DON’T RING THE BELLS
Janine Levinson    2021

I am leaving. It is over 
Call the lawyer. get a mover
I am walking out forever 
Tell the preacher cause It’s over

It’s the pealing of alarms 
Over the beating of our hearts
It’s the echoes of the sirens as they speed past in the dark

Don’t ring the bells before the house is burning down
We will be hearing them forever
Don’t freeze your heart just ‘cause there’s ice out on the ground 
Just wait for changes in the weather.

I am leaving, it is over 
Call an Uber, call my father
Please just lock the door behind me. 
Here’s the key because it’s over

Don’t ring the bells before the house is burning down 
You know we’ll hear them ring forever 
Don’t reach for pennies when we’ve earned so many pounds 
Don’t spend our future on a feather

One thousand Sundays 
One thousand Sundays

I am leaving - try and stop me 
don’t put on that Wilco record
I am running, it is ending, 
One more kiss and then forever

Don’t ring the bell before the house is burning down

Don't Ring The Bells

I asked Phil to do this cover with me because I thought his voice would be very nice on this tune. He created this nice bed for us to sing over. Thank you Phil, your voice sounds sweet, just like I thought it would ! And thank you Pete T.  for the beautiful tune

@phil-mcwalter - Vocals, music
Share the love: https: https://soundcloud.com/phil-mcwalter/blue-red-and-grey

Blue, Red And Grey - Who cover with Phil McWalter

Original instrumental by Mahan Mahan  https://soundcloud.com/mahan-mahan

Mahan sent me this instrumental track entitled "Janinerator."  Hmm.  I wonder who he really intended it for...   Anyway, I sang over it, totally unsure. It's really different for me. But here it is. Thank you Mahan!

Look the Other Way

Life before was just a bore
Sitting in a café with my
Laptop, looking at the door
And sipping on a latte as        

My head was swaying back and forth
To the rhythm of a mixtape
And my heels were tapping on the floor 
Waiting for my big break

I was thinking swiping left and right
On the faces on my cell phone I’d be
Looking up at mister right
Til’ you stepped into my safe zone

Look the other way
(hey, how are you?)
Look the other way  
(love your picture!)
Look the other way
(in your latte)
Look the other way
(goes my finger)
(I’m a terrible person )

And I’m Falling up
I’m Flying down
The floor is rising up
And I am falling down 

Memories get in the way  
When I go into that weird place, I just
Lock my heart and lock the door
And hide inside my suitcase

And my head is swaying back and forth
In the hallway of a stranger
With my necklace lying on the floor
Even now It feels like danger

Look the other way
Look the other way  
Look the other way
Look the other way
I’m a terrible person

Look The Other Way - with Mahan Mahan

Thank you Beach Boys, Pink Floyd and 10CC for being my loving childhood friends. Who else would have spent so many hours in my headphones with me? And thank you Jonathan Beckenstein for being my now friend and for joining me for this song. You understand it completely.

Guitars, organ, mellotron, mix: @Jonathan_Beckenstein
Song and vocals, "drums," synth bass: Janine Levinson 2021

Hang on to Each Other

Brian Wilson said to hang on to your ego             
But I don’t know if that’s the answer
Disintegration might be what the doctor ordered    
And anyway it doesn’t matter
We should just hang on to each other

Communication is the problem to the answer       
We do for love what’s necessary
Sometimes the white flag is the only one that matters    
When you think love is worth repairing
Then we can hang on to each other

Inside we hear a siren screaming
Inside the walls are fortifying
The words like bullets over parapets and trenches
Fire off all your cannons or surrender

The lunatic is in the hall but I am thinking      
That he could use an invitation
Words on the wing like pigs and dogs and laughing gremlins
Bounce harmless off our best intentions
And we will hang on to each other
We will hang on to each other        
We will hang on

Hang On to Each Other - with Jonathan Beckenstein

This Time of Year 
Janine Levinson 2021

Backing vocals, twinkle, exotic musical decoration: @phil-mcwalter
Song, vocals, keys, drums, bass, bee: Janine Levinson

This Time of Year

This time of year, you know 
Bugs of all types, you know
Six legged, eight legged, grown in a petri dish

This time of year you know
Bees of all stripes they go
All of them searching for nectar and perfect bliss

This time of year 
All kinda girls
Real or fictitious or dressed up in prison clothes

Over the wall they go 
Out on the lam ya know
Looking for your faces exactly like yours you know 
And I’m looking at you

This time of year you know 
Two or three years ago
You told me not to write songs about you, you know

I’ve got to tell you though
You’re the best guy I know
You’ll have to put up with songs ‘til you die you know
And I’ll write them for you

This time of year you know
Bugs of all types, you know
Creepers and crawlers -- bacteria probably

Put on their Sunday hats
Strut around town they go
Looking for someone exactly like you ya know
Just like you

This Time Of Year - with Phil McWalter

How To Lie With Statistics.  2021 Janine Levinson

You take the bottom
You take the top
You take the middle
And add them up
Then you divide
So everyone is average

And then you talk 
About it all
You make it so
You smooth it out
If you don't speak
Don't say the word
Then it won't be

May it never be

The sound of the word makes you average
And when you say the word it makes you average
And time will see what becomes of me
'Cause I don't believe in average

And so you speak
You speak the word
Then everyone is indistinct
The twenty-four, the ninety-three
The thirty-five, the seventeen

And not a one will hear his name
But instead will stand in line
And just because the world is round
Will join their hands and always rhyme

The sound of the word makes you average
And when you say the word it makes you average
And time will see what becomes of me
'Cause I don't believe the averages

Average things in a special design
Special things in an average design
Some times in your life, in your lifetime
Special things in a special design

You take the bottom
You take the top
You take the middle
You add them up
Then you divide
So everyone is average

And then you talk 
About it all
And wonder what
What can it mean
To then divide 
To find the mean
Of ninety five and seventeen

The sound of the word makes you average
When you say the word it makes you average
I don't believe in average

How to Lie with Statistics

Thank you Jonathan for adding your wonderful guitars!!

OKAY I WON'T                 Janine Levinson 2022

Guitars: Jonathan Beckenstein @jonathan_beckenstein
Song, bass, keys, vocals: me

Don't be sad    
Don't be shy    
Don't give yourself to every guy

Don't be hard 
Don't be small            
Don't be anything at all

Okay Mom, I won't      
Okay dad, I'll be     
Just what you want
But there's one thing 
I won't be me!

Don't be weak   
Do what's right   
Don't stay out too late at night

Don't be fat 
Don't be lazy  
Keep your mouth shut 
Don't act crazy

Okay Mom, I won't      
Okay dad, I'll be     
Just what you want
But just one thing 
I won't be me!

Time will tell if you destroyed me
Or just simply took my joy
Could it be that I annoy you
Or did you wish you had a boy?

Don't be me
Just be them
Satisfy their every whim

Don't be real,
Don’t be ferocious
Don't reveal my real emotions

Okay Mom I won't
Okay Dad I'll be
Your nice little girl
But just one thing
I won’t be me!

Okay I Won't  -with Jonathan Beckenstein

Thank you Antony for bringing this song to life. And thank you for the swell video too: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LxjceopiYvQ

Vocals, instrumental, production: Burn.It.Smith @burn-it-smith 
Song, vocals: me

I LOVE THE WAY YOU SMELL 

It’s not the way I walk 
- You’ve got a funny way of walking
It’s not the way I talk 
- I never listen when you’re talking

-But the other boys can go to hell 
‘Cause you know I like the way you smell

It’s not the clothes I wear 
- I don’t notice what you’re wearing
It’s not my movie star hair 
- Your looks are kind of overbearing

-But the other boys can go to heck 
‘Cause I just want to sniff your neck

Someone can be as pretty as you please 
Smart as a whip or crazy for me 
But I can’t see the forest for your trees
Cause when it comes to love I’m olfactory

When you’re around me you just stutter and stammer 
- ‘Cause the air around you has got some kind of glamour

-The other boys just aren’t as glamorous
The scent of you makes me amorous

What is it about me that’s so alluring? 
- If I told you it wouldn’t be reassuring

-For other boys I just don’t care
Come over here and let me smell your hair

-Yeah you don’t have to win me over 
Cause I really love the way that you smell

The Way You Smell  - With Burn.It.Smith

Some of Us is Me

2022 Janine Levinson
Guitar: Jonathan Beckenstein  @jonathan_beckenstein
   
I’m sorry that I’m not somebody else    
I’m sorry if I let my people down
I didn’t ask for anybody’s help        
I’m sorry that I waited for this long

But it’s like trying to move your life ahead with a stranger at the wheel 
While trying very hard to get along

I’m sorry that I wrecked my lover’s heart
I hope he knows I wrecked my own heart too
I should have looked somewhere outside myself
I hope there’s room for me inside of you

Cause I’ve been trying to stand up straight when I am broken past repair
And still trying very hard to fix what’s wrong 

Some folks have got it made 
Frolicking in the shade of live oak tree
But some of us we don’t sing so loud, 
And we’re looking down
Some of us is me

I sometimes wish tomorrow wouldn’t come
But yesterday has problems of his own 
Next to you’s the only thing I’ve got
I wish I knew someplace where I belonged   

And I’ve been trying to stand up straight 
‘Cause I was thinking you might share--
And make my little world not feel so wrong

Some folks have got it made 
Frolicking in the shade of live oak tree
But some of us we don’t sing so loud, 
And we’re looking down
Some of us is me

Some Of Us Is Me - with Jonathan Beckenstein

Impulses across a synapse, stars across a galaxy, love from me to you

Songs from a Satellite      
Janine levinson 2022
mixed by Russ https://soundcloud.com/russell-sinfield
#ChaosCookhouse


Songs from a satellite 
Circling the green and blue
And floating down all over you
Stars from a galaxy a forehead wide              
Rocketing from ear to ear
And shooting out of both our eyes

Kids are gonna study us baby for a thousand years to come

The glow of a distant star 
Shining on a distant life
And writing all about us
The quill of a distant pen
An etching of a single life
Took a millennia to write

Kids are gonna study us baby for a thousand years to come

The big swirl of dust and the capillaries
The wedding bells and the flower petals
As the bathwater drains to a tidal eddy
From the tips of the branches counting back to infinity 
The big swirl of dust, and the
Songs from a satellite orbiting the green and blue

Come in? 
Roy G. Biv, paging Roy G. Biv to the galaxy
Roy G. Biv, is there a Roy G. Biv here?
Roy?

Blue on a frequency beyond the light, invisible to human eyes
Is lapping all around us
And we, tethered to the perigee, effectively are bound to be
In love with the world

And the world is so in love with us baby!
The kids are gonna study us baby!
They’re gonna study us

Songs From A Satellite - mixed by Russ

I am grateful that Steve entrusted me with the wonderful guitar track that became this song. It was a real pleasure to write and sing over his fine playing.  I was apprehensive when he suggested we publish my first rough vocal, no fx and all, but then Steve did some mastering and blessed the tune with his lovely deep voice on the chorus parts. and I must say, I love how it came out!  Thank you for listening.

You Might Know Better

Music, Backing Vocals - Steve Vercelloni @Steve-vercelloni

I’ve got secret apprehensions
Things I think that I don’t mention
But I say you know best for me

I’ve heard lies that I won’t swallow
Rules that I don’t want to follow
But I say they’re okay with me

‘Cause you might know better
You might know better

I’ve been told that I’m a handful
But you don’t seem to notice so
I know that you’re the man for me

Must be times I’m unappealing
Times I’m bouncing off the ceiling
But you’re right there for all of me

And you make me better
You make me better

I’ve got secret apprehensions
Things I think that I don’t mention
But I say you know best for me

I’ve heard lies that I won’t swallow
Rules that I don’t want to follow
But I say they’re okay with me

‘Cause you might know better
You might know better
You might know best

You Might Know Better - with Steve Vercelloni  (first of three)

You Make the Grey Skies Blue

This is the second in a set of three tunes with the talented Steve Vercelloni https://soundcloud.com/steve-vercelloni 

Steve was nice enough to send over three really delightful guitar tracks. I did quick demo versions of vocals on all of them, and we decided we liked all three just the way they were, rough and raw. Steve added his nifty low vocals, mastered them, and here they are!

Steve Vercelloni - music and backing vocals, mastering
Janine Levinson - Vocals, lyrics

You Make the Grey Skies Blue

What’s the purpose of the night
Just to make it so I can’t see you 
What’s the purpose of the dawn
It just takes away the dark my eyes were getting used to
What’s the reason for my thoughts
They just make my heart feel so confused
What the devil’s going on
How come nothing goes the way I think it’s supposed to
    
I’m just confused
I’m so confused
And I need you
 
What’s the reason for your smile
It’s so disarming and I’m thinking
I could never even tell
If it’s persuasion or the real thing
But you clear the clouds
And bring the blue
You take the grey
And you make the grey sky blue
You make the grey skies blue
You make the grey skies blue

You Make The Grey Skies Blue - with Steve Vercelloni (second of three)

This song is the third in a series of three tunes that started with some very "in the zone" guitar tracks offered up by Steve Vercelloni for my songwriting pleasure. And a pleasure it was.

As with the first two, we decided to go with our very first pass and forego the fancy footwork. Also like the first two, this is a love song. Unlike the first two, however, this one is about the darker side of love.

Music and mastering, b-vox: Steve Vercelloni @Steve_Vercelloni

Special Friends

Sacrifice
And bad advice
I’m on thin ice
It’s no surprise

Compensate
And hesitate
You’ll get your way
You’ll have your day

Special friends
Means meet the ends
And we’ll pretend
We’ll make amends

Compromise 
Act hypnotized
They’ll authorize
You’ll be surprised

I Thought I Knew - Mixed and Mastered by Russ

Thank you, Jonathan @jonathan_beckenstein for your encouragement, the beautiful guitars you contributed here, and for the thoughtful and satisfying mix job!

Upon This Sea 
Janine Levinson 2023
Guitar and Mix: Jonathan Beckenstein

I don’t get tired, but I get weary   
Feels like my faith abandons me
And from the storm I have no shelter    
I have no boat upon this sea

I don’t feel bad, but I can feel hopeless      
And I can walk, but I lose my feet
I am strong, but I cannot carry    
I have no boat upon this sea
 
Upon this sea   
Upon this sea   
I tread a lifetime 

I am the spring that you will drink from
I give you life and cool your brow
You will not drown, but you will perish
And next to me you will lie down 

Upon this sea  
Upon this sea 
I tread a lifetime

I don’t get tired, but I sure get weary
Feels like my faith abandons me
And from the storm I have no shelter
I have no boat upon this sea

Upon This Sea - with Jonathan Beckenstein

Hey, it's been a while!  
Glad you're visiting. 

Make Friends with the End

 You know how it feels
When things are getting dire
And you reel, try to run
Just as things are catching fire
And you feel time compress
As your vision starts to tunnel
Swallow hard, catch your breath
Put your hands out just a little
And make friends with the end

You know how it feels
When the sky is growing darker
On your own, look around
As your vision starts to falter
Try to see, feel the ground 
And as midnight is approaching
You give in, let it win
And embrace medianoche
You make friends with the end
You make friends

You know what it's like
When things are getting stranger
And you're sure that it's real
And you know that you're in danger
Makes you shudder just a little
Must be your imagination
Hear a whisper like a riddle
Ride a ghost hallucination 
Ride a ghost hallucination
Ride a ghost

You know how it feels 
When the tide is rising higher
And you paddle, try to float
Then swim out a little further
As the current starts to pull 
And you slow down your resistance
Swallow hard, take a breath
You’ll be in it for the distance
You'll make friends with the end
Make friends with the end

Oliver Hates Everything

Who'll Think of Me?    2016 Janine Levinson

Janine Levinson- Vocals, Real Drums, Piano
Doug Grean - Guitars, Keys, Bass, Percussion
Written by Janine Levinson
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Doug Grean @terpsichords

Who'll Think of Me?    

These days, when I'm alone
Although I like the solitude
I worry about the future  
Who I'll be sitting next to
When the world stops turning

It's beautiful tonight
But I think  about the windy line
And who'll be on the other side
With a hand that's reaching out for mine 

When time stops going               
Where will I be?
With stars exploding          
Who'll think of me?
Who'll think of me?

Some days when I'm alone  
Although I'm not despairing
I think about conclusions       
And what I will be wearing

When clocks stop ticking          
What will I see?
With life exploding    
Who'll think of me?   
Who'll think of me?

Who'll hunt for cabbages? 
Who will sail the sea?
Who will make the sandwiches?
And who will dream of me?

Sometimes, when I feel blue
And this is not exaggeration	
To say that I'm consumed
With what will be my graduation

When the waves stop crashing 
Where will I be?
With stars exploding          
Who'll think of me?
Who will think of me?

Who'll Think of Me?

BULLSHIT RUINS EVERYTHING 
2016

Janine Levinson- Vocals, Real Drums, Piano
Doug Grean - Guitars, Bass, Drum Loops/FX
Written by Janine Levinson
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Doug Grean @terpsichords

Bullshit ruins everything
Take the green right off the spring
Push you off the boat on a pleasure ride
Turn your swim into a sink
Yeah bullshit ruins everything

Bullshit help to ease the pain
Get you standing up again
Keep you out of trouble, help you get your way
Turn your lose into a win

Easy... feels good,  going for a ride 
Queasy feelings building up inside

Bullshit ruins everything
Take the green right off the spring
Push you off the boat on a pleasure ride
Turn your swim into a sink
Yeah bullshit ruins everything
Yeah bullshit ruins everything

Bullshit Ruins Everything

Today I Pray    -  2016 Janine Levinson

Janine Levinson- Vocals, Piano
Doug Grean - Guitars, Bass, Programmed Drums
Ruth Judkowitz - Accordion
Keith Larsen - Drums

Written by Janine Levinson
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Doug Grean  @terpsichords

Today I pray 
Not to god but in my own way
Today I pray 
For the memories of love and pain
For dear departed and poor lost souls
And the hungry living who are scared and cold
Today I sit down and pray

Tonight I sing
For the love of my lifelong friends
Tonight I sing 
To say thank you for everything
For my good luck and for both my weddings
For trees and stars and for my warm bed
Tonight I stand and sing!

Joyful Joyful pain and pleasure
Joyful Joyful wake and sleep
Joyful Joyful be together
Joyful Joyful -  feel the beat!

Today I pray  
For my departed friends
Today I pray 
For the children who might have been
For the creatures who no longer roam
For those whose minds betray their souls
Today I sit down and pray

Today I sit down and pray!!!

Today I Pray (Tonight I sing)

COUNTY JAIL

2016
Janine Levinson: Vocals, Piano
Jon Lock:  Guitar, Bass, Synth   @jonlock
Written by Janine Levinson
Produced by Janine and Jon, Mixed by Jon

Something I heard reminded me 
Of black phones in the county jail 
Talkin' through the safety glass    
They always had that certain smell

Of skin and sweat
I thought it was the scent of fear
But then, just now, I wondered if it was the tears
That make them smell that way

County jail, oh county jail
Is where you never want to be
County jail, I'll visit when
The police take my love from me   

How could it be that little things
Are worth more than your liberty?
Talking through the safety glass
You said these sorry words to me:

 “I’d do the same again if I had purpose to,”
And I wonder now, well just what am I worth to you
A sheet of glass away?

County jail, oh county jail
Is where you never want to be
County jail, I'll visit when
The police take my love from me

It’s a place where you go to get broken
It’s where you’re the worst that you can be
And no truer words were ever spoken, than 
If it’s you in there, there is no "you and me”

County jail, oh county jail
Is where you’re always gonna be
I visit now, and maybe then
But you won’t get the best of me

2016

County Jail   - Acoustic with Jon Lock

Dear Me    

Song, vocals, piano: Janine Levinson   2018
All other instrumental: Doug Grean @terpsichords
Produced, recorded, mixed: Doug Grean                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

the things that are never meant to be
most of them stay shadows 
hang back in the alley
and keep their wicked  company

but every now and then a sharpened sliver
in the way of nature 
shoots off from the quiver 
oh, dear me, oh dear me

the things that are never meant to be 
do not hang together 
strangers in the present
and present in the thither
but every now and then a spark of fever
meets a bit of fire and a pile of tinder   
oh dear me, dear me

and a cyclone of broken hearts I’m off the ground
and I’m looking down at my rumpled dress 
and thinking this is something new:  
I am my own sad company     
Paper and a bloody quill to write it down
Write myself a letter
Dear me: It will all be okay. 

the songs that should never have been heard
most of them stayed silent 
hung back in the alley 
and kept their wicked company

but today in a smoke of metal powder
floated through the ether
straight in our ears 

dear me
I’m gonna write myself a letter

Oh Dear Me

This song is about a dear cat boy who came to us last year on a rainy day.

Russell and I batted this tune back and forth for a long time and ended up landing on this very simple arrangement, with talented offspring Alex helping out on double bass.  Thank you Sinfields!!

Oliver                   

I loved you from the moment you arrived
It was raining hard 
And it was cold outside
And we were waiting for the sun

Oh yonder blue that you had never seen
The yellow sparkle on the evergreens
We were waiting for the sun

Oliver, impatiently
We watch the sky       
And breathe in time
And we wait for the sun to shine

I loved you from the moment that you came
Twas the barest moment of the tend’rest day
And we waited on the rays

Oliver, Impatiently
We watch the sky   
And pass the time
And we want very much to go outside 

Climb, the limbs are sturdy 
watch the birds, feel the breeze
There are ripples on the fish pond
Feel the grass under your feet

Oliver, impatiently
We watch the sky        
And pass the time
And we wait for the sun to shine

Oliver 2019. Janine Levinson
bass: Alex Sinfield @alex081099 
mix, master, wisdom: Russell Sinfield @russell-sinfield

Oliver (with two Sinfields)

Tick Tock        Janine Levinson 2020

it was only after i wrote, recorded, and published this song that I realized that figs do not exactly swell out of flowers.  Please forfig me.

I like the change of seasons for the angle of the light
and the feeling that the weather will be changing overnight

I like the air in the winter though it seizes in my lungs
and I cough like I am dying but I love that gentle sun

Tick tock        
I do a mic drop     
Onto the wet rot        
To make a new stalk

The summer melts my worries as the grassy hills turn brown
On the road as we are driving to the beach, where I will drown

Fall is reassuring :  No, we will not roast forever 
As the santa ana winds bend down and yield to cooler weather

Tick tock          
A yellow leaf drops      
Onto the wet rot        
To make a new stalk

I love you, sky!                  
I love you wind!
Pollen, nectar, bark and limb
I am of you, and you are mine
The leaf is born as winter dies

Spring is for seduction as the figs swell out of flowers
And the tadpoles grow their froggy legs  and rain comes down in showers

Tick tock          
A yellow leaf drops      
Onto the wet rot        
To make a new stalk

I like the change of seasons for the angle of the light
and the feeling that the weather will be changing overnight

Tick Tock

Janine Levinson 2020

MISTRESS OF GRAVITY

Guitar and guidance: Jonathan Beckenstein @jonathanbeckenstein

Hey hey, look at me
I’m the mistress of gravity 
In charge of the rules of nature 
(turning it red for autumn)

Hey yeah, I’m warning you
And mind you, this is just a clue
But I’m feeling kind of impatient 
(So do what you want to do)

I’m going to allow it

Hey Hey, look at me 
Do I look fat in these jeans? 
Or maybe my crack is showing 
(Maybe I’ve got a problem)

Hey yeah, If I were you
I’d consider a benefaction
Make sure it’s a really good one 
(And do what you want to do)

I’m going to allow it 
I’m going to allow it

Judge and jury 
If you want to
You can call me mother 

Hello mistress!

Rain it down and in a flurry 
Feel the burning water

Hello mistress!

Hey hey I hope you know 
That I think that a storm is coming
So maybe you’ll need your anchor 
(I’m keeping the rivers flowing)

Hey you, what I can be 
Hypocritical, technically
Magnetically quite unmagic
(So maybe my slip is showing)

And I’m going to allow it

Hey hey, Look at me
I’m the mistress of gravity 
In charge of the rules of nature 
(keeping it real for autumn)

Hey yeah, I’m warning you 
And mind you this, this is just a clue
But I’m feeling kind of impatient 
(So do what you want to do)

I’m going to allow it 
Ba ba ba ba...

Mistress Of Gravity - with Jonathan Beckenstein

This is a cover of Phil McWalter's beautiful song, "Vodka and Caviar," done with his encouragement, advice, and assistance on glockenspiel and rainstorm.  @phil-mcwalter 
the original is here: https://soundcloud.com/phil-mcwalter/vodka-and-caviar

fresh mastering by @phil-mcwalter  Feb 2021.  thank you Phil!

I once flew across America
Just holding a balloon
Discovered a buried treasure chest
Full of gold doubloon 
I walked into a hurricane
And found myself back home
On a wild white stallion
Galloping through foam

It’s not the truth
But sometimes you can’t complain
It’s just the wind
Through a window on a distant train 

I sold my soul to a friendly gecko
Who left it on the bar
I ate a bag of sunshine
That exploded in my car
I flew with the Egyptian Gods
And travelled to the stars
And I dressed up like a Carnival King
With glitter in glass jars

It’s not the truth
But sometimes you can’t complain
It’s just the wind
Through a window on a distant train
It’s not the truth
But sometimes it aint too far
Just the echoes of days
On vodka and caviar

Some days are
Much better than others
Some nights I
Don’t bother

t’s not the truth
But sometimes you can’t complain
It’s just the wind
Through a window on a distant train
It’s not the truth
But sometimes it aint too far
Just the echoes of days
On vodka and caviar 

The walled up dust on a jester’s laugh
For a cask of sherry wine
The smell of sugar cane in the heat
The sun's incessant shine
Beat around my spinning head
A trail of petalled steps I said
Take me from the tower and sing
My songs around my bed

It’s not the truth
But sometimes you can’t complain
It’s just the wind
Through a window on a distant train
It’s not the truth
But sometimes it aint too far
Just the echoes of days
On vodka and caviar
Vodka and caviar
Vodka and caviar

Mr P's Bag Of Sunshine - with Phil McWalter  (McW's "Vodka & Caviar" Cover)

This is for my beautiful granddaughter Aliyah, who has just learned to crawl. 
 

Acoustic and Electric guitars: Jonathan Beckenstein @jonathan_beckenstein
Song, keys, bass and everything else, 2020 Janine Levinson

Birdwatching 

Point your eyes up to the trees and keep your ears wide open
Stand right next to me and keep your mouth closed
Stay light on your feet and hear the whip a whip a whistle
Stand right next to me and keep your mouth closed!

I promise you it’s worth your time  and now the part that matters
Is the language of the flying things, the words you can’t imagine
Telling stories from the tops of trees 
Of feathers web and worms and swarming bees!      
When we go birdwatching
            
Your binoculars are key keep them aimed up at the trees
listen carefully and keep your mouth closed!
It’s difficult at first It could be bells or wood or metal
As you open up your ears I know you heart will follow

Oh, little one, it’s worth your time and now it’s all that matters
Is the language of the flying things, the words you can’t imagine
Telling stories from the tops of trees 
And riding currents on the breeze
When we go birdwatching

Cackle caw whip and chatter           
Chip and chirrup crow and clatter
Chitter clack rush and titter             
Pip and thrill hoot and twitter
Tweet and clang flutter flap                
Chirp and hum, flicker, quack 
Whoop whoop whoop,    
Trum trum trum trum trumpet!!!

And from far off chickadee I hear a chirp and then a sizzle
I’ll stand right next to you and keep my mouth closed
We’ll listen and resist the urge to join in with a whistle
Looking up into the trees, we’ll feel the wind blow

I promise when you grow up you’ll remember understanding
The language of the flying things, you won’t have to imagine   
The stories from the tops of trees 
The questions answered only by the breeze
When we went birdwatching 

They sang Aliyah
They sang Aliyah

Birdwatching -  with Jonathan Beckenstein

My Magic Friend
2020  Janine Levinson

For Bobcat

No matter how far away you are 
I am always thinking of you
No matter how much time goes by
I am always gonna love you

So as you’re hopping star to star 
Well I’ll surely think about you
A galaxy that’s really far 
With burning stars around you
Cause you're my magic friend               
You’re my magic friend

No matter how long it takes to know
Our hearts are always gonna figure
A way to plant a seed and grow 
A love and friendship even bigger

But as you’re hopping star to star
Still I’ll always watch out for you 
In flickers dancing from afar 
My heart will always know you

Cause you're my magic friend
You're my magic friend

Figure out a way to fly impossibly high
Figure out a way to fly impossibly high
Figure out a way to fly impossibly high
In the sky

No matter how far away you are                               
I am always thinking of you
No matter how much time goes by
I am always gonna love you

And as you’re hopping star to star
Still I’ll always watch out for you 
In flickers dancing from afar 
My heart will always know you
Cause you're my magic friend                
You're my magic friend

My Magic Friend

ICE FROM THE SKY

2020 janine levinson

I woke up this morning to ice from the sky
In my little piece of paradise
It should be warm; it should be temperate
And yet, ice from the sky

It's dry! so dry! said the ground to the sky
In my little piece of paradise
It should be flowing where I have flourished
And yet it's terribly dry

Withering and shrinking; waiting for a drink
A sprout or two will rise -- but never climb to the sky

I woke up this morning with tears in my eyes
in my little piece of paradise
I should feel warm and be contented
and yet, tears in my eyes

Muttering and sinking; watching for a cloud
A spout or two will rise -- but never a drop from the sky

A quake could shake the ground 
And if a tear were to hit it right
It would split with an awful sound
And day would turn to night

The sky could fall --be upside down
The clouds my bed  -- the stars my ground
The heavens pour and burn my toes
Ice will fly.  Still nothing grows.

I woke up this morning to ice from the sky
In my little piece of paradise
It should be warm; it should be temperate
And yet, ice from the sky

Ice From The Sky

I sent a very rough recording of this tune to Darren and asked him to make an instrumental for me to sing to. He produced two lovely tracks for me to choose from, and I liked them so much I sang to both. Here's the first one, the dreamy version. Thank you as always for listening and thank you, Darren.

No One Understands You Like I Do          

Song, vocals: Janine Levinson 2020
Instruments, mix:  Darren Sullivan @darren-sullivan

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the useless from the good
Sometimes it’s only possible to be misunderstood
There always will be trouble, and we’ll always be confused
Sometimes it will be ‘cause of me and sometimes ‘cause of you

But don’t you worry, although I am not perfect
No one understands you like I do

Sometimes you need a lover and sometimes you need a friend
I’m one or I’m the other, and today I’m both of them
But sometimes I am neither  -- and for that I am ashamed

But don’t you worry, although I am not perfect
no one understands you like I do

Foggy, floating in a compromise
Coalesce and then diffuse
My purple prose just leaves you mystified
And radar pierces through the gloom

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the useless from the good
Sometimes it’s only possible to be misunderstood
There always will be trouble and we’ll always be confused

But don’t you worry, although I am not perfect, lover
no one understands you like I do

No One Understands You Like I do  -  With Darren Sullivan

The fine gentlemen at Mastering True Music (formerly FredTracks) sent this track -- and I was delighted to write and sing over it! They always send great, professional tracks made with real instruments. Such a pleasure to work with. And always a challenge to sing over a different style than my own!

Music, Mix: @masterigtruemusic
Vocals, vocal melody, lyrics: Janine Levinson

Something To Believe    

Give me something to think about 
Give my lonely soul relief 
Just some words I can mull around 
Give me something to believe  

I want more than your company 
Give me something of your heart 
Like a blanket to comfort me 
Like a fire in my arms  

Give me your love 
Give me your hope 
Give me your soul 
Give me something to, something to believe  

Give me your love 
Give me your hope 
Give me your dreams
Give me something to, something to believe  

Give me something to think about 
Give me memories of love
Give me something to think about 
Give me all your tears and blood  

Give me your love 
Give me your hope 
Give me your dreams
Give me something to, something to believe

Something To Believe --  with Mastering True Music

Honor the TIde        

Janine Levinson 2021
Guitars by the wonderful Jonathan Beckenstein @jonathan_beckenstein

The ebb and the swell and the push and the pull
You’re aware of the tide or you’re not
The flickering voices that whisper the answers
Won’t bother to wonder the ears that you’ve got

You will flow or resist, go along or be pissed
You will honor the tide or you won’t
And the feelings you feel go as far as your skin
While the water just crushes your bones
The water just crushes your bones

In times of confusion and heavy persuasion
You’ll lie down and give, or you won’t
As pungent reminders flow down through the rafters
And you choose to swallow or shut down the whole

They will flow or resist, go along or be pissed
They will honor the tide or they won’t
And the feelings they feel go as far as your skin
While the water just crushes their bones
The water just crushes their bones     

It’s the way of the world,  It’s the way that things are
You will honor the tide or you won’t
You’re the tiniest speck on the tiniest star
And it really don’t matter, cause we really don’t

We will flow or resist, go along or be pissed
We will roll with the tide or we won’t
And the feelings we feel go as far as the sky
But the water still crushes our bones
The water still crushes our bones
The water still  crushes our bones

Honor The Tide - With Jonathan Beckenstein

I'm glad you're here visiting. Thank you for stopping by.:)

These are my Soundcloud collaborations : https://soundcloud.com/janinelevinson/sets/janine-levinson-collaborations

Janine Levinson

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