Appendix 1.1 Lyrics: Aimless Wanderer Album
Here are the lyrics to some of the songs I sing on my journeys:
01. Find a Woman
02. Wandering Man
03. Thank God For Women
04. All I Want in Life
05.
06. As Is
08. Soar
09. Cold Day in
10.
11. Proposito
12. Song just for You
13. I Can Wait
14. Seven Months
15. The Story Begins
16.
17. Total Life Change
18. The People of Rchida
19. My Obama Song
20. The World gets Quiet
(VS) Where is it you say you're going? take a trip down to planet earth
I myself made that same trip years ago
There's a lot of stuff you can learn there you'll surely get your money's worth
No reason you should ever be bored
My advice is you gotta stay there at least fifty spins around the sun
It'll take twenty spins just to get yourself settled in
There's plenty of things to do there I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun
But there's just one experience you shouldn’t miss
(CH) Find a woman take your time, walk through the villages keep an open eye
A girl that's working maybe grinding grain, who's got tough hands but a gentle face
When you find that woman who still lives at home, go have a chat with her father alone
Marry that woman whatever the price, it's be the best thing you can do in all your life
(VS) Other folks are gonna tell you, you’ve gotta be rich, so you can cruise around earth like a king
But I warn you that earth's economy is twisted and sick, there'll be a bitter aftertaste if you succeed
Other people will tell you, you could be a warrior or a president, conquering and accomplishing a lot
But the memories of the bloodshed are gonna haunt you in the end, and there's one experience that will not
(CH) Find a woman in the simple lands, where people struggle hard and work with their hands
A girl that's worth it a girl that's pure, learn her language and the local rules
Marry that woman as tradition says, I promise she will love you to the end
A simple woman from a country home, is the best thing that all earth has to show
(VS) If you wanna see some waterfalls wanna observe some wildlife
Enjoy the landscapes--such variety
You won't have time to see it all, even if you try
Climb all the mountains cross all the deserts and the seas
But after traveling around a while and weariness is sets in
Leave the grandiose images behind
Step into a simple home and have dinner with them
Seek for one of them treasures that earth hides
(CH) Find a woman give her a child, come home each day just to see her smile
Give that woman all of your love, she'll love you back ten times as much
Stay with that woman the rest of her days, she'll turn earth into the most beautiful place
Because a good woman is all you'll need, to turn you into a true king.
02. WANDERING MAN
(VS) Some people wander for fun, some do it to run away
Some wander hoping to have stories to tell about their travels someday
Some wander seeking for truth off in a distant land
I know because I've met people like that and I'm also a wandering man
Wanderers face many risks their determination is strong
Dangers of thieves, disease, loneliness yet they keep wandering on
If you ask me what is the cause the force that drives me inside
The energy that's kept me going all these years to be a wandering guy
(CH) I wander because I can't forget the hunger that I've seen deep in a man's eyes
He'd never had the chance to hear music that was food for the soul inside
I saw I had something to offer do something that no one else is
And I realized that all over the world there are many other people like him
(VS) One night in a dark hotel room sitting on the side of my bed
Wondering how I would find something to eat make it through another day
I remember when I used to have a family a job and a home
Things that I cherished I left behind to go off and wander alone
I ask myself how others can live the same routine all the time
I realized it's because they don't know what I know or seen the world as have I
I imagine what it would be like to go back to an ordinary life
But I know that I couldn't because the things that I've seen would keep me awake in the night
03.
(VS) If this world were just men we'd still all be naked savages
We might still build and invent but then we'd self-destruct with each generation
If we didn't have mothers and wives, we'd still be dirty, nasty, uncivilized
And we'd die forsaken on the dirt if we didn't have this gift from God, women
If the world were just dudes, we'd be violent selfish and rude
We'd never cook never clean, we'd all just be sleeping under the trees
We'd all just hunt and wander about, with no incentive to settle down
We'd have no morals, culture or traditions, so let's all say thank God for women
(CH) It's a woman that saves that calms the rage and gives us a reason to go home
She's that quiet voice telling us do or don't when we're about to lose control
She's that gentle care the only one that's there when we falter we're sick or frail
She holds the world together, that's her mission thank God for women
(VS) If we had no wives to defend we wouldn't have much of a reason to live
We'd let out our energy in acts of brutality
If it weren't for the softer sex, there would be very few of us left
And we'd have a sad, lonely and cold existence thank God for women
(CH) It's women who trust us women who love us so we can't help but love her back
Like water that flows in between the stones she makes up for all the things we lack
It's women who inspire us to build and climb higher than what our basic instincts say
A man without her would be hollow and wooden thank God for women
(VS) If the world were all boys we'd be lost with nowhere to go
She's the best gift that's ever been given
(CH) Because it's a woman who makes us a woman who breaks us and heals us afterwards
Though we often complain because we can't explain how it is her mind actually works
Sometimes we say we hope we can be alone be able to escape from her
But we wouldn't be able to survive without her for a minute
You might wanna whine well, I suggest you listen
Try to picture your life without her influence thank God for women
04.
(VS)It's been a long road so far and a lonely one at that
But it's taken me this long to begin to understand
The secret that's given me peace in my soul
And the assurance that I'll make it to the end of my road
I used to desire for a lot of things
Now I've learned to simplify know what I really need
What are the essentials so that at the end
I can look back say it was a life well lived?
(CH) All I need is a shady park bench and trusty ol' guitar on my lap
Four or five native folks who'll listen to my songs it really doesn't matter if they laugh
I need a bus ticket so I can get to the next town for a cheap lunch and hotel I'll need some cash
And health of soul and body to keep me going until I'm done that's really all I want in life
(VS) Now don't get me wrong don't think I'll turn down
When I get a chance to gain fortune and fame
But soon I get tired of that and I return
To the life I love best to the place I belong
05.
(VS) First steps down a long long road, you’ll never guess where it’s gonna go
Even if I told you you wouldn’t believe, how your heart and life will change so totally
First steps down a long long road, in the end you’ll be unrecognizable,
But for now just go with what you know, as one by one you lose all of your bones
06. AS IS
(VS) Take me as is, it's all I have to give
Make me alive with your love or break me if that's what you want
I take a leap in the dark, you choose to catch me or not
You are all that I have, I will never turn back
(CH) /I want to be yours/
I give myself to you, see what I'm useful for
(VS) Change me if you feel you can, if not try to understand
Test me to see if I'm true, you'll see I belong to you
(VS) Hold me in your loving arms, you have the keys to my heart
Mold me however you please to become the man I should be
(VS) Walk in the park cold winter day, a tinkling sound not far away
A singing voice a guitar strum, I went to see what the sound was
A silhouette of a haggard man, a cheap guitar held in his hands
A dirty old pack near him was placed, a few old coins in his guitar case
I stood and listened to his song, he ended, started another one
When he was done I said I liked, his styled of song his earnest voice
(CH) He smiled and reached into his pack and pulled out a dusty cassette
By the looks of it I could tell it was little more than a basement project
He handed it to me said “I’ll sell it to you for whatever you want to give
It’s the only thing I have to leave behind to show that I had a reason to live”
(VS) As he played into the night, I pondered on his lonely life
Is there nothing else for him to live for, than a few old coins and a cheap guitar?
(VS) It’s getting late I had to go, pulled out a twenty dollar bill
He’s in the middle of a song, took no notice of it at all
I laid it down I was surprised, until I looked into his eyes
I realized I had judged him wrong, the real reason for his songs.
08. SOAR
(VS) When you look around you and feel like you are drowning evil seems to win most of the time
Arrogant oppressors escape the consequences villains live on and the heroes die
I offer you a secret open your eyes to see a greater swath of the history of man
Notice how the proud all crumple to the ground and the quiet, simple people seem to last
People building empires all is fuel for a fire it will be quite a sight when it all falls
The kings and bloodthirsty fighters will grow old and tire die lying in their own filth and rot
Meanwhile the hard workers subtly preserve their cultures in the mountain villages and desert tents
As they have for centuries, and still they will live on through the hearts and minds of their children
(CH) You will soar as on wings /of an eagle/ you will soar find new joy
Gazing across a thousand years of peoples that have lived in this beautiful world
(VS) When you see the hunger and it makes you wonder is human life nothing but suffering?
Overpopulation, the consequence is painful but things will balance out eventually
Someday the survivors will enjoy a harvest and every stomach will be fed
Through famine and hardship, they stay alert and strong and appreciate life as a privilege
(VS) See two separate tribes erupt into violence killing seems so senseless as you watch
Decades of frustration reached this culmination you think "something must be done to stop"
But if you could see forward, someday a great war and these tribes will join together to resist
Cruel foreign invaders, thanks to their internal struggles they'll have the weapons, skills to stand against.
09. COLD DAY IN
(VS) It was a cold morning in
People bustled about without talking and no one saw
In this industrial work-ethic nation always things to do places to go
Hurried through the park to the train station and no one saw
(VS) It seemed something so contradictive with the hive of activity around
An old man on a bench just sitting no one saw
He seemed to have European features his face was haggard his clothes worn
His eyes were closed like he was sleeping
(CH) An old man stooped over hugging a guitar
(VS) Was is that their hearts had no space for him to caught up with the busy happenings of life?
Two hours later their was no one and no one saw
Later on came the street sweepers hurrying to finish up their task
Worked around him like they didn't see him
(VS) Later that afternoon people returning students, laborers and businessmen
"Still more things to do we must hurry" no one saw
It's as if he's a concrete fixture no one seems to think it strange
He sits in exactly the same position
(VS) Not until that night an elderly couple going out for an evening stroll
Noticed that his face was white as paper no one saw
They quickly called the paramedics who came and examined his head
Now nothing could be done about it nobody saw that the old man was dead
(VS) The police came and looked at his papers found that he's an American
Asked around see who to him is related no one saw
Finally someone said "I noticed he'd come each day to the park
Sing a few songs the lean over.
10. YEAR OF THE LOCUST
(CH) The year of the locust has come, to eat everything up
(VS) Every blade of grass every speck of life, all grain that was stored up for another time
Suddenly devoured by a heartless hoard, all that they leave behind is dead and ravaged soil
(VS) Some lands will again sprout when there is rain, others desertified that’s how they will stay
The locusts turned the land into a great scar, nature has lost its will for another start
11. PROP�'SITO
(VS) Anoche tuve un sueño que parecia tan real
Alguien entrò a mi cuarto sin la puerta tocar
Vi era la muerte horror me congelò
Me dijo "tienes diez minutos para decirle al mundo adiòs"
Lo primero que pensè fue en todo lo que quise hacer
Pensando ser un imortal lo dejè para despues
Caì de rodillas para llorar y rogar
Dije "dame por favor solo seis meses mas"
(CH) Ya no quiero vivir por no mas existir
Quiero algo mejor con eterno valor propòsito
Esta vida que ya pronto va a acabar
Tengo que conocer mi razòn por nacer propòsito
(VS) Pronto el sueño acabò pero el mensaje allì quedò en mi corazòn
Si la vida serà una aventura la decisiòn es tuya tu tienes la opciòn
Quiero ya vivir mi vida seràn diez años o un dia con esta percepciòn
(CH) Saber quien soy a donde voy el tiempo ya se va a acabar
12. SONG JUST FOR YOU
(VS) Whenever I'm before an audience I always take a moments pause
To try and figure out what they're thinking by looking into their eyes
Are these folks ready to listen to rock and roll or the blues?
[And I ask myself "which song will I sing for you?"]
One thing I've learned in my travels seeing people all over the world
I've learned I've gotta be a bit more thrifty in casting out my favorite pearls
Most folks just want entertainment aren't ready for the deeper truths []
(CH) Because there are songs that are for the passerby who listens a bit then moves on
Two minutes later completely forgets everything I said in my songs
{There are songs for the proud and the hecklers songs for the drunk in the park
But a few songs set aside for when I look into their eyes
And see a reflection of a fire inside
Because I won't caste my pearls to the swine
(VS) Now I ain't prejudiced towards no one but I've learned people ain't the same
Most folks aren't ready to digest some of my more complex themes
And now a crowd is gathering someone's requesting a tune []
(CH) Because there are songs for the easily distracted whose mind is on other things
Doesn't expect his life to be affected in any way by the songs that I sing {}
There are songs for the casual listener who wants me to tickle his ears
Doesn't intend to find anything meaningful in the song that he hears {}
13. I CAN WAIT
(VS) If you don’t come with me I won’t go
I know better by now than to head out on my own
There were footholds I dug once I made it so far up
I may fall again only so far than I’ll stop
If you don’t come with me I ain’t such a fool
Because I ain’t go the know how and I don’t know the rules
But I’ve got courage and the willpower to trust
And I’m willing to wait even if it takes all my life
(CH) And if you really, really want it so bad
You can take the first step and I will be by your side
If you really believe what you’ve been telling me
And if not, nothing is lost
And if you really, really want it so bad
You can take me farther than I ever could have
I am ready I am willing I am not turning back
If you really, really want it so bad
(VS) If you don’t come with me I’ll get so far
And I’ll be stuck in the desert with no gas in my car
But it’s so different when we’re together
You’ve got the resources to last us forever
(VS) If you don’t come with me That’s OK
Life was still worth it, at least that’s what I’ll say
And then I’ll fade out and disappear
This didn’t happen because nothing is real
14. SEVEN MONTHS
(VS) Would you mind if I asked what you did with the last seven months of your life
How many memories could you list how much is a haze in your mind?
It ain't up to me to say if your time was well spent or not
But personally I am afraid of living a life that is quickly forgotten
I'm not trying to suggest you got to take the same path as me
Pushing myself beyond the limits just to create new memories
Doing something never done before soaking in every inch of this earth
You decide how far you have to go to break the monotony curse
(CH) What could life be like if we conquered reluctance and fear?
If we would just reach out how many dreams might become real?
(VS) There's a time for habit and routine for submitting to the daily grind
But we're humans, we're not beasts we can't live like that for all our lives
We got to break out of these chains head out there, try something new
Maybe no one else will appreciate but it's just something we've got to do
(VR) Or you could choose to believe your excuses
Convince yourself you're doomed to be a slave
(VS) So imagine a year from today looking back, what do you see?
A few halfheated attempts to escape never cutting ties to the machine
Then every year that you live will it look just like the one before?
Until you look back at the end and all you see is a blur
15. THE STORY BEGINS
[he story begins and it's not a short story of seven pages or eight
Or a magazine article that can be don up in a day it's the project of a lifetime
The story begins it's more like a marathon than a hundred meter dash
Gotta ration my energy to make sure that it will last it's the project of a lifetime
The story begins gotta build a firm foundation or else later it will fall
It's already been years that I've been delving into rock it's the project of a lifetime
16. STAY IN THIS DREAM
(VS) Walking in the morning by the ocean as fishermen are bringing in their boats
The women come running with platters on their heads to buy the biggest fish and take it home
Boys and girls are playing in the water their ebony skin glistens in the sun
The old men gather under the palm trees where important matters are discussed
Here where houses almost touch the water and the streets are nothing but sand
Men in colored robes answer the call to prayer all bow together as a single man
The nation to the north is just a desert the nation to the south is at war
Then suddenly from this dream I wake up in a cold and dreary land, my true home
Where are the trees where are the children? all the bright colors that I saw?
If that dream appeared so real then why can't that be my life and this one not?
(CH) Don't wake me up I wanna stay in this dream
I've finally found a life from which I don't wanna leave
Don't wake me up, I wanna reinsert
I was jut fantasizing of a much better world don't wake me up
(VS) I try to squeeze my way through the market Between mountains of spices and fresh vegetables
An old woman gestures to me smile offers to read my palm, tell me all I want to know
I sample the sweets sold by the vendors I drink a glass of fresh mango juice
Then suddenly everything goes dark, I open my eyes again I'm in the land of jaded hearts and stale food.
Where is the sun, where are the women? where is the excitement that I felt?
I wouldn't hesitate for a minute exchange the imagined for the real
(VS) I go to my home down a blind alley just as I'm about to reach my door
I see that girl, for a second she looks at me then suddenly she's gone and I'm alone
Where is the smell of dinner cooking fish being grilled on an open flame?
I tried to hold to it but I couldn't I let that dream forever slip away.
17. TOTAL LIFE CHANGE
(VS) The restless years are over I think things through before I move
Because there's much I could lose
Don't want to end up out there naked wishing I had waited for a clue
That it's time to move
The years of random leaping embracing and then fleeing done
I found a life that I want
Doesn't mean I've closed my heart to change just want to finish this phase before I run
I'm not sure if I'm done
(CH) I'd make a total life change tomorrow if I know that I'll stay on that track
Knowing I don't want to just get so far and realize I'd rather go back
(VS) It used to be so simple all that I owned I could fit into a bag
It was easy to escape
Now I've got all these anchors it'll take time to pull away, that's OK,
Time to think it through that way
I really don't envy that freedom this way it forces a completion of a phase
Before leaping into change
So when it comes I can look back and knowing I accomplished something, not ashamed
I didn't start then walk away
18. THE PEOPLE OF RCHIDA
(VS) In a dry and barren valley below a garrison was built by the French
Determined that they would control the people who lived up on that cliff
They had weapons they had fierce legionnaires they controlled almost half of the world
But the people of this land had no fear determined that their culture would be preserved
(CH) /The people of Rchida believe in freedom/
(VS) They built their village up on a cliff surrounded by layers of walls
Fought, persevered until the end they drank water that sprang from the rock
In the end the French gave up and left now that garrison is nothing but ruins
But that village still flourishes thanks to a people that held to their roots
(VS) Nowadays you can visit that town there’s a path that’s carved into the cliff
The people still noble and proud but if you come and show them respect
No matter where you are from they’ll invite you into their homes
They will treat you as a friend share with you their bread and olive oil.
19. MY OBAMA SONG
(VS) November four two thousand eight, was the day that my life changed
Born into a land of ignorant pride, with a dark past that we just can’t leave behind
Still weighed down with our fathers’ sins, we say we’ve changed but it’s just pretend
Because deep inside most people’s heart, that arrogant bigotry still holds strong
(CH) {Now for the first time in my life} I feel proud to be an American
{} Most folks finally did something intelligent
{} Looks like we’ve finally broken those stereotypes
For the first type I believe people can change here in
(VS) Two hundred years of modern civilization, always been clear privilege is not for everyone
The circle tight of the elite, pay only lip service to the weak
But November fifth the world woke up, new man rules the world, came from a village in
And it was my country that gave this man the chance, maybe we’ve finally atoned for our past.
20. THE WORLD GETS QUIET
When I sing I close my eyes and I feel like I'm waking up
When I sing the whole world gets quiet and I feel like I'm waking up
When I sing I'm in between and I feel like I'm waking up
It's like the rest of the time I'm really asleep and I feel like I'm waking up
