 "The Very Best of Jackson Browne" 
Released March 16, 2004 on Rhino Records (2-CD set) Tracks:
On March 15, 2004 Jackson Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To mark the occasion, Rhino records released a 2-CD set called The Very Best of Jackson Browne, with 32 tracks from 1972-2002. This is a great collection of some of the best of Jackson Browne's music over more than 30 years. The tracks on this collection were remixed and remastered for this release under Jackson's close supervision.
 DOCTOR MY EYES (3:20)Originally from the album Jackson Browne (1972) Doctor, my eyes have seen the years And the slow parade of fears without crying Now I want to understand I have done all that I could To see the evil and the good without hiding You must help me if you can Doctor, my eyes Tell me what is wrong Was I unwise to leave them open for so long 'Cause I have wandered through this world And as each moment has unfurled I've been waiting to awaken from these dreams People go just where there will I never noticed them until I got this feeling That it's later than it seems Doctor, my eyes Tell me what you see I hear their cries Just say if it's too late for me Doctor, my eyes Cannot see the sky Is this the prize for having learned how not to cry Written by Jackson Browne (Open Window Music, ASCAP/Criterion Music, ASCAP) JAMAICA SAY YOU WILL (3:24) Originally from the album Jackson Browne (1972) Jamaica was the lovely one, I played her well As we lay in the tall grass where the shadows fell Hiding from the children so they would not tell We would stay there 'till her sister rang the evening bell Jamaica, say you will Help me find a way to fill these empty hours Say you will come again tomorrow The daughter of a captain on the rolling seas She would stare across the water from the trees Last time he was home he held her on his knees And said the next time they would sail away just where they pleased Jamaica, say you will Help me find a way to fill these lifeless sails And stay until my ships can find the sea Jamaica was a sweet young one, I loved her true She was a comfort and a mercy through and through Hiding from this world together, next thing I knew We had brought her things down to the bay -- what could I do Jamaica, say you will Help me find a way to fill these sails And we will sail until our waters have run dry Written by Jackson Browne (Open Window Music, ASCAP/Criterion Music, ASCAP)  ROCK ME ON THE WATER (4:13)Originally from the album Jackson Browne (1972) Oh people, look around you The signs are everywhere You've left it for somebody other than you To be the one to care You're lost inside your houses There's no time to find you now Your walls are burning and your towers are turning I'm going to leave you here and try to get down to the sea somehow The road is filled with homeless souls Every woman, child and man Who have no idea where they will go But they'll help you if they can Now everyone must have some thought That's going to pull them through somehow Well the fires are raging hotter and hotter But the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now Rock me on the water Sister will you soothe my fevered brow Rock me on the water I'll get down to the sea somehow Oh people, look among you It's there your hope must lie There's a sea bird above you Gliding in one place like Jesus in the sky We all must do the best we can And then hang on to that Gospel plow When my life is over, I'm going to stand before the Father But the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now Rock me on the water Sister will you soothe my fevered brow Rock me on the water, maybe I'll remember Maybe I'll remember how Rock me on the water The wind is with me now So rock me on the water I'll get down to the sea somehow Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) TAKE IT EASY (3:41) Originally from the album For Everyman (1973) Well I'm a-running down the road trying to loosen my load I've got seven women on my mind Four that want to own me, two that want to stone me One says she's a friend of mine Take it easy, take it easy Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy Lighten up while you still can Don't even try to understand Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy Well I'm a-standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona With such a fine sight to see It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford Slowin' down to take a look at me Come on baby, don't say maybe I've got to know if your sweet love is gonna save me We may lose and we may win But we will never be here again Open up I'm climbin' in to take it easy Well I'm a-running down the road trying to loosen my load Got a world of trouble on my mind Lookin' for a lover who won't blow my cover She's just a little hard to find Take it easy, take it easy Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy Come on baby, don't say maybe I've got to know if your sweet love is gonna save me You know we got it easy We oughta take it easy Written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Red Cloud Music, ASCAP) THESE DAYS (4:39) Originally from the album For Everyman (1973) Well I've been out walking I don't do that much talking these days These days-- These days I seem to think a lot About the things that I forgot to do For you And all the times I had the chance to And I had a lover It's so hard to risk another these days These days-- Now if I seem to be afraid To live the life I have made in song Well it's just that I've been losing so long I'll keep on moving Things are bound to be improving these days These days-- These days I sit on corner stones And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend Don't confront me with my failures I had not forgotten them Written by Jackson Browne (Open Window Music, ASCAP)  RED NECK FRIEND (4:01)Originally from the album For Everyman (1973) Pretty little one How has it all begun? They're teaching you how to walk But you're already on the run Little one-- What you gonna do? Little one-- Honey, it's all up to you Now your daddy's in the den shootin' up the evening news Mama's with a friend, lately she's been so confused Little one-- Come on and take my hand I may not have the answer but I believe I got a plan Honey you shake and I'll rattle and we'll roll on down the line And see if we can't get in touch with a very close friend of mine But let me clue you in, it ain't like him To argue or pretend-- Honey let me introduce you to my redneck friend Well they've got a little list of all those things of which they don't approve They've got to keep their eyes on you or you might make your move Little one-- I really wish you would Little one-- I think the damage would do you good Honey you shake and I'll rattle and we'll roll on down the line We're going to forget all about the battle It's gonna feel so fine 'Cause he's the missing link, the kitchen sink-- Eleven on a scale of ten Honey let me introduce you to my redneck friend Honey you shake and I'll rattle and we'll roll on down the line I'm going to try to swing you up into my saddle And then we'll run but you'll think we're flyin' Now honey don't just stand there Lookin' like this dream will never end Honey let me introduce you to my redneck friend Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) FOR EVERYMAN (5:58) Originally from the album For Everyman (1973) Everybody I talk to is ready to leave With the light of the morning They've seen the end coming down long enough to believe That they've heard their last warning Standing alone Each has his own ticket in his hand And as the evening descends I sit thinking 'bout Everyman Seems like I've always been looking for some other place To get it together Where with a few of my friends I could give up the race And maybe find something better But all my fine dreams Well thought out schemes to gain the motherland Have all eventually come down to waiting for Everyman Waiting here for Everyman-- Make it on your own if you think you can If you see somewhere to go I understand Waiting here for Everyman-- Don't ask me if he'll show -- baby I don't know Make it on your own if you think you can Somewhere later on you'll have to take a stand Then you're going to need a hand Everybody's just waiting to hear from the one Who can give them the answers And lead them back to that place in the warmth of the sun Where sweet childhood still dances Who'll come along And hold out that strong and gentle father's hand? Long ago I heard someone say something 'bout Everyman Waiting here for Everyman-- Make it on your own if you think you can If you see somewhere to go I understand I'm not trying to tell you that I've seen the plan Turn and walk away if you think I am-- But don't think too badly of one who's left holding sand He's just another dreamer, dreaming 'bout Everyman Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) FOR A DANCER (4:48) Originally from the album Late For The Sky (1974) Keep a fire burning in your eye Pay attention to the open sky You never know what will be coming down I don't remember losing track of you You were always dancing in and out of view I must have thought you'd always be around Always keeping things real by playing the clown Now you're nowhere to be found I don't know what happens when people die Can't seem to grasp it as hard as I try It's like a song I can hear playing right in my ear That I can't sing I can't help listening And I can't help feeling stupid standing 'round Crying as they ease you down 'Cause I know that you'd rather we were dancing Dancing our sorrow away (Right on dancing) No matter what fate chooses to play (There's nothing you can do about it anyway) Just do the steps that you've been shown By everyone you've ever known Until the dance becomes your very own No matter how close to yours Another's steps have grown In the end there is one dance you'll do alone Keep a fire for the human race Let your prayers go drifting into space You never know what will be coming down Perhaps a better world is drawing near And just as easily it could all disappear Along with whatever meaning you might have found Don't let the uncertainty turn you around (The world keeps turning around and around) Go on and make a joyful sound Into a dancer you have grown From a seed somebody else has thrown Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own And somewhere between the time you arrive And the time you go May lie a reason you were alive But you'll never know Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) FOUNTAIN OF SORROW (6:51) Originally from the album Late For The Sky (1974) Looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer I was taken by a photograph of you There were one or two I know that you would have liked a little more But they didn't show your spirit quite as true You were turning 'round to see who was behind you And I took your childish laughter by surprise And at the moment that my camera happened to find you There was just a trace of sorrow in your eyes Now the things that I remember seem so distant and so small Though it hasn't really been that long a time What I was seeing wasn't what was happening at all Although for a while, our path did seem to climb But when you see through love's illusions, there lies the danger And your perfect lover just looks like a perfect fool So you go running off in search of a perfect stranger While the loneliness seems to spring from your life Like a fountain from a pool Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight You've had to hide sometimes, but now you're all right And it's good to see your smiling face tonight Now for you and me it may not be that hard to reach our dreams But that magic feeling never seems to last And while the future's there for anyone to change, still you know it's seems It would be easier sometimes to change the past I'm just one or two years and a couple of changes behind you In my lessons at love's pain and heartache school Where if you feel too free and you need something to remind you There's this loneliness springing up from your life Like a fountain from a pool Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight You've had to hide sometimes but now you're all right And it's good to see your smiling face tonight Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light You've known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight You've had to struggle, you've had to fight To keep understanding and compassion in sight You could be laughing at me, you've got the right But you go on smiling so clear and so bright Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) LATE FOR THE SKY (5:36) Originally from the album Late For The Sky (1974) The words had all been spoken And somehow the feeling still wasn't right And still we continued on through the night Tracing our steps from the beginning Until they vanished into the air Trying to understand how our lives has led us there Looking hard into your eyes There was nobody I'd ever known Such an empty surprise to feel so alone Now for me some words come easy But I know that they don't mean that much Compared with the things that are said when lovers touch You never knew what I loved in you I don't know what you loved in me Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be Awake again I can't pretend and I know I'm alone And close to the end of the feeling we've known How long have I been sleeping How long have I been drifting alone through the night How long have I been dreaming I could make it right If I closed my eyes and tried with all my might To be the one you need Awake again I can't pretend and I know I'm alone And close to the end of the feeling we've known How long have I been sleeping How long have I been drifting alone through the night How long have I been running for that morning flight Through the whispered promises and the changing light Of the bed where we both lie Late for the sky Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) BEFORE THE DELUGE (6:21) Originally from the album Late For The Sky (1974) Some of them were dreamers And some of them were fools Who were making plans and thinking of the future With the energy of the innocent They were gathering the tools They would need to make their journey back to nature While the sand slipped through the opening And their hands reached for the golden ring With their hearts they turned to each other's heart for refuge In the troubled years that came before the deluge Some of them knew pleasure And some of them knew pain And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered And on the brave and crazy wings of youth They went flying around in the rain And their feathers, once so fine, grew torn and tattered And in the end they traded their tired wings For the resignation that living brings And exchanged love's bright and fragile glow For the glitter and the rouge And in the moment they were swept before the deluge Now let the music keep our spirits high And let the buildings keep our children dry Let creation reveal it's secrets by and by By and by-- When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky Some of them were angry At the way the earth was abused By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power And they struggled to protect her from them Only to be confused By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour And when the sand was gone and the time arrived In the naked dawn only a few survived And in attempts to understand a thing so simple and so huge Believed that they were meant to live after the deluge Now let the music keep our spirits high And let the buildings keep our children dry Let creation reveal it's secrets by and by By and by-- When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) YOUR BRIGHT BABY BLUES (6:03) Originally from the album The Pretender (1976) I'm sitting down by the highway Down by that highway side Everybody's going somewhere Riding just as fast as they can ride I guess they've got a lot to do Before they can rest assured Their lives are justified Pray to God for me baby He can let me slide 'Cause I've been up and down this highway Far as my eyes can see No matter how fast I run I can never seem to get away from me No matter where I am I can't help feeling I'm just a day away From where I want to be Now I'm running home baby Like a river to the sea Baby if you can see me Out across this wilderness There's just one thing I was hoping you might guess Baby you can free me All in the power of your sweet tenderness I can see it in your eyes You've got those bright baby blues You don't see what you've got to gain But you don't like to lose You watch yourself from the sidelines Like your life is a game you don't mind playing To keep yourself amused I don't mean to be cruel baby But you're looking confused Baby if you can hear me Turn down your radio There's just one thing I want you to know When you've been near me I've felt the love stirring in my soul It's so hard to come by That feeling of peace This friend of mine said "Close your eyes, and try a few of these" I thought I flying like a bird So far above my sorrow But when I looked down I was standing on my knees Now I need someone to help me Someone to help me please Baby if you need me Like I know I need you There's just one thing I'll ask you to do Take my hand and lead me To the hole in your garden wall And pull me through Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  THE PRETENDER (5:52)Originally from the album The Pretender (1976) I'm going to rent myself a house In the shade of the freeway I'm going to pack my lunch in the morning And go to work each day And when the evening rolls around I'll go on home and lay my body down And when the morning light comes streaming in I'll get up and do it again Amen Say it again Amen I want to know what became of the changes We waited for love to bring Were they only the fitful dreams Of some greater awakening I've been aware of the time going by They say in the end it's the wink of an eye And when the morning light comes streaming in You'll get up and do it again Amen Caught between the longing for love And the struggle for the legal tender Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring And the junk man pounds his fender Where the veterans dream of the fight Fast asleep at the traffic light And the children solemnly wait For the ice cream vendor Out into the cool of the evening Strolls the Pretender He knows that all his hopes and dreams Begin and end there Ah the laughter of the lovers As they run through the night Leaving nothing for the others But to choose off and fight And tear at the world with all their might While the ships bearing their dreams Sail out of sight I'm going to find myself a girl Who can show me what laughter means And we'll fill in the missing colors In each other's paint-by-number dreams And then we'll put out dark glasses on And we'll make love until our strength is gone And when the morning light comes streaming in We'll get up and do it again Get it up again I'm going to be a happy idiot And struggle for the legal tender Where the ads take aim and lay their claim To the heart and the soul of the spender And believe in whatever may lie In those things that money can buy Thought true love could have been a contender Are you there? Say a prayer for the Pretender Who started out so young and strong Only to surrender Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  HERE COME THOSE TEARS AGAIN (3:37)Originally from the album The Pretender (1976) Here come those tears again Just when I was getting over you Just when I was going to make it through Another night without missing you Thinking I might just be strong enough after all When I hear your footsteps echoing in the hall Baby here we stand again Like we've been so many times before Even though you looked so sure As I was watching you walking out my door But you always walk back in like you did today Acting like you never even went away Well I don't know if I can Open up and let you in baby Here come those tears Here come those tears again I can hear you telling me How you needed to be free And you had some things to work out alone Now you're standing here telling me How you have grown Here come those tears again Now you'll tell me how to hold them in Here come those tears Here come those tears again Some other time baby When I'm strong and feeling fine maybe When I can look at you without crying You might look like a friend of mine But I don't know if I can Open up enough to let you in Here come those tears Here come those tears again Just walk away I'm going back inside and turning out those light And I'll be in the dark but you'll be out of sight Written by Jackson Browne and Nancy Farnsworth (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Open Window Music, ASCAP) THE LOAD-OUT (5:35) Originally from the album Running On Empty (1977) Now the seats are all empty Let the roadies take the stage Pack it up and tear it down They're the first to come and last to leave Working for that minimum wage They'll set it up in another town Tonight the people were so fine They waited there in line And when they got up on their feet they made the show And that was sweet-- But I can hear the sound Of slamming doors and folding chairs And that's a sound they'll never know Now roll them cases out and lift them amps Haul them trusses down and get 'em up them ramps 'Cause when it comes to moving me You guys are the champs But when that last guitar's been packed away You know that I still want to play So just make sure you got it all set to go Before you come for my piano But the band's on the bus And they're waiting to go We've got to drive all night and do a show in Chicago or Detroit, I don't know We do so many shows in a row And these towns all look the same We just pass the time in our hotel rooms And wander 'round backstage Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd And we remember why we came Now we got country and western on the bus R and B, we got disco in eight tracks and cassettes in stereo We've got rural scenes & magazines We've got truckers on the CB We've got Richard Pryor on the video We got time to think of the ones we love While the miles roll away But the only time that seems too short Is the time that we get to play People you've got the power over what we do You can sit there and wait Or you can pull us through Come along, sing the song You know you can't go wrong 'Cause when that morning sun comes beating down You're going to wake up in your town But we'll be scheduled to appear A thousand miles away from here Written by Jackson Browne and Bryan Garofalo (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Gianni Music, ASCAP)  STAY (3:23)Originally from the album Running On Empty (1977) People stay just a little bit longer We want to play -- just a little bit longer Now the promoter don't mind And the union don't mind If we take a little time And we leave it all behind and sing One more song-- Written by Maurice Williams (Cherio Corporation, BMI) (Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs' original version was released in 1960.)  RUNNING ON EMPTY (4:59)Originally from the album Running On Empty (1977) Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-o-one I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I'm running behind Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road my own I don't know when that road turned onto the road I'm on Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I'm running behind Everyone I know, everywhere I go People need some reason to believe I don't know about anyone but me If it takes all night, that'll be all right If I can get you to smile before I leave Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through Looking into their eyes I see them running too Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I'm running behind Honey you really tempt me You know the way you look so kind I'd love to stick around but I'm running behind You know I don't even know what I'm hoping to find Running into the sun but I'm running behind Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  YOU LOVE THE THUNDER (3:55)Originally from the album Running On Empty (1977) When you look over your shoulder And you see the life that you've left behind When you think it over do you ever wonder? What it is that holds your life so close to mine You love the thunder and you love the rain What you see revealed within the anger is worth the pain And before the lightning fades and you surrender You've got a second to look at the dark side of the man You love the thunder and you love the rain You know your hunger like you know your name And I know you wonder how you ever came To be a woman in love with a man in search of the flame Draw the shade and light the fire For the night that holds you and calls your name And just like your lover, knows your desire And the crazy longing that time will never tame You love the thunder and you love the rain You know your hunger like you know your name I got your number if it's still the same You can dream But you can never go back the way you came Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  BOULEVARD (3:21)Originally from the album Hold Out (1980) Down on the boulevard they take it hard They look at life with such disregard They say it can't be won The way the game is run But if you choose to stay You end up playing anyway It's okay-- The kid's in shock up and down the block The folks are home playing beat the clock Down at the golden cup They set the young ones up Under the neon light Selling day for night It's alright-- Nobody rides for free Nobody gets it like they want it to be Nobody hands you any guarantee Nobody The hearts are hard and the times are tough Down on the boulevard the night's enough And time passes slow Between the store front shadows and the street lights glow Everybody walks right by like they're safe or something They don't know-- Nobody knows you Nobody owes you nothin Nobody shows you what they're thinking Nobody baby Hey, hey, baby You got to watch the street, keep your feet And be on guard Make it pay baby It's only time on the boulevard Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  SOMEBODY'S BABY (4:24)Originally from the soundtrack to Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) Well, just - a look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes. She's got to be somebody's baby. She must be somebody's baby. All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by. She's got to be somebody's baby. She must be somebody's baby. She's got to be somebody's baby. She's so fine. She's probably somebody's only light. Gonna shine tonight. Yeah, she's probably somebody's baby, all right. I heard her talkin' with her friend when she thought nobody else was around. She said she's got to be somebody's baby; she must be somebody's baby. 'Cause when the cars and the signs and the street lights light up the town, She's got to be somebody's baby; She must be somebody's baby; She's got to be somebody's baby. She's so.... She's gonna be somebody's only light. Gonna shine tonight. Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight. I try to shut my eyes, but I can't get her outta my sight. I know I'm gonna know her, but I gotta get over my fright. We'll, I'm just gonna walk up to her. I'm gonna talk to her tonight. Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's only light. Gonna shine tonight. Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight. Gonna shine tonight, make her mine tonight. Written by Jackson Browne and Danny Kortchmar (Night Kitchen Music, ASCAP/Kortchmar Music, ASCAP)  TENDER IS THE NIGHT (4:53)Originally from the album Lawyers In Love (1983) Between the darkness on the street And the houses filling up with light Between the stillness in my heart And the roar of the approaching night Somebody's calling after somebody Somebody turns the corner out of sight Looking for somebody Somewhere in the night Tender is the night When you hold your baby tight Tender are the motions, tender is the night Between a life that we expected And the way it's always been I can't walk back in again After the way we fight When just outside there are people laughing Living lives we used to lead Chasing down the love they need Somewhere in the night Tender is the night And the benediction of the neon light Tender are the hunters, tender is the night You're gonna want me tonight When you're ready to surrender Forget about who's right When you're ready to remember It's another world at night When you're ready to be tender Tender, tender tender... And in the hard light of an angry sun No one remembers what was said or done Tender are the words they choose You win, I win, we lose Tender Tender is the night Tender The benediction of the neon light Tender Tender are the hunters Tender is the night When they hold each other tight Tender Tender are the undercover Tender The stranger and the secret lover Tender Tender are the motions Tender is the night When you hold your baby tight Tender, tender tender... Written by Jackson Browne, Danny Kortchmar and Russell Kunkel (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Kortchmar Music, ASCAP/Olas Music, ASCAP)  LAWYERS IN LOVE (4:20)Originally from the album Lawyers In Love (1983) I can't keep up with what's been going on I think my heart must just be slowing down Among the human beings in their designer jeans Am I the only one who hears the screams And the strangled cries of lawyers in love God sends his spaceships to America, the beautiful They land at six o'clock and there we are, the dutiful Eating from TV trays, tuned into to Happy Days Waiting for World War III while Jesus slaves To the mating calls of lawyers in love Last night I watched the news from Washington, the capitol The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them, like Russians will Now we've got all this room, we've even got the moon And I hear the U.S.S.R. will be open soon As vacation land for lawyers in love Written by Jackson Browne (Night Kitchen Music, ASCAP)  IN THE SHAPE OF A HEART (5:47)Originally from the album Lives In The Balance (1986) It was a ruby that she wore On a chain around her neck In the shape of a heart In the shape of a heart It was a time I won't forget For the sorrow and regret And the shape of a heart And the shape of a heart I guess I never knew What she was talking about I guess I never knew What she was living without People speak of love don't know what they're thinking of Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove Speak in terms of belief and belonging Try to fit some name to their longing People speak of love There was a hole left in the wall From some ancient fight About the size of a fist Or something thrown that had missed And there were other holes as well In the house where our nights fell Far too many to repair In the time that we were there People speak of love don't know what they're thinking of Reach out to each other though the push and shove Speak in terms of a life and the learning Try to think of a word for the burning You keep it up You try so hard To keep a life from coming apart And never know What breaches and faults are concealed In the shape of a heart It was the ruby that she wore On a stand beside the bed In the hour before dawn When I knew she was gone And I held it in my hand For a little while And dropped it into the wall Let it go, heard it fall I guess I never knew What she was talking about I guess I never knew What she was living without People speak of love don't know what they're thinking of Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove Speak in terms of a life and the living Try to find the word for forgiving You keep it up You try so hard To keep a life from coming apart And never know The shallows and the unseen reefs That are there from the start In the shape of a heart Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) LAWLESS AVENUES (5:39) Originally from the album Lives In The Balance (1986) Papa hit him, Mama kissed him Made him go to Catechism With the sisters in their black and white And all the time those city streets Were teaching him another kind of wisdom When to run and when to fight Up at the playground after school Listening to tales of the prison system And those lawless avenues Dawn on a half darkened street A child's footsteps repeat And something there turns them Down those lawless avenues Silent Joe went down so bad He was the strongest fighter the avenues had Stabbed in the chest--he went down swinging Someone from some other part of town No one even seen it coming down And you don't hear no church bells ringing And in the violent night the police light Sweeps across the lots and the yards Following those lawless avenues Down on a half darkened street Armies advance and retreat And struggle to take control From those lawless avenues Manuelito's sister Rosa Ran away with a surfer from Hermosa Manuelito, cuida a Rosa, Hay mira como estan las cosas! (Manuelito take care of Rosa --Look at how things are) But who could blame her after she saw Every boy die who could have gotten close to her Rosa es joven u solo quiere ver la belleza del mundo (Rosa is young and only wants To see the beauty of the world) Manuel said-- "You gotta fight for what you want in this life" Just before they shipped him overseas to 'Nam Otra guerra sin razon Otra guerra sin fin, sin honor (Another war without reason, Another war without end, without honor) And she was fighting to understand When they shipped Manuelito's body home All she heard was one more shot Echoing down lawless avenues Hoy amigo, tal igual como ayer, La lucha en el barrio no cambia Nuestros hijos son los que han de crecer Por ley de la calle, viviendo entre abrazos Y chingazos (Today my friend, just like yesterday, The struggle in the barrio doesn't change. Our children are the ones to grow up By the law of the street Living between hugs and blows) Down on a half darkened street Fathers' and sons' lives repeat And something there turns them Down those lawless avenues En el calor de la calle (In the heat of the street) Buscan valor en la calle (Looking for valor in the street) Hasta final de la calle (Till the end of the street) Written by Jackson Browne & Jorge Calderón (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Googleplex Music, BMI)  LIVES IN THE BALANCE (4:15)Originally from the album Lives In The Balance (1986) I've been waiting for something to happen For a week or a month or a year With the blood in the ink of the headlines And the sound of the crowd in my ear You might ask what it takes to remember When you know that you've seen it before Where a government lies to a people And a country is drifting to war And there's a shadow on the faces Of the men who send the guns To the wars that are fought in places Where their business interest runs On the radio talk shows and the T.V. You hear one thing again and again How the U.S.A. stands for freedom And we come to the aid of a friend But who are the ones that we call our friends-- These governments killing their own? Or the people who finally can't take any more And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone There are lives in the balance There are people under fire There are children at the cannons And there is blood on the wire There's a shadow on the faces Of the men who fan the flames Of the wars that are fought in places Where we can't even say the names They sell us the President the same way They sell us our clothes and our cars They sell us every thing from youth to religion The same time they sell us our wars I want to know who the men in the shadows are I want to hear somebody asking them why They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are But they're never the ones to fight or to die And there are lives in the balance There are people under fire There are children at the cannons And there is blood on the wire Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) I AM A PATRIOT (4:05) Originally from the album World In Motion (1989) And the river opens for the righteous (5 times) Someday I was walking with my brother And he wondered what's on my mind I said what I believe in my soul Ain't what I see with my eyes And we can't turn our backs this time I am a patriot And I love my county Because my country is all I know I want to be with my family The people who understand me I've got nowhere else to go And the river opens for the righteous And the river opens for the righteous And the river opens for the righteous Someday And I was talking with my sister She looked so fine I said, "Baby, what's on your mind?" She said, "I want to run like the lion Released from the cages Released from the rages Burning in my heart tonight" And I ain't no communist And I ain't no capitalist And I ain't no socialist And I ain't no imperialist And I ain't no democrat And I ain't no republican I only know one party And it is freedom I am, I am, I am I am a patriot And I love my country Because my county is all I know And the river opens for the righteous And the river opens for the righteous And the river opens for the righteous Someday And the river opens for the righteous... Written by Steven Van Zandt (Blue Midnight Music, ASCAP)  SKY BLUE AND BLACK (6:05)Originally from the album I'm Alive (1993) In the calling out to one another Of the lovers up and down the strand In the sound of the waves and the cries Of the seagulls circling the sand In the fragments of the songs Carried down the wind from some radio In the murmuring of the city in the distance Ominous and low I hear the sound of the world where we played And the far too simple beauty Of the promises we made If you ever need holding Call my name, I'll be there If you ever need holding And no holding back, I'll see you through Sky blue and black Where the touch of the lover ends And the soul of the friend begins There's a need to be separate and a need to be one And a struggle neither wins Where you gave me the world I was in And a place I could make a stand I could never see how you doubted me When I'd let go of your hand Yeah, and I was much younger then And I must have thought that I would know If things were going to end And the heavens were rolling Like a wheel on a track And our sky was unfolding And it'll never fold back Sky blue and black And I'd have fought the world for you If I thought that you wanted me to Or put aside what was true or untrue If I'd known that's what you needed What you needed me to do But the moment has passed by me now To have put away my pride And just come through for you somehow If you ever need holding Call my name, I'll be there If you ever need holding And no holding back, I'll see you through You're the color of the sky Reflected in each store-front window pane You're the whispering and the sighing Of my tires in the rain You're the hidden cost and the thing that's lost In everything I do Yeah and I'll never stop looking for you In the sunlight and the shadows And the faces on the avenue That's the way love is That's the way love is That's the way love is Sky blue and black Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  I'M ALIVE (5:10)Originally from the album I'm Alive (1993) It's been a long time since I watched these lights alone I look around my life tonight and you are gone I might have done something to keep you if I'd known How unhappy you had become While I was dreaming of you With my heart in your hands And I was following though With my beautiful plans Yeah now I'm rolling down this canyon drive With your laughter in my head I'm gonna have to block it out somehow to survive 'cause those dreams are dead And I'm alive I want to go where I will never hear your name I want to lose my sorrow and be free again And I know I've been insane When I think of places I could have been But I was dreaming of you With my heart in your hands And I was following through With my beautiful plans Standing here by the highway side Watching these trucks blow by Inches from my face Yeah thinking 'bout the time I've wasted And the pleasure we once tasted Looking up and down this road I've been here before Can't be here no more Yeah now I'm rolling down California five With your laughter in my head I'm gonna have to block it out somehow to survive 'cause those dreams are dead And I'm alive Hey look at the way I believed in you And loved you all these years Now you can fill a swimming pool with all my salty tears If you'd have told me what was in your heart Instead of all your lies I thought that it would kill me But I'm alive Yeah, I'm alive Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP) THE BARRICADES OF HEAVEN (5:40) Originally from the album Looking East (1996) Running down around the towns along the shore When I was sixteen and on my own No, I couldn't tell you what the hell those brakes were for I was just trying to hear my song Jimmy found his own sweet sound and won that free guitar We'd all get in the van and play Life became the Paradox, the Bear, the Rouge et Noir And the stretch of road running to L.A. Pages turning Pages we were years from learning Straight into the night our hearts were flung Better bring your own redemption when you come To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from All the world was shining from those hills The stars above and the lights below Among those there to test their fortunes and their wills I lost track of the score long ago Pages turning Pages we were years from learning Straight into the night our hearts were flung Better bring your own redemption when you come To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from Childhood comes for me at night Voices of my friends Your face bathing me in light Hope that never ends Pages turning Pages torn and pages burning Faded pages, open in the sun Better bring your own redemption when you come To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from. Better bring your own redemption when you come To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from. Written by Jackson Browne, Scott Thurston, Mauricio Lewak, Luis Conte, Jeff Young, Kevin McCormick and Mark Goldenberg (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Bateria Music, ASCAP/Iraguo Music, ASCAP/Neurp Songs, BMI/Eye Cue Music, ASCAP/Songs of Windswept Pacific/Faux Music, BMI) LOOKING EAST (4:56) Originally from the album Looking East (1996) Standing in the ocean with the sun burning low in the west Like a fire in the cavernous darkness at the heart of the beast With my beliefs and possessions, stopped at the frontier in my chest At the edge of my country, my back to the sea, looking east Where the search for the truth is conducted with a wink and a nod And where power and position are equated with the grace of God These times are famine for the soul while for the senses it's a feast From the edge of my country, as far as you see, looking east Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon Hunger in the mansion, hunger in the rented room Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page And there's a God-sized hunger underneath the laughing and the rage In the absence of light And the deepening night Where I wait for the sun Looking east How long have I left my mind to the powers that be? How long will it take to find the higher power moving in me? Power in the insect Power in the sea Power in the snow falling silently Power in the blossom Power in the stone Power in the song being sung alone Power in the wheat field Power in the rain Power in the sunlight and the hurricane Power in the silence Power in the flame Power in the sound of the lover's name The power of the sunrise and the power of a prayer released On the edge of my country, I pray for the ones with the least Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon Hunger in the banquet, hunger in the bride and groom Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page And there's a God-sized hunger underneath the questions of the age And an absence of light In the deepening night Where I wait for the sun Looking east Written by Jackson Browne, Scott Thurston, Mauricio Lewak, Luis Conte, Jeff Young, Kevin McCormick and Mark Goldenberg (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Bateria Music, ASCAP/Iraguo Music, ASCAP/Neurp Songs, BMI/Eye Cue Music, ASCAP/Songs of Windswept Pacific/Faux Music, BMI) THE NAKED RIDE HOME (5:58) Originally from the album The Naked Ride Home (2002) Just take off your clothes and I'll drive you home I said Knowing she never could pass on a dare And knowing it sounded more desperate than reckless or bold I just put it out there cold, too far gone to care My eyes on the road, she slid herself down in the seat And a vision of paradise swung into view Across those five lanes not one driver glanced over to see The beauty known only to me, and a big rig or two On that freeway the light was receding Her beauty, a sight so misleading I failed to hear the heart that was beating alone On the naked ride home With the trace of a smile and that defiant look in her eye She hurtled through space in a world of her own And turning aside my caress spoke of all that she'd not yet done As if I was the doubting one who would have to be shown On that freeway the light was receding Her beauty, a sight so misleading I failed to hear the heart that was beating alone On the naked ride home She gathered her clothes And ran through the yard in the dark Up onto the porch like a flash, and inside Then one room at a time I watched every light in our house come on Like the truth that would eventually dawn, Forcing me to decide But on that freeway the light was receding Her beauty, a sight so misleading I failed to hear the heart that was beating alone On the naked ride home Written by Jackson Browne (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP)  THE NIGHT INSIDE ME (4:39)I used to lay out in a field under the Milky Way With everything that I was feeling that I could not say With every doubt and every sorrow that was in my way Tearing around inside my head like it was there to stay Night in my eyes, the night inside me There where the shadows and the night could hide me Night in my eyes Sky full of stars turning over me Waiting for night to set me free I caught a ride into the city every chance I got I wasn't sure there was a name for the life I sought Now I'm a long way gone down the life I got I don't know how I believed some of the things I thought Night in my eyes, the night inside me Here where the shadows gather to decide me Night in my eyes Out at the end of light and gravity Waiting for night It takes the night to clear all of this mess away The obligation, the burden and the light of day It takes the night to fall between the world I obey And a world where I hear angels play Maybe I should go back to Spain I walk around inside the questions of my day I navigate the inner reaches of my disarray I pass the altars where fools and thieves hold sway I wait for night to come and lift this dread away Night in my eyes, the night inside me Here where the shadows and the light divide me Night in my eyes Night full of promise and uncertainty Waiting for night to set me free Written by Jackson Browne, Kevin McCormick, Mark Goldenberg, Mauricio Lewak & Jeff Young (Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP/Eye Cue Music, ASCAP/Bossypants Music/Songs of Windswept Pacific, BMI/Bateria Music, ASCAP/Glad Brad Music, ASCAP) |