The Very 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. ROCK ME ON THE WATER

Oh people, look around you,
the signs are everywhere
Youve left it for somebody other than you
to be the one to care
Youre lost inside your houses,
theres no time to find you now
Your walls are burning
and your towers are turning
Im going to leave you here
and try to get down to the sea somehow

The road is filled with homeless souls,
every woman, child and man
Who have no idea where they will go,
but theyll help you if they can
Now everyone must have some thought
thats going to pull them thru somehow
Well the fires are raging hotter and hotter
But the sisters of the sun are gonna
rock me on the water now

Rock me on the water
Sister, will you soothe my fevered brow
Rock me on the water
Ill get down to the sea somehow

Oh people, look among you
its there your hope must lie
Theres a seabird above you,
gliding in one place, like Jesus in the sky
We all must do the best we can
and then hang on to that gospel plow
When my life is over
Im going to stand before the Father
But the sisters of the sun are gonna
rock me on the water now

Rock me on the water
Sister, will you soothe my fevered brow
Rock me on the water, maybe Ill remember
Maybe Ill remember how

Rock me on the water
The wind is with me now
So rock me on the water
Ill get down to the sea somehow

Words & music by Jackson Browne
1971 Open Window Music ASCAP

3. JAMAICA SAY YOU WILL

Jamaica was the lovely one, I played her well
As we lay in the tall grass where the shadows fell
Hiding from the children so they would not tell
We would stay there til her sister rang the evening bell

Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill
These empty hours, say you will
Come again tomorrow

The daughter of a captain on the rolling seas
She would stare across the water from the trees
Last time he was home he held her on his knees
And said the next time they would sail away, just where they please

Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way
To fill these lifeless sails and stay until
My ships can find the sea

Jamaica was a sweet young one, I loved her true
She was a comfort and a mercy thru and thru
Hiding from this world together, next thing I knew
They had brought her things down to the bay, what could I do?

Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill
These sails and we will sail until
Our waters have run dry

Words & music by Jackson Browne
1971 Open Window Music ASCAP

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. REDNECK FRIEND

Pretty little one, how has it all begun?
Theyre teaching you how to walk but youre already on the run
Little one, what you gonna do?
Little one, honey, its all up to you

Now your daddys in the den shootin up the evening news
Mamas with a friend, lately shes been so confused
Little one, come on and take my hand
I may not have the answer but I believe I got a plan

Honey, you shake and Ill rattle and well roll on down the line
And see if we cant get in touch with a very close friend of mine
But let me clue you in, it aint like him to argue or pretend
Honey, let me introduce you to my red neck friend

Well, theyve got a little list of all those things of which they dont approve
Theyve got to keep their eyes on you or you might make your move
Little one, I really wish you would
Little one, I think the damage would do you good

Honey, you shake and Ill rattle and well roll on down the line
Were gonna forget all about the battle, its gonna feel so fine
Cause hes the missing link, the kitchen sink, eleven on a scale of ten
Honey, let me introduce you to my red neck friend

Honey, you shake and Ill rattle and well roll on down the line
Going to try to swing you up into my saddle then well run but youll think were flyin
Honey, dont just stand there lookin like this dream will never end
Honey, let me introduce you to my red neck friend

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. BEFORE THE DELUGE

Some of them were dreamers
And some of them were fools
Who were making plans and thinking of the future
With the energy of the innocent
They were gathering the tools
They would need to make their journey back to nature
While the sand slipped through the opening
And their hands reached for the golden ring
With their hearts they turned to each others heart for refuge
In the troubled years that came before the deluge

Some of them knew pleasure
And some of them knew pain
And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered
And on the brave and crazy wings of youth
They went flying around in the rain
And their feathers once so fine grew torn and tattered
And in the end they traded their tired wings
For the resignation that living brings
And exchanged loves bright and fragile glow for the glitter and the rouge
And in the moment they were swept before the deluge

Now let the music keep our spirits high
And let the buildings keep our children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by
When the light thats lost within us reaches the sky

Some of them were angry
At the way the earth was abused
By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power
And they struggled to protect her from them
Only to be confused
By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour
And when the sand was gone and the time arrived
In the naked dawn only a few survived
And in attempts to understand a thing so simple and so huge
Believed that they were meant to live after the deluge

Now let the music keep our spirits high
And let the buildings keep our children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by
When the light thats lost within us reaches the sky

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. HERE COME THOSE TEARS AGAIN

Here come those tears again
Just when I was getting over you
Just when I was going to make it through
Another night without missing you
Thinking I might just be strong enough after all
When I hear your footsteps echoing in the hall

Baby, here we stand again
Like weve been so many times before
Even though you looked so sure
As I was watching you walking out my door
But you always walk back in like you did today
Acting like you never even went away

Well, I dont know if I can
Open up and let you in, baby
Here come those tears
Here come those tears again

I can hear you telling me
How you needed to be free
And you had some things to work out alone
Now youre standing here telling me
How you have grown

Here come those tears again
Now youll tell me how to hold them in
Here come those tears
Here come those tears again

Some other time, baby
When Im strong and feeling fine, maybe
When I can look at you without crying
You might look like a friend of mine

But I dont know if I can
Open up enough to let you in
Here come those tears
Here come those tears again

Walk away
Im going back inside and turning out the light
And Ill be in the dark
But youll be out of sight

By Jackson Browne and Nancy Farnsworth
1976 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP, WB Music Corp., Open Window Music, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved

15. THE LOAD OUT

Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
Theyre the first to come and last to leave
Working for that minimum wage
Theyll set it up in another town

Tonight the people were so fine
They waited there in line
And when they got up on their feet
They made the show
And that was sweet
But I can hear the sound
Of slamming doors and folding chairs
And thats a sound theyll never know

Now roll them cases out and lift them amps
Haul them trusses down and get em up them ramps
Cause when it comes to moving me
You know you guys are the champs
But when that last guitars been packed away

You know that I still want to play
So just make sure you got it all set to go
Before you come for my piano

But the bands on the bus
And theyre waiting to go
Weve got to drive all night
And do a show in Chicago
Or Detroit, I dont know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same
We just pass the time in our hotel rooms
And wander round backstage
Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came

Now we got country n western on the bus R&B
We got disco in eight tracks, cassettes in stereo
We got rural scenes and magazines
And we got truckers on the CB
And we got Richard Pryor on the video
We got time to think of the ones we love
While the miles roll away
But the only time that seems too short
Is the time that we get to play

People youve got the power over what we do
You can sit there and wait
Or you can pull us through
Come along, sing the song
You know you cant go wrong
Cause when that morning sun comes beating down
Youre going to wake up in your town
But well be scheduled to appear
A thousand miles away from here

By Jackson Browne, Bryan Garofalo
1977 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP & Gianni Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

16. STAY

Stay
Just a little bit longer.
We wanna play
Just a little bit longer.

Now the promoter don't mind.
And the union don't mind
If we take a little time
And we leave it all behind
And sing one more song.

Oh won't you stay
Just a little bit longer.
Please, please, please
Say you will.
Say you will.

By Maurice Williams, additional lyrics by Jackson Browne
Cherio Corp. BMI
All Rights Reserved

1. 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

2. YOU LOVE THE THUNDER

When you look over your shoulder
And you see the life that youve left behind
When you think it over, do you ever wonder
What it is that holds your life so close to mine

You love the thunder and you love the rain
What you see revealed within the anger is worth the pain
And before the lightning fades and you surrender
Youve got a second to look at the dark side of the man

You love the thunder and you love the rain
You know your hunger like you know your name
I know you wonder how you ever came
To be a woman in love with a man in search of the flame

Draw the shade and light the fire
For the night that holds you and calls your name
And just like your lover knows your desire
And the crazy longing that time will never tame

You love the thunder and you love the rain
You know your hunger like you know your name
I got your number if its still the same
And you can dream but you can never go back the way you came

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

3. BOULEVARD

Down on the boulevard they take it hard
They look at life with such disregard
They say it cant be won
The way the game is run
But if you choose to stay
You end up playing anyway
Its okay

The kids in shock up and down the block
The folks are home playing Beat the Clock
Down at The Golden Cup
They set the young ones up
Under the neon light
Selling day for night
Its all right

Nobody rides for free
Nobody gets it like they want it to be
Nobody hands you any guarantee
Nobody

The hearts are hard and the times are tough
Down on the boulevard the nights enough
And time passes slow
Between the storefront shadows and the street lights glow

Everybody walks right by like theyre safe or something
They dont know

Nobody knows you
Nobody owes you nothin
Nobody shows you what theyre thinking
Nobody, baby

Hey, hey, baby
You got to watch the street
Keep your feet and be on guard
Make it pay, baby
Its only time on the boulevard

Words and music by Jackson Browne
1980 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. LAWLESS AVENUES

Papa hit him, Mama kissed him
Made him go to catechism
With the sisters in their black and white
And all the time those city streets
Were teaching him another kind of wisdom
When to run and when to fight
Up at the playground after school
Listening to tales of the prison system
And those lawless avenues

Dawn on a half-darkened street
A childs footsteps repeat
And something there turns them
Down those lawless avenues

Silent Joe went down so bad
He was the strongest fighter the avenues had
Stabbed in the chesthe went down swinging
Someone from some other part of town
No one even seen it coming down
And you dont hear no church bells ringing
And in the violent night the police light
Sweeps across the lots and the yards
Following those lawless avenues

Down on a half-darkened street
Armies advance and retreat
And struggle to take control
From those lawless avenues

Manuelitos sister Rosa
Ran away with a surfer from Hermosa
Manuelito, cuida a Rosa,
Hay mira como estan las cosas!
(Manuelito, take care of Rosa,
Look at how things are!)

But who could blame her after she saw
Every boy die who could have gotten close to her
Rosa es joven y solo quiere
Ver la belleza del mundo
(Rosa is young and only wants
To see the beauty of the world)

Manuel said,
"You gotta fight for what you want in this life"
Just before they shipped him overseas to Nam
Otra guerra sin razon
Otra guerra sin fin, sin honor
(Another war without reason,
Another war without end, without honor)

And she was fighting to understand
When they shipped Manuelitos body home
All she heard was one more shot
Echoing down lawless avenues

Hoy, amigo, tal igual como ayer,
La lucha en el barrio no cambia.
Nuestros hijos son los que han de crecer
Por ley de la calle,
Viviendo entre abrazos y chingazos.
(Today, my friend, just like yesterday,
The struggle in the barrio doesnt change.
Our children are the ones to grow up
By the law of the street
Living between hugs and blows.)

Down on a half-darkened street
Fathers and sons lives repeat
And something there turns them
Down those lawless avenues

En el calor de la calle
(In the heat of the street)
Buscan valor en la calle
(Looking for valor in the street)
Hasta final de la calle
(Till the end of the street)

By Jorge Calderon and Jackson Browne
1986 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP, Googoplex Music BMI
All Rights Reserved

8. 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

9. I AM A PATRIOT

And the river opens for the righteous
Someday

I was walking with my brother
And he wondered whats on my mind
I said what I believe in my soul
Aint what I see with my eyes
And we cant turn our backs this time

I am a patriot
And I love my county
Because my country is all I know
I want to be with my family
The people who understand me
Ive got nowhere else to go

And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
Someday

And I was talking with my sister
She looked so fine
I said, "Baby, whats on your mind?"
She said, "I want to run like the lion
Released from the cages
Released from the rages
Burning in my heart tonight."

And I aint no communist
And I aint no capitalist
And I aint no socialist
And I aint no imperialist
And I aint no democrat
And I aint no republican
I only know one party
And it is freedom

I am, I am, I am
I am a patriot
And I love my country
Because my county is all I know

And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
Someday

And the river opens for the righteous . . .

By Steven Van Zandt
1984 Blue Midnight Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

10. 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

11. I'M ALIVE

Its been a long time since I watched these lights alone
I look around my life tonight and you are gone
I might have done something to keep you if Id known
How unhappy you had become

While I was dreaming of you
With my heart in your hands
And I was following though
With my beautiful plans

Yeah, now Im rolling down this canyon drive
With your laughter in my head
Im gonna have to block it out somehow to survive
Cause those dreams are dead
And Im alive

I want to go where I will never hear your name
I want to lose my sorrow and be free again
And I know Ive been insane
When I think of places I could have been

But I was dreaming of you
With my heart in your hands
And I was following through
With my beautiful plans

Standing here by the highway side
Watching these trucks blow by
Inches from my face
Yeah, thinking bout the time Ive wasted
And the pleasure we once tasted
Looking up and down this road
Ive been here before
Cant be here no more

Yeah, now Im rolling down California five
With your laughter in my head
Im gonna have to block it out somehow to survive
Cause those dreams are dead
And Im alive

Hey, look at the way I believed in you
And loved you all these years
Now you can fill a swimming pool with all my salty tears
If youd have told me what was in your heart
Instead of all your lies
I thought that it would kill me
But Im alive
Yeah, Im alive

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. THE NAKED RIDE HOME

Just take off your clothes and Ill drive you home I said
Knowing she never could pass on a dare
And knowing it sounded more desperate than reckless or bold
I just put it out there cold, too far gone to care

My eyes on the road, she slid herself down in the seat
And a vision of paradise swung into view
Across those five lanes not one driver glanced over to see
The beauty known only to me, and a big-rig or two

On that freeway the light was receding
Her beauty, a sight so misleading
I failed to hear the heart that was beating alone
On the naked ride home

With the trace of a smile and that defiant look in her eye
She hurtled through space in a world of her own
And turning aside my caress, spoke of all that shed not yet done
As if I was the doubting one who would have to be shown

On that freeway the light was receding
Her beauty, a sight so misleading
I failed to hear the heart that was beating alone
On the naked ride home

She gathered her clothes
And ran through the yard in the dark
Up onto the porch like a flash, and inside
Then one room at a time
I watched every light in our house come on
Like the truth that would eventually dawn
Forcing me to decide

But on that freeway the light was receding
Her beauty, a sight so misleading
I failed to hear the heart that was beating alone
On the naked ride home

Words and music by Jackson Browne
2002 Swallow Turn Music ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

15. THE NIGHT INSIDE ME

I used to lay out in a field under the Milky Way
With everything that I was feeling that I could not say
With every doubt and every sorrow that was in my way
Tearing around inside my head like it was there to stay

Night in my eyes, the night inside me
There where the shadows and the night could hide me
Night in my eyes
Sky full of stars turning over me
Waiting for night to set me free

I caught a ride into the city every chance I got
I wasnt sure there was a name for the life I sought
Now Im a long way gone down the life I got
I dont know how I believed some of the things I thought

Night in my eyes, the night inside me
Here where the shadows gather to decide me
Night in my eyes
Out at the end of light and gravity
Waiting for night

It takes the night to clear all of this mess away
The obligation, the burden and the light of day
It takes the night to fall between the world I obey
And a world where I hear angels play
Maybe I should go back to Spain

I walk around inside the questions of my day
I navigate the inner reaches of my disarray
I pass the altars where fools and thieves hold sway
I wait for night to come and lift this dread away

Night in my eyes, the night inside me
Here where the shadows and the light divide me
Night in my eyes
Night full of promise and uncertainty
Waiting for night to set me free

Lyrics by Jackson Browne
Music by Jackson Browne, Kevin McCormick, Mark Goldenberg, Mauricio Lewak, Jeff Young
2002 Swallow Turn Music, ASCAP; Eye Cue Music, ASCAP; Bossypants Music/Songs of Windswept Pacific, BMI; Bateria Music, ASCAP; Glad Brad Music, Inc., ASCAP
All Rights Reserved

Discography

The Very Best of Jackson Browne

The Very Best of Jackson Browne