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To Wake From a Thousand Dreams

by Jonathan Block

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1.
Throwing Diamonds Down 06:38
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Woke up past midnight from a restless sleep Streetlights and the wind echo through my heart Thinking how I showed my hand and where we almost went But like a rock that skips away everything just skidded apart In the last year every joke is awkward Those radiant eyes keep driving me backward Remembering what should’ve come after But it all went too complex once we got back to town Throwing diamonds down Steam rises off the street the birds come out one by one No amount of talking was going to end this night I just couldn't face knowing the words we said Sometimes you’ve got to barrel through the storms you dread So I headed downtown half asleep half awake Waiting for any kind of sign of what it’s going to take I thought someone behind me had made a mistake But it was just the wind in the rushes no one was around Throwing diamonds down Once I could wait for the train at the crossing A panorama of questions that never needed answers Spent our nights together like shipwrecked strangers Sometimes we tried to forget or just fed off the danger I headed down the highway to the last exit I could find Checked into the first motel with a vacancy sign I met her at the market where she worked for a while We were kindred spirits just trying not to drown Throwing diamonds down I got myself a room around the corner from that store We could never get rid of the squeaky floors We met every day and shared some cheap vodka And dreamed of a way of escaping this drama She was still married but had lost her kids And everything she told me was to keep her sanity I guess I should be happy she shook off her destiny But being a savior is no comfort when you’ve lost your crown Throwing diamonds down Now I wait for a quick glance or some conversation The voice of reason is never too far behind Experiences that seemed forever are compressed to one moment I stop myself mid-thought and wait for the stars to shine Everything I've given you is stuffed in a drawer Songs, poems, trinkets, history, myths A vision of certainty beginning to slip A love we know we won’t share here and now Throwing diamonds down
2.
The Man Who Nearly 07:18
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To wake from a thousand dreams Leaves fall on the river Where's the evening we spent It melts into a whisper There's a spark that flickers In and out of the fog it shimmers Maybe the other shoe won't fall Another memory grows dimmer One by one we follow the sun Were we ever here Our heroes they've disappeared And what if I’ve been wrong all this time Watching dust gather on the shelf Who’ll save me from myself A silent smile and a worn book Close enough to hear you breathe So hard to get the right words out I'll just trace the shapes in the steam Contemplating the dusty air Among the still blue sparrows Talking on a swaying wire Every insight shrinks and narrows One by one we follow the sun Were we ever here Our heroes they've disappeared And what if I’ve been wrong all this time Watching dust gather on the shelf Who’ll save me from myself Again the wind whistles in the trees Elegies for an abandoned mystery Unable to span the great divide Another moment lost to history The sky is deeper than blue A phantom target passes Through a point of seeing Variations on a theme of absence One by one we follow the sun Were we ever here Our heroes they've disappeared And what if I’ve been wrong all this time Watching dust gather on the shelf Who’ll save me from myself And the birds keep singing their song But they never change their tune Or even care to consider What happened much too soon Another mountain and I think of you What seemed so important then Coaxing back the silence again To wake with you in a slow descent One by one we follow the sun Were we ever here Our heroes they've disappeared And what if I’ve been wrong all this time Watching dust gather on the shelf Who’ll save me from myself
3.
Tablecloths 05:37
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(Instrumental)
4.
Dust and Dreams 03:45
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The dream is still away So far beyond today Together in the mist Alone against the drift Given that the sun belongs To the existing world Airborne and mysteriously The fog yields slowly Anything you get for free Will be dust and dreams Dust and dreams Comes apart at the seams The watcher in the tower Do you know the hour When they'll come Out that door and undone Silver sky and painted faces There's no place to hide And even less of a trace The thinking that stems the tide Anything you get for free Will be dust and dreams Dust and dreams Comes apart at the seams Overloaded on the way About half past never Searching for one note That brings it all together Anything you get for free Will be dust and dreams Dust and dreams Comes apart at the seams
5.
Walking on Foreign Ground 08:37
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Another day has ended With a falling star and a flat tire Like a vision in the back of my mind The sky starts a fire Take me to that hidden place Where dancers sit this one out Where the air stands still And evaporates any doubt I feel like I'm walking on foreign ground The surroundings are so strange I can't even hear a sound Walking on foreign ground Every footstep is a sigh Here at the lost and found What was once know long ago Is forgotten and slow I walk without the sense And try to remember a minute ago This drink leaves a bitter aftertaste Silencing any progress I've found I feel like I'm walking on foreign ground The surroundings are so strange I can't even hear a sound Walking on foreign ground Every footstep is a sigh Here at the lost and found I'm to the point where I should just shut out the light And push it all far from my sight But someone's tapping lightly at the door And I can't remember which way is right I feel like I'm walking on foreign ground The surroundings are so strange I can't even hear a sound Walking on foreign ground Every footstep is a sigh Here at the lost and found
6.
All That You Say 04:37
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Standing in the shade of your door Listening to reasons and rhymes Everything moves farther than tomorrow What do we think we’re going to find Am I the planner or the plan Is there a window once again How many times do I have to tell myself You'd better open your eyes or else Wood from the trees Ghost in the machine The past was once new Is that the best you can do The world’s on fire Preaching to the choir The truth it’s not always true Is that the best you can do The wires are cut Drop into the slipstream Falling out my hands Sleepwalking through the scene Can’t see the new refrain Or contemplate the next Scattered to the corners Always too complex Wood from the trees Ghost in the machine The past was once new Is that the best you can do The world’s on fire Preaching to the choir The truth it’s not always true Is that the best you can do Looking for something That’s already there Will the sheer momentum of time Make the future clear Is it a false sense of urgency Or are we really nearing the end Time seems to spin faster now We’re losing the ability to comprehend Wood from the trees Ghost in the machine The past was once new Is that the best you can do The world’s on fire Preaching to the choir The truth it’s not always true Is that the best you can do
7.
Off the Beaten Path 04:34
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I wonder what this is doing To our sense of the universe Caught in a loop stretched out The constant pull of clouds Ancient fragments appear Tuning the air In a perpetual high noon Too far and too near Crossing the current Never where you think you are Half past the half Off the beaten path No matter how many years Can’t shake you off my mind Or sidestep the concept A thought that’s out of time History will wear us down The inevitable returning As visions slip into dreams With both ends burning Crossing the current Never where you think you are Half past the half Off the beaten path Elsewhere, words ring clear There’s more to this than meets the ear Stop me if you’ve heard this before This world has got a lot to answer for Stop me if you’ve heard this before This world has got a lot to answer for Crossing the current Never where you think you are Half past the half Off the beaten path
8.
Moving Targets 06:41
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The rain kept falling from the morning Tears of a different warning Left out under the moonlight Rising up to catch the dawning Steps filled with discontent Dragging and slagging until the hours are spent Then the silent fire transforms me It’s frightening how real life can be It's always too that or this A moving target you're always going to miss Moving targets into another slice of time A moving target without any reason or rhyme Moving targets Why does the story keep changing I find out the ending too late The signals I get keep rearranging It's hard to keep the facts straight Standing by an open window As she passes by in the darkness I've heard the night move to silence Whenever the sky is starless It's always too that or this A moving target you're always going to miss Moving targets into another slice of time A moving target without any reason or rhyme Moving targets Wake up for another day Chattering at the break of dawn Out of the fire and out of your own Always taking it too far gone Up from sleep  There’s just a wall between us But there might as well be  Half the world between us It's always too that or this A moving target you're always going to miss Moving targets into another slice of time A moving target without any reason or rhyme Moving targets
9.
And How 04:40
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(Instrumental)
10.
Eyes Closed 07:23
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The warming air dries the night rain I hear you calling Still unsure of which way to go The stars start falling It was the wind not mystery that passed through And kept those shadows moving Living through accelerated days The words just get in the way It felt like walking into a wall Walking into a wall with my eyes closed Grinding tires against the sand Running the same track As realities stretch across the hill Never sure which one will come back Temperature’s up 20 degrees Senses spinning way too fast People walk by as your voice recedes Never even thinking to ask It felt like walking into a wall Walking into a wall with my eyes closed Still nothing but sunlight on the table Again the spirit denied Rearranging the pieces won’t focus the blur Just point me at the sky We’ll have to start again and again Now’s not the time to ask why Just recall the faintest glimpse In high places standing by It felt like walking into a wall Walking into a wall with my eyes closed
11.
The Enemy Within 04:28
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Hey, the enemy's within us So tell me who can you trust The enemy's within us Hey, turning wheels won't rust The enemy's within us The enemy's within us Hey, the enemy's within us Are you going to turn to dust The enemy's within us Hey, point your finger if you must The enemy's within us The enemy's within us
12.
Another Time Another Place 06:18
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I'll look as far forward as it takes Divine the future, read the leaves Resolve to notice the smallest need And stop looking for something else to believe Like the sun lights the rusty dome Another chance to go way beyond Can't help but wonder how many lines Our lives cross in this lifetime Sometimes it’s simply either or For to next and never to be Make the best of the situation There's more to this than we see Another time, another place How many moments must we wait To find heaven here on earth Another time, another place It’ll pass soon enough And I'll just have to laugh At the time that's been lost At the energy that’s halved But there's a light on the horizon A beacon far from shore Some dreams you face alone A glimmer of hope or is it something more Sometimes it’s simply either or For to next and never to be Make the best of the situation There's more to this than we see Another time, another place How many moments must we wait To find heaven here on earth Another time, another place Just keep walking the wire So much is still unwritten Keep a grin on your face No matter how much you’re questioned Sometimes it’s simply either or For to next and never to be Make the best of the situation There's more to this than we see Another time, another place How many moments must we wait To find heaven here on earth Another time, another place
13.
Stones of Infinity 04:28
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Another early morning Up like clockwork Different day but not by much Irrelevant and out of luck And what if it all was different What if everything had changed Stumbling around this life So much still out of range Just like that there it went A perception of moments Into another void willingly The stones of infinity Cut to the truth A little less obtuse That sliver of life you share Bounces off the morning air Wandering the world Like clouds and water Watching leaves blow by The passage of wind in a vast sky Just like that there it went A perception of moments Into another void willingly The stones of infinity
14.
Nothing More or Less 07:00
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This far into the country The boundaries are barely defined The last 10 years pass in 10 minutes And here am I trying to make sense of just one time A stalemate in communication Just another way to say goodbye A future script unwritten or unfinished A life the length of a sigh No matter what I do I find you’re back in my head There's no laughter or tears So much left unsaid Without your compass I don't know where to next Tell me what's left to expect Nothing more nothing less And to see you smile I'd wait a thousand years Another glimmer of hope It's as far as it’s near No sense of what’s real Caught in another mess Just one more chance Nothing more nothing less Nothing but darkness banging around my pockets Whatever sunshine left it’s still bright in my heart The whole universe collapses to this instant We quarrel beautifully it’s a symphony set apart A stalemate in communication Just another way to say goodbye A future script unwritten or unfinished A life the length of a sigh No matter what I do I find you’re back in my head There's no laughter or tears So much left unsaid Without your compass I don't know where to next Tell me what's left to expect Nothing more nothing less And to see you smile I'd wait a thousand years Another glimmer of hope It's as far as it’s near No sense of what’s real Caught in another mess Just one more chance Nothing more nothing less So this is how the story finally ends I think of you as gone it’s better that way The space between tomorrow stretches exhales Without knowing the difference or the right words to say
15.
King of Corners 03:41
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I drink my water from a rusty can Nobody even knows who I am You better mind the weather Or you'll be stuck here forever I've got a theory that the world's still flat Tight as a drum still on the run Is the answer there's no answer When the answer is no answer King of corners Every move a sound King of corners Even up is down King of corners Coming back around Her eyes as brilliant as the sun Close enough to clear the rain A thought and thinking a thought Are never quite the same But there's always carrying water There's always chopping wood But there's always carrying water There's always chopping wood King of corners No one to relate King of corners History is what you make King of corners In the shadows all it takes I drink my water from a rusty can Nobody even knows who I am I drink my water from a rusty can Nobody even knows who I am I drink my water from a rusty can
16.
Across the Borderline 05:30
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Dancing on the precipice Way past hit or miss Can't tell what’s real And what's just wishful thinking But that perception is short-lived Some moments never come to pass Watching as the birds fly past Just a signpost fading fast Illusions, delusions, confusion Keep those thoughts in seclusion It's getting harder all the time Not to cross the line Across the borderline Pay the calm no mind The water is getting rough The other shoe falls This life often just isn't enough Still waiting for the breakthrough With time on my hands Running closer to empty Looking for a clearing to land Illusions, delusions, confusion Keep those thoughts in seclusion It's getting harder all the time Not to cross the line Across the borderline The jewels of kings and queens Mean nothing It's going to take more than riches To make me turn my back and leave You're as essential as air And it's getting hard to breathe You've got your hooks in me But I don't want to break free Illusions, delusions, confusion Keep those thoughts in seclusion It's getting harder all the time Not to cross the line Across the borderline
17.
Welcome to the Unknown 05:43
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I woke up with a snap from a dream And found 30 years had passed The guardian angel I'd abandoned Is back in this forest of glass Just another season gone The leaves crisp and the sky late A train whistle blows in the distance The valley is still and waits Time passes slow Can't crack the code No place to go Welcome to the unknown Out there in the anywhere Shimmering dawn on silent seas Still the same or just enough Never is never was never will be All my life you’ve been just out of reach Tonight you're farther away than ever When two's a crowd the absence so loud Another twilight pulls back forever Time passes slow Can't crack the code No place to go Welcome to the unknown
18.
What Gives? 03:47
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The sun shines warm and it peeks through the trees Time stands still there's a sweet peaceful breeze The sun shines warm and it peeks through the trees Time stands still there's a sweet peaceful breeze Since you've been gone I've lost the will to live You stand on the corner with some flowers in your hand You found someone new I'm just another grain of sand You stand on the corner with some flowers in your hand You found someone new I'm just another grain of sand Since you've been gone I've lost the will to live I'm getting on that train, I don’t think I’m ever coming back It’s better out there on a different set of tracks I'm getting on the train, I don’t think I’m ever coming back It’s better out there on a different set of tracks Since you've been gone I've lost the will to live?
19.
Surface Tension 06:35
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Thought patterns hit a wall Dissolve eventually So far from any semblance That could be called reality Just another breakdown The tearing of the cloth A hand to touch I've said too little I've said too much Surface tension It's all surface tension Fills every passing minute With no added dimension Can’t dig any deeper A one-sided vision Surface tension It’s all surface tension No chance is acted upon It sets off every alarm The willows bend as if to say Catch your breath and find some calm Every gate is closed Each feeling merely a trace The only comfort your gaze Another time another place Surface tension It's all surface tension Fills every passing minute With no added dimension Can’t dig any deeper A one-sided vision Surface tension It’s all surface tension The willows bend as if to say Catch your breath and find some calm A hand to touch I've said too little I've said too much Surface tension It's all surface tension Fills every passing minute With no added dimension Can’t dig any deeper A one-sided vision Surface tension It’s all surface tension
20.
Close to Inevitable 05:12
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Sitting alone at the water’s edge Trying to remember everything you’ve seen You look to the future but can't get beyond today Nothing’s what you thought it would be The induced anxiety of tomorrow Rings in a hollow stomach Seconds smash seconds Falling over each other Still in the trees and undercover Some of us look into the darkness Others stare straight into the sun Some of us are lost in the madness Others don’t know which way to run Turn around and face the inevitable Take a walk along an edge so steep Nothing wrong with complete abandon Just don't fall in too deep An insatiable thirst for tomorrow The infinite calm is as far as it’s near Out of perspective and nearly out of time So much has passed me by unaware The induced anxiety of tomorrow Rings in a hollow stomach Seconds smash seconds Falling over each other Still in the trees and undercover Some of us look into the darkness Others stare straight into the sun Some of us are lost in the madness Others don’t know which way to run Turn around and face the inevitable Take a walk along an edge so steep Nothing wrong with complete abandon Just don't fall in too deep And now you’re sitting back at the water’s edge Trying to remember everything you’ve seen You look to the future but can't get beyond today Nothing’s what you thought it would be The induced anxiety of tomorrow Rings in a hollow stomach Seconds smash seconds Falling over each other Still in the trees and undercover Some of us look into the darkness Others stare straight into the sun Some of us are lost in the madness Others don’t know which way to run Turn around and face the inevitable Take a walk along an edge so steep Nothing wrong with complete abandon Just don't fall apart too deep
21.
Where Now 04:19
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There’s no face Just fog over a gray sea There’s no body Just a trace of what used to be Nothing comes back At least not this time The morning the rain Anything could be a sign Where are you now Where did it happen Who did the calling How was it phrased What were they wearing Besides all that There are no questions The picture’s soft focus Half asleep half awake Where are you now No more buying back Old pictures on the wall Dusty dried flowers Crumble and fall Finally in the here and now Every day starts to look the same Something stirs somewhere Someone calls my name
22.
Trapped on a Wheel 04:24
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I feel like I’ve passed through this scene a thousand times before Am I just a casual observer or is this a chance once more To break out of this cycle and move one step forward To see something in a different light life is its own reward Trapped on a wheel I keep spinning around and around Trapped on a wheel Finding answers I’ve already found I’ve lived through this moment and it all seems as real as before And I’ve thought these same thoughts as I’ve passed by these very same doors We’ve shared these word they echo through my memory And I know I can find the escape if I could just let myself see Trapped on a wheel I keep walking the same ground Trapped on a wheel Finding answers I’ve already found I’d go back again many have chosen that course But I wouldn’t be any better prepared and I’d probably make it worse So I’ll keep trying to straighten out the paths of my life that have bent And I’ll learn to be a little more wiser when it happens again Trapped on a wheel I keep spinning around and around Trapped on a wheel I keep walking the same ground Trapped on a wheel Finding answers I’ve already found

credits

released May 10, 2017

Written, performed and recorded by Jonathan Block, except Dust And Dreams, Walking On Foreign Ground, King Of Corners and Trapped On A Wheel written by Jonathan Block and Jim Cyr.

Recorded and mixed at Ironing Board Studios, Fairfield, CT USA
Design and photography: synthblock

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Jonathan Block Connecticut

Jonathan Block performs jazz, folk and electronic music with a progressive edge. His music has been released by labels such as Hypnos, Gears of Sand and Mindspore. Block is also a poet whose poems have been published in journals around the world.

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