the shadowy realm

To only be happy when it’s cloudy

Would seem to me to be trapped in a living hell

Who’s got the dirt on you?

Won’t you whisper just what your little secret is worth

Certainly no one could have deserved this

Never seen you look so nervous - your eyes darting back and forth

Well sure we all make mistakes

Yet this one was so easy to trace

You didn’t look guilty just heavily disgraced

That would best describe the look on your face

Who’s got the dirt on you?

Has anyone offered to cut you a deal?

Or are they just letting out the line?

Let you run a little knowing they hold the reel

STATUS QUO WOES By Tom Jensen

Too many buildings, not enough sky

Can't solve your problems

Until you stop the lies

What about the children?

They're the ones being sacrificed

Better to leave 'em alone in the wilderness

Than to raise them to be crucified

Got to make it better than this

Do more than just criticize

We're wasting away

A little more everyday

Sometimes the truth is in the mirror

Gazing back into your eyes

You see the picture becoming clearer

And you find a great big surprise...

So that's why you got to know

When to go with the flow

Keep the status quo

And then to know when to resist

Know when to raise a fist

When to cease and desist

And how to buy an alibi

Too many people to keep 'em all in line

Many better men and women

Than me have spent their lives tryin'

To either relive, rewrite,

Forget or regret history

Yet dying before finally finding

And sighing because no one answers

Keep on opening doors

Without knowing what's behind them

And I don't want to be another sheep

Being led to the slaughter

For I've learned through getting burned

That some people's priceless advice

Really is worth less than a quarter

You say you didn't know any better

It used to be the story of my life

Funny now how some things

Are more important

Than you first thought them...

As you can only aspire to fly higher

Once you've hit rock bottom

So that's why you've got to know

When to go with the flow

Keep the status quo

When to hope and pray for it

When to say it

Know when to resist

Know when to raise a fist

And when to cease and desist

When to let it roll right off of your shoulder

Or else when to get pissed

'Cause you know you can't live like this

Where you get just one shot

And you missed!

Too many obstacles

That you get sucked in by the tentacles

Keep on walking in circles

Keep on praying for miracles

Believing that you are spiritual

While searching for an oracle

Be it mental, physical, biblical or historical

Got to fight this feeling

Can't give in to all the lying and stealing

I've walked the dark path

Now show me to the light

Tired of all the low-down

Dirty double dealing

Sometimes men and women of virtue

Have got to stand up and fight

When we know that we're right

Can't simply close your eyes

Cut your ties and end this plight

Can't simply send it back

What has gone off track

Better fight for more

Than just your own life

Because this is like day and night

Can't flick a switch, can't turn off the light

Still have to face it in the morning...

The fire that still keeps on burning

But at least you're learning....

Yeah, you're still learning

TWISTING THE KNIFE By Tom Jensen

When you wanna lash out 

And leave long lasting scars

You search deep within yourself

And remember who you are

For with your sharp tongue

You know which words will hurt the most

As your vision becomes an apparition

After you've disappeared like a ghost

Sometimes it's not whatcha say

But whatcha don't 

When you know whatcha wanna do

And yet you won't

Sometimes walking away 

Without a single word said

Just might say the most

And be best cure for your head

Severing the ties 

Without twisting the knife

Might be the hardest thing

You've ever done in your life

NOW BOARDING

by Tom Jensen

Whenever I see a sign

That says "now boarding"

My heart begins to ache

And my body it starts hurting

The people have spoken and are speaking:

My oars are broken and my boat's leaking

Of course the rudder's bent

Fallen mast mis-shapen

I hold no more reservations

'Bout myself safely escaping

I lost the motor...it's a mile back under water

Yet the course I steered to here

It was completely chartered

I'm afraid I've never been good

Great or well-led in navigation

My nickname at a young age was

Captain Head Scratching Hesitation

(haha)

It's well-earned and much deserved

As I waited (waded) in the water

Yet never walked the shore

That's when I'd go sailing inside my mind

As I'd crash into icebergs every single time

Sure I break things... But at least they're mine

The passengers safely bail

I'm the one laying it on the line

My name will never be Jonah...

Not afraid of being a big white whale

Thus here I sit in this boat all alone

With no one to share or tell this tale...

Whenever I see a sign that says "now boarding"

My heart begins to ache and my body it starts hurting

Woo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo ooh hoo hoo

SOMETHING IN MY GENES By Tom Jensen

I've got the life juice

Flowing inside me...

Sometimes

Other times

It's been denied from me

I think that depression

Is starting to kick in

Gotta find myself a room

And get checked in...

Quick!

Gotta get it together

Or else just keep on getting sick

Boy I'm in the mix

Into getting my fix

Fu$% being rich!

I'm just another hypocrite

Who talks and talks

But it's just more sh$%

So you learn to live with it

Become a walking regret

Or else a song-writing poet

Boy life sucks

Don't you know it?

I'm a druggie

I'm an alki

I'm a nicotine fiend

I'm a loser

An abuser

Do you know what I mean?

What I've done

Can't be undone

Oh, the things I've seen

This monkey on my back weighs a ton

A weight so heavy I cannot out run

There must be something in my genes

This monkey on my back weighs a ton

A weight so heavy I cannot out run

There's always something in my jeans

Just as the sun comes up

My head goes down

I pick up the paper

And then I put it down

I may waste my life

But at least it's just my own

You won't read about

Any killing sprees from me

When you get home

I may be on page fifty-six

Another kid, another lesson

Another druggie looking for his fix

Wrong place, wrong time

Got bagged for possession

In the home of the brave

And the land of the free

You get to choose

Your own obsession

I'm a druggie

I'm an alki

I'm a nicotine fiend

I'm a loser

An abuser

Do you know what I mean?

What I've done

Can't be undone

Oh, the things I've seen

I've always got something

To write about

I always find myself in a tunnel

In which I can't get out

As the light keeps getting

Dimmer in the distance

Every night I'm on the card

For the heavyweight bout

I once was strong

But now I'm beginning

To have my doubts

I think I may be in need

Of some assistance

ENTIRELY by Tom Jensen

When tragedy struck my family

I began my decent into insanity

It started to creep

Slowly week by week

And before too long

I found I couldn’t sleep

Never again alone

No, not with these fantasies

As I lost myself

To the worst version of me

That kept holding on

Until I couldn’t break free

And by the time I realized

What was happening to me

I became someone else …

Entirely

DEEP SEEDED

by Tom Jensen

I've been plowing these same fields for nearly thirty years

And ain't no great visions ever magically appeared

Just the sight of me standing here

Alone with my regrets and all of my deep seeded fears

There's so much work to be done

Once the summer comes the engine hums as the tractor runs

Seven days a week I'm out here in the sun

Back in my familiar place

Even though a new season has begun

It keeps the family fed

It's a dependable trade

It's the choice that I've made

For the last three decades

I've been living the same exact day

Never followed through on the things I say

Year by year my childhood dreams 

have faded further away

And now the sky is beginning to turn gray

Slowly my fields of wheat are turning into hay

All those conversations I've had with myself

Are becoming hearsay

This is the price I pay for being too afraid

I let myself down and now I feel betrayed

I've been plowing these same fields 

for nearly thirty years

And ain't no great visions ever magically appeared

Just the sight of me standing here

Alone with my regrets 

and all of my deep seeded fears

Looking back...

I think I've overextended my stay

I never merged onto the freeway

I never headed out onto the highway

My car just sat in the driveway

DISCARTES by Tom Jensen

I hear whispers from the lost souls of man

Questioning everything that I think that I am

So I do not think therefore I am not…

Part of the problem or solution

Since my character no longer

Plays any role in the plot

It is then my mind reminds me

I have no memory

And there was something else…

But I forgot

Today, what is not needed it gets deleted

Just as in ancient times

When translated, annihilated

Just meant defeated

No, not just the soldier in retreat

But his dog, his flag and his whole family

I hear whispers…

Voices unknown to me

Hence I fall back into a dream-like state

Looks like everything will have to wait

Living in a dream…

To wake up one must fall asleep

Returning to reality…

Close your eyes as the same process repeats

Peace!

RIVAL by Tom Jensen

Once the whole gets halved

There ain’t no going back

Yeah, it all went to hell real fast

Republicans and Democrats

As this nation is facing

The shattered aftermath

Our fate has been placed

In the hands of a psychopath

And asking a leader to lead

When no one agrees

Leads to blunders it’s a wonder

We’re all not deceased

The best way to start a fight

Part the middle between left and right

Just stir the pot to get some action

Then do what you want during the distraction

Yes the method is tried and true

Throughout history it’s been used

Safety’s in numbers not division

This fractured state will be our prison

So with this knowledge at our disposal

It’s time to act local while thinking global

We’re all allies in the struggle for survival

You’ll die for your brother…

While I’ll die for my rival

VIOLENCE IS THEIR SOLUTION

By Tom Jensen

Well it's time for me to swallow

My prescribed medication

While I'm forced to listen to

Their unspeakable dictation

Their twisting tongues

That speak of the wrong information

Well-ordered insanity

Also known as formal education

And while I'm waiting

For the next step in evolution

I say my prayers while

Violence is their solution

I was taught to believe

That the flag was a guide to inspiration

But I never enrolled

In blind patriotic dedication

My stomach would be queasy

When I felt the jittery vibration

Of the weapons on the firing line

As I manned the battle station

They order me to guard the bunker

Which represents the institution

They reload my gun because

Violence is their solution

You lost a lot of leaves

On your family tree for this nation

During the fall they all fell

Along with the laws of segregation

Nowadays times have changed

But there still lies the same temptation

Not every name has been signed

On the emancipation proclamation

Some would cower in a corner

Before demanding a new constitution

But while I give my peaceful demonstration

Violence is their solution

Seems as if everywhere you turn

Leads you to increased aggravation

You try so hard to blaze a better path

But it's branded deviation

They want you to believe

It's all about the money

And worry about inflation

But my friends there are some things

From which you cannot take a vacation

Once it's piled up past the hills

You just can't hide all of this pollution

As I daydream of how 

not to kill with spilled oil

Violence is their solution

If you want to rape Mother Nature

Then watch their demonstration

You can destroy it all

For a quick thrilling sensation

Just an inch or two of elevation

Too late to resort to masturbation

For Mother Nature 

wasn't meant for prostitution

As she screams help...

Violence is their solution

EMPTY BOTTLE By Tom Jensen

I know you're thinking

Pondering tomorrow

I finally quit drinking

Drowning in my sorrow

Saved myself from sinking

I put down the bottle

When it started leaking

Some things you only borrow

So I know what you're seeking

Who do you lead...whom do you follow?

We both know of what I'm speaking

What do you need and what is hollow?

Do you see your reflection

In an empty bottle?

You don't know where you’re going

Only God knows where you’ve been

But the river keeps on flowing

And the part of you unknowing

Always goes wading on in

Signs read danger, don't fall in

Or you don't know the trouble you're in

Water so sweet it tastes just like gin

Take a dip and be baptized

In the pool of sin

Yet this path you walk

Wasn't chosen all on your own

As the thoughts you think are so deceiving

Everyday drifting farther from home

Now you regret the day 

you thought of leaving

The hard stuff's in the freezer

The 30 pack's in the fridge

The troubles of the world are building

Which way to the bridge?

You don't know where you’re going

Only God knows where you’ve been

But the river keeps on flowing

And the part of you unknowing

Always goes wading on in

Signs read danger, don't fall in

Or you don't know the trouble you're in

Water so sweet it tastes just like gin

Take a dip and be baptized

In the pool of sin

I know you're thinking

Pondering tomorrow

I finally quit drinking

Drowning in my sorrow

Saved myself from sinking

I put down the bottle

When it started leaking

Some things you only borrow

So I know what you're seeking

Who do you lead...whom do you follow?

We both know of what I'm speaking

What do you need and what is hollow?

Do you see your reflection

In an empty bottle?

ROCKING THE WORLD by Lai Youttitham Tom Jensen

Stadium full of screaming teens

Hot young things in cut-off jeans

You're on the front page of magazines

And you find yourself...

Driving the media machine

A hot shot on the social scene

This reality was once just a dream

Status whore…such a libertine

When you find yourself... in the back seat of limousines 

Everywhere you go... it always seems as though...

Everybody knows your face and name...

They call you a rock n' roller

Because you're rocking the world

You're stopping traffic

Without crossing streets

Smiling face on everyone you meet

Full house with no empty seats

People pay you money

Just to hear you speak

Everywhere you go...

it always seems as though...

Everybody knows your face, your name

They call you a rock n' roller

Because you're rocking the world