T - Z

 

 

 

VENUS by Tom Jensen

Venus was raised in the Bronx

A block away from the zoo

She lived with mom and dad

Left home at eighteen

And came back at twenty-two

 

A little wiser, a little more mature

She went off to college

Like she knew she had to do

 

She had big green eyes

And these big brown curls

Cutest girl in the neighborhood

Envy of all the boys and girls

 

She came back from college

With her tassel turned to the side

A wandering soul who found herself

And she felt pretty good inside

 

The first to graduate

From her family tree

A future bright as any star

Even though she didn’t quite know

What she wanted to be

 

So she started tending bar

Then she started wasting time

Twisting off the bottle caps

And cutting up the limes

 

Such a friendly girl

Such a sweet sensation

With a smile and a wink

She’s start a conversation

 

With anyone on a stool

Or anyone playing pool

She started partying a little

But she usually kept her cool

 

Just a little bit here

And a little bit there

Soon turned to all the time

And then everywhere

 

She was searching for some truth

But they only told her lies

But when the ship started sinking

Venus quickly cut her ties

 

Her friends at the bar

Started bringing her down

So she took a step back

And then she skipped town

 

So she packed her bags

Set off for who knows where

Coming to the conclusion

It had to be better than there

 

Well she headed out West

And she did her best

To avoid tricky situations

And police stations

 

She found an apartment

Upstairs from a coffee shop

A place to live, a place to work

And then the partying stopped

 

After she took that train west

She got her life on track

And it was waitressing one day

When she met Captain Jack

 

Cap’n Jack was well known as a player

But he knew just what to say to her

What’s a sweetie like you

Doing in a place like this?

He gave her a big wink

She blew him a little kiss

 

So he stopped in for coffee

Every morning for three weeks straight

He asked Venus for some sugar

Then he’d ask her for a date

 

And soon after awhile

She gave him another little smile

She finally gave Jack her number

The next day he dialed

On the first date they had

They went to the museum

Looking so good together

Oh man, you should’ve seen ‘em

 

The very next day

They saw each other again

And forever after that

They were always making plans

 

Soon she began to fall in love

With what she thought love was

Venus thought Jack loved her too

Why? Well just because

 

But little did she know

That when her back was turned

She was getting burned

Because Jack soon learned:

 

That even after so much time

He still couldn’t change his ways

And like so many others

He learned that cheating doesn’t pay

 

Venus was hearing wedding bells

The stage was set and all

Jack was either hearing voices

Or else nothing at all

 

His heart wasn’t in it

But he still played along

Stairway to Heaven

Was their wedding song

 

Even with a ring on his finger

He was still a cheat

He’d meet a woman at the bar

And he’s sweep her off her feet

 

Well before she knew it

Venus had been had

With a baby on the way

Captain Jack was gonna be a dad

 

She went in for a checkup

And the doctor said

there was a problem

She asked what could he do?

Doc said we can’t yet solve it

She had HIV

And there’s to date no cure

Venus dropped her jaw

And asked are you sure?

 

Venus then asked about the baby

After she fell

And the doctor said that

They couldn’t yet tell

Then she muttered

something about Jack

And then something about hell

 

When Venus got home

she wore a vale

But she took notes

In the back of her head

Her eyes became suspicious

Her heart filled with dread

Still in the back of her mind

She believed she was

better off dead

 

All the tears in her eyes

She could never conceal

All the pain in her heart

She could never reveal

The truth of it all

She could never bear

She lost touch with reality

Started not to care

 

Soon Venus hit the bottle

She started lowering her class

Downing all her sorrows

In the bottom of her glass

 

When trouble finds you

You can no longer hide

Especially when you carry

An unborn child inside

 

With future dreams shattered

The past became lost

Paying for another’s sins

The highest of cost

 

As bottles poured…

Others paid too

Newborn baby entered this world

All pale and blue

 

Another prayer on a stone

As Venus felt alone

With revenge on her mind

She headed on home

 

She who hated men

And likewise despised the earth

Suicidal thoughts

Spun back and forth

 

In clouded judgment

And blackened soul

Venus set out

Spinning out of control

 

With hatred in her veins

Which burned with every breath

She decided to play God

Walking hand in hand with death

 

She forgot about Jack

As she tried to hold the pain

She returned to the bars

Started snorting cocaine

 

Venus took her wedding ring off

When she sat on the stool

She started getting free drinks

From every other fool

 

Venus got a pick up line

And the guy would buy her a beer

Then he’d say

Hey let’s get outta here

 

That’s what the guy said

So that’s what the girl did

She played poker with their life

When they didn’t even bid

 

Venus made them

forget their name

Every single night

Then she’d slip out

In the early morning light

 

With a smile so wide

He’d say what a lay

Then he’d go and get tested

That very same day

 

For next to his reflection

in the mirror

Was a note written in red:

“Welcome to the world of AIDS

Pretty soon you’ll be dead”

Venus would hit a new bar

She’d hit a new town

And turn that place

Upside down

 

Up to her they’d come

And she’d lay ‘em down

Then she’d slip out

Without a sound

 

He’s drinking Scotch

She’s drinking gin

She’d set a trap

 

And they’d fall in

 

Finally she broke down

As her conscience became lost

A heart so cold

It filled with frost

 

She pulled out a knife

Stabbed Captain Jack

Bleeding from the neck

He fell back

 

She opened a window

Stood on the ledge

Took one last breath

Went over the edge

 

I still think of Venus

Every now and again

Before it was all over

She took twenty-one men

 

 

                 

 

VICTIM OF FATE   by  Tom Jensen

I watched the smoke rising

Up from the flames

Love is dead in my eyes

But I’m not to blame

 

A victim of fate…

Call it what you will…

It was a hard thing to swallow…

But she had to take the pill

 

I stopped caring and cut my ties

Lost the fire within my eyes

I’ve grown tired…dissatisfied

Now exposed…what I used to hide…

 

I got people dropping like flies

Disappearing out of my life

By now I stopped asking questions

Because I know the reasons why

 

I stopped caring and cut my ties

Lost the fire within my eyes

I’ve grown tired…dissatisfied

Now exposed…what I used to hide…

 

I got people acting like fleas

Latching, attaching on to me

It’s probably because they’re weak

They’re playing games like hide and seek

 

Sadly, no one comes to find them

Negativity defines them

Those who used to stand behind them

Have moved on…gone on with their lives

 

I watched the smoke rising

Up from the flames

Love is dead in my eyes

But I’m not to blame

 

A victim of fate…

Call it what you will…

It was a hard thing to swallow…  but she had to take the pill!

 

 

 

 

 

VIOLENCE IS THEIR SOLUTION

By Tom Jensen

Well it's time for me to swallow

My prescribed medication

While I'm forced to listen to

Their unspeakable dictation

 

Their twisting tongues

That speak of the wrong information

Well-ordered insanity

Also known as formal education

 

And while I'm waiting

For the next step in evolution

I say my prayers while

Violence is their solution

 

I was taught to believe

That the flag was a guide to inspiration

But I never enrolled

In blind patriotic dedication

 

My stomach would be queasy

When I felt the jittery vibration

Of the weapons on the firing line

As I manned the battle station

 

They order me to guard the bunker

Which represents the institution

They reload my gun because

Violence is their solution

 

You lost a lot of leaves

On your family tree for this nation

During the fall they all fell

Along with the laws of segregation

 

Nowadays times have changed

But there still lies the same temptation

Not every name has been signed

On the emancipation proclamation

 

Some would cower in a corner

Before demanding a new constitution

But while I give my peaceful demonstration

Violence is their solution

 

Seems as if everywhere you turn

Leads you to increased aggravation

You try so hard to blaze a better path

But it's branded deviation

 

They want you to believe

It's all about the money

And worry about inflation

But my friends there are some things

From which you cannot take a vacation

 

Once it's piled up past the hills

You just can't hide all of this pollution

As I daydream of how not to kill with spilled oil

Violence is their solution

 

If you want to rape Mother Nature

Then watch their demonstration

You can destroy it all

For a quick thrilling sensation

 

Just an inch or two of elevation

Too late to resort to masturbation

For Mother Nature wasn't meant for prostitution

As she screams help...

Violence is their solution

 

 

VISITED A PLACE

by Klaus Bluetner & Tom Jensen

If you stop and listen...

You can hear a crying earth

With all of life's trivial things

It can be hard to measure worth

 

I visited a place

That used to be a forest

A little girl made a puzzled face

No one else noticed the problem

 

She represented brutal honesty

My God, I thought they'd outlawed it

Yet when she looked back at me

I turned away like I never saw it

 

I cleared all those trees myself

For you see that I am a logger

As each one falls what grows is my wealth

Now that land's a factory of her father's

 

If you stop and listen...

You can hear a crying earth

With all of life's trivial things

It can be hard to measure worth

 

I visited a place

That used to have a garden

Back before the bombs fell down

And all this crumbling decay started

 

I used to be able to sleep at night

But lately I've been having problems

I used to think things would be all right

 

There are so many evils out there

And by myself I just can't stop 'em

Do we really think we're going to find

The hands of the clock unwind

 

If so many people just like me and you

Say we have something more important to do

Can't change the world by wishing only by trying

 

If you stop and listen...

You can hear a crying earth

With all of life's trivial things

It can be hard to measure worth

 

I visited a place… I visited a place…

I visited a place… I visited a place…

 

I visited a place that could have been my Eden

If only I had spoken up but unfortunately I didn't

I let myself fall back asleep

Until now I kept my nightmare hidden

 

I visited a place that no longer exists

If only we had woken up...

 

It would never have ended up like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

WALKING PARADOX By Tom Jensen

Searching for an escape...

to leave my mind for just a little while

Praying for eyes brand new...

seeking second sight

through the eyes of a child

 

When it hurts to reminisce...

the only thing to do

is ask yourself why?

Things can't carry on like this

So your life goes up on trial

 

I got exactly what I wanted…

And now I'm looking

to give it away

Because I'm being haunted

by the price I had to pay

I pride myself on freedom...

yet I've found myself

slowly turning into a slave

I try to practice what I preach

but I'm a walking paradox by trade

 

So pay no attention to what you read…

And even less to what you hear

For when you start to hate your life

You act without thinking and without fear

 

I've got so much left to give...

but it seems I'm a hypocrite

My words may speak of peace and love

and yet my mind is clenching a fist

 

Everything I have

I'd gladly give away

to take a trip through time

to go back to yesterday

 

For some thoughts

That you find

flowing through your mind

you know you should never say

I blasphemized to hell

with Adam and Eve

Yet I'll still be apprehensive

on the day that I die

 

I say I wear

My heart on my sleeve...

and then I proceed

to build a wall ten miles high

 

I let all the cats out of the bag…

when I’d have been better off to

let sleeping dogs lay

 

This is the life I have to live

after finding my guide

And then beginning to stray

 

I found the time to pen this rhyme…

during my wife’s exile from the house

I screamed bitter words of anger...

As buried thoughts dug themselves out

 

Now I'm the undisputed

king of the castle

but I'm a husband

without a spouse

WAMER WATERS

by Klaus Bluetner & Tom Jensen

While looking for a role model

While looking for a good hobby

Ended up picking up a bottle

 

Ended up hurting my body

 

I tried to save a lost cause

I guess I got a little carried away

Ended up losing myself

And let another one slip away

 

Looking for the sacred river

Looking for warmer waters

Ended up a disbeliever

And being led to the slaughter

 

ooh oh oh oh ooh ooh

ooh oh oh oh ooh ooh

 

Tried to help them climb out from the valley

Tried to bring them to my level

Every time I get close - my God

They introduce me to the Devil

 

Looking to transcend my existence

Looking to find Heaven on earth

Ended up finding a sign:

NO ADMITTANCE

I couldn't break the curse

I guess you shouldn't try to be a shepherd

When all your sheep jump off the cliff

But you can't see inside my conscience

And all the pain I'm living with

 

Alright!

 

Looking to begin another day

Looking to be the voice of reason

Ended up denying many things I say

Ended up my own victim of treason

 

Looking at myself in the mirror to see

If I could recognize my face

Finally seeing everything much clearer

And finding the self I had misplaced

 

ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

 

Looking for the sacred river

Looking for warmer waters

Ended up a disbeliever

And being led to the slaughter

 

Looking for the sacred river

Looking for warmer waters

Ended up a disbeliever

Being led to the slaughter

 

ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Looking for warmer waters

ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Looking for warmer waters

 

ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Looking for warmer waters

ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Looking for warmer waters

WATCHER

by Matt McCarthy & Tom Jensen

Hold onto your dreams

Tonight could be the night you fall in love

Hold onto your dreams

Remember there is someone

Watching from above

 

He sees the picture complete

There’s no need to be discreet

Never have to worry about defeat

It’s okay to fall down at his feet 

 

The watcher will guide you

Once you take a look inside you

The watcher will hide you

When trouble comes to find you

He will stand behind you

 

I’ve never seen his face

Never looked into his eyes

He’s never said a word

Never told me a lie

 

He was my spirit guide

Who held me by the hand

Led me through darkness

After day had turned to night

 

Now I’m no longer on my own

He removed my blindfold

And showed me to the light

 

Hold onto your dreams

Tonight could be the night you fall in love

Hold onto your dreams

Remember that there is someone

Watching from above

 

He sees the picture complete

There’s no need to be discreet

Never have to worry about defeat

It’s okay to fall down at his feet

 

 

I’ve found my way back home

Not afraid of the dark…

Just don’t feel the same way I used to

 

The watcher gave me a spark…

Lighted this path that leads to you

The torch has been passed

Now it is my turn to watch over you

 

Hold onto your dreams

Tonight could be the night you fall in love

Hold onto your dreams

 

Remember that there is someone watching from above

Remember tonight could be the night…

You fall in love

 

 

 

 

 

 

WATER FLESH AND BONE

by Justin Justice & Tom Jensen

Should I go to San Francisco?

I'm getting sick and tired of the snow

I've been stuck around here

For all my years 

And I've been thinking I better go

 

There's not much that I'd be leaving

Except the one person I believe in

And maybe, maybe that's the reason

Maybe it's time to let her go?

 

For every day she waits

The closer I come to slipping away

I thought we were soul mates

But I don't feel as strong about her today

As I did yesterday

 

And I'm still waiting...

But I'm barely hanging on

My mind, it keeps debating

Over whether I am right or I am wrong

 

But every time I try to write

She becomes the subject of my song

And I'm still waiting...

But I think that this time

I might’ve been waiting too long

 

She held the hands that helped mold me

Into what I now am

She was my inspiration

Turned the key that drove me

Away from a dark and desolate land

 

She was my motivation

But we all know

That sometimes life doesn't always go

The way in which you had it planned

 

Some mornings you feel...

Like you're on top of the world

While other times...

You're the damned of the damned

 

So this morning I asked myself

Should I go to San Francisco?

I'm getting sick and tired of the snow

I've been stuck around here

For all my years

And I've been thinking I better go

There's not much that I'd be leaving

 

Except the one person I believe in

And maybe that's the reason

Maybe it's time to let her go?

 

 

 

 

WE ARE THE ONES by Tom Jensen & Pete

We are the hunched over old man who makes your shoes shine

We are the policemen and women who help reduce crime

We are the ones who cook and serve your meals at lunch time

We are the bartenders you find right before closing time

 

If you're overworked and underpaid

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

Pick up your shovel, grab your spade

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

 

Get back to work, carry on your trade

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

Quit complaining about making minimum wage

Just nod your head, say you're doing fine

 

If you're overworked and underpaid

Don't complain just get in line

We are the tracks on which society is laid

Don't complain just get in line

 

From our broken backs millionaires are made

Don't complain just get in line

It starts when you're a little kid selling lemonade

Don't complain just get in line

 

Let us unite from here, there, from everywhere

For now is our time to shine

Scream out if your life's defined by more than just your career

For now is our time to shine

 

If you're in your car join our motorcade

For now is our time to shine

Sing the refrain and join our parade

For now is our time to shine

 

You might drink the wine but we're the ones who pulled the grapes from the vine

You may own the oil but we're the ones that built the pipeline

They might worship you but we're the ones who erected the shrine

 

You may sing the song…

Sing us a song… sing us a song…

But we're the ones who wrote the rhyme

We are the ones who wrote the rhyme

 

 

 

 

WHAT I'LL DO

by Klaus Bluetner & Tom Jensen

I faded silently into the fog

From where I first came

Long before I knew you...

Of your legend or your name

 

The hardest thing I've ever done

Or that'll I'll ever do

Not because of fear of pain

But because it was best for you

 

Sure, I miss our conversations

Of course I miss your point of view

But there was little hesitation

Of course I breathed a sigh or two...

But it was best for you

 

You said you needed time

To reflect in your mind

About the past and the new

And since time is all I have...

I've given it to you

 

I've never spoken empty words

At least as far as you're concerned

I've never wished these tables turned

 

I stand behind my promises

My thoughts and my deeds

And my desire to give you

Everything you need

 

Whatever you wish

I'll do my best to make

Your wish come true

 

What you see in all your dreams

I'll do my best

To make those dreams come true

 

Whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

 

Whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

 

Whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

 

Yeah, whatever's best for you...

That is what I'll do

(what I'll do)

 

What I'll do

 

 

WHAT WE SHARE

by Justin Justice & Tom Jensen

A passing daydream floated by

I plucked it clean out of thin air

Only an hour ago I heard your voice

 

And at this moment..... It felt like you were here...

So many precious times... What I hold dear has disappeared

 

But to let someone so close to your heart

Very few have ever dared... Share what we share

 

My memories are my company

Whenever I turn and you're not there

Wherever I come to find myself

I hold them tight... When I am scared

 

Then I feel a calmness in the air

Oh, how sweet the taste

As I stare into a beautiful daydream

I hear your voice, I see your face

 

Yes, I could spend just a day with you

That would be enough to see me through

All the anger and pain from the rest of the week

 

All the horror and madness that we must face

After an hour or two with you it has all been erased

So I've come up with a plan to get us through

Put your trust in me and I'll trust in you

 

My memories are my company

Whenever I turn and you're not there

Wherever I come to find myself

I hold them tight... When I am scared

 

Then I feel a calmness in the air

Oh, how sweet the taste

As I stare into a beautiful daydream

I hear your voice, I see your face

 

For I can take you to the place you see

We could both be there living in harmony

No longer would we have to search our memories

Together we can turn dreams into reality

 

My memories are my company

Whenever I turn and you're not there

Wherever I come to find myself

I hold them tight...  When I am scared

 

Then I feel a calmness in the air

Oh, how sweet the taste

As I stare into a beautiful daydream

I hear your voice, I see your face

 

 

 

           

 

WHEAT AND CHAFF by Tom Jensen

Your suicide was glorified

Like a police chase on the news

Neither your vanity or your family

Was enough to pull you through

 

When you crashed in the past

You walked away unscathed

This time you fell it didn’t go so well

The saviour was not saved

 

The memories are overwhelming

As they all come flooding back

You feel yourself being swept away

The dam burst where it was cracked

 

Such an explosion of emotion

Leaving everyone taking flak

“His war is over” the priest spoke sober

Then a scream, a yell, a gasp

 

So for the cries and for the laughs

Let us raise our glass up to the past

To both the wheat and the chaff

For all that was left undone

And for what can’t be taken back

 

 

 

WORTH THE WAIT by Justin Justice & Tom Jensen

By the time I got to my paper

My pen was too tired to write

My eyes they started closing

And then I lost my sight

 

I don't quite remember

Just what I was thinking of

It had something to do with you

And it had something to do with love

 

Blah blah blah blah…

The words all sound the same

Ha ha ha ha

Even silence sings your name

Na na na na…..

There's no one that I blame

La La La La ……

I'm just so happy that you came

 

 Some say that absence

Makes the heart grow fonder

But I wasn't waiting 'round much longer

 

And though I've never been good at predicting fate

You were well worth the wait

 

Now that I've grown

I've learned how to play the game

To finally win in the end

I found myself being tamed

 

Now that I've grown

There’s nothing I can't take

And since I learned how to bend 

I know I’ll never break

 

Some say that absence

Makes the heart grow fonder

But I wasn't waiting 'round much longer

 

And though I've never been good at predicting fate

You were well worth the wait