Get all 6 Jan Seides releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
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1. |
High Hopes For You
03:02
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HIGH HOPES FOR YOU
I used to know a gypsy girl who lived in Central Park
Told me tales of strange adventures I could never share
She would come to my apartment sometimes after dark
A gypsy girl who lived her life as if she wasn't there.
Life is sweet
And Life is savory
Life is sour
And bitter too.
While you are
Your mother's baby
She has such high hopes
For you.
An Indian man whose name was Louie spent his days in Union Square
Poured himself into a bottle every afternoon
Told us jokes, told us stories. Told us that he had no cares
Though the life he once had lay about him all in ruin.
Life is sweet
And life is savory
Life is sour
and bitter too.
While you are
Your mother's baby
She has such high hopes
For you.
All her dreams
All those plans
All your choices
Are unpaid invoices
From rock musicians burnt from speeding, biker chicks with sleeve tattoos
Wall Street bankers sick with money, Prilosec at every meal
Laughing children in your schoolyard, please be careful how you choose
Life can change at any moment, consequences to reveal
Life is sweet
And life is savory
Life is sour
and bitter too.
While you are
Your mother's baby
She has such high hopes
For you.
You are still your mother’s baby
She has such high hopes for you.
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2. |
Dishonesty
03:08
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There's a mirror in my bedroom
To show me who I am
But the woman in it, isn't me.
Cuz mirrors just reflect
They show what you’re expecting
So what you get’s not necessarily what you see
Cuz that's the way of
Dishonesty
See the lies that I have told
The truths that I've mis-spoken
The answers I have phrased so carefully
Here, an act of less-than-kindness
There, a bit of willful blindness
But then everyone is blind to what they don't wanna to see
Cuz that's the way of
Dishonesty.
But I have secrets no one knows
I have scars upon my soul
I have dreams are crying out to be free
There is wisdom I must earn
And lessons I must learn
Or else this is the way my whole life will be.
There's a tree outside my window
Sways in every breeze
But it grows tall with graceful dignity
I will make that tree my symbol
Stop going where the wind blows
Stop trying to be what I think someone else thinks I should be
Cuz that's the way of
Dishonesty.
Yes, that’s the way of
Dishonesty.
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3. |
Gotta Dance
03:12
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Today I cast away my crutches
Cuz the truth is
I don't need them anymore
Though I had some doubts
Still I shouted
Hallelu-----jah
And I won't care
I'm no Fred Astaire
When I get out there on the floor
Cuz if I got a choice
And I got a chance
I gotta dance
Today I boxed up my excuses
And other useless things
Took ‘em down to the Goodwill store
And I put "Take a risk"
At the top of my list
of things to do - yeah
And even if I've never
Never ever
Done that step before
If I got a choice
And I got a chance
I gotta dance
Ooh, feels so good
Rockin' out in the real world
Like that scaredy-cat me never would!
Today I broke through the walls
And installed
Some windows and doors
And I can smell the honeysuckle
While I buckle on my shoes - yeah
And I won’t be listenin’
If you’re dismissin'
My dreams anymore
Cuz if I got a choice
And I got a chance
I gotta dance.
I got a choice
And I gotta chance
I think I’m gonna dance.
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4. |
Circle of Friends
03:07
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Rosa of the flowing hair
Dances to the music
In a long yellow gown
Here in Prospect Park
Came from 'cross the prairie
Moved into the city
Carefree on a Sunday
Stays till after dark
Rosa is a part
Of a large circle
On the picnic blanket
It’s a large circle
You’re invited to the banquet
Of a large circle of friends.
Katy's in a paperback
Written by her cousin
One of many characters
In a new memoir
About life in the country
She's got several copies
Would you like to buy one?
That Katy's pretty smart
She's another part
Of a large circle
On the picnic blanket
It’s a large circle
You’re invited to the banquet
Of a large circle of friends.
Kendra with her new tattoo,
Polly with her baby,
Tommy with his puppies,
Trade guacamole recipes
Wanda's here and Charlie,
But Jennifer is missing
New arrivals, arms spread wide,
Cheeks upturned for kissing.
Shirra who is newly blonde
And looks like Marilyn
Ready for her future
Of more fun to start
Loves them all completely
Loves their dogs and babies
And is loved so sweetly
And deeply from their hearts
Cuz Shirra is part
Of a large circle
On the picnic blanket
It’s a large circle
You’re invited to the banquet
Of a large circle of friends.
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5. |
Behind Closed Doors
04:00
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Behind closed doors
You never talk much.
You never know what's
The wrong thing to say.
Behind closed doors
You’ve lost touch
He doesn't like your friends
So you keep them away.
Everyone believes it's always someone else
Some other part of town
No one like themselves.
Everyone believes and no one wants to know
What goes on behind. closed. doors
Behind closed doors
He denies it.
Justifies it.
Tells you you are to blame
Behind closed doors
You imagine
People listening
And it fills you with shame...cho.
Cuz even you believe it's always someone else
Some other part of town
No one like yourself
Even you believe no one needs to know
What goes on behind. closed. doors
So you hide your bruises
And you hide your pain
And you make excuses again and again
No one questions
No one interferes
Cuz he’s everyone’s friend
He's everyone's friend
But yours behind closed doors
Behind closed doors
He shouts
Cries ring out
And then sirens wail
Behind closed doors
The neighbors hide
Turn out their light
And their faces are pale
Still wanting to believe it's always someone else
Some other part of town, no one like themselves
Everyone believes; no one wants to know what goes on
Behind closed doors
Everything’s OK behind closed doors
Everything is safely behind closed doors
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6. |
Femme Fatale
03:25
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Where are the Gretas and Marlenas and all the Mae Wests. Where are they?
No one tells the boys "come up and see me sometime". That's all out of style nowadays.
But I still yearn for old-time steamy romance In satin gowns and stockings with seams
and men that wear trenchcoats and fedora hats
I wish they'd bring all that back. Cuz I wanna be....
A femme fatale
I wanna be a vamp
I wanna whistle like Bacall
And have them all
Eating from my hand
They'll put me on a pedestal
Competing for a glance
I wanna be a femme fatale
I wanna be a vamp.
Though I am a liberated woman, sometimes I'd prefer to be a tease
When I see those starlets with eyes come-hither soft. I could pull that off, it seems to me.
And men would hold my coat & bring me jewelry. Open doors and pull me out a seat.
They'd stand by politely until I'd sit
Enjoy my sparkling wit and a little risqué repartee
From a....
femme fatale
I wanna be a vamp
I could be the party doll
That upsets all
Their other plans
I know it isn't fashionable
But it's so elegant!
Dietrich & Davis
They had it made
Mansfield & Monroe
Where'd they all go?
The women we admire now in the movies, are doctors & lawyers and chiefs.
And they don't look up thru their lashes, or pout their lips
They don't swing their hips or sit on anyone's knee
And if they're in another profession, they've all been reformed by act three
They've given up their cigarettes and champagne
I guess we've come a long way, but I miss the days of the
Femme Fatale
I want to be a vamp
I want to give the boys the eye
And call some guy my honey-lamb
I'd have them all in a spell
I'd have them in a trance
If I was a femme fatale, I would be sensational, I want to be a femme fatale
I want to be a vamp.
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7. |
Thinking of You
03:18
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It's 2:38
I'm still awake.
I am thinking of you
Why should it be
At a quarter to three
I am thinking of you.
I've watched some TV
Sex and the City
While thinking of you
I can't even read
The Code of DaVinci
Cuz I'm thinking of you
With a smile on my face that no one can see
I have no need for sleep apparently
You've invaded my thoughts and conquered my dreams.
And all of that's just fine with me.
If you came through my door
At ten after four
You'd find me here thinking of you.
If you spied by moonlight
At five minutes to five
I'd still be here thinking of you.
The minutes tick by
But when I close my eyes
I am thinking of you.
Soon I'll have to get up
But that won't mean I'll stop
Thinking of you.
With a smile I am hoping no one understands
I'll go through my day in Fantasy Land
You're in all of my plans and each thing I do
I'm not really trying, you'd say, and it's true
I don't ever want to be through
Thinking of you.
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8. |
Flying to New York City
02:59
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She says, “Flying is impossible.”
And I sure hope she’s wrong
Cuz we’re on an airplane
Flying to New York City.
I’m writing this in shorthand
So she cannot read the song
About our conversation while
Flying to New York City
She says “Not all that long ago
People walked where they were going
No one thought they’d ever be
Flying to New York City.”
“People didn’t move about
As if they were leaves blowing
In the wind, let alone
Flying to New York City.”
I say, “I guess that makes it some kind of miracle
That we still get on planes
“Yes,” she says, “cuz flying is impossible.
But it’s still possible for us to have faith.”
This song may seem a fantasy
But what can you expect
After all, we’re
Flying to New York City.
And I’m chatting with a stranger
I just met
And it’s all about miracles and faith
And flying to New York City.
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9. |
Rachel's Sister
05:08
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As far back as I remember
I was always Rachel's sister
Sometimes I think that started
Before she was even born
She was lively, she was clever
And everybody loved her
And when the men came looking
It was Rachel they looked for
Not me
I was Rachel's sister.
Jacob saw her fetching water
Asked if she was Laban’s daughter
And she ran home to let us know
To make room for one more.
I fell in love that night at dinner
He never saw for watching her
And when the meal was over
It was Rachel he asked for
Not me
Rachel's sister
This is the story as it's written
But these were the lives we were livin’
Here is the truth, not the one that others told
It’s the one that I know,
I am Rachel's sister.
They say Jacob was a trickster
But my father brought me forward
On Rachel’s wedding day
Draped in veils upon his arm.
So then Jacob worked the harder
And for Rachel, too, he bartered
Still, I thought I'd win him
When each new son was born
To me:
Rachel's sister.
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10. |
Forgive Your Debtors
03:33
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Once I thought I knew what life was all about
Once I thought that I could plainly see
Who owed what to whom was how the game was played
And more important, who owed what to me.
Wisdom borne of pain was my philosophy
By G-d! I had the right to sing the blues
But I found out as sure as you are looking to get even
Someone looks to get even with you.
Through the years I clung to my stories
And so my stories also clung to me
With fingers clutched tightly 'round my prison bars
I demanded and then begged to be set free
Always those words were there before me
Always they were whispering in my ear
Why could I not hear????
Forgive your family, forgive your friends
Forgive everyone who ever was or will be here again.
Forgive yourself. Make some amends
You'll find that life will be much better, if you do
Forgive your debtors.
Everyone's a victim and a saint
We're all heroes, cowards, tricksters … and fools
You could go on looking for someone else to blame
Or listen to the voice inside of you.
When it sets these words are there before you
When it softly whispers in your ear
Till you finally hear...
Forgive them one, forgive them all.
Forgive everyone who pushed you or stood by and let you fall
Forgive yourself first of all.
You'll find that life could be much better. Let it go.
Forgive your debtors.
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11. |
Every Now and Then
03:53
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Every now and then I dream of you again
From time to time
Why I’ll never know It was so long ago
You were mine
Like a treasure lost
Like a secret told
A glitter in the dust
A glow among the coals
A shiver of regret
And every now and then
I dream of you again.
Like a hurricane
You struck and changed everything
I thought I knew.
You were my day was night
You filled my earth and sky and I
Believed in you
Passionate and brief
Our tempest of a song
Melody so sweet
Harmony so wrong
Such was our duet
But every now and then
I hum that tune again.
You ran away
You didn’t even say
Good bye
Were you afraid
I used to pray your lie
Would come true
And somehow you’d love me too
But yes, I did move on
After you had gone
And I was done grieving
And I found again
A lover and a friend
I could believe in.
But still autumn-colored hair
A pair of moody eyes
A tilted smile
Will make me look twice
At someone I’ve never met
And every now and then
I dream of you
Again
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12. |
I Missed Texas
03:24
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When I left New York City I thought walls and lights were pretty
And wide-open space, well, that was Central Park
And when I pulled into Austin I thought soon I would be leaving
But a little bit of Texas
Got stuck here in my heart.
That sky so big it scared me
But the people were so friendly
I kept putting off the date that I would depart
Heading for the West horizon
Never realizing
The longer that I stayed
The more leaving would be hard
When I finally hit the road on Highway 10
I said “So long Austin. I won’t be back again.”
CHORUS
But I missed Texas every day and every night
I missed Texas even parts I didn’t like
I missed Texas. It was tearing me apart
Cuz a little bit of Texas was stuck here in my heart
So there I was in LA
And thinking I had it made
But every now and then, my dreams would fall apart
All the shoulders I could cry on
Were in a distant time zone
So I’d cry by myself, for the breaking of my heart.
Now I smile and shake my head
And say “How silly can you get?
“What was I thinking
To be wandering that far?”
And the man who walks beside me
I came home so he could find me
And we’re both firmly wed to the heart of the Lone Star
When I finally hit the road on Highway 10
I said, “Make room Austin! I’m coming back again.”
CHO
TAG
Yes I missed Texas and I will never more depart
Cuz a little bit of Texas is stuck here in my heart.
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Jan Seides Austin, Texas
Singer/Songwriter Jan Seides (sigh-deez) writes and performs original, lyrics-driven, award-winning songs that combine uptown sophistication with down-home truth. They have been presented with style and spirit in prestigious venues in the U.S., the Middle East and Europe. ... more
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