Summer wind        

 

i can see you when i close my eyes 

so i close my eyes

so i can see you

just because i’m looking doesn’t mean i’m searching

i’ve had a crush like this, so many times before

falling in love is such a lovely memory

it doesn’t happen often enough

it only lingers on

 

everytime you’re there i wanna close my eyes

tell me it’s not happening

tell me it’s not true

just because you’re pretty and you're looking like a moviestar

yes you could be a sin

for all the boys galore

falling in love is just a lovely memory

doesn’t happen often enough

it always lingers on

 

you’re like summer wind, blowing through the open window

summerwind is your breath on my skin

in the middle of the night i can hear your whisper

say my name

take me away

 

maybe there are things we must not try to understand

or find meaning

or give reason to

just because it happens doesn’t make it meaningfull

or fall into place

at this moment in time

falling in love is just a lovely memory

it doesn’t happen often enough

but it lingers on , and on and on and on

 

 

Strange day

 

heaps of junk in a house for hire

tea with Robbie on Sunday afternoon

one black crow on electric wire

are you coming home soon ?

 

it’s such a strange day

a strange day to say I love you

such a strange day

are you just as scared as I

will you come with me and hide?

and well just wait it out until its time

 

one more movie and an empty seat

me and Mary in the month of June

love’s enchantments love so sweet

next apparition on a yellow moon

 

'cos the tiding ‘s lost

someone shot the messenger

the barriers crossed are only thin white lines

unspeakable signs in residual clay

and it's such a strange day

 

one last glimmer when the evening falls

in a soft sound

two silhouettes on the underground walls 

and a lost one found

 

it’s such a strange day

a strange day to say I love you

such a strange day

are you just as scared as I

will you come with me and hide?

and well just wait it out…

well I guess it’s time

 

 

Pretty head around

 

 

you need somebody to be there for you

you need someone to love

and maybe there are days you need some friendship too

your memories won’t help

your past is only trying to keep up with you

don’t turn your head

your pretty head around

 

you need your sacrifise to be of some value

and you need some consolation

it surely was the right thing to do

if there’s a purpose in life

well it must be life itself

just don’t turn your head

your pretty head around

 

we had everything going

the world at our feet

in our imagination

inspiration like flowers growing

but we quit living like that

 

you need your lonelyness you need your peace

but you also need a pair of smiling eyes

and someone to put your mind at ease

and now your name is here

and i can see you

please don’t turn your head

your pretty head around

 

you can say it’s over

and take the road you like

pick you four leaf clover

or wait for love to strike

 

 

A splendid gathering in the sliding dunes

 

 

on a hot and humid day

in the lazy hours of noon

there was a splendid gathering in the sliding dunes

a feast of summer in the salty air

you and me just lying there

your eyes closed, the sun shone through your swirling hair

 

so we laid our bodies down

our backs In the warm sand

our shoulders close, our minds as one, I touched your hand

the sound of the waves became a story

telling tales of

how the sound of the sea became a melody of love

 

time was never passing

because the world was standing still

not a word or a sigh was heard against our will

so strange to realize

this perfect harmony

and the soft sweet kisses of your salty lips on the rhythm of the sea

 

colours changing, stars appeared

millions of little lights

but the evening sky was not as pretty as the lovelight in your eyes

oh why did all this happen on this very hemisphere

can this thing really happen

are we really here ?

 

love was made and love  we made

until our lust was satisfied

until the hunger quenched

'till our hearts were light

silhouettes walked hand in hand

there was no one there but you and me

we were golden shadows in a moon lit sea

 

the sand still warm the whole night through

then came the cool of morning air

awakened by the sound of seagulls everywhere

we did not want this all to end

but it did.....

so on our separate lives we went

 

 

Mad man at the helm (Silly people)

 

 

silly people eating french fries in the rain, silly people

people do the darndest things,

and they do them without reason

 

on this autumn day when I miss the warmth of summer sun

and all I do is reminisce

i wonder where the love has gone

 

silly people buying stuff they never really need,

on a digital marketplace

they fill their homes with little trinkets

and they lace their lives with hope

 

you might think your day to day routine

is of any importance

but it’s only trivial, i mean, c’mon

you tell me now, you decide...

 

because it looks as if the headlines

are more explicit and more obscene

it’s only fake news ruled by silly people

vicious, cruel, and mean

there’s a mad man at the helm

will someone help us please

 

do you ever think there will come a day we will figure out where things went wrong

it’ s so much easier to turn away and deny what’s going on

we can fill an ocean with our tears

but we seldom act accordingly, ‘cos we can compromise

and the future is a distant thing...

 

 

Comfort me

 

 

i was passing by the old house we lived in long ago 

It felt strange and cold

you were born there i remember 

on a sunny day in spring

and i was struck by the sudden gloomy mood

i landed in

 

it was like i was transported through a void in time

again I felt isolated 

we had some good times i remember

on that sunny day in spring

and my love for you, well it has not faltered

it’s stronger than it’s ever been

 

 

and in these days where things are dire (2nd:we live in days where things are dire)

and the world collapses with disease 

our possesions are on fire

our hearts keep calling out for peace 

i feel a strong urge to withdraw

and seek shelter and feel free (2nd: seek shelter under this siege)

find a way to comfort you

just like you will comfort me

 

now you live in your secluded life, and  i, i live in mine

we dont see eachother very often nowadays

there is a distance inbetween us

and it re-apears from time to time

some words still sound the same

but they still don’t rhyme

 

so we sort out all our differences

we come to terms, for what it’s worth

you need to, otherwise, whats there to gain

i guess we’re probably too proud or just plain stupid

well anyway, it is just never worth the pain

 

 

An unfulfilled promise   

 

 

 

an unfulfilled promise 

I read in your eyes 

and it has been such a long time

since i saw your smile

the years have been kinder 

than i thought they would 

and allthough this time has passed my heart still jumps for you

 

i remember the first time

i layed eyes on you 

oh, I was so gone and so in love

i Just didn’t know what to do

and you were so lovely

and i was so in awe and so blue

you conquered my heart right there and then

 

maybe there’s a reason why the cards where dealt this day

we could have been together but our lives developed in another way

in the end the years became our enemy

 

an unfulfilled promise

the trueth or a lie

we carry these memories

in the back of our minds

so one day when we’re older

we’ll smile and we will say

it was worth all the sweet pain we still feel to this day

 

 

You Said

 

 

you change your dreams and then you grow up

and if you dwell on dreams you might forget to live

and i could never

I would never ever

make you fall in love with me

 

the world can change in one day, yes it can

and fear can leave you blind, with your eyes still open

but i could never

I would never 

make you fall in love with me

 

one day i will leave and I won’t return you said

It was all in vain, but at least we tried you said

 

now you take forever, well, thats a long long time

much can happen, so you need to draw the line

like, you could never resist

thats why

you fell in love with me

 

and in the heat of struggle and battles never won

the only thing you loose is pride

why did you ever

why did you ever

fall in love at all

 

and making up is easier than falling out of love

your heart will rock, the pain will stop

but then again, sweet pain is never ending

but  understanding will come as time goes by

I supose an easy life is only for the ones who refuse to try

 

 

Sparrow in the rain

 

sparrow in the rain 

what do you know 

about the hurt in the world 

it is not your fault 

your wings all wet

your eyes so bright 

i hope  you can sing your song

before you go to sleep tonight

 

willow in the wind

wave your branches

before you bow and break

and your leafs will fall 

you grew so tall 

almost touching the sky 

a desparate growth 

because you know the end is nigh

 

word in the wind

you’re there all the time

coming through my open window

a thought in the night

a thought so bright

don’t leave me waiting

waiting for your light

 

sparrow in the rain 

what do you know 

about the hurt in the world 

No it is not your fault 

your wings all wet

your eyes so bright 

i hope  you still sing your song

before you go to sleep tonight

 

 

Under the radar          

 

never made a serious attempt of any kind

hardly ever tried to get noticed by anyone

a  fantasy life inside my mind

Imagination flowing freely, on and on

 

never taking any notice but you could say that i was on the run

though i never figured out for who or what

i was in a battle but i allready knew  that it couldn’t be won

not sooner, and not later

 

i was under the radar

always under the radar

but i was never too far

‘cos I was watching you, watching you

from under the radar

 

everywhere i look i see asylums

everywhere i look i see open doors

i see everyone hiding on their own private island

fighting their own wars

 

sometimes i stare at people and i wonder

some of them should be a little bit more like me

a little more modest, a little bit under

the radar, under the radar

 


Winter wind

 

on a cold winternight we part

finaly you’re flying free

i will keep you in my heart

your love is safe with me

 

with this this winter wind you suddenly leave

your worn and rugged coat

but time, to make me grieve

but time, to make us float

 

this is where the long ride ends

this is where we say fare thee well

and after all the bows and bends

we go and tell about that final breath

without death our life is meaningless 

 

on a cold winternight you go

tired but at peace and you left your mark

like my footprints in the snow

like a shadow in the dark

 

i am naked in this winter wind

naked as the the day when i was born

naked i’ll keep wandering

i’m the child left forlorn

 

 

All songs words and music by J.M.François (c) 2019

 

A Silent storm         

 

we can't choose were we come from

but we can choose were we go from here and still leave a trace

one day we will all be stories

one day we will all be a name by the fireplace

we accept the love we think we deserve

no questions asked

no real understanding even if it hurts

 

there's a silent storm below the surface

and the world goes on

a silent storm

a silent noise

and the sound of a rush through the trees that keeps on calling your name

 

what about the time you said “we're gonna change it all”

what about the games we played?

mountains never high enough

what about the promises, we were so young so undecided and yet so certain of it all

we've come to terms with our mistakes,

they are just stepping stones

we crossed the waters we kissed our last goodbye so long ago

 

did you hear the fleeting winds around our fate

did you hear the silent storm around our hearts abate

can you feel the love we shared and lost

and we did not contemplate

because we did not know,

we did not know

 

Staying on the safe side           

 

I keep longing for a time when joy was in a green fairy

dancing was a silent movie, and love a game to play

masquerades were smoke grenades

we were much too wary

moving on

 

staying on the safe side

for much too long

it’s past your curfew

the deed is done

your time ran out before you even tried

 

don’t hide your magic tricks

when the circus comes to town

don’t speak those soothing words to me

running low and burning slow

a touch of fortune in your hand

 

i can hear the safe and wistful child

through the banter behind the door

her laughter always heals me

the captain she’s been waiting for

is on a far and distant sea

on a leisurely shore

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above the whisper            

 

Well I guess i am way too old to carry secrets of this kind, but I still do

And I’m far too old to wander round the city late at night, but sometimes I still do

So you change a little bit, but not too much

You wouldn’t want the outside world to get out of touch with you

Although there will be talking here today, I can’t say I mind

‘Cos I’m above the whisper anyway

 

There is a strange and awkward feeling every time I meet a stranger here

And in an instant you just know , It doesn’t need to grow

You can taste it in the atmosphere

Maybe there’s a look or a twinkling in your eye

Or the way you smile when you say goodbye

I really don’t mind what other people say

I am above the whisper anyway

 

Are you still looking in the rear view mirror,

do you still regret the choices that you made

you got to stop doing that, it won’t get any better

Yes I know there was a price you paid

So  for now just tag along, Be resilient and strong

And float upon the waves of life, cherish all the love you made

Go on rely on your gut feeling boy

You are above the whisper anyway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Away, Away           

                       

You used to ride your bike so gracefully

Ride into the setting sun

Away, away, You used to say

I’ll find my freedom moving on

You used to drive around in no-man’s land

Across the pitfalls and the cracks

Away, away, go with the wind

No one will stop you in your tracks

 

Out where horizons never lie

Into a place where you can fly

Away from all controlling eyes you roam

You don’t look back, You don’t rely on any promise passing by

Before you compromise, you told me once, “you’d rather die”

And now you sit there counting morons, little demons, petty woman you all gathered on your ride

You seem distracted, you only acted superficial but your opportunities are still open wide

I think you need to ride again

Away, away

 

I wonder why you never took the lead when all the favours where on you

Away away you said, This praising;

It’s nothing special that i do

And I won’t begin to mention all the girls you liked

Or how the girls would worship you

Away away my darlings

I’ll trade my loving gladly too

 

 

You missed your window,

Time went by your little circle in the sky

You had the chance but you didn’t try, you roamed

You found contentment so you say

As if your blue turned into grey

While you were only longing for

A place to stray

So now you sit there, oh so quiet, I wonder what goes on inside your head

Your wasted talent, and how it went

And how you turned your back on everything that doomed your day

I  think you need to ride again

Away away

 

And now your bike is gathering dust in time

It’s just a picture on the wall

Away away These mem’ries

Away, away before i fall

 

 

 

 

 

Mothers & Fathers                     

 

Mothers and fathers

Oceans and seas

Brothers and sisters

Forrest’s and trees

Teachers and Schoolyards

It was nothing but play

We were Cowboys we were Indians every day

 

Children and birthdays

We had lemonade and cakes

Not a worry in the world

There was nothing yet at stake

You remember the changes

And your first kiss in the park

I still smell the sweet spring and hear the sound of the singing lark

 

But in a wink you grow older

While you thought it would always last

Now you look over your shoulder

God it went so fast

Mothers and fathers, Daughters and sons

 

Paintings and photographs

Of landscapes and views

Afternoon sunshine And morning dew

I see girls in white dresses

Dancing in the field

As the time keeps on slipping the memory gets more and more real

 

 

 

Melancholy  

 

This is where we watched the cows graze

You and me dad, in long forgotten days

In the distance I still see The shipyard where you used to work

Where you made a living for your family

 

This is where we used to ride our bikes

Along the riverbanks across the dykes

Now where the meadows used to be I see an oil refinery

Oh progress has a price

 

And you did not know me

And I did not know you very well

And we never tried hard to ring each other’s bell

But time has shown me

Time has a way to tell

Gee I never reckoned I would feel so melancholy

 

I look around this land, It is where our hearts lie

The ocean clears a message in the sand

Just like the words you said are washed away in time

And I still wonder

We only ruled our own dominions

Maybe it’s not too late to say

Maybe the years have softened our opinions

Yes love has many ways

 

 

 

 

 

Heroes must die first   

 

So this here is the life that you’ve been looking for

This here is as good as it can get

Along the way the stranded ones have vaporised

Apostate and unwillingly, abandoned and deprived of love and calling

Well in retrospect you can always see your flaws and your demeanour

As something of a learning process

You win some, and you lose some

And the values you once cherished

Just like the seasons they’ve all passed

 

But you must not cry because the sun goes down

It will rise again tomorrow

Don’t dwell on yesterday

Don’t consummate your sorrow

The only thing you have to do before you quench your thirst

You mustn’t die before your heroes do

Heroes must die first

 

Now with all your knowledge all your knowhow and all the wealth that you can think of

you're still so dissatisfied

do you still believe our main goal is to misuse and to plunder

then are you aware that you never even tried?

so this is why the brave ones, the ones that we look up to

must go before our time is through

the adulated set examples

they disregard their own needs

but all their deeds

they need to be adored by you

 

 

 

No angels       

 

There are no angels here

They have upped and gone away

they left me here abandoned 

they could not stay

 

There are no angels here

Maybe there never were

But traces of their goodness

Must be lying ‘ round here somewhere on this earth

 

Grief has made me angry (grief and indignation)

Grief has made my heart grow cold

I’m trying to exist, I’m trying to resist the sound

of a peace and quiet sphere

it’s definite, it’s undisputed

there are no angels here

 

i wish there was an angel here

to comfort me to soothe my soul

to chase away the demons

and forsake this bad existence as a whole

 

but there are no demons here

there are only demons in your head

they are only bad ideas and memories of some words you later thought, well

you shouldn’t have said

 

 

 

Welcome to the real world

 

Ten years ago, it Seems like yesterday

twenty years like the day before

Your “gold and shiny” hair shows a little grey

Still remember that blouse you wore

There’s no regrets, today is precious

Age has put a smile on me

It’s in my head I’m keeping treasures

And I’m the one who holds the key

I was never one for church or for belief

So I never wondered why I was around

Feeling blessed right now, well, It cannot be a great relief

But it seems too late to turn around

There’s no defence today is precious

is that the wonder of it all?

This here’s my castle in the ashes

This here’s the fire of my love

And it’s burning down

 

Let's light another candle (still burning down)

If it's still too hard to handle (still burning down)

so many reasons not unfurled

And my common sense is not enough,

Welcome to the real world

 

I try to understand the words I read

I try to grasp the evening news

These days you don’t count when you’re incomplete

And you’re more likely bound to lose

It’s all pretence, but is it really precious

Now aren't we just a bit naive?

Here our celebration crashes

Here our expectations fall

One and all

 

I Still believe I'll wake up one day

Finding all the sounds around me take me back to the fields were we used to play

Hiding in the tall grass, I feel your tender kisses take my innocence away

 

 

 

Broken hearts & Cancelled dreams

 

25 years of nothing

25 years of a working life for a stupid car

or a house you’ll never own

25 years of nothing, 25 years

 

25 years of suffer

Suffering in a working plant or a factory

Or in a shop to sell the latest news about the refugees or the homeless people In a foreign land

25 years

 

How to mend the broken pieces of the mirror you looked in long ago

The friends you’ve known remind you

Of the Broken Hearts & Cancelled Dreams,

The shadows of that first hello

 

25 years of loving

25 years of girls and women,

dates in darkened alleys, wrong decisions, sad divorces, forced accords I was way off course

for 25 years

 

25 years of living

Living a lie, or half a truth or half a made up story about the boy you used to be.

Never setting free the dreamshe had, is rather plain pathetic, Rather sad

 

And 25 years ahead or maybe less,

but please no more to contribute or add to this distress.

I may have no desires, only less,

Or lesser expectations.