Like A Phoenix

Like A Phoenix - John Goldrust

Mad Hatter was remixed and remastered on 11 January 2025
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In 1972 I was heading towards South America via Mexico and other parts of Central America. I knew that certain hairstyles were frowned upon at various borders. Rather than doing anything drastic, like cutting my hair, I purchase a $15 dollar short hair wig and wore it for my passport photo. 

That wig hat served me well across a number of borders.

I actually wrote the song before I ever crossed one of those borders. At least I think so. I know I wrote it while I was travelling on my own somewhere between the US border and Silvia, Columbia. I had plenty of time in cheap hotel rooms along the way.

I like to think that this song says something about the experience of being a traveller on the road to who knows where. I'm not sure what that might be, but it feels very familiar. It takes me back.

Verse 1:
Looking for hat that comes from south of the border
He needs very big one so it must be made to order
All we really know is that he's from a northern nation
Where he took off his sombrero and he left it in the station

Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter

Verse 2:
Morning takes his head and hides it in the corner
But that can’t conceal the fact that he’s been heading for the border
So he takes a couple pills just to prove he’s not a purist
Puts a wig hat on his head so he looks just like a tourist

Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter

Verse 3:
Paradise is just a place he touches on the run
The loving and the living give him strength for moving on
The world’s out there waiting but it always strikes him funny
When he ends up in some hell hole and he’s just run out of money

Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter


Verse 4:
Can’t tell you bout his future, can’t tell you bout his past
Sometimes he says he’s happy and hopes that it’ll last
More often in the night in his hotel all alone
He wonders what he’s doing why he hasn’t got a home

Chorus:
But it’s all right
It doesn’t matter
Been a long night
For the mad hatter

Mad Hatter

Eve and I were travelling in the Northern Territory a while back when the line "I'm not a love song kind of guy" came to me. I thought it was such an obvious title for a country song that there must be a few songs like it around. As best I could I searched for and failed to find those songs. I figured that the song needed to exist so I thought I'd better write it. This is what I came up with.

Verse 1
I started writing songs some time ago
Don't know why I guess that I just decided to give it a go
I would write about this or that anything i could
I didn't know and hardly cared if it was any good
But I never touched the theme of love, I really don't know why
It occurred to me I might not be a love song kind of guy

Verse 2
At first that didn't bother me, I had a lot to say
Just me and this old guitar, I was still learning to play
But as I learned to weave my words between and around a tune
I'd try my hand at a song of love but it always seemed too soon
Over time it became a missing piece - something I could not deny
By and by I decided I'm not a love song kind of guy


Bridge
I'm inclined to write a line to make you think or smile
Or find something in my words that'll make my song worthwhile
But when it comes to you and me all my words run dry
I guess I'm not a love song kind of guy

Verse 3
It all changed a while ago when everything turned real
Now it's important to me to express the way I feel
But I don't know how to say that your smile lights up my day
Or how much love I feel for you but don't have the words to say
I can't make the words work no matter how I try
I have to face that it's not my place to be a love song kind of guy

Love Song Kind of Guy

Love Song Kind Of Guy

From the album "Gayatri" by Liam Bear Brown is on #SoundCloud on.soundcloud.com/teE95XxLwUbnU81RA

Song lyrics by Nik Bear Brown

Dive into the ethereal beauty of the Gayatri Mantra, the heart of the album "Gayatri" Experience this ancient Vedic chant like never before, as we traverse hundreds of musical landscapes, from the serene valleys of classical to the vibrant streets of urban beats. Each track in this album is a unique interpretation of the sacred mantra:

Om Bhoor-Bhuvah Svah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

From the intricate rhythms of jazz to the soulful echoes of blues, from the electrifying energy of electronic dance music to the profound depths of ambient soundscapes, "Gayatri invites listeners on a mesmerizing journey. This collection celebrates the universality of music and the timeless appeal of the Gayatri Mantra, sung in hundreds of styles, each bringing a new color, emotion, and perspective to these ancient words of wisdom.

Join us on this spiritual voyage across sound and silence, where the mantra's vibrations uplift, heal, and illuminate the path to inner peace and global harmony. Let the Gayatri Mantra resonate within you and through you, connecting with souls worldwide in a shared experience of love and light.

#Gayatri #GayatriMantra #SpiritualMusic #WorldMusic #Ambient #EDM #Jazz #Blues #ClassicalMusic #UniversalMelodies #MeditationMusic #HealingSounds #Peace #Love #Light #InnerPeace

Gayatri's Song Om Bhoor Bhuvah Svah (Harmonious Bluegrass Version 4)

Stare up at the summer sky
Counting all the clouds that pass me by
So I whistle up a tune to while away
Everything’s so perfect here today

And all in all what a perfect day it is
how life all changes with a simple little kiss
can't believe it could turn out as it is
so take me home

Slowly taking in the view
While everybody turns to look at you
so I close by eyes and tune in to that sound
waiting for your footsteps on the ground

And all in all what a perfect day it is
how life all changes with a simple little kiss
can't believe it could turn out as it is
so take me home

For here we are on this extraordinary day
it's all around us, so little left to say
and everybody seems to smile and turn your way
Ooooo

And all in all what a perfect day it is
how life all changes with a simple little kiss
can't believe it could turn out as it is
so take me home

Stare up at the summer sky
Counting all the clouds that pass me by
And I whistle up a tune to while away
everything's so perfect here today

Extraordinary Day

Lyrics:

I thought we had a better connection
Say what you will for your own protection
I will stand by you if I can help it
Now we're so distant as merely strangers

Our eyes met from across the store
I moved past you like you pressed ignore
Only hit me up just to beg for more
It's a one way street, knocked at every door
No one has your goods fresh outta luck
I had a rough day can we roll a blunt?
Talk about our love and what we want
Different end goals isn't that enough

Can you even say it
I'll say it
Stuck to your screen like a whore to a payment
Illness gonna kick in
When it kicks in
Our last goodbye shed a tear on the pavement
Are you gonna say it
You said it
Stuck your screen like a whore to a payment
Illness gonna kick in
When it kicks in
Our last goodbye shed a tear on the pavement

I thought we had a better connection
Say what you will for your own protection
I would stand by you if I can help it
Now we're so distant as merely strangers
Now we're so distant as merely strangers

Bad Connection

Into the Fog Again (Take one)

An Unexpected Tune

Now I Know
Tuned to Open F (E, Capo on 1)
Verse 1:
There ain’t a lot I remember about being a kid but some of it will never go
I remember Daddy driving, window open, cigarette, singing to the radio
I’d fall asleep and he’d carry me in, half-awake in his arms
Momma at my bedside, fingers through my hair, saying prayers, kissing me goodnight
Chorus:
A lot has changed, ain’t much the same
I miss the gravel roads, but now I know where they go
Now I know
Verse 2:
I remember the day of my grandpa’s wake, the first time I saw my Momma cry
And it takes me back to that dollar bet, he took the Dolphins, and I took the Niners
She threw herself on his casket and his screamed name, I didn’t get it, but I sure do now
When love runs deep and the levee breaks, it’s like drowning when you say goodbye
Chorus:
A lot has changed, ain’t much the same
I miss everyone that we’ve lost, but now I know where they go.
Now I know
Bridge:
No, it don’t matter where we started
Home, may be where the heart is
And gone may be where we’re all headed
But now I know everything in between
Well, that’s the gold, yeah, now I know
Solo
Verse 3
I hope they remember me carrying them, playing catch and playing guitar
That their Momma gave every ounce of herself, summer nights walking under the stars
Sharing pictures of my Daddy, stories he told me, and that I let them see my cry
And that they smile when they share our memories, still feel us by their side
Pre-Chorus
A lot has changed, some of it stays the same
Memories, they come and go
Now they know
Chorus: Now they know, now we know, now I know, yeah, now I know……

Now They Know

"the innocent" is a poignant acoustic ballad that delves into the raw emotions of two people ending a relationship and coming to terms with moving forward separately. With gentle acoustic guitar picking and heartfelt vocals, the song captures the bittersweet essence of saying goodbye to someone who was once everything. The lyrics paint a picture of memories fading like echoes in an empty room, as both individuals grapple with the pain of letting go and finding closure. It's a soulful reflection on the inevitability of change and the courage it takes to embrace a new beginning. This song is perfect for anyone who has experienced the ache of farewell and the hope of starting anew.

@exposing.toxicc - the innocent (p. Jacob Vallen x Expose Toxicc)

A Neon light , Late night train   
I’m caught in the rain, Midnight station
And my poor heart , On the line
So give me a sign, Our situation
But all I have is this feeling
Everything I love is up this time
I need you here this evening
Both of our hearts are down the line
Riding on midnight train
Way on down the line
I hope to see
Sleeping on a midnight train
Hoping, maybe you’ll, Be there for me
A million souls pass me by
A blink of the eye
No sensation
Hear your words one last time
Here in my mind
My salvation

But all I have is this feeling
Everything I love is up this time
I need you here this evening
All of our hearts are on the line

Riding on midnight train
Way on down the line
I hope to see
Sleeping on a midnight train
Hoping, maybe you’ll
Be there for me