Frozen

You came here today just to hear daddy say that he’s proud to have you in his life 
You’re destined to win and you’re sporting your grin. Your sights fixed with a heart full of light  
A quick glance through the stalls. There’s no face, but you're sure, and it's crunch-time; you're set to begin  
With your mind on the prize - a pair of proud eyes - you give it all and come through with the win  

You turn and see your great victory was worth nothing ‘cause daddy’s away…again  
"I don’t matter; it’s clear. Or, for once, you’d be here. But I’ll never cry, and I’ll show you one day" 

Deaf to the cheers as you choke back the tears  
You fall to your knees as you strain just to breathe  
You came, you saw, you conquered it all  
But what’s it all worth? A moment now frozen in time  

She walks in the room. That familiar perfume. Your posture soon changed; you stand tall  
You’re destined to win and you’re sporting your grin as you heed the siren’s call  
You won’t move. They can try. It’s like turning the tide. You’re bullet proof; sure of yourself  
Well, of course you’re okay while your heart’s locked away in a place you can’t reach, let alone someone else.  

You seek benediction; an answer to your question. It’s an answer that she can never give.  
It could only be found with men you don’t want around, 'cause alone is how you’ve learned to live  

So you use her and leave - another stripe for your sleeve  
Pleasure seeking was easy... and fun... but not freeing  
You came, you saw, you conquered it all  
But what’s it all worth when your heart is still frozen inside?  

You wake up some days thinking "Why even bother?" 
So distant from mother and further from father  
You struggle and strive to make sense of your life  
But never to face the wound that you nurse deep inside  

So, you hit CEO and you rake in the money  
Own a mansion, a yacht, and your own playboy bunny
You came, you saw, you conquered it all  
But what’s it all worth when your heart is still frozen inside?  

You came, you saw, you conquered it all  
But what’s it all worth when your is still frozen...his heart is still frozen...my heart is still frozen inside?…

I Hear freedom calling

I had a dear friend whom I lost to AIDS
It removed his body's ability to properly discriminate
It tolerated everything; it knew no right or wrong
Letting down the boundaries too much only brings harm

You can ride more freely when you fasten the reigns
To try without them could lead to a world of pain
To harness means to tap, but it's through use of a restraint
The greatest power comes when you choose the right chains

This world's system is falling endlessly
I hear freedom calling: "ANSWER ME!"

An- means 'without', -archy is 'government or rule'
Egalitarians are cowards, thieves, and fools
"I choose right for me, and no-one else can place restrictions"
You want a meet a group of people that think just like you? Then, go check out your nearest prison

When inmates were asked what about their past would they want changed
Nine out of ten wished for harsher discipline. It's called abuse in this 'new day'
Do you hear what's on the radio, or see what comes up on your screens?
Then how can you be shocked that your sons are locked up, and your daughter's knocked up by the age of fifteen?

If the tracks aren't laid straight you'd derail a speeding train
The stronger guidelines you have, the more momentum you can gain
If you're too 'open-minded', pretty soon you'll lose your brains
True freedom comes when you choose the right chains

This world's system's falling endlessly
I hear freedom calling: "ANSWER ME!"

"Wake up! Answer me! Take my chains; I'll set you free"

And I have (come through)

Gunning for results, I try the least resistant route
In truth, it's fear that obstacles will stop me in my tracks
I seek to understand how I can overcome my doubt:
Find the cause behind it, wound the wound, and bleed it out

You set the bar above me just to see if I would rise, and I have (come through)
Feeling strong and proud, I've got that look in my eyes, and I have (come through)
Negating any need to fear the fall that follows pride, and I have (come through)
Because I know from where I've come, and I hold all I left in mind, and I have (come through)

Having dealt with me, I still have to deal with them
'Though all that I face without pales to all that I faced within
A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins
A righteous man falls seven times, and yet, he will rise again
I will rise again

You set the bar above me just to see if I would rise, and I have (come through) 
Feeling strong and proud, I've got that look in my eyes, and I have (come through) 
Negating any need to fear the fall that follows pride, and I have (come through) 
Because I know from where I've come, and I hold all I left in mind, and I have (come through)

How could I ever forget all that it took to rise
when I'm raised up on the remains--the reminders--of all I've tried?
Like sand, as I push them down, sometimes I sink inside.
A seed will not come to life unless it is buried and then it has died.
It must be buried alive, and then die

Effort on effort was crushed, and most were by trust or through circumstance
Time after time I rose up, yet victory was always wrenched from my hands
Through all of this, I learned to press on, adapt to the setbacks and realign
The fires that I once thought to fear died down, and I saw I had been refined

Keep Sailing On

I sometimes feel like I'm wasting my time
I try to charge straight down the line, but sometimes it helps to realise

The sturdiest ships still move with the tide
Feel the crash of the waves, yet are not capsized
The sails are withdrawn 'til the storm passes by
The captain's not fazed when they're thrown off course
He just barks directions to starboard or port
They straighten up. "Hoist the main sail!" (Aye-aye!)

To prepare and procrastinate can often look alike
I'd never move if I just wait until everything's right

I've had time to prepare to sail into the unknown
Where I lay my head is what I call my home
You can't have both the horizon and the shore
And now, I'm as ready as I'll ever be
Contained on this vessel, my spirit is free
This ocean - like I - is not the same as before
There are fierce storms to conquer and a world to explore

The ready-paved road is hard on the knees
The untrodden grass below cushions my feet
The call of the wild trumps the old, beaten track
When my legs start to tremble from walking so long
And collapse beneath me, I'll still carry on
I'd rather crawl forward than turn and run back

Every ship will be sunk in the end
While some will just rust, others house life within
A myriad of colours and forms to be seen
And all will be buried: your treasures, your thrones
Will others seek yours or just try for their own?
Would the depths be worth contending just to glean?

Time to Rise

It's my time to rise
The eagle's fervid eye longs to embrace the sky
His wings open wide, and the winds of Auld Lang Syne have taught him how to fly

As future and past drift further apart
If I hold on to both, I'll be torn in two
Now, to take off the mask, and discard it at last
Loose my grip on the broken past and embrace the new

It's my time to rise
Under rule of lesser lights, the world remains in night
But when the sun shines bright, the world will come to life and lean towards the light

I know what I want. In some ways, I've known all along
But it's taken me decades to find
If I'm quick to take hold, will it break and grow cold?
Would it flourish if I just give it some time?

It's my time to rise 
The eagle's fervid eye longs to embrace the sky 
His wings open wide, and the winds of Auld Lang Syne have taught him how to fly

I cast myself on the mercy of the Divine
'Though I've peered into things that angels have only dreamed to see inside
To bridge the sky and the heavens, and let neither leave my eye
This is my desire: may I?

It's my time to rise 
Under rule of lesser lights, the world remains in night 
But when the sun shines bright, the world will come to life and lean towards the light
The world will come to life

Ice Queen

I love to give, she loved to take... Oh, what a perfect pair we make
I couldn’t taste the sourness; I was too full on delight
I laid and listened to your heart, and wondered how my ear got frostbite
'Cause, to behold you and to hold you brought more light and warmth
Than would the dawning of the sun
But, beauty shines and lust is blind. I took some time to find the sense to run 

She’s a nightmare wrapped inside a dream
She keeps me warm at night, my beloved ice queen

A lingering gaze, that adorable smile drew me to your oasis to drink for a little while
But, the trees give no shade, the pretty lights left the sand laced with shards
I couldn’t see a spring nearby, so I clung to a known mirage
From one ailing tree there hung a single hive
I could hear them sing. Their sweet buzzing - so happy and alive
On the surface it seemed so soft and warm
I reached in to taste some honey and was met by an angry swarm 

All cats look grey in the dark. A fair face may hide a foul heart
No amount of fire seemed to melt the ice.
Can I pass the shame if you fooled me thrice?
Truth be told, you never fooled me once: I was just foolish with what I want 

She’s a nightmare wrapped inside a dream
She keeps me warm at night, my beloved ice queen 

To do the right thing is often the choice that hurts
Whoever said “the best things in life are free” never held anything of worth
Separating from something so close, it bleeds and it scars
It heals in time but leaves a reminder of just how fragile we really are
To cut off that part of myself was freeing
And you didn't make it easy to still treat you like a human being
I love you and care for you but my heart isn’t safe here
You don’t understand because you won’t understand, but I know I’ll thank me later
So now you lie alone, cry alone. If you refuse to change you’ll…

She’s a nightmare wrapped inside a dream
She keeps me warm at night, my beloved ice queen 

Salt Water

I saw a rock revolving around the golden sun
It swung around and down, and then it fair cracked me one
But I told you I'm impervious to things that make others cry
No water wells in my eye

Some clown tried to talk down to me
He thought he was the best
I pinched his cigarette and put it out on his chest
I doubt Mariah could drop an f-bomb that high
Salt water welled in his eyes

I have lived for love, but now that's not enough
Because stupid people irk me.
Get lost, you turkey
Time is not a friend 'cause they'll all come back in time
And if ignorance is bliss then your whole life must be sublime

Some drivers want attention; their cars so loud and fast
I hit a buck-forty down the highway and you just have to catch right up
Your flashing lights and sirens don't impress me one dime
I'm on the phone; do you mind?

He tried to wave me down, but I just stood my ground
There's a whole other lane to overtake.
What's your beef, man!? Go around
I got a letter in the mail that said I'm going to jail
But the royalties from this song are enough to cover bail

And now, my song is ending. I think I've had enough
Of all those space cadets and clowns who think that they're tough
So, when I ask myself, "How awesome am I?"
Salt water wells in my eyes
I'm so awesome, I could cry

...But, I won't

Father’s Son

My favourite times as a child were when we’d rise with the new day
You took me to golf with some random kids, and you'd walk with me and watch me play
You’d say “I hate Meeces to pieces” when we'd listen to David Meece
I liked him but still had a laugh, for probably the first nine times at least 

I’d visit you at the station, and got along with everyone
But as cool as the other policemen were, I’d always prefer my own
We’d play solitaire for hours when everyone else was gone
I had my dad, so I was home 

I was happy just to watch you as you lay sleeping on the couch
I’d climb up and lie beside you and it would drive the demons out
Until one night you came to get me, I pretended to be asleep
I worked out what was going on and stayed strong ‘til I heard you leave 

Even still, I followed you; I just wanted my dad
But you treated me as if your new family was the only one you had
You bought them things with the money you got for me
You'd see the step-witch and bow the knee, so... 

Eventually, I gave up as the battle could not be won
Now, you would never let me catch you, but you sure as hell wouldn’t let me run
You took me from mum’s, sat me down, and looked straight into my eyes
And said it was my fault that you’d lose your job and your 2nd wife
You'd even said you'd been talking about the ways you could end my life
And if you had to take your own to do it, that would be perfectly alright
I’d never heard you speak with such conviction in your breath
I thought Superman was invulnerable 'til I brought about his death...
So I shrank into the shadows to let the Destroyer’s heart grow cold
It was a destiny too great to realise at 12 years old 

I wanted nothing more than just to be my father’s son
A fate I pray I would never see... 

They say it's the dose that makes the poison. I can't recall how many times
I heard, “I don’t know whose son you are, but I know you’re not mine”
I thought to myself “He doesn’t mean it; he's just mad. I understand”
But you kept pouring out the 'viles' until they soaked into the land
Father is a verb; you’re meant to show your son the ropes
You showed me one wound 13 times, and laid it around my throat
You’d had it; I was refuse, “good riddance” were your parting words
And as my whole world drove away, all that was left sat on the kerb
Half the city drove right by staring at this boy in tears
I waited for you to come back for me for over 15 years 

I wanted nothing more than just to be my father’s son
A fate I pray I would never see
For better is the devil that I have now become
Than the one I know I could be 

You’ll love this, dad: it was David Meece who taught me to end the wars
I’d need to see the pain you suffered by looking past the pain you caused
You couldn’t show me a father’s love if you never saw it from yours
It wouldn’t fix the damage, but I wouldn’t have to hate you any more...
Your dad was a Freemason. No wonder you were hewn in stone
They build for their communities with bricks they strip from their own homes
You are your father's son and with this truth, all hatred ceases:
A home that isn't whole is made entirely of broken pieces 

...Dad, I'm sorry... 

I wanted nothing more than just to be my father’s son
A fate I pray I would never see
For better is the devil that I have now become
Than the one I know I could be 

I want nothing more than just to be my father’s son
But now that’s all on you
To rise above and to do what I have done
And forgive your father, too

Grave to the Cradle

If you hear words in this one, you should probably get that checked out