Janis Ian - Billie'S Bones (2004) by Janis Ian (보컬) on maniadb.com

billie's tears fall like dust
from the air into my eyes
seeping in before they rust
spilling secrets words can't hide
i am standing on the bones
of a mound too high to climb
selling secrets to atone
for a song that is not mine

billie's bones are white and bleached
piled high and hard to reach
and the top looks cold and bleak
but i see farther when i stand
on billie's bones in billie's land

there's an orchid in her hair
there are bruises on her lips
i would worship if i dared
kneeling at her fingertips
i would tell her how i've yearned
to be worthy of the grail
all these years and all i've learned
is just how brilliantly i fail

billie's bones are white and bleached
piled high and hard to reach
and the top looks cold and bleak
but i see farther when i stand
on billie's bones in billie's land

now the flesh of earth has passed
now the joints have come undone
all that's left of her is ash
scattered on the air like crumbs

there are voices on the wind
stolen whispers, sacred moans
you can hear them through your skin
and the singing of the bones
when the wind blows from the east
i can taste her on my tongue
and the grave is lined and paved with
all the songs we never sung

billie's bones are white and bleached
piled high and hard to reach
and the top looks cold and bleak
but i see farther when i stand
on billie's bones in billie's land

When all my dreams have been shattered
And the fabric of life comes undone
When it seems like nothing matters
And all of my good times are gone
There's a place that I've kept sheltered
From the sight of my sorrow and shame
Though it's years since I beheld her
She still calls my name

I'll go home, I'll go home
Where the wild shadows roam
And the dawn over mountaintops spills
Where the deer pause in flight
On the edge of the night
I'll go home to my Tennessee hills
I'll go home to my Tennessee hills

When all my vows have been broken
And my wild heart can't be tamed
When I've loved and lost once too often
And failure is my middle name
There's a place that holds forgiveness
And the promise of peace in despair
When I'm down to my last witness
I'll be going there

I'll go home, I'll go home
Where the wild shadows roam
And the dawn over mountaintops spills
Where the deer pause in flight
On the edge of the night
I'll go home to my Tennessee hills
I'll go home to my Tennessee hills

Every time I see you, I see Paris in your eyes
A hint of the forbidden, Brigitte Bardot style
Every time I dream of you, I dream that distant land
Where I once held tomorrow in my hand

First time I saw Paris in your eyes
You told me how you loved me
Under blue Picasso skies
We spoke of Michelangelo
And we solved each others' lives
The first time I saw Paris in your eyes

Every time I touched you,
I could taste a breath of spring
April in Paris is every lover's dream
Every time I'd call your name,
It would sound so much in tune
Just like Notre dame cathedral at high noon

First time I saw Paris in your eyes
You told me how you loved me
Under blue Picasso skies
We spoke of Michelangelo
And we solved each others' lives
The first time I saw Paris in your eyes

Now every time I see you April showers seem to start
And they rain on every hope I have
'Til they hurricane my heart
And every time I dream of you
I dream of what we had
And wonder how could something so good go so bad

The last time I saw Paris in your eyes
You told me you were leaving
Under blue Picasso skies
We spoke of Michelangelo
And believed each others' lies
The last time I saw Paris in your eyes
The last time I saw Paris in your eyes

If I could only hear my mother sing again
If I could close my eyes and hear your voice as then
All the friends and family
Would sing along with me
And set your spirit free

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
When I sing those songs
With family and friends
In my heart I hear you sing again

I know the troubled times that turned your hair to grey
And all the tears and sorrows followed to your grave
But deep within the heart of hunger
There were always melodies
Passed from you to me

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
When I sing those songs
For family and friends
In my heart I hear you sing again

And it's a long, long road I've come
Since my mother's songs were heard
But the child I can't outrun
Still hangs on every word

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
When I sing those songs
With family and friends
In my heart I hear you sing again

Just the pattern of sunlight on a building
Just a flash in a window I was passing
Just a frame in a movie I remember
Amsterdam
Just the sound of a wheel in the gravel
Just the click of a heel in the pavement
Just a moment like any other moment
Amsterdam
I remember your lips
I remember your eyes
And the taste of the kiss
And your graceful goodbye
You lied… goodbye
Just the scent of perfume on the linen
Just the print of a palm on the pillow
Just the hint of the moon from the window
Amsterdam
Just a ghost in the steam on the mirror
Just a shadow of motion in the water
Just a need to look over my shoulder
Amsterdam
I remember your lips
I remember your eyes
And the taste of the kiss
And your graceful goodbye
You lied… goodbye
Just two lovers asleep in the silence
As I walk from the door
Just the weight of a heart
As it's falling nothing more
I remember your lips
I remember your eyes
And the taste of the kiss
And your graceful goodbye you lied…
Goodbye goodbye, goodbye

Who will die by fire?
Who will seek the flame?
Whose heart's desire has the most to gain?
Who will beg for mercy?
Who will bow their head?
Who will suffer gladly?
Who will welcome death?

Who will play the hero?
Who will turn and run
Who will always follow someone else's drum?
Who will die of beauty?
Who will die of hope?
Who will tell it truly?
Who will leave it cloaked?

Dead men walking in the night
Dead men talking in my ear
I am afraid to ask too much and disappear
When they are near

Who will call me lover?
Who will call me friend?
Who'll be my brother?
Who will just pretend?


Who will I surrender?
Who will I defend?
Will I be remembered?
Will I rise again?

Dead men walking in the world tonight
Dead men talking in my ear
I am afraid to ask too much and disappear
When they are near

Carve my name upon your heart
Let it leave an everlasting scar
A shooting star

Dead men walking in the world tonight
Dead men talking in my ear
I am afraid to ask too much and disappear

Dead men walking in the world tonight
Dead men talking in my ear
I am afraid to ask too much when they are near

Dead men walking in the world tonight
Dead men talking in my ear
I am afraid to ask too much

In the heart of the city
Is the beat of a soul?
And it stares out the window
As the cars come and go
And it hungers for heroes
And it dreams of open skies
And there's no expectation
That the sun will rise

You better save somebody
Save somebody
Before the moment slips away
You better save somebody
Who'll be lonely?
When you walk away

There's a crack in the heavens
And a tear in the sky
It cuts through the shadows
Living in her eyes
And the gates of the city
Are closed until dawn
When the ghosts of midnight
Have come and gone
And the hearts of the weary carry on

You better save somebody
Save somebody
Before the moment slips away
You better save somebody
Who'll be lonely?
When you walk away

And I'm thinking of your silence
How the memory lingers on
And I wonder do you miss me
Now that I am gone
Now that I am gone
You better save somebody
Save somebody
Before the moment slips away

You better save somebody
Who'll be lonely?
When you walk away

If I had a mockingbird
For every tear I've shed
The skies would rain with laughter
Every time I raised my head
And every drop would be a tear
That fell upon the ground
Until the waters rose so high
That I must surely drown
And it's cold, cold, cold
And no hint of spring
Yes it's cold, cold, cold
When the mockingbirds sing
When I used to walk this earth
Beneath the harvest moon
All the heavens rose above me
Silent as a tomb
Now the skies are filled with noise
The moonlight wears a shroud
Black enough to bury
Every broken ugly vow
And it's cold, cold, cold
And no hint of spring
Yes it's cold, cold, cold
When the mockingbirds sing
If I had a mockingbird
For every lie I found
The sky would fill with laughter
'til it shattered from the sound
And every piece that fell to earth
Would land with such a spark
That finally there'd be flame enough
To warm my broken heart
And it's cold, cold, cold
And no hint of spring
Yes it's cold, cold, cold
When the mockingbirds sing

Mary's eyes are startling blue
And her hair's Newcastle gold
And she walks the thin white line
Between the body and the soul
She's as faithful to her history
As a novice to his fast
For she is standing on the bones
Of Ireland's past

She is singing of the troubles
And a fire in the land
'til I can almost feel the famine
Slipping through my trembling hand
And I wonder as I hear her
That the spirit still shines through
And she can reach across the ocean deep
And break my heart in two

Mary's wise as she is foolish
She's as constant as the tide
For it's a woman's heart that beats beneath
That stubborn Irish pride
We are saints and we are sinners
We are heroes we are thieves
We are all of us beginners
On the road to Galilee

She is singing of the troubles
And a fire in the land
'til I can almost feel the famine
Slipping through my trembling hand
And I wonder as I hear her
That the spirit still shines through
And she can reach across the ocean deep
And break my heart in two

So let us hoist a pint of silence
To the east where Ireland lies
And we'll stare across the waters
For a glimpse of Mary's eyes
We are ships without a harbour
We are sailors on dry land
And the song goes on forever
Even though the record can't

She is singing of the troubles
And a fire in the land
'til I can almost feel the famine
Slipping through my trembling hand
And I wonder as I hear her
That the spirit still shines through
And she can reach across the ocean deep
And break my heart in two

They said lay down in the water
Even though you don't believe
All your sins will be forgiven
And your soul will be redeemed
So I walked into the water
And I fell down to my knees
And I took out some insurance
And I bought a little peace

But when I lay down, I lied
When I lay down, I lied

He said - darling do you love me
I and I said - sure I do
And I led him to believe me
As I proved that it was true
Well I let my body love him
God knows I really tried
And the comfort of it touched him
And his heart was satisfied

But when I lay down, I lied
When I lay down, I lied

…to make them happy
And I lied so they would care
I lied 'cause I was lonely
And I lied 'cause I was scared
I lied so some would leave me
And I lied so some would stay
I lied until I lied my life away

I dreamed my life was over
And they laid me in my grave
I was frightened of forever
And the price I'd have to pay
And I thought that god would hate me
'cause I'd lived my life in sin
But (I felt the truth embrace me) (he knelt down to embrace me)
(As heaven let me in) (And together, we walked in)

And when I lay down
I lay down and cried