"I Need You Here" copyright 2014 Andrew Flinner
=====================================

There's a space at the table for nothing but air
I won't set a place, but I can't move the chair
No one comes calling, and no one sits there
No one I know I can see
I need you here with me

Every new rose sticks its thorn in the wound
The light from the window is too bright for the room
So conscious I'm living, it feels like a tomb
It don't matter how much I breathe
I need you here with me

And now my heart is torn
And I feel too old to be reborn
I've lived enough to know that love isn't free

I hear your voice in the rain and the sun
You whisper in quiet when daylight is done
I know what you'd say when I wake up at one
At two, and a quarter to three
I need you here

I Need You Here

"The Tragic Courtship of Clyde Chestnut Barrow and Bonnie Elizabeth Parker" copyright 2014 Andrew Flinner
======================================================

	Stole a car in Texas, down near Telico
	They took me in ‘round Dallas, when the darkness was growing
	I think I knew then

	Killed a man in prison, he wouldn’t let me be
	I got out of Eastham, but I’ve never been free since
	I think I knew then

	It’s too late for me
	I’ve got it in my blood to fight ’til there’s none to bleed
	Got my pockets stretched thin with the wage of sin
	I know where this road leads
	But it’s far too late for me

	I fell in love in winter, back when I was clean
	I knew when I was with her, we had something between us
	I think I knew then

	Beautiful and reckless, soft as she was strong
	Raising hell relentless, we knew it was wrong, yes
	I think I knew then

	It’s too late for me
	I’ve got it in my blood to fight ’til there’s none to bleed
	Got my pockets stretched thin with the wage of sin
	I know where this road leads
	But it’s far too late for me

	Like my girl said, we fight man to man
	Like my girl said, we do all we can
	Won’t stop ’til our feet start to run out of land
	We’ll both be lost at sea
	Singing “it’s far too late for me”


The Tragic Courtship Of Clyde Chestnut Barrow And Bonnie Elizabeth Parker

HAUNTED FUTURE
===============

So he covered up his eyes and he counted to a hundred
He counted to a thousand while his friends all ran away

By the time he looked around, the world had gotten smaller
They'd crawled into a woodwork that had long since been replaced

Oh, fight the future to the ground
But the heart keeps losing time
Just like a watch that ain't been wound
Every breath gives up our ghost

So he straightened up his tie and he bought a cup of coffee
And settled for economy to pay back student loans

He took it all in stride, but he stared back from the window
Turning salt-and-pepper silver with a murmur in his bones

Oh, fight the future to the ground
But the heart keeps losing time
Just like a watch that ain't been wound
Every breath gives up our ghost

Haunted Future

ELECTRIC LULLABY
================

All across our yard the shadows sweep
The moon is on the rise
So rest your heavy eyes

Time to set a course under the deep
Sink beneath the brine
Swim into your mind

And sleep

Electric Lullaby

Gives me a stir to see you standing there that way
You make me simmer—I been burning low all day
Looking so sweet while you're turning up the heat
You move me til I don't know what to say

I gotta fan the smoke alarm whenever you're near
I think I been took in
So pardon me for looking
But it smells like something's cooking in here

Your eyes are smoking, but there's honey on your lips
Drives me crazy when you taste your fingertips
Gives me an itching to slip into your kitchen
Let me help you with that apron 'round your hips

Tell me all your secrets, whisper close in my ear
I think I been took in
So pardon me for looking
But it smells like something's cooking in here

Something's Cooking

I don't write a lot of comedic songs, but I do enjoy them. And during FAWM, I try to do at least one to keep myself fresh...

The goal here was simple: Take something mundane like describing a word-processing document and turn it into something you would want to listen to. What follows is my attempt to provide tips on the proper formatting of a resume, done in the style of "Hamilton."

I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :-)

As the curtain opens, our hero prepares to apply for a new job. Seeing that he is in need of help, his friends offer him some advice . . . .

HOW TO FORMAT A RESUME
=======================

If you wanna get the job
If you wanna reach the top
You can't stand in the middle
And you can't give a little
Gotta give it all you got

If you show up empty-handed
You won't get very far
You need to draft a document
That tells them who you are

A resume!

First get your text right—don't let your format defeat it
Best use a twelve-point font, so it's easy to read it
Remember distracting engravings flag like a virus
So stay away from stupid fonts like Comic Sans
Or Papyrus
The style is Times New Roman
Arial, if you're gonna go sans serif
Just keep it simple and professional
Nobody gonna care if
You're perfect for the position
If you can't represent
So take your time, make sure you say what you meant

Don't give up, never stop
Don't be who you're not

You have to show them who you are

So tell 'em 'bout your skills
What you're large in, in charge in
Keeping it all between one-inch margins
Then put a heading at the top of the frame
So they remember where you're from
And they know your name
Before you send it out, better double-check the quality
No room for typographical error, no anomaly
No comedy—it's serious, let me be clear in this
They wanna know that you're committed
With no fear in this
Lots of other candidates will take what it pays
We're talking all the best players
Making all the best plays the best ways
The rest graze, only the best stays
Their resumes amaze for days, set the boss ablaze
Make it double-spaced, but keep it short in length
Relate your history as relevant
Your weakness as a strength
The competition's tight, but put your nerves on ice
Gotta sell it right once, you don't get to tell it twice

If you wanna get the job
(Don't give up)
If you wanna reach to top
(Never stop)
You can't stand in the middle
And you can't give a little
Gotta give it all you got
(Don't be who you're not)

If you show up empty-handed
You won't get very far
(You have to show them)
You need to draft a document
That tells them who you are
(Who you are)

A resume!
A resume!
A resume!
A resume!

If you wanna get the job

How To Format A Resume

If stars are light years away, that means it takes years for their light to reach us. They could have burned out long ago, yet we still see them burning on. In a sense, a star that has died can be both there and not there at the same time.

People leave marks in the same way. Loved ones that have spoken things into your life can continue to speak long after they have passed on. If you have lost someone, take heart. This is for you.

IT'S BEEN AGES
=============

Wanna hold you close and breathe you in
But the air ain't never felt so thin
And all my stained-glass memories shine beautiful
But they don't have a view

I hear your voice like yesterday
But I know how far you are away
'Cause I was at your funeral
When we remembered all those things I never knew

You're home tonight
And I'm out in the shadows

Still the stars in your constellation glow
'Cause it takes the light forever to reach me here below
The heavens hold your mark
But by the time I see your spark
It's been ages since you went out in the dark

All the world is fast asleep
Dreaming of the things we keep:
Secrets and promises,
Silence, and peace that don't hold power

While you're out there beyond the shroud
Standing in the witness cloud
A galaxy just waiting for the word
Flying low around the tower

You're home tonight
And I'm out in the shadows

Still the stars in your constellation glow
'Cause it takes the light forever to reach me here below
The heavens hold your mark
But by the time I see your spark, it's been ages
It's been ages since you went out in the dark

It's Been Ages

LOVE'S COST
===========

Fly like the wind, boys, fly like the wind
Don't trust your weight to resolve, it's rusty and thin
She's fixing her hair all devil-my-care with designs to pull you in
If she comes in the night, take flight, and fly like the wind

Don't pay him mind, girls, don't pay him mind
He looks at you more than he listens, you don't need his kind
Someday he'll sweep you off your legs and leave your heart behind
If you feel like a pawn, move on, and don't pay him mind

You can fill your heart with promise
And dreams of come what may
But it isn't really love until you give it all away
You give it all away

If you want to know love's cost, consider it steep
You can give it away all for free, but it never comes cheap
It always hopes, and always trusts, but never gets to sleep
And might want the things you thought you wished you could keep
Take my advice, think twice, and land where you leap

Love's Cost

We fight to fix what we feel is wrong with ourselves, but only the Lord can truly heal what is broken. Deep change happens from the inside out when we surrender ourselves to Him.

A song of surrender to Jesus Christ, whose love is stronger stuff than we can comprehend.

STRONGER STUFF
===============

Before you, I didn't know
That I could be so hard-nosed and heartless
Been looking at myself with both eyes closed
Like a photograph taken in total darkness

Started up a war with myself
Fighting what strains us
Never win without your help
I keep fighting the changes

I wanna stay quiet
Hold my peace in the riot
I told myself "stay strong, it won't be long"
But my fists don't buy it

There's so much wrong needs righting
But I'm oh so tired of fighting
I'm giving up

I'm giving up, I've had enough
The things I thought I wanted went down rough
But your love, your love is the stronger stuff
Give me the stronger stuff

Been trying too hard to be beautiful
When all that I need is what you've spoken
Duct tape never did fix my soul
'Cause only your hands can fix what's broken

Been shadow boxing hard at the wall
But I'm just landing scratches
Listening for my own heart's call
But just catching snatches

I wanna stay quiet
Hold my peace in the riot
I told myself "stay strong, it won't be long"
But my fists don't buy it

There's so much wrong needs righting
But I'm oh so tired of fighting
I'm giving up

I'm giving up, I've had enough
The things I thought I wanted went down rough
But your love, your love is the stronger stuff
Give me the stronger stuff

No more the great pretender
I'll hold nothing back, Lord, I surrender

I'm giving up, I've had enough
The things I thought I wanted went down rough
But your love, your love is the stronger stuff

I'm giving up, I've had enough
The things I thought I wanted went down rough
But your love, your love is the stronger stuff
Give me the stronger stuff

Stronger Stuff

EVERYTHING ELSE
===============

The breath before the word
The step before you take it
The spark before the fire
The bend before you break it

You want a sure thing
Something beyond the pain
It's calling

Oh, what doesn't kill you makes you brave
Oh, and the truth is all that we can save
Everything else fades to gray
Everything else fades away

You can learn to live the lie
Learn to love the motions
Or you can raise your heart up high
And lose the beat in the explosion

You want a sure thing
Something beyond the pain
It's calling

Oh, what doesn't kill you makes you brave
Oh, and the truth is all that we can save
Everything else fades to gray
Everything else fades away

Everything Else

TRUCE
======

Your eyes are shining like the promised land
But I've seen you wave the white flag with a knife in your hand
It still don't feel safe to drop my guard
'Cause that might be just what you planned
Hope you understand

Still looking like you wanna go toe to toe
You look like death trying to catch your breath
But how was I supposed to know?
You came out swinging, and my fist didn't feel your wounds
Still healing underneath your clothes
We've both got damage to show

Let's call a truce
No more throwing stones, we gotta let this go
I feel it in my bones and every bruise
I'm not asking for trust
Let peace be enough for us
To call a truce

Can't tell if you're talking jive
Never know if you're blowing smoke
'Cause you can spin it like a 45
Well, we're all liars and thieves, dressed up like sheep
Wolves waiting in disguise
Why can't we compromise?

Let's call a truce
No more throwing stones, we gotta let this go
I feel it in my bones and every bruise
I'm not asking for trust
Let peace be enough for us

Let's call a truce
No more throwing stones, we gotta let this go
I feel it in my bones and every bruise
I'm not asking for trust
Let peace be enough for us
To call a truce

Truce

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness."

—Lamentations 3:22-23 (Holy Bible, NIV)
............................................................................................

"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it."

—Miss Stacy (Anne of Green Gables)


THROWN
========

I can't pretend you gave me no warning
Feels like the end—the sky is falling in
But in the morning, the future is new again

Pull me close, my heartbeat is hollow
Death prowls below—promise you won't let go
And tomorrow the future is new again

Oh, call me son, and I'll call you Father
Wash what I've done with holy water
Come take me on, and I'll be yours forever after
For as long as I remain

Thrown by mercy's glow,
The love you've shown that lets me rise again
Blown away by love
A perfect love that never knows an end

Andrew Flinner

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