Not Done Yet
(2015 John Kramps)
(Lyrics: John Kramps; Music: John Kramps, Steve Rehfeld)

With one foot in the womb
and the other in the grave
and such a short time in between

Is my soul damned to be doomed
or can it still be saved?
It won't be long until
it won't be long until I see

I'm gonna do what I want
I don't give a damn what you think
You can say I'm too old
But I'll just say one more thing:

I'm not done yet
I'm not done yet

Prosperity makes friends
Adversity reveals those who just pretend
(And how do you measure your life's success?)

Ignore your friends and treat them like a little witch,
until karma reaches up and slaps you like a bitch
(like the little bitch you are)
(Is it your money or your happiness?)

I'm gonna do what I want
I don't give a damn what you think
You can say I'm too old
I'll just say one more thing

I'm not done yet
I'm not done yet

Even when I'm down for the count
You better not count me out
Just when it looks like the end
I'll be ready to rise up again

I'm not done yet
I'm not done yet
I'm not done yet
I'm not done yet

Not Done Yet

Why I Spy 
(John Kramps 2004, 2015)

You'll never understand why
I felt the need to pry
You can't comprehend (why I spy)
I only did it cause I didn't want you to die
(Don't die)

It happened such a long time ago
Where the hell does the time go
There's something I still need you to know
I only did it cause I didn't want you to go
(Don't go)

Chorus:
I can't catch you, if I can't see you falling
I can't come running, if I can't hear you calling
I can't wipe your tears, if I don't know you're crying
How can I save you, if you won't tell me when you're dying

If I had the chance to do it again
I know I'd be a better friend
I wouldn't have hurt anyone
And you wouldn't feel like you had to hate me
(Forever)

Chorus

I'm sorry I scared you
But I wasn't stalking
Maybe I could get you to understand
if you and I were still talking

It wasn't like that
It wasn't like that
It wasn't like that
It wasn't like that!

Chorus

Why I spy
Why I spy

Why I Spy

Into Another Night
(John Kramps: 2001, 2015)

Drink too much
scathing words
violent exchange
unending hurt

So much time
wasted time
wasted love
wasted life

Chorus:
I said (I love you)
You said (you hate me)
I try to (hold you)
But you walk (away from me)
You said (f*ck you)
But you didn't want to
(Into another night)
into another fight

Think too much
cannot change
so confused
feel so used

Bloodshot eyes
clouded head
hollow heart
empty bed

Chorus

Into Another Night

Empty Pockets
John Kramps (2001, 2015)

I ain't got no dollars
I ain't got no sense
I ain't got no pounds
I ain't got no pence

I ain't got no cash
I ain't got no credit
I ain't got no assets
Just a lot of debt

Chorus:
Do you still want me 
even though my pockets are empty
Do you still want me
even thought my pockets are empty

I ain't got no brains
I ain't got no sense
Got no wisdom
or intelligence

No charisma
lack the social skills
how could anyone
want me still

Chorus

Empty Pockets

A Damn Bore
(John Kramps: 2002, 2015)

I got no jokes or stories
she ain't heard before
she says my thoughts and opinions
ain't even worth listenin' for

But she sad she'd stay forever
even if we lived in a shack
but all the money's spent
so she gone and went
and she ain't never comin' back

Chorus:
She don't want me no more
Cause I'm a damn bore
Ain't filthy rich, I'm dirt poor
Yea I'm a damn bore

she was fine and she was hot
she was quite exotic
We had ourselves some damn good times
Some were quite erotic

But I wasn't the kind of guy
she could ever take home
so she hit the tracks 
and never looked back
She left me here all alone.

Chorus

A Damn Bore

Looks Like The End
(John Kramps: 2005, 2015)

What an ass I've been
I hurt her again
Some wounds will never mend
Like the ones caused by your best friend

Things spinning by so fast
If only I could change the past
I always thought that it would last
But it's too late now, there's no turning back

Chorus:
Oh my God, what have I done
I'm gonna lose my only one
It looks like this is the end
Not a matter of if, but of when
She can't take what I put her through
Now what am I going to do
It looks like this is the end
This time it really looks like the end

Never seem to win our fights
Not even when I'm right
When she can't see things from my side
It makes me feel like I'm gonna die

Been together for so long
Where did we go wrong
Used to have a love so strong
But now it feels like all the love is gone

Chorus

Looks Like The End

Lucky:
(John Kramps: 2012, 2015)

Lucky to ever have had you in my life
Lucky to call you my friend
Lucky to share a second of your time
Lucky to get to see where this path of knowing you begins
And hopefully never ends

Chorus:
Lucky to have your star shining above me
Lucky to have gotten to know you
Lucky to feel your aura to remind me that you love me
Lucky to get to show you
I'm lucky to get to love you too

Lucky to ever have felt your skin upon my skin
Lucky to have been your first
Lucky to have your mind melded with mine
Lucky to have our souls so intertwined
They filled our hearts up until they were about to burst

Chorus

Lucky

INSPIRATION
(2012,2015: Lyrics: John Kramps, Music: John Kramps, Steve Rehfeld, Rod Thompson, Dean Flack, Patrick Vidal)

Every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day:
I can still feel another little piece of my soul bein torn away.
And every week, of every month, of every year, for the rest of my life:
I'll still feel the pain from losing you, cutting out my heart just like a knife.

Chorus:
Am I devoid of emotion baby?
Am I a hollow man?
No more inspiration baby,
since you've gone, I don't give a damn.

I loved you with everything, I gave you everything that I had.
But when I asked you to stay forever, you reacted as if it was bad.
When other guys wanted to hold you, you just couldn't resist,
But I was persona non grata to almost everyone,
you pretended like I didn't even exist.

Chorus

Bridge:
I look in the mirror: what do I see?
Death's eyes, staring back at me.
I look again, who can it be?
Just the lifeless shell of the man I used to be.

Every time that you went away, I gave another piece of me, that you never gave back:
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a broken heart heart attack.
After the last time you went away, you promised you'd be back again.
But you took so much of me, that I can never feel again.

Chorus

Inspiration

When I was in high school, I received a letter in my mailbox, apparently from an ex-girlfriend.  This song is about that letter.

Not Letting Go (September)
(John Kramps: 1983, 2015)

Verse 1:
I haven't had a kiss since so long ago
And now my blood is starting to overflow
I need a lover 
And I need a friend
Someone that'll be there forever
That'll love me till the end

Girl in you, I think I've found just what I need
I don't know what I'll do, if you ever leave

Cause I don't think I can make it alone
And I'm telling you, I'm not letting go

Verse 2:
It's been a long time since I've seen you last
And you say that we'be both changed
You said you still remember me, you'll never forget the love we shared

You said that it hurts 
when you hate someone that you once loved
You said you're glad we don't hate each other
Cause what we had was so much

You covered the letter with perfume
You didn't sign your name, but I, I knew it was you

Cause I've always known you were the only one who ever really cared
And ours was the only true love that I'd ever shared

End:
Oh, September, I want you to know
Please remember, I'm not letting go

Not Letting Go (September)

This is my first attempt at something akin to a cowboy song, and also my first time trying to play the harmonica (one take).
Thanks for the harmonica Mitchell & Jennifer!

I wrote this Sat 30 Jan, 2016, and recorded it the next few days until today (3 Feb, 2016).

As with a lot of my songs, the guitar parts, lyrics, chords all came to me pretty much at once.

Anyway, this is called "No Good"

Lyrics:
No Good

Verse1:

The stories said he was a real mean man,
hundreds of years old.
When he rode into town, everyone ran,
they said he didn't even have a soul.
Ice cold eyes, lines hid his face,
ice cold steel by his side.
Aimlessly wandering from place to place,
then into town he'd ride.

Chorus1:

They said:
"He's no good, better run while you still can!"
"He's no good, stay away from the silent man!"

Verse2:

She looked soft, she was sweet,
just like a dream come true.
But everyone said to stay away,
they said: "she's no good for you!"

But times were tough, she was poor & alone,
So she had to make her own way.
Sign hanging, upon her door,
said "shared love for pay"

Chorus2:

They said:
"She's no good, we do not approve!"
"She's no good, we want her to move...along!"

Move along....

Bridge1:

One day he rode into town,
but she didn't run away.
She led him through her door,
but he didn't turn away.

Bridge2:

He fell to his knees, and looked into her eyes.

Chorus3:

He said:
"I'm no good, we both know it's true."
"I'm no good, I'm not good enough for you."

Bridge3:

She fell beside him and into his arms

Chorus4:

She said:
"I'm no good, we both know it's true."
"I'm no good, I'm not good enough for you."

Chorus 5:

They said:
"You're no good, but can't you see?"
"You're no good, but you're good enough for me."
 
Chorus6:
I'm no good
no good
I'm no good
no good

GuitarDOM

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