LYRICS

THIEVES (2016)                                        NOBODY EVER LEAVES (2014)


 

TracyMcNeil&TheGoddLifeThieves2016

THIEVES (2016)

THE VALLEY

There’s a quiet in the valley that I just can’t seem to hear

Too busy drowning in the chaos from above that holds me here

Where all the stars are outshining one another with a song

A simple tune that’s climbing but it wont be climbing long

There’s a hum in the power lines a static in the air

I try to hold onto it but my signals not too clear

This station I been listening to on a shortwave radio

Has too many commercials and only tells me everything I know

There’s a way out of this valley

Without stepping on the hand that helps you up

There’s a time to tune into the one who’s listening

There’s a time to tune into the one you love

There’s a shift in the temper of the clouds beyond the edge

In the search for inspiration the songwriter’s hedging her bets

Shining a light onto the dark of the valley floor

Songwriter picks up a pencil, hums a tune behind closed doors

There’s a way out of this valley

Without stepping on the hand that helps you up

There’s a time to tune into the one who’s listening

There’s a time to tune into the one you love

There’s a quiet in the valley that I just can’t seem to hear

Too busy drowning in the chaos from above that holds me here

Where all the stars are outshining one another with a song

A simple tune that’s climbing but it wont be climbing long

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

Born in the middle of the night awakened by the old streetlight

Taking in the dark air dreaming of place where somebody would get it right

You were looking for a place to land said you’d lend a helping hand

We’d ride across the night sky diamonds in each other’s eyes

Thinking we were out of sight

Such a long time that I’d been waiting for you

In such a short time lovers become fools

So we burned those wheels right through

Till there was nothing else we’d ever want to do

Never any need to run the day had always just begun

Wondering why the others had warned us we would end up

Fading like a setting sun

You were talking like a rich man does

You’d take it all just because

Nothings gonna fall away and little things you never

Pay for in this life anyway

Was a long time that I’d been waiting for you

In such a short time lovers become fools

So we burned those wheels right through

Till there was nothing else we’d ever want to do

The moment when the water breaks

And the roaring waves come rolling in

You hear it when the silence caves

And you lose your way and go under

It all began to seem so clear

The day that you called me dear

Trying to disguise through beautiful lies

The place where your heart would disappear

Days began to feel so long, like a never-ending song

Found a new place to land, you took back your hand

And faded like a setting sun

Was a long time that I’d been waiting for you

In such a short time lovers become fools

So we burned those wheels right through

Till there was nothing else we’d ever want to do

So we burned those wheels right through

Till there was nothing else we’d ever want to do

Born in the middle of the night, awakened by the old streetlight

Taking in the dark air dreaming of place where somebody would get it right

Taking in the dark air dreaming of place where somebody would get it right

PARADISE

Feel it coming like a roll of black thunder

Heat gets heavy underneath the sky

I hear you breathing before you’re standing near me

Feels like something I ain’t ever tried

Light goes hazy as my eyelids close down

Liquid metal sinking to the floor

Try to hold it but it’s slipping through my fingers

I get the feeling I’ve been here before

It’s a long way if you wanna get back

It’s a long way to paradise

Beat gets louder as we’re moving through strangers

Rubbing shoulders with the other side

Swaying slowly to the backbeat of something

In slow motion our worlds collide

Lit up like candy rows of movie star light-bulbs

Our hearts are shining like they’ve never been

Try to hold it but it’s slipping through our fingers

Like party streamers in the summer wind

It’s a long way if you wanna get back

It’s a long way to paradise

Side stepping through this thing they call the time warp

Your lips aren’t moving but I hear your voice

Every moment brings us closer to the edge now

As if falling freely into love was a choice

Feel it coming like a roll of black thunder

Our hearts are shining like they’ve never been

Try to hold it but it’s slipping through our fingers

Like party streamers in the summer wind

Party streamers in the summer wind

It’s a long way if you wanna get back

It’s a long way to paradise

This kind of love we found, it won’t come around twice

BLUEPRINT

Did I see you yesterday or are you still right here

When you’re caught up in the moment nothing’s really clear

Was it in the spring that we were counting time

Keeps slipping through the cracks leaving nothing behind

Was it in a dream that we were wrapped up tight

Hiding from the world keeping out of sight

You threw secrets in my ear and we turned them into night

Underneath a blanket of bright stars nothing ever felt so right

I can feel forever coming on

Stretches out for miles and then it’s gone

So I count the time that we were given on the fingers of one hand

Forever’s just a place inside my mind

If I look close enough it’s you I’ll find

Don’t count on me today inside forever is where I’ll stay

Were we in the city dead middle of the night

Felt the heat of passing cars charmed by the burn of neon lights

We could feel the moment start to slip and fall away

We went running fast across the tracks trying to catch the feeling of escape

So I’m clinging to your memory like a raft out at sea

It’s holding me together it’s allowing me to breathe

Were we in the rainfall when you last called my name

Still echoes through the canyons of my heart it’ll never fade away

I can feel forever coming on

Stretches out for miles and then it’s gone

So I count the time that we were given on the fingers of one hand

Forever’s just a place inside my mind

If I look close enough it’s you I’ll find

Don’t count on me today inside forever is where I’ll stay

So we mark it off in days and we mark it off in years

Time the revelator help us live each moment as it really is

I try to hold you close but you’re gonna leave yes I know

I got the blueprint of your soul in mine and I’ll be sure to never let it go

WAIT ON YOU

You hold me then you let me go

Keep dragging me down in your undertow

I never saw the sunrise when I woke

Just the cold hard day that let me know

The night winds take us on

They rattle the timber and shake our bones

We hold onto the feeling that nothing’s wrong

But in the cold hard night

I wait on you, wait on you

I wait on you, wait on you

I wait on you, wait on you

Wait for you to let me know

That I can let you go

You got me putting on a front again

Hanging around with a couple of friends

We make it look so easy it’s hard to tell

That in the cold hard night, I still wait

I wait on you, wait on you

I wait on you, wait on you

I wait on you, wait on you

Wait for you to let me know

Nobody said it was going to be easy

Loving on a nickel and a dime

Nobody said it was going to be easy

Or that it’s all just a waste of time

We stumble through dark end of the night

Just trying to make sense of the point of the fight

We never saw the sunrise when we woke

Was just the cold hard night

And I still wait on

I wait on you, wait on you

I wait on you, wait on you

I wait on you, wait on you

Wait for you to let me know

That I can let you go

Wait for you to let me know

That I can let you go

LITTLE RELIEF

You were running so fast trying to catch your breath

When the heat of the moment got the better of you

Left you dragging on a cigarette

So you cut it right down, turned all the love around

But when the boat starts sinking it’s too late for thinking

So you settle into going down

And it’s a far way to fall when you feel you got nothing at all

But I’ll be waiting at the bottom as a friend and little relief

And if you cast your net too far out of reach you lose who you are

I’ll be waiting at the bottom as a friend and a little relief

You want to cross that line, want to leave the world behind

One moment you’re the wind howling round the bend

The next your just killing time

Try to make it all last, soak it up with a big old rag

Ringing out each moment as it slips away without ever looking back

Who says we only get one, one chance to get ‘er all done

To move among the stars, talk shit in bars, trying to make something last

To move among the stars, talk shit in bars, trying to make something last

And that’s the way of the world

Give a little take a little knowing it’ll never rain gold

And that’s the way of the world

Give a little take a little waiting for something to hold

Give a little take a little waiting for something to hold

So you’re gonna go slow, try and lighten that heavy load

It’s been following you around, weighing you down and you just gotta let it go

I’ll be waiting in the dark, to brighten the corners of your broken heart

So if you ever start again you’ll reach the end you envisioned from the very start

If you ever start again you’ll reach the end you envisioned from the very start

And it’s a far way to fall when you feel you got nothing at all

But I’ll be waiting at the bottom as a friend and little relief

And if you cast your net too far out of reach you lose who you are

I’ll be waiting at the bottom as a friend and a little relief

THIEVES

Found it all in the city, a corner room with a view

Bodies move like a river, below the place where I often think of you

Nothing ever came so easy

Nothing ever came so hard

Daylight creeps through my window and finds a way to land where you lie

When time allows me to steal you, but oh how it flies

Nothing ever came so easy

Nothing ever came so hard

Am I dreaming again

Am I dreaming again

So we take it as far as we can

We hide it away from our friends

We know this thing always ends

But we do it again and we do it again

You cast a shadow on my heart babe, every time you move a certain way

Put pressure on the blood veins

Resuscitate the heavy weight but alleviate the pain

Nothing ever came so easy

Nothing ever came so hard

Am I dreaming again

Am I dreaming again

WHITE ROSE

Meet me in the morning with a white rose

Take me to the moment when we die

We’ll be sitting pretty for the big ride

We’ll be taking notice of the sky

We’ll find a little peace in the country

I’ll build you a tower in our yard

We’ve been getting stronger with rainfall

We’ve been growing up and growing out through love

We took the long way getting out of here

We took the long way getting out of here

We took the long way getting out of here

And we’re never going back

Show me where to listen for the silence

I’ll tell you all my secrets in the dark

We’ll be sitting pretty when the sky falls

We’ll be taking numbers through it all

Cut me off a piece from your heart-string

I’ll tie it till my finger turns red

To remind me of the moment when it all came undone

We left the city behind and went racing into the sun

We left the city behind and went racing into the sun

We lit a fire the city couldn’t hold

Burning through our pockets, we were chasing fools gold

We took the long way getting out of here

We took the long way getting out of here

We took the long way getting out of here

And we’re never going back

Feet across the water

Heartbeat of the sky

Feet across the water

Just you and I

ASHES

Do I scatter the ashes or put em in a jar

Do wear them round my neck like some medieval scar

I do it all in vein to help me feel where you are

I’ve never felt closer than when you’re ringing through this old Gibson guitar

With one eye open I look for the light

To shine on the places where we got it right

The hours are minutes and they stretch on for days

But I can’t help feeling that time’s slipping away

There was something behind the words you’d say

Each pause like the space between the cradle and the grave

If I could bottle our time I’d only drink it away

The heat of the summer was never meant to stay

Do I scatter the ashes or put em in a jar

Do wear them round my neck like some medieval scar

I do it all in vein to help me feel where you are

But I’ve never felt closer than

No I’ve never felt closer

Than when you’re ringing through this old Gibson guitar

FINER SIDE

If I knew where to go

Somewhere the lights only go to low

I’d love it if you tagged along

We’d dig in until the night is well and truly gone

You say you don’t feel the way I feel

You could’ve fooled me cause this is feeling mighty real

You’re turning down every road

But the pay-offs lonely, leaves you feeling cold

Let me warm up your finer side

Come over darlin’ you can tell them that you tried

Come over to the finer side

You’re moving like a fox again

Digging for answers making new friends

I bet they’d love it if you came along

Hanging from rooftops till the morning’s dead and gone

You say you don’t feel the way I feel

You could’ve fooled me cause this is feeling mighty real

You’re turning down my every try

With your silver tongue and beautiful lies

Let me warm up your finer side

Come over darliln’ you can tell them that you tried

You got nowhere left to hide

It’s just one more roll of the dice

Come over to the finer side

 


NOBODY EVER LEAVES (2014)

WILDCATS

Folding like a table with a broken leg

I give you all I got but the weight it aches

I’m something that you need I’m something that you take

And when it comes down the house of cards will shake

So you kick it to the curb

You hang out with your friends

You tell yourself you’re never coming back again

But time’s running like cheap ballpoint pen

A sketched out line straight line to the end

When we fall into pieces

We scatter with the wind at night

We fall into pieces

Just fragments of our hearts’ delight

Wildcats bleeding on the open plains

We give it all we got on an empty stage

You’re running from your town

I’m running from your heart

Your love it takes me right back to the start

When we made it good

When we made it bad

When we cherished every little thing we had

But time’s running like a cheap ballpoint pen

A sketched out straight line to the end

Can we ever go back to the way things were

How did we ever lose track of our love that burned

CITY LIGHTS

You were a wide-eyed love struck dynamo

With a gunpowder kiss and a ticket to roam

Said you were heading for nothing but good times

And I wanted something more

You took me by surprise

I was caught up in your disguise

One could say there was magic in the air

You spun me ’round till my feet took off the ground

Where everything looks small from up there

Take a little of my heart baby

Take a little of me my friend

Take a little of my heart baby

Maybe we will meet again

We went running through the night

Chasing down the city lights

You whispered in my ear last call

We stumbled into the early morning din

Where the birds of paradise call

I swore to everything I could find

That I would change if you were mine

But that’s not how the story goes

So I keep it true but between me and you

I never learned to love and let go

No I never learned to love and let go

You were riding on the sea

I was tied to a dream

You were riding on the sea

And I was tied to a dream

SWINGING

I follow you down to where the street unfolds

To where the darkness calls and the wild wind roars

On the long green grass we lay down our swords

Call a truce on open land with a handshake

We call a truce on open land with a handshake

And then down we go again

Down we go again

Down we go again

Swinging for the last time

You follow me up to where the city meets the sun

Windows on fire till the day comes undone

Where the prophets never sleep

And the weary lose their feet

In the dead end dying day to day

In the dead end dying day to day

And then down they go again

Down we they again

Down we they again

Swinging for the last time

We lay on our backs in a wallpapered room

A dresser on each side of a bed made for two

Minutes turn to days and we drift off to the moon

Just long enough to hear that lonesome call

Just long enough to hear that lonesome call

And then down we go again

Down we go again

Down we go again

Swinging for the last time

I follow you down to where the street unfolds

Where the darkness calls and the wild wind it roars

And In the long green grass we lay down our swords

Call a truce on open land with a handshake

We call a truce on open land with a handshake

LEARNING TO RUN

My love is like a falling star

Burning through the night out into the dark

I don’t need what you’re feeding me

But I drink from the cup till it runs empty

My mind is like a steam ship

That’s sailing on a water that just won’t quit

Your eyes they ain’t fooling me off into the dustbowl of misery

Love won’t save us anymore

It leads us through the cellar door

Where blood and bones of memory’s stored

To haunt us in the night and take us out by light

My heart beats like a tom drum

That’s played by a child while she’s learning to run

Your days keep filling up with lies

That lead you astray out into the night

I know what you’re thinking now

How can we keep this from tearing us down?

Well I’m gone before the sunrise

I’m sailing on the wind with no goodbye

I’m sailing on the wind with no goodbye

I’m sailing on the wind with no goodbye

 Love won’t save us anymore

It leads us through the cellar door

Where blood and bones of memory’s stored

To haunt us in the night and take us out by light

 My love is like a falling star

Burning through the night right into the dark

LAST PLACE I LOOKED

In the last place I looked

You were standing right in front of me

Couldn’t see you for the burning trees

Roaring like thunder

In the last place I looked

Couldn’t tell if I was holding on

To the thing that keeps me going on

When the day goes black

In the last place I looked

There were faces staring back at me

Giving me the third degree

With no closure

You can tell me where to find gold

And we all need someone to hold

You can tell me how to live before I grow old

I can tell you how to cut it loose

Break the shackles free the noose

I can tell you how to love me till the pain goes

In the last place I looked

I was trying to get my words out

A tongue-twisting roar and shout

Always fighting for air

In the last place I looked

I was pining over something I

Saw in the blink of an eye

And it was gone for good

In the last place I looked

I was neither near nor far

From the heart of where you are

But I could feel you coming

 But I’m a long way from getting it done

I keep my distance from the sun

With both feet on the ground I walk to the sound of tomorrow

SLEEP IN YOUR EYE

Sleep in your eye you’ve been up all night

How you going to make it till morning light

Take all you can from the buck and the gin

You don’t need to know where the bottle’s been

Draw a line in the sand walk like a man

You’re heading for the big-time again

No more dragging your bones against the wind

You’ll be shooting like an arrow straight as a pin

Time you were only waiting for time

Love you could never see it flying right straight past you

Time you were only waiting for time

Love you were always a beat behind

Waiting for your number

Days go by faster than light

Temperature’s rising the sun’s too bright

And so flies the crow by your window side

Just let it go past you’ll be alright

Keep digging in land where treasure’s been

Till dirt on your hands turns gold again

Take all you can from the buck and the gin

You’ll be shooting like an arrow straight as pin

Time you were only waiting for time

Love you could never see it flying right straight past you

Time you were only waiting for time

Love you were always a beat behind

Waiting for your number

You were only waiting for the stars to align in a little way

To light up where you are and to shake away the grey

Sleep in your eye

LUXURY LINER

I’m on a luxury liner

But I remember the days when we made ends meet

Born with an itch for adventure

I climbed aboard without looking back

And I should be coming home

To be by your side so you’re not alone

In the night when the light in the kitchen’s blown

And you settle for warmth of a memory

They say those you love you must let go

I should be trading my gold ticket for a bus back home

Often lost without you

You’re my rock in an emergency

But pulled by the rolling water

And her wicked grace and majesty

And I should be coming home

To be by your side so you’re not alone

In the night when the light in the kitchen’s blown

And you settle for warmth of a memory

They say those you love you must let go

I should be trading my gold ticket for a bus back home

I’m on a luxury liner

But I remember the days when we made ends meet

Born with an itch for adventure

I climbed aboard without looking back

And I should be coming home

To be by your side so you’re not alone

In the night when the light in the kitchen’s blown

And you settle for warmth of a memory

They say those you love you must let go

I should be trading my gold ticket for a bus back home

I should be trading my gold ticket for a bus back home

I should be trading my gold ticket for a bus back home

TOOTH TO A STRING

Like a tied up tooth to a string you’re pulling on my every word

Taking all the advantages digging up forgotten dirt

And I don’t know why

You’re telling me to go when I’ve already said goodbye

Days go by like an owl sitting on top of the world

Waiting you hunt for pray taking what’s seen or heard

And I don’t know why

You’re telling me to go when I’ve already said goodbye

Midnight rambling fights on the lawn with you

Silver tongued, we come undone

And the heartache sticks like glue

And I don’t know why

You’re telling me to go when I’ve already said goodbye

And I don’t know what’s right or wrong

But everybody says that we’ve come to the end of our song

And we all fall down

And we all fall down

And we all fall down

Eggshells crack I’m stepping tiptoe over to you

Context taken out of a sky that’s faded blue

And I don’t know why you’re telling me to go

When I’ve already said goodbye

You’re telling me to go when I’ve already said goodbye

And I don’t know why

A LITTLE MORE LIKE LOVE

Gonna stroll into that alley

With my sleeves rolled up high

And my mind’s made up, there’s gonna be a fight tonight

Gonna put our tune on the jukebox

Just to get my courage right

Gonna take a shot to help me see through the night

Cause you been dancing with the devil

And wishing on a star

And you’re watching her fall through this hole in the wall bar

And she’s laughing, and you can’t get a word in

And it’s starting to shape up into something a little more like love

You’re going down tonight honey you say

And she smiles politely

As he’s pulling out her chair and buying her the next round

And she tosses her hair back lightly and rolls a cigarette

And your pride takes a dive as she is puts it to his lips

Cause you’ve been sitting with a thief

And she’s running with his heart

And you watch it disappear through this hole in the wall bar

And he’s laughing and you can’t get a word in

And it’s starting to shape up into something a little more like love

When your glass is empty and your heart’s all run down

And the night is flying so fast it nearly knocks you out

When the tune you’re humming takes you back to a love you found

So real and strong that how could it be breaking now?

Head her off on her way to the ladies

Spin around under burnt out footlights

And your mind’s made up you’re gonna take her down and try her on for size

But you been drinking like a champion who’s running late for the race

And you’re stumbling down trying to save some face

And she’s laughing, and you can’t get a word in

And It’s starting to shape up into something a little more like love