Jeff Ashbaker

133

A Message To Keep Me Afloat © Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

Nothing I say is worth saying
And all that I do is for nil
So my spirit is constantly craving
While my heart's at a sudden stand still

So I was taking some time to remember
Times that were better than these
Well it was breaking my heart to surrender my part
So I got down on my knees

---Chorus---
I said "Hey flood me with an image that frees me
Throw me a line from your boat
For I know that your love guarantees me
A message to keep me afloat
Tell me of things I have banished from thought
Show me an error of ways
Bring me an answer to have or have not
And I'll share with you all of my days
---------------------------------------

So I was hoping today I'll consider
Some dreams that I had, have come true
And illusions that once seemed so bitter
Have all been sweetened by you

Now the dark skies are brightened by rainbows
So I'm beginning to see from your light
That the rain it must flow, so the flowers can grow
And our love, it will shine through the night

--Repeat Chorus--

-Tag-
Yeah, bring me an answer to have or have not
And I'll share with you all of my days

117

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

MAYBE ©

Maybe, I Just Didn't Love You
Maybe, I Just Didn't Care
Maybe, I Was Looking For Another Souvenir
And Maybe, Now, I Wish You Were Here

Maybe, I Tried To Believe You
And Maybe, I Wanted To Fail
Maybe, You Were Fooling Me And I Knew It All Along
And Maybe, Just Maybe I'm Wrong

---Refrain---
Maybe, My Days Are Full Of Roses
And Maybe, My Nights Are Violet Blue
But, Maybe I'm Lonelier Than I've Ever Been Before
And Maybe I'll Knock On Your Door
-------------------

Maybe, You Just Didn't Love Me
And Maybe, You Just Didn't Care
Maybe You Were Using Me To Leave An Old Affair
And Maybe, Now You Wish I Was There

Maybe, You Had Someone To Run From
And Maybe, You Had Something To Prove
Maybe, I Was Fooling You With The Words Of My Love Songs
And Maybe, Just Maybe You're Wrong

---Refrain---
Maybe, Your Days Are Full Of Roses
And Maybe, Your Nights Are Violet Blue
But, Maybe You Are Lonelier Than You've Ever Been Before
And Maybe, You'll Knock On My Door
------------------

Maybe We Could Close Our Eyes
And Start It All Again
And Maybe, We'll Just Call It The End

83

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

When I Think I Should Forgive You ©

Tonight I'm angry 'cause you left me
At a time when I was low
I'd lost my mama and my daddy
And all that you could say was no

My only friend became the bottle
One I've come to know so well
To share the laughter and the lonely
On my one-way trip to hell

---Refrain---
So when I think I should forgive you
I think again that time will tell
But as this anger slowly leaves me
I hope it all will work out well
-----------------------

There are times when I still suffer
Like when I'm lonely in a crowd
A thousand faces coming my way
But it's mine that can't be found

--Refrain---
So when I think I should forgive you
I think I'll wait until I've learned
If the hell you ran away from
Is the same hell where I burn

--Refrain--
So when I think I should forgive you
I think again that time will tell
As this anger slowly leaves me
I find it all has worked out well
-------------------

-Tag-
I find it all has worked out well

135

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear ©

Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear
That's Where It Belongs
Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear
It's Been Out Too Long

The Last Time That I Touched It
It Was Resting On Your Sleeve
But Rather Than Chance A Romantic Dance
You Just Said You Had To Leave

Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear
That's Where It Belongs
Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear
You've Had It Out Too Long

The Next Thing You Know I'll Be Hugging You
And Squeezing You Like This
It Might Goes As Far As A Drive In The Car
And A Big Old Slobbery Kiss

Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear
That's Where It Belongs
Put Your Heart Back In The Freezer Dear
It's Been Out Too Long

That Thing Could Get Broken
There's A Chance That It Might Melt
And What Could Worse Than That Terrible Curse
Of A Heart That Actually Felt

360

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

Question Your Motives ©

I was all but broken, with a heart no longer open
Looking for an answer, that I didn't want to find
They told me;

"Question your motives, do not deny
You hold all the answers within your mind-eye
Cuz, there ain't nothing you can't see, that you won't see again
And if you think it's just beginning, well, it's beginning to end

Question your motives, open your book
What are you hiding, give 'em a look
Cuz, there ain't nothing they can do, that they ain't done before
But, if you give 'em your power, sure, they'll come back for more


There ain't nothing new, it's already been told
It's all just a story and the story is old
Cuz, it's a story that's full of lies, but you let 'em ring true
Since the end can not change, til the beginning's brand new

Question your motives
Question your motives


The end's the beginning, the beginning's the end
It's all quite the same, it's just a matter of when...
When you give 'em your power, like you've done here before
There ain't nothing they can do, but come back for more


Open your eyes, see what you can
Look in the mirror if you don't understand
That there is something you can do, that you ain't done before
Why don't you keep your own power, so they can't come back for more
Why don't you keep your own power, so they can't come back for more

Question your motives
Question your motives
Question your motives

143

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

TELL ME A SECRET ©

The Feeling Starts Within My Heart
And Moves Along So Slow
In Keeping With Your Gentle Kiss
In The Warming Afterglow
Where Spirits Climb And Freedom Shines
Love Is Sure To Grow
Awakening, I Hear You Sing
And I'd Truly Love To Know
Won't You Tell Me A Secret Or So

-----Chorus-----
It Doesn't Have To Be Darker Than Night
Won't You Hold On To Me, We'll Look For The Light
Just Something To Share Of Your Soul
Letting It Go, Letting Me Know
Won't You Tell Me A Secret Or So
-------

The Hammock Sways With The Lazy Days
The Warming Trend Begins
It's Plain To See That You And Me
Are Moving From Within
The Heat Will Rise Before Your Eyes
Leaving Droplets As It Goes
And In-Between Your Velvet Sheen
I'd Truly Love To Know
Won't You Tell Me A Secret Or So

-Repeat Chorus-

80

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

THREE SHORT WORDS ©

I Can Smile And Dance All Night
Dine With You By Candle Light
Hold Your Hand And Softly Say
Follow Me I Know The Way

The Time Was Wrong, The Talk Was Cheap
Your Heart Had Fallen Fast Asleep
The Things I Said You Hardly Heard
Nothing New, Just Three Short Words

---Chorus---
You Can Set My Spirit Free
I'm A Prisoner Can't You See
You're A Prisoner, Just Like Me
-----------------

You Can Smile And Dance All Night
Dine With Me By Candle Light
Hold My Hand And Softly Say
Follow Me I Found The Way

The Time Is Right, My Love Is Deep
My Heart Is Here To Play Your Beat
The Things You Said, I Know I Heard
It Makes It New, Those Three Short Words

-Repeat Chorus-

123

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

What Are Friends For ©

I'm not here to sing you excuses
Or here to explain all my life
There's been good days and bad, And we all wish we'll have
A tomorrow as bright as today

I've learned more from you than I'll ever return
And I've been kind of guilty from start
But what are friends for, if you leave them before
You've told them what's deep in your heart

---Chorus---
And I've been on the dark side of nowhere
I Can't say I won't go again
But no one can tell me I'm lonely
If I can still call you my friend
And I've been on the bright side of heaven
You told me just what to do
I wish I could show it all over
But damn it you know I love you
--------------------
I've done nothing more than you've done here before
And the picture's quit easy to view
If you look in my eyes you will soon realize
The reflection you're seeing is you

It's hard to admit when the shoe really fits
And your nightmares are all coming true
So cast the first stone, if you think you're alone
I'm sure it will come back to you

--Repeat Chorus--

73

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

From The Artistry Above (C)

It's the crying of our baby as she leaves her mother's womb
It's the dying of our lady as she waits her final tomb
It's the journey of a lifetime, though so few can seek & find
The artistry above, the odessey of love

---Chorus---
Sing to me of roses, Sing to me of rain
Sing to me of happiness and pain
From the artistry above
Comes the odessey of love
-----------------
It's the duty in the ringing of a bell that's left unrung
And it's the beauty in the singing of a song that's left unsung
And though the wonder lies within us, so few can ever trust
The artistry above, the odessey of love

--Repeat Chorus--

452

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

Long Gone ©

Long Gone, yeah my baby's long gone

---Chorus---
Long Gone, yeah my baby's long gone
I'll meet you at the crossroads, my bible in hand
We'll chase the stinking devil from this God fearing land
And say gone, my baby's long gone
---------------------------------

Well, I went down to the station just to try and stop the train
When I got there I could see my baby waving through the rain

--Repeat Chorus--

Well the blues is jsut a bad dream, so I took myself to bed
When I woke up in the morning, Lord, I found her lying dead

--Repeat Chorus--

So, I found myself a preacher, told him pray for my poor soul
He looked at me and started singing fifty's rock 'n roll

--Repeat Chorus--

-Tag-
My baby's long gone
My baby's long gone

173

Jeff Ashbaker
909-793-0245

I Only Know The Chorus ©

There's a little bit of sadness in my soul
How and when it got there, I don't know
It seems I let myself go down, just to pick myself back up
Expecting, who, how, when and where to tell me what

My best thinking got as bad as my eyesight
So I never sought or found a guiding light
I didn't want to seek the truth, for fear of what I'd find
It was easy, if it never crossed my mind

It took a little bit of bad, to make it good
And quite a lot of can't, before I could
I did my share of crying, until I heard the laughter
And I put myself before instead of after

----Chorus----
There's a little bit of joy within my heart
I feel it just before the music starts
I got lost among the trees, I couldn't seem to find the forest
So I never sang the whole song
Cuz, it seems I had it all wrong
And though I thought I knew the whole song
I only know the chorus
-----------------------------------

Now I fill my heart with love instead of hate
And found some things that come to those who wait
I often say hello in there, to the angels up above
And I find there's less to blame and more to love

Can you ever make a change and start anew
Bring to mind the past, but follow through
There but for the grace of God, go you and I
Can a caterpillar ever learn to fly

--Repeat Chorus--

--Last Chorus/Refrain--
There's a little bit of joy within my heart
Just enough to make the music start
Now I'm growing like a tree out in the middle of the forest
So I just might learn the whole song
To rewrite what I had all wrong
And though in time I'll sing the whole song
I only know the chorus
----------------
-Tag-
I only know the chorus
I only know the chorus
(I was born down at the crash site in May and I'm a Taurus)