"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

"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)