WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR SUFFERING

WE ARE THE MASTERS
WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR SUFFERING

Lyrics

WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR SUFFERING

Kill my dreams
Steal my heart
Break my body into
A million parts
Find the lesson in the pain
Or we’ll be back this way again

Ship of fools
Sailing blind
Ends up shattered on the
Reefs of time
No one wants to take the blame
We seem addicted to the pain

Brown eyes swimming for the surface
Someone reaching for your hand
Will you offer them some solace?
Will you finally take a stand?

We close our eyes
And walk the ledge
Hand in hand we light the fuse
That blows the bridge
Now we’ll see what we have learned
Can we heal what we have burned?

We are the masters of our suffering
There is no need to look above
We are the masters of our suffering
It is a measure of our love

Look around
Check your heart
Salvation waits
Like a lover in the dark
Find the lesson in the pain
Or we’ll be back this way again

We are the masters of our suffering
There is no need to look above
We are the masters of our suffering
It is a measure of our love

We close our eyes
And walk the ledge
Hand in hand we light the fuse
That blows the bridge
Now we’ll see what we have learned
Can we heal what we have burned?

©2008 Van Clayton Powel

HUSH, LITTLE ONE

WHEN I'M WITH YOU
HUSH, LITTLE ONE

Lyrics

HUSH, LITTLE ONE

Hush, little one
Don’t you cry
Momma will sing you a lullaby
Rocking you gently
I’ll kiss all your tears away
Kiss all your tears away

Hush, little one
Don’t you cry
Safe in my arms with this lullaby
Let the sweet melody
Chase all your fears away
Chase all your fears away

‘Cause I love you
Yes, I love you so
And I’ll never
Never let you go

So hush, little one
Close your eyes
Feel my love touching you deep inside
I will be here watching over you
Night and day
Every night, every day

Oo, I love you
Yes, I love you so
And I’m never
Never lettin’ go

So hush, little one
Close your eyes
Drift into sleep with my lullaby
Let your dreams come now
And know I will always be near
Yes, I will always be here
Holding you, holding you dear
Holding you, holding you near
(Ni’night)

©1995 Van Clayton Powel

SEARCHIN'

WHEN I'M WITH YOU
SEARCHIN’

Lyrics

SEARCHIN’

Downtown looking for you in London
Driving empty streets of L.A.
Concrete canyons uptown New York
Send me back to check Marseilles

Hot tip takes me down to Dubai
Where smugglers sail me to Bombay
I find a trail that leads to Shanghai
Then down to Rio the next day

I’m searchin’, still searching
But this searchin’
Is taking far too long
I’m searchin’, and I’ll keep searchin’
‘Til I find where honesty has gone

Well you can say you lie for her sake
When you hide the way you cheat
And that might help you face the mirror
But deep inside you know you’re weak

And you can justify your crime wave
Your closet full of three-piece suits, yeah
Penthouse views and offshore millions
The only way you measure truth

Yeah, I’m searchin’, still searching
But this searchin’
Is taking far too long
I’m searchin’, and I’ll keep searchin’
‘Til I find where honesty has gone

If every politician’s lying
And every lawyer’s sucking blood
If every banker’s in your pocket
Well tell me who it is you trust

If every corporation’s psycho
And every activist a fool
Well I guess we should have seen it coming
‘Cause we’ve made mockery of the rules

I’m searchin, still searching
But this searchin
Is taking far too long
I’m searchin, and I’ll keep searchin
‘Til I find where honesty has gone

©2009 Van Clayton Powel

McKAY

WHEN I'M WITH YOU
McKAY

Lyrics

McKay

First morning light breaking thin
Looking outside, then at him
Avenue snow hard as ice
Slippery and cold, like this life

Back into bed, one last time
Reach for his face, trace the lines
Honor cuts hard, leaves deep tracks
He can’t give an inch, I can’t go back

My  my,  sweet  sweet,  McKay
My  my,  sweet  sweet,  McKay
Don’t  look  back,  walk  away
From  my  sweet  sweet  McKay

So long ago at seventeen
Carving his name in my jeans
Then Washington Bridge front-seat love
The velvet and steel of his touch

Well, I became his one, one, one real thing
And he was the King of the, King of the Avenue Kings
Leathers and crime, hot-blood fights
The Chevy that screamed from the lights

My  my,  sweet  sweet,  McKay
My  my,  sweet  sweet,  McKay
Don’t  look  back,  walk away
From  my  sweet  sweet  McKay

But needles and lies stole the glory
And six months of his time
Now I want him back
But I can’t take that past
Can’t take that past back again

Tell him I’m leaving, he laughs
We make love like it has to last
Leaves him convinced  I won’t leave
Leave as he rolls up his sleeve

I walk outside, I walk outside down the stairs
Breathing in new life, cold air
A broken charm left up there on the floor
Never can be like before

My  my,  sweet  sweet,  McKay
My  my,  sweet  sweet,  McKay
Don’t  look  back,  walk away
From  my  sweet  sweet  McKay

©1995 Van Clayton Powel

GET UP AND DANCE

GET UP AND DANCE
GET UP AND DANCE

Lyrics

GET UP AND DANCE

Well I know sometimes we gotta work real hard
Pick up the shovel, dig right in, gotta move that yard
And I know for sure it’s a long freeway
Stuck in the car, but what can we do
We got bills to pay
Ohhh, but when you smile at me like that
It shivers up my back

I wanna dance, I can dance, I can get up an dance
I gotta dance right now
Get up and dance, you can dance, you can get up and dance
Come on and dance right now

‘Cause the wind might blow and the rain might fall
And your summer just might pass you by
Before you finish that wall
And it’d be so sad just to hammer all day
Then to face the night all alone
‘Cause you hadn’t stopped to play
So when you see your children smile
Lay down your tools a while

Get up and dance, you can dance, you can get up and dance
They wanna dance right now
Get up and dance, you can dance, you can get up and dance
Come on and dance right now

Well I know just why, and I hope it never ends
Because my life is so much better when I’m in the arms of friends
So I reach out now and I grab your hand
‘Cause I know if we just dance together
We can make this world a lovely land
Oh yeah,
Close your eyes and feel the beat
Lift your heart and feet

Come on and dance, you can dance, you can get up and dance
Ya gotta dance right now
Get up and dance, you can dance, you can get up and dance
Come on and dance right now

©2006 Van Clayton Powel

HUMAN BEING

HUMAN BEING by Van Clayton Powel
HUMAN BEING


 Lyrics

HUMAN BEING

The eagles are flying
The wind’s in my face
I’m high on the mountain top
Oh yeah, in my magical place

I’m dining on sunlight
I’m drinking down the rain
I’m doing the best I can
In this life as a human being

Well, it’s a fine time
Such a fine, fine, fine time
Yes, it’s a fine time
To be alive as a human being
Yes, it’s a fine time
Feeling love with this body and mind
Well, it’s a fine time
To be alive as a human being

Well, some come to suffer
And some come to win
Some come to learn there’s no such thing
As original sin

Some come for lovers
Some give their whole life to family or friends
Some don’t mind living alone
‘Cause they know we come back again

Well, it’s a fine time
Such a fine, fine, fine time
Yes, it’s a fine time
To be alive as a human being
Yes, it’s a fine time
Feeling love with this body and mind
Well, it’s a fine time
To be alive as a human being

The mystery of ecstasy and agony
They say it’s why we’re here
Well maybe so but not for me
I only came to Earth to have you near

Well, it’s a fine time
Such a fine, fine, fine time
Yes, it’s a fine time
To be alive as a human being
Yes, it’s a fine time
Feeling love with this body and mind
Well, it’s a fine time
To be alive as a human being

©2010 Van Clayton Powel

FINALLY

FINALLY
FINALLY
(extended version)

Lyrics

FINALLY

Here’s the sun
Here’s the moon
And all the stars I can gather
Here’s my night
Here’s my day
And every moment that matters
Here are the chains
Bind them tight
Wrap your lifetimes around me
Here I am
Here you are
Finally

Here’s my life
Here at last
Seems so long I’ve been waiting
Here’s my heart
Come alive
Not one beat hesitating
Here’s my hand
Read the lines
They all say you would find me
Now here I am
And here you are
Finally

Comes a moment for every soul
Can’t live alone anymore
Comes a moment for every soul
Those eyes look at you and you know

That here’s the sun
Here’s the moon
And all the stars I can gather
Here’s my life
Here’s my heart
And every moment that matters
So here’s my love
All for you
It’s always been here inside me
Now here I am
And here you are
Finally

Here’s the sun
Here’s the moon
And all the stars I can gather
Here’s my night
Here’s my day
And every moment that matters
Well here are the chains
Bind them tight
Wrap your lifetimes around me
‘Cause here I am
And here you are
Finally

©2011 Van Clayton Powel