IN COLOR

I said, “Grandpa, what’s this picture here?
It’s all black and white, and it ain’t real clear
Is that you there?”, he said, “Yeah, I was 11”
“And times were tough back in ‘35
That’s me and uncle Joe just tryna survive a cotton farm
In a great depression”
If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just tryna save each other
You should’ve seen it in color
Oh, and this one here’s taken overseas
In the middle of hell in 1943 in the winter time
You can almost see my breath
That was my tail gunner ol’ Johnny Magee
He was a high school teacher from New Orleans
And he had my back right through the day we left
If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just tryna save each other
You should’ve seen it in color
A picture’s worth a thousand words
But you can’t see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should’ve seen it in color
This one is my favorite one
This is me and Grandma in the summer sun
All dressed up the day we said our vows
You can’t tell it here but it was hot that June
And that rose was red and her eyes were blue
And just look at that smile, I was so proud
That’s the story of my life
Right there in black and white
And if it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just tryna save each other
You should’ve seen it in color
Yeah, a picture’s worth a thousand words
But you can’t see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should’ve seen it in color
(Should’ve seen it in color)
Yeah, a picture’s worth a thousand words
But you can’t see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should’ve seen it in color

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: James Otto / Jamey Johnson / Lee Miller

A Change Is Gonna Come

A Song of Sam Cooke

I was born by the river
In a little tent
Oh, and just like the river, I’ve been running
Ever since
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will
It’s been too hard living
But I’m afraid to die
‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there
Beyond the sky
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will
I go to the movie
And I go downtown
And somebody keep telling me
“Don’t hang around”
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will
Then, I go to my brother
And I say, “Brother, help me, please”
But he winds up knockin’ me
Back down on my knees, oh
There been times that I thought
I couldn’t last for long
But now, I think I’m able
To carry on
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will

Love’s In Need Of Love Today

… Good morn or evening friends
Here’s your friendly announcer
I have serious news to pass on to everybody
What I’m about to say
Could mean the world’s disaster
Could change your joy and laughter to tears and pain
… It’s that
Love’s in need of love today
Don’t delay
Send yours in right away
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Breaking many hearts
Stop it please
Before it’s gone too far, yeah
… The force of evil plans
To make you its possession
And it will if we let it
Destroy everybody
We all must take
Precautionary measures
If love and please you treasure
Then you’ll hear me when I say
… Oh that
Love’s in need of love today
Don’t delay
Send yours in right away
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Breaking many hearts
Stop it please
Before it’s gone too far
Gone too far
… People you know that
Love’s in need of love today
Love’s in need of love today
Don’t delay
Don’t delay
Send yours in right away
Right away
You know that hate’s
Hate’s
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Breaking many hearts
Breaking hearts
Stop stop it please
Before it’s gone too far
Gone too far
… It’s up to you ‘cause
Love’s in need of love today
Love’s in need of love today
Don’t delay
Don’t delay
Send yours in right away
Right away
You know that hate’s
Hate’s
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Breaking hate’s tried to break my heart many times
Breaking hearts
Don’t, you’ve got to stop it please
Stop it please
Before before before
Gone too far
… Love’s in need of love today
Love’s in need of love today
Don’t delay
Don’t delay
Send yours in right away
Right away
You know that hate’s goin’ around
Hate’s goin’
Hate’s going around
Hate’s going around
‘Round breaking hearts
And it tried to break up many hearts
You’ve got to, I’ve got to, they’ve got to
Stop it please
We’ve got to, they’ve got to, we’ve got to
… Stop it before it’s gone too far
Too far
Love’s love’s in need of love
Love’s in need of love
Did you ever think that love would be in need of love today?
Today don’t
Don’t delay
Delay
Send yours in right away
Right away
… Hate’s hate’s
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Bring it down a little love is very peaceful
So bring it down a little
Stop it please
Gone too far
Love’s in need
Of love today
Don’t delay
Right away away
Love’s in need
Of love today
Don’t delay
Right away away
Hate’s goin’ ‘round
Breaking hearts
Well, please stop it
Mm, oh, L-O-V-E love, ooh, L-O-V-E love
Love’s in need
Of love today
Don’t delay
Right away
Just give the world love

[Verse 1 – low vocal, intimate]
Pass me another drink, my friend
Let’s toast to this machine
We built our lives around comfort
Never thinking what it means
I watch you order takeout
Like tomorrow’s guaranteed

[Pre-Chorus – tension rises]
But there’s a cost we’re not counting
In every bite we eat
And every mile we’re driving
On these endless streets

[Chorus – full band, backing vocals echo “Nothing left for us”]
Before we dig our graves, my friend
In this life we blindly trust
Trading mother earth for convenience
‘Til there’s nothing left for us
(Nothing left for us)

[Verse 2 – riff heavier, voice more urgent]
The factories keep on churning
While the rivers turn to waste
You say it’s just progression
As the forests fade away
I see the smoke ascending
Like a prayer that’s lost its way

[Pre-Chorus]
There’s a price we keep ignoring
In the choices that we make
And the future we’re destroying
With each step we take

[Chorus – choir joins stronger, organ swells]
Before we dig our graves, my friend
In this life we blindly trust
Trading mother earth for convenience
‘Til there’s nothing left for us
(Nothing left for us)

[Bridge – eerie atmosphere]
I hear the ancient voices carried on the wind
Speaking wisdom we forgot so long ago
The land was never ours to break and bend
The earth is crying out, but on we go

[Verse 3]
So raise your glass one final time
To all we’re leaving behind
The fertile soil we poisoned
The skies we redefined
The legacy we’re leaving
Is a debt we cannot hide

[Chorus]
Before we dig our graves, my friend
In this life we blindly trust
Trading mother earth for convenience
‘Til there’s nothing left for us
(Nothing left, nothing left)
‘Til there’s nothing left for us
(Ohhhhh, nothing left for us)

[Outro ]
Trading mother earth for convenience
‘Til there’s nothing left for us
(Nothing left, nothing left)
‘Til there’s nothing left for us
(Ohhhhh, nothing left for us)

[Verse 1] 

Welcome to world state, minds locked down tight
Sorted into castes, birth to final night Alpha, Beta, Gamma - pre-determined roles
Synthetic pleasures traded for our souls
Bernard questions deep but systems crush him flat
John screams revolution, they won’t stand for that
Entertainment flows like water from the tap
While human spirit fades into a mindless gap

[Chorus]

Artificial bliss and empty fills
Swallow what they give, forget free will
Don’t dare think, just fall in line
In this brave new world divine
Freedom’s myth, truth’s disguise
Everything’s for control’s design
Rise up now while still alive
Break free from their grand design

[Verse 2]

Centers where they mold each thought with care
Sleep-taught mantras floating through the air
“Everyone belongs to everyone” they preach
While individuality slips beyond our reach
Mass production humans, copies in a row
Art and truth forbidden, that’s the status quo
Lenina numbs herself to dodge the pain
While Helmholtz’s censored words fall like rain

[Bridge]

Shakespeare’s banned for speaking truth too clear
Passion labeled threat, emotion breeds their fear
Mustapha Mond preaches stability above
But what’s life worth living without real love?

[Chorus]

Artificial bliss and empty fills
Swallow what they give, forget free will
Don’t dare think, just fall in line
In this brave new world divine
Freedom’s myth, truth’s disguise
Everything’s for control’s design
Rise up now while still alive
Break free from their grand design

[Outro]

John saw through their lies, chose his own way out
While we still have time to raise our voice and shout
Against their perfect system’s suffocating hold
For genuine human spirit, precious more than gold

[Verse 1]
Sweet words tangled in a lie
Promises lost, passing by
Trusted you and closed my eyes
Shadows linger longer

[Chorus]
Searching low and searching high
Dreams are fading in the sky
Hoping for a sign to guide
Worn but still I’m walking

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Verse 2]
Footsteps echo by the stream
Leaves are rustling through a dream
Looking back on what has been
Forward where the light stays

[Pre-Chorus]
Carry on I tell myself today
Every sorrow slowly drifts away

[Chorus]
Searching low and searching high
Dreams are fading in the sky
Hoping for a sign to guide
Worn but still I’m walking

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Verse 3]
Dancing with a ghost till dawn
Memories spinning, moving on
Empty rooms where laughter’s gone
Still I feel you near me

[Chorus]
Searching low and searching high
Dreams are fading in the sky
Hoping for a sign to guide
Worn but still I’m walking

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Outro]
Under faded silver starlight
Soft as the hush of morning dew
Your memory holds me warmly tonight
Still I reach for you
Guitar lingers on the final tune
Hearts may wander, roads may bend
But I will hold this dance with you
Beyond where the night ends

[Verse 1]
Sweet words tangled in a lie
Promises lost, passing by
Trusted you and closed my eyes
Shadows linger longer

[Chorus]
Searching low and searching high
Dreams are fading in the sky
Hoping for a sign to guide
Worn but still I’m walking

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Verse 2]
Footsteps echo by the stream
Leaves are rustling through a dream
Looking back on what has been
Forward where the light stays

[Pre-Chorus]
Carry on I tell myself today
Every sorrow slowly drifts away

[Chorus]
Searching low and searching high
Dreams are fading in the sky
Hoping for a sign to guide
Worn but still I’m walking

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Verse 3]
Dancing with a ghost till dawn
Memories spinning, moving on
Empty rooms where laughter’s gone
Still I feel you near me

[Chorus]
Searching low and searching high
Dreams are fading in the sky
Hoping for a sign to guide
Worn but still I’m walking

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Post-Chorus]
Hold on strong
Hold on strong

[Outro]
Under faded silver starlight
Soft as the hush of morning dew
Your memory holds me warmly tonight
Still I reach for you
Guitar lingers on the final tune
Hearts may wander, roads may bend
But I will hold this dance with you
Beyond where the night ends

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
They bring democracy through bomber’s reign,
Freedom wrapped in a golden chain.
Selling peace through a missile’s glow,
Preaching love with an overthrow.

[Chorus]
Welcome to the modern crusade,
Where false prophets lead the war parade.
Liberation has its price—
Paid with somebody else’s life.

[Verse 2]
Between the lies and alibis,
Between the truth and empire’s eyes,
They paint their targets dressed as aid,
While sovereign wealth just fades away.

[Verse 3]
NGOs with puppet strings,
Corporate wolves with angel wings.
Loans that bind, resources drained—
A gilded cage they can’t escape.

[Chorus] 

[Verse 2] (extended)
Some wage war with steel and flame,
Some with debt in the dollar’s name.
Empire wears its silk disguise,
While ancient wisdom slowly dies.

Whips are now PDF files,
Shackles stacked in credit piles.
They call it progress, call it aid,
While nations drown in debts they’ve made.

Export culture, erase the past,
Till nothing sacred’s left to last.
Change their clothes, change their name—
But play the same old game.

[Outro]

[Intro]

(Latin choir)
Dies irae, dies illa…
 I am your Light - and Your Shadow.

[Verse 1]
Look at me – your dream on glass,
A smile you’ll never let surpass.
I am the voice inside your head,
The sweetest poison never dead.

A thousand eyes all stare, all blind,
Each tear becomes the passing wind.
You worship me – your heaven, your pain,
I give you glory – and remain.

[Pre-Chorus]
You want to have me, you want more,
But every touch consumes you sore.

[Chorus]
I am your idol – your holy game,
You dance through fire, I give you fame.
Your heart my throne, your gaze my prayer,
Your god wears glitter – but isn’t there.

[Post-Chorus]
Your idol… your idol…
(Vocoders + choir pads)
I am your dream – and your abyss.

[Verse 2]
Turn your phone on – there I stand,
A perfect smile from a perfect land.
Click my life, buy my delight,
Your shadow follows – lost in the light.

Flashbulbs burning, you fall inside,
In the glow of lies, your self will hide.
I give you love – it costs you naught,
But your soul and face are what I’ve bought.

[Pre-Chorus]
You try to save me – but you’ll flee,
Once you know what you can see.

[Chorus]
I am your idol – your sweetest sin,
A shine that burns from deep within.
Your heart my throne, your gaze my prayer,
Your god wears glitter – but isn’t there.

[Bridge]
(whispered)
Only when the last dream dies,
And no applause still fills the skies,
Will silence tell you who I was –
Just a picture, not a star.

(choral rise)
Your idol… your idol…

[Final Chorus]
I am your idol – but you are free,
Break the mirror – and let it be.
The lights go out, the heart can see,
You watch me fall – and laugh at me.

[Outro – echo & Latin reprise]
Dies irae… gloria vana…
Your idol – fades in light.

[Verse 1]

He got the touch, man — yeah, he got the touch,
A little too little, then a bit too much.
He walks through smoke with a neon grin,
Got salvation bottled in a violin.

Hey Mr. Razzle Dazzle,
Lay on those healing hands,
Got lightning in your pocket,
And dust between your plans.

[Chorus]

Hey, Razzle Dazzle, light up the dark,
Burn your name across my heart.
You play the truth, you sell the lie,
Healing souls just to watch ’em cry.
Oh, Razzle Dazzle — take your stand,
Shine that light ’til the very end. 

[Verse 2]

He lights it up, man, yeah, he got it down,
Paints halos in the lost part of town.
He makes the thunder dance and spin,
A circus fire beneath his skin.

Hey Mr. Razzle Dazzle,
Bring on the ocean tide,
You raise the crowd like angels,
Then drown them from inside.

[Bridge]

He pushes forward, won’t step back,
Sees heaven’s map in a ceiling crack.
Every prayer’s another show,
Every high’s a deeper low.

“Save me, brother,” I heard him say,
“The light I chase just fades away.”

[Chorus]

Hey, Razzle Dazzle, king of the flame,
Nobody ever remembers your name.
You heal the sick, you bless the cursed,
Drink the wine but die of thirst.
Oh, Razzle Dazzle, my crazy friend,
Shine your light to the bitter end.

[Outro]

Boots on gravel, thunder slow,
Riff cuts sharp where the wild winds blow.
Shadows reel to the groove I know,
Pulse is running, it calls my name.

**Verse 1**
Mad men high in towers tall,
Chasing shadows, reason falls.
Hungry kings still feed the fire,
Sending warnings through the wire.

**Verse 1b**
Love’s a bottle on the stand,
Shadows dancing in my hand.
Heartbeat tangled, burning slow,
Sweet illusion, hard to let go.

**Pre-Chorus**
Turn it louder, let it fly,
Echoes burning through the sky.
Every mile’s a new disguise,
Chasing lightning in my eyes.

**Chorus**
Fire rolling under my wheels,
Got that thunder, I can feel.
Roads are twisting, bending time,
I’m chasing colors in my mind.

**Verse 2**
Moonlight flickers off the chrome,
Smoke is rising, I ride alone.
Strings are singing low and wild,
Lost but running mile by mile.

**Pre-Chorus**
Raise it higher, make it scream,
Tear it wide and break the seams.
Every shadow, every fight,
Turns to fire in the night.

**Chorus **
Fire rolling under my wheels,
Got that thunder, I can feel.
Roads are twisting, bending time,
I’m chasing colors in my mind.

**Outro **
Fire keeps rolling, wheels keep turning,
Thunder burning, colors learning.
Hey Joe… I ride, I ride…

[Verse 1]
On my way down to the river,
I have crossed so many lands.
Tried to capture all their meaning,
Hold their secrets in my hands.
Everywhere I went to heal my heart,
To calm my thirst, to make a start,
I met the same old creature there —
Guarding gold with a hungry stare.

[Pre-Chorus]
He looked at me and softly said,
With a voice of smoke and flame:

[Chorus]
“I am the golden calf you serve,
The dragon burning in your chest.
Your demons dance, your angels starve,
You kneel before  idols of flesh.”
And while his laughter filled the air,
The world stood still beneath the sun —
He whispered, “I am in everyone,
And I am no one.”

[Verse 2]
Toth and Minotaur are my kin,
Our servants kneel — we hold them in.
They fear our power, they praise our name,
But deep inside we feel the same.
Lonely under the blinding light,
Waiting for riders born of night —
The fearless ones who break the chain,
And wash our faces in the rain.

[Bridge]
Little doll upon the ceiling,
Breathing slow, without a sound —
Caught inside this house of “isms,”
Where freedom can’t be found.
Material, national, personal pride —
Walls that keep the truth outside.

[Chorus]
“I am the golden calf you serve,
The dragon living in your chest.
You think you’re free, you think you’re brave,
But you’re still chained like all the rest.”
And as the echo fades away,
The question burns, the choice remains —
Will you walk the wire, or ride the rain?

[Outro – Spoken / Whispered]
Want to be a puppet in the hand of others,
Or a rider on the storm for all your sisters and brothers?

[Verse 1]
An old man sits alone in the grass,
Eyes like mirrors made of glass.
Raindrops fall on his wounded knees,
Tears of dying birds and trees.
The wind keeps whispering low,
“Time’s up, but no one knows.”

[Verse 2]
Have you seen the fools on the hill?
Dreaming free, no rent, no bill.
And have you seen the serious kind?
They’re working blind, they’ve lost their mind.
They keep on spinning that wheel,
Chasing shadows they can’t feel.

[Pre-Chorus]
The world keeps turning out of tune,
Underneath a broken moon.

[Chorus]
No, I can’t change the world,
But I can change my mind.
And if I can change my mind,
I can change my life.
No, we can’t change the world,
But we can change our time.
When we change our hearts,
We can change our lives.

[Bridge]
Winners and losers play the same game,
Caged in gold, chasing fame.
Nature cries for help in vain —
And the blind man feels the rain.
(Background voices echo: change your mind… change your mind…)

[Verse 3]
So let’s do what we can tonight,
Stand up for our human right.
You are my lady, I am your man,
Together we’ll rise, together we’ll stand.
The fire’s burning, the stars align,
The world will change — one mind at a time.

[Chorus]
No, I can’t change the world,
But I can change my mind!
And if I can change my mind,
I can change my life!
No, we can’t change the world,
But we can change our time!
When we change our hearts,
We can change our lives!

[Outro]
Change… your mind…
Change… your life…
Change… your mind…
(Change your life...)

Verse 1
His words were water on barren ground,
But they covered their ears, no truth allowed.
“A madman speaks,” the people cried,
While wisdom’s light was pushed aside.

In tattered clothes he walked alone,
Ancient knowledge his only throne.
They laughed as he passed by.

Bridge 1
The stars above still knew his name,
Though earthly voices called him shame.
In silence, he carried on,
Till night gave way to dawn.

Chorus
They called him fool, they called him mad,
The wisest heart this town had had.
One day they’ll see what he could see,
When it’s too late for you and me.
(Too late… too late…)

Verse 2
He warned of storms no one could see,
Of poison rising through the trees.
“The earth is breaking,” he would say,
But they all turned their eyes away.

With weary hands and gentle eyes,
He held the truth they’d all despise,
A prophet without crown.

Bridge 2
Between two worlds he chose to stand,
With wisdom vast as ocean sand.
Too deep to hold, too great to buy,
A truth they can’t deny.

Chorus (repeat)

Verse 3
Now clouds have gathered overhead,
Just as the wise man always said.
They seek him out with desperate pleas,
But he’s gone like a summer breeze.

His voice still whispers through the hills,
A memory that slowly fills
The silence of their shame.

Bridge 3
And when the winds grow sharp and cold,
They hear the stories he once told.
The children sing his simple rhymes,
That will outlast all time.

Chorus – Final
They called him fool, they called him mad,
The wisest heart this town had had.
Now they can see what he could see,
But it’s too late for you and me.
(Too late… too late…)

Boots on gravel, thunder slow,
Riff cuts sharp where the wild winds blow.
Shadows reel to the groove I know,
Pulse is running, it calls my name.

**Verse 0 **
Mad men high in towers tall,
Chasing shadows, reason falls.
Hungry kings still feed the fire,
Sending warnings through the wire.

**Verse 1**
Love’s a bottle on the stand,
Shadows dancing in my hand.
Heartbeat tangled, burning slow,
Sweet illusion, hard to let go.

**Pre-Chorus**
Turn it louder, let it fly,
Echoes burning through the sky.
Every mile’s a new disguise,
Chasing lightning in my eyes.

**Chorus**
🔥 Fire rolling under my wheels,
Got that thunder, I can feel.
Roads are twisting, bending time,
I’m chasing colors in my mind.

**Verse 2**
Moonlight flickers off the chrome,
Smoke is rising, I ride alone.
Strings are singing low and wild,
Lost but running mile by mile.

**Pre-Chorus**
Raise it higher, make it scream,
Tear it wide and break the seams.
Every shadow, every fight,
Turns to fire in the night.

**Chorus **
Fire rolling under my wheels,
Got that thunder, I can feel.
Roads are twisting, bending time,
I’m chasing colors in my mind.

**Outro **
Fire keeps rolling, wheels keep turning,
Thunder burning, colors learning.
Hey Joe… I ride, I ride…

Verse 1
Empty chair across the table,
Curtains drawn, the night stands still.
Promises cracked like fables,
Silence bends a broken will.
Eyes are cold, the room is breathing,
Words dissolve in static air.
Truth is smoke, it twists and’s leaving,
Only shadows linger there.

Chorus
Clouds drift slow by the station,
Raindrops hum on windowpanes.
Midnight sighs with hesitation,
Rolling past on ghostly trains.

Verse 2
Shadows curl beneath the streetlights,
Neon faces fade to gray.
Leaves spiral in restless street fights,
Worn boots echo, walk away.

Pre-Chorus
Old secrets blur inside puddles,
Dreams dissolve into the night.
A low blues hum in the struggle,
Searching hard for sparks of light.

Chorus
Clouds drift slow by the station,
Raindrops hum on windowpanes.
Midnight sighs with hesitation,
Rolling past on ghostly trains.

Bridge 
Colors melt behind my closed eyes,
Fragments scatter, none align.
Walls breathe low with fevered sighs,
I’m unravelling out of time.

Chorus (final, extended)
Clouds drift slow by the station,
Raindrops hum on windowpanes.
Midnight sighs with hesitation,
Rolling past on ghostly trains.
Rolling past on ghostly trains…