Discography
Solo Acoustic, Vol 1
Culled from the best takes of three years' worth of concerts, Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 finds Jackson Browne delivering tender takes from his deep catalog -- completely stripped of their Seventies-era excess production. Browne is in fine voice as he digs out tunes like "These Days" (first done by Velvet Underground singer Nico in 1968) and "Lives in the Balance" (a mid-Eighties anti-Reagan diatribe that sounds especially appropriate today). He wraps things up with a threadbare rendition of "The Pretender" that cannot mask the story of a youthful idealist being beaten down by the passing years. Needless to say, Browne's strength has always been songwriting, and Solo Acoustic delivers those songs with no extra baggage.
Three and one half stars
- ANDY GREENE, Rolling Stone Magazine, October 20, 2005
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1.
THE BARRICADES OF HEAVEN
Running down around the towns along the shore
When I was sixteen and on my own
No, I couldnt tell you what the hell those brakes were for
I was just trying to hear my song
Jimmy found his own sweet sound and won that free guitar
Wed all get in the van and play
Life became the Paradox, the Bear, the Rouge et Noir
And the stretch of road running to L.A.
Pages turning
Pages we were years from learning
Straight into the night our hearts were flung
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where Im from
All the world was shining from those hills
The stars above and the lights below
Among those there to test their fortunes and their wills
I lost track of the score long ago
Pages turning
Pages we were years from learning
Straight into the night our hearts were flung
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where Im from
Childhood comes for me at night
Voices of my friends
Your face bathing me in light
Hope that never ends
Pages turning
Pages torn and pages burning
Faded pages, open in the sun
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where Im from.
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where Im from
By Jackson Browne, Jeff Young, Kevin McCormick, Scott Thurston, Mark Goldenberg, Mauricio Lewak, Luis Conte
1996 Swallow Turn Music, Glad Brad Music, Inc., Eye Cue Music, adm. by Almo Music Corp, Bateria Music, Irague Music,
ASCAP / Neurp Songs, Faux Music, Longitude Music Co., all rights on behalf of Faux Music, adm. by Longitude Music Co. BMI
All Rights Reserved -
2.
THESE DAYS
Well Ive been out walking
I dont do that much talking these days
These days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do for you
And all the times I had the chance to
And I had a lover
Its so hard to risk another these days
These days
Now if I seem to be afraid
To live the life I have made in song
Well its just that Ive been losing so long
Ill keep on moving
Things are bound to be improving these days
One of these days
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend
Dont confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
Words and Music by Jackson Browne
1973 Open Window Music ASCAP, Companion Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
3.
THE BIRDS OF ST. MARKS
Oh how sadly sound the songs the queen must sing of dying
A prisoner upon her throne of melancholy sighing
If she could see her mirror now
She would be free of those who bow and
Scrape the ground beneath her feet
Silently she walks among her dying midnight roses
Watches as each moment goes that never really know us
And so it seems she doesn't care
If she has dreams of no one there
Within the shadows of her room
But all my frozen words agree, and say it's time to
Call back, all the birds I sent to
Fly behind her castle walls, and I'm
Weary of the nights I've seen
Inside these empty halls
Wooden lady turn and turn among my weary secrets
And wave within the hours past and other empty pockets
Maybe we've found what we have lost
When we've unwound so many crossed entangling
Misunderstandings; but
All my frozen words agree and say it's time to
Call back all the birds I sent to
Fly behind her castle walls, and I'm
Weary of the nights I've seen
Inside these empty walls
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1970 Open Window Music ASCAP, Criterion ASCAP -
4.
FOUNTAIN OF SORROW
Looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer
I was taken by a photograph of you
There were one or two I know that you would have liked a little more
But they didnt show your spirit quite as true
You were turning round to see who was behind you
And I took your childish laughter by surprise
And at the moment that my camera happened to find you
There was just a trace of sorrow in your eyes
Now the things that I remember seem so distant and so small
Though it hasnt really been that long a time
What I was seeing wasnt what was happening at all
Although for a while our paths did seem to climb
But when you see through loves illusions, there lies the danger
And your perfect lover looks like a perfect fool
So you go running off in search of a perfect stranger
While the loneliness seems to spring from your life like a fountain from a pool
Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light
Youve known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight
Youve had to hide sometimes but now youre all right
And its good to see your smiling face tonight
Now for you and me it may not be that hard to reach our dreams
But that magic feeling never seems to last
And while the futures there for anyone to change still you know it seems
It would be easier sometimes to change the past
Im just one or two years and a couple of changes behind you
In my lessons at loves pain and heartache school
Where if you feel too free and you need something to remind you
Theres this loneliness springing up from your life
Like a fountain from a pool
Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light
Youve known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight
Youve had to hide sometimes but now youre all right
And its good to see your smiling face tonight
Fountain of sorrow, fountain of light
Youve known that hollow sound of your own steps in flight
Youve had to struggle, youve had to fight
To keep understanding and compassion in sight
You could be laughing at me, youve got the right
But you go on smiling so clear and so bright
Words and Music by Jackson Browne
Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
5.
YOUR BRIGHT BABY BLUES
Im sitting down by the highway
Down by that highway side
Everybodys going somewhere
Riding just as fast as they can ride
I guess theyve got a lot to do
Before they can rest assured
Their lives are justified
Pray to God for me, baby
He can let me slide
Ive been up and down this highway
Far as my eyes can see
No matter how fast I run
I can never seem to get away from me
No matter where I am
I cant help feeling Im just a day away from where I want to be
Now Im running home, baby
Like a river to the sea
Baby if you can see me
Out across this wilderness
Theres just one thing
I was hoping you might guess
Baby you can free me
All in the power of your sweet tenderness
I can see it in your eyes
Youve got those bright baby blues
You dont see what youve got to gain
But you dont like to lose
You watch yourself from the sidelines
Like your life is a game you dont mind playing to keep yourself amused
I dont mean to be cruel, baby
But youre looking confused
Baby if you can hear me
Turn down your radio
Theres just one thing
I want you to know
When youve been near me
Ive felt the love stirring in my soul
Its so hard to come by
That feeling of peace
This friend of mine said,
"Close your eyes and try a few of these"
I thought I was flying like a bird so far above my sorrow
But when I looked down I was standing on my knees
Now I need someone to help me
Someone to help me, please
Baby if you need me
Like I know I need you
Theres just one thing
Ill ask you to do
Take my hand and lead me
To the hole in your garden wall
And pull me through
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1976 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP and WB Music Corp
All Rights Reserved -
6.
FOR A DANCER
Keep a fire burning in your eye
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down
I dont remember losing track of you
You were always dancing in and out of view
I mustve thought youd always be around
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now youre nowhere to be found
Dont know what happens when people die
Cant seem to grasp it as hard as I try
Its like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I cant sing, I cant help listening
And I cant help feeling stupid standing round
Crying as they ease you down
Cause I know that youd rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
Right on dancing
Theres nothing you can do about it anyway
Just do the steps that youve been shown
By everyone youve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Anothers steps have grown
In the end there is one dance youll do alone
Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Dont let the uncertainty turn you around
Go on and make a joyful sound
Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But youll never know
Words and Music by Jackson Browne
Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
7.
TOO MANY ANGELS
There's an angel on a ribbon
Hanging from the armoire door
There's a cupid with his feet crossed
On the bird cage by the door
There's a baby angel drummer
His eyes are open wide
And two more tiny cherubs
On the mantle side by side
Too many angels
Have seen me crying
Too many angels
Have heard you lying
There are photographs of children
All in their silver frames
On the window sills and tabletops
Lit by candle flames
And upon their angel faces
Life's expectations climb
Where the moment has preserved them
From the ravages of time
Too many angels
Have seen me crying
Too many angels
Have heard you lying
Bring the morning on
Voices sing of day
I want to step out in the morning sun
Through the flood of tears
I want this darkness gone
Your sweet face appears
These apparitions coming one by one
But there's no end in sight
Only the dead of night
And too many angels
Too many angels
Have seen me crying
Too many angels
Have heard you lying
Too many angels
Bring the morning on
Voices sing of day
I want to step out in the morning sun
Through this flood of tears
I want to greet the dawn
Cast away these fears
Forget about the things we could have done
Bring the morning on
Voices sing of day
I want to watch the children as they run
Through the broken years
I want this darkness gone
Your sweet face appears
These apparitions coming one by one
But there's no end in sight
Only the dead of night
And too many angels
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1993 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
8.
FOR EVERYMAN
Everybody I talk to is ready to leave
With the light of the morning
Theyve seen the end coming down long enough to believe
That theyve heard their last warning
Standing alone
Each has his own
Ticket in his hand
And as the evening descends
I sit thinking bout Everyman
Seems like Ive always been looking for some other place
To get it together
Where with a few of my friends I could give up the race
And maybe find something better
But all my fine dreams
Well thought out schemes
To gain the motherland
Have all eventually come down to waiting for Everyman
Waiting here for Everyman
Make it on your own if you think you can
If you see somewhere to go, I understand
Waiting here for Everyman
Dont ask me if hell show
Baby, I dont know
Make it on your own if you think you can
Somewhere later on youll have to take a stand
Then youre going to need a hand
Everybodys just waiting to hear from the one
Who can give them the answers
And lead them back to that place in the warmth of the sun
Where sweet childhood still dances
Wholl come along
And hold out that strong
But gentle fathers hand?
Long ago I heard someone say something bout Everyman
Waiting here for Everyman
Make it on your own if you think you can
If you see somewhere to go, I understand
Im not trying to tell you that Ive seen the plan
Turn and walk away if you think I am
But dont think too badly of one whos left holding sand
Hes just another dreamer dreaming bout Everyman
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1973 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
9.
LIVES IN THE BALANCE
Ive been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that youve seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war
And theres a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs
On the radio talk shows and the TV
You hear one thing again and again
How the USA stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally cant take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
Theres a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we cant even say the names
They sell us the President the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us everything from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But theyre never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1986 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
10.
LOOKING EAST
Standing in the ocean with the sun burning low in the west
Like a fire in the cavernous darkness at the heart of the beast
With my beliefs and possessions, stopped at the frontier in my chest
At the edge of my country, my back to the sea, looking east
Where the search for the truth is conducted with a wink and a nod
And where power and position are equated with the grace of God
These times are famine for the soul, while for the senses its a feast
From the edge of my country, as far as you see, looking east
Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the mansion, hunger in the rented room
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And theres a God-sized hunger underneath the laughing and the rage
In the absence of light
And the deepening night
Where I wait for the sun
Looking east
How long have I left my mind to the powers that be?
How long will it take to find the higher power moving in me?
Power in the insect
Power in the sea
Power in the snow falling silently
Power in the blossom
Power in the stone
Power in the song being sung alone
Power in the wheat field
Power in the rain
Power in the sunlight and the hurricane
Power in the silence
Power in the flame
Power in the sound of the lovers name
The power of the sunrise and the power of a prayer released
On the edge of my country, I pray for the ones with the least
Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the banquet, hunger in the bride and groom
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And theres a God-sized hunger underneath the questions of the age
And an absence of light
In the deepening night
Where I wait for the sun
Looking east
By Jackson Browne, Jeff Young, Kevin McCormick, Scott Thurston, Mark Goldenberg, Mauricio Lewak, Luis Conte
1996 Swallow Turn Music, Glad Brad Music, Inc., Eye Cue Music, adm. by Almo Music Corp, Bateria Music, Irague Music, ASCAP / Neurp Songs, Faux Music, Longitude Music Co., all rights on behalf of Faux Music, adm. by Longitude Music Co. BMI
All Rights Reserved -
11.
THE PRETENDER
Im going to rent myself a house
In the shade of the freeway
Im going to pack my lunch in the morning
And go to work each day
And when the evening rolls around
Ill go on home and lay my body down
And when the morning light comes streaming in
Ill get up and do it again
Amen
I want to know what became of the changes
We waited for love to bring
Were they only the fitful dreams
Of some greater awakening
Ive been aware of the time going by
They say in the end its the wink of an eye
And when the morning light comes streaming in
Youll get up and do it again
Amen
Caught between the longing for love
And the struggle for the legal tender
Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring
And the junkman pounds his fender
Where the veterans dream of the fight
Fast asleep at the traffic light
And the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor
Out into the cool of the evening strolls the Pretender
He knows that all his hopes and dreams begin and end there
Ah the laughter of the lovers as they run through the night
Leaving nothing for the others but to choose off and fight
And tear at the world with all their might
While the ships bearing their dreams sail out of sight
Im going to find myself a girl
Who can show me what laughter means
And well fill in the missing colors
In each others paint by number dreams
And then well put our dark glasses on
And well make love until our strength is gone
And when the morning light comes streaming in
Well get up and do it again
Get it up again
Im going to be a happy idiot
And struggle for the legal tender
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim
To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in whatever may lie
In those things that money can buy
Thought true love could have been a contender
Are you there?
Say a prayer for the Pretender
Who started out so young and strong
Only to surrender
Say a prayer for the pretender
Are you there for the pretender?
Say a prayer for the pretender
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1976 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP and WB Music Corp
All Rights Reserved -
12.
TAKE IT EASY
Well Im runnin down the road tryin to loosen my load
Ive got seven women on my mind
Four that want to own me, two that want to stone me
One says shes a friend of mine
Take it easy, take it easy
Dont let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Dont even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
And take it easy
Standin on the corner in Winslow, Arizona
With such a fine sight to see
Its a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin down to take a look at me
Come on baby, dont say maybe
Ive got to know if your sweet loves gonna save me
We may lose and we may win
But we will never be here again
Open up, Im climbin in
To take it easy
Well Im a-runnin down the road tryin to loosen my load
Got a world of trouble on my mind
I lookin for a lover who wont blow my cover
Shes just a little hard to find
Take it easy, take it easy
Dont let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Come on baby, dont say maybe
Gotta know if your sweet loves gonna save me
Words and music by Jackson Browne and Glen Frey
Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved -
13.
BONUS TRACK: THE REBEL JESUS
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They'll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all god's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by the prince of peace
And they call him by the savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
Words and music by Jackson Browne
1977 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP