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Starting now on Amazon, if you pre-order Mission of My Soul: The Best of Peter Himmelman, you will get to listen to a stream of the complete album up until a week after the record is released. This is a great way to go if you want your Himmelfix NOW.
Album Lyrics:
Beneath The Damage And The Dust
From the album Flown This Acid World (1992)
Her eyes are sweet and dark as coal
but they've long since given up on finding someone to trust
She has a silver-plated soul
beneath the damage and the dust
They say she's never known a single hour of stillness
And they say she's as dangerous as a child that can inspire lust
And you know that people's minds are so full of illness
They never look beneath the damage and the dust
I want to lift her up (beneath the damage and the dust)
I got to pick her up
I want to raise her up from the dust
I got to lift her up (beneath the damage and the dust) [C'mon here child]
Well she's walking downtown on a foggy summer evening
Everybody watches with a blend of wonder and disgust
[Well I] I want so bad to stop her grieving
To raise her from beneath the damage and the dust
I want to lift her up (beneath the damage and the dust)
I got to pick her up
I want to raise her up from the dust
I got to pick her up (beneath the damage and the dust) [Oh yeah, pick it up]
To think that she was once some mother's baby
[and she got] left out in the rain like some dream that's gone to rust
Well they say that loneliness can drive you crazy
and bury you beneath the damage and the dust
I got to pick her up (beneath the damage and the dust)
I want to lift her up
I got to raise her up from the dust
I got to pick her up (beneath the damage and the dust) [O pick it up]
I got to lift her up (beneath the damage and the dust)
I want to pick her up
I want to raise her up from the dust
I got to pick her up (beneath the damage and the dust)
and you've got to help me.
(damage and the dust) (damage and the dust) (damage and the dust)
Mission Of My Soul
From the album From Strength to Strength (1991)
When you need me, I'll stand beside you
I'm there for you wherever you go
When you're hungry, I'll satisfy you
That's the mission of my soul
When you need confession, I'm there to listen
When you're crossing the ocean, I've got a boat to row
When you need attention, your audience won't be missing
That's the mission of my soul
When you're sleepy, I'll make your bed now
When you're unsure, I'm a gonna let you know
I’ll say, “Baby, don't trouble your head now.”
That's the mission of my soul
When you're making plans, and you need a partner
Baby I'm your man, just tell me when do we go
You be my flower, I'll be your gardener
That's the mission of my soul
Eleventh Confession
From the album This Father's Day (1986)
First promise me you wouldn't ever desert me
Tell me that you'd never willingly hurt me
What I'm going to tell you will probably sting
So tell me to stop and I won't say a thing
I'm a dirty man
I went and I took a drink of dirty water
I'm a dirty man
I went and I took a drink of dirty water
yes I did, yes I did
I needed to tell you
I needed surrender
I never was good at playing pretender
It must be bad, your just glaring at me
Now I'm just lost and I thought I was free - but
I'm a dirty man
I went and I took a drink of dirty water
I'm a dirty man
I went and I took a drink of dirty water
yes I did, yes I did
Scream, baby! Scream! for your silence destroys me
Unlike your tears, they just used to annoy me
Bring down your thunder, I'm ready to shake
Sometimes I feel like it's all a mistake
I'm a dirty man
I went and I took a drink of dirty water
I'm a dirty man I went and I took a drink of dirty water
Yes I did, yes I did
Always In Disguise (Live Acoustic)
From the album Rare on Air, Vol. 1 (1994)
I had so many dreams
That would not fly
They fell like August rain
Before my eyes
I reached out
And they were gone
Like the moonlight in the dawn
The most precious things are always in disguise
Looking back - I always seemed unwise
But time has cut my ego down to size
Well that's just the way it goes
When we were young, I guess we just didn't know
The most precious things are always in disguise
And time has become my crucible
It's tempered all my vanity and glory
For all that's inexcusable
I want to tell you that I'm sorry
So hold me now
And watch as the moon does rise
It's funny that it takes so long
Just to realize
You could wait a lifetime for a night like this
A thousand years for just one kiss
The most precious things are always in disguise
Imperfect World
From the album Imperfect World (2005)
It’s 10pm
And there’s not a soul around
It feels like I’m the last man here on earth
I can smell the jasmine
It’s a magic summer night
And the bats flew down from the trees
Imperfect World with every stone in its place
Imperfect World I miss your laugh and your perfect face
There is only one flaw
It’s that you’re not here
I can hear the loons
They’re crying on the lake
And the mist, it starts to rise
Walkin’ on
I see the moonlight
Cut into a thousand pieces
From the pines
Imperfect World with every stone in its place
Imperfect World I miss your laugh and your perfect face
There is only one flaw
It’s that you’re not here
It’s that you’re not here
It’s time for sleep
Everything is soft-edged now
Without form
But somehow complete
I turn in bed
Waiting for the rain to fall
And lull me into a dream
Imperfect World with every stone in its place
Imperfect World I miss your laugh and your perfect face
There is only one flaw
It’s that you’re not here
In this Imperfect World
Imperfect world...
Raina
From the album Flown This Acid World (1992)
Some say the world has gone insane
And some say that G-d just got up and walked away
Some say dreams have frozen
Like a river that will not thaw
But not me since I've seen Raina
Some say that all is lost
And that innocence can't be restored at any cost
Some say you lose your spirit
If you lose a sense of awe
But not me since I've touched Raina.
There's so little in this world that's true
I have boundless dreams for you.
Some say there's no end to the night
And some say the reward just isn't worth the fight
But I'm no stranger to the allure of despair
I've spent a lifetime inside his jaws
But not since I've seen Raina.
With You
From the album Skin (1994)
With you I can see past the lies and greed in this burned out city
With you I can run from the shell-shocked demons dancin' in my head
You give me strength when my legs are tired
You feed my soul when I'm uninspired
With you I can speak in a voice that rings with love and mercy
With you I can stand no matter where the howlin' wind of change may blow
I lie in bed and I watch you sleep
There is no dream that I would not keep with you - with you
There is no face that I love as much
There is no dream that I could not touch with you with you with you with you
With you I can love with a heat that defies explanation
With you I can sleep like an infant held up in his mother's arms
I know you well and you know me too
There's no hope so lost that it can't be touched with you
In The Ceaseless Din
From the album Unstoppable Forces (2004)
Oh, look what we’ve done
We’ve followed the sun
And the sun’s led us here
There’s nothing to fear
I see that we’ve grown
From all we’ve been shown
And I’m tired to the bone
And I’m glad that you’re near
Yes, I’m brave when I’m drunk
If you catch me I’m sunk
I put up a good front
Yeah, I’m a warm-blooded fool
Who’s losing his cool
But gaining a broad dream
In the Ceaseless Din
Oh, look what we’ve made
We’ve danced on a blade
And we’ve been repaid
When all’s said and done
Time, Time on its head
It sleeps in our bed
What’s left to be said
What hasn’t been done
And oh, didn’t I like to roar
And break down the door
Like someone was waiting
And now, there’s nothing as loud
And nothing as proud
As the silence I’m breathing
In the Ceaseless Din
Oh sweep me away
Long past the day
The flowers and clay
The sticks and the chains
How fortunate we
Daring to see
The way to be free
Is all in our brain
Come I fear this won’t last
I’m dragging my past
Away from my future
Well I’ve heard that spirits are heat
They rise with defeat
Unstoppable Forces in the Ceaseless Din
Impermanent Things
From the album From Strength to Strength (1991)
All these impermanent things
Oh how they fool me
Dominate and rule me
They keep me waiting here forever
All these impermanent things
Well their beauty's never aging
But their worthlessness's enraging
You know we all stand alone when we're together
Why keep hanging on
To things that never stay
Things that just keep stringin' us along
From day to day
All these impermanent things
Present yet elusive
Passive yet abusive
Tearing out the heart in utter silence
All these impermanent things
Well they point in all directions
Like secondhand reflections
And they're leading us to subtle shades of violence
Why keep hanging on
To things that never stay
Things that just keep stringin' us along
From day to day
All these impermanent things
Well they're trying to convince me
Baptize my soul and rinse me
Purge my mind of honesty and fire
All these impermanent things
Well they all add up to zero
They make-believe that they're my hero
Then they fill my mind with doubt and false desires
Why keep hanging on
To things that never stay
Things that just keep stringin' us along
From day to day
Closer (Live)
From the album Stage Diving (1996)
OK, put your hands together a little bit
on the two and four to emphasize it, Yeah - Uh huh...
I went out in the street for a walk in the night
Had to loosen my head it's been wound too tight
I been standing on the edge of picking a fight with you
Sometimes my world seems so damn small
I can't think of nothin' 'cept for me at all
My thoughts surrounded like a prison wall it's true
I wanna get closer to you now
(You can put in some kick drum. You know, you're not limited.)
I wanna get closer to you now
It takes all my strength to slow myself down
My thoughts are screaming I can't hear a sound
Sometimes I wish there was no one around but you
Oh tell me you know what I'm talkin' about
That sometimes you are celled by confusion and doubt
And then it hurts so bad you just wanna shout, "I'm through."
I wanna get closer to you now, yeah
I wanna get closer to you now (yes I do)
I wanna get closer to you now
I wanna get closer to you now
Please forgive these things I might have said
They come from my frustration, not my head
And the last thing that I wanna do
Is - create a distance between me and you
I wanna get closer to you now (yes I do)
I wanna get closer to you now
I wanna get closer to you now
I wanna get closer to you now, yeah...
Well, there seem to be two states of mind
One is visionary, the other blind
And the best that we can hope to find
Is to meet somewhere in between.
Well, the night air has pulled me back a bit
Just when I was about to quit
Tryin' to get a candle lit
That lets me see what can't be seen
Closer to you now
I wanna get closer to you now
I wanna get closer to you now (yes I do)
I wanna get closer to you now (yes I do)
Well I'm breakin' these chains that hold me prisoner
I'm feelin' somethin'
Let me tell you what it is now
Reachin' out for true communication
I hope I'm giving you the proper indication
The moon is starin' at me from behind the clouds
I'm screamin' at ya, baby, screaming out loud
Closer to you now - Closer to you now....
Oh, yeah - OK - Drop it back on the one
Yeah - Uh Huh
Yeah... professionalism
I'm at the bottom line on a Wednesday night
Drummer behind me playing so right
Got the bongos and the kick drum too
Everything he plays is sweet and true
When I take it down
He's down to the floor
When I say knock it off
He's out the door
He got the sticks - man, they're pounding hard
Sweet fat -- like a ton of lard
Yeah... I want get it closer to you now
Closer to you now
C'mon C'mon C'mon C'mon
Yeah...take it down one more time
Now somebody in this room's grilling meat
Don't it sound good
Don't feel like my treat
Mmmm - the grill working overtime
Allen Pepper tryin' to make a an extra dime
But the hamburgers are good. Mmmm
They're nice and lean
And right behind me kicking on the drums
Is a serious Caucasian rhythm machine
Get closer to you now
Get closer to you now, yeah....
(Yeah - Give him a hand...
Whatever your name is...)
Time Just Flew
From the album Love Thinketh No Evil (1998)
Time just flew
We rode it
It took us away
And now we two
Are older and speckled with grey
I look back on our many hopes
Some we let go, and some we choose
Time just flew
Start spreading the news
Things fall down
We can't stand
To leave them this way
This whole damn town
Is tumbling into decay
I suppose its a function
Of some unwavering principle of change
Things fall down
I tell you its strange
Could I leave you forever
You who are etched in my soul
Time just flew
But its out of control
Could I love you forever
You who are sealed in my heart
Time just flew
But it blew us apart
Name
From the album Synesthesia (1989)
Fate has left us gasping again
For that breath of life inside the storm
Grab my collar - don't let it go
And I will carry you away from this
But you don't understand me
How could you know the scope of my pain
You don't understand my name
I said I'm sorry over again
For the way I dragged you down with me
All my tendons ripping you up
While my soul lays mute and paralyzed
Well I don't understand you
How could I know the scope of your pain
I don't understand your name
Oh our love, it hangs like the sky
We can look, but we can't handle it
I feel like g-d - I feel like a dog
While I'm barking out apologies
But they don't understand us
How could they know the scope of our pain
They don't understand our name.
They don't understand...
I Feel Young Today
From the album Gematria (1987)
I am I
She is she
You are you
And we are we
I say
I feel young today
This is this
That is that
Convicted by the truth
In a second flat
I say
I feel young today
Hey, run with me now
Straight down to the sea
Hitch up your ponies
Cover your tracks
The sun's beating down
And it's good to relax sometimes...
Blue is blue
Glass is glass
Standing on the corner
Watching time roll past
I say
I'm going your way
Cold is cold
Brother when you make a stand
If you don't like your cards
Draw another hand
I say
I'm going your way
Hey, run with me now
Straight down to the sea
Hitch up your ponies
Cover your tracks
The sun's beating down
And it's good to relax sometimes...
Shake me out of my bed at dawn
The day is quick
It'll soon be gone
I say
I feel young today
Rescue me with your ancient horn
Play me a song that says it's good to be born
I say
I feel young today
Hey, run with me now
Straight down to the sea
Hitch up your ponies
Cover your tracks
The sun's beating down
And it's good to relax sometimes...
Hey, run with me now
Yeah, run with me now
Hey, run with me now
I say hey, run with me now
I feel young today
I feel young today
I feel young today
I feel young today
Shilo
From the album Skin (1994)
Do you remember the promise we made
In the garden of Shilo
Do you remember the way we laid
Beneath the roof of palm
Do you remember that jasmine breeze
In the garden of Shilo
We were made small by the redwood trees
Near the rivers of psalms
If you knew I was losin' you
Would you find me
If you heard how I needed you
Would you run
Do you remember the children singing
In the garden of Shilo
Do you remember those school bells ringin'
Scarin' the doves away
Do you remember that clear blue sky
Over the garden of Shilo
G-d swore that I could fly over the fields of hay
If you knew I was losin' you
Would you find me
If you heard how I needed you
Would you run
To the garden of Shilo
To the garden of Shilo
To the garden of Shilo
If you knew I was losin' you
Would you find me
If you heard how I needed you
Would you run
To the garden of Shilo
To the garden of Shilo
To the garden of Shilo
Woman With The Strength Of 10,000 Men
From the album From Strength to Strength (1991)
From the moment I saw your face
I knew I could never take living for granted
I froze right in my place
As I became aware of the ground on which my feet were planted
And as your eyes were focused on the alphabet in your video screen
I stood there and stared in disbelief
I was speaking to you with my voice
You were speaking to me by choosing letters with your eyebrow
You didn't have no choice
And yet you had an attitude like that's just the way that it goes now
I started talking to you about the fish swimming in your aquarium
But all the while I wanted to take away your pain
Susan I owe you an apology
Susan I owe you an apology
For all the days I just let slide right through my hands
You are the woman with the strength of 10,00 men
From the moment I saw your face
I knew all my so-called troubles were nothing
You put me in my place
I knew right then I better start living for something
There ain't nobody alive that can keep your spirit down
No one can keep you from changing what just ain't fair
Susan I owe you an apology
Susan I owe you an apology
For all the days I just let slide right through my hands
You are the woman with the strength of 10,000 men
And the words come ticking out
And the words bring us together
And the words come ticking out
And the words must keep you sane
Susan I owe you an apology
Susan I owe you an apology
For all the days I just let slide right through my hands
You are the woman with the strength of 10,00 men
Discipline Of Rain
From the album Unstoppable Forces (2004)
If I give too much
I’ll strangle each and everything I touch
But I can’t start holding back
With a frozen heart just fading into black
And when I’m flying too high
I might never come back again
It gets so hard to know the discipline of rain
I see all my friends
Blowing through their lovers like the wind
They don’t know where they’re bound
But I swear they all remember where they’ve been
And when they’re moving too fast
Unrelenting like a midnight train
It gets so hard to know the discipline of rain
Aint it hard to know
When to stay or when to go
When we’ve all been hurt so many times
And ain’t it hard to believe
That to give is to receive when giving love can feel
Like an act of crime
Now I hear it fall
And I’m not feeling anything at all
There’s a pause, a slight delay
And then I’m satisfied there’s nothing left to say
Well I’m not feeling too bad
And nothing stays the same
It’s so hard to know the discipline of rain.
245 Days
From the album Synesthesia (1989)
245 days
Since I last saw your face
It's a fact
I just got to get you back
It's been 245 days
245 nights
Since my soul been feeling right
That place in time is etched upon my mind
It's been 245 nights
It's been so long babe
So long since you've been mine
So long babe
Seems like I met you at the dawn of time, hey, hey
245 days
Since I last felt your embrace
Since you been away I just shake myhead and say
It's been 245 days
It's been so long babe
So long since you've been mine
So long babe
Seems like I met you at the dawn of time, hey, hey
245 days
Since I last saw your face
That place in time is etched upon my mind
245 days
7 Circles
From the album Love Thinketh No Evil (1998)
I love you in whispers
I love you in screams
I love you in waking
I love you in dreams
I love you in turquoise
I love you in white
I love you in darkness
I love you in the light
I love you in torment
I love you in peace
I love you in passion
With a prayer that don't cease
I love you in the desert
I love you in the rain
I love you in pleasure
I love you in pain
I love you in visions
I love you in rhyme
I love you in space
I love you in time
I'll love you from the start
I'll love you in the end
I love you as a woman
I love you as a friend
I love you in whole
I love you in part
I love you in spirit
I love you in heart
I love you in mind
And body and form
I loved you before
The day you were born
I love you in theory
I love you in fact
I love you in gold
I love you in black
I love you on earth
I love you on high
I love you beyond
The ceiling of the sky
I love you in madness
I love you in glee
I love you imprisioned
I love you set free
I love you in stillness
I love you in speed
I love you with justice
And I love you with greed.
I'll love you tomorrow
I love you today
I love you beyond
What mortal words can say
I love you in fury
I love you in control
I love you in circles
7 times 'round my soul.
Racing Off To Nowhere
From the album Unstoppable Forces (2004)
I don’t see you anymore
I’m always running out the door
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
I don’t have no time to talk
I’ve got to run, no time to walk
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
Do you remember the days we used to lay in bed
‘Til the sun was high
Now I’m running all the time
And, Lord I can’t say why
I’ve let the clock decide my fate
I’m so afraid of running late
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
Do you remember the days we used to lay in bed
‘Til the sun was high
Now I’m running all the time
And, Lord I can’t say why
Won’t you help me make it stop
I fear I’ll run until I drop
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
I’m so busy now racing off to nowhere
All songs written by Peter Himmelman
© Himmasongs
All rights Reserved. Used by permission
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