A Thousand Songs

Valerie is Not for Me
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Once again alone at night
I swipe as fast as I can go
Left or right, I never know
Your face it never shows

I was told you would be here
with every click I feel you near
One thousand swipes
You don't appear

The name I know is Valerie
I search the  web, but none I find
One more night, out of my mind
Valerie is not for me

[instrumental interlude]

I saw that smile across a room
then you were gone, lost in the gloom
Some girl I knew gave me your name
But all she had was Valerie

From that night on I look for you
I search and swipe and ask A.I.s
It does not matter what I try
I go to bed alone and cry

The name I know is Valerie
I search the  web, but none I find
One more night, out of my mind
Valerie is not for me

[instrumental interlude]

Once again alone at night
I swipe as fast as I can go
Left or right, I never know
Your face it never shows

I was told you would be here
with every click I feel you near
One thousand swipes
You don't appear

The name I know is Valerie
I search the  web, but none I find
One more night, out of my mind
Valerie is not for me

[instrumental interlude]

I saw that smile across a room
then you were gone, lost in the gloom
Some girl I knew gave me your name
But all she had was Valerie

From that night on I look for you
I search and swipe and ask A.I.s
It does not matter what I try
I go to bed alone and cry

The name I know is Valerie
I search the  web, but none I find
One more night, out of my mind
Valerie is not for me

[instrumental interlude]

I saw that smile across a room
then you were gone, lost in the gloom
Some girl I knew gave me your name
But all she had was Valerie

From that night on I look for you
I search and swipe and ask A.I.s
It does not matter what I try
I go to bed alone and cry

The name I know is Valerie
I search the  web, but none I find
One more night, out of my mind
Valerie is not for me

[instrumental interlude]

Valerie is all I know
I'm swiping fast as I can go
Valerie is not for me
I try and try but can't let go
Valerie is not for me

Valerie Is Not For Me (B side)

Seven-Twenty-Two (LA)

And Some Go Splat
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
They just go splat, 
That's where they're at
They just go splat

Some hang around, they sing to me
Some hang around, they sing to me
They seem some free, 
and what a voice
They hang around and sing to me

They sample me, I have no choice
They sample me, I have no choice
A little bite, a little taste
They sit down, show no haste
A little bite, a little taste
show no haste

[instrumental]

Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
They just go splat, 
That's where they're at
They just go splat

Some think they own my world
Some think they own my world
they pick the time
Do what I'm told
they pick the time, they own my world

Some do it with such grace
Some do it with such grace
they pick the place
Show up on time
They pick the place, I love their face

I love their face

[instrumental]

Some stand on lovely legs
Some stand on lovely legs
These are the ones that never beg
Where do they lay their eggs
These are the ones that never beg
Such lovely legs

Some talk about romance
Some talk about romance
I never have a chance
They lead a lonely dance
I never have a chance

Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
They just go splat, 
That's where they're at
They just go splat

[outro]

Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
Some go whizzing by, and some go splat
They just go splat, 
That's where they're at
They just go splat

They just go splat
That's where they're at
They just go splat

And Some Go Splat

Another Day Another Song
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[instrumental]

What I write, it is a story, 
from my fingers it appears 
Born of laughter, mostly tears
By what means, is never clear

I write a song, an idea, just a few words
I place the sounds, to stay in time
to keep the pace, at times to rhyme
But what I say, is mine all mine

What I write, always too long
I must reduce, eliminate and choose
I cannot stretch for beauties' sake
I can't explain, one point to make

I can't delay, something to say
I blurt it out, repeat it once
more or less is a mistake
I take my chance, I get one take

[instrumental]

Composers take my words
they add the beat and melody
they take my work, my simple story
With their craft they add the glory
It was a bore, but now will soar
The lame lament, a tragedy
The silly joke, grand comedy
But what would they do without me

[instrumental]

Arrangers have it good
When they start the work is done
They just make some simple choices
Just instruments and voices
They take something that's good
and put the emblem on the hood
I dismiss them out of hand
talent too great to understand

[instrumental]

What would we do without the band
They are there to lend a hand
They set the beat keep us in time
fill in the gaps or sound sublime
The horns and strings can make us weep
The piano sets the tone
But it can do it all alone

[instrumental]

I don't forget the Engineers
They capture all the sound we hear
Every click, rattle, and hiss
There are no noises that they miss
They give us all a second chance
They give the power to the dance
They fix every mistake we make
If we need a hundred takes

[instrumental]

But then it needs a voice
I pity singers, their words my choice
Not only words, but the right tone
At the right time for just so long
In my mind it's them I hear
It's them I love, hate, and fear
Singers know they stand alone

Singers know they stand alone

[instrumental]

But then it needs a voice
I pity singers, their words my choice
Not only words, but the right tone
At the right time for just so long
In my mind it's them I hear
It's them I love, hate, and fear
Singers know they stand alone
If it don't work it is their shame
Singers know they stand alone

I pity singers

Singers know they stand alone

Singers know they stand alone

I Pity Singers (long and jazzy)

Only Coffee
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Only coffee, only that
That is all that I can hope
A little time, just a chat
You will ask, how do I cope

I smile and laugh it off
I ask about the house
I tell you something funny
Do you still have that mouse

But it comes up once again
I will have to speak of us
Does it still cause me pain?
I laugh, only when it rains

I look outside the window
Sure as hell, I see the rain
Did you have to ask right now?
When you know I hope in vain

You are the only friend I have
and I am not much of a friend
I share with you my grief
I don't need to pretend

hhaaara hhaaara hhaaara 
hhaaara hhaaara hhaaara 
hhaaara hhaaara hhaaara 
hhaaara hhaaara hhaaara 

I know I should not do this
But I want to take revenge
I ask you about her
I tell you she is strange

You smile and look down
You try to hide a frown
I have done this thing before
I should not do it anymore

hhoooo 
hhoooo 
hhoooo

We know it's time to stop
We start to say goodbye
Only coffee, only that
It always makes me cry


Only coffee, only that
That is all that I can hope
A little time, just a chat

Only coffee, only that

Only Coffee

The One
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

What I did for no good reason
I still regret it to this day
I got caught up in the game
I am the only one to blame

Of the mistakes that I could make
this is the one that takes the cake
of the many things I've done
this is always the worst one

Not all things can be undone
I will live with them forever
He could have been the one
I have learnt to live with never

[instrumental]

I was not thinking of a future
I was ignoring what I had
I was not thinking much at all
The decision was just bad

I should have begged for him to stay
It seems to me so very sad
But I saw him yesterday 
And he seems to be Ok, just ok

I have never gotten over it
I wish I could forget
But I guess I don't deserve that
All that's left is dull regret

[instrumental][2:51]

I have never gotten over it
I wish I could forget
But I guess I don't deserve that
All that's left is dull regret

Not all things can be undone
I will live with them forever
He could have been the one
I have learnt to live with never

[guitar solo] [3:51]

Not all things can be undone
I will live with them forever
He could have been the one
I have learnt to live with never


He could have been the one

He could have been the one

Not all things can be undone
I have learnt to live with never

He could have been the one

He could have been the one

Not all things can be undone
I have learnt to live with never


No Good Reason (torch)

If You Were My Pet
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

lara la la - la la la
lara la la - la la lal la
lara la la - la  la lal la
lara la la - la la la la

If you were my pet
If you stayed out all night
and came back home wet
It would be alright

If you were my pet
I would understand
Sometimes you would roam
But you'd always come home

lara la la - la la la
lara la la - la la lal la
lara la la - la  la lal la
lara la la - la la la la

If you were my pet
I'd give you a bath
I'd get you some food
and treat you real good

If you were my pet
and I was your man
I would stand by your side
and give you hand

You'd sleep in my bed
and I'd keep you warm
I'd take off you britches
and scratch your itches

We would go to the beach
and play in the waves
You would be on a leash
and stay within reach

I know you are wild
and would take off your clothes
But you are not a child
You can wipe your own nose

lara la la - la la la
lara la la - la la lal la
lara la la - la  la lal la
lara la la - la la la la

If you were my pet
One day you'd be old
I would keep you around
but in time put you down

That is how it should be
It is the right way
between you and me
Won't you please stay

Won't you please stay
stay here by my side
and be my pet
till the day that we die

lara la la - la la la
lara la la - la la lal la
lara la la - la  la lal la
lara la la - la la la la

[guitar solo]

Won't you please stay
stay here by my side
and be my pet
till the day that we die

[guitar solo]

Won't you please stay
stay here by my side
and be my pet
till the day that we die

If You Were My Pet

I'd Rather Have a Call
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[accordion intro]

I want to come back home
I don't want to live alone
I am staying at the beach
I try to keep in reach
But I never hear the phone

The waves bury the sound
Or maybe you don't call
There is no one else around
If I ever hear the ring
I will race on down the hall

It is all I want to hear
I hear birds and wind all day
at night only the rain
But I never feel you near
I always feel the pain

[instrumental]

Every day you drift away
I stay here by the sea 
I stare at the horizon
I am hoping for the day
the tide will set me free

Today I'll see a sail
Today I'll get some mail
A passing boat will hail
But I'd rather have a call
I'd rather have a call

It is always all I want
I love you most of all
I love you most of all
I'd rather have a call
I'd rather have a call

[instrumental]

Today I'll see a sail
Today I'll get some mail
A passing boat will hail
But I'd rather have a call
I'd rather have a call

I love you most of all
I'd rather have a call

I'd rather have a call

[instrumental]

I'd Rather Have a Call (the tide)

Some Mornings
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Some mornings when you wake
and see it all as a mistake
I hear you close the door
I hear footsteps on the stairs
the engine starting up
and the protest from the gravel
Then the tires spinning up
and once again you start to travel

Those mornings I stay down
I don't bother to get up
It is happening again
It never will let up
I go down and make some coffee
See what the day has to offer
I catch up on my reading
any thing to stop from pleading

These days go by so dull
plenty time to look at walls
I have the time to mull
and I wander what I did
I swear it was not me
what ever could it be?
What set you off this time
I know the fault is always mine

[guitar solo]

Those mornings I stay down
I don't bother to get up
It is happening again
It never will let up
I go down and make some coffee
See what the day has to offer
I catch up on my reading
any thing to stop from pleading

These days go by so dull
plenty time to look at walls
I have the time to mull
and I wander what I did
I swear it was not me
what ever could it be?
What set you off this time
I know the fault is always mine

[guitar solo]

Some mornings when you wake
and see it all as a mistake
I hear you close the door
I hear footsteps on the stairs
the engine starting up
and the protest from the gravel
Then the tires spinning up
and once again you start to travel

[outro]

It has been almost a week
I stare and rarely speak
I hear tires spinning by
but the breaks will never squeak

I wake up and I hear sounds
there is someone on the stairs
You walk in with a big smile
and talk about the weather

[outro]

I wake up and I hear sounds
there is someone on the stairs
You walk in with a big smile
and talk about the weather

and talk about the weather


Some Mornings (french stomp)

I Stare at Faces
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Another day so hard to bear
Out in the yard I'm all alone
Nothing to do but sit and stare
All I do since you are gone

By the road I watch the cars
I feel silly standing there
I imagine people think
There she is going nowhere

I turn and I pretend
I am looking for some thing
then I stare at the ground
as if I had spotted a lost ring

They would be partly right
there are things I want to find
a lost ring could be one
another never leaves my mind

[guitar solo]
[accordion solo]

Another day so hard to bear
Out in the yard I'm all alone
Nothing to do but sit and stare
All I do since you are gone

I look for you in stupid places
I act the fool staring at faces
Sometimes I think I recognize
I smile as if I'd won a prize

But once again I must pretend
and act as if I'd seen a friend
Once again I must go home
One more day come to an end

[guitar solo]

But once again I must pretend
and act as if I'd seen a friend
Once again I must go home
One more day come to an end

One more day 

One more day 

One more day 

One more day come to an end

[guitar solo]

I Stare At Faces (texas)

Yellow Leaves
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[piano solo]

On a table scattered leaves
some arranged in small bouquets
they are silent, there they wait
For her hands to choose their mates

She has left them there, abandoned
No longer of much use
The project she once started, but
To others things she has departed

The leaves are golden yellow
from a tree she found down town
They have stems that will allow them 
to be bundled and tied down

Like the leaves I too am silent
Not much more is left to say
I too was once her passion
From me too she's gone away

[piano solo]

Our love once like a tree
It grew branches and grew leaves
But fall is now upon us
And it is now she chose to leave

Her projects filled her time
and my songs did so for mine
Neither one was quite enough
In the end we lost our rhyme

We had stems we thought tied tight
In a bundle slept at night
In time we came untied
It might be then that our love died

I stand silent and look down
at the leaves she found down town
I don't know what to say
To someone who is not around

[piano solo]

I stand silent and look down
at the leaves she found down town
I don't know what to say
To someone who is not around

I close my eyes and turn away
I leave her room without a sound
I close the door one last time
I believe she's gone away


[outro]

Yellow Leaves

Come at Night
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[instrumental]

[chorus]
I do not care any more
I now do what I must do
I care about my music
It is all that will do

I only write my songs
and I do it all day long
I do not need to get along
I just need to bang my gong

The new songs that I write
take me well into the night
But then I come around
and I found a great new sound

What I say is sometimes dark
about things that I don't know
I won't walk in the park
I try to hit you where it shows

[instrumental]

[chorus]
I do not care any more
I now do what I must do
I care about my music
It is all that will do

The world goes write on by
and sometimes makes me cry
but I bury it in songs
Nothing else that I will try

I write the things I hear
and some I just make up
But I try to make you feel
and try to bring you near

My world is in my mind
Your world I've left behind
Come see me if you can
Make sure you come at night

[instrumental]

My world is in my mind
With the bathrooms on the right
Come see me if you can
Make sure you come at night

My world is in my mind
It never has been real
Come see me if you feel
And leave your world behind

My world is in my mind
Your world I've left behind
Come see me if you can
Make sure you come at night

Make sure you come at night

Make sure you come at night

Make sure you come at night


[chorus]
I do not care any more
I now do what I must do
I care about my music
It is all that will do




Come at Night

The Busker She Wore Headphones
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[acoustic guitar]

The busker, she wore headphones
Only she could hear the sound
People looked in mild confusion
At this oddity they'd found

At some point when a song ended
Though no one could really tell
She would smile asking for change
All I thought was, "What the hell?"

[bridge]

I tossed some money down
Much more than she expected
I was trying to get noticed
In a way, I felt neglected

I wanted her attention
A lot more than she did mine
I had a thousand questions
and I had a lot of time

I was waiting for a friend
She had said she'd meet me here
But she had not told me when
Not today was my main fear

[acoustic guitar]

The busker, she looked happy
A lot happier than me
She seemed to have a purpose
and I believe it set her free

I did not have any such thing
To this world, nothing to bring
I lived a boring life
and I could not even sing

[electric guitar solo]

The busker, she looked happy
A lot happier than me
She seemed to have a purpose
and I believe it set her free

I did not have any such thing
To this world, nothing to bring
I lived a boring life
and I could not even sing

[electric guitar outro]

The Busker She Wore Headphones (2)

I Will Knit You a Sweater
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[piano solo]

All my thoughts are reaction
I say nothing new
There is no creation
No vision or truth
Whatever I do
What I say comes from you

I need to get out
to move far away
I need to find peace
find a new place to stay
I need to sit in the dark
and someday find my way

Alone with my thoughts
with no one around
I hope to find meaning
not drowned by your sound
I can find what is me
and decide what to be

I may never come back
I may stay in dark
But I hope to find light
and return to your side
I hope to be better
I'll knit you a sweater

[piano solo]

Alone with my thoughts
with no one around
I hope to find meaning
not drowned by your sound
I can find what is me
and decide what to be

I may never come back
I may stay in dark
But I hope to find light
and return to your side
I hope to be better
I'll knit you a sweater

[piano solo]

I will learn how to do it
I will practice forever
I will write you a letter
I will knit you a sweater

[piano solo]

It could not be better
It will be a nice sweater

It could not be better
It will be a nice sweater

I love you in sweaters

[piano solo]

"I love you in sweaters"




I Will Knit You a Sweater

Let's Talk a While
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Look at the sun, 
come along, 
let's go away

Look at the sky, 
come with me, 
let's try to fly

sit on the grass, 
let the time pass
While the music plays

The night is warm, 
I love your smile
Stay here with me

Lets talk a while
I love your smile
Stay here with me
Lets talk a while

0:51
[instrumental interlude]

1:08
Look at the sun, 
come along, 
let's go away

Look at the sky, 
come with me, 
let's try to fly

sit on the grass, 
let the time pass
While the music plays

The night is warm, 
I love your smile
Stay here with me

Lets talk a while
I love your smile
Stay here with me
Lets talk a while

1:58
[instrumental interlude]

2:11
life is not long
I love this song
Let's sing along

You wanna dance
let's take a chance
a new romance
I love your smile
love your smile

Stay here with me
Lets talk a while

Lets talk a while

Lets talk a while

Let's Talk A While (remaster)

I Think I Took the Fall
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

I
I returned to you
It was what I should do
But you
you did not come through
You stayed the way you were
You did not change at all
I think I took the fall

I
I gave up my chance
I ended my romance
and I came back to you

You
You gave up nothing at all
You went out and had a ball
I think I took the fall

[guitar solo] 

I 
I am sitting here alone
I am hanging by the phone
I did nothing wrong

You
You're back with you know who
You say that we are through
You're doing it again

I
I cannot understand
Why did you want me back
Is there a feeling that you lack

[guitar solo] 

You
You gave up nothing at all
You went out and had a ball
I think I took the fall

You
You act like you don't care
You treat life like a dare
What is going on?

I
I cannot try again
I cannot stand the pain
This time it is the end

I think I took the fall
I think I took the fall

I Think I Took The Fall (chantoid)

Mattress on the Floor
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[piano solo]

[chorus]
I wish to slowly fade away
Unaware without a sound
I wish to never know, and
One day not be around

I want to find my mattress on the floor
The one I borrowed and just kept
The one she did not want
On the one I never slept

I want to lay there with my blanket
The last blanket that I own
The one I picked up by the road
The place it had been thrown

I want to lay without a pillow
To lay my head on nothing more
This head that I still have
The same head I had before

[piano solo]

[chorus]
I wish to slowly fade away
Unaware without a sound
I wish to never know, and
One day not be around

I want to lay there by myself
All alone and on my own
I want to lay there in the dark
Like something evil that has grown

I will remain there unmoving
I will wait for my last chance
My legs no longer dance
No other chance to find romance

But that is all a dream
The last dream I've ever seen
Some fancy big idea
Nothing else can I find here

[piano solo]

[chorus]
I wish to slowly fade away
Unaware without a sound
I wish to never know, and
One day not be around

[outro]

I wish to slowly fade away
Unaware without a sound
I wish to never know, and
One day not be around

[piano solo]

Mattress On The Floor (tango)

Good and Not So Good
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[piano solo]

In the small I hide my mind
With small gifts I can be kind
Larger gifts require thought
And in the end, I think not

As the task becomes too large
I consider the cost more
I now weigh the small advantage
And any effort is a bore

Bit by bit I might do good
It does not cost me very much
A small thing now and then
Show some care, give a touch

[instrumental]

Does it count the good you do
Unawares, no pain to you?
Do the points accrue the same?
Is this also true of blame?

So what about the not so good?
The hurts I cause in small proportions
The small slights and faint neglects
The invitations one rejects

I don't know, maybe not
The goods seem soon forgot
But the bads, yes the bads
The bads forever are my lot

[instrumental]

It is not fair, why should it be?
Not the way it's ever been
Nothing ever comes for free
and all is harder than it seems

[piano solo]

[outro]

But the bads, yes the bads
The bads forever are my lot

It is not fair, why should it be?
Not the way it's ever been
Nothing ever comes for free
and all is harder than it seems

But the bads, yes the bads

But the bads, yes the bads

Good and Not So Good (w/more cowbell)

Be Ok, Love Me Too
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

[instrumental]

At the time, there was time
When we were, we were not
Long ago, I forgot

At that time, I saw you
You saw me, We would be
All to me, all to you

[instrumental]

I believed, never thought
I just knew, not a glance
Not a chance, never saw

At the time, you were mine
I was there, just for you
We both cared, we both knew

What about, what right now
What went wrong, got along
Why oh why, say goodbye

Walk away, can you stay
Can I say, can we fix
Fix the mix, be ok

be ok

[instrumental]

Look at me, can you see
Look at you, same as me
I love you, love me too

[instrumental]

I believed, never thought
I just knew, not a glance
Not a chance, never saw

At the time, you were mine
I was there, just for you
We both cared, we both knew

What about, what right now
What went wrong, got along
Why oh why, say goodbye

Walk away, can you stay
Can I say, can we fix
Fix the mix, be ok

be ok

[instrumental]

Look at me, can you see
Look at you, same as me
I love you, love me too

[instrumental]

[outro]

Look at me, can you see
Look at you, same as me
I love you, love me too

[instrumental]

 love, love me do

 love, love me do

 love, love me do

 love me too

Be Ok, Love Me Too

A Thousand Songs
(c) J. Murdock McInnes Vasey

Once I write a thousand songs
And they have a million plays
I hope that it's enough
I have no more to say

Each day I write some more
But feel that I repeat
I say what I have said
My bones don't have more meat

I look for something new
To say it a new way
A new meaning I can give
Not merely take away

[chorus]
Once I write a thousand songs
And they have a million plays
I hope that it's enough
I have no more to say

A song is not a song
It is not another dance
Another love gone wrong
It offers a new chance

A song can give new hope
A song can help you cope
To write can take all night
In the end it brings the light

[chorus]
Once I write a thousand songs
And they have a million plays
I hope that it's enough
I have no more to say

I get closer with each day
I never feel that I'm done
I always want to play
But no matter, I'll be gone

No matter what I do
I could have done it better
I do it all for you
I hope you liked the sweater

[chorus]
Once I write a thousand songs
And they have a million plays
I hope that it's enough
I have no more to say

Once I write a thousand songs
And they have a million plays
I hope that it's enough
I have no more to say

No matter what I do
I could have done it better
I do it all for you
I hope you liked the sweater

a thousand songs
a million plays

a thousand songs
a million plays

a thousand songs
a million plays

a thousand songs
a million plays

A Thousand Songs (take 3)

I write lyrics and offer unwanted opinions. Mr. Suno composes and arranges.  Performed by the lovely Ms. Ai and her crowd.

A Thousand Songs

I and Ai