top of page
Song Lyrics

Song Lyrics

All songs written by Rick Gray

BIRD ON THE PHONE

I’d never seen so many stars

Claiming all the space in the sky

I’d never drank in Outback bars

The same stares in every room

Amusement with a dash of gloom

​

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

With all the time in the world today

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

And she’s hoping I can stay

​

We walked the track the length of town

Then she took my hand

I felt so alive with you around

The trickery of youth

Starting fires without a clue

​

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

With all the time in the world today

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

And she’s hoping I can stay

​

Should have seen the way we smiled

Like purpose had our name

I never snapped the thread in time

That keeps the pictures clear

I see them now in every mirror

​

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

With all the time in the world today

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

And she’s hoping I can stay

There’s a bird on the phone

There’s a bird on the phone

But it’s time to go home today

CLICK YOUR HEELS

Dorothy’s got a road ahead of her

Paved with doubt and fire

And these pretty little flowers intent on devouring her have stolen her desire

Up at three, feel the need to call a friend

Not the one that you trust, the one that you must

To bring these chills to an end

​

You’re alabaster in the mirror

Constant buzzing in your ears

Your eyes look the wrong kind of deep

So click your heels and bring us something we can keep

​

Strawmen blow away and lions are just hard-wired

Neither courage nor brains or the heart remains intact

You’re starting to get tired

​

You’re alabaster in the mirror

Constant buzzing in your ears

Your eyes look the wrong kind of deep

So click your heels and bring us something we can keep

​

Half a chance to change your circumstance

Don’t let a tinman’s heart blow it all apart

Before you find the legs to run

​

You’re alabaster in the mirror

Constant voices in your ears

Your eyes look the wrong kind of deep

So come back to us now

Click your heels and bring us something we can keep

​

Dorothy’s got a road ahead of her

Paved with doubt and fire

And these pretty little flowers intent on devouring her have stolen her desire

LUCKY YOU

Driven straight through night

Just to find the lost horizon

Divided evenly into dark and light

Toward a clear day

When everything was made to last

Now everything breaks so fast

​

Had you not been there from the start

I couldn’t see these possibilities abound

You pulled the stake out of my heart        

Look at you; I doubt you feel like Arthur today

​

I start to feel there’s a way

Mixed with all this fear

Divided evenly

Then I hear the halves

Beating like a drum

In time with the song

So why does it sound wrong?

​

Had you not been there from the start

I couldn’t see these possibilities abound

You pulled the stake out of my heart

Lucky you, you got to feel like Arthur for a day

​

Maybe my hands could align some stars

The will and the way could meet up in a bar

I don’t know if it’s real or if I saw it on TV

​

Driven straight through night

Just to find the lost horizon

Divided evenly into dark and light

Toward a clear day

When everything was built to last

Now everything breaks so fast

​

Had you not been there from the start

I couldn’t see these curiosities abound

You pulled the stake out of my heart        

Lucky you, I doubt you feel like Arthur today

Look at you; you got to feel like Arthur for a day

Lucky you, Lucky you, Lucky you

MAGNOLIA LEAVES

I may not parade

These unbroken ties

But I’ll keep for myself

The glance from your sharp eyes

Though I have felt the lack

Of something stronger than myself alone

I have remained intact

And pieces here and there have grown

Much to my surprise

​

Now that I’ve shed this haze

Remembering comes easily

I bring it all on

To judge myself accordingly

And while I have watched these scenes

As they tumble like magnolia leaves

 To cover my smile

I tend to lose my breath

In keeping with this little death

That keeps flashing right before my eyes

​

And I once may have felt that blindness is bliss

But I can’t embrace that now

There’s no taste for me to keep

​

And so I will watch this world

As it passes like a slow cloud

I’ll keep my head up

‘Cause I remember how

And though I do feel the lack

Your laughter keeps coming back

To fill me

And it will stay with me

Burned into this memory

Never fading

Right behind my eyes

​

And I once may have felt that blindness is bliss

But I can’t embrace that now

OCEAN OF STORMS

With the second wave you hope to fare better

You get the shock out of the way

You search these bright rooms for things that you lost

The ones you thought failed you the ones that got tossed away

​

On your ocean of storms how’d you ever find the place

Headed uptown on your avenue of saints

​

These moments pass your grip closes tighter

But a picture’s all that’s left for you

You search these dark skies for feelings you lost

The ones that left glimpses still seem worth their cost

​

On your ocean of storms how’d you ever find the place

Drifting around on your avenue of saints

​

I hold on to the places I’ve been with no mercy

I can feel them trailing like wire behind me

They’re the ghosts of my days

​

You remember their names, you read some old letters

You keep the photos in a drawer

Of all these great things you set out to grab

That lonely perspective is the one that keeps taking you back

​

To your ocean of storms how’d you ever find the place

Coming back down on your avenue of saints

SAILORS' TALK

Sailors’ talk in desert towns

Shines a light out past the boundaries

Each tailored word inspires a path

To feed the hawks or fill the foundries

​

They will go

With outstretched hands and dreams

Nothing to show for some

Others find ways and means

The stream never stops

Brought on by sailors’ talk

​

Ideas fall on open minds

As crumbling houses spur their gears on

The stories told will burn some down

Others stand and leave a light on

​

They will go

With outstretched hands and dreams

Nothing to show for some

Others find ways and means

The stream never stops

Brought on by sailors’ talk

​

Once you’ve sailed  you’re in the game

Where Poseidon knows your name

​

Sailors’ talk in desert towns

Shines a light out past the boundaries

Each tailored word inspires a path

To feed the hawks or fill the foundries

​

I will go with outstretched hands and dreams

Nothing to show for some

But I’ll find ways and means

The stream never stops

Brought on by sailors’ talk

TO HEAR HER SING

STUCK ON INSINCERE

Let’s take a long walk on a short pier

And see who comes up first for air

Cause I could hold my breath to China

Just to prove the point my dear

You can shed your own tears and sink

Cause mine are already in the drink

​

I keep hearing if you need to talk I’m right here

What I keep seeing is a broken clock

The second hand is stuck on insincere

Now I’m clear

​

Misunderstandings aside

You really could have held your tongue

Instead of feeding the fire

And stoking up false hope where there’s none

Since I’ve been finding you out

This trust is just shot down for the count

​

I keep hearing if you need to talk I’m right here

What I keep seeing is a broken clock

The second hand is stuck on insincere

Now we’re clear

Let’s take a long walk on a short pier

And see who comes up first for air

Everybody’s got a phone you’ve got a ticket home

And this bus ride’s shaking you to the bone

You’re feeling these riders all know your place

You ain't said a word but they could read your face

​

You don’t feel ready you don’t feel dressed

You keep fooling with the sign hanging round your neck

You got a head full of trouble and no one to tell

And every day is a shotgun shell

​

He’s saying I’d be glad to meet you anywhere

If I could just hear you sing Rocking Chair

​

This place has changed since you’ve been away

21 years and 15 days

Now they’re cooking poison to sling around

Killing these ways and killing this town

​

The sight to make this alright would be sunlight in your hair

And if I could just hear you sing Rocking Chair

​

Your wife couldn’t take all the strain

Still calling out that baby’s name

She’s been wandering in a haze of pain

Using these men to get away

​

So it’s one last gesture to bring her around

And finally leave him in the ground

There’s nothing to fix here he shuts the gate

Makes the revenue man seal his fate

​

Saying I’d be glad to meet you anywhere

Just to hear you sing Rocking Chair

VETERAN'S DAY

TOO BRIGHT

Mr. O’Leary’s gone and slid right off the world

And it’s a shame

He’s taken the drink and he’s following the curl

Of these bar lights spinning round him

He stays in the same place

He’s probably thinking ‘bout her as he studies his face in the mirror

It’s a staggered view

But the bottles in his way make him feel so new tonight

He’s on his way to burning too bright

​

People to his left and right are just a distant blur

He’s lost inside his head again

He’s searching through his pockets like he’s bound to find the cure

To everything that ails him

He stays in the same place

He’s still thinking ‘bout her as he studies his face in the mirror

He won’t stay still

And the empties seem to grow as he questions his bill tonight

He’s on his way to burning too bright

​

And everything he’s counted on has left him by the wayside in time

Disappointment lingers like smoke on the 4th of July

​

Mr. O’Leary’s gone and slid right off the page

And he’ll survive

He stumbles in the street and he gets swept off with the rain

With these street lights spinning ‘round him

He’ll bum a ride and argue ‘bout the route from the passenger side

He’s an ass

But he fits in fine with all the others ‘round him he’s got nothing but time tonight

They’re on their way to burning too bright

He isn’t sure which way to turn

So he looks out to explore his options

He marks his way with the strange blue ribbons

That he found at the parade

Where the veterans rolled by

Both young and old

And they said

There was a day when we stood here as whole men

But there came a time giving body and soul for this place

So he’s standing with his crown of confusion

Shining like a halo overhead

He reaches conclusions after all

​

There are some loyalties nothing known to man can erase

Half your life’s been written on your face

Looks like you’ve been saving grace for years

​

And he knows one thing for sure

He’s tired of the voices saying

You are here and it’s just what you need to do

Looks at examples along the way

Studies the characters he reads them through and through

Spots an old man at the corner bar

Shining like an empty glass

At the bottom of a full week’s pay

​

There are some memories nothing known to man can erase

Half your time’s been staring into space

Looks like you’ve been saving grace for years

​

But he’s looked away for so long that he’s

Made the full circle and it’s staring him straight in the eyes

But he’s not gonna shine like that

​

There some loyalties nothing known to man can erase

Half your life’s been written on your face

There are some memories nothing known to man can erase

Half your time’s been staring into space

Looks like you’ve been saving grace for

Seems like you’ve been holding back

Looks like you’ve been saving grace for years

bottom of page