Music

Autumn Highway

“Listen to the whole album, read about the making of the album and the individual songs along with the lyrics and information about the players on the album.”

Autumn

Highway

“Listen to the whole album, read about the making of the album and the individual songs along with the lyrics and information about the players on the album.”

Track 1. Autumn Highway

<a href="http://hawkinsjohnston.bandcamp.com/album/autumn-highway">Autumn Highway by Hawkins Johnston</a>

I always knew this would be the first song that would set the tone of the album. This is also the oldest song on the album (first version written in 2006). Some seeds take a long time to germinate. Dave Jone’s violin sweeps through the piece like a wind through a late fall forest. Lovely upright bass by Patrick McPhail and creative percussion from Ray. And we’re off !

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Ray Dillard (Percussion), David Jones (Violin), Patrick McPhail (Upright Bass)

Lyrics

Autumn Highway

The mystery painter draws his brush
Across the branches of the trees
He doesn’t gloat nor does he blush
Like Toulouse-Lautrec at a strip tease

Red into gold, they fall gently with hardly a sound
Turning and tumbling they crumble
Upon the cold ground

Shadows lengthen cross the road
The sun is strobing out in code
Make haste on roads in good repair
Before they’re left in winter’s care

No one can take us,
We drive ourselves where we must go
Sooner or later, I think maybe later, we know

This might not be our road
But it is the one were on

The road it veers west
We’ve lost the map
We argue about where we’re going
Give it a rest
But we can’t stop

This might not be our road
But it is the one were on

Shadows lengthen, as we travel
Shadows lengthen, as we unravel
Our destination’s clues

This might not be our road
But it’s the one were on

Track 2. Continental Drift

This song came to me watching a large Latino family seeing their daughter off at a boarding gate at Los Angeles airport. I was passing through from Hawaii where I had for some inexplicable reason bought a ukulele. As is my custom with a new instrument, I wanted to make it mine by writing a song on it.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Ukulele), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Max Dyer ( Pizzicato Cello and Cello)

Lyrics

Continental Drift

Jeans in tatters

A pack with what matters

A cell phone to call home

A book for the plane

We live in perfection

Our love your protection

Why would you leave

All this behind

Everybody is letting go

Widen the cracks, and let the wild seeds grow

Wait for the static, from a distant shore

Even the rocks below, continue to flow

And continents drift

It’s her direction

Not our selection

Pressure building

Then comes today

She might call this Sunday

She’s not a runaway

We let her slip from our arms

Down that long jet-a-way.

Everybody is letting go

Widen the cracks, and let the wild seeds grow

Wait for the static, from a distant shore

Even the rocks below, continue to flow

And continents drift

Watch the contrails, break up in the sky

Felt our world shift, with that kiss good bye

Everybody is letting go

Widen the cracks, and let the wild seeds grow

Wait for the static, from a distant shore

Even the rocks below, continue to flow

And continents drift

La La La La La La La La La

Track 3: I’m Sold

This is a love song about finding the peace from acknowledging the strength and space lent by another person which allows you to grow into your own skin. I often dedicate this to my wife when in concert. I think she likes it.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Max Dyer (Bass, Cello)

Lyrics

I’m Sold

Born of a woman

So you’d think I would have got it right

From the first time that I met her

But some things are learned

Like being led to the perfect light

Of the reasons to believe in her

Where ever you are

That’s where I’m heading for

Whatever I say

You’re already there

Whatever I do

You’re way in front of me

I’m a follower

Cause I’m Sold

I was confused

By sweet dreams turned into hard regrets

But somehow we kept talking

Funny the way

You end up right back where you started from

When you pick yourself up and keep walking

Where ever you are

That’s where I’m heading for

Whatever I say

You’re already there

Whatever I do

You’re way in front of me

I’m a follower

Cause I’m Sold

Where ever you are

That’s where I’m heading for

Whatever I say

You’re already there

Whatever I do

You’re way in front of me

I’m a follower

Cause I’m Sold

Track 4. Wishbone

We struggled with whether this country zydeco inflect romp of a song was going to work. Fortunately, persistence and some great playing won the day. Here we have everyone playing a little out of their comfort zone. This is confirmation of the maxim that the more fun you have with a song the better it sounds. Ayeee cher !

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitars), David Jones (Fiddle), Patrick McPhail (Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion), Douglas Romanow ( Accordion)

Alison Bell, Vince Filo-Carroll, Meagan Simpson and Kenny Parry (Backing Vocals)

Lyrics

Wishbone

Way back, in a simpler day

My mother, said there is a way

To make hard decisions play

A wishbone, never throw it away

Hold tight, pull and fight

One hand is holding on to the truth

Wishbone, one side winning

Wishbone , one side losing

Ohhh, How I struggle for my soul

Wishbone one side dreaming

Wishbone one side needing

Ohhh How I struggle for control

But wishbone how I want you whole

Fences, I’ve been sitting on

Wonder’in, how I’m going to get

Go’in , making my own way

Trenches, I’ve been digging deeper

Steeper, with every passing day

Hold tight, pull and fight

Which hand is holding on to the truth?

Wishbone, dry and brittle

Wishbone, breaks down the middle

Do I shrug and stay the same

Which fate, is appealing

That friend, I’m not revealing

It’s all part of the game

But Wishbone how I want you whole

Chicken, who is calling who

Chicken, who is doing the

Pick’n, of the best way to go

Hold tight, pull and fight

Wishbone tell me what you know

Track 5. Lonely Girl

This modern urban vignette takes place on the University subway line in Toronto. I observed my two characters and imagined the deeper story as the interior reflections and sudden bursts of exterior scenery and sunlight strobed across the subway car.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, acoustic guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Electric Bass), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ)

Lyrics

Lonely Girl

So you think you’re the only one

Is that what you really fear

A fetal ball curled round your mobile phone

Someone whisperin’ in your ear

What do you see

I’m a ghost in the scenery

I’d like to be

Someone you would like to get to know

All I’m looking for

Is a lonely girl

With furrowed brow

And your head bent low

How many of those friends

Do you really know?

Where’s the space for our love to grow

So I’ll have to let you go

I can’t compete

With your persistent little friend

Are you so complete?

That I can’t find a way to get to you

All I’m looking for

Is a lonely girl

The more we know

The less we feel

You know what I’m looking for

All I’m looking for is a lonely girl

Track 6. Maybe ( I Can Still Write You A Love Song)

Sometimes amongst all the shadows and shadings you need a little shimmer. No need to put the songwriter on a couch for this one. A sincere pure pop confession of affection.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Patrick McPhail (Bass), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ, Mellotron)

Lyrics

Maybe (I Can Still Write You A Love Song)

You say I must have lost that muscle

The one I had when we were young

That was when love was a desperate hustle

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Write you a love song

I can still write all the librettos

For all the silly show tunes that you inspire

When I see you in a black dress and stilettos

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Write you a love song

Tongue in cheek

Makes it hard to speak

My dominate

Is a little weak

My strumming hand

Is my five piece band

Each note is strong

But not too bland

You know I like me when you are happy

And, you are happy almost every day

A simple truth, no need to get sappy

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Write you a love song

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Track 7. Miles to Kill

I have always thought that one of the most intimate of spaces is the interior of a darkened car on an empty highway at midnight. Thoughts slip from mind to mouth massaged by the lullaby hum of tire on pavement and the trance induced by the yellow line undulating like a cobra outside your windshield. When I first heard the mix of this song, Max Dyer’s cellos broke me open like a baseball bat taken to a piñata.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, All Guitars, Ukulele), Don Bray (Mandolin), Ray Dillard (Percussion), Max Dyer (Bass, Cello), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ, Mellotron and Accordion)

Lyrics

Miles To Kill

The darkest place travels between us

Somewhere out here, on Highway Seventeen

The radio died once we passed Sault Ste Marie

The silence familiar as any place we’ve been

And the roads a golden thread

Unraveling my restless head

I have all these ruminations

And we’ve got miles to kill

Black silhouettes against a pulsing northern sky

Hidden eyes watch, two headlights going by

I’m in control, I find my comfort at the wheel

Making good time, I tell her how I feel

I can almost hear her frown

I have tread on sacred ground

She don’t like these conversations

So we’ve got miles to kill

Owwww Owwww Owwww

She’s the pillow that I dream upon

And I’m her neighborhood

She would like someplace to belong to

As anybody would

But the roads a golden thread

Unraveling my restless head

She don’t like these conversations

So we’ve got miles to kill

Track 8. Mountains

Metaphors are the Sherpas that carry the story for many of my tunes. Oddly in this song it is less a metaphor than a travelogue from actually climbing a mountain in Iceland. And yes, there was a treasure chest at the summit.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

Mountains

You might not seem me fall

Plummeting from this cliff

Cartwheeling to the earth

All, broken and stiff

You didn’t want to scramble here

Which is the greater fear?

Of being left behind

Or losing, your own mind

Don’t climb the mountain

Unless you want the view

There are always mountains

Between you, you and me, Oh Oh Oh

I’d never find the treasure

If I didn’t find the top

The voice of reason telling me

It’s no shame to stop

No treason in separate ways

To seize these golden days

No threat of uncrossed lines

See you soon, uncork the wine

Don’t climb the mountain

Unless you want the view

There are always mountains

Between you, you and me, Oh Oh Oh

Hear the twisting of the wind

Across this empty land

The sea and sky are bending

Laid out at my command

Don’t climb the mountain

Unless you want the view

There are always mountains

Between you, you and me, Oh Oh Oh

Track 9. My Working Song

A slacker revenge love song. Is such a thing possible? In some relationships it may be better to let sleeping dogs lie. Don Bray’s tasteful mandolin on this one brings the perfect touch of whimsy that I was looking for to bring this one home.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Don Bray (Mandolin), James Metcalfe (Percussion), David Jones (Violin, Fiddle)

Lyrics

My Working Song

She don’t want to let me go

I don’t want to be let go

Do you want this thing to grow

Get your ducks all in a row

I believe when something’s good it stays good

Sweeping in like a broom

Follows me from room to room

What have you got planned today

What gets done when I’m away

I believe that all gets done when it’s done

She, told me that I got

To get a life

Beyond these four walls

Oh I’ll try

Yeah I’ll try

I I I don’t know

This Is My Working Song

Opportunity when it knocked

Followed it down the block

Be careful for what you wish

Regret can be the coldest dish

I was only waiting for my cue

She, told me that I got

To get a life

Beyond these four walls

So I did

Oh yes I did

I I I don’t know

This Is My Working Song

She, told me that I got

To get a life

Beyond these four walls

So I did

Oh yes I did

Track 10. Present

This was an up-tempo country rocker which we slowed down. It then began better to show some of the gravitas of the narrator’s wish to lay claim to being in the moment. Surely a universal desire as time seems to pass way too quickly these days.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Electric Guitars), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

Present

Every night now

I sleep a little less longer

With every vigil I keep

Coffee gets a little stronger

Missing dates I recall

Sometimes later if at all

So tell me sweet thing

When we gonna get crazy?

Want to let the small things go

The gentle nagging of the undertow

I don’t want to stop

And just look back

I just want to be

Present

Through the constant and strange

Be present

You know things will change

In a blink of an eye

We are gone

I missed your party baby

Got a little distracted

Every day now

Another memory redacted

And for the remainder

Life doesnt get no kinder

So tell me sweet thing

When we gonna start living?

I just called to let you know

I ‘m all in, its blow for blow

I don’t want to stop

And just look back …

I just want to be

Present

Through the constant and strange

Be present

You know things will change

In a blink of an eye

We are gone

Gone

Track 11. Responsible

There is probably too much water under the bridge for me to be outraged about anything the world currently throws at us. It is though dangerous to tune out discordant voices that demand our attention. We all walk the fine line between insensitivity and over reaction. Look inside not down my fellow tightrope walkers.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic and Electric guitars), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

Responsible

Who bought the land

Took command

Now do they own you

It wasn’t me

But I know that guy

Who saw the plan

Kicked the can

Down the road to confuse you

It wasn’t me

But I was standing by

She told me

He scolded me

I hold you responsible

Who took the cash

For their stash

Did they surprise you?

It wasn’t me

But I hoped for more

Who had your back

Then did jack

Did they betray you?

It wasn’t me

I won’t take no more

She told me

He scolded me

I hold you responsible

Who will it be

Who will put the sun

Back, in your blue skies

Who will it be

Who will put the stars

Back, in your brown eyes

I understand

That help from my hand

Might not please you

After all

I’ve been there before

Send me the text

Of the thing coming next

What can I do?

It wasn’t me

But I will be there

She told me

He scolded me

I hold you responsible

For the things

You could have done for me

I hold you responsible

Track 12. The Promise

We are our own worst enemy. Taking ownership of our lives is sometimes hard but it is essential. Here I channel a little bit of my inner gospel singer. Doug Romanow with his Hammond A-100 organ and James Metcalfe drumming out a Texas shuffle really take us to church. Hallelujah.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Max Dyer (Cello), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ)

Lyrics

The Promise

I know that you’re troubled

By the things I have done

Was it the doing?

Or the way they got done

I know you’re disappointed

That I didn’t take your call

But I’m into the rising

That comes, after the fall

Don’t need excuses

To get through my day

Thank you for asking

But I’m doin’, doin’ OK

I made me a promise

So get out of my way

You know the story

You lean on your friends

No guts, no glory

Do stupid things again

It not them that’s hurting

Or messing you about

You started this fire

Now go, put the thing out

Don’t need excuses

To get through my day

Thank you for asking

But I’m doin’, doin’ OK

I made me a promise

So get out of my way

Don’t need confusion

Your guilt or your doubt

Thanks for the offer

But that’s not,

What I am about

Made me a promise

I’ll figure it out

Soar with me

I made me a promise

To own every day

Track 13. When the Hope of Forever Dies

This is a break up song with a twist. I once broke up with a girl where I felt sorrier for their parents who had to deal with all the drama. Everything is done to a torch and twang waltz. Doug Romanow on the Mellotron gives us that vintage Patsy Kline 1960s kitchen confidential feel.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Patrick McPhail (Acoustic Upright Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion), Douglas Romanow ( Mellotron)

Lyrics

When The Hope of Forever Dies

What would you say to your mother now

If I walked away

What would you say to your father now

At the dimming of our day

As you pass the potatoes

Would you quietly reveal

That you are not worth having

At least that’s the way it feels

Their little darlings on the mend

You won’t break while you can bend

Tell your mother that I’m sorry

Ever man you know he tries

Tell her its only history repeating

When the hope of forever dies

How would you tell of our meeting

And those hazy delirious days

How tomorrow seemed to greet us

In a thousand subtle ways

How will you tell of our leaving

We hug ourselves against the cold

How every sentence was a tombstone

Each word chiselled out in bold

Little darling can’t pretend

It’ll work out in the end ( wo wo)

Tell your mother that I’m sorry

Ever man you know he tries

Tell her its only history repeating

When the hope of forever dies

Track 14. In the Meantime

While we all strive for our dreams and ambitions, we need to cherish the people along the way. Life is one big meantime. This tune gave me a chance to play my old Yamaha hollow body electric jazz guitar all framed nicely by Dave’s beautifully fluid violin passages.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Electric Guitar), David Jones (Violin), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

In the Mean Time

How to get from A to B

24/7 it’s the economy

One more call will not break your back

Stay in play, and watch your tack

You never hear the breath I sigh

Or look up to catch my eye

Hunkered down get it done today

Some new devil you got to pay

In the mean time

While you’re waiting for your ship to come in

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your ticket to win

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your life to begin

In the mean time

Can you be with me?

Say one day it all went away

The air was still on that fateful day

No planes to catch to god knows where

No wondering who was waiting there

Would you see the hills you’ve climbed?

And be thankful for truths divined

The people loved but left behind

And believe that fate was kind

In the mean time

While you’re waiting for your ship to come in

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your ticket to win

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your life to begin

In the mean time

Can you be with me?

Can you be

Can you be with me?

Track 15. Letter from the Coast

It is probably disingenuous to deliver a pep talk about surviving winter from the warmth of a beach outside of Squamish, British Columbia. But you have to like the Latin in the chorus. “Ex duris Gloria” meaning “from suffering arises glory”.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitars), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Max Dyer (Pizzicato cello, Cello)

Lyrics

Letter from the Coast ( Ex Duris Gloria^*)

Don’t give up the ghost

For winter is not kind to quitters

Thawing out on the left coast

With the hippies, the geeks and heavy hitters

Don’t give up the ghost

Strangled by multiple sweaters

I’m warm as French toast

Exiled with the rest of the cheaters

February magnolia

Non ex duris Gloria

Sylvan ambrosia

I’m an oyster opening on the shore

Don’t give up the ghost

The phantom limb of springtime

Don’t cry in the pot roast

Trapped in the house killing time

Don’t give up the ghost

For winter is not kind to quitters

Thawing out on the left coast

With the hippies, the geeks and heavy hitters

February magnolia

Non ex duris Gloria

Sylvan ambrosia

I’m an oyster shucked on the shore

* Translation: from suffering arises glory Copyright Hawkins Johnston March 3 2015

Track 16. The Edge of Dawn

Written during the recording of the rest of the album as the last song for the album, it came to me looking out the window at Ray’s studio on a freshly ploughed field being prepared for winter. I am joined by my friends from the Lyrica Choir Alison Bell, Vince Filo-Carroll, Meagan Simpson and Kenny Parry to provided the Greek chorus to my characters. A reverence for the inevitability of the passage of the seasons should give people pause to take stock of their loves, losses and strength for the future.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Electric Guitar), Patrick McPhail (Bass), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ)

Alison Bell, Vince Filo-Carroll, Meagan Simpson and Kenny Parry (Backing Vocals)

Special thanks to Julie Jacklein who arranged the initial chorale parts on this song. This was all very experimental on my part so Ray, Julie and our four singers have my gratitude for humoring my artistic pretensions on this one and making it all come together.

Lyrics

At The Edge of Dawn

At the edge of dawn

When the harvest is done

The ground is bare

Awaits new sun

Your work was good

Have you taken your share?

Have you kept to your creed?

To do with care

At the edge of dawn

Let hope endure

The seasons moved on

For the man that you were

Adrift in spirit

Wintering like crows

Restless and circling

To see what spring sows

Content with still breathing

There’s frost in the air

Too set, for leaving

Too, rooted here

Rise to glory

Don’t bend a knee

To the worst of your demons

Be the man you can be

At the edge of dawn

When the night goes to ground

Shadows hide in furrows

When the new day is crowned

Regret is to truth

Like chaff is to wheat

The good in us all

Will fall at your feet

At the edge of dawn

I’ll be your morning star

Cast new light upon

The man that you are

Track 1. Autumn Highway

<a href="http://hawkinsjohnston.bandcamp.com/album/autumn-highway">Autumn Highway by Hawkins Johnston</a>

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Ray Dillard (Percussion), David Jones (Violin), Patrick McPhail (Upright Bass)

Lyrics

Autumn Highway

The mystery painter draws his brush
Across the branches of the trees
He doesn’t gloat nor does he blush
Like Toulouse-Lautrec at a strip tease

Red into gold, they fall gently with hardly a sound
Turning and tumbling they crumble
Upon the cold ground

Shadows lengthen cross the road
The sun is strobing out in code
Make haste on roads in good repair
Before they’re left in winter’s care

No one can take us,
We drive ourselves where we must go
Sooner or later, I think maybe later, we know

This might not be our road
But it is the one were on

The road it veers west
We’ve lost the map
We argue about where we’re going
Give it a rest
But we can’t stop

This might not be our road
But it is the one were on

Shadows lengthen, as we travel
Shadows lengthen, as we unravel
Our destination’s clues

This might not be our road
But it’s the one were on

Track 2. Continental Drift

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Ukulele), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Max Dyer ( Pizzicato Cello and Cello)

Lyrics

Continental Drift

Jeans in tatters

A pack with what matters

A cell phone to call home

A book for the plane

We live in perfection

Our love your protection

Why would you leave

All this behind

Everybody is letting go

Widen the cracks, and let the wild seeds grow

Wait for the static, from a distant shore

Even the rocks below, continue to flow

And continents drift

It’s her direction

Not our selection

Pressure building

Then comes today

She might call this Sunday

She’s not a runaway

We let her slip from our arms

Down that long jet-a-way.

Everybody is letting go

Widen the cracks, and let the wild seeds grow

Wait for the static, from a distant shore

Even the rocks below, continue to flow

And continents drift

Watch the contrails, break up in the sky

Felt our world shift, with that kiss good bye

Everybody is letting go

Widen the cracks, and let the wild seeds grow

Wait for the static, from a distant shore

Even the rocks below, continue to flow

And continents drift

La La La La La La La La La

Track 3: I’m Sold

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Max Dyer (Bass, Cello)

Lyrics

I’m Sold

Born of a woman

So you’d think I would have got it right

From the first time that I met her

But some things are learned

Like being led to the perfect light

Of the reasons to believe in her

Where ever you are

That’s where I’m heading for

Whatever I say

You’re already there

Whatever I do

You’re way in front of me

I’m a follower

Cause I’m Sold

I was confused

By sweet dreams turned into hard regrets

But somehow we kept talking

Funny the way

You end up right back where you started from

When you pick yourself up and keep walking

Where ever you are

That’s where I’m heading for

Whatever I say

You’re already there

Whatever I do

You’re way in front of me

I’m a follower

Cause I’m Sold

Where ever you are

That’s where I’m heading for

Whatever I say

You’re already there

Whatever I do

You’re way in front of me

I’m a follower

Cause I’m Sold

Track 4. Wishbone

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitars), David Jones (Fiddle), Patrick McPhail (Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion), Douglas Romanow ( Accordion)

Alison Bell, Vince Filo-Carroll, Meagan Simpson and Kenny Parry (Backing Vocals)

Lyrics

Wishbone

Way back, in a simpler day

My mother, said there is a way

To make hard decisions play

A wishbone, never throw it away

Hold tight, pull and fight

One hand is holding on to the truth

Wishbone, one side winning

Wishbone , one side losing

Ohhh, How I struggle for my soul

Wishbone one side dreaming

Wishbone one side needing

Ohhh How I struggle for control

But wishbone how I want you whole

Fences, I’ve been sitting on

Wonder’in, how I’m going to get

Go’in , making my own way

Trenches, I’ve been digging deeper

Steeper, with every passing day

Hold tight, pull and fight

Which hand is holding on to the truth?

Wishbone, dry and brittle

Wishbone, breaks down the middle

Do I shrug and stay the same

Which fate, is appealing

That friend, I’m not revealing

It’s all part of the game

But Wishbone how I want you whole

Chicken, who is calling who

Chicken, who is doing the

Pick’n, of the best way to go

Hold tight, pull and fight

Wishbone tell me what you know

Track 5. Lonely Girl

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, acoustic guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Electric Bass), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ)

Lyrics

Lonely Girl

So you think you’re the only one

Is that what you really fear

A fetal ball curled round your mobile phone

Someone whisperin’ in your ear

What do you see

I’m a ghost in the scenery

I’d like to be

Someone you would like to get to know

All I’m looking for

Is a lonely girl

With furrowed brow

And your head bent low

How many of those friends

Do you really know?

Where’s the space for our love to grow

So I’ll have to let you go

I can’t compete

With your persistent little friend

Are you so complete?

That I can’t find a way to get to you

All I’m looking for

Is a lonely girl

The more we know

The less we feel

You know what I’m looking for

All I’m looking for is a lonely girl

Track 6. Maybe ( I Can Still Write You A Love Song)

Sometimes amongst all the shadows and shadings you need a little shimmer. No need to put the songwriter on a couch for this one. A sincere pure pop confession of affection.

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Patrick McPhail (Bass), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ, Mellotron)

Lyrics

Maybe (I Can Still Write You A Love Song)

You say I must have lost that muscle

The one I had when we were young

That was when love was a desperate hustle

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Write you a love song

I can still write all the librettos

For all the silly show tunes that you inspire

When I see you in a black dress and stilettos

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Write you a love song

Tongue in cheek

Makes it hard to speak

My dominate

Is a little weak

My strumming hand

Is my five piece band

Each note is strong

But not too bland

You know I like me when you are happy

And, you are happy almost every day

A simple truth, no need to get sappy

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Write you a love song

Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I, Maybe I

Can still write you a love song

Track 7. Miles to Kill

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, All Guitars, Ukulele), Don Bray (Mandolin), Ray Dillard (Percussion), Max Dyer (Bass, Cello), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ, Mellotron and Accordion)

Lyrics

Miles To Kill

The darkest place travels between us

Somewhere out here, on Highway Seventeen

The radio died once we passed Sault Ste Marie

The silence familiar as any place we’ve been

And the roads a golden thread

Unraveling my restless head

I have all these ruminations

And we’ve got miles to kill

Black silhouettes against a pulsing northern sky

Hidden eyes watch, two headlights going by

I’m in control, I find my comfort at the wheel

Making good time, I tell her how I feel

I can almost hear her frown

I have tread on sacred ground

She don’t like these conversations

So we’ve got miles to kill

Owwww Owwww Owwww

She’s the pillow that I dream upon

And I’m her neighborhood

She would like someplace to belong to

As anybody would

But the roads a golden thread

Unraveling my restless head

She don’t like these conversations

So we’ve got miles to kill

Track 8. Mountains

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

Mountains

You might not seem me fall

Plummeting from this cliff

Cartwheeling to the earth

All, broken and stiff

You didn’t want to scramble here

Which is the greater fear?

Of being left behind

Or losing, your own mind

Don’t climb the mountain

Unless you want the view

There are always mountains

Between you, you and me, Oh Oh Oh

I’d never find the treasure

If I didn’t find the top

The voice of reason telling me

It’s no shame to stop

No treason in separate ways

To seize these golden days

No threat of uncrossed lines

See you soon, uncork the wine

Don’t climb the mountain

Unless you want the view

There are always mountains

Between you, you and me, Oh Oh Oh

Hear the twisting of the wind

Across this empty land

The sea and sky are bending

Laid out at my command

Don’t climb the mountain

Unless you want the view

There are always mountains

Between you, you and me, Oh Oh Oh

Track 9. My Working Song

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Don Bray (Mandolin), James Metcalfe (Percussion), David Jones (Violin, Fiddle)

Lyrics

My Working Song

She don’t want to let me go

I don’t want to be let go

Do you want this thing to grow

Get your ducks all in a row

I believe when something’s good it stays good

Sweeping in like a broom

Follows me from room to room

What have you got planned today

What gets done when I’m away

I believe that all gets done when it’s done

She, told me that I got

To get a life

Beyond these four walls

Oh I’ll try

Yeah I’ll try

I I I don’t know

This Is My Working Song

Opportunity when it knocked

Followed it down the block

Be careful for what you wish

Regret can be the coldest dish

I was only waiting for my cue

She, told me that I got

To get a life

Beyond these four walls

So I did

Oh yes I did

I I I don’t know

This Is My Working Song

She, told me that I got

To get a life

Beyond these four walls

So I did

Oh yes I did

Track 10. Present

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Electric Guitars), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

Present

Every night now

I sleep a little less longer

With every vigil I keep

Coffee gets a little stronger

Missing dates I recall

Sometimes later if at all

So tell me sweet thing

When we gonna get crazy?

Want to let the small things go

The gentle nagging of the undertow

I don’t want to stop

And just look back

I just want to be

Present

Through the constant and strange

Be present

You know things will change

In a blink of an eye

We are gone

I missed your party baby

Got a little distracted

Every day now

Another memory redacted

And for the remainder

Life doesnt get no kinder

So tell me sweet thing

When we gonna start living?

I just called to let you know

I ‘m all in, its blow for blow

I don’t want to stop

And just look back …

I just want to be

Present

Through the constant and strange

Be present

You know things will change

In a blink of an eye

We are gone

Gone

Track 11. Responsible

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic and Electric guitars), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

Responsible

Who bought the land

Took command

Now do they own you

It wasn’t me

But I know that guy

Who saw the plan

Kicked the can

Down the road to confuse you

It wasn’t me

But I was standing by

She told me

He scolded me

I hold you responsible

Who took the cash

For their stash

Did they surprise you?

It wasn’t me

But I hoped for more

Who had your back

Then did jack

Did they betray you?

It wasn’t me

I won’t take no more

She told me

He scolded me

I hold you responsible

Who will it be

Who will put the sun

Back, in your blue skies

Who will it be

Who will put the stars

Back, in your brown eyes

I understand

That help from my hand

Might not please you

After all

I’ve been there before

Send me the text

Of the thing coming next

What can I do?

It wasn’t me

But I will be there

She told me

He scolded me

I hold you responsible

For the things

You could have done for me

I hold you responsible

Track 12. The Promise

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Max Dyer (Cello), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ)

Lyrics

The Promise

I know that you’re troubled

By the things I have done

Was it the doing?

Or the way they got done

I know you’re disappointed

That I didn’t take your call

But I’m into the rising

That comes, after the fall

Don’t need excuses

To get through my day

Thank you for asking

But I’m doin’, doin’ OK

I made me a promise

So get out of my way

You know the story

You lean on your friends

No guts, no glory

Do stupid things again

It not them that’s hurting

Or messing you about

You started this fire

Now go, put the thing out

Don’t need excuses

To get through my day

Thank you for asking

But I’m doin’, doin’ OK

I made me a promise

So get out of my way

Don’t need confusion

Your guilt or your doubt

Thanks for the offer

But that’s not,

What I am about

Made me a promise

I’ll figure it out

Soar with me

I made me a promise

To own every day

Track 13. When the Hope of Forever Dies

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Patrick McPhail (Acoustic Upright Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion), Douglas Romanow ( Mellotron)

Lyrics

When The Hope of Forever Dies

What would you say to your mother now

If I walked away

What would you say to your father now

At the dimming of our day

As you pass the potatoes

Would you quietly reveal

That you are not worth having

At least that’s the way it feels

Their little darlings on the mend

You won’t break while you can bend

Tell your mother that I’m sorry

Ever man you know he tries

Tell her its only history repeating

When the hope of forever dies

How would you tell of our meeting

And those hazy delirious days

How tomorrow seemed to greet us

In a thousand subtle ways

How will you tell of our leaving

We hug ourselves against the cold

How every sentence was a tombstone

Each word chiselled out in bold

Little darling can’t pretend

It’ll work out in the end ( wo wo)

Tell your mother that I’m sorry

Ever man you know he tries

Tell her its only history repeating

When the hope of forever dies

Track 14. In the Meantime

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Electric Guitar), David Jones (Violin), Patrick McPhail (Fretless Bass), James Metcalfe (Drums, Percussion)

Lyrics

In the Mean Time

How to get from A to B

24/7 it’s the economy

One more call will not break your back

Stay in play, and watch your tack

You never hear the breath I sigh

Or look up to catch my eye

Hunkered down get it done today

Some new devil you got to pay

In the mean time

While you’re waiting for your ship to come in

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your ticket to win

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your life to begin

In the mean time

Can you be with me?

Say one day it all went away

The air was still on that fateful day

No planes to catch to god knows where

No wondering who was waiting there

Would you see the hills you’ve climbed?

And be thankful for truths divined

The people loved but left behind

And believe that fate was kind

In the mean time

While you’re waiting for your ship to come in

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your ticket to win

In the mean time

When you’re waiting for your life to begin

In the mean time

Can you be with me?

Can you be

Can you be with me?

Track 15. Letter from the Coast

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Acoustic Guitars), James Metcalfe (Percussion), Max Dyer (Pizzicato cello, Cello)

Lyrics

Letter from the Coast ( Ex Duris Gloria^*)

Don’t give up the ghost

For winter is not kind to quitters

Thawing out on the left coast

With the hippies, the geeks and heavy hitters

Don’t give up the ghost

Strangled by multiple sweaters

I’m warm as French toast

Exiled with the rest of the cheaters

February magnolia

Non ex duris Gloria

Sylvan ambrosia

I’m an oyster opening on the shore

Don’t give up the ghost

The phantom limb of springtime

Don’t cry in the pot roast

Trapped in the house killing time

Don’t give up the ghost

For winter is not kind to quitters

Thawing out on the left coast

With the hippies, the geeks and heavy hitters

February magnolia

Non ex duris Gloria

Sylvan ambrosia

I’m an oyster shucked on the shore

* Translation: from suffering arises glory Copyright Hawkins Johnston March 3 2015

Track 16. The Edge of Dawn

Hawkins Johnston (Vocals, Electric Guitar), Patrick McPhail (Bass), Douglas Romanow (Hammond A-100 Organ)

Alison Bell, Vince Filo-Carroll, Meagan Simpson and Kenny Parry (Backing Vocals)

Lyrics

At The Edge of Dawn

At the edge of dawn

When the harvest is done

The ground is bare

Awaits new sun

Your work was good

Have you taken your share?

Have you kept to your creed?

To do with care

At the edge of dawn

Let hope endure

The seasons moved on

For the man that you were

Adrift in spirit

Wintering like crows

Restless and circling

To see what spring sows

Content with still breathing

There’s frost in the air

Too set, for leaving

Too, rooted here

Rise to glory

Don’t bend a knee

To the worst of your demons

Be the man you can be

At the edge of dawn

When the night goes to ground

Shadows hide in furrows

When the new day is crowned

Regret is to truth

Like chaff is to wheat

The good in us all

Will fall at your feet

At the edge of dawn

I’ll be your morning star

Cast new light upon

The man that you are