1. |
Magnolia
05:27
|
|||
|
Magnolia
He stares out the window at the snow, burning the world to grey. North winds blow.
Yearning for yesterday’s return,
Wondering how it got so cold, how he… became… so old.
Watching the clouds transform the sky, the swirling haze as memories die.
Grasping at thoughts that slip his mind,
Trying to hold on to days and nights. Separate… the dark… from the light;
The bad… from the good… and the wrong.... from the right.
He stares at himself in mirror’s glare, lines that have formed and painted hair.
All that’s familiar are the eyes
Lost in the wells where shadows fall…so deep… the walls… so tall.
He dreams of magnolia buds in May,
A fortnight’s bloom, that fades away,
The edges burning brown to grey,
Then fall to earth and there, decay.
He scratches the words into the page as moments lost begin to rage
All of the sand is trickling through
The cracks in his fingers. Can’t undo…
He dreams of magnolia buds in May,
A fortnight’s bloom, that fades away,
The edges burning brown to grey,
Then fall to earth and there, decay.
The sickled moon cuts cross the sky. The silence at play with days gone by.
Hoping that finally his debts are paid
Having atoned for actions past: the first… right through… the last.
So he… can turn… another… page.
He stares out the window at the snow hoping for spring again. Come and go.
Will the magnolia bloom again,
Or will this be a bitter end…
He dreams of magnolia buds in May,
A fortnight’s bloom, that fades away,
The edges burning brown to grey,
Then fall to earth and there, decay.
Dave Semple – 27 February 2013
|
||||
2. |
Good Medicine
04:22
|
|||
|
Good Medicine
She brings laughter to our table.
She is the fire that fiercely feeds me.
He always grounds me; his best foot forward.
Steadfast impatience; the earth beneath me.
She inspires imagination
Her air surrounds me, forever dancing.
He is the water that flows right through me:
Adapting, changing. Living the moment.
You are my fire. You are my air.
My earth and water; my loves, beyond compare.
Cedar, tobacco, sweet-grass and sage.
My north, south, east, and west; my night and then my day.
She is springtime and new beginnings.
He is the summer sun burning eternal.
He is the autumn leaves in red, gold splendor.
She is the winter wind teeming with wisdom.
You are my seasons. You are my years.
You are my weeks and months that wash away my fears.
Cedar, tobacco, sweet-grass and sage.
My north, south, east, and west; my night and then my day.
My roots grow up; not down. Rising from the ground.
You make me see, the best that I can be.
Every single day, in every single way, you are my song.
You are my woodlands. You are my plains.
My hills and valleys; my sunshine and my rain.
Cedar, tobacco, sweet-grass and sage.
My north, south, east, and west; my night and then my day.
© Dave Semple – 2 May 2015
|
||||
3. |
When It's Over
05:23
|
|||
|
When It’s Over
She was looking for an angel.
He was learning how to fly.
He could not foresee the danger,
In the tears that she had cried.
He thought that he could save her,
And lift her toward the sky.
He could feel the winds beneath him,
As his wings, she did unfold,
And she wrapped him in her blanket,
When she said he made her whole,
But the blanket, it was fraying
And he began to feel the cold.
When he met her eyes he came to realize
That he could not share her soul.
Between the head and heart, the conflict played its part
And the words fought in his throat.
When it’s over you can’t just let it drift away.
When it’s over you must let it go today.
If you hold off until tomorrow, the sorrow will just follow
And your tomorrows will just haunt you… today.
With her blanket wrapped around him,
He could no longer spread his wings.
But he did not want to hurt her,
No, not for anything,
But he was feeling he was grounded
By the weight upon his wings.
When we learn to fly we need to recognize
When to hold on and to let go.
And when the head and heart are tearing you apart,
The answer’s in your soul.
When it’s over you can’t just let it drift away.
When it’s over you must let it go today.
When it’s over there really is no other way.
When it’s over you’ve got to end it right away.
If you hold off until tomorrow, the sorrow will just follow
And your tomorrows will just haunt you… today.
She was looking for an angel.
He was learning how to fly.
© Dave Semple – 12 October 2013
|
||||
4. |
You Are Not Alone
03:13
|
|||
|
You Are Not Alone
We sailed the ocean, and braved the stormy seas.
We’ve confronted pirates and dined with royalty.
But suddenly you’re all grown up. Our days of play are gone.
But we can talk together, ‘cause you are not alone.
I used to deal with monsters that came to you at night.
And bullies in the schoolyard: I taught you how to fight.
But I can’t fight your battles now. You face them on your own,
But I will stand beside you so you are not alone.
Where did the time go? Only yesterday.
I’m not surprised, though, ‘cause time behaves that way.
Lying by the water, staring at the stars.
We came to realize just how small we are.
You must make decisions now, and make them on your own.
But I will stand behind you so you are not alone.
There will be days when darkness comes.
I’ve done my best to show you the sun.
I guess I’ll leave the porch light on before I go to bed.
I’ll see you in the morning; well, maybe lunch instead.
I know you must live your life on terms that are your own.
Always I am with you ‘cause you are not alone…
You’ll never be alone.
© Dave Semple – 3 August 2014
|
||||
5. |
I Believed (Shame On Me)
03:18
|
|||
|
I Believed
(Shame On Me)
You would tell me things in confidence,
And I never once told a soul.
And all those instances I had your back,
That you never once thanked me for.
You used to say that you admired me,
And I did – not – see…..
Conversations that would cross the line,
That I never once judged you for,
‘Bout machinations that had plagued your mind,
And I never once shut the door.
When I needed you to back me up,
You turned – on – me….
I believed…all the lies you told to me.
I can’t believe I believed what you said about me.
Shame on me. I was deceived and I believed.
You cannot comprehend what has happened to me.
I no longer trust the thoughts in my mind.
I thought I understood where I stand in this world,
And I hate the fact that I was so blind.
‘Cause I believed…all the lies you told to me.
I can’t believe I believed what you said about me.
Shame on me. I was deceived and I believed.
Fickle friend, you obfuscate the facts.
Go fornicate yourself. Defenestrate yourself.
Forever false. Your fate foretells you face the fire.
‘Cause I believe that the lies you told about me,
All the webs that you weaved that were so misconceived.
Won’t be believed. That the truth will set me free,
© Dave Semple – 15 July 2015
|
||||
6. |
After The Fall
04:39
|
|||
|
After The Fall
Twenty years unto the day.
Working shifts and overtime that came his way.
Two kids in college and a mortgage left to pay.
And they just gave his job away.
They sold the plant, then shut it down,
And they took away the only life that he had ever found.
Seven more to sixty-five.
She saw her golden years just waiting to arrive.
She gave them everything for most her living life,
And they just gave her job away.
They locked the doors and chained the gates,
And they took away her future, after all that she had paid.
Where can you turn, when it’s all gone?
What lies ahead, after the fall.
Too old to learn another trade.
And what the hell is this they call a living wage?
Record profits weren’t enough to have them stay, and they…
They just gave those jobs away.
Where can you turn, when it’s all gone?
What lies ahead, after the fall.
The floor has fallen from below.
Now you’re looking in the mirror, wondering which way you should go.
Where can you turn, when it’s all gone?
What lies ahead, after the fall.
Well, I know the world is changing: For the better? For the worse?
When you give your life to something, when it’s gone, it hurts.
Now you’re standing in the shadows with your future ripped away,
Overwhelmed by your tomorrow, let alone today.
Where can you turn, when it’s all gone? What lies ahead, after the fall.
Where can you turn, when it’s all gone? What lies ahead, after the fall.
After the fall.
©Dave Semple – 14 March 2014
|
||||
7. |
Prisms
03:33
|
|||
|
Prisms
She stares at the ceiling.
There’s cracks in the walls, and creaks from the floors.
She sleeps on the sofa:
Ghosts in the bedroom haunt her soul.
She is alone, awaiting a savior,
Someone to save her,
From all the lies to herself
She has told.
She sees the world altered by prisms,
Formed in her mind, born over time.
Her table piled high with good intentions
Which shall remain unfulfilled.
Boxes of dreams, all around her, unopened,
Just like the curtains,
That keep out the truth; that keep out the light.
Sleep through the day; prisms at night.
She hides unwarranted shame
And thinks it’s a game when she deflects blame.
She boasts a Catholic conscience.
When did she last grace confessional doors?
She claims ulterior motives,
Surround her on all foreign shores.
She is a damsel locked in a tower.
She can’t comprehend the depth of her bonds.
The prisms obscure her view in the mirror,
Her exile has been self-imposed.
She’ll never be a paper-bag princess.
She wears her delusions,
And spends all her nights,
The TV on low, awash in the glow,
Awaiting a prince who’ll never arrive.
© Dave Semple – 1 September 2014
|
||||
8. |
Breathe In, Breathe Out
04:14
|
|||
|
Breathe In, Breathe Out
This world is gonna try to break you down.
Petty words, petty thoughts, and petty deeds.
A gentle smile to your face, then a knife in your back,
As the words ring true: Et tu Brute.
And trust is just another game they play
To pull you in, turn you ‘round, and spit you out.
Wicked webs are woven ‘round you to deceive,
And you believe the words they weave,
And it steals your breath away.
Breathe in. Feel it washing over you.
Breathe out, and blow it all away.
You gotta wake up in the morning and stand your ground,
But for now breathe in. Breath out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
When you try to find a way to talk it out
And push away those feelings of revenge,
They nod and smile, all the while lying to your face,
Then as children do, they put the blame on you.
And you shake your head again.
Breathe in. Feel it washing over you.
Breathe out, and blow it all away.
You gotta wake up in the morning and stand your ground,
But for now breathe in. Breath out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
You are the master of your own fate.
You are the captain of your own soul.
You are better than their petty minds,
Their petty dreams…
Just breathe in. Feel it washing over you.
Don’t forget to breathe out, and blow it all away.
You gotta wake up in the morning and stand your ground,
But for now breathe in. Breath out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe out.
© Dave Semple – 28 June 2014
|
||||
9. |
||||
|
Leaving Footprints (On My Soul)
When October leaves are turning,
Changing faces as the young becomes the old
You go jumping in leaf piles and I sigh,
As you leave your footprints ‘cross the floor.
You leave your footprints ‘cross the floor
When January snow has hardened
And winter’s bitter wind is cutting to the bone,
Out you are creating angels and I watch,
As you leave your footprints in the snow.
You leave your footprints in the snow.
You remind me to see,
All of the joys in front of me.
Through your eyes, I learn to fly,
Not sit and watch as life passes by.
In the dark, you are the light.
When I am blind, you give me sight.
And when April rain is falling
Leaving streaks across the window of my mind.
You’re out dancing in the puddles and I smile,
As you leave your footprints by the door.
You leave your footprints by the door.
You remind me to see,
All of the joys in front of me.
Through your eyes, I learn to fly,
Not sit and watch as life passes by.
In the dark, you are the light.
When I am blind, you give me sight.
And by July, the sun will sparkle
In its reflection off the water as it rolls
You’ll be building dreams of castles in the sand
And leaving footprints on the shore.
Leaving footprints on the shore.
You remind me to see,
All of the joys in front of me.
Through your eyes, I learn to fly,
Not sit and watch as life passes by.
In the dark, you are the light.
When I am blind, you give me sight.
You leave your footprints on my soul.
You leave your footprints on my soul.
© Music and Lyrics by
Dave Semple – 25 November 2011
|
||||
10. |
So Blind
03:44
|
|||
|
So Blind
Whispered worries on the wind tonight.
Fortune’s fools pray to dollar signs.
And the future that you can’t see,
Keeps staring back at me.
Willows weep for the world tonight
As Neros fiddle by the firelight
All the answers you refuse to find,
Keep on rolling through my mind.
I see: changes in the sky.
I see: rivers running high.
I see: woodlands die.
So why are we so blind?
We are…
So blind to the jackals in disguise. We are…
So blind: how they hypnotize. We are…
So blind: swallowing their lies. We are…
So blind: we cannot even realize
We choose… to be… so blind.
How many moons until we take a stand,
Respect the air, the water and the land?
Will the future we leave behind
Survive the test of time?
I’ve seen: serpents in the sky.
I’ve seen: raging rivers rise.
I’ve seen: woodlands cry.
Oh why are we so blind.
We are…
So blind to the jackals in disguise. We are…
So blind: how they hypnotize. We are…
So blind: swallowing their lies. We are…
So blind: we cannot even realize
We’re blinded by comfort
And fear sacrifice
When we disregard tomorrow
Our children pay the price
We are so blind. We are so blind.
So blind.
© Dave Semple – 30 January 2014
|
||||
11. |
Turn Another Page
05:05
|
|||
|
Turn Another Page
Comes the night, the fading of the day,
Just leave it behind. Put it away.
The hourglass filled with truth and lies,
Losses and gains, lows and the highs.
Just a day in the life.
There never seems time to follow your own light,
So close your eyes and you will see.
Take a deep breath and let your spirit be.
Somewhere on the pages, found between the covers,
Are written all the words you need to find,
To open the worlds that live in your mind.
Your imagination is the safest haven.
Make the time to turn another page.
Your mind, the canvas of your dreams,
The palate of paint, the way and the means.
All of the notes that linger in the air,
Swirl into grace of glorious harmonies there.
It is the dance among the stars.
It is the chance to be more than who you are.
It is the rhyme that you can feel,
The rhythm in time that lets you heal.
Turn the page, you’re sailing, waves upon the ocean.
Another page, you lie on the edge of a dream,
Beneath the sky, born in your mind.
Turn the page you’re soaring up among the heavens.
Take the time to turn another page.
Read from your book of dreams.
Believe that the words will reveal all that you need.
Suddenly, you’re rising, a feather on a moonbeam.
Another page, you’re free to see the world,
As it aught to be in your mind.
Turn the page you’re laughing; all the worlds you’ve created,
Every time you turn another…
Turn another…
Turn another page.
© Dave Semple 21 February 2016
|
||||
12. |
Never Meant To Be
04:11
|
|||
|
Never Meant To Be
Poetry: words that linger on the page,
And chop away at the frozen sea inside of me,
As the images explode in the air.
If you just reach out you’ll find them there.
Poetry came alive for you today,
Breaking through the world you thought you used to know
And now you’re looking with new eyes at me.
Can I be the man you want me to be?
Take me as I am, if only for today.
Yesterday is lost, tomorrow’s far away.
Take me by the hand and lead me to your heart.
Never meant to be has to have a start.
I don’t believe that you and I were never meant to be.
I can’t see, through the trees.
I won’t believe in never meant to be.
Poetry led me to the pilgrim soul in you,
As the flowers start to bloom lupin blue.
I loved the sorrow of your changing face,
There’s no map to tell you which path you should take.
So take me as I am, if only for today.
Yesterday is lost, tomorrow’s far away.
Take me by the hand and lead me to your heart.
Never meant to be has to have a start.
So take me as I am, oh, take me as I am,
If only for today. If only for today.
Yesterday is lost. Yesterday is lost and gone.
Tomorrow’s far away. Tomorrow seems so far away.
Take me by the hand. Please take me by the hand.
And lead me to your heart. Love, never break my heart.
Never meant to be. We were always meant to be.
Has to have a start. Give me one more chance to start.
I don’t believe that you and I were never meant to be.
I can’t see, through the trees.
I disagree and I can’t conceive
I won’t believe in never…
Ever meant to be.
Dave Semple – 28 April 2013
|
||||
Dave Semple London, Ontario
Born in Montreal and raised in Noranda, Quebec, Dave is a graduate of the University of Windsor and has lived the last 30 years in London, Ontario as an educator, musician, actor, director, songwriter, and novelist. Playing live with just a guitar is THE BEST, but Dave loves spending time in his studio filling out the sound layers. Story is everything. ... more
If you like Dave Semple, you may also like:
featured on Bandcamp Radio Jul 8, 2014
go to album
Looking Out My Window
by CARLENE
Drift away with these dreamlike songs from reclusive folk singer CARLENE, who pairs evocative lyrics with hushed arrangements.
go to album
Collaborating remotely with 12 songwriters from all over the world, Kim Edgar emerged with a work of striking art pop.
go to album
The haunting new record from Canadian folk artist Avi C. Engel bridges old and new traditions with a minimalist approach.
go to album
The latest from the UK’s Chris Brain is a gorgeously wrought album of tender acoustic folk music.
go to album
they only talk about the weather
by Arny Margret
The Icelandic songwriter packs her stunning debut with sweeping melodies delivered via intimate, folky arrangements.
go to album
Ruth's sophomore release explores sacred signs against a backdrop of folk melodies and acoustic guitar.
go to album
