The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne

1. DOCTOR MY EYES

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand
I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise
To leave them open for so long?

As I have wandered through this world
And as each moment has unfurled
Ive been waiting to awaken from these dreams
People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That its later than it seems

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if its too late for me

Doctor, my eyes
They cannot see the sky
Is this the prize
For having learned how not to cry?

Words & music by Jackson Browne
1971 Open Window Music ASCAP

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. 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

4. LATE FOR THE SKY

The words had all been spoken
And somehow the feeling still wasnt right
And still we continued on through the night
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives had led us there

Looking hard into your eyes
There was nobody Id ever known
Such an empty surprise
To feel so alone

Now for me some words come easy
But I know that they dont mean that much
Compared with the things that are said when lovers touch
You never knew what I loved in you
I dont know what you loved in me
Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping I might be

Awake again I cant pretend
And I know Im alone
And close to the end
Of the feeling weve known

How long have I been sleeping?
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been dreaming I could make it right
If I closed my eyes and tried with all my might
To be the one you need

Awake again, I cant pretend
I know Im alone
And close to the end
Of the feeling weve known

How long have I been sleeping?
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been running for that morning flight
Through the whispered promises and the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the sky

Words and music by Jackson Browne
1974 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

5. 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

6. RUNNING ON EMPTY

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In 65 I was seventeen and running up 101
I dont know where Im running now, Im just running on

Running onrunning on empty
Running onrunning blind
Running onrunning into the sun
But Im running behind

Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive
In 69 I was twenty-one and I called the road my own
I dont know when that road turned onto the road Im on

Running onrunning on empty
Running onrunning blind
Running onrunning into the sun
But Im running behind

Everyone I know, everywhere I go
People need some reason to believe
I dont know about anyone but me
If it takes all night, thatll be all right
If I can get you to smile before I leave

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I dont know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too

Running onrunning on empty
Running onrunning blind
Running onrunning into the sun
But Im running behind

Honey, you really tempt me
You know the way you look so kind
Id love to stick around but Im running behind
You know I dont even know what Im hoping to find
Running into the sun but Im running behind

Words and Music by Jackson Browne
1977 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

7. CALL IT A LOAN

In the morning when I closed my eyes,
you were sleeping in paradise,
And while the room was growing light,
I was holding still with all my might.

Oh. what if it's true?
ah, what my heart says?
Oh, what'll I do?
What if this feeling becomes hard to part with.

You were meant to play your part
in the design of a desperate heart.
And while you gave your love to me,
I was betting I was getting in free.

Oh, if I'd only known,
ah, what your heart cost.
Oh, can we call it a loan
and a debt that I own
on a bet that I lost?

In the evening when you see my eyes
looking back at you, no disguise,
I'm not sure who you think you'll see.
I'm just hopin' you'll still know that it's me.

Oh, what if it's true?
ah, better ask the man inside
Oh, oh, there seem to be two.
One steals the love, and the other one hides.

Yeah, can we call it loan
till I'm paid in full for the seeds I've sown?
Yeah, can we say that I've grown
in some way that we may have yet to be shown?

Oh, if I'd only known,
ah, what your heart cost.
Oh, can we call it a loan
and debt that I owe
on a bet that I lost?

By Jackson Browne and David Lindley
1980 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP, Neuoleum Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

8. SOMEBODY'S BABY

Well, just a look at that girl
With the lights comin up in her eyes
Shes got to be somebodys baby
She must be somebodys baby
All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by
They say shes got to be somebodys baby
She must be somebodys baby
Shes got to be somebodys baby
Shes so fine

Shes probably somebodys only light
Gonna shine tonight
Yeah, shes probably somebodys baby, all right

I heard her talkin with her friend
When she thought nobody else was around
She said shes got to be somebodys baby
She must be somebodys baby
Cause when the cars and the signs and the streetlights light up the town
Shes got to be somebodys baby
She must be somebodys baby
Shes got to be somebodys baby
Shes so . . .
Shes gonna be somebodys only light
Gonna shine tonight
Yeah, shes gonna be somebodys baby tonight

I try to shut my eyes, but I cant get her outta my sight
I know Im gonna know her, but I gotta get over my fright
Well, Im just gonna walk up to her
Im gonna talk to her tonight
Yeah, shes gonna be somebodys only light
Gonna shine tonight
Yeah, shes gonna be somebodys baby tonight
Gonna shine tonight, make her mine tonight

By Jackson Browne and Danny Kortchmar
1982 Night Kitchen Music ASCAP, Kortchmar Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

9. TENDER IS THE NIGHT

Between the darkness on the street
And the houses filling up with light
Between the stillness in my heart
And the roar of the approaching night
Somebodys calling after somebody
Somebody turns the corner out of sight
Looking for somebody
Somewhere in the night

Tender is the night
When you hold your baby tight
Tender are the motions, tender is the night

Between a life that we expected
And the way its always been
I cant walk back in again
After the way we fight
When just outside there are people laughing
Living lives we used to lead
Chasing down the love they need
Somewhere in the night

Tender is the night
And the benediction of the neon light
Tender are the hunters, tender is the night

Youre gonna want me tonight
When youre ready to surrender
Forget about whos right
When youre ready to remember
Its another world at night
When youre ready to be tender

Tender tender tender . . .

And in the hard light of an angry sun
No one remembers what was said or done
Tender are the words they choose
You win, I win, we lose

Tender
Tender is the night
Tender
The benediction of the neon light
Tender
Tender are the hunters
Tender is the night
When they hold each other tight
Tender
Tender are the undercover
Tender
The stranger and the secret lover
Tender
Tender are the motions
Tender is the night
When you hold your baby tight

Tender tender tender . . .

By Russell Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar and Jackson Browne
1983 Olas Music/Kortchmar Music, Night Kitchen Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

10. IN THE SHAPE OF A HEART

It was a ruby that she wore
On a chain around her neck
In the shape of a heart
In the shape of a heart
It was a time I wont forget
For the sorrow and regret
And the shape of a heart
And the shape of a heart
I guess I never knew
What she was talking about
I guess I never knew
What she was living without

People speak of love dont know what theyre thinking of
Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove
Speak in terms of belief and belonging
Try to fit some name to their longing
People speak of love

There was a hole left in the wall
From some ancient fight
About the size of a fist
Or something thrown that had missed
And there were other holes as well
In the house where our nights fell
Far too many to repair
In the time that we were there

People speak of love dont know what theyre thinking of
Reach out to each other though the push and shove
Speak in terms of a life and the learning
Try to think of a word for the burning

You keep it up
You try so hard
To keep a life from coming apart
And never know
What breaches and faults are concealed
In the shape of a heart

It was the ruby that she wore
On a stand beside the bed
In the hour before dawn
When I knew she was gone
And I held it in my hand
For a little while
And dropped it into the wall
Let it go, heard it fall
I guess I never knew
What she was talking about
I guess I never knew
What she was living without

People speak of love dont know what theyre thinking of
Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove
Speak in terms of a life and the living
Try to find the word for forgiving

You keep it up
You try so hard
To keep a life from coming apart
And never know
The shallows and the unseen reefs
That are there from the start
In the shape of a heart

Words and music by Jackson Browne
1986 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

11. 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

12. SKY BLUE AND BLACK

In the calling out to one another
Of the lovers up and down the strand
In the sound of the waves and the cries
Of the seagulls circling the sand
In the fragments of the songs
Carried down the wind from some radio
In the murmuring of the city in the distance
Ominous and low

I hear the sound of the world where we played
And the far-too-simple beauty
Of the promises we made

If you ever need holding
Call my name, Ill be there
If you ever need holding
And no holding back, Ill see you through
Sky blue and black

Where the touch of the lover ends
And the soul of the friend begins
Theres a need to be separate and a need to be one
And a struggle neither wins
Where you gave me the world I was in
And a place I could make a stand
I could never see how you doubted me
When Id let go of your hand

Yeah, and I was much younger then
And I must have thought that I would know
If things were going to end

And the heavens were rolling
Like a wheel on a track
And our sky was unfolding
And itll never fold back
Sky blue and black

And Id have fought the world for you
If I thought that you wanted me to
Or put aside what was true or untrue
If Id known thats what you needed
What you needed me to do

But the moment has passed by me now
To have put away my pride
And just come through for you somehow

If you ever need holding
Call my name, Ill be there
If you ever need holding
And no holding back, Ill see you through

Youre the color of the sky
Reflected in each storefront windowpane
Youre the whispering and the sighing
Of my tires in the rain

Youre the hidden cost and the thing thats lost
In everything I do
Yeah, and Ill never stop looking for you
In the sunlight and the shadows
And the faces on the avenue
Thats the way love is
Thats the way love is
Thats the way love is
Sky blue and black

Words and music by Jackson Browne
1993 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

13. 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

14. 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

All Rights Reserved

15. THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR

Gather your deeds and your possessions,
Whatever certainty you've known,
Forget your heroes,
You don't really need those last few lessons.

Stand in the open;
The next voice you hear will be your own.

Well alright, they knew how they could hurt you,
And you let them cut you to the bone.
But God forbid,
You allow them to rid you of your virtue!

Forget their laughter;
The next voice you hear will be your own.

The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear will be your own.

Throw down your truth and check your weapons.
Don't look to see if you're alone,
Just stand your ground,
And don't turn around -- whatever happens.
Don't ask directions;
The next voice you hear will be your own.

The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear...
The next voice you hear will be your own.

Words and music by Jackson Browne
1997 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP

Discography

The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne

The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne