Swing Life Away

Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up?
Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck?
Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost?

I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

I've been here so long, I think that it's time to move
The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow

I've got some friends, some that I hardly know
But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
Until you hold my hand ...

I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words

We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand

Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away

-Rise Against

Check out the music video here.

Right Here

I know I've been mistaken
But just give me a break and see the changes that I've made
I've got some imperfections
But how can you collect them all and throw them in my face

But you always find a way
To keep me right here waiting
You always find the words to say
To keep me right here waiting
And if you chose to walk away
I'd still be right here waiting
Searching for the things to say
To keep you right here waiting

I hope you're not intending
To be so condescending it's as much as I can take
And you're so independent
You just refuse to bend so I keep bending till I break

But you always find a way
To keep me right here waiting
You always find the words to say
To keep me right here waiting
And if you chose to walk away
I'd still be right here waiting
Searching for the things to say
To keep you right here waiting

I've made a commitment
I'm willing to bleed for you
I needed fulfillment
I found what I need in you

Why can't you just forgive me
I don't want to relive all the mistakes I've made along the way

But I always find a way
To keep you right here waiting
I always find the words to say
To keep you right here waiting

But you always find a way
To keep me right here waiting
You always find the words to say
To keep me right here waiting
And if I chose to walk away
Would you be right here waiting
Searching for the things to say
To keep me right here waiting

-Staind

Check out the music video here.

Existentialism on Prom Night

When the sun came up
We were sleeping in
Sunk inside our blankets
Sprawled across the bed
And we were dreaming

There are moments when
When I know it and
The world revolves around us
And we're keeping it
Keep it all going
This delicate balance
Vulnerable all knowing

Sing like you think no one's listening
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would kill for this

Sing like you think no one's listening
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would, you would

Sing me something soft
Sad and delicate
Or loud and out of key
Sing me anything
We're glad for what we've got
Done with what we've lost
Our whole lives laid out
Right in front of us

Sing like you think no one's listening
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would, you would

Sing like you think no one's listening
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would

Sing me something soft
Sad and delicate
Or loud and out of key
Sing me anything

-Straylight Run

Check out the music video here.

Sea of Faces

I see the city lights all around me
Everyone's obscure
Ten million people each with their problems
Why should anyone care?

And in Your eyes I can see
I am not just a man,
Vastly lost in this world
Lost in a sea of faces
Your body's the bread,
Your blood is the wine
Because You traded Your life for mine

Sometimes my life it feels so trivial
Immersed in the greatness of space
Yet somehow You still find the time for me
It's then You show me Your love

And in Your eyes I can see
And in Your arms I will be

I am not just a man,
Vastly lost in this world
Lost in a sea of faces
Your body's the bread,
Your blood is the wine
Because You traded Your life for mine

If only my one heart
Was all You'd gain from all it cost
Well I know You would have still been a man
With a reason
To willingly offer Your life

I am not just a man,
Vastly lost in this world
Lost in a sea of faces
Your body's the bread,
Your blood is the wine
Because You traded Your life for mine

Just one in a million faces

-Kutless

The Change Inside of Me

Pardon me
If I've been acting strange
I haven't been myself lately
What you see
Is a person rearranged
Someone affected me greatly
And I've got so much to say
Ever since Jesus looked my way

Gonna raise my voice like thunder
And leave the world in wonder of the change
The change inside of me
And I will never stop believing
That You are the reason for this change
The change inside of me

Everyday
I'm taking in the view
Of His glory around me
I'm awake
And I have been made new
By the One who has found me
Words just can't say enough
When all I can feel is love

Gonna raise my voice like thunder
And leave the world in wonder of the change
The change inside of me
And I will never stop believing
That You are the reason for this change
The change inside of me

Your life You gave for mine to save
It's nothing less than a miracle
Your name I praise, because the change
Inside of me is so beautiful

Gonna raise my voice like thunder
And leave the world in wonder of the change
The change inside of me
And I will never stop believing
That You are the reason for this change
The change inside of me

Gonna raise my voice like thunder
And leave the world in wonder of the change
The change inside of me
And I will never stop believing
That You are the reason for this change

-MercyMe

on the road to beautiful

okay ... so after an absolutely amazing week in philly, this is the first of many songs to try and describe the change i'm going through that i could never say in my own words in a million years because God is just that awesome.

i crumble at Your kiss and grace
i'm a weakling in the dust
teach me how to cling to You
with all my life and all my love

Father come to me, hold me up
'cause i can barely stand
my strength is gone and
my breath is short,
i can't reach out my hands
but my heart is set on a pilgrimage
to heaven's own bright King
so in faltering or victory
i will always sing

and on the road to beautiful
my seasons always change
byt my life is spent on loving You
to know You in Your power and pain

Father come to me, hold me up
'cause i can barely stand
my strength is gone and
my breath is short,
i can't reach out my hands
but my heart is set on a pilgrimage
to heaven's own bright King
so in faltering or victory
i will always sing

You're my portion in this life
You're my strength now in my fight
and to You i pledge my heart
in the pain and in the dark i'll love You
i'll love You, i'll love You, i'll love You...

Father come to me, hold me up
'cause i can barely stand
my strength is gone
and my breath is short
i can't reach out my hands
but my heart is set on a pilgrimage
to heaven's own bringht King
so in faultering or victory
i will always sing

and my heart is set on a pilgrimage
to heaven's own bright King
so in faultering or victory
i will always sing

i'll love You ...
i'll love You ...
i'll love You ...

-Charlie Hall

What Am I To You

What am I to you
Tell me darlin' true
To me you are the sea
Vast as you can be
And deep the shade of blue

When you're feeling low
Oh, to whom else do you go
See I cry if you hurt
I'd give you my last shirt
Because I love you so

Now if my sky should fall
Would you even call
I've opened up my heart
I never want to part
I'm giving you the ball

When I look in your eyes
I can feel the butterflies
I will love you when you're blue
Tell me darlin' true
What am I to you

Now if my sky should fall
Would you even call
I will open up my heart
I never want to part
I'm giving you the ball

When I look in your eyes
I can feel the butterflies
Could you find a love in me
Would you carve me in a tree
Don't fill my heart with lies

I will you love when you're blue
Tell me darlin' true
What am I to you

-Norah Jones

Check out the music video here.

The Real Life

Well I wanted to find somewhere to hide
When I opened up and let those fears inside
And I wanted to be anyone else
Only to find that there was no one there but me

But I woke up to the real life
And I realized it's not worth running from anymore
When there was nowhere left to hide I found out
That nothing's real here but I won't stop now until I find
A better part of me

I let those hard days get me down
And all the things I hate got in my way
I could have screamed without a sound
I found myself silenced by those things they say

But I woke up to the real life
And I realized it's not worth running from anymore
When there was nowhere left to hide I found out
That nothing's real here but I won't stop now until I find
A better part of me

That's out there somewhere
And it can't be that far away
That's where I found myself
And I'll find my way out
That's where I'll find out

But I woke up to the real life
And I realized it's not worth running from anymore
When there was nowhere left to hide I found out
That nothing's real here but I won't stop now until I find
A better part of me

-3 Doors Down

To Be Honest

I'm scared to wander outside major keys
So I sing a song that I wrote just to please
The fools and the fakes afraid just like me
To be...honest

So I play pretend with my smile painted on
At best I'm a clown and at worst I'm a con
Convincing the crowd and myself nothing's wrong
To be...honest

My soul is trembling
Knowing they're listening
But all that I need to be
Is all that You're making me

I'm leaving the stage
You can turn my lights down
The curtains are closed
And I'm taking my bow
Lord help me remember
Cause I forget how to be honest
Honest

And I rewrote my story without tragedy
Left out the lines that reveal I am weak
Erased every reason for You to save me
To be...honest

My soul is trembling
Knowing they're listening
But all that I need to be
Is all that You're making me

I'm leaving the stage
You can turn my lights down
The curtains are closed
And I'm taking my bow
Lord help me remember
Cause I forget how to be honest
Honest
Honest

-Shaun Groves

Serenity

As I sit here and slowly close my eyes
I take another deep breath
And feel the wind pass through my body
I'm the one in your soul
Reflecting inner light
Protect the ones who hold you
Cradling your inner child

I need serenity
In a place where I can hide
I need serenity
Nothing changes, days go by

Where do we go when we just don't know
And how do we relight the flame when it's cold
Why do we dream when our thoughts mean nothing
And when will we learn to control

Tragic visions slowly stole my life
Tore away everything
Cheating me out of my time
I'm the one who loves you
No matter wrong or right
And every day I hold you
I hold you with my inner child

I need serenity
In a place where I can hide
I need serenity
Nothing changes, days go by

Where do we go when we just don't know
And how do we relight the flame when it's cold
Why do we dream when our thoughts mean nothing
And when will we learn to control

Where do we go when we just don't know
And how do we relight the flame when it's cold
Why do we dream when our thoughts mean nothing
And when will we learn to control

I need serenity
I need serenity

-Godsmack

Check out the music video here.

Unwell

All day staring at the ceiling
Making friends with shadows on my wall
All night hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for something

Hold on
Feeling like I'm headed for a
Breakdown
And I don't know why

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be ... me

I'm talking to myself in public
Dodging glances on the train
And I know, I know they've all been talking about me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong, with me
Out of all the hours thinking
Somehow I've lost my mind

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be

I've been talking in my sleep
Pretty soon they'll come to get me
Yeah, they're taking me away

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be

Yeah, how I used to be
How I used to be
Well, I'm just a little unwell
How I used to be
How I used to be
I'm just a little unwell

-Matchbox Twenty

Check out the music video here.

Fight Club Quote #4

Only after disaster can we be resurrected.
-Tyler Durden

I Hope You Dance

Karen wrote me a letter with the lyrics to this song a little over a year ago I guess, but I never realized how much they meant to me until now. A little piece of advice I'm passing on from a friend: Don't ever stop dancing.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance, I hope you dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years
And wonder, where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance, I hope you dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years
And wonder, where those years have gone
Tell me who wants to look back on their years
And wonder, where those years have gone)

-Lee Ann Womack

Check out the music video here.

Bitter Sweet Symphony

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah,

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

Well I never pray
But tonight I'm on my knees yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now
But the airways are clean and there's nobody singing to me now

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
I can't change
I can't change

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
Try to find some money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the things meet yeah

You know I can change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

I can't change my mold
no, no, no, no, no,
I can't change
Can't change my body,
no, no, no

I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
Been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Have you ever been down?
Have you ever been down?

-The Verve

Fight Club Quote #3

This one deserves an explaination, though I'm not sure I can give it one ... There's something ironically similar to the words and my current life, but I can't put my finger on it just yet. Read it and leave comments for me ... maybe we can figure it out together. But either way, it's an awesome quote.

I felt like destroying something beautiful.
-Narrator

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

I have climbed highest mountain
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire

I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Of my shame
You know I believed it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

-U2

Behind Those Eyes

Ohh yeah
Ohh yeah

You said I've got something to say
Then you got that look in your eye
There is something you've got to know
You said it as you started to cry

I've been down the wrong road tonight
And I swear I'll never go there again
I've seen this face once before
And I don't think I can do this again

There's something I can't see
There's something different in the way you smile
Behind those eyes you lie
And there's nothing I can say
'Cause I'm never gonna change your mind
Behind those eyes you hide

As you turned to walk away
I saw another look in your eye
And even though it hurt like it did
I couldn't let this be your goodbye
No, no

You say that your sorry
And you say now that it hurts you the same
Is there something here to believe
Or is it just another part of the game

There's something I can't see
Something different in the way you smile
Behind those eyes you lie
And there's nothing I can say
'Cause I'm never gonna change your mind
Behind those eyes you hide

Ohh yeah
Ooooooo
Ohh woah

Behind those eyes you lie
Behind those eyes you hide

There's something I can't see
Something different in the way you smile
Behind those eyes you lie
And there's nothing I can say
'Cause I'm never gonna change your mind
Behind those eyes you hide

There's nothing I can say
That's ever gonna make you change your mind
Behind those eyes you hide

Behind those eyes you hide

-3 Doors Down

Fight Club Quote #2

This one goes out to everyone who's met me post-Will, and a few people who have gotten to know me better since ...

You met me at a very strange time in my life.
-Narrator

Never Alone

I waited for You today
But You didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I’m never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I’m never alone

We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I’m never alone

-Barlow Girl

Yellow Ribbon

Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the spring time, in the early month of May
And if you asked her why the heck she wore it
She'd say she wore it for her soldier who was far, far away