Mary Chapin Carpenter

[fox69]

"Too Tired"

"Too Tired"



Too tired to fight so I just gave in
Last night I slept in your arms again
And I felt my heart next to your skin
Beatin' like crazy

Been runnin' from something I can't explain
It ain't just anger, it ain't just pain
But it goes away when you call my name
Callin' me baby
But you ain't no good for a girl like me

I was doin' fine when I first met you
Swept me off my feet, next thing I knew
I was wonderin' where you'd gone off to
Leavin' me lonely

This town's too small for your kind of games
Pointin' fingers, namin' names
But I'm so far gone I'll take anything
That you can give me
Still you ain't no good for a girl like me

Last night I felt that I couldn't stand no more
But I found myself standin' right here by your door

Too tired to care that you're bad for me
My heart says stay, but my head says leave
But I can't get far when I'm on my knees
Begging you baby
You ain't no good for a girl like me

Last night I felt that I couldn't stand no more
But I found myself standin' right here by your door

Too tired to fight so I just gave in
Last night I slept in your arms again
And I felt my heart next to your skin
Beatin' like crazy
Beatin' like crazy
Beatin' like crazy
Hey!

 

[fox69]

"Transcendental Reunion"

"Transcendental Reunion"



From 20,000 feet
I saw the lights below me
Twinkling just like Christmas
We descended slowly

And the curve of the world passed
With all of that flying
Above the mighty ocean
And now we all are arriving

Grab the carry on baggage
Join the herd for the mad run
Take a place in the long line
Where does every one come from?

As we shuffle on forward
As we wait for inspection
Don’t be holding that line up
At the end lies redemption
Oh Oh, Hey Hey, Ah Ah

Now I’m stamped and I’m waved through
I take up my position
At the mouth of the cannon
Saying prayers of contrition

Please deliver my suitcase
From all mischief and peril
Now the sight of it circling
Is a hymn to the faithful

Forgive me for my staring, for my unconcealed envy
In the Hall of Arrivals where the great river empties

It’s hand carts and porters
All the people it carries
To be greeted with flowers
Grandfathers and babies
Oh Oh, Hey Hey, Ah Ah

There is no one to meet me
Yet I’m all but surrounded
By the tears and embracing
By the joy unbounded

The friends and relations
Leaping over hemispheres
Transcendental reunion
All borders vanish here

We are travelers traveling
We are gypsies together
We’re philosophers gathering
We are business or pleasure

We are going or coming
We’re just finding our way
To the next destination
And from night into day
Oh Oh, Hey Hey, Ah Ah,
Oh Oh, Hey Hey, Ah Ah

In a giant bird’s belly
I flew over the ocean
From 20,000 feet high
How those lights were glowing

 

[fox69]

"Twilight"

"Twilight"



The sun's going down past the pines
Shadows grow long down the hill
Follow the path known by heart
Down to the wide open fields

Now that it's twilight
Twilight
Now that it's twilight, twilight

The morning mist burned off by noon
The dogs never moved from the shade
The mountains were bluer than blue
But the best of the day has been saved

You and me, you and me, you and me
You and me, you and me, you and me...

Now we'll be led by eventide's hand
'Til then we'll walk through the gloaming
Back on up the hill once again
Done with another day's roaming

Now that it's twilight, twilight
Magical twilight, twilight

 

[fox69]

"Walking Through Fire"

"Walking Through Fire"



When you set a match to your heart, fueling it with bitterness and doubt
That's the place that once it starts, no amount of tears can put out
I know you're scared, but no one's spared when you play with matches
You got me walking through fire
You got me walking through fire

Maybe you've been burned by lovers, maybe you've been scarred by the pain
But baby, I'm not like the others, drawing moths to a flame
Spite is like a spark, crackling in the dark, consuming all it catches
And you got me walking through fire
You got me walking through fire to get to you
Got me walking through fire (walking through fire)
You got me walking through fire (walking through fire)

You can see the toll it's taking, you can feel the faith it's shaking
You can hear the heart it's breaking now

Baby, I've been burned by the fever, I've been scorched by desire
But baby, I am not your deceiver or your eloquent liar
Your jealous heart is tearing us apart, turning love to ashes

When you got me walking through fire
You've got me walking through fire to get to you
Got me walking through fire
You've got me walking through fire
You've got me walking through fire (walking through fire)
You've got me walking through fire (walking through fire)

As the flames shoot higher
You got me walking through fire (through fire), walking

 

[fox69]

"Waltz"

"Waltz"



Fetch me a glass, let's fill it with fine romance
Pour slow the wine, then let your eyes kiss mine
You, you with the charming eyes
Lately I've found myself truly beguiled
If this is a waltz, then I can't refuse
To dance with a man like you.

She must be fine, she must be enchantingly kind
And she must be fair, and never reveal that she cares
Then, then when you've got her heart
Spin her around till she begs you to stop
But this is a waltz and no lady refuses
To dance with a man like you.

And if she inquires the meaning of love
You'll silence her words with a glance
And if she desires to wonder and pause
You'll charmingly ask her to dance

You promised me that you would forever be kind
And if meant to be, our love would find comfort in time
Now, now that you feel no more
How could I follow you out to the floor
And now it's the waltz but I have to refuse
To dance with a man like you
But this is your waltz and you'll find someone new
To dance with a man like you

 

[fox69]

"We Traveled So Far"

"We Traveled So Far"



I found myself wondering today
Why do some go and some stay
Do each of our hearts know their way
Through valleys of sorrow and tears
Across oceans of longing and years
And the sound of it all in my ears

I traveled
I traveled so far
I traveled so far to be here

And you with the blue in your eyes
The storms of life leave a few lines
And squinting you search for the signs
Of kindness, of love, of someone
To walk with in rain or in sun
Until then, life's hardly begun

You traveled
You traveled so far
You traveled so far to be here

It's worth it all learning at last
The future begins with the past
Step out of the shadow it casts
And let the sun shine on your shoes
Kick 'em off in the rain if you choose
There's nothing like nothing to lose

We traveled
We traveled so far
We traveled
We traveled
We traveled so far
We traveled so far to be here

 

[fox69]

"We're All Right"

"We're All Right"



Let's go down to the fields tonight
Where the grass grows round our knees
Lay down in the silver light
Dripping through the trees
Broken halo in my hands
And distance in your eyes
The past is gone, good luck, so long
Cross ourselves and hope to fly

No roadmaps, no signposts
No north star, no lifeboats
No cavalry coming in sight
But we're all right

Let's feel small in the world tonight
Beneath a giant sky
Forget for once who is wrong or right
Just let it all go by

Close our eyes when we grow tired
And dream of where we'll be
When night gives way to another day
Have we ever woken up this free

I never had a talisman, I never wore a charm
But it's not too late to believe that fate
Was always keeping us from harm

No roadmap, no signposts
No north star, no lifeboats
No miracles coming in sight
No voices to guide us, no angels beside us
No shaman, no mystical light
No omens, no compass, no seer, no prophet
No cavalry coming in sight
But we're all right
We're all right
We're all right
We're all right

 

[fox69]

"What If We Went To Italy"

"What If We Went To Italy"



What if we went to Italy
A suitcase of books and one bag a piece for the summer
I don't speak a word of Italian
Except for Campari and soda for two, how much is a Lire
Yes, a villa will do and a breeze, in Tuscany please

What if we spent all of our days, improving our minds, learning new ways to be lazy
It wouldn't be too much of a strain
Relax after breakfast till lunch comes around
Can't wait for dinner, oh, I need to lie down
And refuel, out by the pool

What if the ancients were lazy like us
Too blissed out to paint, to sketch or to sculpt
Just as relaxed as the tower of Pisa
Not ever missing that old Mona Lisa

What if we never got back on the plane
As summer turned colder and then warmer again
Losing all track of the passing of years
Till it no longer mattered how long we'd been here

What if we went to Italy
Maybe next year, just you and me for the summer
I still can't speak any Italian
But words are replaced under Siennese skies
By nothing so much as a nod, and a sigh, and a wish to be always like this

 

[fox69]

"What To Keep And What To Throw Away"

"What To Keep And What To Throw Away"



These are your instructions
Should you choose to follow
Sit down with pen and paper
Begin with something hollow
Like the last words that he offered
No kind of explanation
They only take up space here
You do not need to save them

Open up the closet
Find his winter coat there
Check inside the pockets
Find a crumpled note there
It says “milk and Sunday paper”
And a heart smudged in blue ink
Fold it up and box it before you’ve time to think

Sundays are the hardest
Avoid familiar back roads
Erase the old phone numbers
Delete all the photos
And those you haven’t heard from
Will come as no surprise
They made their calculation
When they chose a side

These are your instructions
When you become reclusive
When old friends say they miss you
When sleep becomes elusive
Fill up every journal
Empty every shoebox
Burn the lists and letters
Sweep out all the old thoughts
Shake off all the covers
Throw every window open
Stand here in your bare feet
Welcome in the morning
These are your instructions
When grace has left you stranded
When you are lost and wounded
Bleeding and abandoned

Use a tourniquet for pressure
Let time do it’s healing
Say prayers for good measure
When you think you’ve lost all feeling
Now walk into the guest room
The last place he was sleeping
See the outline on the pillow
Smooth it without weeping

One last final walk through
Now move the bags and boxes
From front porch onto back seat
Haul away the losses
These are your instructions
If you choose to follow
Stop and take a big breath
Begin with something hollow...

 

[fox69]

"What Was It Like"

"What Was It Like"



What was it like
How did it feel
It's so hard to tell if it was real
I know I was there but with every day
It slips away
And I feel like a passing glance that you never gave a chance
Baby that's not right
What was it like

What did you say
What did I hear
When did it start to disappear
I know you were there
You know that too
What did we do
'Cause I feel like a big mistake that you managed to not quite make
And just walk away
What did you say

Guess I've waited long enough hoping it might be something
Other than what it was

You took something that felt so good
And crushed it because you could
One summer night
What was it like
What was it like
What was it like