Celia Rose

6

This song follows the story of young girl as she returns to her hometown after have been away at school. She realizes that she has changed so much that she could never really go back to the person she used to be when she lived there. She also notices that others have changed as well, and she realizes that this process is necessary in order to grow and development one's individuality.

This song was written over Thanksgiving break during my freshman year at college. I returned back to by hometown in Alabama after having moved to Missouri for school. I realized how much I had changed and how I would never again be the person I was in high school.

Can?t Go Back

So many people, so many friends and I say, ?Hey, it?s great to see you again?
Too much between us and little to say, so we give a hug and walk on our way
That?s the way it?s gonna to be, although it still seems so strange to me

Chorus
Well, I?m home now, but I can?t go back (3x)
to the way I used to be

I?m happy to be home again; smiling faces with a southern accent
I need some time to free my mind and run with the breeze ?neath the
Alabama sunshine
Ohhh, watch them go, neighborhood kids who I thought would never grow
They moved up in school and stopped believing that a lemonade stand is cool
But that?s the way it?s gonna be, although it still seems so strange to me.

Chorus

I know that who I was isn?t who I?m going to be
The people who knew me then, now they don?t know me
The words that used to fly are held back deep inside
But don?t hide, who you are

Chorus

Life?s about change, you can?t stay the same
You?ve got to move on if you want to grow strong
So hold on tight in the heat of the night
But if the walls close in, it?s time to take flight, so?
Grab a breeze and go on your way
You may not know where you?re going but you?ll get there someday
It?s gonna be steep and there?s gonna be rain
But you?re not really livin? if you stay the same
We change and we move on?you can?t stay the same forever
We change and we travel?you can?t stay in the same place forever.
Forever?forever?

7

This song talks about the working class people in our society and how they deserve respect for all that they do.

I thought of the idea for this song when I was stuck in traffic on a scorching day in St. Louis. I was feeling sorry for myself for some reason and then I looked up at the rooftop to see some workers building a roof in the heat of the day. Then, I thought back to other workers I had known throughout my life. The maid who cleaned our high school bathrooms, and the men who emptied the trash cans on campus during the winter. I thought of how hard they worked.

Rough Hands

Cars blink left turn, simultaneously, hearts beat
Underneath, the flashing of the
Heat wave, red light, hands are burning on the black wheel,
Asphalt, smoke.
I?m choking as I sit here waiting, for the green light.
Bikers, joggers, free
To cross before me, no more driving, I repeat to myself
Sweating, sighing. I?m tired from the day

Men build houses, one is whistling at me
From the rooftop that the week before had
Not been standing
Oh it must be hotter on the rooftop
Underneath the burning sun.

Chorus
These are people who have hands that become rough while they?re still young
They work until the sun has gone and then, begin again at dawn

Cleaning bathroom sinks, that?s where I met her,
In my high-school, she was always smiling
Though she worked all day and then went home alone
Garbage cans all full, they must be emptied
All the men who empty them in winter
Must be freezing cold, their jackets are so thin

Chorus

Men and women sit on corners of the street
They beg me please, some money for some food
Don?t turn your back, my child?s going to die
I don?t know what?s true, who?s lying to me
Maybe they?re just drunk or high.
If I gave to all that asked me I?d be broke.

But those who work are good and honest people
Those who try are good and honest people
Those whose hands are rough are tougher than
The gold that makes the statue on his table
As he drowns in wealth, more money than he needs

Chorus 2x
Repeat first stanza

9

This song is about how everyone has a life story and a reason to their actions. Most people, even their family and friends may never learn enough about them to really understand why they do what they do. They themselves may never fully understand it.

I wrote this song during a vacation in Switzerland, when i met a girl who acted strangely with men. She told me of all the sexual acts she would do for them, (we were 16 years old at the time) and I asked her why? I simply wondered why she was doing sexual favors for these ramdom guys she hardly knew. And she paused for a moment and thought about it. She didn't seem to know the answer herself. Finally, she told me a story about her childhood experience with her brother that made it very clear to both of us.

Your Story


Stranger on the street, don?t know who you are
Look down at your feet, avoid the faces of people you
don?t want to meet
Why do you push me aside, why do you act that way
Until you tell me your story, I have no clue what to say

Chorus
Do you ever wonder why you do what you do?
Is this really your own life that you?ve been going through?

She wonders why she fools around now, and she asks us why
Well, I didn?t know then where she had been before
To be used and abused by her brother, too young to understand
He was wrong but she still denies it, now she can?t face him,
and she can?t trust any man.

Chorus

As I listened to her story, I learned about her past
She was locked in a daze of fury. She longed for peace at last
Her words were full of emotion, her breath was full of shame
My advice got lost on its journey, never made it past her pain.

Chorus
She said, ?Is this really my own life I?ve been talking about
Was it really me, no it cannot be, was it really me??

Every person has a story that may never be told
They may do what they do for a reason
But if you want to know why, look deep in their eye
Are their tears all dry?
From a past full of questions, part of the chain
The way she was treated, she won?t ever be the same

Chorus