Malachy’s(Words & Music by Margaret A. Roche)

Eddie said the beat was wrongTom didn't like the tuneThe boy with the beard in the cornerLaughed in the middle of the songHe didn't stay very long

Eddie said the lights were lowTom said the treble was highThe boy with the beard in the cornerLaughed in the middle of a sighDon't think we ever even caught his eye

Sometimes I used to find I'd be singing to youAs if you were sitting at the table by the door

Eddie says a friend of his isMakin' it big in L.A.Yeah, well everybody down at Malachy'sSays were gonna make it somedayHey hey

Sometimes I used to write songs for youAs if you could feel it in the bottom of your heart

Sometimes I used to find I'd be singing to youAs if you were sitting at the table by the door

Burden of Proof(Words & Music by Margaret A. Roche)

The world is handout on the cornersAnd the burden of proof is on you

Consider the lilies how they growThey toil nor do they spinYet look at the shape they're inOh I wanna make my livingIn the valley where the lilies grow

And in this struggleIt's important thatI know that you are mineThe world is handout on the cornersAnd the burden of proof is on me

Tell you what I'll take you to TexasTo eat breakfast at a grapefruit standWe'll carry all we own in our handsAnd we'll take off all of our clothesAnd go swimming in the Rio GrandeTry looking up luckIn the back of a pickup truckPick up the makings of a man

And in this struggleIt's important thatYou know that you are fineThe world is handout on the cornersAnd the burden of proof is on you

And when he's goneI wonder if a sonWill ever happen againWill ever happen again

Jill of All Trades(Words & Music by Margaret A. Roche)

Blown in from Boulder with braidsJill of all tradesJill love allRunning in to luckSouth of the borderWhy do you wanna get stuckWith a needle and a kid?

You didn't guess his kind of loveCould be made on a business tripJill the old maidGo on, get out of hereYou and me ought to both run awayIn this swelling of the moon

We know how you layAnd how he's bored with the wayHe told it in the barOh, and I've been following the columns in the Morning StarTryin' to find where the jobs areAnd there's chances on the edge of townBlowin' by in east-bound carsBlowin' by in east-bound cars

It was snowing in Boulder on my way homeJill of all tradesJill who stayedAll of you will buy a ticket just to see my face again

Underneath the Moon(Words & Music by Margaret A. Roche)

I overheard a wise gal sayWhose gentleman was her ruin"Sweetness gets me nowhere'Cept underneath the moon."

Good men want a virginSo don't you give yourself too soon'Cept in an emergencyLike underneath the moon.

A woman is like a puzzleShackin' up with the clueswhile every piece she getIs another piece she lose

Good men want a virginSo don't you give yourself too soon'Cept in an emergencyLike underneath the moon.

Crazy to fight the moon

Ahhh, praisin' the fightin' moonIt's the happiest lightThat ever come natural to meGirls'll hitchhike half the way to MercuryDon't get as hot as this degree

If you go at it at a gallopIt's gonna make you sweat and swoonBut sweetness will get you nowhere'Cept underneath the moon.

West Virginia(Words & Music by Margaret A. Roche)

NineteenCharlestonMescalineHe said he was a geniusB plus averageIn civil engineeringHis rearingWas CatholicPolitical leaningsAnd a talent for stealing things

The boys keep score on the back of the bathroom door

I don’t think he’d ever been there before

ThirtyThey got the rap downHimHe's only pickin’ aroundIn politicsGodAnd underground newspapers

Learnin' on meTurnin' out lightsSo you don't have to see

Stayin’ Home(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

There’s a place I want to be But it’s a mystery to me how to get thereBeen thinking about stayin’ homeStayin’ home, stayin’ home

All the lousy lines about the lonesome highwayI don’t even know how to get thereStayin’ home, stayin’ home, stayin’ home

Lost my beat on Bleecker Street When I was waiting for the don’t walk signDime for the blind here’s a piece of my mindAnd there’s a taker coming up from behindI’d kinda like to get to know youWell I’ll tell you there isn’t anything I can tell youThat you don’t knowCause I don’t know how to say itSo I’m stayin’ home

I’m so afraid to lose it or abuse it or the public will refuse it

Pick up the beat on Bleecker Street You can read it in the don’t walk signPick out a line in the traffic whineAnd paste in on a picket sign and it’s fine

Look you got a lot of talent but you don’t know how to use itYou ought to go into country musicI’m stayin’ home, stayin’ home, stayin’ home

Down the Dream(Words & Music by Margaret A. Roche)

I stopped to leanAt the entrance to the highwayOn the leg of an underpassAnd it was there that George caught up with meWe drank his pint of freedomDown the dream

I invest my soul in companyI bet the big exchangeFirst of all for love of thee andSeconal deranged

There ought to be something to fall back onLike a knifeOr a careerOh heavy is the heartThat bears a started lifeIn the dying time of yearIn the dying time of year

I left my pots and plans on the landlord's stoveAnd was drove down through the Texas heatThrew my love out in the street

George is colored and I'm whiteBut George could go for meGeorge is wondering if I mightGo for him

Go to LouisiannaRockin' a banjo on my kneeAfter a man that said he'd go for meGeorge, I'm all gone down the dreamGeorge, I'm all gone down the dreamGeorge, I'm all gone down the dream

Hammond Song(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

If you go down to HammondYou'll never come backIn my opinion you'reOn the wrong trackWe'll always love you butThat's not the point

If you go with that fellaForget about usAs far as I'm concernedThat would be justThrowing yourself awayNot even tryingCome on you're lying to me

Well, I went down to HammondI did as I pleasedI ain't the only oneWho's got this disease

Why don't you face the factYou old upstartWe fall apart

You'd be okay if you'dJust stay in schoolDon't be a fool

Do your eyes have an answerTo this song of mine?They say we meet againOn down the line

Where is on down the lineHow far away?Tell me I'm okay

If you go down to HammondYou'll never come back

The Married Men(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

One in LouisianaOne who travels aroundOne of 'em mainly stays in heart-throb town

I am not their main concernThey are lonely tooI am just an arrow passing through

When they look into my eyesI know what to doI make sure the words I say are true

When they send me off at dawnPay the driver my fareThey know I am goin' down somewhere

Oh the married men, the married menNever would have had a good time againIf it wasn't for the married men

One says, he'll come after meAnother one'll drop me a lineOne of 'em says all o' my agony is in my mind

They know what is wrong with meNone of 'em wants my handSoloin' in my traveling wedding band

Oh the married men, oh the married menMakes me feel like a girl againTo run with the married men

One of 'ems got a little boyOther one, he's got twoOne of 'ems wife is one week overdue

I know these girls they don't like meBut I am just like themPickin' a crazy apple off a stem

Givin' it to the married men, the married menAll o' that time in hell to spendFor kissin' the married men

All o' that time in hell to spendFor kissin' the married, the married men

Quitting Time(Words & Music by Margaret A Roche)

Money is not the problemYou have enough of thatNow you must close your officePut on your coat and hatPut on your coat and hat

Now is the hour of quittingTwilight paints the townOld industrial skylineHow does the sun go down?How does the sun go down

You can go south in winterBe what you are a gooseYou can live near the oceanYou’re clothes can fit you loose

Even as you are leaningInto that glass of wineYou and beloved businessHave come to the end of a lineCome to the end of a line

All of the gates are openAll of the charges droppedTalks are terminatedPayments have been stoppedPayments have been stopped

You can move north in summerYou can be in the breezeYou don't need to notifyAny secretaries

Old industrial skylineDrawing away from youYou are the one that’s movingYou are the fool that flewYou are the fool that flew

You can go south in winterBe what you are a gooseHonk all the moon out the oceanYour clothes can fit you loose

Pretty and High(Words & Music by Margaret A Roche)

She came on the stagein a dress like the skyshe had painted a sunsetaround her eyesand all of the peoplewere charmed and surprisedat how pretty and high and shy she waspretty and high and shy

She at the windowand the prince upon the bedthey were for an hourbefore he saidif she had no place elseshe was welcome to staybut she'd better get backand she thanked him the sameleavin' him pretty and high and drypretty and high and dry

The prince was confusedso he asked the magicianthe magician arrivedat the answer profoundif she takes off her dressthe sky will fall downcause she's pretty and high and a liepretty and high and a lie

I work at the circusand I sleep with the clownwhen I took off my dressthe sky fell downif the sky falls downthen we play on the groundcause I'm pretty and high and only partly a liepretty and high and only partly a liepretty and high and only partly a lie

This Feminine Position(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

I’ve got the apple in meOriginal cinnamon styleI’m gonna be fightingNight and dayTo keep you At your distance

Weaken discuss the menuWeaken discuss the causeWe can discus the other womenYou’ve deserted With your sweet and sour sauce

Because you’re makin’ itWith the apple in meI’ve cooked this goose beforeAnd I have had it with the devilHe was as stiff as he was bored

This feminine positionTripped up with reptileInto that most feminine positionToo fat to turnstile

Losing True(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

I'm losin' youfading from view

aging and aching and raging and faking I'm

losin' youlosin' true

last time I saw you I wanted to paw younot to destroy you now I just annoy you I'm

losin' toaccusin' you

when I first met you I failed to get younow that I let you come through I forget who I'm

losin' outcruisin' about

the night of shining armor doesn't do her any favors

make no mistake when mystiquing a make I'm

losin' youchoosin' to

The Scorpion Lament(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

stood on the street the other nightin full moonlightbarefoot and oh dirtiedmy dress was goin' away

there I was meetin' up with a manfor the payofffaithful and unhenpeckedI somewhat recollect

soon she heard mesiren she wailedQueen Spelling Bee she nailed meby name

what am I doin' out on the street?I'm ashamed deargood boy he beats itI tear myself downtown

God has let me release a stingin my own eyewalk home to just nightmaresno angels on the phone

It’s not all right with me

No Trespassing(Words by Margaret A. Roche and Mark JohnsonMusic by Margaret A. Roche and Andy Bloch)

why are you coming so close?you might erasethe line which no one crosses

aren't you afraid you'll disappearwithout a tracewild thing with eyes as big as saucers

this sign says no trespassing unless its you

who would imagine in so safe a place as thisa person could find a spinning wheel

all of my life I have been dreaming of your kissI'd like to believe the way I feel

some enchanted forest we are walking thoughwho do I think I'm talking to?

this sign says no trespassing unless it’s you

Christmas Love(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

The cold it is clear like a silver bellSwiftly the little flakes are fallingLooking down from the window of a hotelTo the street where the cars are slowing

Merry Christmas Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas, my love

Merry Christmas Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas, my love

The cold it is clear like a silver bellSwiftly the little flakes are fallingLooking down from the window of a hotelTo the street where the cars are slowing

Speak(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

the time has come for me to speakuh oh the time has comeand while the silence picks on meI pray to not be dumb

so I am hunting for the wordsjust wait til I find someI need some syllables do youknow where to get them from

when I am in my house alonemy speeches take a weekbut from my lips when you are neara sound will seldom leak

when I was a little girlI coined a mighty textlooking back I blush to hearwhat I'd come out with next

is now the time for me to speakbut what if they talk backo when I open up my beakI hope that I can quack

and if I do look out bewarethe truth is hard to takeand everything for all I care

Big Nuthin’(Music by Margaret A. RocheWords by Maggie, Terre & Suzzy)

I was on a TV showthat everybody saidwould change the course of my life that nightby the time I went to bedtinkling glass and candlelightyour look of tendernessI was full of cozy hopesweet taste of success

it was a big nuthin'

you don't have to cross the streetwhen you see me comin'too much trouble

so the the love we think is lostthings that never happenedstranger

it was a big nuthin'

late last night we arguedwhen you weren't thereall o' my disappointmentscreamed into the airjust about to fall intothe deep hole that I dugsaw myself ascending (pretending)with a shovel and a shrug

it was a big nuthin'I guess I just never knew how big nuthin' could be

Cloud Dancing(Words by Huang O (1498-1569) as translated by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung Music by Margaret A. Roche)

Every morning I get upBeautiful as the GoddessOf Love in Enchanted Mountain.Every night I go to bedSeductive as Yang Kuei-fei,The imperial concubine.My slender waist and thighsAre exhausted and weakFrom a night of cloud dancingBut my eyes are still lewd,And my cheeks are flushed.My old wet nurse combsMy cloud-like hair.My lover, fragrant as incense,Adjusts my jade hairpins, andDrags on my silk stockingsOver my feet and legsPerfumed with orchids;And once again we fall overOverwhelmed with passion.

In the World(Words by Suzzy Roche Music by Margaret A. Roche)

in the worldis a townsmall and proud

there i liveand there i ll diehead in a cloud

i had dreams long agoof the love i would surely knowbut it didn t turn out like that

in the worldis a lieflying high

i thought you were minebut you werenever mine

i had dreams long agoof the world i would surely knowbut it didn't turn out like thatin the world

in the worldis a hillfilled with trees

from my doori can seelife is a breeze

Nocturne(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

you ask me whywe cannot make loveI have been ransacking youfor the answer

side by side we laynot touchinglistening to rain fallingin the darkness

where desire writhed there stands a stonethe change was sudden and complete

a serious questionwe have turned out to askwe have sought each other secretlystrong has been the urgeto lie naked facing fear

quietly and quicklyour sentences blaze trails upon the nightwe are mates on a doubtful voyage

speaking sanely nowallotting no lovers advantage

my room is anxious to expel himhe hurries~ to be free of my feelings

we wear our wordsuntil he finally dresseslooking for his shoeshe is a shadow in my doorway

Feeling is Mutual(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

the feeling is mutualis what you will say

if things turn out okayif I were writing a play

love will open our eyesmaybelove will be a surprisemaybe thenat the moment whenI realize you're thereso you see that I care

the feeling is mutualis what you will sayI long to hear someday

A Dove(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

a dove to singsettled on the sill searing in her brainand I called my cat your point of view

love over the mountainsif looks could kill changing seasonsand that was that and the falling leaves

the glass long ago countingof the windowpane damn good reasonsand away she flew colors she believes

over the grass the phoneglistening' in the rain ringin' off the hookand on out of view like a magic wand

over the buildings my ownstone (w)rote cages let me take a lookwhere people live in the polluted pond

over the gilded escapesold outrages aren't all that badthat we can't forgive and away she threw

the moon the tapeshanging' in the sky and any chance she hadlike a copper pan of returning to

a tune over the heartachewelling in her eye lucid dreaminggoing' through Cheyenne of the lost way out

the wing and if we are awakeof an aero plane who's that screamingand away she flew what it's all about

You’re the One(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

you're the love honey you were my friendof my life if the truth be told

is there any way I can I can understand though if youget to see you don't rememberhave a cup of coffee maybe all you have to do is say thesomethin' like that word and l'll goI was in a maze of buildings this is just a dream that I've beenrunnin' all around like a rat holding onto God I don't knowin the middle of the night it's so hard to let it come

all of those years that I got you're the onelost without you that I wanttracking the equator all theway to the north polelooking for a home or deadend to this longing in my soul

Can We Go Home Now(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

woke up alonein a strange bedlookin' aroundshakin' my headpulled my boots onwent downstairsshe was sittingin one of the chairs

can we go home nowwas what I saidshe looked at meand said weare home

matter with youI nearly forgotthe difference betweenwhat is and what's notplenty of skycastles of sandsea 'n' starsbusted my hand

can we go home nowI've had enoughshe looked at meand said toughlucksuck

watchin' tvthe whole day throughbough bending lowwith nothin' to dosun gone downthe railroad trackbreathing a crywhen she comes back

can we go home nowI wanna go homeshe looked awayand said pleasestay

You (Make My Life Come True)(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

once offered the chance of a lifetimeI wasn't able to do ityou laid yourself on the linebaby somehow we got through ityou make my life come true

lost fumbling around in the darkI wasn't able to see ityou came and turned on the sparkshowed me myself so I could be ityou make my life come true

who played it so I could heara voice worthwhile inside mewhen I looked up from my fearyou were the one standing beside meyou make my life come true

with nothing to hold in my armsmy heart was wounded on emptydisregarding all the alarmsstarting me overflowing with plentyyou make my life come true

My Winter Coat(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

the fit is generous and loosethe coat is filled with down of goose

should I feel guilty about that?I wouldn't wear the fur of a cat

the coat is black so in New York Cityit doesn't look dirty it stays pretty

the cuffs are purple which perfectly suitsa pair I already had of boots

can't help sharing on a personal notea secret I have concerning the coat

one of the reasons that it got my voteis the way it lies open around the throat

for me th collar mustn't come too highbecause well all right my skin is dry

so each morning I rub my face with oiland the fabric you see the grease could soil

can we speak a moment about the liningafter my own heart's designing

it's nylon so your skirts don't windup in a bunch around you behind

when the time comes for the coat to cleanyou throw this thing in the washing machine

drying you doubt but the filling does fluffI'm here to proclaim this coat is enough

the length of the coat is below the kneesso in the cold your legs don't freeze

I'm nuts about another one of its charmsthere's plenty of room underneath the arms

the coat's not bulky it weighs about an ounceand it's practically void of any frivolous flounce

I will admit it has shoulder padsall things considered it's not so bad

it looks all right even from the sideI guess because the bottom isn't overly wide

okay so you say you'd prefer something hipperbut can I just tell you about the zipper

I searched for it for many yearslast one I had I tore up in tears

it turned me into Jack the Ripperbut now I stepped in Cinderella's slipper

it runs from the gullet to just south of the crotchand workin' it's a task you can hardly botch

it's made of a material that will not rustit won't get stuck you don't get fussed

it undoes easily in the usual waybut you can also pull it up if you'd like to, let's say

there's snaps as well which I don't even usebut they beat out buttons if I had to choose

I remember the night I went to the storefighting my way across the cloak-stuffed floor

suffocating I was it seemedwhen from a rack this last hope beamed

of all my requirements I pursued the trailto find furthermore the damn thing was on sale

it had a small chain at the back of the neckso you could hang it on a hook but it broke what the heck

with the end of each sleeve I'm totally smittenample space for to emerge a thick mitten

if you wanna be warm it wins far and awayit's like walkin' around in your bed all day

I know you're not supposed to be so fond of a thingbut today this is my heartfelt inspiration to sing

I hope you don't think I'm merely trying to be cleverI wish this coat would last forever

A Prayer(Words by Bill Barbeau Music by Margaret A. Roche)

This is to the being I know as God

God please help me to be a better human beingAs a young man, I killed a lot of people for no good reason.What became no good reason.I would love to blame someone else, anyone else for how I feel about what I did, the killing.What I thought I had to do to survive to be a good American like my dad.I must have had other choices.I know I had other choicesForgive meI will try to do good things to my fellow human beings like nursing,Fighting fire and save lives. It's what I know.Until you call for me, or whatever way you use to make this pain end.God; you can take me anytime.Me

One Season(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

One season I was bornfell down like an acornI am the only treeand everybody leaves

I've got to get away from you

Bud growing up at meresentful face I seea harsh light seems to damn youis it because I am you?

I've got to get away from youI need to find a love that's true

Loose leaf lay on the bedhair falling around her headI watched her from the shoreI can't do any more

I've got to get away from youI'll come and visit you in the zoo

We go on arguingno one can say a thingset down your key and trumpetgo have a dream and hump it

I've got to get away from youyou don't know what you put me through

Prized fighter with bruised pridea fuse blew when you triedto fix the worn out wireand set the house on fire

I've got to get away from youif only for a day or two

Broken Places(Words and Music by Margaret A. Roche)

did you know melong agowere we closebefore the sorrowif you thought of leaving any tracesI'll be sifting through the broken places

did I know youonce upon a timeyou dreamed of meand now I'msearching for myself in strangers' facesstumbling onto further broken places

she turns purpleam I bluecan't she fathomwhat I dotrying to get in her better gracestouching her in all the broken places

I get crazynot sure whysolace beckonsuntil Igo tearing off again on wild chasescrashing into same old broken places

I am young sowho's to saybut for now Ihave no wayof knowing how much healing time erasescertain of these secret broken places

can't there be alittle breather?our love is areal seetherto sore hearts we plead our hapless casesrendezvousing at the broken places

I love you forall of thisstruggling towardshappinesswhen the chips are down we play our aceshiding them in our broken places

Family of Bones(Words by Suzzy Roche Music by Margaret A. Roche)

These tiny bones, I lay them on my lifeThey are you and you and youArranged to be the skeleton of loveI sit inside them at attentionLike a dog waiting for its owner to return

A garbage truck could flatten them into the roadOr a wind could scatter them apart

These tiny bones, I lay them on my lifeThey are you and you and youAs fragile as the remnants of a birdWithout the guts, without the words

With rain into the gutter they could flush awayAnd there everything I love would go

These pearl bones I wish they could be safeSo few, so fewHung together with a thin string or somethingA family of bones

Where Do I Come From(Words and Music by Margaret A Roche)

Where do I come from asleep upon my loadHugging my freedom alongside the road

All I got is me my hands are full of timeWanting to be free is that a crime

No one seems to hear the beating of my heart

Don’t want you to come nearI’m torn apart