CD-R EP
area1234/Not Silent 2004

1. Mr. Joyless
2.That Was My Song
3. The Child Is Crying
4. Baby’s Eyes
5. In The Presence of My Love
6. Not My Enemy

I put together CEDRIC to have something to sell at the open mics. It features two heretofore-unreleased songs, three remixes of tunes that are already available on the Astrid virtual EP, and one song/mix that was already released on Astrid.

The remixes were done for demo CDs I’d been sending to publishers to push myself as a songwriter. So they are very vocal-heavy, with the lyrics as comprehensible as possible. (12.10.2004)

MR. JOYLESS

It’s amazing, the stuff that can come out of one’s mind when one is depressed. The third person lyrics help me not sound too whiny. I was still having a hard time figuring out the best arrangement for this at the time I did this mix. This one’s OK, though. Pleasantly jangly. I also spent a lot of time doing the vocals, as is usually the case with my recent home recordings. (12.10.2004)

Go to sleep, Mr. Joyless
May the angels dance around you
Never wished any harm
To fall upon you

What prayer could I offer you
After the prayer to clear my mind
For love to replace regrets
For hope to replace time
For Mr. Joyless?

Every time there’s a free ride
I wish it could go to you
For all the good it would do
I wish it would go to you

What did you say, Mr. Joyless
You want to tear your life apart
Raveged by your own choices
Deceived by your own heart

What prayer could I offer you
Is it too late to become wise
Too late for erasing regrets
Too late to love time
For Mr. Joyless?

THAT WAS MY SONG

I guess I’m free
At last, as they say
I’m sorry I ever
Lost my way
Never saw it come
I wasn’t going to run
I can’t apologize
I just laugh it off

What I gave the world
For better or worse
Was sometimes a blessing
Sometimes a curse
I don’t think I
Was ever understood
But there’s a lot I’d take
Back if I could

Bombs in my past
I suppose I just had to run
Show me a man
Who didn’t want to be someone
I’ll be judged harsh
And deservedly so
Can’t say there was too much
I didn’t know

Sometimes I wonder about love
This thing I’d love to grasp
Seems so hit and miss
So flunk and pass
To not watch my back
Can’t live in my veins
Somewhere in my soul
There’s a collection of names

I can revel in the tears
That are wiped by the years
And the iron that follows
Cauterizing the fears
A little more dead
Aren’t we all
As we accept the crawl
Each to his own fall

This pottery’s pure clay
But the time is past
Someone else is first
I did not last
I just amassed
And the victor gets spoiled
Mercy upon him
From the loser’s toil

2/3/99

THE CHILD IS CRYING

When I was making my demo for submitting to publishers, I sensed a need to throw something a bit on the country side of things in there. So I rolled out this tune, which I had written a couple of years back. A few people that heard it thought it reminded them of “Garden Party” by Rick Nelson. It came out pretty similar to “Mr. Joyless” – the rock quotient was raised up a bit. (12.10.2004)

Love is forever
But she doesn’t know
And words are less than what you
Need to show

Do you know where home is
Do you really try
Have you called when
You have been all alone

She watches the moon
Listens to the wind
Tonight she’ll pray
From the room she’s in

But she does not know
How it all will go
May God make her bed
May He soothe her head

The child is crying
The child is crying so bad
God has given you more than you could
Ever hope to have
The child is crying
Yes she’s crying
Know she’s crying
For you

Everything is beautiful
The sky’s clear and blue
The stars smile on your soul
And creation is looking at you

If you could shed a tear
It could carry you so far
Listen as it tries to tell you
What a blessed thing you are

4/21/01

BABY’S EYES

What color are baby’s eyes?
Are they blue and is his skin so white?
Gonna give him an American name
Eliminate all chance of family shame

You don’t look Jewish
You don’t look Black
You don’t look Latin
How ’bout that?

3/13/98

IN THE PRESENCE OF MY LOVE

I’ll dress up nice and neat
Put on my best cologne
This feeling is so sweet
Just hung up my telephone
In her job she waits
I’ll show up right on time
Lovely she’ll emerge
I’ll kiss her lips with mine

I’ve got them butterflies
I’m a little bit in awe
Happens when I know I’ll be
In the presence of my love

Look at the way she walks
And how she dresses so fair
Her hand so delicate
Like the bow in her hair
Her eyes so full of wonder
A window into her soul
I just want to take her hurts
And make them all my own

She’s a vision of spring
Like the sun on a meadow
Smells of honey and rose
Twilight so mellow
Frosty moonlit blue
A gossamer lightness
Playing ‘round her hair
A small quiet brightness

4/8/91

NOT MY ENEMY

Who knew what we were getting into?
Not me and I guess not you
Who saw what we where headed for?
Not me and I know not you

You’re not my enemy
I guess you never were
You’re the one that I’ve been waiting for

5/15/01