Track list:

1. A Song for the Road
2. Lover's Triumph
3. Eyes Like Horizons
4. To Mecca
5. A Little Sting
6. Hit and Run
7. In Your Footsteps
8. The Prince
9. Memories of My Devotion
10. She's Loving Me
11. A Song for the Road (Reprise)

1. A Song for the Road

I like to take off on the road,
See the sights I've seen before
Like the creek down by the railroad tracks
Enjoy the great outdoors

I like to take off in my brown straw hat
and leather boots tied down below
But before I can get my feet to go

I need a song for the road
a melody to follow me on my way
I need a song for the road
a lullaby to get me through the day

I need a song for my heart
a music that will never pass me by
The bluebirds and the robins know just why
La la la

For many days now have I strolled
about the town, from end to end
And every crossroads that I face
is a chance to start again

And every start is like an open book
I've got to sing between the lines
It's a sure, steady way to keep the time

I need a song for the road
a melody to follow me on my way
I need a song for the road
a lullaby to get me through the day

I need a song to believe
a song that I can trust to hold my smile
A sing-along to last me all the while
La la la

I need a song for my heart
a song that I can sing out oh so loud
a song to cheer the faces of the crowd
La la la

I need a song for the road
a melody to follow me on my way
I need a song for the road
a lullaby to get me through the day

And as I walk through the park
come join me as I sing my merry tune
So here's a song I'll share with you
A song for the road
About this song: The chorus for this song came to me instantly one morning before heading to work at Dux Bistro (I was a barista there for 2 years!)  I was about to leave, when I asked myself, "Do I have my hat?  Yes.  Do I have my name tag? Yes. What else do I need?"  And then it hit me--I need a song for the road!  So I started whistling as I went to work, and when I got home that day, the rest became musical history.

2. Lover's Triumph

In my lover's eyes I see the glow
Shining, shining on and on, I know
that it's all true
and love is there in everything we do

Quite enough dishonest men
will break eternal oaths
And while I keep my promises
I must appreciate the journey as it goes

Yesterday was a lover's triumph
The sun was shining, not one deception was said
Yesterday was eternal solace
Every lover was still in love in his head

In my lover's eyes I see the light
Cast upon an undisturbed delight
And it's all real
That love is there in everything we feel

To the victor go the spoils
So love begets the songs
And while I keep my open heart
I must appreciate the goodness as it comes

Yesterday was a lover's triumph
The sun was shining, not one deception was said
Yesterday was eternal solace
Every lover was still in love in his head

No matter how far
Love is there in everything we are

Yesterday was a lover's triumph
The sun was shining, not one deception was said
Yesterday was eternal solace
Every lover was still in love in his head
About this song: Love makes the road bearable and even brings feelings of triumph. However, why the line "in his head?"  Why do we sing about yesterday's triumph instead of today's?  You may have your own answers. I think some of it has to do with the feeling that our memories can be so alive and powerful that we rely upon them as the "eternal solace" that gives us the inner strength to move forward.

3. Eyes Like Horizons

I have always loved admiring
seaside waves,
Shores of endless boundary,
Oh, do they make my day!

Likewise, I could gaze forever
into your eyes
Silenced by the vista
Darling, I'm hypnotized

By eyes like horizons
You smile like the sea
I'm carried away
There's nothing to say
When you give those looks to me

With eyes like horizons
You smile like the sky
You're as picturesque to me
as the vanishing line

Last time you and I took a stroll
through the coastal lands
We were cast away
in a world between seas and sands

The beaches and the bayous
knew it immediately
How you tend to glisten
facing the sky and sea

With eyes like horizons
You smile like the sea
I'm carried away
There's nothing to say
When you give those looks to me

With eyes like horizons
You smile like the sky
You're as picturesque to me
as the vanishing line

Rising like the sun you're the angel aurora
And as you set to sea you're the orb of my eye
You're the goddess of twilight
And your love is my nightlight

And so I'll pay my dues
of a thousand words
Never could the pictures
rival the waves I've heard

It's just a rhythm
that you must see to know
I'll keep on admiring you
and your eyes aglow
About this song: I wrote the music for the piano parts and the "Rising like the sun" melody in this song in June 2002, thinking I could use it in a musical I wanted to write.  But I did not manage to come up with any words that I felt would go with it at the time.  Nevertheless, this song was so catchy that in the fall of 2007, I was still playing around with it and eventually came up with a melody ("Eyes like horizons...") that could be placed on top of the syncopated piano part and work as an album song.

4. To Mecca

Leave it to me
to promise the world to all
I cannot imagine the pains they know
I shouldn't give in to the storms
that impinge on my duty

Was it the day that we stood at the top of the mountain and leaned off the edge?
Do you remember the fears we knew then?

I don't know where to run to, I'll fall
I don't know where to run to at all
To Mecca the roads are Allah

Leave it to me
to herald the change for right
The difference is clearly a point of view
No reason to keep to destructive
paths of confusion

Was it the day that you sent me a vision
to prophesy all that went wrong?
Do you remember those ten-thousand songs?

I don't know where to run to, I'll fall
I don't know where to run to at all
To Mecca the roads are Allah

Where are you going?
Here we are, on the road to revelation
Through recitation, meditation

While we're learning all the ways of God
The inner light, the formless Tao
He has always been the source of life
And my islam is one right now

I don't know where to run to, I'll fall
I don't know where to run to at all
To Mecca the roads are Allah
About this song: In my study of world religions, I try to learn and experience God in a variety of ways.  This song expresses the part of me that identifies with the intensity of the inner struggle that is central to Islam.  It is the constant asking of oneself, "Where am I going?" and the realization that the answer begins with "submission to the will of God" (which is actually the literal meaning of the word islam, and which I alluded to in the line "my islam is one right now").  The slow part in the middle represents the turning of one's spiritual attention inward in order to ask this question.

Historically, Islam has been one of the religions most tolerant of people of other religions.  So in the slow middle part of this song, I didn't see any problem with making a reference to Taoism.  It often takes contemplation of multiple paths to God before one can arrive at the choice of which one to take.

I am also fond of the islamic idea of making a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.  We can't always see where the roads in front of us are leading, but Mecca offers us a powerful metaphor for where we want to arrive at one day.

5. A Little Sting

Oh, when you're down on luck
and all the world has turned its back on you
Afraid you'll turn your back on them too
I know it is a sad thing
to see you don't belong and
you're not the king you thought you were,
you thought you were

A little sting
Oh, it's okay to feel for the little things
A little sting
Just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings
It's painful now
but you'll get by somehow
That little sting might be for the best

Oh, when you're down and everyone
is cold, no thing can make you smile
Allow yourself to cool for a while
I know it is a sad song
to see you might have treated
somebody wrong, you thought was wrong
you thought was wrong

A little sting
Oh, it's okay to feel for the little things
A little sting
Just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings
It's painful now
but you'll get by somehow
That little sting might be for the best
About this song: When I was a teenager, I used to confide in one of my teachers when I faced personal difficulties.  Loneliness and the fear of going unrecognized for who I am were among my central struggles.  And while he usually honored the seriousness with which I presented my feelings, I remember him one day saying something like, "Why are you letting yourself get so upset over such a little thing?  It's as if you have a tiny pebble in your shoe and you're not letting yourself enjoy your life because you only pay attention to that pebble."

This comment had quite an impact on me, and for a while, I tried to avoid feeling the "sting" of the little things, calling them unimportant "pebbles."  But eventually, after reading up on Stoicism more carefully, I came to the realization that I shouldn't avoid feeling the "little sting," but rather accept it and let it pass, paying just enough attention to it that it satisfies itself but not too much that it becomes obsessive, like with the pebble.

6. Hit And Run

I've always sought attention
from the best with the best intention
I've always cut away
from the blade of superstition

So no one hears me
I've been shouting aloud my information
I'll have my thoughts disclosed
But I won't stick around for the conflict

Hit and run, ooh,
There's a time for games and a time to stop
Hit and run, ooh,
There's a place for every adventure
Hit and run, ooh,
There's a time for truth and a time to wait
Hit and run, ooh,
There's a picture of every man
hanging in the mind of every plan

I've always concentrated
when I've felt I could tolerate it
I've always broken off
from the model of transmission

So no one hears me
I've been shouting aloud my information
I'll have my thoughts disclosed
But I won't stick around for the aftermath

Hit and run, ooh,
There's a time for games and a time to stop
Hit and run, ooh,
There's a place for every adventure
Hit and run, ooh,
There's a time for truth and a time to wait
Hit and run, ooh,
There's a picture of every man
hanging in the mind of every plan

Pierce through the window
trying to pry the reflection from your hands
My, what a dark room
No light we could ever understand

When no one hears me
I've been shouting aloud my information
I'll have my thoughts disclosed
But I won't wait around for revolution

Hit and run...
About this song: I won't tell you what this song means.  I'll just sing it and then run...

7. In Your Footsteps

Walk with me and I'll tell you a story
that has turned my heart to warm
A journey to the end of legends
from the seeds of future born

The roads are rife with rightful sorrow
and we may wish to transcend
But only for life's beauty must we
see our journey to its end

Oh, carry the weight of this sacred quest
As we look up
to an endless, flowing stream of light
Christ descending to our sight
Teacher of eternal law
Through his story, leads us all

I could walk forever in your footsteps
to see the glory of my journey's long-awaited ending
Not as far would I have gone
Lead the way to wonders on
Every step along this road has filled my soul

Walk with me and we'll share in the amble
of a friendly common time
Trust and keep this tempo
for it may release you from your mind

Hear the voice that rings inside
and know the truth that does impel
The test of faith will soon reveal
the greatest secrets of ourselves

Oh, follow the form of the one I Am
As he transfigures,
the rays of shadows make things clear
Earthly echoes disappear
Sands of heaven fill the glass
with every moment's graceful past

I could walk forever in your footsteps
to see the glory of my journey's long-awaited ending
Not as far would I have gone
Lead the way to wonders on
Every step along this road
has filled my soul

I could walk forever...
About this song: Next, it is Christianity's turn to take the spotlight in my series of spiritual pieces.  One of the main ideas is that while the road may be long and arduous (like Moses' forty years in the desert), we understand our personal journey as a sort of "sacred quest" that eventually takes us to Heaven.  What exactly compels us to stick with this journey, to follow in our Teacher's footsteps all the way to the very end?  It is such a wondrous process: revealing the Christ within us, that inner divinity that both sees all and lights the way.

8. The Prince

The Prince inherited an artistry
He was a child of honest
Bohemian quality
All his life a living musical
he built a kingdom
out of his innermost auricle

The Prince, reputed for his masterpiece
It was a minor fantasy
colored by major keys
Known for his uncertain stateliness
The sort of the princely wisdom
of Marcus Aurelius

Governing the passions that arise
within my heart
I find the best in what I think I see
and I live my art

'Cause I'm in touch with what I feel,
and my heart goes out to you
You can take me as I'm free
I am the Prince and have my rule

The Prince had found a sort of gravity
to draw the audience closer
to witness his symphony
His style, the mastery of arithmetic
And he could sound a
Machiavellian politic

Governing the passions that arise
within my heart
Wading through each breath of ecstasy
as I live my art

'Cause I'm in touch with what I feel,
and my heart goes out to you
You can take me as I'm free
I am the Prince and have my rule

I am the Prince
who holds the key to a mystery
All alone
as he lives the royal decree
The seer of roses
Sees the art in his policy

Governing the passions that arise
within my heart
I find the best in what I think I see
and I live my art

'Cause I'm in touch with what I feel,
and my heart goes out to you
You can take me as I'm free
I am the Prince and have my rule

'Cause I'm in touch...
About this song: "The Prince" is not exactly a musical self-portrait, but it does express the essence of my creative process and how I have to constantly "govern my passions" in order to become "in touch with what I feel."  In writing this song, I wondered what would happen if the artistry of a Bohemian were given the high status of prince-hood.  Certainly such an artist would be endowed with the best of both worlds: the wisdom and truth of the artist and the power to control the destiny of the art itself.  In this way, "The Prince" is inspired by Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor famous for not only wielding an incredible amount of power, but also exercising it wisely through his practice of Stoicism.

"The Prince" also has two other allusions.  The political treatise by Machiavelli deals with the nature of good governance in a different, perhaps more serious way.  On the other hand, when you have found your rule, as did Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince, you can tame the hearts of many (including flowers) with the carefree spirit of a child.  This book, too, is very dear to me!

Challenge: Can you identify the instrument that is played during the chorus in "The Prince"?  It's the only time I've ever used it, but it works perfectly here, don't you think?

9. Memories of My Devotion

Pain I must not resent,
as I embrace my descent
into the shades of an old lament

I'm not as I was,
nothing I was
could ever remain as I am

Change is not one to warn
a smile is soon reborn
into a close and lonely thorn

My art takes a turn
Only to learn
the sweet years cannot be preserved

I recall them now and realize,
They gave me a gift I cannot ignore
and I take with me the memories
of my devotion
and slowly recede from my former joy
as it was before.

My muse knew me well,
All I could feel was a spell
cast through the sluice
of an iron well

She fades out of sight
Music was always my message and might

So, years of denial,
I sojourned in her smile,
Else would my ignorant eyes turn vile

My muse gave me all
And she was all
My passion, what more can I write?

I recall her now and realize,
She gave me a gift I cannot ignore
and I take with me the memories
of my devotion
and slowly recede from my former joy

I recall her now and realize...
About this song: I wrote the music for this song during the summer of 2004, thinking it would be a beautiful love duet for a musical.  But instead it came to express the exquisite pain of change and loss.  Whether it is a metaphorical muse or a real person, it is never easy to suffer the loss of a loved one, knowing that for the remainder of your own journey all you have is the memories behind you.

10. She's Loving Me

Not much to say
so I hold my words
Though I'm not unheard
Love will make its way

She fills her eyes
with all I feel inside
Sending back the tide
to wash away my cries

She's loving me, loving me, loving me

What's to say I'll ever get enough
of what she gives me
Every time I look into her smile
Close I come to all
she is the anima within me
Tame my heart,
and I will stay a while

We're two in rhyme
not without our rains
Nothing needs to change
We'll just take our time

She's good to me
as she's always been
brings me now and then 
what I long to see

She's loving me, loving me, loving me

What's to say I'll ever get enough
of what she gives me
Every time I look into her smile
Close I come to all
she is the anima within me
Tame my heart,
and I will stay a while

Until the end
she stores my ancient soul
What could make me whole
if not for my dear friend?

She's true to me
and truth begets my song
What could make me wrong
when I have her to be

She's loving me, loving me, loving me...
About this song: When you're in love, it is the most wonderful feeling in the world.  It is a connection that may not be observable from the outside, but once you look in, you begin to appreciate the sweet sharing of rhythms with that person, and you witness the deep bond that has formed.  It is the true lover's triumph.

11. A Song for the Road (Reprise)

(Instrumental)
About this song: While it would have been nice to end the album with "She's Loving Me," I just had to bring it back around to the theme of the road with a short instrumental reprise. It completes the theatrical journey that is listening to an album of music.