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released February 9, 2021
Our Finest Hour
words & music by Jim Newsom
Not long ago there was an old cliché
That love will always find a way
There was no question, no debate:
Living in love is our natural state
But suddenly in the blink of an eye
We awoke to a sad surprise
Left to wonder if our fate
had been ensnared in a chokehold of hate.
Whenever evil rears its ugly head
Through thoughts or actions or language said
When wealth and power accrue to the corrupt
When up is down and down is up
Inside each one of us, there will always beat
A pulse of love no one or nothing can defeat
And we can choose, yes, it’s our choice
To sing our songs and raise our voice
Saints and cynics
Princes and pawns
Rock and rollers
Dancing ‘til dawn
The power of love
Over the love of power
We can make this
Our finest hour.
And just as certain as God is Love
Every life is full of push and shove
You’re flying high but soon you’ll kiss the ground
Lost and lonely, waiting to be found
As we grow older, we learn anew
Working together, we’re the chosen few
And as if it’s all by design
Through us, the light of love may ever shine
Saints and cynics
Princes and pawns
Rock and rollers
Dancing ‘til dawn
The power of love
Over the love of power
We can make this
Our finest hour.
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Bitterness Backfires
words & music by Jim Newsom
Bitterness backfires,
That’s a fact
The words go forth
But they won’t come back
Bitterness backfires
When things don’t work out like you planned
You’re filled with anger, you don’t understand
You lash out, curse with ugly names
Tear it all down and place the blame
But bitterness backfires
Bitterness backfires,
That’s a fact
The words go forth
But they won’t come back
Bitterness backfires
I’ve been wounded, I’ve known pain
Crawled through darkness, soaked by rain
Sought to punish and despise
Self-righteously justified
But bitterness backfires
It’s easy to spot what another may lack
And it feels so good on the attack
But pumping poison through your own veins
Is just a self-destructive game
‘cause bitterness backfires
You can mark your time immersed in hurt
And maybe there’ll be some just dessert
But one thing’s sure, you run the risk
Of never knowing all the love you missed
‘cause bitterness backfires
Bitterness backfires,
That’s a fact
The words go forth
But they won’t come back
Bitterness backfires
Bitterness backfires,
That’s a fact
The words go forth
But they won’t come back
Bitterness backfires
Bitterness backfires
Bitterness backfires
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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I Am Not a Jukebox
words & music by Jim Newsom
I don’t sit on this stool to regurgitate the hits
But there are certain rules I’ve learned it’s best not to forget
And so I take requests, and cough up songs that I can’t stand
And give them all my best in hopes that I’ll be booked again
I am not a jukebox though I guess I look the part
Strumming on a cheap guitar and singing from the heart
Stuck here in the corner on a postage stamp sized stage
The nights are getting longer and I really feel my age
A long career of hard knocks playing music bar to bar
Though I am not a jukebox, throw a dollar in my jar.
I started out with dreams of writing songs the world would sing
With no idea what sort of things this lonely life would bring
It always looked so easy observing from afar
Tuning in to watch TV, where everybody is a star
I am not a jukebox though I guess I look the part
Strumming on an old guitar and singing from the heart
Looking out at faces in a crowd that doesn’t care
I could be most anyone from almost anywhere
Counting down the tick tocks on the clock behind the bar
Though I am not a jukebox, throw a fiver in my jar.
I’ve spent my whole adult life breathing whiffs of your applause
I cannot count the sacrifices these choices have caused
And now that there is more to look behind at than ahead
I wonder what is left to find, or has it all been said
I am not a jukebox though I guess I look the part
Strumming on this fine guitar and singing from the heart
I’ll slip a song or two of mine between the ones you know
And act as though this cocktail gig’s a soldout headline show
I’ll admit you flocked here just to hang out at the bar
Though I am not a jukebox, throw a ten-spot in my jar.
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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My Daddy’s Records
words & music by Jim Newsom
They don’t make music like they used to do
(who could disagree?)
Can’t find the kind of beat we could dance to
(where’s the melody?)
But man, oh man, I remember when
We spent the whole day tunin’ in
To Rock and Roll we loved so much
Deep inside the grooves, we felt its mystic touch
And Big Band Swing was our parents’ craze
My daddy’s records always take me back to happy days.
He had Glenn Miller’s Chattanooga Choo
(with Tex Beneke)
I’d stack it back-to-back with “She Loves You”
(and “Please Please Me”)
The music fed us, filled our heads
The rhythmic pulse our daily bread
From six transistors straight to stereo
Concept albums, Top 40 radio
Then with Chicago and BST,
My daddy’s records suddenly were just as hip as hip can be.
My daddy bought the 33s
When they put out the first LPs
Filled with songs from 78s
By all his favorites, those sassy brassy big band greats!
Still I frolic in songs from the past
(Ella, Elvis, Elton John)
Some eternal, some that didn’t last
(the beat goes on and on)
Psychedelic, bubble gum
“Can’t Help Myself” and “Fun Fun Fun”
“Do You Believe in Magic?” Yes I do
And I won’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but you
Anytime and anyplace,
My daddy’s records always put a great big smile upon my face.
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Peace Love Happiness
words & music by Jim Newsom
Peace, they tell me, happens
in the absence of war
And going back through history,
the promises soar
That this one war will end all war
And peace will reign forever more
They don’t know what they’re fighting for
and no one ever learns
I ask, “Is this what God intended
Or were all His plans upended
Can our broken world be mended
Where is peace on earth?”
Love is a gift bestowed
between us and among
Its origins a mystery
It strikes us one by one
When it hits, our hearts are full
And anything is possible
But if it proves disposable
We sink into despair
I wonder just what God intended
What concoction, mixed and blended
Can our broken hearts be mended
Is love everywhere?
Happiness is personal,
we search until we find
Inheritance, experiences
simmer and combine
To fill our souls and fill our minds
With patterns in unique designs
For some, it never is defined
And they become depressed
But where, oh where, was God’s attention
If the world was His invention
Surely it was His intention:
Peace, love, happiness.
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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The Days of Being Bob Dylan Are Gone
words & music by Jim Newsom
I guess I thought I could
Strap on my guitar
And hustle up to New York City
To be a shooting star
I bought the myth
That a masterful wordsmith
Could change the world with a song
But the days of being Bob Dylan are gone.
The loud voice of my youth
Unfettered and naïve
Found a way to cut through the clutter
To sing out what we believed
But day by day,
The world got in the way
And though I carry on
The days of being Bob Dylan are gone.
It’s funny I’ll admit
To discover the passage of time
A mirror glance, a fractured dance
The love that flows through a long-lasting romance
The times they have a-changed
The faithful flock has aged
We find ourselves still stunned by the wonder
Of all with which we’ve engaged
Guitars still ring
And our voices still sing
The words and music are strong
But the days of being Bob Dylan are gone.
Oh, I’d like to teach the world to sing along
But the days of being Bob Dylan are gone.
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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One Kiss
words & music by Jim Newsom
One kiss…One Kiss
One kiss leads to another
One kiss turns friend into lover
The kiss of life, the kiss of love
The kiss that lasts eternally
One kiss is all I’m thinking of
Each time your lips transmit to me
One kiss on which to build romance
One kiss…One kiss
One kiss begins innocently
One kiss speaks eloquently
The kiss that ends a perfect night
The kiss that’s better than dessert
The makeup kiss after a fight
The kiss to bandage every hurt
One kiss on which to take a chance
One kiss…
One kiss can mean betrayal
But one kiss never fails
To knock the barriers away
Expressing more than words can say
One kiss in its insistence
Eliminates resistance
One kiss from you is so intense
That I am turned into a prince
One kiss…one kiss
One kiss from you brings hope and laughter
One kiss lasts happily ever after
Your kiss unlocks my passion
All my defenses come undone
Your kiss brings satisfaction
And makes our two hearts beat as one
One kiss changed our circumstance.
One kiss…
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Here and Now
words & music by Jim Newsom
Voices all around me
Proclaim the world has changed
It’s not the way it was,
Things will never be the same
Those happy memories
Held close from days long past
Appear as mere illusions
Through frosted rose-tint glass
But I beg to differ
I choose to disagree
And here’s an invitation
To join hands with me
The past may not be present
The present soon will pass
And up ahead, no guarantee
Though what came first may last
So let us make a promise
Let us take a vow
To spend our lives together
In the here and now.
In the here and now
Where you and I reside
We travel down our pathway
and ride the mounting tide
And here’s a little secret
A truth I must confide:
I never would have made it
Without you by my side
Maybe there’s no difference
Things work out anyhow
Who can say for certain
In the here and now
While others paint by numbers,
We’ll do it on our own
and venture forth together
Into the vast unknown
Until the final curtain
Calls out for one last bow
I promise I’ll be with you
In the here and now
I promise I’ll be with you
In the here and now
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Geraldine
words & music by Jim Newsom
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
My Geraldine
I see her walking around town
She’s always up, she’s never down
Wearing a smile, never a frown
She’s mighty pretty, I must say
Walking towards me or away
Her happy outlook is always on display
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
My Geraldine
Most every night inside my dreams
I have to wonder what it means
That all I see is Geraldine
How could I ever measure up
I know I won’t be good enough
What happens if she calls my bluff?
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
My Geraldine
Maybe a good slap in the face
Would finally erase
This fantasy…
and put real life in its place
Perhaps a hammer, a ball peen
Could knock some sense into my bean
Or will I always pine for Geraldine
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine
Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
Geraldine…Geraldine, Geraldine
My Geraldine
Geraldine, my Geraldine
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Orange Clown
words & music by Jim Newsom
When you’re looking around for someone to blame
And you want to expound and attempt to explain
Just look in the mirror, right in front of your eyes
The obvious culprit who wears no disguise
When you had a choice, how did you choose
Were you suckered by lies or did you seek the truth?
Did you pull yourself up or drag yourself down
When you placed your faith in a dull orange clown?
When life was rosy, and profits sky high
I’m guessing you chose to morally compromise
You justified options you’d never condone
Engaged in behavior you used to disown
Supported, enabled, race-baited and worse
Guzzled the Kool Aid, and fell under the curse
Of a soul-less wretch with a permanent frown
You supped at the trough with a dumb orange clown.
They say ignorance is bliss
And it’s such a sweet temptation
When a grifting narcissist
Cons you with a promise of salvation.
Inept and hapless, you fumble and froth
Lured onto a trap yet you fight to get off
You try to atone for the sins of your past
Struggle to reel in the lines that you’ve cast
You’d like to pack up your things and head out of town
Or crawl into a hole deep down in the ground
Some way to escape from the cult that you found
In the circus parade with a sad orange clown.
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Sadie Grace and Her Butterfly Chase
music by Jim Newsom
==INSTRUMENTAL==
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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A Hug and a Kiss (For Christmas)
words & music by Jim Newsom
I need a hug and a kiss for Christmas
That’s all I want from you
I need a hug and a kiss for Christmas
And I’ll have one here for you
You’re at the top of my gift list
With a smile and a ho ho ho:
a yuletide hug and kiss
Wrapped in a great big bow.
I need a hug and a kiss for Christmas
I’ll be waiting by the tree
I didn’t know I could love you this much
Until you snuggled up with me
When the bells on Santa’s sleigh
Come jingling through the night
Spreading joy for the holiday,
Our world will feel all right.
No snow on the ground
Or a tree filled with mistletoe
What the two of us have found
Sets the cold season aglow.
I need a hug and a kiss for Christmas
When we’re home from midnight mass
I need a hug and a kiss for Christmas
There is nothing more to ask
When the kids open their eyes
To greet the dawn on Christmas Day
Full of wonder and surprise
I’ll hold you close and say:
I need a hug and a kiss for Christmas
That’s all I’ll ever want from you.
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Windup Toys on Parade
Words & music by Jim Newsom
Every Christmas Day
Out of Santa’s sleigh
Come the windup toys on parade
We can line them up
And wind them up
We can play all day
Dancing here and there
They go everywhere
If they’re wound too tight, they might run away
They can stand up straight
Or fall on their face
In the toy parade
My little brother checks in every stocking
To be certain that all are included when
He carefully conducts each year’s extravaganza
And all are wound and the show begins:
Cars that hum, drum-pum-pum
Hippo dance, puppies prance
Garfield’s pounce, Tigger’s bounce
Soldiers march, some fall apart
And the whole thing’s a joyous cacophony
Christmas afternoon
A familiar tune
Is performed by windup toys on parade
Every year we’re glad
There are more to add
To our grand display
Back when we were young
It was so much fun
I remember all the happy times we made
A house full of noise
And windup toys
On parade.
© 2019 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
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Sunshine and Flowers
music by Jim Newsom
==INSTRUMENTAL==
© 2020 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.