Dancing in the Sun – Jim Newsom

released June 9, 2015

Hey Pretty Mama
Words and music by Jim Newsom

Hey pretty mama, won’t you look my way
Hey pretty mama, won’t you come out to play
Let’s get together and share the day
Mama, won’t you come out to play

Hey pretty mama, won’t you look my way
Hey pretty mama, won’t you come out to play
We can stay at home or we can run away
Mama, won’t you come out to play

The sunshine is calling and the day is new
The blue sky is falling over me and you
The birds in the trees are singing cheet cheet cheet
The green grass is beckoning our bare feet

Hey pretty mama, won’t you look my way
Hey pretty mama, won’t you come out to play
We’ll make this our first vacation day
mama, won’t you come out to play

Hey pretty mama, let’s take a ride
Spend the day driving through the countryside
Together we can wander both far and wide
Mama, let’s go for a ride

The fields and flowers and the birds in flight
Invite us out for hours in the bright sunlight
The back roads sparkle like veins of gold
Take along a picnic blanket to unfold

Hey pretty mama, let’s take a ride
Out into the country, riding side by side
I’m open to anything so you decide
Mama, let’s go for a ride

Hey pretty mama, won’t you look my way
Hey pretty mama, won’t you come out to play
Let’s get together and share the day
Mama, won’t you come out to play

A Girl Can Dream
Words and music by Jim Newsom and Holly Bishop

Have you seen my little cabin out in Asheville
Snuggled in a grove of shady pines
Have you seen me sipping coffee on the front porch
beneath a heavy quilt with crazy lines

I have wandered every trail in Nantahala
I have soaked up streams of sunlight on my face
I have climbed and I have conquered every mountain here
And felt the moonlight wrap me in its grace.

You may say that I am just a suburb lovin’ city girl
wrapped in hazy smog and siren screams
In the blaze of traffic I can close my eyes
I love it here, but hey, a girl can dream!

Do you know my winter home out on Saint John,
A more idyllic setting I can’t find
Guitar in hand, I stroll along the beach at Coral Bay
Smile and sip another glass of wine.

You may say that I am just a suburb lovin’ city girl
wrapped in hazy smog and siren screams
In the blaze of traffic I can close my eyes
I love it here, but hey, a girl can dream!

I don’t ask much,
Just your sweetly gently whispered “I love you”
To hold you close and to breathe you in
Wherever you are with me, dreams come true.

Have you seen me basking barefoot in the backyard
On a blanket with a book propped on my knees
I’m smiling at the knowledge that you love me
Wherever you are is the perfect place for me.
Wherever you are with me, dreams come true.

If I Could Write a Song
Words and music by Jim Newsom

If I just could write a song
to tell you the way I feel,
maybe find a rhyme or two
through which my soul’s revealed;
If I just could write a song
to put a smile upon your face,
then I could sleep peacefully tonight.

If I just could write a song
to share my thoughts with you,
some simple poetry
to convey some simple truth;
If I just could write a song
to say how much you mean to me,
then I could sleep peacefully tonight.

Music and love surely make the world go ’round
There’s nothing else can compare
Two lovers’ heartbeats make such a magic sound
Each one of us wants a share.

If I just could write a song
to describe in some new way
all the joy you’ve given me,
I would sing it out all day;
If I just could write a song
to say what’s bottled up inside,
then I could sleep peacefully tonight.

Wipe Away the Years
Words and music by Holly Bishop

Leave it to me to cast a million dreams,
cast a million dreams into the sea
Time through the glass moves faster than it seems
faster as it pours from you and me
Can I give you more than everything
more than everything within my reach, I’d give

One year to fall in love
Twenty more to find what dreams are made of
Sunsets settled with a glass of red
Find all the beauty inside your head
Music in the morning to fill your cup
Smiles to make your face light up
Laughter that stands you on your feet
Sadness to make our love complete
If I could cover all our tears
I’d Wipe Away the Years

Would you see fit to stay a little longer,
stay a little longer while I sleep?
The time with you makes me a little stronger
me a little stronger
won’t you please give me

All Smiles
Words by Jim Newsom & Holly Bishop
Music by Jim Newsom

J: I’m all smiles today
True love has come my way
I had no idea what my life could be
But now good times are here to stay
Although we never know what’s waiting tomorrow
I’m looking forward anyway
And I’m all smiles today
All smiles today.

H: I’m all smiles today
But I can’t find the words to say
How I long to kiss you and hold you tight
And warm your heart all through the night
Baby that’s all I’m thinking of
I want to smother you with my love
And I’m all smiles today
All smiles today.

J: I want to love you forever if that’s all right
H: I think that’ll be just fine
I want to hug you and squeeze you all through the night
J: I don’t want to waste a single minute of time

J&H: We’re all smiles today
All smiles today.

J&H: We’re all smiles today
And there’s no reason to delay
H: I’m gonna jump in your arms and kiss your face
J: I’ll wrap you up in a tight embrace
H: Everything feels so right
J: We’ll be together for the rest of our lives
J&H: And we’re All Smiles Today
All Smiles Today!

Dakota Roads
Words and music by Holly Bishop

I dreamed about you again last night
Of packing my things and taking an early flight
Taking stock of all that I can’t wait to see and do,
With my love, on Dakota Roads.

I saw the sunlight on you shimmer
The moonlight through the evergreens grow dimmer
Mirrored reflections of the deepest, clearest blue
To share with my love, on Dakota Roads.

When I was a girl, we used to come in from the west,
We traced Wyoming highways after dusk
When daylight broke, I’d search for the mountains to break before my eyes
My heart would splash around my chest
‘cause I just cannot wait for Dakota Roads.
I cannot wait for Dakota Roads.

What would I give for just one day
Of coyotes’ song, granite towers, and pie in the café
Thunder quaking, bison slowly roving in the summer rain
on Dakota roads

USETA BE
Words and music by Jim Newsom

I useta be an angry young man
I useta rail at the world
I focused on the grit and got mired in the mud
But somehow overlooked all the pearls
Time offered choices and spoke to me in tongues
But I never could decide
But that’s not who I am today
That’s no longer me
That’s not who I am today
That’s who I useta be.

I useta put a lot before love
Useta act like I didn’t care
I know I threw away some of the best days of my youth
I guess I thought I had those days to spare
I took a short term job that turned into a career
But I can’t tell you why
‘Cause that’s not who I am today
That’s no longer me
That’s not who I am today
That’s who I useta be.

We all drag our own set of usetabes
Into every new born day
Some are a matched set, some are old and worn
Some should be thrown away.

I useta think I had all the answers
Useta think I was so smart
I always found my way, I’d never need to ask for help
But now I don’t even know where to start
So I’m gonna spend my days dancing in the sun
And learning how to fly
‘Cause that’s not who I am today
That’s no longer me
That’s not who I am today
That’s who I useta be.

Love the Expression
Words and music by Holly Bishop

A sister brushes through her baby brother’s curls
The Easter dresses as the prideful young girls twirl
A family dinner where the conversation swirls
I just can’t help but love the expression.
Oh, how mysterious, mysterious
That oh, we were somehow made for this, made for this

The smell of the oils as they dry upon the frame
The sound of a lover who whispers your name
The pale of the moon as it waxes and wanes
I just can’t help but love the expression
Oh, how mysterious, mysterious
That oh, we were somehow made for this, made for this
Oh, how mysterious, mysterious
That oh, we were somehow made for this, made for this

The selfless act that turns love on its head
The waking of dreams you once believed were dead
The words of a father that were meant but never said
I just can’t help but love the expression
Oh, how mysterious, mysterious
That oh, we were somehow made for this, made for this

Happy Songs
Words and music by Jim Newsom

I’d like to sing nothing but happy songs
With simple, snappy lyrics with which you all could sing along
If the world would just cooperate
If the world would just behave
Then I could sing my happy songs all day

But that doesn’t seem to be the way the world chooses to be
From every side, somebody’s trying to pull it down on me
Down on me

But I’d like to sing nothing but happy songs
Where springtime blooms eternal and we are forever young
If the world would just cooperate
If the world would just behave
Then I could sing my happy songs all day

But I hear the sounds of a couple of thousand hearts breaking in two
And I’ve seen the downturned faces found on those so sad and blue
What can I do?

I’d like to sing nothing but happy songs
With memorable melodies which you all could whistle along
If the world would just cooperate
If the world would just behave
Then I could sing my happy songs all day

This Is How I Want To Love You
Words and music by Holly Bishop

Hand out the window, I dance with the flow
I’m on a two lane with nowhere to go
landscape falls; the road rises to greet me

I stand at the canyon at earth’s last light
circling spires call me to flight
they return my echo from down below

All these scenes I cherish
always lead me back to you

This is how I want to love you
Like skies breaking blue
This is how I want to love you

Sea and sky meet in grey mystery
Seagulls sing sweetly, the sun starts to flee
Colors merge and meld, I am breathless

All these scenes I cherish
always lead me back to you

This is how I want to love you
Like skies breaking blue
This is how I want to love you

I open my eyes to find I’m blessed
by the wonder of the world that I love
may I hold tighter to the beauty in you

This is how I want to love you
Like skies breaking blue
This is how I want to love you

Contrasting Backgrounds
Words and music by Jim Newsom

Two people with contrasting backgrounds
Meet when the stars are right and…fall in love

Look around any city
Look around any town
Take a look out your window now ‘cause
Wherever people are found
Two people with contrasting backgrounds
Meet when the stars are right and…fall in love

Take the poet of darkness
Take the princess of light
Place them in a similar situation
Watch the romance ignite
Two people with contrasting backgrounds
Meet when the stars are right and…fall in love

I’ll always love you,
They pledge with certainty
It could last a lifetime
But there’s no guarantee
When two people with contrasting backgrounds
Meet when the stars are right and…fall in love

It’s a rule, no exemption
Time has proven it true
There are examples everywhere
Look at me and you
Two people with contrasting backgrounds
Meet when the stars are right and…fall in love

Fifteen Minutes
Words and Music by Holly Bishop

I’ve got fifteen minutes to take your call,
and to ask you about your day
Baby’s in bed, everyone’s fed
and I have so many things to say

Oh, to crawl through the line and wrap myself around you
Open a bottle of wine and see how slowly we can move
I’ve got fifteen minutes to talk to you
Fifteen minutes to talk to you

I’ve got nine minutes to talk to you
Can you feel the ache I hide
Time is fleeting, my heart is bleeding
Loneliness won’t subside
Oh, to crawl through the line and wrap myself around you
Open a bottle of wine and see how slowly we can move
I’ve got nine minutes to talk to you
Nine minutes to talk to you

Hours turn into days, turn into months, turn into years
A million miles from home, your bed is covered in tears

I’ve got three minutes to talk to you
And it’s hard to come out and say
I need you at home with me
If only we could find a way

I’ve got one minute to talk to you,
I’ve got one minute to talk to you

460 West to Blacksburg
Words and music by Jim Newsom

460 west to Blacksburg, the road I’m traveling on
460 west to Blacksburg, I sing that highway song
You may take the Interstate, that’s not the way I go
460 west to Blacksburg, through countryside I know

Heading out from Norfolk, I’ll be westward bound
Take a right at Suffolk and slow down through each small town
Once I get past Petersburg, the far horizon calls
The open road is all I see, two hours between malls

460 west to Blacksburg, the road I’m traveling on
460 west to Blacksburg, I hear those bluegrass songs
Bypassing Blackstone, Farmville and Appomattox too,
Crewe is now the only town that you still drive straight through.

Roanoke and Salem, a bright star shines above
Heading down the homestretch to the place I’ve been dreaming of
God’s country all around me, the Appalachian sky
Reminds me that there’s nothing like a Blue Ridge Mountain High

460 west to Blacksburg, the road I’m traveling on
460 west to Blacksburg, I love those fiddle songs
Elliston and Shawsville, C-burg up the hill
A dark red barn, Victorian porch, a big bay windowsill

They say that it’s a Hokie town, now that’s a compliment
Where I have known such happy times, the best days I have spent
When I arrive, I’ll breathe fresh air, float on the mountain breeze
Walk along the streets that map my fondest memories

460 west to Blacksburg, the road I’ve traveled on
Driving up South Main Street, I’m back where I belong
To the left, my college days, and straight ahead downtown
460 west to Blacksburg, now I am homeward bound

What You Say You’ll Do
Words and music by Jim Newsom

If I simply ask a question, try not to take offense
For I’ve asked it of myself and I’m just trying to make sense
‘Cause you see it’s hard to figure, it’s hard to understand
How we wandered to this moment:
It’s not the way we planned

What did you want to be when you grew up
Is that the thing you’re doing,
If it isn’t why not?
Will you start right away to make your dreams come true?
For dreams can only come to life
When you do what you say you’ll do,
What you say you’ll do.

Now I see that you’re a businessman and you read the business news
And you’re out there hustling clients in your pinstriped greys and blues
But I knew you not too long ago, riding ‘round in your dad’s car
You were gonna write songs to save the world
On the strings of your guitar.

Is growing up the price we pay when childhood’s bills come due
Or is it the opportunity to do what we said we’d do
And if we choose to squander time ruled by the chase for wealth
Can we ever find the treasures
Locked inside ourselves?

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Did you do what you say you’ll do,
What you say you’ll do?