La Esperanza

Quiero mi manana viver
Quiero mi manana viver
It takes courage to live without fear

Esperanza es viver
I hope and pray to live without fear

In El Coroson guardo siempre mi fe
In any language you can say
El Pasado Pasado esta
Let the dead bury the dead

Lo posado remedio no tiene
You cannot change the past
But you can change your name from El Cholo
So kids won't fear to say Hello

Aunque estoy en carcel
Aunque estoy en carcel
I'm not staying here to die in Hell

Esperanza es viver
I hope and pray to live without fear

Creo em mi y confio en mi
En que mi vida sera mejor
I trust in myself and I know
One day my life will be better

A Baby's Cry

Lullaby and good night, may angels protect you
In their arms and keep you safe, safe from harm
Lullaby and good night, may angels protect you
Lullaby and good night, may angels love you

A baby's unanswered cry echoes in the night
There's no one to answer as he cries with all his might
In the city or out of town, there's no one around
To answer his lonely cry and sing him a lullaby

It's been said by age six or seven it's too late
For kids to know the difference between love and hate
All the laws in the land, like so many grains of sand
Won't make the difference, no one can unless you

Pick up a baby and still his cry
Tell that you love him and wipe his teary eyes
Don't be afraid of diapers, watch out for the pins
You may not be the parent or even next of kin
It's cheaper than brick and mortar, the politician's chagrin
Build more schools and playgrounds than high-tech prisons

Hyperactivity, yeah, yeah, murder in the first degree
Kids are learning their lessons on the old TV
Babies are screaming, the dog is barking, granny's lost in the trees
Pop some Ritalin and Valium for your hyperactivity

Lullaby and good night, I am with you tonight
Hush my child, go to sleep with angels above
Lullaby and good night
Hmm-mm hmm-mmm mmm-mmm-mmm

John Wayne

Whatever happened to John Wayne
And little old ladies and apple pie
Whatever happened to the truth
When it was a sin to tell a lie

And when Our Gang was a bunch of Little Rascals
Playing hooky, ditching school
And loving your neighbor
Was part of the golden rule

Where have the fathers gone,
to teach the kids right from wrong,
and a walk in the park with your wife
was not risking your life
Where has John Wayne gone, where has John Wayne gone

I used to hold my daddy's hand,
When he took me to the Good Humor man
And mama would complain
'Bout my shirt with the chocolate stain

And my favorite show on TV
Was Kookla, Fran and Ollie
And the Boogy man was not for real
But a childhood fantasy

Mamas you're losing your children
They're too young to have to die
When you ask the reason, no one can tell you why

What ever happened to the land of the free
And the home of the brave
There's a war right here in the streets
And a bunch of kids lives to save
And there's no place you can run
From the bullets and the guns
They're even shooting babies and folks of ninety-three

Where has
All the brothers and sisters, mommies and daddies
Cousins and uncles of all colors
Where has John Wayne gone

Pikake Flower

And God was heard to say
Everything he made was OK
And the evening and the morning
Were the sixth day

God smiled when he was through
But an angel said there's more to do
A little flower in heaven
Was waiting to bloom

And God said as he scratched his head
It's after hours and I'm going to bed
Besides, it's not right
For a flower to be born at night

The angel smiled a mischievous grin
Knowing somehow she would win
The moon and the stars
Will light the Pikake flower

And God nodded "Yes"
In a peculiar sort of way
Pikake was a strange sounding name
That God could not even say

Like Father, Like Son

Baa baa black sheep, why aren't you in school
Don't you know that you're the fool
Baa baa black sheep, come back to the fold
Life in the streets is pretty damned cold

It was no fun growing up alone
You couldn't love me over the telephone
Sister and brother were gone away
Mama was sleeping most of the day

I was out working night and day
What do kids know about the working man's way
Everything I did for you
What more could I do

Papa, papa, you don't understand
I've got a man's blood on my hands
I can't wash it off as hard as I try
It makes no difference when you're gonna die

I'll cry for you, papa, when I am away
There's not much more that I can say

Son, I hope there's a place above
Where you can learn more about love

You were out working night and day
I wasn't there when you went astray
You loved your work more than your son
What more could I have done

You never heard what I had to say
I never heard you say, "I love you"
You never hugged me
I tried to tell you that I wanted to die
You screamed at me, "Men don't cry!"
Love is love, here on Earth or Heaven above

Little Owl

When I was young I use to cry
Why did my daddy have to die
Mama would wipe my tears away
She promised, I'd see daddy one day

I remember way back when
I lost my best friend
Mama died while holding my hand
She said some day you'll understand

Do not cry little owl
Your teacher has flown far away
Do not try to follow me now
It's my time to go, but you must stay

As I look up into the sky
It's my time to say goodbye
Have no fear my friends
Our time on earth is not the end

When we take that flight with wings outspread
One last breath / before we go
One last look below - as we break the thread
And fade into the afterglow

Do not cry little owl, your teacher has flown far away
High above distant clouds and peaks specked with snow
Do not try to follow yet, for in time we'll know that flight
With wings outstretched and head arched high
One last look below, we break the thread
And disappear into the afterglow

If A Woman Were King

If a woman were king, church bells would ring
Angels would sing no more macho thing
In a world ruled by the ladies
Men could take care of the babies

He would massage her feet and draw her bath
Listen to her troubles - and that's no laugh
When a man listens to a woman - and she is king

Ever since Adam and Eve, Romeo and Juliet
Man has yet to come up with a solution
For war and revolution
It's time for a change - let women arrange
The affairs of the state and promulgate
A peaceful world without hate

Some men say it's queer, and tremble with fear
That their manhood is lost when a woman is boss
No matter what women say
They still need loving in the old-fashioned way
A peaceful world before it's too late

Two Young Lovers

Two young lovers, alone for a while
Tender kisses, a touch, a sweet smile
Life is so fleeting, in a blink of an eye
Lovers are parted, but love never dies

Then duty called me, took me away
Even in darkness, my love does not fade
I dream of my love and feel you are near
My heart beats with longing, my eyes fill with tears

Beautiful lover, please wait for me
Yes, I will love you across the sea
I know you will wait through eternity
Beautiful lover, please wait for me

Please forgive me, do not despair
You need to hold me and I can't be there
You must know I love you though I am gone
Soon I'll be near you where I belong

Loyalty

Daddy promised mamma he'd love her
'Till death do them part
He broke his promise right from the start
I cried my heart out - no one understood
The words I was saying - no one could

One day I had a brother and sister
Now there are twins
Daddy traded in mamma
Now isn't that a sin
This used to be my home
Now I'm taking up space
With other people's kids running all over the place

They say the grass is greener
But it's always the same
What happened to my family
It's such a shame
Because a family's not a franchise
Where loyalty's bought and sold
Everytime love goes cold

I finally figured it out where loyalty begins
That loyalty lasts forever when it comes from the heart

They say the grass is greener
But it's always the same
What happened to my family
It's such a shame
Because a family's not a franchise
Where loyalty's bought and sold
Everytime love goes cold

Mama Didn't Have A Clue

East side, West side, all around the town, boys
You can see them if you look around
South side, North side, mama didn't have a clue, girls
What they were doing, no one knew

You say they were crazy to cover up the blame
Who are we fooling, we're all the same
Pain and sorrow, baby clothes and toys
Mama is wondering what happened to her little boys

Love can do what hate cannot do
Take my hand and I'll show you to
A town that's your town, where kids can grow up free
Without pain and anger, to be what they want to be
April 20th, the shooting had begun
Kids were dying, what could be done

East side, West side, all around the town
You can see them if you only stop and look around

Give Me Back My Body

I was riding north on the 101, a bottle of whisky, packing a gun
My wife's gone south with my best friend
Gonna shoot them both, that'll be the end

I'm doing 90 like I'm standing still, my soul's on fire
I'm out to kill, I'm blaming the world for my mistakes
It's too late now to put on the brakes

I was pushing a 100 when I missed a curve
Blew out a tire and I started to swerve
There was a hell of a crash and a blinding light
No more pain, no noise, just a lady in white

I stood at the foot of a hospital bed
As she covered my body, saying,"he's quite dead"!
Are you crazy lady?She didn't hear me at all
As they wheeled my body down a long dark hall

Where ya' taking my body
Hey I'm not dead! Bring me back my body
Can't you see I'm not dead?

I sat in the corner and started to cry
The life I was living was just a damn lie
Then I saw him standing near by
You must be here for the ones that died?
Then I remembered I couldn't be heard, to my surprise he replied

"All of our classes are full, you'll have to finish your learning in an earthly school"
"Are you crazy" I said, "they took my body I'm dead
I'm feeling no pain, why do it again?"

He smiled and he said, "It's never too late!
It's already written that's your fate
It's heaven or hell, there's no mistake
So choose again brother, it's your choice to make!"

Where you taking my body, you heard the man
Give me back my body, don't you understand
I woke up screaming at the top of my voice
Like the man said, I had no choice
I lost my anger, no need to kill
I'm a regular walk around miracle

I'm not very religious, can't quote the Good Book
I gaze in a mirror and take a hard look
I thank God for my body he almost took
He gave me back my body, that was part of his plan
He gave me back my body, don't you understand
He gave me back my body, now I understand

This whole experience has taught me something folks
With or without a body no one really dies
I'm looking at the world with different eyes