The Story Is Everything (CD + download)
by John & Tanya
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Digital Album
Immediate download of 15-track album in your choice of high-quality MP3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.Buy Now $15 USD
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The Story Is Everything
More than 20 years in the making, this collaboration between childhood friends, longtime songwriters and current spouses, John and Tanya Voorhees brings the listener on an epic journey of narrative, from the sands of Egypt to the postmodern world.
This CD contains the 15 tracks available on the digital download, plus an additional bonus track, The Breath Of God. A 20-page booklet of lyrics and artwork is included, and the package is autographed by the artists.
Of course, you gain immediate access to the digital tracks in whatever format you prefer (mp3, FLAC, etc.) and the CD will ship by the end of June (probably sooner).
Includes immediate download of 15-track album in your choice of high-quality MP3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire. -
1. |
The Story Is Everything
03:42
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2. |
Harder Way To Die
02:47
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3. |
Werewolf Night
03:32
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4. |
City of Dreams
03:34
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5. |
Summer's End
04:47
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6. |
Lorelei
07:57
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7. |
Euphrates
04:55
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8. |
Calico Women
04:03
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9. |
Lights Of New York
03:22
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10. |
Scorpion Song
03:21
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11. |
Believe In Something
04:32
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12. |
Parable
02:55
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13. |
Lady Louisianne
06:07
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14. |
Rain Dance
05:58
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15. |
Man In Armor
03:56
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credits
released 25 May 2012
tags
license
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feeds for discography
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May 2012 -
Jul 2012
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- Track Name: The Story Is Everything
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Fire cast his animated shadow on the wall
Of the cave where astonished faces watched him so enthralled
He tells a tale was told to him and him and him before
The story, child, is everything
The philosopher, he gathered all his pupils on the hill
And he told a puzzling fable that befuddled them, and still
Slowly, as the new ideas made new homes in their minds
The story, child, is everything
The story, child, is everything
All narratives in life, whether told on land or sea
Spill from the universal soul of all humanity
Stories live in blood and bones and genetic memory
And they rise up
And we make exchange like precious currency
The bard strummed a mournful tune reclined before the king
Of love, betrayal, honor, glory, passion he did sing
The queen bestowed him favor later on behind the stable
The story, child, is everything
The flicker of the silver screen shone down upon his face
As the silent moving picture brought him to another place
Glamour and adventure and the Movietone News
The story, child, is everything
The story, child, is everything
And now we hear the tangled tale of our postmodern mind
Television, internet and cell phone all combined
But nothing’s new beneath the sun, no matter what you’ve heard
And everybody everywhere still hangs on every word
And as we sit together in the warm romantic glow
And I tell you all the things you need to think you need to know
Can you feel the tug of history as I whisper in your ear
The story, child, is everything
The story, child, is everything
The story, child … - Track Name: Harder Way To Die
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There’s a lot of people walking ‘round with nothing on their mind
Seems some time ago they up and left the world behind
They don’t know what they’re doing, they don’t know how to try
But that’s a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die
There’s a lot of people walking ‘round with scars left on their hearts
They don’t talk to anyone for fear of pulling the seams apart
Some folks call ‘em crazy, some just call ‘em shy
But that’s a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die
Some people are just so sad that they can’t even cry
Some people even think the whole idea of truth is a lie
Some people are just so sad that they can’t even cry
Some people even think the whole idea of truth is a lie
There’s a lot of people talking round that no one wants to hear
The public tunes the public out ‘til the voices disappear
Everyone wants to change the world and no one cares about why
Such a lonely world out there it makes you want to cry
And that’s a harder way to live your life and a harder way to die - Track Name: Werewolf Night
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A couple of vagabonds walking on a werewolf night
Taking a casual howl in the moonlight
Vinnie says to Judas, “I’d like to sharpen up my claws
Find someone tough to test my jaws”
A couple of predators walking on a werewolf night
Taking the measure of all the prey in sight
When Danny comes ‘round the corner, they know he fills the bill
And they’ll tear him to pieces, they surely will
Singin’, you better watch out and you better be wise
‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to take you down to size
And you better watch out and you better be smart
‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to eat your foolish heart
Oh yeah yeah yeah
Oh yeah yeah yeah
A couple of fugitives running on a werewolf night
Been running ever since they took that last bite
Judas says to Vinnie, “This what’s it’s all about
Living the good life and letting it all hang out”
A couple of carnivores running on a werewolf night
Looking for a place to start a bit of a dogfight
Before the sun rises, there’s so much they have to do
So many things to kill, so many bones to chew
Singin’, you better watch out and you better be wise
‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to take you down to size
And you better watch out and you better be smart
‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to tear your ass apart
Oh yeah yeah yeah
Oh yeah yeah yeah
On a werewolf night, on a werewolf night
On a werewolf night, on a werewolf night
Ah-ooooo, Werewolves of Gulfport
Ah-ooooo - Track Name: City of Dreams
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I walk
And the jingle of the pennies in my pocket
Are reminding me of home
In this hour of my existence
I am lost and left to roam
The empty streets of Skid Row
I am down as low as the ragged people
Just off St. Charles Avenue
They say a town can get you down
My God, I know it's true
New Orleans
The city of dreams that don't come true
I sit on the levee
And I watch the city lights
That are reflecting on the water
Knowing if I had half the courage
That I thought I had
I'd take my life
Deprivation
Is a word that I know very well
The meaning of
Hiding from the markets I've been stealing from
In New Orleans
The city of dreams that don't come true
I came
From a town northeast of St. Louis
A ways
I came
To leave the life I had and
Find a better way
Oh
In New Orleans
The city of dreams that don't come true
So here I am
Laying low and hungry in an alleyway
Without a name
No place to go
Except back to the streets
That I have roamed so many times
Every step and crack by heart
I know
I am down as low as the ragged people
Just off St. Charles Avenue
They say a town can get you down
My God, I know it's true
New Orleans
The city of dreams that don't come true - Track Name: Summer's End
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Late summer skies swirl in watercolor shades of blue
Waves all crashing to the beat of autumn’s coming tune
Seagulls silhouetted in an early evening moon
Mark the summer’s end
Cast your nets, old fishermen, so weathered by the sea
Your wrinkled eyes of age seem to care not what will be
The tattered sails on driftwood boats like banners waving free
Speak of summer’s end
Summer marks the changes in our lives that fade away
Like tides that mark a memory on a pier at Cape Cod Bay
Autumn winds in maritime blow nearer every day
And we are cold
Summer marks the changes in our lives that fade away
Like tides that mark a memory on a pier at Cape Cod Bay
Autumn winds in maritime blow nearer every day
And we are cold
A town in Maine beside a weathered beach of brownish gray
Is my home the ocean where I will forever stay?
If I changed, I wonder, would you still be here today
At the summer’s end?
Goodbye, old friend - Track Name: Lorelei
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Make a mark on the wall, draw a line sharp and small
Just to show where it all first began
I was young, I was strong, I could never do no wrong
‘Til the day she came along to this land
There were many small embraces that got me through each day
And I thought there’d be no more I could desire
Lorelei then appeared in the autumn of the year
And my heart like the leaves caught afire
And every church bell was ringing and every baby did cry
And even the schoolboys were singing
Oh, Lorelee, Lorelei, with the devil in her eye
There’s no man can deny Lorelei
Lorelei, Lorelee, with your hair so wild and free
Won’t you spend some time on me, Lorelee?
For the wind blows strong and they say it won’t be long
‘Til the birds fly on to southern sky
But while they’re on the wing, to each other we can sing
Don’t you see, Lorelee, Lorelei?
Oh she cast quite a spell with the stories she did tell
And I swear that I fell all the way
What was truth? What was lie? Well I didn’t even try
So caught up in the games she did play
Well we walked on the meadow and we ran out on the pier
And we rolled for a time out of time
‘Til the time I did see she was just as cruel as me
And I knew that she never would be mine
And every church bell was ringing and every baby did cry
And even the schoolboys were singing
Oh, Lorelee, Lorelei, with the devil in her eye
There’s no man can deny Lorelei
Lorelei, Lorelee, with your hair so wild and free
Won’t you spend some time on me, Lorelee?
For the wind blows strong and they say it won’t be long
‘Til the birds fly on to southern sky
But while they’re on the wing, to each other we can sing
Don’t you see, Lorelee, Lorelei?
Now it’s been twenty year and I stand upon the pier
As the summer disappears into fall
And her face comes again and her hair as red as flame
And again brings me pain to recall
How the only love I knew didn’t know how to be true
And how long before spring she was gone
She just had to be free, she was such a lot like me
And I never had the strength to be strong
When all the alarm bells are ringing and every mother does cry
And even the soldiers are singing
Oh, Lorelee, Lorelei, with the devil in her eye
Did you have to say goodbye, Lorelei?
Lorelei, Lorelee, with your hair so wild and free
You’re the only girl for me, Lorelee
And the sun won’t shine till you swear that you’ll be mine
And the stars all will fall from the sky
For I know that it’s true, I will die for love of you
Don’t you see, Lorelee, Lorelei? - Track Name: Euphrates
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By the Euphrates
There wept a girl for a thousand days
A thousand tears for a thousand fears she’d held inside
By the Nile
There stood a boy with a certain smile
For a certain girl in a certain world he’d left behind
Trickling water, bring my love to me
Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea
Trickling water, bring my love to me
Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea
By the Tigris
There grows a yellow iris
Toward the sun, toward the one who put it there
By the Jordan
A war is fought for freedom
And a weeping girl puts a yellow iris
On a smiling boy’s grave
Trickling water, bring my love to me
Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea
Trickling water, bring my love to me
Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea - Track Name: Calico Women
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They meet there every Saturday
Corner table at the old café
Those calico women from around the block
It’s the only chance they get to talk
They talk about their calico lives
And what it means to be calico wives
And they shake their heads at the games and toys
Of the gingham girls and the denim boys
When the hellos have settled down
And the coffee’s freshened all around
They talk about Susie, Sal and Sam
Who are so far away they don’t give a damn
And they tell shocking stories once again
Of nylon women and rayon men
And they talk about the price they pay
To be calico women these crazy days
They meet there every Saturday
Corner table at the old café
Those calico women from around the block
It’s the only chance they get to shock
They talk about their calico lives
And what it means to be calico wives
And they shake their heads at the games and toys
Of the gingham girls and the denim boys
As ritual as Christmas time
As comfortable as well aged wine
When they gather for a bite to eat
Those calico women don’t miss a beat
And the leather and lace set pass them by
Don’t understand ‘cuz they just don’t try
But if everything was perfect every day
What would the calico women find to say
They meet there every Saturday
Corner table at the old café
Those calico women from around the block
It’s the only chance they get to talk
They talk about their calico lives
And what it means to be calico wives
And they shake their heads at the games and toys
Of the gingham girls and the denim boys - Track Name: Lights Of New York
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As dappled rays of morning sun stream in through the window
And set ablaze your amber colored hair
I gently kiss your forehead and hope you won’t awaken
You merely stir and go on sleeping there
I have no bags to pack
But I hear the lights of New York calling me
They call my name and sing my songs again
I feel that I must go and answer them
I feel that I must go and answer them
I attempt to write a note as the sunlight subtly goldens
And illuminates the bed in which you lay
I peer out through the curtain lace to the streets of New Orleans
Awakening in the early light of day
But I must board my plane
For I hear the lights of New York calling me
They call my name and sing my songs again
I feel that I must go and answer them
I feel that I must go and answer them
I know that I must leave now, I must exit through the door
With tearful eyes I turn and heave a silent sigh
I gently turn the doorknob and step into the hall
I turn in time to hear you say goodbye
But the lights of New York call me
The lights of New York call me
The lights of New York call me and I feel that I must go and answer them - Track Name: Scorpion Song
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Don’t say you didn’t see this coming
Don’t try and tell me you’re surprised
I know you’re really not that stupid
And there’s nothing wrong with your beady eyes
I came and told you my sad story
And I remember everything I swore
But you knew I was a scorpion
Before we left the shore
I couldn’t make it cross this water
Without the guidance of a friend
I know at first you were suspicious
But I won you over in the end
I said the issue was survival
And I said I’d never try a thing
But you knew I was a scorpion
Before you felt my sting
La-la-la
Now do you feel you’ve been mistreated
And do you feel I’ve let you down?
Well the memory of all the ways I’ve cheated
May that be a consolation while we drown
I knew I really had you going
When I stood up to testify
But you knew I was a scorpion
Did you think I couldn’t lie?
Yeah, you knew I was a scorpion
And now we’re gonna die
La-la-la
And now we’re gonna die - Track Name: Believe In Something
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A church in the forest beneath ancient trees
Before the priest he bend to his knees
Repentance was offered, the sin was forgiven
“Go and sin no more, for God is in heaven”
He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself
He must believe in something, ooooo
A mosque in the desert upon ancient sand
Towards the sun he bowed with his hands
A prayer was whispered, the sacred words spoken
His heart was rejoicing, he felt Allah before him
He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself
He must believe in something, ooooo
A hut in the jungle between ancient seas
A slow rhythm rises from the drum on his knees
“Give praise to the Moon God, let goodness surround him
Give praise to the Sun God and the world that’s around him
He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself
He must believe in something, ooooo
A flat in the city beneath ancient skies
He draws a pentagram circle and closes his eyes
Invocations were chanted, the lamb was slaughtered
His heart filled with darkness as his soul he then offered
He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself
He must believe in something, ooooo
We must believe in something for we cannot believe in ourselves
We must believe in something, ooooo - Track Name: Parable
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One hundred voices speak in unison today
Confident and clear that they are right in what they say
But in the silence afterward another sound holds sway
One voice says no
“These things you are so sure about and uniformly told
Run contrary to all I am and everything I hold
And though you are so confident, I must be so bold
My voice must say no”
Offended and confused, many people leave the room
“You must be the enemy,” many more assume
And maybe only one person listens in that room
When one voice says no
The one who thinks about it turns and tumbles through the night
All the preconceived ideas beginning to take flight
And when the morning comes the other voice was surely right
The one that said no
Ninety-nine voices speak in unison today
Confident and clear that they are right in what they say
But in the silence afterward another sound holds sway
Two voices say no, two voices say no
And that’s the only way it ever goes - Track Name: Lady Louisianne
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Papa Napoleon took her then by the hand
And wed the wild-eyed untamed child bride to the American
Lady Louisianne
Fortunate is the man who can
Admire the ornamental ways
Both renewal and decay
Adorn your lovely hand
Your sons, the cypress, dance the two-step
With your oak tree daughters
And all the while, like lace gray petticoats,
The dark gulf waters
Swirl about your ankles high
And you heave a perfumed sigh of honeysuckle breeze
Skin both tan and brown
Creamy and red reknown
Patinaed gilded wrought iron gleam
Baton Rouge and New Orleans
Jewels in your tarnished crown
Lady Louisianne
Verdant Acadienne
An emerald cabochon at rest there upon your ample breast
Beckoning beast and man
Through your veins and arteries the Mississippi churns
And deep within your heart the longing lust of history burns
And fills your eyes with clouds and rain
There upon the Ponchartrain
The storm surge rumbles in
Lady Lousianne, I am at your command
A grand dame aging gracefully
A trollop tawdry sometimes be
Duplicitous promised land
Lady Louisianne … - Track Name: Rain Dance
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Better get the children inside, better close the windows tight
They’re saying on the radio there’s gonna be a thunderstorm tonight
It’s been too dry too long now, the grass has all turned brown
See that cumulonimbus forming, gonna wash some life into this town
You can almost hear the garden saying “Thank you”
You can almost feel relief beneath the ground
Hear the rock and roll men hummin’ that the thunderstorm is comin’
I been so dry I wish that I could drown, wish that I could drown
Everybody’s made of water, everybody smells the rain
Listen for the sound of thunder, make us feel like animals again
Better than the sweetest music, better than a mandolin
Better get the big umbrella, look at all the goosebumps on my skin
You can almost see the flowers doing warm-ups
You can almost see the trees stretch out their limbs
Doesn’t matter what you’re doin’, you know the storm is brewin’
You can feel it in the whistle of the wind, whistle of the wind
Say you want to go outside, say you want to take a ride
Well, be advised the skies are looking gray
And you don’t want to be exposed
When this kind of weather shows
But I might just go dancing on the lawn today
Are you ready for the rain now? (Yeah, yeah!)
Couldn’t be more ready if I played the harp like this
Better get the children inside, better close the windows tight
They’re saying on the radio they’re gonna was the gullies out tonight
There’s gonna be a storm
And you can almost hear the garden saying “Thank you”
You can almost feel relief beneath the ground
Doesn’t matter what you’re doin’, you know the storm is brewin’
And I been so dry I wish that I could drown, wish that I could drown
Wish that I could drown now
So bring it down now - Track Name: Man In Armor
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A very very long time ago
When the earth was new
A daring young man rode his horse to the king
A very very long time ago
When the world was young
A king put a daring young man in armor
A very very long time ago
When life was fresh
This man in his armor rode into battle
This man in his armor discovered war
This man in his armor died in his armor
And thus it all began
A very very short time ago
When the earth had aged
Two daring nations waged war for the good of all on the earth
A very very short time ago
When the world was old
Terror was wrought and vengeance was sought
For all on the earth
A very very short time ago
When there was life
All on the earth stood and watched the battle
All on the earth saw the blinding red flash
All on the earth died on the earth
And thus it all ended
