High

I've watched the tiny grains of sand
Come echoing thru my life

But little's become clear as night time nears

The folks I see that live and breathe around here
Seem so insincere

And I don't know what to do
At best, I'm still stumbling thru
Oh, stumbling thru
Stumbling thru...

The Old Man has bound our hands
With the bonds of our discontent

He's fueled our hate and tempers
With the missives he has sent

Like tangled dolls we go off
Bouncing into walls
Heads like cement...

I'm weary with all these tribalists
Come a-knocking here at my door

Fingers out there pointing at all so wrong
And who to blame for...

Are we not all at fault here?
We lent our big old ears to the Ass and the Elephant!
Yeah...

And we don't know what to do
At best, we're still just stumbling thru
Oh, stumbling thru
Stumbling thru...

Stumbling Thru

Packing up these bags again
Under an early morning rain
Hitting the road once more
To visit my old friend

He was struggling with his health you see
Trapped inside the heart of his own tree
Then his momma called out to me
Saying he was gone
So long..

And as the days ran by
I watched that old star shining
As I went on and walked myself awhile

And in my dreams
I have seen
His frozen figure move
Ever slowly approaching
From the far side of the moon

And as months turned to years
I felt the King of Hearts
Speak thru my own tears

I've heard the haunting sigh
Of the night owl's song
And it reminds me...

I wonder when my time has come
When my final breath on this Earth is done
Oh, I wonder...
Will he surprise me?

King of Hearts (Demo)

Sample music making use of a number of analog inspired sources such as Blamsoft's Viking (Moog Voyager), Voyager and Oberheim Xpander Refills..

Viking Test

Gotta stop
And take a breath
Before the next breakdown

Because you know damn well
There will be many more along the way

Our willows weep
For all who sleep
With our stone covered souls

While all our words
Are wasted on the wind

Our tired words
Are wasted on the wind

While all those colors of our past
Now seem so far apart

And there are no leaders in our garden
Or under our stars

So, I stand before you and watch your cruelty reign
As I gather up what dreams that still remain

You're so base and basic
You barely hold my attention

Then you're off to the very next thing
That you hate

I'm calling over to all mankind
We can't afford to lose our affections

For all our days are wasted on the wind
Our lonely days, wasted on the wind

While all those flowers of our past begin to fade
And there are no lovers resting under
My cover's shade

So, I lie here late in the night hour
Waiting for my life to change

As I gather up what good days still remain

Your mind is tripping
Your body's falling apart

And there's nothing like the cry of a human
With a desperate heart

I reached about myself
To find that old familiar light

But alas, my pockets are all empty
Right about tonight...

These pockets of mine
Worn with time
All empty tonight

Breakdown

You lit the fire to my life
As I watched my dreams run dry
Time has cast her spell on me
Both brown eyes now gone blind

I still recall the day you left
And the tears that you left behind
Was it something that I said?
"Just who you are.." was your reply

I wake up to the sound
Of the rain outside my window
Beating back the last pang of my sorrow

Took one last sip from your empty cup
Nursing memories that remain

It's a shame I'm crying over us
It's a crying shame

Your heart flamed over my horizon
When I saw you as my only one
The bloom's since wilted off that rose
Sweet senses come undone

So here I am back to my vagabond days
Home is where my hat is lying
It's a crying shame my love
And it's a shame I'm crying

Took one last sip from your empty cup
Nursing memories that remain
Hey now, ain't that a crying shame?

I listen for the patter
Of the rain outside my window
Beating back the last pang of my sorrow

Paid last respects to hallucinations
When I saw you as my only one
The bloom's since wilted off that rose
Sweet senses come undone

So here I am back to my wandering games
Home is where my ghosts are hiding
It's a crying shame my love
And it's a shame I'm crying

Crying Shame

I can’t forget the day I met you
Seems as though it was just a dream
Who could see how things would go awry?

So many years have passed since that time
And you’re no longer by my side
Where do I go to fill these empty spaces in my life?

Well these dreams won’t go away
No matter how hard I try
Your memory has left me
High and dry..

Well these dreams won’t go away
And the days go by and by
Your memory has left me
High and dry..

Say you will
Or say you won’t
Be mine..
Oh Darling, I won’t cry

How can I care for you
When you can’t even care for yourself?
Still I won’t stop trying
For you…
Girl, you know it’s the truth

High And Dry

Here in the twilight of my life
I often revel in the past
Now and then I think of you
And the days my friends said would never last

Now every moment
The dreams begin
And fade in sin
And every memory
Hides in shame
Like a child

I make no promises of life
My tastes change like night and day
But if you'll keep me in your heart
Far above this raging sea

Twilight Of My Life

Not a word
Not one sound from you to me
Until I find a reason why you've gone
I can't go on..

So, I travel westward, Darlin'
Searching for a sign from you
It drives me mad your disappearance
You're the one that makes me blue
And it's because of you..

In the rain
In the summer sun
I come undone
In your shape
Within this heart I stay
So stay away

Here in the shadows
Thorns will prick the tender skin
That dwells within my heart
And your rose garden

V2:
Here in the shadows
Thorns still prick the tender skin
That dwells between my heart
And your rose garden

Westward

Soft arms, long legs that surround
That's how I see you
And know I'll always dream of you
And so...

I will wait for you today
And I will wait on thru the years
Until you come my way
I will wait patiently here
For you to come down
Down into a burning flame
Round, round and around
And you'll never be the same again

Love is all I can give
Now that I lost you, Girl
And though I'll always dream of you
I will ache..

Down

Well she's seeing another guy
I could never tell her how I feel
We come from separate worlds
It's seems so hopeless to try
Yet I try everyday
But it always ends the same old way
Her eyes go another direction
She's showing her affection

As I stare at the Girl on the Second Floor
We could never match
Yet our hearts remain entrapped
Ooh, as I stare at the Girl on the Second Floor
She's walking out the door..

Shall I go on living
And hoping that someday I'll forget
The days that I hold dear
In my older years

Well I've suffered until I've seen
Love's not meant for a man like me
I walk in the pouring rain
Until I forget my pain

Crush (Girl On The Second Floor)

Are you ready?
To come with me on the big blue sea
Come on, Baby..
Don't you want to know how it's going to be?

The people I meet
Are all wandering around in delirium
And if you catch me
Tell me where I am or alone with you

And now the years grow so much colder
I see your face and I shudder
As my life fades into memory

And now I'm growing so much older
You make me dream myself away
Into yesterday..

Can you hear it?
It's the sound of love beating in your heart
Can you feel it?
It's the pain that's tearing our lives apart

The towns and the cities
Are all wandering around in delirium
And if you catch me
Tell me where I am or alone with you

Hey..
Won't you stay
For a while
Oh Girl, won't you rain a little love on me?

The Years

Not so long ago they rode up to my father’s house
And stole away what all we owned
Leaving us no land no gold
To wander the world without

You might ask yourself
What would make men act
On such a decision

It’s simple, friend
Now and then (that in the end)
It comes from just one origin
Religion
It’s religion..

You call out for some understanding
But I have no heart to forgive
Only a fanatic/monster would call hatred/killing holy
While the World waits for our own Bastille Day

Tell me how much more must we suffer
Why won’t you people, just let others live?
I’ve heard the souls of your victims a calling
Crying for their own Bastille Day

Everywhere I look it seems
These demons have run amok

And who would we turn to now
That it seems somehow
Like God is not in the world

You might ask yourself
Why we still wrestle with this affliction

NOTE: These are supplemental lyrics that didn't quite fit in the song but I feel are relevant regardless..

I have a secret to share
Perhaps more than you can bear
It’s a secret that your mentors
Would never tell you

That murder is quite simply murder
And no martyrs will become
Whilst you would take an innocent life
In the name of anyone..

So we light the fire
We storm the fortress
Your days are numbered
This is our Bastille Day..

Bastille Day

Remake of the original recording using some of the original audio files from 2004 and combining these with real drums, bass and other tools in Reason. Song was later treated in Live using Waves NLS, REDD 51 and Slate Digital's VTM plugins.

Lyrics

What if I opened my heart and showed you everything
Everything inside...
What would you say if I told you everything
Everything in the back of my mind

Would you laugh at me?
Cry with me?
Get by with me?
Smile...
Take a walk on the water
See the moon in my eyes
Come on, play with fire..

Your eyes used to look right thru me
I felt me fade from view..

Didn't your Momma once think I was no good for you?
Did you too, my love?
Wouldn't she lead you to apes with brains and telephones?
Would she do it again?
She would...

So stay with me
Come play with me
'Cause I'm the same old boy you used to know
Take a walk on the water
See the moon in my eyes
Come on, play with fire

Nothing comes from nothing
And nothing's all I receive/believe
I walk thru a world a strangers
No familiarity..

Written, Recorded & Produced by Ramin Streets

Play With Fire

PRAY FOR RAIN

Good men die
People cry
Trees pray for rain

Hold my hand
It turns to sand
Still trees pray for rain

So watch them branches rise and fall
Leaves will shiver one and all
Watch them dancing on the wind

Can't you hear them calling you?
After praying for rain thru the years
I'm praying for rain thru my tears

I found a trace
Of ancient space
Where trees pray for rain

Turned from disease and death
I caught your breath
And I turned into the pain

I might be lost in the worldly charms
Or I might die in your loving arms

So strange to waken to find
The voices calling you

After praying for rain thru the years
I'm praying for rain thru my tears

Good men die
People cry
Trees pray for rain...

Pray For Rain

RED

Looking back o’er years of my life
So much more than I bargained for
Self imposed in a prison cell
While destiny still remained

Now here I sit up atop o’ my hill
Watching a world, just a standing still
See the blood dimmed moon, wail from above
While villainy still remains

So, how can we possibly win?
With them preaching their gospel of sin
I suppose in this life
If you want to survive
You learn to make sense of the Devil

A wise man told me
It’s a hard thing
Living haunted by the ghost
Of an untrue dream

Tribe life lived, is love life lost
While our destinies lay in shambles

Won’t you hear me now?
Hold my heart
The future is flawed the more we stray apart
Dark clouds cover our stars today
Will dignity still remain?

I've been a singer-songwriter all my life.

Started the typical route with piano lessons and guitar as a kid then later pursued it more fully at Northwestern University's School of Music.

After a decade of writing & recording in LA, I've been back in the Midwest writing a mix of songs as well as instrumentals.

Most of my work is created using Propellerhead Reason although I do use Ableton Live on occasion.

How my artist music has been described....

"Ramin's words go beyond the lyric to the poetic serving up pathos and 70's-style. Think Travis 1972 in a New York Art-Bar."

Ramin Streets

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