Chameleons and Butterflies
Music & Lyrics by Adrian West
Copyright 2007

There's a window to my soul
Inside everyone I know
I've been gazing through those windows all my life

But I'm beginning to break free
Of their influence on me
I can't please everybody all the time

In the company of chameleons and butterflies
You'll find that I do not do well at all
Yet I don't suppose that I'd prefer to be with those
Who only want to pin me to the wall

In the halls of social grace
No one mentions to your face
Any words that might disturb or bring you down

But they'll talk behind your back
About the qualities you lack
All the feathers in your cap are tumbling down

In the company of chameleons and butterflies
You'll find that I am not an easy sell
There may come a time when I'll be more inclined to buy
Into the little lies that people tell

I walk alone down by the water's edge
To find a little peace
And healing colors fille the sky

And perhaps it's just as well
I don't ask and you don't tell
Safe and cozy in our shells we carry on
We carry on
We carry on
Like nothing's wrong

In the company of chameleons and butterflies
Now finally I'm feeling right at home
For now I understand that there are things about a man
That truly he would never wanna know

Dr. Ellis
Music & Lyrics by Adrian West
Copyright 2007

Ned's no good at going to bed
Stays up half the night instead
His body hurts, his eyes sting
Putters 'round doing nothing
God knows he could use the sleep
He can barely make it to his feet
Pretty soon it's 2 am
Oh no he's done it again
Every morning is the same
He's only got himself to blame cuz'

Chorus:
People are strange
Got noisy brains
Stuck in their ways
People can change

Jake's no good at being on time
Running ragged all day and night
Leaving when he should be there
Plane's already in the air
Now he's racing across town
Makin' people wait around
Tired of fabricating lies
Traffic jams are improvised
Can't stand to be the man
That ruins everybody's plans but

Chorus

Bridge:
In the back of my mind
I've been wondering why
Anybody would act so absurd
Dr. Ellis would tell us in so many words:
"We're not logical animals, we're psychological" yeah

Helen's yellin at her kids
Just the way her momma did
Riding them until they cry
Feeling guilty all the time
She heard about him yesterday
A therapist who passed away
It's in the news and on TV
The life and times of Dr. E.
One look inside her mind
She can hear the doctor cryin'

Chorus

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Every Mile
Music & Lyrics by Adrian West
Copyright 2007

Another day on the road
There's still a long way to go
I am so looking forward to being home

But I'm remembering a child
Who devoured every mile
Even on some neverending family drives

I could while away the time
Staring at the power lines
Swooping up and down like sparrows while Dad drove

And all the rows in the fields
Looked like spokes on a wheel
I could almost feel the world spin around me

Every car on the road
Had two eyes and a nose
They came alive in my mind like little toys

Mercedes Benz's looked afraid
Like they had nowhere to turn
And Chevrolets had the gaze of a sad girl

Light Your Fires
Music & Lyrics by Adrian West
Copyright 2007

When I start dreaming
I go a little too far
Wind up believing
I'm some kinda rockstar

When my head is in the clouds with this vanity
Won't you bring me back around to reality

I'll do the laundry
You do the dishes
I'm lucky I found me
Somebody who listens
When I share the tirbulations of another day
When I'm quiet cuz I find I don't have much to say

Chorus:
There's no time for looking back, life is for living
I don't try to reconcile taking and giving

Lavish the children
With our affections
We see in their lives
Our own reflections

We are working for the good of all humanity
We're indulging one another's little fantasies

Bridge:
Light your fires while you are young
Keep you warm when you grow older
Light your fires while you are young
Your spark is hot now make it smolder
Light your fires while you are young
Keep you warm when you grow older
Light your fires while you are young
Your spark is hot now make it smolder

Chorus

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Separation
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Barbara West
(c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

Come along, go with me, come along go with me
Come along, go with me, to the wide field shining

Leave the trees the great wood and the lake
Leave the trees the great wood

Birds in the morning, bright sky
Birds in the morning overhead

Just bring the few things that you need
Just bring the few things that you need

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Summer's Ghost
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Barbara West
Copyright 2007

I told her to take it easy on the cigarettes and caffeine
I told her to take a break from the wine and Jim Beam
She didn't listen to me, just kept on
Nothin' good goin' on

She had a find memorial, plenty of folks turned out
The preacher did a good job, told us all about
Her sunny disposition, her favorite song
All good, no wrong

I'm all alone and holdin', keepin' strong
Summer's ghost comes along

It was two or three months later, kinda like a dream
She walked in my bedroom wearing bright white jeans
She told me it was different being gone
Neither right nor wrong

I'm all alone and holdin' keepin' strong
Summer's ghost comes along

It got to be a habit, she'd come every night
It's not that I was scared, it just didn't seem right
Summer I am sorry that things went wrong
But your time is gone
I'm all alone and holdin,' something strong
Summer's ghost comes along.

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The River
Music & Lyrics by Adrian West
Copyright 2007

The birds are singing a delicate song
A slow current pulls us along
Our love is a river we're drifting on

But it's getting louder, that thundering roar
Is getting too close for us to ignore
We look at each other and race to shore

                'Cuz here on solid ground
                There is nowhere to hide
                From the storms in our lives
                That make it so the river holds
                The kind of love we're dreaming of

Little by little, day after day
The water wears all our edges away
And your blood is running inside my veins

All my obsessions, all of your fears
Crashing down through the valley of tears
They have been with us a million years

                Here on solid ground
                There is no need to hide
                From the storms in our lives
                That make it so the river holds
                The kind of love we're dreaming of

                We're on solid ground
                Where we know we'll survive
                All the storms in our lives
                That make it so it overflows

The kind of love we're dreaming of
The kind of love we're dreaming of
The kind of love we're dreaming of

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Turquoise Chevrolet
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Barbara West
Copyright 2006

It was a brand new year but the same old me
Trying my luck in another city
'Lost my coat and I didn't have a place to sleep

Saw a classified ad: Free Rent
Just water the plants, take care of the pets
I found the address and I'm standing outside on the street

When I heard "Right this way!" from a turquoise Chevrolet
There was something in the back seat - didn't want to look too close
She said "Won't you stay while I make my getaway
I'll be gone a month or two at the most"
She hit the gas and tossed me the keys
Then it started to snow

Chorus:
Nothin' on my mind I'm just taking it slow
Everything's fine I'm just carrying on

Well the snow fell fast and my feet got cold
Guess it was time to get outta the road
With the key in my pocket I headed on up to the place

It was 3 stories tall, brick and cement
I coulda done a lot worse for the rent
I opened the door to a quizzical face

It was a miniature poodle
A pink bow in her hair
With a knowing charm
She showed me what was there

There was a chicken, a rooster, a  pair of turtles
A salamander and a gerbil
A monkey and a parakeet
The biggest iguana I've ever seen
There was a lizard, a llama, an alligator
A rabbit and a refrigerator
Plenty of food to last me thru the snow

'Stirred up a pan of macaroni & cheese and I
Cuddled up on the couch

Chorus

Well it's summertime now and we're getting along
Been here so long I feel I kinda belong
When the money ran out I started up a petting zoo
Everyday kids'll come by sooner or later
I always try to keep an eye on the 'gator
But mostly she's mellow, hanging by the side of the pool

But then one fine day
Got a visit from Turquoise Chevrolet
The lady paid her admission
Said it was a real nice show
Hope you'll stay, gotta little more business in L.A.
Here's some cash, I see the rabbit chow's runnin' low
I took the cash, got up from my chair
She asked me never to go

Chorus

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You Come Around
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Barbara West
(c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

I sit here and watch as the
neighbor boy passes by in a wagon pulled by
his mother the stoplight changes from red to green
red to green red green red to green red to
the cat she sits the cat she watches
cat she sits the cat she watches
cat she crouches cat she pounces

You come around when the day settles down
Talking gentle and slow to me alone
Good company mmm right here with me
After all this time in back of my mind

You laugh at my fondness for sweet roasted almonds
From my neighbor’s good tree, a little reluctant to share them

You come around when the day settles down
Talking gentle and slow to me alone
Evening comes on hmmm humming a song
Your voice with mine in back of my mind

You laugh at my fondness for chocolate and oranges
Their taste brings you to me sweet sharp and lovely 

Trucks on the freeway the crows settle in and you watch them with me,
I can feel it every time.

Watery World
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Barbara West
(c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

Walking along dragging our feet through the sand
Water is warm you feel better once you get in
Watery world offers its riches to you
Caught in a swirl no doubt about what you should do

Chorus:
We're right on time, we're all in line
Pleasure comes in every size
It's happening, the things unseen
They open right before your eyes

Follow the school of sun dappled wandering fish
Eternally cool safety in knowing your niche
Time flows along you don't have to know what to say
Nothing is wrong there's nothing to do in a day

Chorus

Late afternoon it's time to have something to eat
Fork and a spoon everything's picnic complete
Bottle of wine no one's expected to drive
Plenty of time busy just being alive

We're right on time we're all in line
Pleasure playing seek and find
It's happening, the things unseen
Open up release your mind

[top]

What It Is
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Adrian West
(c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

Out of the darkness, a flash of light
This barren world was brought to life
By age of wonder, a sight to see
So many hungry mouths to feed
Dunno where I'm gonna go when my body dies
Don't wanna know for a good long while
Ooooh....

Life is a puzzle I can't leave alone
I keep finding pieces, don't know where the y
I don't have a picture to hold in my mind
No corners no edges no borderlines
Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my time
Putting together the puzzle of life

Sometimes I feel like it's all just a dream
Nothing is ever the way it seems
All of my emotions, each drop of rain
Could all be illusions inside my brain
Then I remember how Adam and Eve
Lost it all by the apple tree
Better to leave them apples alone
The devil you see is the devil you know
Whatever life is, it's time to let go

[top]

You Don't
Music by Adrian West
Lyrics by Barbara West
Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved

Walkin' around town I get sad
Drivin' in my car I get mad
You don't ...
I miss the things I never had
I struggle with my Mom and Dad
You don't...

Broken down, I wonder what the point is
    I'm hanging out in the rain
All alone, wet & disappointed
    This time I think I'm outta the game
You don't....

I need to soothe my jangling nerves, cause we're
On a road with all these curves
You don't...
The other drivers slip and swerve
Life seems so unsure
You don't...

Everytime I pay the price of coffee
I lose my temper again
You don't...
All the people press in all around me
Make me wanna jump   outta my skin
You don't...

Young lovers act so smug you know I
Hate the way they kiss and cuddle.
You don't...
I kinda think I need some drugs or maybe
Dandelions and lightning bugs
You don't...

I can't explain why you're stickin' with me
    I wonder if you will stay
You don't..
I can't complain 'cuz everytime you kiss me
    I can tell that you won't go away
You Won't....

The copper bottom pots all shine
They used to tarnish with time
You don't...
The planets and the stars align
I wonder why I feel so fine
You don't...

[top]