The Watchmen
Photo credit: J Korpa

Faces marching round the bend
from the pages, books you've read

Footsteps coming, closing in
press their sequence to your skin

There's a million stars up in the sky to light the darkness
there's nowhere left for you to run from the watchmen

There's a million stars up in the sky to light the darkness
Our wildest dreams will set us free from the watchmen

They are listening everywhere
Do you hear me, are you there?

This is wartime, no foot prints
there's no light down where they live

There's a million stars up in the sky to light the darkness
there's nowhere left for you to run from the watchmen

There's a million stars up in the sky to light the darkness
Our wildest dreams will set us free from the watchmen

Keri Johnson's Album

The Watchmen

Childhood Friend by Keri Johnson

Photo credits: Annie Spratt

Seemed so simple then
we became fast friends
were we wiser then before life set in?

Thru the twists and bends
broken hearts to mend
every moment spent with you made me believe

And I won't let these moments be forgot 
my childhood friend

And let's not let these memories be forgot
my childhood friend

All those letters you sent
one day I'll read them again
hope one day we're looking back in our golden years

I wonder how you've been?
picture the street we lived
never thought that we'd be here saying "remember when"

Childhood Friend

Oh, the Places We'll Go by Keri Johnson

Photo Credits: Roberto Arias

Off we go
 into the unknown
(just sit back and) 

Watch the show
 hold your own

The place's we'll go
the seeds that we sew

Oh the places we'll go
the faces we'll know

Time rolls on
we are the song
(come on let's have)

Have some fun
while you're young
(comes on let's go)

Oh the places we'll go
the seeds that we sew

Oh the places we'll go
the faces we'll know
(come on let's go)

#cancelculturesucks#bethechange#historyisaroadmap#

Oh, the Places We'll Go

California by Keri Johnson

I fell in love in the sunshine state
left my heart in the falling rain

I only wanted to believe the dream
the dream that you loved me, loved me

And I'm leaving tonight, California
ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah ah

Driving thru like a run away
every mile takes my breath away- but it's too late, too late

The smell of jasmine still permeates
summer nights that I can't escape- memories of us, of us

So I'm leaving tonight, California
ah ah ah, ooh ah, ah ah ah

California

Night Falls

Once I had a dream of us and all that it could be
now underneath the memory of the trees

My eyes woke to the barren branches holding their few leaves
longing for days of Springtime company

When the night falls and the moon cast her lonely spell on me
I will dream
When the night falls and the river is crying to the sea
I will sing

The birds were singing joyfully, the flowers to the bees
why must they come to only have to leave

And underneath the fallen snow our grounds of fertile dreams
now lies within the hope of tender seeds

When the night falls and the moon cast her lonely spell on me
I will dream
When the night falls and the river is crying to the sea
I will sing

When all that's left the trees confess, the falling leaves taking their last breath
The hills like arms, a gentle crest, now casting lonely shadows of our loneliness

When the night falls and the moon cast her lonely spell on me
I will dream
When the night falls and the river is crying to the sea
I will sing

Night Falls

The Flame by Keri Johnson

Hand over time
adrift on the water

Clouds like a shrine
we walk thru their shadows

Fire in the cold, keep me burning
Fire of my soul, keep me yearning

Fire in the cold, keep it burning
Fire of my soul, keep me yearning

The colors sublime
fade into the horizon

And here left to mine
the love that can't be fractured


Fire in the cold, keep me burning
Fire of my soul, keep me yearning

Fire in the cold, keep it burning
Fire of my soul, keep me yearning

The flame- the undying light that lives inside
The flame- the pure divine, beyond the time

The flame -we are the sky, we are the night
The flame- keep us alive, we burn the same

The Flame

Laura by Keri Johnson

Dedicated to my beloved Sister Carmen Jean Johnson 6.13.67-12.25.17

We ran out of time, your footsteps on the line
didn't know that you were on the edge
now I live with that regret

Your call rings thru my head, all the things I wished I had said
now this broken heart is mine to mend
just trying to make some sense

Oh Laura
you went gently in the night
words fell silent, you went silent

Oh Laura
now you've gone to the light
words fell silent, you went silent

How can I understand? All the places that we ran-
now they're just a memory
haunt me in my sleep

All you gave was love, why wasn't it enough?
This world is not made for souls like you
now I'm broken in two

Oh Laura
you went gently in the night
words fell silent, you went silent

Oh Laura
now you've gone to the light
words fell silent, you went silent

Bridge
Talk to me, I hear your whispering
in the signs of spring

Walk with me, I hear your footsteps
in the falling leaves

And when I come home tonight, I will light a candle and I-
I will think of you, remember....

Laura by Keri Johnson

Avalon by Keri Johnson

Avalon in the sky tonight
are we alone in the glowing light?

Avalon where heros died
in my mind, hear their battle cry

Ghosts of another lifetime- or is it us?
the answers are in the search 
cause hero's never die

Ghosts of another lifetime- or is it us?
the meaning is in the search
hero's are brought to life

Avalon, gate to the other side
hear their call to unlock your mind

Avalon- and you wonder why
the unknowns of a time gone by

Ghosts of another lifetime- or is it us?
the meaning is in the search
hero's are brought to life

Ghosts of another lifetime- or is it us?
the meaning is in the search
hero's are brought to life

Avalon

Days that I remember by Keri Johnson

When I close my eyes 
and picture places we would go
walking thru the tender reed 
and catching tadpoles

Christmas was your favorite time
you made it feel like home
romping thru your favorite creek 
into your favorite swimming hole

Where do the flowers go in November?
why do the leaves have to change?

Where are the days that I remember?
Why does the heron fly away?

When we were small you were the fearless one
climbing the highest trees
jumping off the ramps with the boys 
unafraid of falling on your knees

I hear your footsteps run upon 
the streets where we once played
your smiling eyes and golden hair
burn thru the morning haze

Where do the flowers go in November?
why do the leaves have to change?

Where are the days that I remember?
Why does the heron fly away?

Days that I remember

Sea of Love

You've been harbored here so long
safe from water's deep, unknown

You're an ocean to explore
find your courage to leave the shore

Oh my child, you are enough
come back to the sea of love

Oh my child, you'll rise above
come back to the sea of love

Cutting thru the brine and tow
to find the treasure that lies below

When the north wind starts to blow
the darkest skies will lead you home

Oh my child, you are enough
come back to the sea of love

Oh my child, you'll rise above
come back to the sea of love

Sea of Love

I Reach by Keri Johnson

You are the sun that shines- too bright for my eyes
but I can't look away

You are the whispering wind against my fragile skin
the years have torn

And when the flowers are in bloom
I look for you

Tell our secrets to the moon
I dream of you

I reach, I reach

You are the current I want to get swept away in
drowning in your sea

You are the starry sky lighting up the night
one day we will be together

I reach, I reach

And when the flowers are in bloom
I look for you

Tell our secrets to the moon
I dream of you

I reach, I reach

I Reach

Hollow by Keri Johnson 

Photo credit: Maria Paula Contreras

Rains been falling all day
but it'll never wash the memory of you

Lines I memorized them
they were never mine, but I held them to be true

And your hollow steals the scene
and every time I'm brought down to my knees

In your hollow I can't breathe
Lost somewhere in the pages in between

Lights living under
where shadows no longer dance upon the wall

Like a bird flying blind
She has lost her wings, the once familiar signs

And your hollow steals the scene
and every time I'm brought down to my knees

In your hollow I can't breathe
Lost somewhere in the pages in between

Hollow

Ancestral Father

Fallen ship- wreck deep
where your treasures are buried now

Every line- every creed (what you held to be true) 
running off your salted brow

Into the belly of the beast
when life brings you to your knees

Into the belly of the beast
which side will you feed?

From the stars to the sea
the horizon bleeding now

Scaffolds crash at your feet
waters rushing over your bow

Into the belly of the beast
(who will save your Father)
when life brings you to your knees
(will you become your Mother)

Into the belly of the beast
(oh my Brothers)
which side will you feed?
(oh my Sisters)


Feel your tear drops
like the ocean spray
Let it all fall away

And the stars will never 
lead you astray
A million lights of redemption

Ancestral Father

Shadowdance by Keri Johnson

Every step tried to outrun the pain
but it kept me stuck out in the rain

And the yellow sun smiling down on me
became a wall of clouds, what I could not see

Nights, growing colder
and the wind against my face

I'm no longer afraid to face the darkness (the light will come soon)
watch our shadows dance upon the wall

Every loss now etched into my skin
and my face painted warrior white

And these tears are rolling off my chin
but my heart beats and I am alive

Nights, growing colder
and the wind against my face

I'm no longer afraid to face the darkness (the light will come soon)
watch our shadows dance upon the wall

Shadowdance

Days in the Sun by Keri Johnson
Photo credits: Ken Pilcher
Dedicated to my dear friend Jennell Kvistad

It seems like yesterday we were playing
on the front lawn until dawn
you walked me home and we said goodbye
but not for long

I was the new girl you took my hand 
and we never looked back
staring down the bullies- yeah, there were a few
we stuck together like glue

Feels like a dream when we were young
oh our days in the sun

Seems like a lifetime ago
oh, but they're never gone

Feels like a dream when we were young 
oh our days in the sun

Living like thieves on the run
how the time marches on

We went our separate ways for a while
but never going out of style
just trying to find our way in the world
chasing boys, being girls

And now with two kids of your own
oh how quickly they've grown
Upon the same ground we used to run
their lives have only begun

Feels like a dream when we were young
oh our days in the sun

Seems like a lifetime ago
oh, but they are never gone

Feel like a dream when we were young 
oh our days in the sun

Living like thieves on the run
how the time marches on

Days in the Sun

Better Way by Keri Johnson

Photo credit: Ken Pilcher

A place where we can dream
hope is the light falling softly thru the trees

To feel alive and free
light as the air, moving like a gentle breeze

Waiting for the sun to break tomorrow
we can find a better way to be

Find a way to rise above our sorrows
even when the clouds make it hard to see

And as far as you can reach
we are the sun, the moon, the galaxy

Flowing like a stream
along the river's edge and calling to the sea

Waiting for the sun to break tomorrow
we can find a better way to be

Find a way to rise above our sorrows
even when the clouds make it hard to see

Better Way

Chasin' the Sun by Keri Johnson

Those summer nights when, hope was dancing in the wind

We were wonder reaching, remember how it felt?

Those first tender moments, do you remember when we met?

We were just children, on the edge of innocence

Waiting for the morning to come- all that's left undone

And while we were chasing the sun, we didn't have to rush

If only we knew then what we know now- tell our younger selves

While we were chasing the sun, we didn't have to rush

Back then we were running, when the minutes felt like years

We were freedom searching, climbing higher than our fears

Seeds fast sewing, some like letters never sent

Time recaptured, when we made the longest wish

And while we were chasing the sun, we didn't have to rush

If only we knew then what we know now- tell our younger selves

While we were chasing the sun, we didn't have to rush

Chasing the Sun

To the Sky by Keri Johnson

Photo Credits: "Looking Into The Sun" Lofoten, Norway
Marek Piwnicki

All those cold and lonely nights
traded the moon for city lights
left the world behind in search to find

That castle in the sky
a dream brought to life
there's magic when your heart is open wide

Some people push it to the limit- take it to the sky,
the sky

Some people get it- well before their time
their time

Some watch the rain from inside
some step outside- any kind of weather to feel alive

If you're afraid to try
you never know what lies- beyond your fear there's beauty on the other side

To the Sky

You Are by Keri Johnson

Photo credits: Erik Witsoe

When all the leaves have fallen,
the mockingbirds no longer calling

and the birds have lost their feathers,
falling to the earth

And when the night has fallen,
reach into your sleep, into your sleep

You are the ocean, you are the mountains
You are the river, flowing from your heart

Like the dawn the night has stolen
waiting for its return

To the season of our yearning
the waters of our rebirth

And when the night has fallen
reach into your dreams, to your dreams

You are the ocean, you are the mountains
You are the river, flowing from your heart

Into your silence, dreams of silence
find your way out of the dark, find a way back to your heart

You are the ocean, you are the mountains
You are the river, flowing from your heart

You Are

Moon and Stars by Keri Johnson
Photo credits: Adrian Swancar

Remove the chains from Andromeda
and set her spirit free

Escape the fate of Cassiopeia
who cast her to the sea

The moon and the stars never change
What they’ve seen looking down on us
Now I’m free from your archetypical gaze

The moon and the stars never change
How they live and breathe in us
Living free in my own interstitial space

Spinning round the wheel like ixion
bound to a winged and fiery ring

Miles and miles of empty space
unlock the keys to our mystery

The moon and the stars never change
What they’ve seen looking down on us
Now I’m free from your archetypical gaze

The moon and the stars never change
How they live and breathe in us
Living free in my own interstitial space

Blue

In the Rubble by Keri Johnson

Baby wake this heart of mine
it's like I've been sleepwalking thru time

there's a stream running deep
but this well has dried, 'cause I've got not more tears to cry

and I am the candelight
holding this vigil on the inside

In the rubble I, in the rubble I died that night
there's a part of me, there's a part of me I left behind

In the rubble I, in the rubble something died inside
will you search for me? Do you see me, I'm your missing child?

Need your touch, need your touch tonight
your loving makes me feel alive

Traveling back, traveling back thru time
journey to resurrect this world inside

and I am the candlelight
holding this vigil on the inside

In the rubble I, in the rubble I died that night
there's a part of my, there's a part of me I left behind

In the rubble I, in the rubble something died inside
will you search for me? Do you see me, I'm your missing child?

In the Rubble

Little White Dove

Anyone by Keri Johnson

Album cover design: Judy Thang

"One of our staffers today called "Anyone" the "perfect song for the lonely." In these days of social distancing, you kind of have unintentionally created a soundtrack for the times. "
-Wavelength

Is there anyone
see the colors that I see?

Is there anyone
searching for that missing piece?

Is there anyone like me?
Is there anyone like me?
(and I call to the sky, but there is no answer)
(and I'm broken open wide, but I keep on dancing)

Is there anyone
broken apart like me?

Is there anyone
Is this all just a dream?

Isn't everyone like me?
Isn't everyone like me?
(and I call to the sky, but there is no answer)
(and I'm broken open wide, but I keep on dancing)

Bridge
Is it all just skin deep?
Is it all just a dream?

Anyone

Loving in the Dark by Keri Johnson

I never wanted us to change
had to turn the page, now we're torn
I left me standing in the rain
didn't mean to give away my soul

Baby I don't know the way
Only know I wanna be where you are
seems you don't hear what I say
do my words mean nothing at all?

Loving in the dark
(Let the light in)
Left me barely breathing

Loving in the dark
(let the light in)
Left me barely feeling

I only want the pain to stop
find the way back to your heart
but I'm lost
wanna go back to the start
before the place where things went wrong
but we're stuck

I tend to see things my way
maybe I've been blind all along
I'll try to meet you halfway
cause I don't wanna give up on us

Loving in the dark
(Let the light in)
Left me barely breathing

Loving in the dark
(let the light in)
Left me barely feeling

Loving in the Dark

Your Fool by Keri Johnson

photo/credit "Danny G" Unsplash
Album cover design: Judy Thang

There's a smoke signal rising in the night sky
should've listened to the voice warning me inside

No, I never stopped believing in your light
something I could not imagine, it was blindsight

You're a liar- and I'm your fool

You're a liar-and I'm your fool

Caught up in your web, believing what I wanted to
slowly dying every day that I deny my truth

Now I'm picking up the pieces all that I been thru
kept me tied, I'll never go back tho you ask me to

Your Fool

So Cold by Keri Johnson

And the season found me
like a thorn upon a winter rose

And my leaves, fallen
fall to the ground, to the ground

Underneath this frozen ground
Baby you're nowhere around
Left me cold, your so cold

Your the one who needs me now
I'm no longer calling out
in your cold, in your cold

And the summer told me
he'd return again, warm my earth

But the cold lay dormant
over my broken heart, broken heart

Underneath this frozen ground
Baby you're nowhere around
Left me cold, your so cold

Your the one who needs me now
I'm no longer calling out
in your cold, in your cold

So Cold

Fly Free by Keri Johnson

Photo credit/image: Kharytonova Anonina

Torn at the seams
walking backward into me

I'm sleepwalking
waking up to - to this dream

And the light can't hide
and the night longs to be free- to be freed

Baby you and I
we can take the sky fly free

Between the bitter leaves
falling sideways from the trees

To all the pretty things
from the flowers fading- to the bee that stings

And the light can't hide
and the night longs to be free- to be freed

Baby you and I
we can take the sky fly free

Fly Free

Until You Return by Keri Johnson
Photo credits: Jonatan Becerra

The light is fading across the water, crimson red

Your ship is sailing tho you promise to come back

To the open, we are never broken
Wings half folded, until you return

The tide's receding, our days under the sun

I'll be here waiting, these depths that know no end

To the open, we are never broken
Wings half folded, until you return

Bridge
In my room, I will wait
Flowers bloom, then gone like the days

To the open, we are never broken
Wings half folded, until you return

Until you return

Alive by Keri Johnson
Photo Credits: Jordan Sanchez

Thru all that is transitory, the miracle of being "alive"

Love letters never found- never found

And the pages turn-  and all you read about

There's a whisper in the wind tonight
a knowing in the stars that shine- I'm alive

I am the mountains calling to the sky
there are oceans in the tears I cry- I'm alive

How the days burn- and you play them in your mind

And your hearts yearns- for the ones you left behind

Alive

Singer/Songwriter/Music Creator
https://keriljohnson.com/


"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski

*All of my songs on SC are first introduced/unmastered versions
Never auto-tune, I play piano/synths by ear.

Check out my piano improv/playing by ear short videos here:
#musicismath#musicismediation#flow#pianoimprov#playingbyear#
https://youtube.com/shorts/rccvNIzhynU?feature=share


It's my pleasure to share a few recent collaborations:

With Guiville: "This Moment"
https://soundcloud.com/guiville/this_moment_ft_keri_johnson

"Waiting" by Nuvo, featuring Keri Johnson
https://soundcloud.com/officialnuvo/nuvo-feat-keri-johnson-waiting

"Falling" collab with Guiville & Keri Johnson
https://soundcloud.com/guiville/falling-v3

"Awaken Me" collaboration Guiville & Keri Johnson on MIxcloud: www.mixcloud.com/radiocoolio/radi…gote-electromix/

"You're the Light" collab by Guiville & Keri Johnson
https://soundcloud.com/guiville/your-the-light-ft-keri-johnson

Most recent albums/videos:

"Falling Stars"
https://youtu.be/pOhDT5yhjAA 

"This Space"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDeMPl72wxI

"Without You Here"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERGrJ2ld68E

Video for "Something More" released 10.31.18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgfBhGZiSUU

ALBUM RELEASE & video, "Ghost Town"  6.13.18! 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEzS1u_dlv8&t=1s

"Johnson is a talented songwriter with the ability to convey powerful sensations through her music. She is all about channeling the spirit of great R&B songwriters, combining classic influences with a refreshing modern twist."
by Stacey Zering January 23, 2019 
-No Depression, The Journal of Roots Music
http://nodepression.com/album-review/keri-johnsons-ghost-town-ep-gorgeously-crafted

kerijohnson

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