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Siren Songs Part One

by Dave Shiflett

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1.
Smile While You Can 04:30
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If you feel like you are down my darling you should call a nurse If you feel like you are dead my darling you should call a hearse If you feel that life is bad baby it could be much worse So smile while you can All that misery Crying on TV It’s not my cup of tea it’s not for me So smile while you can Last night I had a dream It was so serene I saw a lion dance with a lamb I heard the angels sing smile while you can There will be a season When smiling has no reason Let’s not fear tomorrow Let’s deep six all our sorrow And smile and not care what it means Just smile, it will brighten our scene Don’t think that we are big freaks With some giant sanity leak We all know the game (don’t we darling?) Life can get insane (without warning) Don’t hide your heart inside a cold stone Free up your mind, baby let your soul roam Singing halleluiah Brother what’s it to ya? Singing Hare Krishna Sing it loud my sista Don’t want to see your sad eyes Smile and your spirits will rise Let’s put some joy on for size Don’t care if it’s just a disguise We all know the game Life is full of pain Everyone knows but try not to care Fools are the ones who make peace with despair Let’s go do some chillin Hope that you are willin’ Let the old Mad Hatter Dance in our gray matter So smile, smile while you can Smile, smile while you can Smile, smile while you can
2.
A Simple Thing 04:56
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If you will give me love A little at a time I will take that love And press it into wine And I pour that wine On nights when we are blue It’s just a simple thing A thing two lovers do A simple thing today But not tomorrow so The night will follow day Some nights will pass so slow It’s just a simple thing A thing two lovers do A thing I do for you If you will give me hope I’ll bake it into bread And when we have no hope I’ll see that we are fed And on those hopeless nights I will pour the wine The wine that we have saved A little at a time It’s just a simple thing But not tomorrow so The night shall follow day Some nights will pass so slow It’s just a simple thing A thing two lovers do A thing I do for you It’s just a simple thing Like early morning rain That on our longest day You pray will come again A love beyond the heart A hope that knows no time A truth baked into bread A truth pressed into wine And I will pour the wine And I will bake the bread And on our darkest night I’ll see that we are fed And we will have our hope And will live our love Till good times come again Till good times come again
3.
Perfect Sky 04:35
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Perfect Sky When I see you sad and lonely When those tears you start to cry Then I know I love you only Doesn’t matter why If you want to dream a little Come and lie here side by side We can watch the stars tell stories Out in the perfect sky I don’t believe in Cinderella Don’t believe in magic spells I have never heard the story They say that time will tell But I do know that I love you I know love’s no magic wand I was feeling down and hopeless Before you came along So when I see you sad and lonely When those tears you start to cry Then I know I love you only It doesn’t matter why If you want to dream a little Come and lie here side by side We can watch the stars tell stories Out in the perfect sky I never made wishes at a well I never had a fortune I’d want to tell But you gave me a feeling that I know so well When the stars are telling stories Destiny seems suddenly there I can’t believe in Cinderella Can’t believe in magic spells I may never hear the story They say that time will tell But I do know that I love you Come and lie here side by side And the stars may tell our story Out in the perfect sky Perfect sky
4.
Distant Star 03:33
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O distant star It’s you and me tonight I’m alone but I’m alright Bright in the sky So clear and high Will this be my special night? What do you see, looking down on me? Will I end this night alone? Or will there be, a new love for me That special love I’ve never known? Hope and dreams they have carried me Through all the years long and far Now I need him close to me Dreams have cold hearts distant star I don’t hang out like I used to Been lying as low as I can But I saw a ghost in the mirror So I took my life in my hands O distant star, it’s you and me tonight I’m all alone but I’m alright But if you see that he’s near to me Show him the way distant star Show him I care distant star So that he’ll stay distant star Distant star
5.
Somehow 04:23
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I'm feeling distant nothing's a glide The sky is full of rain Trying to find my old spark again My clock stopping ticking the moon's on the blink The sun it hardly shines Can't even find a grin in a cup of wine I don't know why this happened I don't know what to do I'm wondering if the same is true for your I've been thinking about the ocean where we used to go Disappear for days Drinking that wine and singing with the waves I know we've got our troubles They're bigger than the sky But there is something I would like to try Why don't we go back to the ocean? Why don't we walk the magic shore? Maybe find that old emotion That we always had before Maybe we can sit and talk together Maybe find that common ground Maybe start that sweet commotion Bring those good times back around Maybe we'll walk hand in hand together Maybe dance beside the swaying sea Maybe find that old time notion That somehow, that somehow, that somehow We were meant to be
6.
Fly 04:52
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The time has come for you to fly To leave this home and search the skies To see the world through your own eyes The time has come to fly So come my child and spread your wings And see what your tomorrows bring Hear the song your lover sings The time has come to fly Beware all those who would be king Who stand above the simple things Never be afraid to try Now spread your wings, it’s time to fly Beware all those who would be king Who stand above the simple things Never be afraid to try Now spread your wings, it’s time to fly So go my child and search the skies And see the world through your own eyes Learn the meaning of goodbye The time has come to fly Learn the meaning of goodbye Now spread your wings and fly
7.
Autumn Love 02:56
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See the harvest moon so bright outside the window Hear the autumn breeze go blowing through the trees On a starry night in cool October That was when you gave your summer heart to me On those autumn nights how high the fire was dancing On those autumn nights the red wine was so sweet On those autumn nights we thought the wine and dancing Would never die like all the autumn leaves But there's a curse that comes with ever autumn Everything that's bright will fade away and die All the love you gave in cool October Disappeared beneath the heartless winter sky So I'll wait for those first spring flowers To rise and sway so sweet above the ground And know that I will finally find a new love Long before the autumn comes around
8.
Darlin' 02:58
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Darlin -- why don't we go drifting Down the deep river There's no place that's better place babe To say our goodbyes Darlin -- there's peace on this river The moon is a sliver There's only calm water from here to the sea Darlin -- do you feel my love glowing Babe when you hold me do you know what I'm knowing? Do you know Darlin how much you would miss me So why don't you kiss me and why don't you hold me From here to the sea Darlin -- the water is flowing There's no turning back now from where we are going So Darlin please hold me and tell me you love me And someday forgive me for taking you with me Over the falls
9.
All The Good Men 04:27
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All the good men finally come home Marching no more some all alone Lying beneath flags just as still as a stone Riding past fields where they used to play Back to the towns where they would have stayed Finally home where their mothers prayed through the night No more tears in those weary eyes No more prayers to those silent skies When old men talk war young men will die far away Far from the fields where they used to play Far from the towns where they would have stayed Far from the homes where their mothers prayed for their lives No more hope in those weary eyes No more prayers to those silent skies When old men talk war young men will die far away Missa Solemnis -- sing sadly sing Angel of Death -- spread wide your wings Mothers will weep and bury their dreams in the night All the good men and women come home Marching no more, their duty done Their mothers weep and bury their dreams in the night In the night
10.
My Beautiful Friend 03:53
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Hello, my beautiful friend I heard you’ve got some sad times again Tears don’t become you, I know they try And troubles never listen to a lullaby I thought I’d call my beautiful friend And let you know I’m thinking again Of all that you give me, I still can’t explain How you keep making rainbows out of nothing but rain How can I tell you what you mean to me? I’m not some kind of poet with a grand soliloquy You’ve got a beauty that time cannot touch And you’ve got a friend who loves you So much, my beautiful friend One day these sad days will end Until that happens I want you to know The world got lots sweeter, my life is better Since I met my beautiful friend How can I tell you what you mean to me? I’m not some kind of poet with a grand soliloquy You’ve got a beauty that time cannot touch And you’ve got a friend who loves you So much, my beautiful friend One day these sad days will end Until that happens I want you to know The world got lots sweeter, my life is better Since I met my beautiful friend

about

This is the first compilation of my songs written for female vocalists. Seven of the songs, starting with 'A Simple Thing,' are sung by Buttafly Vazquez. Buttafly attended the professional performing arts high school in New York where she was classmates with Alicia Keys. I met her at the Cary Street Cafe in Richmond, Virginia. She had heard 'My Beautiful Friend,' which was the first of my songs she learned. I wrote four others for her and we recorded all five at Jim Mohr's studio outside Richmond. That collection is called 'A Simple Thing' and was released in 2013, We later did 'Distant Star' and 'Smile While You Can' with producer Morgan Terry Hyde, who played (via keyboard) all the instruments except guitar (Dave Shiflett). Lyrics are included for all songs. 'Perfect Sky' and 'Distant Star' are free downloads.


Jeanine Guidry sings 'All The Good Men,' 'Fly,' and 'Perfect Sky.' I met Jeanine during the recording of 'Songs for Aging Cynics.' She had been a missionary, including a stint near the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Jeanine, who sang harmony and three leads on 'Cynics,' is Dutch; English is her second language. She has an incredibly clear and beautiful voice. -- Dave Shiflett

credits

released February 20, 2023

The musicians on the songs that originally appeared on 'A Simple Thing' include Jim Mohr on mandolin, Giustino Riccio on percussion, Matt Boon on bass, Jonathan Greenberg on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Dave Shiflett on guitar. Buttafly Vazquez sang all the songs (and also provided harmony vocals).

Contributing musicians on 'All the Good Men' include Su Tarr, violin; Tripp Johnson, mandolin and Dave Shiflett, guitar. 'Fly': Tripp Johnson, mandolin, Dave Shiflett, guitars and bass. 'Perfect Sky': Tripp Johnson, mandolin; Matt Boon, bass; Jim Skelding, violin; Dave Shiflett, guitar.

There are three bonus videos available for those who download the album, including the earliest version of 'My Beautiful Friend' -- sung by Jeanine Guidry (Buttafly sings the version on 'Siren Songs). Art by Charles Courtney Curran (1861-1942),

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Dave Shiflett Virginia

Dave Shiflett is a lifelong journalist and writer, musician and, more recently, a composer. He has created a dozen CD-length recordings of songs for female and male vocalists, and another six for solo guitar, orchestra, and chamber ensembles. Most of that music will be archived at this site over the next several months. ... more

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