"Brothers"

*Click the link below to hear a midi sample of the sheet music to this song: 

http://www.tindeck.com/listen/jenn 

"Brothers"

Verse :

We loved the life when times were lean.
We clung to faith in things unseen.
We bared our souls and shared our wine.
You chased a love; I lost my mind.

We often froze and searched for heat
Inside our home and on the streets.
As time passed through the hour glass,
We lived for free, and we lived fast.

Chorus 1:

Though brothers then and brothers now,
We both have taken newer vows.
But still we see the eager flame
Drawn from the book that has no name. 

Verse 2:

In hallowed halls we gathered dust.
In basement depths we learned to trust.
In pubs by night, in books by day,
We heard the bells beyond the fray.

For gentile knights and fledgling men,
Your sister played the violin.
I hung a cross; you built a shrine.
We etched our bond in skin and time.

(Repeat Chorus 1)

 Verse 3:

Our swords were sharp; our hearts were brave.
We fought for dreams we could not save.
You turned your light upon the night
To help restore my failing sight.

One sacred tree gave us its leaves
And only asked that we believe.
We learned the lessons of the scribe
And searched for truth within the tribe. 

Chorus 2:

Though brothers then and brothers still,
At different altars we now kneel.
But accolades aren't far removed
From whatsoever things are true.

 J.S.-'04 (for S. Peek)

The West.

Here are pics from my journey out west. We went to Denver and then made a giant loop that took us into South Dakota and across WY to Yellowstone Park (then all the way back to Denver!).

"Nocturne" rough draft

Here's a simple little piano tune I was tinkering with. It is a very rough draft and will need more work. But it's an idea...

"Nocturne" rought draft #1

"Two Worlds"

“Two Worlds”

Verse:
We have seen the neon lights of Broadway
Distract us from a glowing, starlit sky.
We have heard the distant chimes at midnight
But missed the gentle songs from times gone by.

Verse:
We have touched the clouds upon the mountains.
We’ve left our footprints on the virgin snow.
Standing still, we’ve looked up to the heavens
But failed to see the beauty down below.

Chorus:
Is the future always out of focus
When life is seen through different colored eyes?
As we fill our sails with winds uncertain,
Two worlds collide beneath one endless sky.

When our worlds were spinning ever faster,
It seemed mine chased the moon and yours the sun.
Now we move through space and time together
And watch as these two worlds turn into one.

Verse:

You and I may walk this road together,
Though often we don’t share a point-of-view.
While we’ve moved together toward the rainbow,
Our eyes have seen the sights in different hues.

Verse:
You’re between the future and the present .
At times I feel I'm chained up in my past.
We’ve found Shangri-la within the twilight
Where night and day can find their peace at last.

(Repeat Chorus)

Verse:
As we look ahead from where we’re standing.
We see a road that forks through foreign fields.
We will move ahead without a pathway
And forge through lands our minds had once concealed.

J.A.S.- March 2009

"Keep Runnin', Coyboy"

“Keep Runnin’, Cowboy”

(The Ballad of Marshal Beau)

for Beau

Verse:
Well- way, way, back in the wild, old west
Rode a young man with a badge on his chest-
A gun slingin’ marshal- Beau Harris his name.
And only his horse, Jessie, matched him in fame.

Verse
One summer night when the sun went down,
Cowboy Red came shootin’ up the town.
Beau heard all the noise, and he grabbed up his guns.
In a minute, Cowboy Red was on the run.

Chorus
You can keep runnin’, cowboy, but you can’t hide.
Marshal Beau and Jessie have just started to ride.
They’re faster than a bullet, and they’re tougher than nails,
And Marshal Beau won’t rest ‘til he sees you in jail.

Verse
Well Cowboy Red’s poor old horse gave out.
So the cowboy had to look about
For a place in a tree where he could climb and hide
To get a shot at Beau as he rode by.

Verse
Beau and Jessie were close to the spot
Where Cowboy Red was waitin’ for the shot.
He was out on a limb, and the branch made a sound.
The old varmint fired and then he hit the ground.

Bridge
(spoken)....
Did the heroes take the bait?
Did Beau and Jessie meet their Fate?
Is this the day that villains rule the day?
Well, rest assured it’s not like that!
I swear on Marshall Beau’s straw hat.
Red’s bullet missed and ricocheted away!

Verse
You’ll probably have a laugh to know
That Marshall Beau roped Red with his lasso,
And then he strung Red up for all to see-
'Cause Beau’s the bravest Marshal in history!

Chorus
You can keep runnin’, cowboy, but you can’t hide.
Marshal Beau and Jessie have just started to ride.
They’re faster than a bullet, and they’re tougher than nails,
And Marshal Beau won’t rest ‘til he sees you in jail.

(Spraggins/Brown- March '09)

"Chasing Phantoms"

"Chasing Phantoms"

Refrain:
I’m
awake.
Alone
I ache.
Grope
in space
to find
my place.

Verse:
I forge ahead.
The dream of you
keeps me chasing phantoms
that I cannot get my hands on.
And just when
I lose my faith
thinking I’m not enough
to find
the path that leads to
grace and peace of mind. I never
deigned to hope that I’d be worthy.
That’s the night I stumbled into you.

You turned night into day.
And I did not know what to say.
Though I couldn’t let you walk away
without a single word to you,
I caved and watched you wander out of view.

Refrain:
I’m
awake.
Alone
I ache.
Grope
in space
to find
my place.
Chasing phantoms still.

Lyrics: Andy Brown
(inspired by music by Jason Spraggins)
3 March 2009

"Sylvia Plath" by Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams singing about Sylvia Plath....It doesn't get much better.

".Free"

".Free"

*Click link below to hear midi file of sheet music:
www.tindeck.com/listen/etim

Verse One:
There are miles of country between you and me-
Stretches of concrete from here to the sea.
And it's been a long time, or so it seems
Since I found you on a road of dreams.

Verse Two:
I saw stars of myst'ry that danced in your eyes.
Ours is the earth, but you longed for the skies.
Like a runaway train, you jumped the rails.
Like a ship at sea, you raised your sails.

Chorus:
The horizon was always in your sight.
You seek your dreams outside the night.
And why should you not ride the wind?
Why do I refuse to bend?
I hear the clock pick up its pace,
While you find more windmills to chase.
My roots are here, an aging tree-
And you are there, alive and free.

Verse Three:
And there's more than mileage between our two lives.
Desperate souls have found ways to survive.
As Santa Anna blows across your face,
I hope, at last, you have found your place.
(Repeat Chorus)

Spraggins- ''08

We started work on a vocal demo for this one but haven't finished it yet.  
It needs more instrumentation,  which I'll work on.
Here is a short sample of where it is so far...
LINK:  Partial Demo