Maybe Someday

I remember the first time I saw you
Down at the old county fair. 
I was hard to notice, but you were...
Everywhere. 

I was too young to know better
In my brother's faded shirt,
So I asked you a foolish question, and you...
You knew the truth would hurt.

So all
You said was maybe,
But all
I heard was yes -
A difference small enough to spend a lifetime lovin',
But big enough to waste it nonetheless. 
And all
My years of lovin' you,
They fall
Away like leaves. 
Be careful when you're dishin' out the maybes - 
Don't give one to a boy who believes. 

Then it was fifteen years later;
I saw you alone at a dance.
I heard you'd had some heartbreak; I figured, 
Now's my chance. 

It took me three shots o' the hard stuff
Just to get my nerves to cope,
Then I climbed on up to the gallows, and you...
You handed me the hope.

'Cos all
You said was someday,
But all
I heard was soon -
A distance close enough your fingertips can touch it,
But far enough you're reachin' for the moon. 
And all 
My years of reachin' out,
They crawl
Away like thieves. 
Be careful when you're dishin' out the somedays -
Don't give one to a man who believes

That good things come to those who wait -
I always put my trust in fate,
But now the evening's getting late. 

And all my nights are heavy with regret,
With dreams I wish I could forget
Of love you didn't give me yet...

And all 
My wasted yesterdays
Recall 
How hope deceives. 
Be careful with the maybes and the somedays -
Make sure you never give them to 
A man who 
Believes.

Maybe Someday (piano)

Maybe Someday

From a new version of Sophocles' "Electra" I'm writing and directing. This will be sung by Clytemnestra who killed her husband as revenge for his leading their daughter to her death.

* * *

The One-Eyed Queen

You think I don’t cry?
Then tell me why
My cheeks are always wet.
You think that I’m numb
Or that there’s something
Stops me from feeling regret?
Well regret is the house I was born in—
A jar of tears by the door.
So you want me to cry?
Well sure I’ll cry—
But you’ll cry more.

’Cos you can try, you can try, you can try to hurt me,
Here’s the thing you’ll find:
It’s an eye for an eye for an eye and soon
The whole wide world is blind.
And the blind will all beg for a leader
Who will tell them what she’s seen
And they’ll cry and they’ll cry and they’ll cry their tears
At the feet of the one-eyed queen!
The one-eyed queen!

You think I don’t bleed?
Then watch me feed
The flowers with the flow.
You think that my skin
Is thick? It’s thin
With arteries throbbing below.
They tell me the star I was born beneath
Dripped with a fury’s curse.
So you want me to bleed?
Well sure I’ll bleed—
But you’ll bleed worse.

So you can try, you can try, you can try to cut me;
Hack away, my dear.
But it’s I, but it’s I, but it’s I’m the one
With the sharpest knife round here.
And my knife won’t stop when your blood flows,
No it will cut you down to the bile!
And you’ll cry and you’ll cry and you’ll cry for help
And the one-eyed queen will smile!
How she’ll smile!

And the blind won’t see the queen’s anguish
Or her fear.
The blind won’t see her languish
In despair.

’Cos you can try, you can try, you can try to hurt me,
Here’s the thing you’ll find:
It’s an eye for an eye for an eye and soon
The whole wide world is blind.
And the blind will all beg for a leader
Who will tell them what she’s seen
And they’ll cry and they’ll cry and they’ll cry their tears
At the feet of the one-eyed queen!
The one-eyed queen!

* * *

Music: Matthew Lyon and Jezreel Lee
Lyrics: Matthew Lyon

The One-Eyed Queen (work in progress)

Where Did I Put My Heart?

So they tell me that I’m home. 
I can see the grass growing, 
Feel the wind blowing 
Wetter.

And they tell me that I’m home. 
And there’s somebody who missed me, 
Somebody who’ll kiss it all 
Better.

Now oh-oh-oh… 
Where did I put my heart? 
I said oh-oh-oh… 
Must have left it here somewhere. 
I said oh-oh-oh… 
Came right back to the start 
And my heart… 
My heart wasn’t there. 
Have you seen it?

So they tell me that I’m loved. 
And the looks on all their faces 
Tell me that my race is 
Finished.

And they tell me that I'm loved.
And they smile at me a lot so 
Maybe I’m not so 
Diminished.

Now oh-oh-oh… 
Where did I put my heart? 
I said oh-oh-oh… 
Must have left it here somewhere. 
I said oh-oh-oh… 
Came right back to the start 
And my heart… 
My heart wasn’t there.

Now oh-oh-oh… 
Where did I put my heart? 
I said oh-oh-oh… 
Must have left it here somewhere. 
I said oh-oh-oh… 
Came right back to the start 
And my heart, 
My heart wasn’t there. 
Have you seen it? 
Have you seen my heart?

Where Did I Put My Heart?

A collaboration between me and James Homewood (https://soundcloud.com/james-homewood).

Music, arrangement and playing by James Homewood; lyrics, vocals and production by Matt Lyon.

***

A Lovely Day

The wind disturbs the trees
At 4 o'clock in the morning.
I sense you on the breeze;
You drift away.

But soon the birds are singing
Of a brighter dawn,
A new beginning,
And I think it's going to be
A lovely day.

   [Instrumental]

A storm invades the sky
At 9 o'clock in the evening.
The thunder tells me why
You wouldn't stay.

But soon the storm has lifted,
And the world is clean,
The stars have shifted,
And tomorrow's going to be
A lovely day.

And the sun will open up the door
To a future so bright without you.
And I won't be broken anymore;
I'll greet the morning I've been hoping for.

Now every day's the same,
But every day's getting better.
I tell myself the pain
Will fade to grey.

And if it fades too slowly,
Then the air is fresh,
The light is holy,
And perhaps it's going to be
A lovely day.

A Lovely Day

A collaboration between me and Arkwright.

Lyrics by Arkwright; music by Matt Lyon.

***

Love to Hate Me

   Verse 1
A tongue so sharp
You cut a smile,
But all the while
There's hatred in your eyes.
I'm seduced by the hint of truth
That you hide behind your lies.

Eyes cold as steel,
Lips hot as hell...
The tales they tell
Are bait to trap your prey -
They're convinced by the promises
That you swear you won't betray.

   Chorus
Played every card,
Tried every trick,
Worked hard to guard my heart
But you're just... too slick.
Release your grip
And let me be,
'Cos I hate to love you
And you love to hate me.

   Verse 2
An angel's face
With looks to kill,
You get a thrill
From freezing me with fear,
And you laugh and you lick your lips
When I shed a single tear.

From blood-red claws;
My wounds are deep.
I need to sleep
And rest my broken soul.
Don't know if I can sleep in peace
Till you return the love you stole.

   Chorus

   Bridge
When you wrap your hand around my heart,
It skips a beat
But then it's back to racing when you start
To squeeze it!

   Chorus

tokenangmoh