Don't let go don't forget where you're from or what you love or how to find your way back close your eyes let the rain carry you away let the wet July and the fireflies sing you down from the smokestacks smile inside let every muscle relax let the girl alive who loves summertime sing out loud shake her hair back don't let her die the girl inside the one who loves the world she's living in don't let her die the one who smiles who brings a light where're she goes maybe it's time to come home I know, you want to grow up you want to do the righteous thing how can you leave when there's a need and turn your back on their pain? You're not an East Coast gal, well, I promise you that it's ok it's not giving up it's not failing them to do what your heart needs don't let her die the girl you are the woman you are fast becoming don't let it die the dream you had the light you came here to shine maybe it's time to come home but... you notice one, small thing keeps on interrupting every day a might-be friend a subtle smile a nudge you know means "stay" just don't let her die the girl inside the one who loves the world she's living in no, grow some strength a tougher skin to do the work you came to do you never know what good may come or how the Lord might see to use you there will be time to go home

I see your face reflecting in my window pane I see your face floating in my Cheerios I see your face in the eyes of the man on the bus I see your face when it's not there I see your face in the swirl of the laughing clouds and in a drop of silver rain and I see your face in the suds of the dish I am washing I see your face when it's long gone and I'm trying not to fall all over you and I know it's a long, hard landing if you're not reaching out there for me but if, by chance, you think of me like I sometimes imagine you do why then, it's worth risking the fall I see your face in the smile of the setting sun and in the wind's sweet lullabye And I'll see your face for a long while yet to come even if you don't see mine

The sun woke me up today, beautiful leaf shadows tracing my wall I greeted my new day, smiling I love the morning in the fall but as soon as I stepped from my front porch kicking the leaves across the street I could feel their stares like the heat in my cheeks people wondering at my uneven walk (chorus) If I could run, run, run with my fists pumping hard, let the wind catch my hair if I could run, run, run away from here If I could fly, fly, fly out of sight, out of reach of those questioning eyes If I could run, run, run anywhere do you think that I can't hear you? you're too polite, but silent faces say it all do you think I wouldn't trade you for a body that's unnoticeable? no, it's not the pain in my bones that's hurting me the most it's the glance from the side, and the fear in my mind: what if it's just getting worse? (chorus) I know, I should be thanking the Lord for this sunshine on my face but some days the sun only reminds me too bad, you'll never join their race oh, I just want so bad to be equal like I know I was born to be not a cripple, not a freak just a girl on the street please stop staring, and come talk to me (chorus)

Well, I just wanna scream that I'm a grown-up now and I want you to notice I'm not so selfish but I know that no matter what things I learn to do I'll always be your child Yes, I forgot to call on Daddy's birthday cooked you dinner with cayenne, instead of curry don't earn enough money, gave my sister head lice and I failed at driving for the hundredth time well, I just wanna scream that I'm a grown-up now and I want you to notice I've grown less selfish but I know that no matter what person I become I'll always be your child but I call home on every Sunday and I live on my own, cook and do my own laundry I work three jobs, and I study hard why won't you see that I have changed? but it's still nice to come back home wearing our P.J.'s in the living room where the work is familiar, the sheets haven't changed and the love is free, and just the same and I just wanna scream 'cause I'm a grown-up now and I mess things up sometimes I'm selfish but I know that no matter what things I fail to do I'll always be your child I'll always be your child

You know that feeling you get when you start thinking too much about health insurance, or paying back your student loans? Or maybe you feel like a sell-out for getting your first cell phone or credit card? Well, I know how you feel Yes I know how you feel Well, maybe I'm too young to worry but I'm too old to ignore that life goes with, or without you I can't be waiting no more I don't want to push bull-shit I don't want to just get by I want to jump from this gerbil wheel and find my life yes, I wanna plant real trees I want us to grow real change I want our grand-kids to grow up and see the same, real sky well, maybe I'm too young to worry but I'm too old to ignore that life goes with, or without you I can't be waiting no more I don't want to just pay bills I don't want to just survive I want to jump from this train that's running away with my life yes I want to sing real songs I want to find out real love I want to do what feels right by my heart and with God above well maybe I'm too young and foolish but I'm too old to ignore that life goes with, or without you I can't be waiting no more I can't stay here where everyone's nice and the grass is perpetually green I got to check out the world, and see what there is to see and I want to hug lost souls I want to find grass that's less green I want to go where it's dark and the light they need is me well maybe I'm too young and foolish but I'm too old to ignore that life goes with, or without you I can't be waiting no more I can't be waiting no more

Little girl barely big enough to see out the window as the car pulls away down the street but old enough to know she'll have to act carefully if she don't want her Mama to leave her again But I was just a little girl crying for her Mama how could you leave your little girl for the arms of another? I still recall that little girl not knowing how to be angry at the one she was missing every day But you were a mess your sister passed, then your father, too your Tarot card readings conflicted as you wondered if a God in Heaven loved you and you wondered how with a husband and a child you could still feel so wildly alone? But you were just a little girl trembling on the inside a scared and wondering little girl without the strength to find a way to love that little girl with all her hopes, and dreams and fears wanting a life that wasn't hers And so, years passed summer became our season for corn husk dolls growing seeds, and belief free from reason and so I grew older in not one, but two families seeing what it can mean to be in love Maybe one day I'll have a little girl and I will be her Mama and we will love that little girl the best way we know how to and I will teach my little girl that life means making mistakes every day and learning that God loves us, anyway

Feeling fat and ordinary one of those days when my words come out contrary one of those days when the world's too cold for rain but it won't get the gumption to snow it's a feeling I know And my bus ride's quiet, empty one of those days but I'm not feeling friendly so it's okay and the houses rolling by are too plastic, and dirty, the same but I'm on my way to work can't let it bother me And the sunshine on the sidewalk should melt this weight away why do I see only cigarette butts and exhaust through my window pane? the scariest part of the flux of my feelings the nebulous ebb and flow is the low, low, low 'cause how do I know the tide will ever go? At my stop, I throw out my fast food cup though I know there's no 'away' I can't stand how my world gets more complicated the longer that I stay twenty-one years spent here, breathing but what more for me can I say? What if it's not just one of those days? I was supposed to save the world one of those dreams stop the cars, fill the streets up with gardens and trees one of those dreams but the older that I get the more I let them slip away through strings, and weeks, of days And the sunshine on the sidewalk should lift my heart on high so why do I see only more of the same consuming my life line? Yes, the scariest part of the flux of my feelings the nebulous ebb and flow is the low, low, low 'cause how do I know the tide will ever go? 'Cause how do I know the tide will ever go?

Well the wall paper at the Pilates studio is a two-dimensional version of where I'm from and I wonder if the wall of paper Douglas Fir trees is made from lumber trucked from Oregon? And I'm cycling mad rpm's through a virtual sunset look-out! Don't hit that virtual squirrel but the sound of rain outside on streets reminds me: I used to bike through wheat fields, for real Yeah, some things about New York are pretty strange but friends are far, and I'm a world apart and the only thing I know is times will change I can't expect old dreams to stay put The booker says he'll pay, if I get more than 15 friends to fill this struggling Chinatown bar you overpay for drinks at least the free peanuts are infinite maybe why the middle C won't work And I'm playing for a very different crowd here friends of mine, friends of the guy who's after me but your raucous cheering drowns out the talking and reminds me: I used to sing and play for you for free Yeah, some things about New York are pretty strange but friends are far and I'm a world apart and the only thing I know is times will change I can't expect old dreams to stay put Well, I'm waiting for the latest boy to call me up to star in my romantic comedy A Texan, you wear jeans that aren't so hip when I look up, your eyes have gone all googly And we're kissing in the bus stop on the first date man, I sure hope none of my students are catching this but the warmth of your hands on my skin reminds me: I used to get to know 'em before we'd kiss Yeah, some things about New York are pretty strange but friends are far and I'm a world apart and the only thing I know is times will change I can't expect old dreams to stay put And I want to be open to people that I meet the Russian Subway doctor and the bum at Bleeker Street And I want to be open to futures that I never could see even if that means I grow old teaching Chemistry I'm rattling around like a pea in the grandest of pods finding I traded green fields for lit boulevards so some things about living here feel pretty strange but I'm learning, and I'm loving, and I'm living in New York

On my bad days, I'm the heroine from the chick flick before she falls in love, who's teaching at students all day, takes the F-train home, eats dinner alone On my good days I am the heroine from the dream where I'm learning to save the world My bright young scientists ace their tests, my roommates we cook us a feast, good-night, sleep well But what if it this is life? This up hour, this down minute, this A+, this late train and the gum wad they threw on the ceiling that falls, but misses my head? Then maybe we shouldn't be waiting for love Well, Izzy cut my class again, and the look she gives me says, "I hate your guts," but Jean turned his first homework in, and laughs, because he knows his teacher is nuts, In SoHo I was drunk on Friday night and bought expensive Italian heels, but Emily says I can still be a hippie, and one day, a farmer, for reals But maybe this is life? This good act, this sell-out, soiled plans, plans for soil salsa-dancing 'till 2 on a school-night, and this, getting asked out? Then maybe we shouldn't be waiting for love 'Cause maybe one day, I'll have slugs in the lettuce, the chickens escaping again from the barn And my honey bikes home with a smile, 'cause I got the baby's hand un-stuck from a canning jar I see her, remembering out the window, this older me, of her New York City life It was tough at times, being single, missing family, rivers, and time But she puts down her knitting, watching spring rain drench rows of planted seeds She's glad that I enjoyed being single, in the City, and free And I think this is life this new song, this old fear new mistakes, same old tears Exploring wide, and falling hard and playing hand-ball in the school yard Learning what it could be like to be me Saluting Lady Liberty I'm growing up, and I pray to grow strong and see it's been my own life all along

Day after Thanksgiving and you're trembling in your childhood bed grass pokes through snow outside your heart is cracking, are you bleeding to death? Helpless, why can't I do more than throw another plaid blanket ov'er your shaking, bare shoulder? You never saw this coming, no, but whoever can? We think we are immune see ourselves above the faults that fall to others, oh your love is strong but it's crumbling now, you're crying good-bye it looks like we're not immune And we're using up the world's oil and we got no ready plans we drive to work, toss plastic bags and grow and cook our food with petroleum the fat we burn at the gym each week could one day soon be our saving grace but who doesn't grow up thinking that our lives will never really change? But we are not immune a twig on evolution's tree the pumps may dry, as food grows scarce and oceans rise, as wars reign fierce we could end as we began struggling to survive no, we are not immune But it's a snowy, sleepy morning and we're together, safe inside we strum guitars, a walk in the woods eat leftover pies, the air tastes good and I know it sounds crazy, but I think some day that the good in us all will be revealed and we needn't tremble, when we see we're not immune We know we're not immune yes, we'll die someday the future can't be guaranteed there will be times when we'll be in need but fear's no way to be living so let's hope with open eyes and give thanks for today

Armed with a stick, tied by a string you play Robin Hood and with a curtain tied 'round my head I am your faithful Maid Marion golden grasses higher than our heads never daunted you as we foraged for a feast by the edge of the alfalfa fields And I remember picking blackberries when the summer stretched as far we could see and the sunlight in your eyes, clear blue containing everything you knew Summers passed, we both got older you left your legos for a grown-up job you've grown a beard, and more recluse you don't seem so tall we sit together on another coast and stack rocks until the sunlight falls your voice is quiet, but your eyes haven't changed at all And we remember picking blackberries when the summer stretched as far as we could see when the world didn't weigh so great we didn't wonder how we'd make our way Now it's a smokey, August Sunday the summer's ending soon and we're driving down to the Redwoods your new girlfriend's coming, too and she sits by you, and speaks to you I see your family worry are you strong enough to say what makes you most happy? But I remember picking blackberries when the summer stretched as far as we could see and the sunlight in your eyes, clear blue containing everything you knew Yes I remember picking blackberries with you leading we could conquer anything so what befalls you, be it hard, or good to me you'll always be a Robin Hood

Sitting in the rocker by the fire, and my walker thinking about shuffling to the kitchen for some oatmeal but my bones are weary, aching and it sure is easier sitting I guess I'll close my eyes and wait awhile I know I should have more faith I'm getting better they say but I know that it could be like this again yeah, I'm only twenty-five but I feel much older inside as I wonder how my life will have to change And I just want to feel young and I want to feel free and like my life is fresh and full of possibility the way it used to be before I came to feel older than my age Oh, Lord, what's that you're saying? That I shouldn't be comparing to friends climbing mountains and playing on frisbee teams? But it's hard not to wonder how a young man with any gumption would pick a gal like me to be his girl And I just want to feel young and I want to feel free I want to join my friends and be a part of everything instead of staying home and sitting, all alone feeling older than my age One day a good friend says to me you know, you're just a little crazy you know there's more to love than just activities and she got me thinking about all my silly aches and pouts and a difference between me and the golden oldies I may be down, but I'm not gray and I don't plan on dying today and I got a lot of dreams I still want to shake out And I just want to feel young but I want to be me and let the Lord show me a way to smile through anything and to keep listening knowing it's fine to be older than my age a little older than my age

Antioch College taught him be ashamed to die, till you've changed the world so he lived with migrant workers and taught in East L.A. middle schools Daddy knew old friends were important he held his family dearer still as he ventured to Oregon, this is what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah oh, this is the passion he gave, this is what I'm from With an oboe, and wide-eyes blue my Mama left for Santa Cruz first French kiss, some weird trips read Karl Marx and lots of feminists she wandered, and wondered and found her way to Oregon, here to stay Love the Lord, unafraid to change this is what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah oh this is the faith that she gave, this is what I'm from Planning the revolution, and fighting for unions they fell in love their baby didn't learn to crawl 'till Hannah-the-Van-ah came rumbling home singing rounds on long hikes reading gender-neutral nursery rhymes free to be you and me, this is what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah oh this is the music they gave, this is what I'm from Left the mid-west as a youth with a will to explore and a rusty car Matt dumpster-dived and learned a trade and met crazy folks near the Everglades cooking Devil's French Toast, grow out your hair hike the wild, drink Mad Dog Beer be strong inside yourself, this is what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah this is the strength that he gave, this is what I'm from And Dawn was making wonderful friends, smoking lots of pot, forcing rules to bend philosophizing, school-bus driving traveled to Greece, started compost heaps the silliest leader in elderly care doing what women never dared love your friends, love the world, have a ball this is what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah this is the joy that she gave, this is what I'm from Well, years passed, decades spent babies came, marriage went home moved, we cried new grandparents, boycotts died but some things stayed, and these things grew our hearts are strong, we all pull through double the family, quadruple the fun and this crazy jumble of love is what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah, oh I'm so lucky to be from what I'm from This is what I'm from, love this love I'm from, yeah so thank you for making me from what I'm from Thank you for making me from what I'm from