"Rio"

"Rio"

Hey Jude,
I remember you.
You rose from the bottom,
And how I loved you.
No need for a ladder-
For you had the wings
Of a mythical bird
With songs to sing.


Hey there.
Oh how we needed you-
The pale, fragile angel
With eyes drowned in blue.
"Don't smile for the camera-
It'll steal your soul.
But you'll live forever."
They told you so.


So the river still flows without the rain.
The river still forks that bears your name.
I've come to these waters since I was young.
I've come to these waters to watch them run.
The river is relentless, but gentle and free-
Forging its path, in search of the sea.

This river is timeless, wild, and free.


Hey Gray,
Attic music won't play
And Saint James is empty
In the places you'd stay.
And now All Hallows of Eve
Seems frozen in time.
As pictures of your grace
Play in my mind.


Hey now,
It's been so very long
Since you left your ashes
On winds far gone.
More myth than man-
you're a legend lost.
You lit a short fuse 
 and paid the cost.

But the river still flows without the rain.
The river still forks that bears your name.
I've come to these waters since I was young.
I've come to these waters to watch them run.
The river is relentless, but gentle and free-
Forging its path, in search of the sea.

The river is timeless inside of me.

-Spraggins 10/2008

"I don't want to die in a car accident. When i die, it'll be a glorious day. It'll probably be a waterfuall."

"I am kind of a minute commodity.
My name is no longer my own."

-River Phoenix

"The Maze"

"THE MAZE"

Listen to sheet music:
http://www.tindeck.com/listen/tybd

Verse:
There's a cool wind blowing in the desert tonight,
and the shadows are haunting the houses of Light.
The silence has stolen the song from our lips
And extinguished the fire in our fingertips.

Verse:
Did I miss the signal as the lines came down?
Were you watching the stars falling from my crown?
Now the house is shaking but the walls won't fall,
And a beast approaches through the mirrored halls.

Chorus:
In a maze of thorns and secrets
Where lies can cut like razor blades,
We are running from deception
As all the stars above us fade.
Now heaven can't shine bright enough
To light a pathway through the haze.
Yet still we're searching for our souls
And moving blindly through this maze

Verse:
The seats are empty in the Temple of God.
There's a wolf in the chapel- the Devil's facade.
We're locked in a battle being waged by time,
We are pawns on the board, chased by faceless mimes.

Bridge:
We're lost inside a maze.
Each turn reveals more walls.
I feel your hopeless gaze.
God, hear this broken call.

-Spraggins
September 2008

"Nicholas"

"NICHOLAS"

*Click below to hear a midi version of the sheet music:
http://www.tindeck.com/listen/dnii

Verse One:
Nicholas holds moon beams in his hands,
In a world where no one understands.
The thunder roars like a metal band,
Far above the churning ocean sands.
Nicholas holds moon beams in his hands.

Verse Two:
Nicholas is fighting with the wind,
In a night that seems to know no end.
In a room a candle is burning,
Across time the tides are turning,
Nicholas is fading in the wind.

Chorus:
Nicholas lives with ghosts
Beneath a starless sky.
His angels hold his heart;
His demons close his eyes.

But Nicholas, it seems,
Has traded in his dreams,
And so the shadows hide
My sweetest friend from me.

Verse Three:
Nicholas is singing to the night.
In a haunted place, far out of sight,
His angel's wings won't give him flight.
The Devil's flame is his only light.
Nicholas is howling at the night.

Verse Four:
Nicholas is just a memory,
In a mind to which he held a key.
And though history's call may tempt me,
I know the hour glass is empty.
It's all just a distant memory.

Chorus:
Nicholas chases stars
To fill an empty sky.
He hears his angels cry,
But shields himself with lies.

Now Nicholas, it seems,
Is in and out of dreams,
But tomorrow might
Just bring him back to me.

-j.a.s.- 5/08

Inspired by "Beautiful Boy", a book by David Scheff about his son's battles with addiction.

"Elizabethtown"

"Elizabethtown"

Verse One:
With the coolness of the autumn,
she seemed to blow in with the wind.
From his table at the window,
he saw her stage coach rolling in.

With one final sip of whiskey,
he watched her step into the rain.
And though neither of them knew it,
their lives would never be the same.

Verse Two:
She had journeyed through the desert,
a southern daughter on the run.
She had crossed the western gateway
while running toward a setting sun.

Still there watching from his window,
a small cross hanging from his neck,
the man of faith cursed loneliness
and felt temptation stack the deck..

Chorus:
While there in that lonely place,
in the shifting sands of time,
two lost souls came together
to find a reason or a rhyme.

In the arms of one another,
they both found their escape.
But they should have known
you can never hide from the hand of fate.

In that ghost town of the west,
they both chased their demons down.
But when you play his game, the Devil wins.
And so they never left Elizabethtown.

Verse Three:
After just a month of Sundays,
the talk began to spread around.
She'd been a lady of the night
before she'd come into the town.

While the rumors were no secret,
and Father Lee had heard them all,
he still held her in the nighttime
and watched her silent teardrops fall.

Verse Four:
While with him she found forgiveness-
the life that she was searching for..
And with her he tasted freedom-
a brand new key to heaven's door.

So he told her in the winter
They would leave Elizabethtown.
He said, "Meet me by the river,
at the dock as the sun goes down".

Bridge:
So that evening she packed her bags,
prepared to set out on her way
with a new love, toward a new life-
a future filled with brighter days.

Then with a knock upon her door,
her hopeful dreams were quietly killed.
Her past at last caught up with her,
inflicting wounds that never healed.

(Repeat Chorus)

Verse Five:
Still there waiting by the river,
just as the sun light disappeared,
he'd given up on hopes and dreams,
and things were ending as he had feared.

Into the rolling river’s depths,
he threw his golden chain and cross.
She had failed to keep her promise
and so had God- his faith was lost.

Verse Six:
He could not face his future
and felt such shame for what he'd done-
so he reached into his pocket
and then pulled out his father's gun.

All alone growing darkness,
he brought an end to his own life.
In the town his love lay dying-
On her bed- a bloody knife.

Spraggins 3/08

"Stigmata"

     I wrote this lyric after encountering an individual who seems to thrive on playing the martyr- who has a "Jesus complex" of sorts. I used religious imagery to make a symbolic point and never intended to send a sacrilegious message. I've gotten some negative feedback from this one and wanted to explain where it came from. It's just symbolism, really...and that's all...

"Stigmata"

*Click this link to hear the sheet music.

http://www.tindeck.com/listen/fldc

Verse One
Just bring a hammer and some nails.
You know your dealer has the scales.
Then you can give the whip a toss
Before I climb onto my cross
Just outside our snowy gates of hell

Verse Two
Forget the water; Drink some wine.
Shoot some vinegar with the line;
And don't forget my thorny crown
There with your needles on the ground.
Surely it can help to pierce the mind.

Chorus One
Oh the wounds they run so deep-
Upon my hands- upon my feet.
It hurts to breathe; it hurts to speak.
Euphoric pain can be so sweet.

Through bleeding drops of crimson rain,
I see you floating without shame.
A victim of your Judas kiss,
Am I the martyr in this game?

Verse Three
Now tear my robe and screw the dice.
The risk of chance just won't suffice.
You know I've always liked to die.
So plunge the spear into my side.
Help perform this sick self sacrifice.

Chorus Two
Oh the wounds they run so deep-
Upon my hands- upon my feet.
It hurts to breathe; it hurts to speak.
Euphoric pain can be so sweet.

Through bleeding drops of crimson rain,
I see you floating without shame.
I asked you for your Judas kiss,
So there is only me to blame.

Spraggins –April 2005

"The Masks We Wear"

"The Masks We Wear"

*Click below to hear the sheet music:
http://www.tindeck.com/listen/remy

Well I gave up chasing dreams
a lifetime ago it seems. 
Good fortune has never seemed to favor me. 

I just haven't been the same
as the champions of the game. 
That's the way of things in my reality.

But I know the dance of hearts, 
and one must portray a part 
in whatever play circumstance contrives. 

On the stage of lust and greed, 
an actor learns to feed his need, 
reciting lines that keep the act alive. 

And no matter where I go, 
I can slip into a role. 
I sing the song my audience wants to hear.

I have sacrificed myself 
and it seems there’s little left 
of the child within the mask who lives in fear.

We wear masks and we deny 
Secret truths we lock inside. 
We all play games to satisfy desire.

We forget there is a cost. 
When we hide so much is lost. 
We masquerade and dance around the fire.

There’s a shameful cross to bear 
Just behind the masks we wear-
where we shield our soul’s from man’s invasive stare.

As years quickly pass away,
and our secret selves decay,
Our true souls die behind the masks we wear.


-Spraggins 12/07 

"42 Years"

"42 Years"

http://tindeck.com/listen/mzmz

VERSE 1:
In a two room house
Deep down in the south
In sleepy Tupelo,
He was raised on the Gospel
With his mama's love
And the songs of old Hank Snow.

He was born without a penny

or a chance in hell.
Could he have ever known-
What he would find-
How he would shine
When he left from Tupelo?

VERSE 2:
When he was fourteen-
Just startin' to dream,
He set out on a road.
He found himself in Memphis
With rhythm and blues
Near the dawn of rock-n-roll.

On the banks of the river,

'neath the lights of Beale,
Was there any way to know-
When country, blues and gospel fused
That he would find his soul?

CHORUS:
Through forty-two years that boy became a man.
From the city on the Mississippi he made his stand.
Rooted in the Gospel but soaked in blues-
Even a king had to pay his dues.

Through forty-two years he learned to face his fears
On a road filled with love, fortune, fame and tears.
He was running from the Devil while singing the songs-
But a shooting star doesn't last too long.

In that city on the Mississippi when fate drew near,
It couldn't steal the dreams of forty-two short years.

VERSE 3:
In a brand new home
Of grace and of stone
Built on rock-and-roll,
He stamped our lives and music,

And he took the world-

Still the fame would take its toll.

At once he was the champion-

conquering the Sun.
But can we ever know-
Did he reminisce and did he miss
The soft shade of Tupelo?

(Chorus)

BRIDGE:
Just twenty-one years a pauper-
Just twenty-one years a star-
Just forty-two years among us-
Still a part of who we are.

(Parital Chorus)


-spraggins 11/07

"Hope for the Hopeless"

"Hope for the Hopeless"

On a backroad to salvation

A boy tripped and fell.

He was on his way to heaven

But closer still to hell.

He then moved on a few miles,

But couldn't find the strength.

He slowed his pace and then sat down

And poured another a drink.

And right there on that dirt road,

He sang himself a song.

Its simple verse was incomplete-

Its chorus not too long.

He sang a song of where he'd been

And where he hoped to go-

But hope is that and nothing more,

So he sat in the cold. 

And he sang...

"Is there hope for the hopeless?

Is there mercy for the weak?

Is there time for the searching

To find what they seek?

Is there a chance for the blind
to embrace the light and see?

Is there hope for a dying man,

Lost in the world like me?"

It's hard to find the sunshine

In lands of endless night,

Where wild dogs howl and roam the street

That has no end in sight.

His eyes are growing weaker.

His heart is growing cold.

He sits alone, a remnant of

The soul that he has sold.

The people scorn and mock him,

And often he is stoned.

They’d rather just step over him

Than listen to his groans.

The movement makes him dizzy.

He finds it hard to stand-

This lonley child not welcomed in

The brotherhood of man.

While we sing...

"Is there hope for the hopeless?

Is there mercy for the weak?

Is there time for the searching

To find what they seek?

Isn't God still above us?
Or has He closed His eyes?

Is there hope for this cruel world-

That dies beneath His skies?"

-Spraggins '05

Update:
After seven years, this lyric was given a melody.  
Matt Glickstein wrote the music and recorded this one in 2012...

"Carmen's Lullaby"

"Carmen's Lullaby"

It's getting late, sweet child,
and the stars are back again.
The moon's climbed high into the sky.
There are whispers on the wind.
Your eyes are getting heavy.
I watch you sneak a yawn.
Tired from a day of fun and play-
but so eager for the dawn.

Now I'll sit here and rock you
like a boat on gentle waves.
To lands of dreams on soft moon beams,
you quietly slip away.
I can't help but wonder,
if in another life,
you found this place, sweet dream's embrace.
Did it hide you from the strife?


Sitting in the silence,
I watch every breath you take.
I think of how I'm with you now;
fate doesn't make mistakes.
Times of tears and worries,
are just fading memories-
now chased away by cloudless days
and nighttime serenity.

We've scared away the monsters.
The nightmares are no more.
So sleep sweet child, just for a while
for you've so much joy in store.
Everyday you're growing
as weeks and months fly by.
No need to run- life's just begun.
There's a rainbow in your sky.

If someday you're lonely-
you've forgotten how to dream,
Think of this song and hum along;
it may help you find your wings.
It's getting late, sweet child.
It's time for me to go.
Don't fear, sweet friend; we'll meet again,
and you know I love you so.

-Jason: October '07

"Unspoken"

"Unspoken"

Verse:
There is a fog in the air around us-
A cold veil of uncertainty.
But there’s lightning in the clouds above us-
Flashing sparks of electricity.


On the wind is the pulse of potential,
Calling for the silent release
Of a secret held in the shadows,
While the sparks from above increase.


Verse:
There’s a mood that is charged with tension
And it threatens the mystery.
There’s a need to meet in the silence-
To dine from the Devil’s dark tree.


But there is a mist that keeps us separate,
Though the heavens erupt in flames.
With a subtle glance in dancing lights
Your eyes silently call my name.


Chorus:
While unspoken are the words
That can’t escape your lips.
Actions play the silence
Like musician’s fingertips.


And unuttered are the truths
That you bury deep inside.
Unfinished is this dance
That just might change the tides.


Though want and need grow stronger
Inhibition’s bars aren’t broken.
Chances fade like falling stars
And words are left unspoken.


Verse:
In this game we play in the silence
I anticipate your next move.
Into the sky I send a signal
Though I fear you that you won’t approve.


And as the lightning fades above us
I curse all the moments stolen.
How I long to hold you in this storm
And to hear the words unspoken.


-spraggins 10/07

'Something True"

"SOMETHING TRUE"

VERSE ONE
We climbed above the clouds and flew on wings of make-believe.
We stopped beyond the edge of time- the place where no one sleeps.
And from our unmarked palace- through a foggy looking glass,
we saw a thousand busy streets where yellow chariots passed.

Outside our sanctuary, the chaos dragon roared-
then sang to us a lullaby as heaven gently poured.
We laid our heads on cotton clouds beneath a maiden's gaze
and watched reality disappear into a dreamer's haze.

CHORUS
And once upon a time while in that land so far away,
we 'woke to find a night that was no different from the day.
We walked across that wonderland into our common dream-
two children chasing fairytales where things aren't what they seem.

And among that distant kingdom’s artificial light and steel,
we drowned ourselves in make-believe while finding something real.
For in that dream we faced a beast, as heroes all must do,
and washed away the fantasy, creating something true.

VERSE TWO
We always raced the clock in fear of running out of time.
And no one seemed to notice that the giants hid the sky.
Beneath the ground were tunnels where the giant snakes rolled by.
Into the serpent's lair we went, and we began to see the lie.

We swam upstream through strangers, trav’ling on a concrete sea.
But soon the paint was peeling all around our land of dreams.
Outside the house of gold and greed, the beast of truth appeared.
It left us cold and hurting on a street side with our fears.

BRIDGE
Reality came crashing through our land of make-believe
And flashed its careless, deadly fangs like swords drawn from their sheaths.
Amidst the pain and sudden tears, a fantasy was killed-
though dreams aren't always pleasant, we can help each other heal.

-spraggins (8/07)

"Let Me"

"LET ME"

Verse 1:
Breaking down the walls that surround you seems impossible.
I'm on the outside looking in through painted glass.
I've felt your heartbeat, but only from a distance,
In those fleeting moments that never seem to last.

Verse 2:
Trying to build a bridge between us is exhausting.
I struggle like a bird against the wind.
You draw your lines and set up your defenses
To hide the wounds time can't seem to heal.

Chorus:
Let me strip away the cloaks that hide you.
Let me hold you close without pretense.
I want to know your demons and your angels-
To stand with you without fear of consequence.
Let me be the one to cross your boundaries.
Let me be the one to know your fears-
To touch your body and the heart within it.
Let me hear the secrets no one else can hear.

Verse 3:
Fighting so hard to know you feels like a burden.
But the nights I spend without you prove even worse.
You are like the drug, and I am like the addict-
To want you is a blessing and a curse.

Verse 4:
Pushing my way toward you is becoming painful.
It's hard to love someone that has no past.
You've lived a life that you keep hidden.
How much longer can your defenses last?

Bridge:
When you're being tossed and you are sinking,
Like a ship that is lost on a stormy sea,
Let me be the one who is your anchor.
You can't save yourself from drowning- so let me.

-spraggins- april '07

"This Cage"

THIS CAGE

I suppose it was my fault
For keeping you in chains.
I must give back your bleeding heart
And try to wipe away its stains.
I’ve held you captive for so long
With guilt and words and words untrue.
My selfishness has blinded me
But now the games are through.

I built this cage for you
Like cowards always do.
I’ve kept you here with me
And ignored your misery.
You’ve  put up with this hell I built
Out of pity and because of guilt.
Your love has turned to rage,
Blinded by this cage.

Now it’s time to set you free.
It’s time to face the pain.
The way to show my love for you
Is to free you from this cage.
Love's a shelter from the world-
Not a prison of bars and stone.
I’ve held you captive for too long,
Yet I’ve always been alone.

I’ve heard that it’s been said
"If you love them, set them free"-
So I leave you- You’re free to fly
From this cage and from me.

(spraggins-march 2007)

Early Songs by Spraggins and Brown

Andy Brown and I wrote our first song together sometime around 2002.  It was called "Our Night" and was for a musical that we wanted to write called "Aurora".   For that song, I wrote a melody for a chorus and wrote out the sheet music.  I passed that along to Andy, and he wrote the melody for a verse and provided lyrics for the whole thing. That version of the musical never came together, and I ended up using that song in my Christmas musical "Beyond Bethlehem" (which I will post in the future).  

In 2005, we started writing again.  At this time, I was still in TN, and Andy was in Orlando.  We weren't very Internet savvy, so we did most of the writing via cassette tapes and snail mail.  We produced a number of songs that year.  We had four of them demoed with the help of the late pianist and band leader Darrel Decounter ("The Storm", "Still", "Pokerface", and "This Burnin' Heart").  I have posted videos for these songs below.  I've also included one for a rough demo of a song that we never finished called "In My Wildest Dreams".  We recorded this one at home as a rough work track in 2007 with me on keyboard and percussion, my brother, Jordan, on guitar, Mia Diamond singing, and my dad, Gary, on bass and recording.

We've written a lot of stuff since, but it's fun to go back and listen to the songs from the first days of our collaboration....

"THE STORM"

"STILL"

"POKER FACE"

"THIS BURNIN' HEART"

"IN MY WILDEST DREAMS"