LYRICS AND TUNINGS
See also: Charts - Added June 2008
(A "grab bag" of chord charts & misc. instrument parts, selected songs)
- >>CLICK HERE<<

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(Second Wind CD) 

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Second Wind
© 2002 Tracy Comer
See also: CHARTS

[Key: D for verses, G for chorus; Tracy plays in standard tuning, no capo]

The ocean waves hello and then the warm air blows a salty kiss to welcome me back to my old home
Today there are no lists to check, no calls to make, no messages, no PCs and no place to go
Today it doesn't matter much to me if I'm living up to all that I could be
I've traded in the corporate scale for lessons in dispensability

I pulled out the old daydreams from that shoebox in the closet, dusted them off and tried them on for size
And though they're worn and faded and the style's a bit outdated, they're still a perfect fit through all this time
Cause now I know that dreaming is the key that opens up our souls and sets us free
Tearing down the tower walls, granting us a new reality

So in my dreams, I'm running madly in a one-man race
Laughing as the sweat runs down my face
Chasing the line, feeling the wind
Marking the time, breathing it in
Dodging the obstacles, picking up speed
Barely touching ground beneath my feet
Won't slow down now, oh no
I can make it now, I've caught my second wind

Years have drizzled past, sometimes slow and sometimes faster, and I've used them all up thinking critically
And now, a little wiser, or perhaps just a bit tired, I think most things are just as they should be
And living seems enough for me today
I'll chase my dreams and laugh along the way
And if I reach the end I'll find another goal, another line, another dance, another song to play

So in my mind, I'm running madly in a one-man race
Laughing as the sweat runs down my face
Chasing the line, feeling the wind
Marking the time, breathing it in
Dodging the obstacles, picking up speed
Barely touching ground beneath my feet
Won't slow down now, oh no, Can't slow down now
I can make it now, I've caught my second wind

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(Second Wind CD) 

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Your Pain  © 2001, 2002 Tracy Comer
[For my mother, Becky Geddie Rowe (1937-1992)]

[Key: A Tracy plays in standard tuning, no capo]

Time, it moves in only one direction
But in defiance we can turn and face the rear
And watch the things we love and hate and fear grow fainter
Shrinking silhouettes on the horizon

In vain I clutch at fading recollections
And try to cast them into some new form
Measuring against some unreal norm
Silently, I drown in the abyss of this obsession
Then truth screams out from these memories -- the story wasn't only about me

But I could not see your pain…the mirror blocked my view
And anger and frustration dug the chasm that divided me and you
And I blamed the bottle, and I blamed the pills
But I never did consider that the need for them arose from wounds that wouldn't heal

To what degree could you have fought the forces
That pushed and pulled and pried into your mind
And led you onto paths no one should find
To stumble…accumulating sorrows and remorses
And just what was the greater tragedy…death or life alone in misery?

But I could not see your pain…the mirror blocked my view
And anger and frustration dug the chasm that divided me and you
And I blamed the bottle, and I blamed the pills
But I never did consider that the need for them arose from wounds that wouldn't heal

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(Second Wind CD) 

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American Dream   © 2002 Tracy Comer
See also: CHARTS 

[Key: Sounding key of B, Tracy plays in key of A with full capo at 2nd fret, standard tuning]

A plain cuppa coffee won't do it today, I need a splash of raspberry in a tall skinny latte
The caffeine fix I need to face this stress
'Cause I have got no time for sleeping, with this schedule I've been keeping
Climbing up this ladder of success
So I'll head to Starbucks in my SUV with the GPS and the DVD
And I'll make some calls along the way, and check my schedule for today
Cause I've gotta make the best use of my time
When I'm sittin' in the car, when I'm standin' in line
A minute gone is one you can't replace
There's no time to sleep in this American Dream

Looks like I'll have to work late again, better call my husband to pick up the kids
And cancel my appointment with my therapist
My life is so unorganized, maybe I need a Daytimer of a bigger size
To help me manage all these daily lists
So I'll head to Staples in my SUV with the CD player and the leather seats
And check my email as I go, and then my stock portfolio
Cause I've gotta make the best use of my time
If I'm gonna keep raisin' that bottom line
Time is money, everybody knows
There's no time to waste in this American Dream

And I would say that my life thus far is filled with constant challenges
Like keeping all these batteries charged and checking all these messages

A simple life doesn't cut it today, you gotta make a lot of money and buy a lot of things
But tell me, please, is this what life's about
It all seems so complicated, I think this mess is highly overrated
But it seems to me there's no way out
Is there no escape, must this be our fate,
Is there no escape from this American Dream

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(Second Wind CD) 

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Perfectly    © 2002 Tracy Comer
See also: CHARTS

[Key: Sounding key of F; Tracy plays either in DADGAD tuning, full capo at third fret, or in standard tuning with full capo at 1st fret and "Esus" partial capo (covering ADG strings) at 3rd fret]

Could a day be any sweeter than the day when I met you
Could a love be any truer than the one we've grown into
Could it be that there is after all some spirit up above
Who led us to each other and now nutures our love

LISTEN at CDBABY
(Second Wind CD) 

FINALIST,
VH-1's Song of the Year
International Songwriting Contest,
Folk Category, Sept. 2004

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A Father's Lament (Clementine)
© 2002 Tracy Comer, music, and Arvid Berge, lyrics
See also: CHARTS

[Key: Sounding key of B, Tracy plays in key of A with full capo at 2nd fret, standard tuning]

In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine,
Lived a miner, a forty-niner and his daughter Clementine
Light she was, just like a fairy, and her age was only nine,
She would play amidst the flowers as he toiled down in the mine

He lost her mother to a fever, a baby brother went in kind,
Now he seeks a promised fortune for his only Clementine
In the evening, by her bedside he would tell her of his find
And the promise of her future hidden deep within the mine

They would live in San Francisco in a home so rich and fine
And every boy in San Francisco would carry flowers to Clementine
In the night as she lay sleeping, he would often fret and pine
O'er the hardship they would suffer for the promise of the mine

He could hear her softly breathing, and he would find some peace of mind
As he whispered a solemn promise to his sleeping Clementine
Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine,
I'll forever hold you near me, don't you worry, Clementine

When the sun broke o'er the canyon he awoke his Clementine
And assigned her simple duties just to occu-py her time
For the world is full of mischief for a girl who's only nine
And he knew he couldn't be there to keep his promise to Clementine

She took the mule down to the river just as she had been assigned
And went in search of shiny pebbles on the banks below the mine
It was there she lost her footing and fell into the brine
And the promise of the canyon took the precious Clementine

In a cavern, in a canyon, near an old abandoned mine
Stands a miner, an old timer in a field of blooming vine
He has planted pretty flowers all around that wretched mine
To remind him every hour of his precious Clementine

On a rock he breaks a shovel and he throws it down the mine
And repeats his solemn promise to a sleeping Clementine
Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine,
I'll forever hold you near me, don't you worry, Clementine
I'll forever hold you near me, don't you worry Clementine

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 LISTEN at CDBABY
(Second Wind CD) 

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Did You Ever    © 2002 Tracy Comer
[For my father, who died in 1988]
See also: CHARTS

[Key: D modal, Tracy plays with guitar tuned DADGBD and no capo]

Sorting photographs, I looked for one of you to frame
I chose the one of us dressed up on my wedding day
Oh, you seemed so proud to travel far to give away
Your youngest daughter, but I never was yours anyway

But now the years and tears have passed, and now that you have died,
I can finally feel the anger I've held back all this time

Did you ever really feel love, or just emptiness inside?
Did you ever even know us, or did you ever care to try?
And did you ever stop to wonder what you'd miss
If you traded family for a new kiss?
So tell me, did you ever really love, and if you did, how will I ever know?

Ringing telephone… rare surprise when it was you
Crazy fantasy that you would come to our rescue
Funny now to think that all we needed rescue from
Was the fantasy that you had done no wrong

Well, you walked away from pain and moved on to create more
You left a trail of turmoil behind every closing door

Did you ever really feel love, or just emptiness inside?
Did you ever even know us, or did you ever care to try?
And did you ever stop to wonder what you'd miss
When you traded family for a new kiss?
So tell me,did you ever really love, and if you did, how will I ever know?

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(Second Wind CD) 

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A Dream of Last Things
© 2002 Tracy Comer, music, and Stephen Elder, lyrics

[Key: A modal, Tracy plays with guitar in standard tuning and no capo]

I dreamed of life and death and Judgement Day
I'd died, ascending (so I thought) to stand
Before my Maker, who, with writ in hand
Said, "Sit, and let's review your resume."

Full of what I'd made and sung and done,
I sat, proud pinnacle of God's Created,
Glory-bound for sure, it seemed, and waited
for confirmation of the place I'd won.

Past the Pearly Gates with cherubim
Above were all God's creatures, great and small.
I searched, but nowhere did I see at all
Midst those that crawl or hop or fly or swim,
The gait of Man.

"I've had to rearrange,"
God said, "restructuring, you'd say.
I've downsized Heaven. I no longer want to pay
The cost of Man. T'was time to make a change.

"On its worst day, the lowest spider's aim
Surpasses all that man could hope to make.
No mess, no waste, pollution or mistake.
What human architect could make this claim?

Man's symphonies, though pretty, can't compare
To what the merest mockingbird brings forth,
To whalesong, wolfsong in the frozen North,
To sounds of all My creatures everywhere.

The other creatures stay within the scope
of their design. Their deeds are true to form.
They only take to live and breed, the norm
I'd set. Man alone has failed my hope

Behold my pristine Heaven one last time
And know that earth was once so clean and pure.
The casting out of Man will now ensure
Eternally, that Heaven stays sublime."

My application was denied. God's plan
did not include my kind, this dream made clear.
And I awoke, with Last Words ringing in my ear,
"No other creature fouls its nest but Man."

With shaken heart to be thus shown the worth
Of Man cast down, diminished, come to naught,
There came to me, unasked, this awful thought:
What if God decides to downsize earth?

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(Second Wind CD) 

HONORABLE MENTION,
VH-1's Song of the Year
International Songwriting Contest
Folk Category, Aug. 2005

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The Heart Remembers (Signs of Grace)   © 2002 Tracy Comer
See also: CHARTS 

[Key: Sounding key of Bb, Tracy plays in key of G with capo at 3rd fret, standard tuning, or on piano in key of Bb]

It's nice to see you, it's been so long
Oh, you say you were here yesterday
But I'm still glad to see your face, see your face again

There may be times I can't recall your name
But I know that you are friend or family
My heart remembers those closest to me, my heart remembers well

I can sense the sadness that you feel
But I don't think it's truly justified
Underneath, it's still me here inside, still just me

I may have lost a yesterday or two
But I still have the moment to live in
And dreams and feelings still exist within, still exist within

What is time, no one can really say
A rainbow to be cherished but not held
Maybe a bottomless wishing well, endless wishing well

So don't be weighed down with thoughts of what I've lost
There are traces left that I embrace
And love can never be erased, never be erased

Life goes on without a chronicle
Changes are what everyone must face
Maybe sometimes they are signs of grace, gentle signs of grace

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(Second Wind CD) 

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The Ritual   © 2002 Tracy Comer

[...Uh, Please read through to the end!]
[Standard tuning, key of F or F#...Tracy plays in key of Em with capo at 1st or 2nd fret]

Every couple months or so, he gets a certain look
And asks me with those pleading eyes if I wouldn't please oblige…

We do it in the living room, but first I pull the shades
I carefully arrange my tools and check out all the blades
He then removes his shirt and takes his place upon a chair
I circle all around and run my fingers through his hair

Sometimes something that I do will make him flinch a bit
but even so, he always says a little pain is worth it
See, some men pay to have this done, but I do it for free
And to boot, while I do it he can watch TV

I like to take my time and make sure that it comes out right
But sometimes I'm less thorough if we start too late at night
I do enjoy the process and the angle calculations
Though sometimes I get backaches from the various positions

Sometimes I'm reluctant cause I'm tired or just to busy,
But then a guilty voice inside says "it's your wifely duty"

But even I must confess sometimes I've just said "no"
I've told him that I'm not his slave and sent him to a pro
But every time that happens he comes home unsatisfied,
He says they just rush through it, and they're not as good as I

All in all, I can't complain about this natural act
A haircut every other month is not a lot to ask

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LISTEN at CDBABY
(Second Wind CD) 

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Autumn Elegy   © 2002 Tracy Comer, music, and Stephen Elder, lyrics

[Key: Sounding key of F; Tracy plays in DADGAD tuning, full capo at 3rd fret]

An Indian maiden sat gazing to sea, and dreamed of her loved one who’d gone off to war.
Heavy with child and with hope for all three, she sat there not knowing she’d see him no more.
The path of true love is but seldom carefree, the man she had chosen was not of her own.
Her lover belonged to her tribe’s enemy. This secret was shared with their mothers alone.

Soft footsteps approached as she sat by the water, her mother came to her with tears in her eyes.
Our men have come back from the war, my dear daughter. Your father, the chief, is not with them, she cried.
We’ve suffered great losses, the other tribe, too. The news of your father was brought straight to me.
Before he did fall, I must tell this to you, my husband slew yours, now both widows are we.

The maiden sat stunned there, her ears unbelieving, her heart almost stopping, how could this be true?
Her tears starting falling as she began grieving, her sorrow engulfing her heart as it grew.
Her poor mother went to her, crooned to her, clung to her. Tears intermingling, so did they both mourn.
This world is so cruel, said the girl to her mother, To this I’ll not suffer my child to be born.

We’ve long since forgotten what kindled this hate. Our peoples fight on though there’s naught to be won.
O mother , we’ll go the tribe of my mate. We’ll make them all see that this war must be done.
They walked past the place where their loved ones were felled, it willed them more strongly to end all the strife. They walked to the hills where the enemy dwelled, made straight for the tent of the chief and his wife.

Red-brown for the hue of the lovers’ smooth skin, and golden the color of bright morning light.
Soft green for the future their hearts held within, and purple for passion of love’s sweet delight.

A man of small mercy, the chief saw there standing not woman with child but the spawn of his foe.
With hate in his eyes and his full strength commanding, he struck his son’s wife a killing blow.
But as she lay dying, her baby was born, and the chief raised his knife once again for to kill.
His wife stayed his arm as she shouted with scorn, O greatest of fools, only look if you will.

They came to us peacefully, empty their hand, no chance did you give them their tidings to share.
A woman with child, not an enemy band did you witlessly slay, look again at her there.
Behold one last time your son’s wife in repose, and think, o great chief, on this thing you have done.
The baby’s eyes opened, his mother’s did close, and the chief in despair saw the eyes of his son.

Red-brown for the hue of the lovers’ smooth skin, and golden the color of bright morning light.
Soft green for the future their hearts held within, and purple for passion of love’s sweet delight.

He turned to his wife. As they faced one another, the look that she gave him was wild and stiff.
She strode to the side of the girl’s weeping mother, and wordlessly pointed the way to the cliff,
Then said to her folk in a voice loud and clear, You know that by birthright I am your true chief.
I say now to all that the war must end here, for years it has brought us all nothing but grief.

My sister, I’ve tasted the salt of yours tears, now let us go forth and join your folk to mine.
This day shall unite us and banish our fears, this baby shall lead us, his birth is a sign.
With two hearts as one the two women prayed long, then happened this thing to the wonder of all.
Great Spirit did answer, the magic was strong. The leaves turned that day to the colors of fall.

Red-brown for the hue of the lovers’ smooth skin, and golden the color of bright morning light.
Soft green for the future their hearts held within, and purple for passion of love’s sweet delight.
Bright crimson for blood that was shed out of fear, and gray for the future of life without peace.
The leaves shall remind us in fall of each year of those who have given so hope will not cease.

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LISTEN at CDBABY
(Second Wind CD) 

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Rhythm   © 2002 Tracy Comer

[Key of E; Tracy plays in standard tuning,no capo] 

He sleeps, and dreams of treasures he'll discover on some secret stream
He wakes before the sun anxious as a child on Christmas morn
Dressing quietly, Kissing me softly
He heads into the rising sun to find the perfect place to catch his dreams

He welcomes the sunlight on his face the comfort of the current's cool embrace
Watching the graceful arcing line thoughts of everything and nothing entertwined
Drinking in the day Hours fall away
Basking in his ecstacy Reeling in the magic of this place

He feels the rhythm of the cast, of life, of nature, at peace
Baptized into freedom, communing with the power of the river, released
Then he reels in the line, strengthened by this moment of connection
Then gently he'll release the prize and watch it swim away
With thankfulness and wonder in his eyes

The river dances and flows collecting souvenirs of wood and stone
Purposeful and strong broadening as it carries them along
And the life we know drives us to reach and grow
Finding our own destinies, discovering sweet surprises as we go

He feels the rhythm of the cast, of life, of nature, at peace
Baptized into freedom, communing with the power of the river, released
Then he reels in the line, strengthened by this moment of connection
Then gently he'll release the prize and watch it swim away
With thankfulness and wonder in his eyes

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LISTEN at CDBABY
(Second Wind CD) 

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Lives & Loves    © 2002 Tracy Comer, music and Stephen Elder, lyrics
[This is my musical setting of a lovely sonnet written by Steve for his wife, Hilda.
Shown below is the poem in its original form, which I modified very slightly for the musical setting.]

[Tracy plays on piano...starting key is Ab; alternate version on guitar is played starting in key of G with capo at 1st fret, standard tuning]

The hour is blue. It is the time of eve
When she goes walking in the woods. The trees
Just slightly dip their limbs, as if to please
Her as she passes. Somehow, I believe

They're paying homage to her dryad past,
For even now she seems as one with them.
Her arms reach out to touch this leaf, that stem,
Then wrap around a trunk to hold it fast.

I watch this strange communion from our door,
And pray my heartfelt thanks that she is now
With me. And I'll not ask if she loves more

The forest or the man. I know somehow
There's room for both, the after, the before.
We'll love and hold her safe in arm and bough.  

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LISTEN at CDBABY
(Second Wind CD) 

HONORABLE MENTION, PEACE DRIVEN SONGWRITING CONTEST, MAY 2006

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Bring Me Your Peace    © 2002 Tracy Comer
See also: CHARTS

[Key of D; Tracy plays in DADGAD tuning, no capo]

[I wrote this song in 2002 after hearing a radio interview on NPR with Shannon Spann, whose husband was a CIA worker killed in Afghanistan. (Here's more about that:  http://www.honormikespann.org)
She spoke so eloquently about her faith, and her husband's...I was so moved by her courage and grace in the face of such tragedy.]

Bring me your peace, O Lord
Peace that passes all understanding
I'm tired of the pace, the impossible race
It's clouded my mind and it's challenged my faith
Bring me your peace, O Lord
Peace that passes all understanding

I see a world of pain and fear
Faces bitter and unsatisfied, despite the gold veneer
And on the evening news I see their eyes
In headline stories of great tragedies, and broken shattered lives
And towering o'er the ashes are those few
Who won't be beaten down by earthly woes
If they can feel serenity amidst their darkest hours
Perhaps the power lies within me, too
If I could look inside and there find you

Bring me your peace, O Lord
Peace that passes all understanding
I'm tired of the pace, the impossible race
It's clouded my mind and it's challenged my faith
Bring me your peace, O Lord
Peace, Peace that passes all understanding

And I will look to you...and breathe in your love 

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LISTEN at CDBABY
SOLO version from Yellow Bike EP

LISTEN at CDBABY -
BAND version from Quietly There

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My Own History    © 2003 Tracy Comer
See also: CHARTS

[Sounding key of G; Tracy plays in standard tuning, full capo at 3rd fret and "Esus" partial capo (covers ADG strings) at 5th fret] 

I’ll take a picture, I’ll take a letter
I’ll take a powder, take a number
I’ll take a shortcut, take a detour, take the long way there
I’ll take a pass, take my time, but take good care
I’ll take a look, take some lessons, take a hint, take some guesses
And take a chance at winning in this game called life

I’ll write a novel, I’ll write a song
I’ll write a check, right a wrong
I’ll write an email, or a memo, or a steamy love note
I’ll sit right down and write my write-in vote
I’ll write a chapter of my own autobiography
And write my own ending to the story

You see I’m gonna take some action, be in control
And make my own decisions, never sell my soul
Won’t wait for life to tell me what to do or who to be
I’m gonna be in charge of my own history

I’ll make a cake, I’ll make a wish
Make up my mind, make a list
I’ll make it up to somebody, make it stop, make it go
And make myself heard, make it happen, make it so
I’ll make a statement, make my mark, make a point to know
And make up all the rules as I go

I’ll get a grip, I’ll get the joke
I’ll get a life, get up and go
I’ll get away, get inspired, get a good night’s sleep
Get myself up and get back on my feet
I’ll get a handle on it all, and get my dues
And get myself together and get rid of these blues

You see I’m gonna take some action, be in control
And make my own decisions, never sell my soul
Won’t wait for life to tell me what to do or who to be
I’m gonna be in charge of my own history

I’ll find the time, I’ll find a way
And I’ll find those keys that I lost yesterday
I’ll find some peace and quiet, and I’ll find myself
And find that old book I left there on that shelf
I’ll find the map, find the road, find the meaning of life
Find true happiness, find what’s right

You see I’m gonna take some action, be in control
And make my own decisions, never sell my soul
Won’t wait for life to tell me what to do or who to be
I’m gonna be in charge of my own history

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LISTEN at CDBABY
SOLO version from Yellow Bike EP

LISTEN at CDBABY -
BAND version from Quietly There

FIRST PLACE WINNER
FOLK CATEGORY, SOWI
(Songwriters of Wisconsin Int'l)

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Yellow Bike
© 2003 music by Tracy Jane Comer, lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer and Randy Green
See also: CHARTS

[Sounding key of F#; Tracy plays in standard tuning, full capo at 2nd fret and partial "Esus" capo (covers ADG strings) at 4th fret]  

Ten years old in ’74 in a run down shack with a bathroom on the porch
Free school lunch and hand-me-downs and a two-hour ride on the school bus into town
But a view of the ocean from my window
I loved to watch the tide just come and go, there alone

Bought a fishing pole at the five-and-dime...Never caught a fish, but I loved to throw that line
Sittin’ on the pier in the salty air, spinning daydreams to pass the time
And I rode my yellow bike on that beach road
Never thought about where I might go...I just rode

Riding, flying, on that road
Laughing, smiling, all alone
Living poor, but living free
Happy on that yellow bike on that road beside the sea

Hibernating in my room with my forty-fives and AM radio
Leaving all the world behind, never wanting more than just that time alone
The nighttime brought its dark and bitter haze
But oh, how I loved those daydream days by the sea

I wonder why I just can’t understand why I’m sad that I was happy then
Do I have such a better life today that I’ll never have that bliss of yesterday?

Twenty-six cats, and two hamsters, the air thick with ten thousand fleas
Waiting for that monthly check to buy one week’s worth of groceries
But I don’t think that occurred to me life wasn’t all that it should be...we just lived

Riding, flying, on that road
Laughing, smiling, all alone
Living poor, but living free
Happy on that yellow bike on that road beside the sea

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(Quietly There CD)

FIRST PLACE WINNER
ADULT CONTEMPORARY
CATEGORY, SOWI
(Songwriters of Wisconsin Int'l)

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Take Me to the Mountain
© 2004 music by Tracy Jane Comer, lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer and Randy Green
See also: CHARTS

[Played on piano, starting key is Dm, or on guitar in standard tuning with capo at 3rd fret, starting key is Bm]  

With your touch of newness, healing water flows…ancient liquid on my skin
Softly you breathe out, a whisper of your soul, I breathe you in
You were in my past, this I now believe, through some trick of time and space
For I could hear your voice of love without a face, saying “Wait for me”

Take me to the mountain, show me how you see
So far into the future, so deep inside of me

Ever mystified by things I’ll never know…You say “Just look up to the stars”
But why can’t I see the wind…You say I try too hard, “Just let it blow”

Take me to the mountain, show me how you see
So far into the future, so deep inside of me

You feel my fears, you know they’re real
And somehow you know just how much I need to feel
In your silence I hear everything you say, as I hold your gaze

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SOLO version from Yellow Bike EP

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BAND version from Quietly There

SECOND PLACE WINNER
ADULT CONTEMPORARY
CATEGORY, SOWI
(Songwriters of Wisconsin Int'l)

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Quietly There
© 2003 music by Tracy Jane Comer, lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer and Randy Green
See also: CHARTS

[Sounding key of Bb; Tracy plays in standard tuning, full capo at 1st fret and partial "Esus" capo (covers ADG strings) at 3rd fret] 

If I touch you gently, will you see the way the pain you feel touches me?
You speak of emptiness inside, and say your trust in love has died
And my heart bleeds tears of sympathy

I can know the sadness in your soul, but I can't change its power to control
You act the scenes out in your mind, the same sad ending every time
In a play with an eternal curtain call

I can't change things in the past, turn back time, and make love last
Or replace the things lost of your soul
But if you knew how much I care would that ease the pain you bear?
Would you believe my love will always be quietly there for you?

If I offer my love and hold you near, will that make those scars all disappear?
Could you learn to feel secure sharing love that's real and pure
Could it fill the void and take away your fear?

I can't change things in the past, turn back time, and make love last
Or replace the things lost of your soul
But if you knew how much I care would that ease the pain you bear?
Would you believe my love will always be quietly there for you?

Can you take my love, my gift to you?   I need to feel its healing power too

I can't change things in the past, turn back time, and make love last
Or replace the things lost of your soul
But if you knew how much I care would that ease the pain you bear?
Would you believe my love will always be quietly there for you?

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(Quietly There CD)

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Eleanor Rigby (by John Lennon/Paul McCartney)

 [Sounding key of Am; Tracy plays in Em using standard tuning, full capo at 5th fret]  

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been...Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door...Who is it for?

All the lonely people...Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people...Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Father mckenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear...No one comes near.
Look at him working. darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there...What does he care?

All the lonely people...Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people...Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name...Nobody came
Father mckenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave..No one was saved

All the lonely people...Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people...Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people

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(Quietly There CD)

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Silent Care
© 2004 music by Tracy Jane Comer, lyrics by Randy Green
See also: CHARTS

[Sounding key of C modal; no capo, guitar is tuned to CGDGBE]  

I think I’ll take a walk tonight…three days from full, should be some light
Got a thought or two to bring, figure out some things
See what I can find in this fog of my mind
And you’re off with me, into the night, into my time... Into moonlight

Look around, the dark is mine, ample peace, quiet sound
You feel my triumph…For none but me dim light is shone
And I wonder too, how can so much be left for so few
Who love the space, the pall, the haze, lLove the respite from the days
Who know themselves as lost but safe
For no one cares or sees their drift fFrom thought to thought, from cliff to cliff
Who is this who wanders there and never doubts that she should dare?

And yes, she does it all the time…No one knows that this is mine
And mine is there, as yours is rare
With need of only one to share the calm of night and silent care

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(Quietly There CD)

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Just One Person
(© 2004 music by Tracy Jane Comer, lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer and Randy Green)
See also: CHARTS

[Tracy plays on piano, key of Cm]  

Make me laugh, or go down deep...Wake me up, or sing me to sleep
Take me out on a hot, dark night, or sit with me and watch the stars go by

You might have to flex your attitude to put me in the proper mood
Lose logic, use your intuition...Life’s too short to be just one person

Tell me now all that you hold dear...then tell me just what I want to hear
What’s this love you hope to find...the everlasting or the temporary kind?

If you want me then you’ll have to know when to hold tight, when to let go,
When to go slow, when to show some passion...Life’s too short to be just one person

Satisfy my need for variation, Let me inside your imagination
I know you have more selves inside...Show me yours, and I’ll show you mine

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(Quietly There CD)


 

SUGGESTED ARTIST AWARD
VH-1's Song of the Year
International Songwriting Contest
Folk Category, Dec. 2004

HONORABLE MENTION,
PEACE DRIVEN SONGWRITING CONTEST, MAY 2006

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This Losing Game  (Goodnight, Moon)
© 2004 music and lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer
See also: CHARTS 

[Sounding key of E; Tracy plays in standard tuning, partial "Esus" capo (covers ADG strings) at 2nd fret]  

A balanced flashlight just illuminates the page, a tired soldier’s hand begins to write
A tattered notebook full of fringes in the spine, remnants of letters written other lonely nights
“How are things there, well, I know it’s hard alone…
How is Katie – Does she still like Goodnight, Moon?
I hate to miss her birthday party in July but there’s no sign of peace anytime soon”

After all these years, after countless wars, we still raise our guns and we fight some more
And we still don’t know how to count the score in this game of war

He reads it over slowly one last time, places some X’s and O’s
And wonders if he’ll ever see this page again, He licks the envelope, presses it closed
Now everyday he simply tries to make his way, and tries to think of what to feel and what to say
And tries to reconcile the things he sees today with thoughts of a loving God to whom he prays

After all these years, after countless wars, we still load our guns and we kill some more
And we still don’t know how to count the score in this game of war

Miles and miles away she reads a bedtime story by the soft glow of lamp light
“Goodnight pillow, goodnight teddy, goodnight stars, Goodnight, Moon, Goodnight.”

After countless tears shed for precious blood, can’t we stand and say that enough’s enough?
Yes, they need our love, and they need our cheer, but what of us now, we need our heroes here
And it’s we who are lost, and it’s we who must cry for freedom’s cost, for all who die
And we still don’t know why we play this losing game

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Pathetic Fallacy   © 2004 music and lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer
See also: CHARTS 

[Tracy plays on piano, key of Eb]

Seven sisters, ever running, ever crying...tears of beauty, pearls of light up in the sky
There’s strong Orion, in pursuit across all time, wielding arrows, at once so close and far behind
And a world of hopeful dreamers looking into the night, casting their wishes to these lights
And all those sisters, ever frenzied in their flight, never notice all those dreamers in the night
Here in quiet futility, I cast my own wish on Pleiades
That all I now believe won’t prove to be pathetic fallacy

Fragile balance between hope and fantasy...naïve notions of how life’s supposed to be
I stand idle, pondering mythology, strain my eyes…where does that vanishing point lead?
So much there beyond my periphery, so much hurt outside of what I choose to see
And all the wisdom of the ages can’t explain why things happen time and time and time and time again
Still, in my futility, I will cast this wish on Pleiades
That all I now believe won’t prove to be pathetic fallacy

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SOLO version from Yellow Bike EP

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BAND version from Quietly There

FOURTH PLACE WINNER
ROCK/POP CATEGORY, SOWI
(Songwriters of Wisconsin Int'l)

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Baggage
© 2003 music by Tracy Jane Comer, lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer and Randy Green
See also: CHARTS

[Key: sounding key is Eb modal, Tracy plays in key of D with guitar tuned DADGBD and capo at 1st fret]

Years ago you took my hand...two strangers in a stranger land
With you I escaped this world, and played my role as just your girl

Once or twice upon that time I thought that I saw love in your eyes
Your soft singing in my ears fed my passion, calmed my fears

Now it’s all turned bittersweet, I just can’t be your fantasy
You only love what you control, have to cast me in your mold
You hold so tight I cannot breathe, with paranoid jealousy
Now I think your love has too many strings attached

And it feels like baggage, in an old freight car
Sitting on a siding, never going far
Baggage just weighs me down
It’s all just baggage, a heavy load, ball and chain around my soul
And it has no place now

Was it just my desperate need to feel someone loving me
That drew me to your face, and lured me into your embrace

In the quiet, in the dark, urgent kisses, lovers’ sparks
Burning hot, burning fast, fire so hot it couldn’t last
You gave me a will to live, I gave you all I had to give
You used it up through all these years, ‘til all that’s left are bitter tears

Now it’s all just baggage, in an old freight car
Sitting on a siding, never going far
Baggage just slows me down
It’s all just baggage, a heavy load, it's wrapped itself around my soul
Well it has no place now

Well maybe there was once real love between us
Or maybe it’s all been just wasted time
Well maybe time can soften all these jagged edges
Or maybe I’ll just leave this heavy load behind

Years ago you took my hand...two strangers in a stranger land

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(Quietly There CD)

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Hello     © 2000 music and lyrics by Tracy Jane Comer

[Sounding key of Ab; Tracy plays in key of G with guitar tuned DGDGBD and capo at the 1st fret]  

Hello can you see me?
You could call me Alice, though I’m standing on the wrong side of the glass
And only part of me comes through
Hello can you see through me?
Sometimes it’s hard to go on feigning normalcy
When I don’t know just why or if it matters if I do

You take my hand, and I nestle in the shelter of your love
And I try so hard to feel that it’s enough
And I know that you know, even if I never breathe a word
So I’ll try to play the scene for just another day

Hello can you hear me?
I’m shouting or I’m whispering, I can’t tell which
But does it even matter, ‘cause I don’t know what to say
Tell me, can you feel this heat?
It feels like deep inside there’s something boiling
But I can’t find the source of the fuel that feeds this flame

You take my hand, and I nestle in the shelter of your love
And I try so hard to feel that it’s enough
And I know that you know, even if I never breathe a word
So I’ll try to fight the flames for just another day

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SOLO version from Yellow Bike EP

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BAND version from Quietly There

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Drive for Miles
© 2003 Tracy Jane Comer
See also: CHARTS

[Sounding key of B; Tracy plays in key of G with guitar tuned to CGDGBE, capo at 4th fret]

Running a little late, and the tank's a little low
But I'm not in a hurry, I'm just singing to the radio

Cars move all around me, stepping up the pace
And I cruise down the slow lane, lost in my own space
And I can drive for miles and never see what's all around me

I'll take a drive on the back roads, so I can take some time to think things through
Put some miles between myself and all these things I've got to do
Look for signs and try to see what they say to me

It's just like me to miss the road despite all the signs along the way
Is it poor navigation or just lack of attention that's to blame
My head's too far up in the clouds my sister used to say
Some things never change I guess I'll always be that way
Cause I can drive for miles and never know if I'm on the wrong road

And when you're at that fork the stats would say half the time you'll go the right way
But I can't seem to meet those odds, even on my best of days
But maybe I'm just wasting time looking for some dotted line
I've heard it said that there is more than one right way to go sometimes
And maybe I'll decide today
The road I'm on is OK

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SOLO version from Yellow Bike EP

FINALIST
VH-1's Song of the Year International Songwriting Contest
Folk Category, Dec. 2005

HONORABLE MENTION,
PEACE DRIVEN SONGWRITING CONTEST, MAY 2006

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In This New Year (Instruments of Peace)
© 2003, 2005 Tracy Jane Comer, bonus track added for Oct. 2006 re-release
of Yellow Bike EP (formerly titled Solo Gu