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A QUOTE FROM PETER
"This is probably my favorite album. There are songs that I never play live like, 'G-d Don't Have to Teach Me This Way.' It still makes me cry. I made (the album) mostly by myself in my garage. It has some of my most enduring songs like, 'Women With The Strength of 10,000 Men,' and 'Impermanent things'."
A REVIEW
"Himmelman writes with the same emphatic edge that impelled the Lost Genaration to write novels..."
- Time
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WALK ON (Part One)
1

Let go you wicked hand Let go you wicked hand Relax your grip upon your possessions Let them fall like grains of sand Let go you wicked hand

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IMPERMANENT THINGS
2

All these impermanent things Oh how they fool me dominate and rule me They keep me waiting here forever All these impermanent things Well their beauty's never aging but their worthlessness's enraging You know we all stand alone when we're together

Why keep hanging on to things that never stay things that just keep stringin' us along from day to day

All these impermanent things Present yet elusive passive yet abusive Tearing out the heart in utter silence All these impermanent things Well they point in all directions like secondhand reflections And they're leading us to subtle shades of violence

Why keep hanging on to things that never stay things that just keep stringin' us along from day to day

All these impermanent things Well they're trying to convince me baptize my soul and rinse me Purge my mind of honesty and fire All these impermanent things Well they all add up to zero they make-believe that they're my hero Then they fill my mind with doubt and false desires

Why keep hanging on to things that never stay things that just keep stringin' us along from day to day

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WOMAN WITH THE STRENGTH OF TEN 10,000 MEN
3

From the moment I saw your face I knew I could never take living for granted I froze right in my place, as I became aware of the ground on which my feet were planted

And as your eyes were focused on the alphabet in your video screen I stood there and stared in disbelief

I was speaking to you with my voice You were speaking to me by choosing letters with your eyebrow You didn't have no choice And yet you had an attitude like that's just the way that it goes now

I started talking to you about the fish swimming in your aquarium But all the while I wanted to take away your pain

Susan I owe you an apology Susan I owe you an apology For all the days I just let slide right through my hands You are the woman with the strength of 10,00 men

From the moment I saw your face I knew all my so-called troubles were nothing You put me in my place I knew right then I better start living for something

There ain't nobody alive that can keep your spirit down No one can keep you from changing what just ain't fair

Susan I owe you an apology Susan I owe you an apology For all the days I just let slide right through my hands You are the woman with the strength of 10,000 men

And the words come ticking out and the words bring us together And the words come ticking out and the words must keep you sane

Susan I owe you an apology Susan I owe you an apology For all the days I just let slide right through my hands You are the woman with the strength of 10,00 men

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LOVE OF MIDNIGHT
4

When justice and mercy have fused into one When the knots of frustration are finally undone When all hatred and shame have vanished from sight I will love you with the love of midnight

When the victim shall stand and the aggressor shall fall When hunger and fear are unknown to us all When men aren't divided by black or white I will love you with the love of midnight

We will stand at the pinpoint between darkness and light Where the truth is made so plain to see We will witness the enemies and opposites unite As our captive spirits run free When the bearers of injustice are making amends When the ghosts of all sinners will finally be cleansed When we throw down our guns refusing to fight I will love you with the love of midnight

When pride and fortunes cease to be real When the cold at heart can suddenly feel When all wars are won by reason not might I will love you with the love of midnight

We will stand at the threshold the bisecting of worlds As if at the top of some hill And out of our blindness we shall have been hurled Not driven by fear but by will When the scoffing of cynics is silenced at last When the eons of pain and suffering have past When the angels of mercy have taken to flight I will love you iwth the love of midnight

When the nations see that they're immesurably small Compared to the one who created us all When the dying of dark meets the waking of light I will love you with the love of midnight

We will stand at the river where silence collides With countless generations of screams Where the mysterious name which never divides Gives life to our blood and our dreams When the veils and their shadows are taken away We will witness the birth of the immaculate day To stand in the flashes between darness and light Is to love you with the love of midnight

I'm so tired of waiting for it so tired of praying for it Midnight Talkin' 'bout midnight Yeah, the love of midnight

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PHONE CALL FROM CHICAGO
5

I'd said I'd call well here I am two years late but oh my friend I have grown since you knew me there's a new blood runnin' through me I'm in Chicago now it's 5 P.M. There's a wind coming off Lake Michigan It has no restrictions it has so much conviction I felt that way when I was nine or ten ain't felt the same a time again

And the wind's blowin' stronger like it just can't wait no longer Like it has to make its way back home again My room is old it smells of rain tap tap tappin' on my windowpane And though I'm warm and rested I feel like I'm being tested

There's a freight train static 'bout a mile away clanking iron on a winter's day Like a demon flyin' you can hear its wheels cryin' Like it has to make its way back home again Faded couches and a tv set motel bathroom soaking wet I wipe the steam from the mirror but my face it don't get no clearer And the Coke machine down the hall sounds like thunder as the cans would fall Like a thuder resoundin' you can hear my heart a poundin'

Like it has to make its way back home again Like it has to make its way back home again

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ONLY INNOCENT

6

You shave your heads and leave your radios on You pull your mirrors from the walls You're spellbound as cynics speak of right and wrong And how a fool should die when duty calls You pay too much attention to the morals squad That came to power at your expense You treat that system like some kind of G-d Well it would never run to your defense

But I... I'll be lookin' for it, I'll be lookin' for it I'll be lookin' for the one that can't be found I'm lookin' for the only one lookin' for the only innocent Only lookin' for the only innocent Even still in my dreams I still find guiltiness Only one lookin' for the only innocent

Well the carnival men sell murder with a gilded tongue By tellin' us all that now we've all got a choice Well I know we've got one man I ain't that dumb I can hear the screams of the children who have no voice

But I... I'll be lookin' for it, I'll be lookin' for it I'll be lookin' for the one that can't be found I'm lookin' for the only one lookin' for the only innocent Only lookin' for the only innocent Everywhere I go I still find guiltiness Only one lookin' for the only innocent

Well these are the times when white is black and black is white So you'd better study your road-maps very well And that my friend's the very essence of hell...

But I... I'll be lookin' for it, I'll be lookin' for it I'll be lookin' for the one that can't be found I'm lookin' for the only one lookin' for the only innocent Only lookin' for the only innocent Even still in my dreams I still find guiltiness Only one lookin' for the only innocent

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WHISPERING DAYS

7

These are whispering days that are passing us by It's a miracle all the stars don't Fall from their weight in the sky These are whispering days and the hills are on fire If you steady your nerves hear the words coming over the wire This is the song that Gabriel saves only for you my love on these whispering days

These are mystical days and the snow's comin' down I'm starting to leap off of this world without leaving thw ground These are mystical days and my faith can't be broke For watching these righteous martyrs stand and then vanish like smoke This is my song it's every turn of phrase I'll sing it for you my love on these mystical days

These are whispering days from the east to the west Where mothers in throes of mystic ways clutch their babies to their breasts These are whispering days and the harbor is still Not surrendering any secrets now but tomorrow it will This is the song that plays and plays I'll sing it for you my love on these whispering days These whispering days

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CRUSHED
8

You don't dance with your broken bones You don't sing when you're alone You don't fly when the air's so thin and all this weight is closing in Hey this is the taste of freedom yeah this is how it feels When fate picks you to get... Crushed beneath the wheels Crushed beneath the wheels Crushed beneath the wheels

All the things that you've learned this far Could not have prepared you for where you are So take your compass and face the east To the ruins of the temple and the wrath of the beast Hey I said the evening is falling like a hundred tons of steel Now and the we get... Crushed beneath the wheels Crushed beneath the wheels Crushed beneath the wheels

If I could do it I would gladly bear your pain But I know anything I do would be in vain You must believe me when I say this all will pass But for the moment your poor heart must feel like glass and I say Hey this is the taste of freedom yeah this is how it feels When fate picks you to get... Crushed beneath the wheels Crushed beneath the wheels Crushed beneath the wheels

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MISSION OF MY SOUL

9

When you need me I'll stand beside you I'm there for you wherever you go When you're hungry, I'll satisfy you That's the mission of my soul

When you need confession, I'm there to listen When you're crossing the ocean, I've got a boat to row When you need attention, your audience won't be missing That's the mission of my soul

When you're sleepy, I'll make your bed now When you're unsure, I'm a gonna let you know I'll say baby, don't trouble your head now That's the mission of my soul

When you're making plans, and you need a partner Baby I'm your man, just tell me when do we go You be my flower, I'll be your gardener That's the mission of my soul

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MIDNIGHT WALK IN THE RUINS

10

I took a midnight walk in the ruins Guess I was looking for your face I felt a chill in the air I knew then I was in the right place Turned over a blue stone just to see what it was hiding Out crawled a black snake And it laughed as the moon when gliding Walked through a burned-out doorway into a room whith a melted chandelier Thought I heard your voice and I called out, "Is anybody here?" But all I got was silence until the wind whipped up again outside I knew then that only something mortal could be brave enough to die

How come you don't answer when I call you You won't even part your lips to speak my name How come you don't answer when I call you Don't you know that we're both to blame?

Six black crows on a telephone wire Guess they were listening for your voice Well you still don't understand it do you You and I we had no choice The game it was clearly over We had only to cash in our chips Well I know your heart concurs with mine But I guess I wanna hear it from your lips Well, it's 2 A.M. and the fog's rolled in And the moonlight has been obscured To have gone on any longer would have been most absurd Well my boots are covered by the morning dew But my feet are still warm and dry Well I wish I could say that for my cheeks now 'Cause they're damp with these tears I cry oh yeah...

How come you don't answer when I call you You won't even part your lips to speak my name How come you don't answer when I call you Don't you know that we're both to blame?

I can see the frame of a house with its roof blown off Passive victim of a violent storm There's a grey cat with sapphire eyes lookin' for a place that's warm I can see the headlights of a pickup trucks Cutting like a sword through the mist But I'm searching my mind To remember the first time that we kissed Everything is faded now like the dye from my old blue jeans Well I've let go of our past And only you know what that means Well they say it's all a form of surrender I like to think of it as change But the evolution is awkward And this whole damn world seems so strange...

How come you don't answer when I call you You won't even part your lips to speak my name How come you don't answer when I call you Don't you know that we're both to blame?

 

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G-D DON'T HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS WAY
11

Hey my brother, though we have but one mother We're standing on different ends of the world We've got some sad news, we've got some bad blues Like a flag of darkness' been unfurled I've got a question, you've got a lesson Ain't there one word that I can say Well I'm screaming to the skies, I'm cryin' out my eyes Singing G-d don't have to teach you this way

Hey my brother, think I've finally discovered That some things just can't be understood And so hard as we try, we can only rely on the fact that everything is for the good Well listen to me now though I don't pretend to know just how I'm gonna leave these flesh and bones and start to pray Well I'm screaming to the one, I'm pleading for your son Singing G-d don't have to teach you this way

Though our faith is still together, it's too large a price to pay I see you reach for reasons why I see you break down and cry G-d don't have to teach you this way

Hey my brother, we've come from just one mother We share the blood of ages past Don't you know that I am near you, Don't you know that I can hear you And the bond forged between us is made to last Though this world may seem bitter-cold, it don't stay that way I'm told For the sun is gonna shine on us one day But I scream until I shake, sayin' there must be some mistake But G-d don't have to teach you this way...

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THIS TOO WILL PASS
12

Like the river flows, like the east wind blows You're gonna find your situation changing for the better Like the melting snow, just let your trouble go And you and I wil get through this together

Some days seem to drag on forever You need all your strength just to keep your heard together Soon you'll see that things are gonna get better at last This too will pass

Like a sprouting seed, you'll grow through this need And the things that bring you grief shall be forgotten Like an hourglass, this too will pass And what's hard as rock will soon be soft as cotton

Some days seem to drag on forever You need all your strength just to keep your heard together Soon you'll see that things are gonna get better at last This too will pass

You feel like you've been chosen to be frozen in time Your body is exhausted, you feel like you've lost your mind But these eyes they see that you're nearly free And if you can hang on a little longer I swear you'll see it too Well, a prophet I ain't, I'm no mystic or saint But I promise you my angel I will see you through

Some days seem to drag on forever You need all your strength just to keep your heard together Soon you'll see that things are gonna get better at last This too will pass

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MEASURE
13

You cannot measure in miles the love I have for you You cannot measure in minutes these feelings coming through You cannot meaure in silver the way I love your face You cannot measure in dreams the way I feel in your embrace There are no songs no violins no sweet perfume which even begins to say how much I love you

You cannot measure in words the pleasure you bring to me You cannot measure in yards these things that I want you to see There is no color no verse no prayer the greatest distance just isn't there Compared to the way I love you

You and I got a piece of an infinite thing You and I got a piece of an infinite thing You and I got a piece of an infinite thing From the reaches of the universe I'll be callin' callin' your name

You can't measure these emotions with diamonds Their value is next to none You can't measure these feelings with gold it's like a candle in the light of the sun There are no dreams with which to speak The mighty oceans lay still and weak Compared to the way I love you

You and I got a piece of an infinite thing You and I got a piece of an infinite thing You and I got a piece of an infinite thing From the reaches of the universe I'll be callin' callin' your name

There are no songs no violins no sweet perfume which even begins to say how much I love you...

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RUNNING AWAY
14

There'll be no dancing There'll be no symphony there, no symphony there, symphony there There'll be no laughing There'll be no stamping of feet, no stamping of feet, stamping of feet There'll be no crying There'll be no singing the blues, singing the blues, singing the blues

And I can guarrantee you won't be let down I can guarrantee you won't be let down

There'll be no bloodshed There'll be no thunder and rain, thunder and rain, thunder and rain There'll be no politics There'll be no running away, running away, running away

And I can guarrantee you won't be let down I can guarrantee you won't be let down

There'll be no governments There'll be no ocean or sky, no ocean or sky, ocean or sky There'll be no mourning There'll be no walks by the sea, walks by the sea, walks by the sea There'll be no magazines There'll me no diamonds or dirt, diamonds or dirt

And I can guarrantee you won't be let down I can guarrantee you won't be let down

There'll be no crying There'll be no singing the blues, singing the blues, singing the blues

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WALK ON (Part Two)
15

Walk on you weary feet Walk on you weary feet There can be no thought of surrender, humiliation or retreat Walk on you weary feet Walk on you weary feet


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