Naked

by Lee

Naked cover art
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1.
02:54
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2.
05:41
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3.
05:08
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4.
03:25
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03:56
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06:00
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05:01
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04:36
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9.
07:38
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04:03
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04:20
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03:51
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04:50
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14.
02:34
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04:48
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04:59
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05:15
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03:40
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04:03
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20.
04:03
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21.
01:27
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22.
07:11
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about

"The greatest set so far from Lee – better even than his early work in The Square Egg, and put together with a sound that delivers on all the promise he's shown over the years! There's a focus here that's tighter than Lee's ever had before – really beautiful tunes, put together with a soaring, ambitious mode – quite mature, but without ever sounding stiff – and never commercial at all, thanks to the inclusion of those clever twists and turns that always make Lee's music so great! The set's got a way of showing wit without ever getting corny – changing things up without ever getting gimmicky – and holding onto a core soulful essence, yet without ever reducing to overdone Neo Soul cliches." - Dusty Groove America

credits

released 01 October 2010
Executive Producers: God, Life and Love

All songs produced by Lee except where noted

Water produced by Aaron Fishbein, Antonio Humphrey & Lee

My Wooden Tongue (Things I Remember), Gimme That (Rap #13) Life Of A Song & Love produced by Lee & Brian Wolfe

All songs mixed by Lee and Antonia “Tony” Tahan at Mini Hobby ATL Studios, Tamarac, Florida

Mastering engineer: Antonio “Tony” Tahan at Mini Hobby ATL Studios, Tamarac, Florida

My Wooden Tongue (Things I Remember) , Gimme That (Rap #13) & The Life Of A Song originally appear on The Square Egg’s The Wooden Tongue

All U Need & Back 2 Love originally appear on Lee’s Meet Lee

Special thanks to Andrew Freund, David Latham & Devon Nola for your friendship, love, support & encouragement.

Thanks to all of the wonderful and gifted musicians that helped me to make this record. Your talents are inspiring and greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Dad, for being the best that you could for me.

To my TSE family, I thank you for all that you have taught me in helping me to become a better musician and a better man.

Aaron Fishbein, Brian Campbell, Mike Rens, Antonio Humphrey & Russ Benezer, I thank you for helping me and allowing me to grow along the way during all the years we’ve worked together. I thank you for your support and putting up with me when things got crazy.

Mark Walker, I thank you for believing in two kids from Lauderhill when no one else did.

Parris, I love you with all my heart and I’d give the world to you. I hope that you know that.

This recording is dedicated to my Mother & Sarah Brami. Mom, I wish you had stayed with us for just 2 more days to see our people’s dream realized.

© The Square Egg, LLC 2010. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured in the USA. www.whois.ee.com

© The Square Egg, LLC 2010
(P) My Father’s Son Music (SESAC)

www.whoislee.com


Art direction: Lee

Art layout and design: Disc Makers

Cover photography: Christine Austin

Cover makeup: Karen E. Duncan

tags

tags: blues funk r&b rap soul Brooklyn

license

all rights reserved

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Track Name: Undressed
It was the tall, dark man on the other side of the glass that frightened him the most. He'd stand and stare and bring him down; holding him back, constantly telling him that he wasn't good enough. Judging his every move and attacking every word.

The tall, dark man had a way of targeting his insecurities. He knew just the right words to say at just the right moment to stop any forward progress or quell any ideas of achievement. He had been followed around by this looming figure his entire life - since the day he learned to speak. And there was nothing that could lead him to believe that the man would ever go away.

But then a woman came along and silenced the tall, dark man. She whispered in his ear that he needn't aim for amazing - only honesty - and with honesty comes greatness. She told him to embrace his fears. She told him to find strength in the tall, man and to turn his judgment into encouragement. She taught him that the tall, dark man was not something to fear, but instead he was there to support.

The words took years to digest, but as the truth of those words began to resonate he saw the beauty of the tall, dark man.

The woman took him by the hand and motioned him to join hands with the tall, dark man. Soon they all held hands together.

He undressed and he announced aloud, "I am not afraid of you anymore. I am not afraid of myself. You and I are one..."

The tall, dark man smiled and replied, "I've been waiting for you my entire life. I've been waiting for you to embrace me and allow me to walk with you. I can be your strength." He continued "You've never been alone. I have always been here waiting for you – waiting for you to ask me for help."

He stood quietly and looked at the tall, dark man as he looked back into his eyes. They could feel a connection between them growing stronger as they stood still in the moment.

The tall, dark man kneeled and said "I am always with you. Know that I am here. Know that I am your strength."

He spoke those words and the tall, dark man turned and walked away...
Track Name: Alone
Standing on top of the sunshine/ Holding my face to the wind
I smile and I wonder what it's all really supposed to be about
And then it came along and it hit me like a cool breeze
And it rubbed on my nose, as I undressed in the moment
The here and now of my reality that I embrace
Some, they never get that chance to feel such liberation
But me, I welcome it with open arms
And this is an awesome feeling - Sometimes I need to stop and take a breath
It's like you climbed the highest moment/ Sang the perfect harmony
That exact space where you knew you wanted to be
It was all you ever wanted was just a chance to be free
And you have it right now
So don't you try to hold me back/ Don't put your limits on me
I want to open up my eyes and look as far as I can see
If you don't want to fly with me please just let me be

Chorus

And let me go it alone

Happiness is just a word if you don't know how it feels
Sadness an emotion that I refuse to make real
From now on I live my life and make my dreams real
No more fire without light/ No more knowledge without zeal
No more tears without laughter/ No more anger/ No more hurt
I have to take all those things and then I throw them to the dirt
Time to set a course for greatness/ Time to lift my people up
No more walking into walls/ Find the doors to get unstuck
I have to fulfill my destiny/ I am my Father's son
You can walk with me if you'd like/ Together we are one
Together we are strong/ Together we will win
Together we make things right/ Today it all begins
Tomorrow is a new day/ History will remember us well
Yesterday is in the past/ We've got new stories to tell
We've got new suns to kiss/ New horizons to touch
In fact, I've really never wanted anything quite this much
So don't you try to hold me back/ Don't put your limits on me
I want to open up my eyes and look as far as I can see
If you don't want to fly with me please just let me be

Chorus

Life moves so slowly/ Time passes through me
Wind flows so freely/ Carries us softly
And I feel it's time we/ Look at things closely
Please won't you free me...

Chorus
Track Name: Leave (featuring Antonia Jenae')
I lost my job the other day/ Landlord say rent gonna go on up
I told him about the recession/ But he said he don't give a fuck
'Cause he got bills to pay anyway/ And the heating costs keep him strapped
Said he thought gas was supposed to cheaper since we went into Iraq
I got this tooth that need some fixing/ Waiting on a public option
Embarrassed to really smile that much for fear that it might be rotten
And I don't know that things are gonna change/ Don't know how I'm gone cope
Sifting through my pockets for some change/ 'Cause I can't eat off hope -
I gotta leave

Chorus

Take off into outer space/ Pack my bags for another place
Head to a where I can live/ I need a better life - I've given all I got to give

I went to shop the other day/ And coupons, they filled my hands
Got some of these - 3 of those for a dollar/ Food fresh from a can
Produce went up/ But hey, me, I still don't eat no meat
About 100 bags of those Ramen Noodles/ Being vegetarian ain't that cheap
Seeing what I can stretch and make last/ Eating rice for the next 20 days
20 minute rice heated up 20 times that I learned to make in 20 different ways
And I don't know that I can keep on hopin' that things are gone change
If I'm gone buy myself some more hope/ Then I'm gonna need to get some change -
I gotta leave

Chorus

We need to find ourselves a place where we all work as one
We gonna build a spaceship and we gonna get things done
I believe in something good and that's what we all really want
Maybe a fresh new start and new way to live is what we all need

I wrote a letter the other day/ And I'm still waiting to hear back
I thanked my congressman for being strong enough to repeal of the Patriot Act
I asked about renewable energies/ Thinking that could create new jobs
I said I know the economies a mess/ But fixing it just can't be too hard
I said I wanted better education/ And I believe that healthcare should be a given
Even if Limbaugh and the rest of them don't believe in socialism
But I doubt I'll get a reply, and I just can't keep on hopin'
That one day I'll get that hope and change that got us all out votin' -
I gotta leave

Chorus
Track Name: Save The World
With all your faux confidence comes none of your accomplishments
In fact, I am not Mick/ And you're not Marianne/ Well, maybe he's John/ I guess I play in a band
Go write you're book/ You've got a story to tell/ I'm sure when published it'll do very well
You see, the trumpets will sound/ The critics, they will rave/ I'm sure that you'll get to it one of these days
(Until then...)

Chorus

Save the world/ This wasn't meant for me/ You may find love eventually

She's star pupil/ Head of the class/ But we grow older/ This, too, will pass
In fact, leave your childhood ways behind/ If you seek happiness surely you'll surely find
With all your chanteuse ways/ And all the silly sex games you play
You'll learn that this don't define you/ It's not who you are/ Grow to a woman/ You made it this far
Living in the past, but then your future fades/ The present turns so cold
Maybe my way is no better/No answers I may have/ But I will fight until I have to fold (and I can't...)

Chorus
Track Name: My Wooden Tongue (Things I Remember)
I remember living in a one-room efficiency penning Feels Like Summer like it was yesterday
I remember recording 13 Daze only 10 years later to have to give it away
I remember things like open mics, turntables, beatbox, b-boys, b-girls
Emcees, SPs - 1200s, desk-drumming/ Rapping just like DJ Run and them
Sampling beats with peeps back then I called my friends
Going to the studio just to hear your man and them/ And jam with them
Talking about “Whose flow’s the tightest?”/ All nights it’s just some fellas and a microphone
My man gets a call and soon we’ll be headed home
Back then you’d get a beep/ Didn’t have a mobile phone
But nowadays it seems a necessity in a life full of things that’s stressing me
Lord, I hope they understand this

Chorus

One thought, one word, one vision, one cause/ Just to make a mark/ Just to do your part
One person/ One smile, one heart, one life/ Just to light a spark/ Just a work of art
One world, one goal, one dream, one love/ Just to change my life/ Just to make it right
If any man be moved then I have nothing left to prove

Listen, I remember Chuck D., BDP, Marvin Gaye and the Gap Band
When you wanted to fight you’d knock the dirt from his hand
Not yet a man, but you knew the code of the streets
Before small white rocks and A.I.D.S. knocked us from our feet
Funny thing is when we sing things ain’t improved that much
We think it’s better ‘cause they let us drink from studded cups/But now what’s up?
“You got rich when you started slanging dope, but you ain’t built us a supermarket”
Seems when I toss my words get lost/ Lost of the mind of young men
Who can’t yet fathom the fight we must have had way back then
When action was education and education was the key
To be that “Talented 10th”/ To show that you had the strength
To show that you’d go the length and contribute to the greater good
It all got fucked up when rap went to Hollywood
It ain’t all good so please stop saying that
I said and I mean “Bring that ol’ thing back”

Chorus

And through the village he sang walking/ A wondrous sound he made
And to the ears of the others talking/ Noise was all they heard
But one child would hear the sounds whose heart then filled with joy
A sense of purpose was born/ The calling to love was heeded
And then he rested…

Chorus
Track Name: Don't Let Me Down
When I first met you we seemed to really get along
But things changed along the way so now I'm singing you this song
You were a cool enough person/ We had some interests that we shared
When I needed a helping hand it seemed you really cared
I'd do the same for you to me it wasn't a big deal
Because the friendship that we had seemed to me was real
I thought that we could kick it/ Build a friendship from the ground
I see the signs/ I ignore them/ I hope you do not let me down

Chorus

Don’t let me down

I'm the kind of person that usually keeps to myself
It's just me and my dog and cats and hardly anyone else
Except three close friends and of course my daughter too
The folks I make music with I consider true
But for the most part I don't trust many people at all
'Cause people they will burn you and watch you slowly fall
Then all that's left is disappointment, tears and a frown
But you can be my friend just please don't let me down

Chorus

So now you ask me how I'm doing/ You ain't see me in weeks
You don't really want the answer/ You just wait your turn to speak
So self-absorbed thinking life orbits around you
Maybe in some circles this may turn out to be true
But see, I see us as equals and I give friendship a go
I keep letting your ass back ‘til I can't stand you no more
Then I will cut you off and walk away and leave without a sound
Now I'm giving you this chance so please don't let me down

Chorus

So wait - now you treating me like dirt/ Acting like your shit don't stink
But you're way ahead of yourself/ Maybe you should stop and think
You are not a special flower/ You and I and all are the same
Please believe that in the end with selfishness there's no gain
You lose some friends and yourself with the hype that you believe
Often times inflated egos can blind and deceive
I know you think I'm being self-righteous and I should just go away
But real life is not a stage/ You’ll learn this one day, so please...

Chorus
Track Name: I Hope They Call Me Henry When I Die
Tonight we are gathered here, you and I, to try to express these sentiments in some way with regard to one who was one of the most familiar, one of the most admired, one of the most beloved, and, without any doubt, the most extraordinary of our comrades…

When they open up that little box that you call your whole life and look inside
They'll say all you did was dream/ All you did was dream
When your failures cut you like a knife you'll look down and you'll cry
And you'll wish it was a dream/ You'll wish it was a dream
Misspelled name on your obit’/ No one really cared about you
It's like a real bad dream/ it's like a real bad dream
A man on the train asking for change and I'm thinking if I could change one thing
I wouldn't change a damn thing/ I wouldn't change a damn thing

Chorus

We're born, we die, we pay our taxes/ Some of us try a little harder
We give blood, sweat and tears to make our mark/ I wish I were a bit smarter
But anyway I guess I'll give my best/ Lee's easy to spell anyway
When I'm dead and gone my songs'll carry on/ And they'll miss me one of these days

Chasing whales in that big ocean sometimes can seem so lonely
And I'm stuck inside a dream/ I'm stuck inside a dream
Recession don't take from those who ain't got and I ain't got a lot
So the bank can't come and repossess my dreams/No, they can't take away my dreams
Living this ol' crazy life wondering what's left for me/ Sometimes I wanna scream/ Sometimes I wanna scream
Leave here the same way I came - and that's by myself
Some say that's sad, but it ain't sad as it seems/ It ain't sad as it seems

Chorus

I’ve loved/ I’ve cried/ I’ve even laughed looking at the world around me
I gave my all when I would a fall/ I know some of them will still doubt me
And who am I anyway to think I’m special when we live in a world of sameness?
Just some guy with a bunch of mumbled words on some sort of quest to be famous

When they open up that little box that you call your whole life and look inside
They'll say all you did was dream/ All you did was dream
When your failures cut you like a knife you'll look down and you'll cry
And you'll wish it was a dream/ You'll wish it was a dream
Misspelled name on your obit’/ No one really cared about you
It's like a real bad dream/ It’s like a real bad dream
A man on the train asking for change/And I'm thinking if I could change one thing
I wouldn't change a damn thing/I wouldn't change a damn thing

Chorus
Track Name: All U Need
You want fast cars, minks and other furs/Cartier watches/ His and hers
Champagne baths, trips to France/All the nicest things/ To live life like a queen
I got part-time job on artist income/ In debt up to my neck, and oh yeah, and then some
Ramen noodles in the cupboards/ Basic TV/Ballin’ ass rapper I just can’t be
I do my pimpin’ on a budget, and I know you gonna love it if you give it a try/ Things money can’t buy
My love don’t cost a thing/ You don’t need a shiny ring/Just warm hugs/ No bearskin rugs
Flavored sugar water/ Don’t you think you outta get with this hustler self made who ain’t even paid?
You don’t need red carpets and Puff Daddy when you can get value meals and a fella like me ‘cause…

Chorus

I am all/ All you ever need, baby

No cellular phone/ But hella student loans/No American Express/ Don’t know for Internet
But pick you up around 8/ And I can show you the world/With my Metrocard life can unfurl
Good times and love I have in excess/No needs in life/ And that makes me blessed
‘Cause little things can make you happy when assets are nil/No nest egg/ Haven’t started to build
No investments/ I use my love for collateral/Don’t know for VIP/ I try to get in for free
Not saying that I don’t want it/ I’d be happy if I had/But I find my joy in living/ Life ain’t that bad
You can’t take it with me/ So enjoy what I can/Enjoy life’s little treasures/ If I can be your man
You don’t need San Tropez or even Jay-Z when you can get strolls in the park and a fella like me ‘cause

Chorus

Listen, your girlfriend said I was broke like if I should be ashamed/
Well, I won’t piss in your pockets/ And tell you that it’s rain
I got dreams and some ideas in my head/ On intellect and wit/ I can keep you fed
If that’s enough to start then we can build this thing/Stand here by my side/ ‘Cause one day I’ll be king
Like T.I. I’ll be the King of the South/Lex Coups and all that/ Platinum grills in my mouth
Well, maybe not, but let me show you just what I am worth/Let me be the one to hold you close when it hurts
Say little things that will make you smile/One day when I’m paid this won’t be freestyle
It’ll feed the family/ And build a nation together/Keep us tight and doing right in any kind of weather
No material things or Young Jeezy when you can get an honest man in a fella like Lee ‘cause

Chorus
Track Name: Anticipation
I know that you don't know me/ Don't know me very well/But you want to get to know me/ It ain't hard to tell
I spotted your sexy body/ From across the room/This place is getting crowded/ Let's leave here soon
We could head on back to my place/ Or we could go to yours/We could even talk for a while/ If you’re unsure
But it seems like you're looking for a good time/ And I got what you need
Momma, you looking mighty damn fine/ That body I'm'a feed

Chorus

This anticipation is killing me/This anticipation
This anticipation won't let me be/This anticipation

Hope you don’t think I’m forward/ Don’t wanna sound rude/But I’d like to lay you down/ I think you’re in the mood
No need for you to feign coyness, girl/ ‘Cause I know your type/That girlish charm tells me/ That you could go all night
No sense in wasting time/ This feels just right/I could teach you some new things/ That you just might like
Now listen, love ain't nothing but sex misspelled/ And good love is hard to find
Don'tchu worry ‘bout a thing, ,momma, it’s all right/ It only feels kinky for the first time

Chorus

It's the space between "What's your name?"/And eventually you calling out my name
Look here, momma 'fore too long we gonna be doing so wrong you gonna use the Lord's name in vain
Track Name: Gimme That (Rap #13)
Every second and every minute and every hour of every day
I’m thinking of you/ I’m dreaming of being with you in every way
Now each moment that I live and each breath that I give to the world is a little longer to be with you
And each day that I wake I never take for granted the moments that we share
I never take for granted you
You in my life and you as my wife/ They say “Damn, all this fool sing about now is love”
Well, when you got there ain’t really nothing else worth speaking of – nada – zilch
And you can have all your gangsters and your champagne
And it don’t mean a damned thing when your brand new Bentley is empty
Don’t tell me about Ménage à Trois and expensive cars when the lovin’ that I have is plenty

Chorus

Gimme that lovin’

Now young boys and young boys boast/They tell fish tales, but I caught the big one, oh well
I didn’t let you get away/ I just reeled you in/ And now I’m happy for the way that I’m feeling
I got a pocket full of sunshine/ It’s a picture of you/It’s a wallet-sized bundle of joy
We living and we learning/ We growing together/We loving these feeling of a girl and a boy
You wanna have a party? Well, we can dance/Dance to the rhythm of love
This hopeless romantic is frantically and unselfishly devoted to you
So quit playing and say you know what I’m saying/Why are we delaying with this?/ Why are we playing with this?
Everybody knows it and your smile shows it/I love you, lady and Heaven knows it

Chorus

This feeling is terrific/ I get so prolific when I think of you
I may know not know where I’m going, babe, but I know one thing, and that’s that I want you
And I gots to have you and I gots to know you/And love you forever ‘cause I really wanna show you life’s very best
‘Cause I think you deserve/I’m gonna say it all again as though you never heard
This feeling is terrific/ I get so prolific when I think of you
I may know not know where I’m going, but I know one thing, and that’s that I want you
And I gots to have you and I gots to know you/And love you forever ‘cause I really wanna show you life’s very best
‘Cause I think you deserve/I want you as my lady no matter how you word it

Chorus
Track Name: Back 2 Love
C’mere, baby/ Let me lay you down/Let me the one/ Erase your frown
Sit here, lady/ Let me ease all your pain with these kisses warm as summer rain
Let me remind you how a man supposed to feel/Let me caress you/ Darling, let me ease your mind
I cannot speak for other boys or what they may have done/I can be the one to take you…

Chorus

Back To Love

Sexy lady, let me touch your skin/Ooh, baby, let me drink you in
Just like sunshine you feel, oh, so warm/I can feel you start to shiver/ Let me lay you down
Let remind you just how we came to be/ Let me undress you/ Darling, feel me deep inside
I cannot speak or other boys or what they may have done/ I can be the one to take you…

Chorus

Lovely momma, move nice and slow/Let me enjoy this feeling that you give
So soft and wet you paralyze my very soul/ Feel so damned good I can’t ever let you get leave
Let remind you how a man supposed to feel/Let me wet you/ Darling, you know just what I mean
I cannot speak or other boys or what they may have done/I can be the one to take you…

Chorus
Track Name: Crazy (featuring Carol "Bliss" Brevard)
I need a woman that's gonna do me right/ Not someone to keep me up all night
Cussin' and yellin' just outta spite / Unless the love she givin' me is so tight
I need a man that's gonna be good to me/ Treat me exactly how I'm supposed to be
Not a fool who's running 'round all night/ Ask where he's been and he just wanna fight

Chorus

You drive me crazy/ You got me going out of my head
We better get it right/ Before both of us end up dead

You can't do nothing but treat me bad/ When I'm the best woman that you ever had
Now if the way I treat you, girl, is so wrong why in the hell you mess with for so long?
Why you ain't tell me take my sorry ass on?/ If I'm so awful then you shoulda been gone
Well, it's about time I pack my things and go 'cause I can't stand to hear your mess no more

Chorus

Some wanna call this passion - I say it's pain/ Two people love each other - going insane
Fussin', commotion all the damn time/ Gonna make me mess around and lose my mind
You say I'm jealous when you know you ain't right/ But you act like I can't leave your sight
Without you blaming me for cheatin' on us/ --- What happened to trust?

Chorus
Track Name: Just A Girl
Never trust a girl who says she don’t like Purple Rain/ She’ll just steal your heart and then she’ll run away
Maybe she can’t dance, and don’t be fooled by her smile/ She just likes to play with boys and leave them all alone
Never trust a girl who says she don’t like Purple Rain/ She’ll leave you with no money; she’ll leave you sad and lonely
She’ll want to be your muse, but only for a while because she’s as cold as ice and she’ll leave you brokenhearted

Chorus

She’s just a girl

Never trust a girl who says she don’t like Purple Rain/ She’ll lure with you soft kisses, but then it’s all just a game
She loves it when you swoon for her; she’ll need it night and day/ She collects affections like delicate butterflies
Never trust a girl who says she don’t like Purple Rain/ She'll leave you bathed in tears and maybe drive you insane
I once fell for that girl and thought it was the best day of my life, but her double-edged love tore through me life a knife

Chorus

When she broke my heart I thought I’d never love again/ This life I loved so much I thought had come to an end
But now I realize that she was a just a chapter in my romance/ I picked back up and now I give love a second chance

Chorus
Track Name: The Life Of A Song
A song starts out as a humble, heartfelt expression of some emotion usually too deeply buried to exist as mere words. A song is wrought from twisting emotions of a place far away, a love gone for now, a place that we wish to be, a happier time remembered or dreamed of.

A song is at once that loving mother and counselor of your hurts. It’s an attentive girlfriend dancing freely with you on the summer sand. It’s a child that you guide into the world with a firm, but gentle grasp of the hand. You prepare it for its journeys and teach it caution. Having been where it’s going 100 times over, the experience is still new to you, every step like a déjà vu, but still foreign to your nearly sealed eyes.

You go with this song, once some of your deepest emotions, and introduce it to the world. With all of your nurturing, guidance and preparation you can only hope that she’ll fair well. Every hour spent grooming and educating your song on the finer points of social existence have lead to the moment that you're about to taste.

Again, all at once, this song is your mother to calm you with peace amidst the ensuing fervor. She undresses you and strokes you right where it hurts the most. You can only sit back and watch as she spins out of control. You run faster to escape the arms of your once loving mother as you try to catch your lover while she’s falling.

You seem to have lost her. You seem to have lost that once firm grasp that you had on your baby’s eager hands. Again, you’ve lost her. She’ll have none of you.

She’s left you for another man as you expected she would. Knowing this you were already courting another to soften the blow. You watched her and her new lovers dance the way that you once dance with her. You watched them kissed her the way that you once kissed her on that gentle note. You once made love to her, but now it appears that your insistence that she learn to fuck the way you want has gotten the best of you.

Your song is all grown up now and you don’t have her to sit on your knees and tell stories to. You lost control of her innocence. She was once and idea so pure and simple. She listened to you cry in the dark when your lover died. She calmed your anger whenever you felt alone or misunderstood. She was the reason that you even wanted to live.

I had a song like that and when the applause stopped we went home together and made love.

The life of a song…
Track Name: Woke Up Hwite
I woke up white today and everything went right today/ I woke up white today and everything was a ok
I woke up Caucasian/ I had a realization/ I should take advantage of this fucked up situation
I walked up in a store and I don’t get hard looks no more
I’ll go rob a bank real fast and surely they’ll blame your black ass

I woke up white today and everything went right today/ Everyone said hi to me cause I exude Excellency
I’m starched and yuppified/ No way I make you terrified/ I may go electric slide my way up to the Upper East Side

I’m the embodiment of a fine upstanding citizen/And the cops just drive on by even though I super high
I know Black folks real well ‘cause I watch me some Dave Chapelle
In a fancy restaurant they don’t assume that I want chicken

I woke up white today/ Woke up white today

I woke up white today and everything went right today/ I woke up white today and everything was a ok
I woke up Caucasian had a realization/ I should take advantage of this fucked up situation

Woke up white today
Track Name: Time (featuring Tarrah Reynolds)
It feels so good the first time/ I wish we could do this all the time
And maybe then we could fall in love and live forever after
Let's stay together 'til the end of time/ I really wanna give you all of my time
We could have a life that's filled with so much joy and laughter
We don't have to use protection just this time/ Don't want nothing between us this one time
You know I love you, girl, and that means you're my one and only
We shouldn't have to wait all this time/ It won't be a problem if we did it one time
Baby, come close won’t you lay here and just hold me

And enjoy this time/ 'Cause this feels so fine/ So just ease your mind/ And enjoy this time

Young lovers live like they're running out of time/ It's been that way since the beginning of time
And it feels so fresh and innocent
Now he says he can't see her 'cause he has no time/ Thought he said he wanted to give her all of his time
He smells like perfume and she asks him where he's been
He says "Girl, why you gotta nag me all of the time?"/ Now how many times have you heard that line?
Watch as the innocence slowly begins to fade
She wish she would have waited a little more time/ She wishes that he wasn't her first time
She's cries thinking about the bed that they laid when he said...

Let's enjoy this time/ 'Cause this feels so fine/ So just ease your mind/ And enjoy this time

She started feeling sick all of the time/ A few months ago she felt just fine
But something don't feel right and now she's really scared
And she don't see him none of the time/ She tries, but she can't get him on the line
She's feeling all alone - upset 'cause she thought he really cared
Maybe this will pass in a little more time/ And she'll go back to feelin' fine
But she knows she should get checked out before it gets too late
She'll call a clinic in a little more time/ Scared as hell with what's running through her mind
She made an appointment because she knows that she shouldn't wait

Now don't waste no time/ Make sure you're fine/ So you can ease your mind/ Don't waste no time

All it took was just one time/ And she can't turn back none of that time
Life is unforgiving all the damn time/ She'll have to live with this all of the time
Lord knows what the doctor might fine/ She prays that everything will be fine
She can't get it out of her mind/ The nurse calls her name so now it's time...

To get results she had to wait such a long time/ Please, Lord, please not me this time
So young and scared with so much life to live
If I could I'd do things different this time/ I promise to be safe all of the time
To get a second chance, oh, Lord, what I wouldn't give
Now this story is running out of time/ I’d tell the end, but I have no time
You can try to imagine how it all turns out
Sad, but we all heard this story too many times/ A sad truth that we can't erase from our minds
And through the doors we hear the sweet child cry out
Track Name: ? (Love)
I got a nickel in my pocket and I’m ready to live/ I got a dollar in my hand and I’m ready to give
I got love on my heart and I’m ready to smile/ I got hunger in my belly / I ain’t ate in a while
I got you on my mind and the spirit of God/ I got this whole life to live and at times it’s kinda hard
Ain’t got a chance in hell, but I do this anyway/ I got a lot on my mind and I got things to say like…

Chorus

Love, love, love, love

In this world of hate I try to let peace lead the way/ In the still of the night I try to make a new day
In this moment of truth I make sure to let it shine/ In this time of confusion I know that you are mine
In this phrase of doubt I only know benevolence/ In the stench of evil only know Heaven’s scent
And in this moment of silence only know one word/ In that syllable you speak let it be heard to say…

Chorus

I got a smile in my spirit and I’m ready to sing/ I got the grace of You so I’m ready to do this thing
In this space of confusion let You plot the course/ In this world of clattering I only hear one voice
I got a lot to learn and I can only do my best/ I put my faith in one thing and let go of all the rest
In this time of crucifixion only know resurrection/ Know that one syllable can show me the direction to…

Chorus
Track Name: My God (featuring Voices United Choir)
My God doesn't hate because I love/ There is no judgment for who I am
My God doesn't smite the color of skin/ There is no color in my God's eyes
My God doesn't send countries to war/ His love waves no flags knows no boundaries
My God doesn't bomb children in need/ My God is a God of love

But it's man who condemns the land with his war and greed
But it's man; all of the hatred that tears us apart

My God doesn't curse freedom and liberty/ There are no politics to my God
My God doesn't stone women to death/ Such brutal scorn is not my God's way
My God doesn't ignore human rights/ We are all equal in my God's eyes
My God shows no bias for religions/ There is love for all in my God's heart

But it's man who enslaves and murders in some god's name
But it's man who judges and tortures and claims justice

The challenge we face and our problems are great/ We seek answers to questions we do not know
But there's love, peace and harmony
We are the same in my God's eyes/ Though we fight for the same land and kill our own
Christians & Muslims & Jews alike we are one

My God is a god of forgiveness and love/ We need only understand to heal ourselves
My God made this world a perfect place to share with all creatures great and small
My God and your God are both the same/ My God rests within my heart
My God says to hurt another is wrong/ My God helped me to write this song

But it's man who destroys and breeds hate in some god's name
But it's man with bombs and guns who inflicts so much grief

Since the earliest civilizations man has struggled to give meaning to why we are here. Man has struggled with the meaning of life. Man has struggled with morality and understanding the seasons. Man has struggled with nature. Man has struggled with himself. We hold hard and fast to what we believe we know. We fight and kill for our beliefs in the name of our various Gods. Many times when we think we are worshipping God, we are actually comforting our fragile egos. We are running from our insecurities. The uncertainty of our being puzzles us all. But certainty is a vice not a virtue.
Track Name: Water
I was born this and that’s formless/ Oblivious to negatives whenever they try to swarm this
And dilute what I am/ That hydrogen twice split with the air that we breathe I often bathe in it
Individual glasses/ The masses together form and ocean to cover surface
First us must identify ourselves as smaller parts and open hearts
And know that temporary sanctuary that’s what the earth is
I’m a glass and she is a drop/ Water, an ocean if ever united
That ocean is the one to which we pray / We’re smaller parts of it, but together it is us if we are righted
Delighted to know the same way the tides flow
We move through rivers and streams/ We can deliver the dream
We are the life/ We are the gods/ We feed/ We nourish
As that energy we are water

Bathe me/ Save me from evaporation/ And try to explain the situation
That God is in all of us/ All of our doctrines teach us to love thy neighbor
And if I’m a poor man show me love/ if I’m a gay man show me love
And if I’m a white man show me love/ No matter what I am you know you got to show me love
Because that love it permeates and inundates/ And saturates and it takes and sweeps all that’s in its path
The mother then sees a friend in her children/ And sure enough salvation is the aftermath
Those positives they overcome those negatives/ You’ve never seen a damned thing hold back the flow
Surrounded by that which you were born into while in the womb
Once again my friend you return to water
Track Name: A Song For Parris
It was 18 years ago when I met you/ Since the first day you made your way into my life
And I was overcome by humility thinking of just how wonderful you were
And I didn't really know what the future would hold, and I was hopin' to giving you my very best
And at the very least I tried my hardest to make a good life for you
Now I may not always get it right/ And we gon' fight/ We gon' have our days
But that's just the way it is sometimes in life/ Things can't always be perfect
So now we took this ride and I hope in the end there's a few things you learn
If we do our job and work real hard one day you gon' have your turn

Chorus

So I write this song for you to let you know how I feel

We were just babies when we made plans, but the best laid plans can often go awry
We sure did try to make a life, but in the end it just ain't work
I never meant to hurt and now looking back/ Maybe I should have given us a second chance
But young boys don't always see clearly/ 'Cause wisdom is gained through experience
I pray in the end you turn out fine, and know that I'm always with you
Maybe one day we can share a glass of wine and share stories of what we've been through
All our fears and triumphs/ Sit and hold each other close
Of all the women I've written songs for know that I loved you the most

Chorus

Young girl you will be a woman and I hope that you understand
That I am always here for you and will be in anyway I can
My life and love you are/ You've always been my reason to live
I may not be wealthy, but a father's love to his child is what I’ve got to give

Chorus
Track Name: Get Free (Act I)
She's wearing shoulder shoes and an automatic smile/ A woman like this I ain't seen in a while
She caught everyone's eyes - the girls are staring too/ Held the place captive when she came through
Me, I'm standing on stage noticing her notice me/ Spotlight is in my eyes so I can barely see
I'd give her rap #13, but maybe that won't get it done/ She's standing in the corner - and she ain't with anyone 
Philosophers and beatniks all give it try/ She shows that automatic smile, but still giving me the eye
I wonder why she did not come into my boring life before/ She turns away slowly and glides towards the door 
But I implore - "Stay a while – and forget these other squares"
"Let's get lost in this moment and forget that we are here"
"Buy a drink to share, my lady, oh so fair"
She touched my head, leaned in closely and whispered in my ear..."Get free!” 
Track Name: Naked
Within the silence of my mind I try to find a place where I'm all alone deep within my thoughts
It does not escape me, the world that made me/ This place is so damn crazy so then I end up getting caught
In no man’s land where I am left to stand/ I do not understand the many demands that this life has put on me
I’d run away and find a shade tree, but what would be left for me but to end up sad and lonely
I loved that girl, but then this world took her from me/ Cruel as it may seem I guess that’s the way it oft times works
So many lives gone without what appears to be reason/ And all we have left when it’s done are memories and hurt
All my critics and those that judge without knowing - someday I may just up and walk away
Try as I might wear thicker skin there’s simply no way to win – no way to escape the ugliness of what they say

Chorus

So I strip down and I get naked/ I show my soul/ And all that I cover inside
I strip down and I get naked/ I show my soul/ The truth of what a smile cannot hide
I strip down and I get naked/ I show my soul/ Open and up reveal this world of darkness
I strip down and I get naked/ I show my soul/ To look in the mirror turns out to be the hardest part

Down to the core – to the bone – to my very essence, so much I wish that I could wash away
Lying awake at night sometimes I wish this were all a dream, and that I’d wake up to a brand new day
The things that I’ve done in my lifetime just to make it here – I cannot honestly say that I have no regrets
Intoxicants and barbiturates to soak away these dirty little secrets that I’ve always kept
There’s been joy and there’s been pain – life goes that way – it’s the way that the world goes around
Many a person that has loved me – that has cared for me
Seems to have always been there for me to pick me up when I’m down
And as I lie alone on my death-bed praying to my maker wondering what will come to be
Maybe I will smile one last time thinking about all these lines I wrote down in this song for no one else but me

Chorus