James
& Douglass
All songs recorded live in concert.
If the song isn't credited
to someone else,
it's mine, all rights reserved. - Alan J
1. Mother
Earth, Father Sky
In honor of the ways of my tribal friends
and all that I've learned from them.
2. Goodbye
California
and it ain't me that's leavin'.
(It's a sinkalong song. :-)
3. Dinosaurs
A Guy Clark song that I sincerely wish
I had thought of before he did.
4. Fool
in Love
Than which there's nothin' better to be.
5. Don't
Think Twice
Bob Dylan's song, in "blues" (12/8) time
because Ken Graydon told me it was one.
6. Wish
Come True
Good love songs dance the slippery slope
beside the swamp of sentimental slop
without trippin' and fallin' in.
7. Instant
Cowboy
As a fair warning instead of an introduction:
this one was inspired by a John Travolta movie.
8. Midnight
Rambler
This one's for all the bartenders I've known.
9. Hard
Times Come No More
Greg Douglass plays Stephen Foster,
and says it all without a word.
10. Dreamsong
A minstrel friend of mine from very long ago
gets co-writing credit for this one.
11. Brotherhood
Blues
I wrote this in 1965 in San Francisco,
while we were protesting against the war,
and it's a cryin' shame it's still so true.
12. Bless
Our Children
'Cause they truly are the hope of the world,
and we do so little to foster their hopes.
13. Pass
It On
An old house painter did this song to me
way back when I was on the road.
Never underestimate an act of kindness,
nor old house painters neither.
And on the right--
mostly just me and my guitars.
Rough Cuts
(All mine, all rights reserved. - Alan J :-)
"It's a good thing that hope springs
eternal--
That hearts break, but love never dies. . ."
Come wander that path with me for a bit.
1. Britt's
Song
Like the song says, beginnings are magic.
2. Britt's
Song #2
And like #1 also says, endings are tragic.
Britt's songs mark the beginning and
the end
of a love story. . . One from when we met,
and the other from fifteen years later,
two days before she left this world.
4. Love's
Story
But like Britt's songs don't say--
the in-between ain't always magic.
5. Western
Sea
And sometimes you just get it wrong.
6. Goin'
Home
And then comes starting over. . .
whether it's with the same person or not.
7. Sour
Grapes
A comic tale of the end that never began.
8. Susan's
Song
The one who inspired it didn't want it--
but eventually the right Susan turned up,
so now this song is hers instead.
9. The
Reluctant Genie
If the gods and their minions
always did as you desire (or pray :-),
you'd be their god-- so it ain't gonna happen.
10. Starfire
The only end of time there is, is now.
The only end of space there is, is here.
And the only end of life is when it began.
11. We
Who Are the Dancers
(Randi Phillips / Alan James)
This song is for all of the songwriters,
and the spirits who tell us what to say;
and as for you, your part's easy:
If the shoe fits-- dance in it.
And here's a video
for your viewing pleasure
