"Drive"

By Terri Hendrix

The windmill turns into a story

Spins a tale of days gone by

The fields roll on into the sunset

A harvest moon is on the rise 

Miles down a two-lane highway

Crops of corn stand in a row 

The stars saw us in all our glory

Just off this county road 

 

It’s a long lonesome 

Drive without you 

It’s a long lonesome 

Drive without you 

 

A metal sign swings in the wind

It’s on a dancehall long since closed 

Boards on windows of the building 

Lock the secrets that it holds 

Your fingers run straight through my mind 

On the backroads of the South 

Your car seats and the sound of pearl snaps 

The salty sweet of your mouth 

 

It’s a long lonesome 

Drive without you 

It’s a long lonesome 

Drive without you

 

 

“Happy”

By Terri Hendrix

Why can’t everybody be happy happy?

Why can’t everybody get along?

Why can’t everybody be happy happy?

Take a little time to enjoy the sweet song

 

They say we’re racially divided 

They say we're undecided 

They say they speak for the people

We the people gotta speak louder 

than the Ugh

 

Everybody could be happy happy

Why can’t everybody get along?

Why can’t everybody be happy happy?

Take a little time to enjoy the sweet song 

And you know what

Ratings go up

Happy Happy Happy

 

Why can’t everybody be happy happy?

Why can’t everybody get along?

Why can’t everybody be happy happy?

Take a little time to enjoy the sweet song

 

How can they speak for main street

Looking at the world 

Through the window of a limousine

I say they’d know us better

If they didn't pick a side

And just sat together … now 

 

Everybody could be happy happy

Why can’t everybody get along?

Why can’t everybody be happy happy?

Take a little time to enjoy the sweet song 

Ratings go up

And you know what

Ratings go up 

Happy Happy Happy

 

What’s up with the race hate White King

What’s up with no accountability 

What happened to modern day civility 

I’ll shut up and dribble and nibble on a fingernail

 

We the people gotta speak louder than the we the people gotta speak louder than the … people lead the leaders follow Move Your Body

When you’re feeling bad 

When you’re feeling blue

When you need to get back up

All you gotta do is move 

I say now 

 

 

“Move Your Body”

By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines/Pat Manske

Move your body! Dance!

Move your body it’ll be allright 

You gotta move your body to grab the light

Yeah

 

When you’re stuck in bed

With the covers pulled over your head 

If you’re gonna survive 

You’re gonna have to jump 

To find your jive 

I say 

Move your body

Move your body! Dance! 

Move your body it’ll be allright 

You gotta move your body to grab the light

 

Now move your body till your body burns 

Move your body till your joy returns 

Move your body 

Throw your hands in the air 

Then you give it away 

Give it away 

Give it away Yeah

 

Move your body

Move your body! Dance! 

Move your body it’ll be allright 

You gotta move your body to grab the light

Yeah 

 

Move your body to the mighty drum

Shake it till you make it 

Till the daylight comes 

Move your body 

Throw your hands in the air 

Then you give it away 

Give it away 

Give it away 

You know you gotta

 

Move your body   DANCE

Move your body it’ll be allright 

You gotta move your body 

To get your groove tonight 

 

Move your body

Move your body   DANCE

Move your body it’ll be allright 

You gotta move your body to grab the light

 

“Woman”

By Terri Hendrix

Beautiful confident lithe 

You move like a tiger 

Your integrity

Your honesty

Your soul

Your heart 

Your courage

Your strength

Your grace 

 

I look at you and I wonder

What would it be like

To have so much courage 

That you never doubted your convictions

You just stood up

Wild and fearless

With arms outstretched 

Chin forward 

Leaning into the wind

With a voice louder than the horizon

Tell me

Tell me 

I need the answer 

I want to wake up

And see who you see

When you look in the mirror 

Are you beautiful confident lithe 

Do you move like a tiger 

Life I want to live it 

Life I want to live it 

I want to wake up

Tomorrow

And rise up into the sun

And reach up through the trees

And fly 

 

“Grieve”

By Terri Hendrix

I’m still here 

In the dark 

Oh, I’m still here 

In the dark 

 

Tell me where to go from here

Tell me how to plan for tomorrow

Tell me how to do the things I must

In spite of all the sorrow 

 

Cause time is moving on

Friends are moving on

Family is moving on 

 

And I’m here … 

I’m here … 

I’m here … 

I’m here … 

 

And I’m …

Still here 

In my heart 

Oh, so sad 

In my heart

 

Ahhh … I took it the river 

When the river ran dry

I still had hope

 

I turned my back

But not my heart 

Shut my eyes 

To see your face 

 

Did you know 

Did you know 

That I’m here … 

I’m here … 

 

And I’m 

Still here 

In the dark 

 

Time is movin on 

Friends are movin 

Family is movin on 

And I’m here 

"Talk to a Human”

By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

Talk to a human 

Give a dog a bone 

Press one two three 

Pound key at the tone 

Drive by satellite 

To get home 

Blame retrograde 

And sleep alone 

Alone 

Alone online 

Looking for some water 

Or a sign … of life

Press star one nine 

Please hold 

To reach mankind

 

Messenger to Mercury

Messenger to Mercury

I want to talk to a human 

 

Talk to a human 

Only if it pays 

It’s dog eat dog 

On the race to space 

Download 

Update 

Phone to face 

The big machine 

Knows our place 

In line 

Alone in line

We’re Bumper to bumper 

In the daily grind 

They troll 

The rabbit-hole 

Please hold

To keep your soul 

 

Messenger to Mercury

Messenger to Mercury … 

I want to talk to a human 

Messenger to Mercury

Where is my humanity 

Messenger to Mercury

Where is my humanity 

 

Talk to a human

How they gonna hear

I’m invisible to them 

Let me be clear

It’s about the money

Honey ain’t about you 

Unplug the yellow 

Try the blue 

Alright 

I’m back online 

Looking for somebody

Or a sign 

Of life

Press star one nine

Please hold to reach mankind 

Please hold to reach mankind 

Please hold me 

Please hold me 

Please hold to reach mankind 

Please hold to reach mankind 

Please hold me 

I want to talk to a human 

 

“Mi Madre”
By Terri Hendrix

When I was a kid my hair couldn't be tamed

I had double A’s that wouldn't be trained

One went east the other west 

I had to lift my arms just to see my chest 

I knew all the names of the supermodels 

By the time that I turned 13

I wanted to be skinny 

But curvy like the girls 

In my mother’s Glamour Magazines 

 

Ai yi yi yi yi erra justo como mi madre 

Ai yi yi yi erra justo como mi madre 

 

Eggs and chorizo fryin’ in a pan 

Poppin’ like the belt 

In my mi madre’s hand

My house my rules is what she said 

I moved out but she stayed in my head 

Good enough – ain’t ever gonna be it 

Pretty enough – ain’t ever gonna see it 

Looking in the mirror who do I see

Mi Madre cantando estoy aqui para ti 

(My mother singing I’m here for you) 

 

Ai yi yi yi yi erra justo como mi madre 

Ai yi yi yi erra justo como mi madre 

 

Justo como mi madre (Just like my mother)

Escondo botellas de vino (I hide wine bottles)

Justo como mi madre (Just like my mother)

Yo bebo demasiado (I drink too much)

Justo como mi madre (Just like my mother)

Siempre a dieta (I’m always on a diet)

Poco 

Loco 

En la cabeza (A little crazy in the head)

Justo como mi madre (Just like my mother)

Mi fuerza (my strength)

Mi esperanza (my hope) 

Justo como mi madre (Just like my mother)

En corazon y alma (my heart my soul)

Justo como mi madre (Just like my mother)

Bueno y lo malo (the good and bad)

Justo como mi madre 

Mucho mucho mucho 

 

Ai yi yi yi yi erra justo como mi madre 

Ai yi yi yi erra justo como mi madre 

 

Amo a mi madre (I love my mom) 

Quero a mi madre (I want my mother)

Como mi madre

Suckin on my tic tacs

Vino en aliento (wine on breath)

Like dust on the knic-knacks 

Como mi madre 

Aqui para ti

Enough about you 

Let’s talk about me 

 

Estare  

Erra justo como mi madre 

Estare  

Erra justo como mi madre 

 
“Choice” 
By Terri Hendrix

I’m younger than my mother’s bible 

Old enough to seek revival 

Mortality gets to haunting me 

The end zone is closing in 

What might have been has gone 

I’m tough enough in my own skin

To just move on

 

Freedom, is just a choice away 

Freedom, is a just a choice away

 

I’m too young to retire

Too old to get hired

Found my crazy

Lost my mind

In the valley of the daily grind

Father son holy ghost

It’s clarity I miss the most 

My head plays tricks on me sometime 

 

Freedom, is just a choice away 

Freedom, is a just a choice away  

 

Now the younger me is running free

And the older me is here

Wondering if the best of me 

Got swallowed by the years

If it did don’t tell me

Leave me where I am 

It took a leap of faith 

For me to land 

 

Freedom, is just a choice away

Freedom, is just a choice away

 

 

“Dogging Me” 
Verses by Terri Hendrix; Chorus by Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee

 

Baby you keep on doggin me 

Ease on up and let me be

Don't you cut me down in front of my friends

Then crawl in bed and try to make amends 

Chorus (by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee)

You keep on dogging me, Keep on dogging me 

You keep on dogging me, Keep on dogging me

You keep on doggin’ till the blues come around 

 

You got my soul, You got my heart

So baby don't you pick me apart 

You gotta gag your nag, Have a little fun 

Little things make you come undone

Come undone

Come undone

 

Beat my head like a bongo drum

If you want a ride baby use your thumb

It’s in my head that’s what you say

Then you bust my chops and you walk away

Walk away

 

I want to tempt you with my lips 

Feel your body with my fingertips 

Make you moan flip your switch

But all you wanna to do is … 

 

“Worthy” 
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

Mandie from Allsups

With a hairdo gone wrong

Loves chicken chimichangas

And old country songs 

She used to teach high school 

Now she just drives around 

In her ol’ Chevy side step

She picks me up when I’m down

 

Make me worthy

Of the love of my friends

Cause when I’m with them

I’m all right …

Make me worthy

Of the love of my friends

‘Cause when I’m with them

I’m all right

I’m all right … 

 

We float down the river 

When life goes upstream

We roll dice and play cards 

Drink wine and share dreams 

It took a long time 

To grow old friends like mine 

They circle the wagons

When I need peace of mind

 

We make the colors

Inside of the wheel 

The labyrinth we walk

Reminds us what’s real

We’re the enneagram

The Yin and the Yang 

In good times and bad 

They’re the ones who remain 

 

When all of my days

In this world are done 

I'm gonna jump on a rocket 

And meet you in the sun

We'll roll ‘round the moon

Poke holes in the dark

So those that we love 

Might see us in the stars 

 

Make me worthy

Of the love of my friends

Cause when I’m with them

It’s all right …

Make me worthy

Of the love of my friends

‘Cause when I’m with them

I’m all right

It’s all right 

I’m all right

“WASP”
By Terri Hendrix

She left her family on the farm

Quit her job and sold her charms

Traded in the life she knew 

To fly those planes in WW2

She flew to serve her country

And she’d make history 

With the Women Airforce Service Pilots 

Known as WASP 

It was zoot suits parachutes 

Landing gear and tires 

Good ol’ boys made the noise 

Fly girls put out the fires 

 

Watch them fly

High above the mountains

Watch them fly

From sea to shining sea

Lift them up 

They’re the WASP

They fly on silver wings 

Watch’ em fly 

 

They tested planes and ferried them 

For men in WW2 

They flew 60 million miles 

And did every job a man could do 

The WASP 

Flew without compromise 

With ice on their wings 

And  dust in their eyes 

They trained in Sweetwater Texas 

At Avenger field 

Cars lined highway 80 

To see them lift their wheels 

 

Watch’ em fly

High above the mountains

Watch them fly

From sea to shining sea

Lift them up 

They’re the WASP

They fly on silver wings 

Watch’ em fly 

 

Nancy Love 

And Jackie Cochran 

Pinned those wings

And led the song 

Buckle down Fifinella 

Sing it loud

And prove’ em wrong 

Put a flag on her casket

Let the truth be known 

Put medals on her jacket 

It’s time to bring the flygirls home

It was zoot suits parachutes 

Landing gear and tires 

Good ol’ boys made the noise 

Fly girls put out the fires 

 

Watch’ em fly

High above the mountains

Watch them fly

From sea to shining sea

Lift them up 

They’re the WASP

They fly on silver wings 

Watch’ em fly 

“I Hear Your Song"
By Terri Hendrix

I hear your song

I listen to the melody

You bring hope to me 

Your voice takes me away

The words you sing

Always carry me home 

To the place we call our own 

I hear your song 

 

Sometimes this world

Isn’t meant for you or me

We see things we can’t unsee 

We feel more than we should 

I hear your song 

Though you hide the lesser known 

The ones that cut to the bone 

I hear your song 

 

I would pull the heavens down 

To help the angels reach the ground

They’d return 

All you’ve lost back to you

 

I’ll be your voice 

When you have no words to say

When you can't drive away 

I’ll take the wheel

I’ll come along

When you need me to 

Your days alone are through 

I hear your song 

 

I would pull the heavens down 

To help the angels reach the ground

They’d return 

All you’ve lost back to you 

 

I hear your song 

I listen to the melody 

You bring hope to me 

I hear your song 

The words you  sing

Always carry me home 

To the place we call our own 

I hear your song 

“The News”
By Terri Hendrix

Take me back

To my home

I’m on my own

In the great unknown

I still find gold

In the sun

Truth be told

I’m the lucky one

 

So take your news

Take your bad news away

Take your news

Take your bad news away

 

I love the sound

Of the night

I got peace of mind

In the dark

I still find joy

Day by day

In things I do

In words I say                                                  

 

So take your news

Take your bad news away

Take your news

Take your bad news away

 

The headlines shout

The TV cries

Bad news sells

And the good news dies

Simple things

Keep the world at bay

So words you say

Don't hurt me

 

Take your news

Take your bad news away

Take your news

Take your bad news away

 

“Bury the Devil”

By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Put the devil in it

Put the devil in it                                                                        

 

There was a mighty poet

Who had a love for the devine

He went by Hafiz he lived for peace

Open up your mind to the words he left behind

He was a gift to mankind if you look into the rhyme

Where bombs hit the kids

And the kids get guns

And the mother’s cry

And the cities die

And the flags fly high

By the target on the tongue

Of a pilot on a run for God

 

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Put the devil in it

Put the devil in it

 

In a big town tiny town

Someday soon

The man in the moon

Gonna go and get the goon

That deals drugs to the fools

That sell it in the schools

Kids tap into a vein to forget the pain

They feel good till blame takes aim and the shame

Will make their soul crave to dig their own grave

And the mother’s cry and the city’s die

There’s a war outside and a war inside

Protect them

Can I get an amen

 

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Put the devil in it

Put the devil in it

 

From the East to the West

It’s all about the money

It ain’t about God

If it’s all about the honey                              

Sing the songs unsung

For the old and the young

Protect them

Can I get an amen

 

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Gonna dig a hole

Put the devil in it

Put the devil in it

 

"Trouble Is on Your Mind”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines
 

The river is rising

The well is running dry

The river is rising

The well is running dry

You brought the mountain to you

Now that mountain you must climb

Trouble oh trouble

Is on your mind

 

You reached for the spirits

You’re tangled in their vines

You reached for the spirits

You’re tangled in their vines

You brought the mountain to you

Now that mountain you must climb

Trouble oh trouble

Is on your mind

 

With mercy and courage

You’ll make it through hard times

With mercy and courage

You’ll make it through hard times

You brought the mountain to you

Now that mountain you must climb

Trouble oh trouble

Is on your mind

 

The river is rising

The well is running dry

The river is rising

The well is running dry

You brought the mountain to you

Now that mountain you must climb

Trouble oh trouble

Is on your mind

  

“Call You to the Carpet”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

I’m gonna call you to the carpet and sweep up all your lies

I’m gonna call you to the carpet and sweep up all your lies

I’ll hang you upside down till the truth rolls out your eyes

 

Karma’s gonna catch you

Take you to the dungeon

Bring the dragon to you

Turn the heat on high

Flames are gonna lick you

Smoke is gonna choke you

When they ask about you

Gonna say you fried

 

You can try and hide it

Go on and deny it

I’m gonna lose my pride  

If I let you slide

When I find out

All your secrets

The truth is gonna ring

Up above the harvest

Gonna come the reckoning

 

I’m gonna call you to the carpet and sweep up all your lies

I’m gonna call you to the carpet and sweep up all your lies

I’ll hang you upside down till the truth rolls out your eyes  

 

Midnight’s gonna get you

Pull you in the shadows

I’ll take up with the serpents

In your native tongue

Some will call it voodoo

Some will call it freaky

You’ll be honest to me   

By the time I’m done

 

Gabriel blew a trumpet

Moses parted the sea

But the original sin

We blame on Eve

We blame it on Eve

For the likes of you

I’m gonna call you to the carpet

Till your lies run true

 

I’m gonna call you to the carpet and sweep up all your lies

I’m gonna call you to the carpet and sweep up all your lies

I’ll hang you upside down till the truth rolls out your eyes

 

“The Lowdown”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

I’ve been feeling lowdown

Got trouble in surround sound

I’ve got to spin that record ‘round

And get funky with some Motown

 

Now I’ve been swimming upstream

I’ve been chasing after my dreams

I went and had my fortune read

She took my hands and shook her head

 

She said

Take your lowdown

Make it uptown

And shake it away

 

I got to get out of my own head

Go play some music on the street

Got to jam out on some bucket drums

And stomp and shout on the backbeat

 

She said

Take your lowdown

Make it uptown

And shake it away

 

I’ve got to move it like the Jackson Five

Leave my troubles on the flipside

I got to spin that record ‘round

And get funky with some Motown

 

She said

Take your lowdown

Take your lowdown uptown

Take your lowdown

Take your lowdown 

Take your lowdown

Make it uptown

And shake it away 

 

“Double Shift Tuesday"
By Terri Hendrix/Slaid Cleaves

It’s double shift Tuesday

On minimum wage

How'd you end up here

I’m reachin’ for the future

Through the wheel in a cage

How'd you end up here

Not about to give in

But I could use a good year

There’s a stranger in the mirror

Starin’ back at me asking

How'd you end up here

 

Business is slow

My raise is a no go

My boss is king

He’s the only one who thinks so

Though I live close

To the bone

It takes a payday loan

To keep me in my home 

The thought of givin’ up

Is all I really fear

I do battle with the demons

In my head at night asking

How'd you end up here

 

Made some mistakes

Yeah that's on me

How'd you end up here

You live and learn

That nothin’s ever free

How'd you end up here

Same ol’ same is all I see

I ended up where

I ain’t meant to be

There’s a stranger in the mirror

Starin’ back at me asking 

How'd you end up here

How’d you end up here 

 

"Feel the Time”

By Terri Hendrix

 

The day wakes up and it runs away

Runs away to the moon

Hear the city breathe

As the people wake

The streets are shakin’ by afternoon

 

Feel the second hand

See the time 

It's dancin’ wild

Jungle wild

Listen to the Congo

Listen to the heartbeat

Underneath the ocean

Underneath the concrete

Can you feel it? Can you feel the time?

Can you feel it? Can you feel the time?

 

Time to move

Move with conviction

Taste the honey in the bittersweet

It’s time to move

Move with a mission

Take the wheel

And leave the fear in the back seat

Time to live

Time to forgive

Is it worth it

Is it worth it at all

To taste the honey

Taste the wild

Live like a warrior

And love like a child

 

Can you feel it? Can you feel the time?

Can you feel it? Can you feel the time?

 

Oh, the leaves are changing

The river is changing

I am changing now

Oh, the leaves are changing

The river is changing

And I am changing now

 

The day wakes up and it runs away

Runs away with the moon

Watch the eclipse

Take the sun

You had your time

Now your time is done

Feel the second hand

See the time 

It's dancin' wild

Jungle wild

Listen to the Congo

Listen to the heartbeat

Underneath the ocean

Underneath the concrete

 

Can you feel it? Can you feel the time?

Can you feel it? Can you feel the time?

"Vulnerable"

By Terri Hendrix

 

I wish the holidays brought out the best in me

These days are hard to spend with my family

They remind me of what will never be

And I’m so vulnerable

 

Christmas lights blink and flash

We hang ornaments from our past

We share a moment that will never last

We’re vulnerable

 

I wanna drink

I wanna lose myself

Into the body of someone else

Someone to brave to have ever felt

So vulnerable

 

I’m in a chair

I’m leaning back

With my eyes closed

Wish I could trust the one I love

When my heart’s exposed

 

“Silent Night” oh I can’t sleep

“Oh Holy Night” I think of God

I think of those who have nothing

I should be thankful for what I’ve got

 

I wish the holidays brought out the best in me

These days are hard to spend with my family

They remind me of what will never be

I’m so vulnerable

 

"Love You Strong"

By Terri Hendrix/Dana Pendland Jones

 

You make me happy

You make me feel so good

I know that I'm understood

When I speak my mind

Wish you could say baby

Baby let's lose control

I want to rock your soul

And leave our troubles behind

 

Oh, you don't want to

You don't need to

You don't have to say goodbye

Stay the night

You are right where you belong

Oh, you don't want to

You don't need to

You don't have to say goodbye

Stay the night

And let me love you strong

 

Wish you could trust me

Wish you could lose your doubt

The second-guessing

I can do without

Have faith in me

I’m in for the good times

I’m in it for the bad times

I’m in it for the long run

Let me love you strong

 

Oh, you don't want to

You don't need to

You don't have to say goodbye

Stay the night

You are right where you belong

You don't want to

You don't need to

You don’t have to say goodbye

Stay the night

And let me love you strong

 

Welcome home my lover

Welcome home my best friend

I give to you completely

I give it all when you let me in

 

Oh, you don't want to

You don't need to

You don't have to say goodbye

Stay the night

You are right where you belong

Oh, you don't want to

You don't need to

You don't have to say goodbye

Stay the night

And let me love you strong 

"The Rant"

By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

If the toilet blows I’ll fix it

If the AC goes I’m gone

It came in on the Mayflower

With a rattle and a hum

You can hang up on me

You can call this dumb

I’m on my way to Chardonnay

And acting like a bum

 

It’s your way or the highway

I’d rather do it my way

Even though I haven’t

Thought a damn thing through

I’m a woman on a mission

To change my disposition

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

 

The bathroom wall at Buc-ee’s

Seemed to say it all

I don’t remember what I read

It’s the feeling I recall

I got my big girl panties on

But now and then they bunch

My laundry’s on the table

My words can pack a punch

 

It’s your way or the highway

I’d rather do it my way

Even though I haven’t

Thought a damn thing through

I’m a woman on a mission

To outlive my disposition

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

 

Our old house is talkin’ loud and clear

It’s gonna bleed us dry

Dogs are barkin at the deer

And sirens wail on by

Your jeans are on the clothesline

They walked out on their own

I swear you’d never change your pants

If you lived alone

 

The freezer had a melt down

The septic needs a pump

It's football time on TV

You'll sit there like a stump

You can take the easy chair

I'll take my happy pills

Down 'em with some Chardonnay 

And tackle all our bills 

 

It’s your way or the highway

I’d rather do it my way

Even though I haven’t

Thought a damn thing through

I’m a woman on a mission

To change my disposition

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

So shut your pie hole 

And see my point of view 

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

I’d bet on me to win

If I were you

 

"The Texas Star"

By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Ann’s with Barbara, Liz and Molly

In the sunshine watching the rivers

Run through Texas like fences and ranches

Oak trees and cattle highways and truth

 

That old Texas Star she’s ready to spin

She’ll light up the midway at the State Fair again

 

Education was King

With four queens on our side

Anne took on Texas

Barbara took on civil rights

Molly and Liz wrote the news with barbed wire

Above the capitol dome

I see their faces tonight

 

That old Texas Star she’s ready to spin

She’ll light up the midway at the State Fair again

 

I can see them at that big round table

Between the thunder and lightening

They all come alive

Women united in justice and freedom

Blazing across the lone star skies 

 

The goddess of liberty

Stands tall in the sun

The Lone Star Flag is in the middle

Of the bible and the gun

It rains too much

Or it don’t rain at all

Some want to cross our borders

Some want to build a wall

 

That old Texas Star she’s ready to spin

She’ll light up the midway at the State Fair again

That old Texas Star she’s ready to spin

For corny dogs and Big Tex at the State Fair again

 

I can see them at that big round table

Between the thunder and lightening

They all come alive

Women united in justice and freedom

Blazing across the lone star skies 

Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, Liz Carpenter, and Molly Ivins

Are with Lady Bird Johnson looking at all the wildflowers

"Calle de los Niños" 

By Terri Hendrix

 

He digs a grave

In his Sunday best

He says a prayer 

Where his child will rest

He believes his son is blessed

His soul will rise again

 

He leans into the shovel

The shovel leans into the earth

The earth gives little by little

Until he is done with his work

 

Our lady of the Guadalupe above the marigolds

Dia de los muertos entre los angelitos

 

His wife made a wreath of flowers

In honor of their son

Who went to school one morning

And never came back home

 

Calle de los niños

Until the streets take them in

Wrap them up in darkness

And spit them back out again

 

Our lady of the Guadalupe above the marigolds

Dia de los muertos entre los angelitos

 

There’s beer cans between the headstones

Weeds between the mounds

A broken lock guards the chain link fence

Circling the grounds

 

He sees the row of headlights

They glitter like a star

Coming up the gravel drive

Behind a long black car

 

The family gathers in a circle

The circle leans into the grave

The grave leans into the parents

Of the child they could not save

 

He says a prayer

In his Sunday best

Over the grave

Where his child will rest

He believes

His son is blessed

His soul will rise again

His child will rise …

 

Our lady of the Guadalupe above the marigolds

Dia de los muertos entre los angelitos

 

"Northern Lights"

By Terri Hendrix

 

Tennessee Flat Top

Contra dance

Tango on the inside

Limbs in suspense

Slo mo no go

I’m in limbo

There’s no visual for the audio

 

I got to

Do my own thing

Make my heart sing

Cut my chicken wings

And see the Northern Lights

I got to

Get a backbone

Leave my comfort zone

Do it on my own

And see the Northern Lights

 

Cream in your coffee

Caffeine in your veins

Your heart goes boom boom wish mine did the same

Engines got pistons movin’ in a row

Shakin’ like a showgirl with steam to blow

 

I got to

Do my own thing

Make my heart sing

Cut my chicken wings

And see the Northern Lights

I got to

Get a backbone

Leave my comfort zone

Do it on my own

And see the Northern Lights

 

The shepherd guards the sheep

The wolves lay in wait

The sheep and I just mill around

The keepers of our fate

Call me Wild Cat Kelly

Don’t you fence me in

I need land lots of land

So I can ride the wind

 

Listen to the boxcars

Look up at the planes

I got Wabash Cannonball

Runnin’ through my brain

Red light green light

One two three

Crazy for you

Just ain’t crazy to me

 

I got to

Shake my soul

Till it rattles my bones

Howl with the wolves

Run with my own

Find my tribe

Feel the vibe

And see the Northern Lights

I got to

Do my own thing

Make my heart sing

Cut my chicken wings

And see the Northern Lights

I got to

Get a backbone

Leave my comfort zone

Do it on my own

And see the Northern Lights  

 

"Earth-Kind Rose"

By Terri Hendrix

 

Her bones bring down her body

Her smile holds up her face 

She’s in a chair

They forget she’s there

Just thinking about the human race

When they come to visit

They talk like she’s not home

She keeps track of time by TV shows

She’s in need

But she needs to be left alone

 

It’s the 98 steps

To the doctor

And the wait they have inside

It’s how they seem to

Talk at her

And how she leaves each visit

With a little less pride

It’s the words that don’t come out

Quite the way they should

It’s the holding onto memories

She’d hold onto if she could

 

Beyond the garden gate

You’ll find the Earth-Kind rose

Reaching for the light

Underneath a bed of snow

Springtime is near

What he planted still grows

Blooms year after year

Just like the Earth-Kind rose

 

It’s the ceiling fan out of balance

It’s the ladder he can't climb

It’s the grocery store

And the need for more

And ending up

At the back of the line

It’s the pipe that broke 

In the last big freeze 

And that plumber

That padded the bill

It’s the too tired to fight

Yet one more fight

Or take yet one more pill 

 

Beyond the garden gate

You’ll find the Earth-Kind rose

Reaching for the light

Underneath a bed of snow

Springtime is near

What he planted still grows

Blooms year after year

Just like the Earth-Kind rose

 

It’s time for him to go back inside

It’s time to change her sheets

He’s gonna look her in the eyes

And see who she used to be

Sometimes he turns the engine

When the wind begs him to leave

Then he lays down by her side

Until she falls asleep

 

Beyond the garden gate

You’ll find the Earth-Kind rose

Reaching for the light

Underneath a bed of snow

Springtime is near

What he planted still grows

Blooms year after year

Just like the Earth-Kind rose

 

"Fifty Shades of Hey"

By Terri Hendrix

 

I’ve been trying to fit in

To my new body and my new skin

I can twerk with the best of them

I’ve got that figured out

Where’s my Barry Manilow

I need something soft to soothe my soul

When I turn on the radio all I wanna do is shout

 

Doctor says I need clarity

Prozac for stability

Valium for my sanity

And hormones to keep world peace

Menopause is just like Oz

I cry and laugh just because

The flying monkeys in my brain

Where ruby slippers and drink champagne

 

Hey! goes the rockin’ rollers

Hey! goes the storytellers

Hey! goes the crowd

Born to be wild!

Hey! Let’ em sing

Hey! I do my own thing

Hey! Let freedom ring

With fifty shades of hey!

 

Middle age

Bring it on!

Get it on! Bang a gong!

I get a hot flash

Then I’m cold

I’d laugh but my bladder won’t hold

My neck has been descending

Chin hairs seem to have no ending

Gravity can take my face

‘Cause a mammogram will put me back in place

Hey!

 

My hair turned curly and my skin got weird

I have sideburns growing out of my ears

My feet hurt in every pair of shoes

But I get back up when I get the blues

I won’t be cast aside

I’ve paid my dues to enjoy this ride

I’m all woman there’s no doubt

I don’t settle for less

I live out loud!

Hey!

 

I bought my cheaters in excess

Until I failed my driving test

I may be blind but I feel blessed

To see what matters and ignore the rest

From hip dysplasia to rosacea

Nothing in the world can phase a

No drama middle-aged momma

Tellin’ it like it is!

 

I’m fifty frames into the show

I’m wise in ways you do not know

I’m fifty shades inside my soul

Born to be wild

 

Hey! goes the rockin’ rollers

Hey! goes the storytellers

Hey! goes the crowd

Born to be wild!

Hey! Let ’em sing

Hey! I do my own thing

Hey! Let freedom ring

With fifty shades of hey!

 

"Found" 

By Terri Hendrix

 

You faced the fire

And the fire lost

You came out the other side

With your dignity

You faced the moment

You held it up

You said gravity be damned

I’m gonna fly

 

There were no prophets

That came to lead you

Through the great unknown

There were long nights

You felt Godless

But you were not alone

My friend

 

Inside your body

You are shaking

Inside your eyes

There’s a heaviness untold

Inside your mind

You might be breaking

You say gravity be damned

I’m gonna fly

 

There were no prophets

That came to lead you

Through the great unknown

There were long nights

You felt Godless

But you were not alone

My friend

 

Who do you talk to in a foreign country?

Where do you go to get back home?

And when you look around and nothing is familiar

How do you find the strength to carry on?

 

There were no prophets

That came to lead you

Through the great unknown

There were long nights

You felt Godless

But you were not alone

My friend

 

“Slow Down”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

I’ve been runnin’ in circles

I’ve been thinkin’ in squares

I’ve been swimmin’ in quicksand

And I’m comin’ up for air

 

Slow down

I gotta slow down

 

The Virgin de Guadalupe

Is on a candle by my bed

If you wanna see a scary movie

Just look inside my head

 

Slow down

I gotta slow down

 

I’m outside the inbox

I dance on my stopwatch

I’ve got tattoos and dreadlocks

In another universe

 

I wanna go to enchanted mountain

Where make believe is real

Where faith is alive

And love is all I feel

 

I’m gonna make time

Take time

To soak it all in

I’m gonna meet up

With my friends

I’m gonna lose my pride

Step aside

And let something new begin

 

Slow down

I gotta slow down

 

I’ve been runnin’ in circles

I’ve been thinkin’ in squares

I’m gonna drive out to the desert

My brain needs a little fresh air

 

Slow down

I gotta slow down

Oh, I’m gonna take it slow

 

“Roll On”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Too many people

On the streets

With bills to pay

Babies to feed

Places to get to

With red lights in the way

If time is money

We’re coming up short today

 

Threadbare constellations

Nothing but black skies

Miles and miles of highway

With snow on the sides

Salt on the road

I got salt on my tongue

You can slide with the tears

And still roll on, roll on, roll on

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, I ain’t gonna lose it

 

Times are hard

Times are lean

My friends are few

And far between

You, I need you

I need you

 

Low man on the totem poll

Wants to lasso the moon

Their standing on his shoulders

His hands are on their shoes

I been there

You been there

We know how it feels

To have your hands on everything

On everything but the wheel

I got my hands on everything

On everything but the wheel

 

Times are hard

Times are lean

My friends are few

And far between

 

Sister, I need my sister

Brother, I need my brother

You, I need you

We gotta roll on, roll on, roll on

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, I ain’t gonna lose it

 

“Hand Me Down Blues”
By Terri Hendrix

 

Where’d you get those

Hand-me-down blues? 

You gave ’em to me

I gave ’em back to you

 

Now every time I see you

You’re layin’ around

Pullin’ you up

Is draggin’ me down

You’re draggin’ me down

 

How can things look up

If you’re starin’ at your shoes?

Talkin’ ‘bout the future

Like it’s yesterday’s news

 

You close the blinds

To block the view

And pull another all-nighter

In your hand-me-down blues

Your hand-me-down blues

 

Some things you don’t get over

You just get through

Life happened to me

And it happened to you

 

Hear the church bells chime

Feel the pendulum swing

Get ready for whatever

The day’s gonna bring

Sometimes I shake

Sometimes I sing

With the hand-me-down

Hand-me-down blues

 

Where’d you get those

Hand-me-down blues?

You gave ’em to me

I gave ’em back to you

 

“Einstein’s Brain”
By Terri Hendrix

 

If I had Picasso’s hands

Oh, the world I’d draw

If I had Einstein’s brain

Oh, the good I’d do

 

It’s like trying to sail

When I’m nowhere near the sea

Some things come so easily

Not for me

 

Chances have come and gone

I’ve said hello and said so long

Missed the boat and caught a train

I lost my turn time and again

 

It’s like trying to sail

When I’m nowhere near the sea

Some things come so easily

Not for me

 

Lately I’ve been thinking

I need to rest a while

You can go on chasing down the moon

Hey, I’m no Mickey Mantle

But I’ve got his smile

I cry till I laugh

That’s what I do

 

On the dance floor I’m no Fred Astaire

I’ve got two left feet and I don’t care

Without grace I still pray

With the answers light years away

 

It’s like trying to sail

When I’m nowhere near the sea

Some things come so easily

Not for me

 

If I had Picasso’s hands

Oh, the world I’d draw

And if I had Einstein’s brain …

 

“Sometimes”

By Terri Hendrix

 

Sometimes, I just wanna lay down and cry

Even when I have no reason why

Sometimes, I know that I’m hard to understand

I’m more trouble than I’m worth

But you still hold my hand

 

Come close

Go away

I disappear

Or I stay

Only moonbeams know

Where my mind goes

Sometimes

 

I know what I miss

When I leave you like this

To be alone feels like a kiss

Goodbye

 

Sometimes, I just wanna lay down and cry

Even when I have no reason why

Come close

Go away

You know

I’m here to stay

Sometimes 

 

“The Berlin Wall”
By Terri Hendrix

 

Sun come up

I blink into it

Slink into it

Nothing to it

Morning glories heed their call

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

 

Hooded crows

A flock of grey

Pieces slowly chipped away

A souvenir to recall

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

 

He can take

And give it back

Am I to weep and crawl?

Newfound freedom is but a cage

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

 

Speak to me of beauty

Dream to me of flying over

Lay me down to sleep love

Cold against the shoulder of

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

 

That man is like the ocean wide

Takes me out just like the tide

I wake up on the other side

Of the Berlin wall

The Berlin wall

 

Sun come up

I blink into it

Slink into it

Nothing to it

Morning glories heed their call

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

 

“Hula Mary”
By Terri Hendrix

 

She’s got a hula hoop

She knows how to use it

Throws an alley-oop

Every time she moves it

Hula Mary

With the yes yes yes

Doin’ the hula hoop

In her blue-jean dress

 

Some live life

As nothin’ but a no show

Leanin’ on the juke box

With their backs to the mojo

Hula Mary

She lights up the place

With a beer in one hand

And a smile on her face

 

Hula Mary

With the yes yes yes

Doin’ the hula hoop

In her blue-jean dress

What happened to the hippies

On the “Double Dutch Bus”

Whatever happened to peace and love?

 

When the tide comes in

People twist and shout

Down at the Blue Moon

People find out

About Hula Mary

And her free spirit

Some people might laugh

But she just don’t hear it

 

Some folks are wound too tight

To just let to

’Cause black and white

Is all they know

Hula Mary

She got nothin’ to hide

She’s tie-dyed on the inside

 

From dancin’ Todd to Frisbee Dan

Livin’ off the grid without a plan

They got it right without even tryin’

Too busy livin’ to think about dyin’

 

Hula Mary

With the yes yes yes

Doin’ the hula hoop

In her blue-jean dress

What happened to the hippies

On the “Double Dutch Bus”

Whatever happened?   

Whatever happened?

 

“Come Tomorrow”

By Terri Hendrix

 

We rode out the weather

Like a skippin’ stone

Came to a stop

Called it home

Lay down

Move on

Come tomorrow

 

Turnin’ nothin’

Into somethin’

To rise from dirt

An uphill battle

To prove our worth

Lay down

Move on

Come tomorrow

 

Sing about forgiveness

If you can forgive

Freefall in the dark

If you know how to live

Lay down

Move on

Come tomorrow

 

All is to time

All at a cost

Pearls on a string

Fencelines to cross

Cathin’ the light

Before it’s lost

Come tomorrow

 

Green is the field

Gold is the sun

White is the cotton

I dry my tears on

Lay down

Move on

Come tomorrow

 

We got the sun on our skin

We’re back on the road

We feel good again

We paid what we owed

Plant what you like

Come up from below

The sorrow

 

Lay down

Move on

Come tomorrow

We lay down

We move on

Come tomorrow

 

“Posey Road Stomp”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

I woke up this morning and I woke up some more

I had my shoes on before my feet hit the floor

A little shot of coffee and I’m ready to go

It’ll all be worth it come this time tomorrow

 

I just wanna make a difference

I just wanna make a difference

Some way

I just wanna make a difference

’Cause there will never be another now

Like the one right now

Today

 

Phoenix rising in the west

White doves take flight from inside my chest

I’m feeling sunshine, I hear children laughing

And I’m seeing people dancing to the groove

 

Well I woke up this morning and I woke up some more

I can’t go back to where I was before

I see a purple skyline framed in gold

I believe in the future about to unfold

 

I just wanna make a difference

I just wanna make a difference

Some way

I just wanna make a difference

’Cause there will never be another now

Like the one right now

Today

 

“Be Willing (Anne’s Song)”
By Terri Hendrix

 

Be willing

To travel far

For the answers are

In the great unknown

Be willing

To open your mind

To all you can find

In the great unknown

 

Who knows for certain

What time will allow

And fate will decide?

You’re old enough

To know nothing at all

You’re old enough

To know nothing at all

 

Now I know you’re strong

You can face the wind

I’ve seen you hold your ground

When those around you cave in

Your time

Is on the rise

If you dream like it is

And you live like it is

 

Who knows for certain

What time will allow

And fate will decide?

You’re old enough

To know nothing at all

You’re old enough

To know nothing at all

 

Be willing

To travel far

For the answers are

In the great unknown

 

You’re old enough

To know nothing at all

 

“Waiting on Trains”
By Terri Hendrix

 

Waiting on trains

I’m whistling off key

I’m rooted by the tracks

I’ve got one cigarette left,

It’s the one that I’m smokin’

I keep checking, empty pack

Off today, I’m off tomorrow

Off a whole lot in my mind

I’ve got a six-pack of thoughts

That takes the edge off

Of these times

 

There’s something in between

Me and my destination

Something in between

Something in between

Me and my destination

Just like a train, just like a train

 

Waiting on you, I’m waiting on me

I’ve been waiting for a long time

I think it

I think it waited

I think it left us behind

Just like a train, just like a train,

To be so loud and clear

If I could move like that

Baby, I’d put my soul to the tracks

I’d roll on, I’d roll on

Out of here

 

There’s something in between

Me and my destination

Something in between

Something in between

Me and my destination

Just like a train, just like a train

Just like a train

Coming on fast, fast, fast

Takes out the future

And haunts the past

I though me and you we’d

Last, last, last

But you’re gone

You are gone

Just like a train

 

— “Christmas in August” from Christmas on Wilory Farm

 

“Bottom of a Hill”
By Terri Hendrix

I live at the bottom of a hill
Where its been known to flood
I close my eyes

Every time it rains
I pray I never have to move my stuff
I let the grass

Get a little to high 
So the dandelions can grow
What some call weeds

I call flowers
It’s my yard to mow

 

Property taxes

Have hit the sky
It takes two paychecks
And credit cards

To get by 
To keep my electric bill low
I turn off the AC

I open up the windows
They build the houses to close

You can hear the neighbors

That’s the proof
You don’t have to be no Indiana Jones
To jump from roof to roof

 I roll up that hill

To get my pay
I roll back down it

At the end of the day
 

But I’m doing alright
I’m here with you tonight
I know where I am

And where I stand
In this great big world
 

I’m doing alright
Without a view of the city lights
I believe

I found my soul 
At the bottom of a hill

 

It’s the yin and yang

Of the business thang
Everyone sings

When the register rings
Everyone cries

When the money dries up
While you and I tough it out

 We’ve got more wind chimes
Than we have trees
More prayers than time
To spend on our knees

I’m here for you

You’re here for me
Let there be no doubt

“The Spiritual Kind”
By Terri Hendrix

 

I am the spiritual kind

I keep a cross in my pocket for some peace of mind
I hold onto it when I need a little faith
When I’m lost I find I’m the spiritual kind

 

I’m a little bit Catholic and a little bit Jew
I’m a little bit Baptist and Episcopal too
Some call what I say blasphemy
I’m the spiritual kind it makes no difference to me

 

My friend Cathy is the spiritual kind
She jumps in her Jacuzzi to clear her mind
She keeps a statue of Buddha by her hot tub
When her soul gets cold she gives his belly a rub

 

Some folks say he is and some say he ain’t
But for me Saint Christopher is still a saint
When I get lost he don’t leave me behind
He’s always been a guide for the spiritual kind

 

Antone and Jesse are up in heaven
Playin’ in the choir with their amps on eleven
Stubb’s feedin’ every angel he can find
You know it’s blues and bar-b-que for the spiritual kind

 

The Dalai Lama says the art of happiness
Is learnin’ how to live on a whole lot less
To understand it all takes an open mind
You know I’m just another student of the spiritual kind

 

“Acre of Land”
By Terri Hendrix

To grow a garden

You’ve gotta have patience

You need to work in it everyday

Mother nature will give you the most resistance
But you can turn it into something anyway

 

Some throw seeds and cross their fingers
Some plant what they want in a row
If my thumb was just a little bit greener

I’d have what I’ve been trying to grow 

 

I’ve been able to stand

On my own acre of land
And when the wind blows me away 
I’ve been able to stay

 

Some call it luck

Some call it will
I’ve got something inside

No storm can kill

 

My roots find water

When the rain dries up

I’ve been through the fire

I’ve been through the flood

The sun beats me down

But I get back up

 

I’ve been able to stand

On my own acre of land
And when the wind blows me away 
I’ve been able to stay

 

“Soul of My Soul”
By Terri Hendrix

 

The river knows how high

The water will rise

The wind knows just where

The fire will go

 

You know me

Just as well 

Better than

I know myself

 

Stay

Don’t walk away

Stay

Don’t walk away

 

Forgive my faults 

Sometimes

I shake the ground

Follow my life

My weakness

Is easily found

 

Soul of my soul

Skin of my skin

I breathe you out

I breathe you in

 

“Things Change”
By Terri Hendrix

Things change, things change

Yeah, things change, things change

 

Things changed for her when you voted for Bush

Put on a bra, put away your tie dyes

Found religion, got born again

Then let a man come between you and your friends

You swore it'd never happen, but it did

 

'Cause things change, things change

 

Things changed for you when she got a nose ring

And suddenly thought she knew everything

As if how she looked made her oh-so worldly wise

The fact is, you buy National Geographic

She's been to Africa

I kind of like that dress she brought back for me

'Cause the label says 'Fits one size’

 

But things change, things change

 

Things change, that's for sure

Only the best of friends will endure

Each other when things change

 

Well, things changed for me

When y'all didn't call when I lost my job

Then my dog died, he was diabetic

I didn't know it till he was gone

Then both my folks were in the hospital

The same week, the week I buried my dog

And the only one who sent me a card

Was my gynecologist 

'cause I missed my appointment

 

Things change, they sure do change

 

Things changed for all of us

Kids, work, health, money, this that and the other

I got so scared, I just wanted to shake under the covers

And wait in the dark with my fist drawn

Ready to slap life in the face and kick fate where it hurts

I searched all over my house for my favorite singer

She's on an unmarked tape 

As if her voice could bring me peace

And as if I even had a cassette player that worked anymore

 

There's no doubt about it, things change

 

Things change that's for sure

Only the best of friends will endure

Each other when things change

Things change, things change

 

“No Love in Texas”
By Terri Hendrix

 

I can’t get no love in Texas

It’s just hot air and cactus

All work and taxes

Red lights and traffic

 

You know, I can’t get no love

 

Wanted to be your sexy

And still be naive

Wanted to be everything and more

Each time you looked at me

 

I gotta tell you, I can’t get no love

 

I wanted to be your only

Just a little bit of company

Now it’s a white-knuckled flight

Thinkin’ ’bout your fantasies

I got a copy of Fear of Flying

Tucked between my knees

 

I can’t get no love in Texas

It’s just hot air and cactus

All work and taxes

Red lights and traffic

 

I gotta tell you, I can’t get no love

 

Got these vampires at my window

Scratchin’ on the screen

They wanna take me on a head trip

And leave behind a crime scene

 

You know, that’s a freaky kind of love

 

Sometimes my soul gets junky

And I feel real funky

Like a bird in a cage or a dog on a chain

And like there’s a barrel of monkeys

Swingin’ through my brain

 

I can’t get no love in Texas

It’s just hot air and cactus

All work and taxes

Red lights and traffic

 

You know, I can’t get no love

I gotta tell you, I can’t get no love

You know, I can’t get no love, ooh

  

“Jim Thorpe’s Blues”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

The great Jim Thorpe was Indian pride
The athlete of the century was cast aside
They took his medals right out of his hand 
And buried nuclear waste on Indian land
Nuclear waste on Indian land

 

We’ve got high-tech people

With low-tech souls 
And dot-com wifi Internet polls
We curse the wind

And use the sun to tan
And bury nuclear waste on Indian land
Nuclear waste on Indian land

 

Run Geronimo run
They’re gonna seal the deal
With a forked tongue
If you knew back then 
What we know now
You’d run Geronimo run 
Yeah Yeah

 

We’ve got arrowheads

We’ve got beaded bags
With made in China stickers covered up by price tags
Somethin’ or nothin’ will one day be
Nothin’ for somethin’ for you and me
Nothin’ for somethin’ for you and me!

 

All I know about Indian history
Is what I’ve seen on the TV screen
I’ve been a tourist
I’ve had my picture made
And spent a fortune on a slot machine that never paid
Nothin’ for somethin’ for you and me

 

The great Jim Thorpe was Indian pride
The athlete of the century was cast aside
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust

It’s anybody’s guess who we can trust

It’s the guys in ties

Who will shake your hand
And bury nuclear waste on Indian land
Nuclear waste on Indian land

  

“If I Had a Daughter”

By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

If I had a daughter

I’d tell her that the first breath of life is the easiest

From then on out it takes years of practice

’Cause if you know how to keep air in your lungs

Then you’ll survive when fate tackles you

Rubs your face in the Astroturf

And grinds its cleats into your back

 

If I had a daughter

I’d tell her that it’s better to be out there on the field of life

Takin’ hits and makin’ touchdowns

Than bitchin’ about the game in the bleachers

 

If I had a daughter

I’d teach her how to face life and its peaks and valleys

With grit, modesty, hope, compassion, and love

I’d want her to accept herself

I’d want her to watch the stars instead of her weight

Love her body

Feed her soul

Dance with her curves

See those blue veins as a masterpiece

Howl at the moon instead of her hair

And to live inside out

 

If I had a daughter

I’d teach her to hold her head high

And strut through this world as a more than instead of a less than

She’d trust her voice

Speak her mind

And seek the truth

’Cause if it talks like a duck and walks like a duck

Then yes, it might be a skunk

 

If I had a daughter

She’d know that gay or straight

Pin-striped or polka-dotted

Tie-dyed or solid

Straight-laced or bent

She’d have my acceptance and blessing

In regards to whomever she gave her heart to

But I’d give her a compass

So if she was lost

She could find her way back to reality

And when her soul hit the low notes

Or some fool used her heart for a kick drum

I’d teach her how to turn it into song

 

If I had a daughter

I’d want her to be willing

To venture into the great unknown

But I’d make sure she had the blueprints

To build her own universe

If I had a daughter

I would carry her with me

In every breath of every moment

I’d wake with her name on my lips

I’d go to bed with her dreams in my heart

If I had a daughter

  

“Mood Swing”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

Anita O’Day died yesterday

“Stop the Red Light’s On”

Stanley you said that the lady could play

With a word and make it a song

My head was spinnin’

Along with your records

I had too much homemade wine

From Ella Fitzgerald to Nina Simone

You made your music mine

 

Sing sing sing sing

Everybody start to sing

Now you’re singin’ with a swing

Swing swing swing swing

Everybody start to swing

Now you’re swingin’

While you sing

 

I took to the stage

Like a match to a page

I bought every songbook I could find
I was Wildcat Kelley

In “Don’t Fence Me In”

Singin’ Cole Porter
And “Ridin’ High”

My head was spinnin’

Along with the records

I played them just to unwind

From Hoagy Carmichael to Duke Ellington

I took the “A Train” to clear up my mind

 

Betty Carter on the outside of the field

You gotta run the red lights and never yield

Honk your horn and improvise

With knives and spoons

Spike Jones made a masterpiece

Out of a cartoon

Chet Baker

John Coltrane

Straight up

On the rocks

With nicotine stains

The Rat Pack, Vegas, and Keely Smith

Louis Prima wrote this song now here it is

 

Sing sing sing sing

Everybody start to sing

Now you’re singin’ with swing

Swing swing swing swing

Everybody start to swing

Now you’re swingin’ while you sing

“Christmas in August”
By Terri Hendrix

 

Christmas in August who would have thought

I’d be hiding your presents hoping I didn’t get caught

It sure has been a crazy year 

the road got rough 

But we made it back here

Didn’t we 

Didn’t we 

Make it home 
Home home home

 

You’re not one for presents with ribbons and bows

It’s time with your family that matters the most

You believe in our dreams and wish them all true

No one sees this world quite like you do

Don’t you 

Don’t you 

Bring us

Home home home

 

Christmas in August our prayers have been heard

To remain unbroken means keeping our word

That’s what we did it’s a mystery

How we hold onto this world like lights on a tree

Didn’t we 

Didn’t we

Make it home

Home home home

 

We made it home

Home home home

This is home

This is home

 

“Celebrate the Difference”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines/Anita Donlatto

A camel is a mammal

With a hump on its back

A duck has a bill

That goes quackity quack

You’ve gotta laugh

At the neck of the giraffe

And celebrate the difference

 

Pigs are big

Mice are tiny

Snails are slow

And fireflies are shiny

You’ve gotta smile

At the crocodile

And celebrate the difference

 

Celebrate the difference

When you take it all in

There’s more to meet the eye

Than the color of the skin

From the smell of the skunk

To an elephant’s trunk

Celebrate the difference

 

A tadpole turns into a frog

A puppy turns into a dog

A lion roars

An earthworm wiggles

A kitten purrs

And a hyena giggles

 

A rabbit’s ears

Go flippity flop

A pony’s hooves

Go clippity clop

Flippity flop

Clippity clop
Celebrate the difference

 

Celebrate the difference

When you take it all in

There’s more to meet the eye

Than the color of the skin

From the monkeys in the trees

To the bumble bees

Celebrate the difference

 

Celebrate the difference

When you take it all in

There’s more to meet the eye

Than the color of skin

Come big and small

Celebrate them all

Celebrate the difference

  

“Play Ball”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Step up to the plate and play ball

Step up to the plate and play ball
Hear those fans in the stands
Stomp their feet and clap their hands
Step up to the plate and play ball

 

From the bat to your glove
watch the ball
From the bat to your glove
watch the ball
You can catch it and you know it
It's your turn to show it
Step up to the plate and play ball  

 

It's your turn up to bat play ball

It's your turn up to bat play ball
Even if you get the jitters
Be a hitter

Not a quitter
Step up to the plate and play ball

 

Bases are loaded bring them home

Bases are loaded bring them home
Don't worry about that pitcher
He's a just a belly itcher

Step up to the plate and play ball

When the game is over shake their hands
When the game is over shake their hands

Even if you're in a funk
Don't be a little punk
Step up to the plate and play ball

 

Step up to the plate and play ball

Step up to the plate and play ball

Hear those fans in the stands

Stomp their feet and clap their hands
Step up to the plate and play ball

 

Play ball everybody

Play ball

Don't worry about that pitcher

He's just a belly itcher

Play ball

Keep your eye on the ball

Catch that ball

Bring me a snow cone!

Play ball everybody

Play ball!

  

“Get Your Goat On”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

Those that say it cannot be done
Should never waste the time of someone

Just like you and just like me
Putting it down in history

The way I see it you can stew or do

You can turn yellow

You can turn blue
Or you can strut your stuff down the avenue

And get your goat on

 

I’ve been one to wear a frown
Big enough to drag everybody down
I puckered up like I ate a lime
With my sour face

I ruined everybody’s time

The way I see it

You can cry or sing
Sit it out or shake your thing

Play the song  

Make it ring

And get your goat on

 

Get on up and dance everybody

Get on up and dance

Get on up and dance everybody

Get on up and dance

Don’t you care about who’s watching

Just get on up and dance
Get on up and dance everybody
And get your goat on

 

You can stand in the corner

And cry and pout
Or turn your frown inside out
Beep to the bop or just be a bummer
Get funky with the funk in your own drummer

The way I see it you can stew or do
You can turn yellow

You can turn blue
Or you can strut your stuff down the avenue
And get your goat on

 

Okay, the way I see it

You can snip to the snap
Beep to the bop

Bop to the bap
Be the king in the bling

Get your goat on

Shimmy and you shimmy

And you shake shake shake
Let your soul do the earthquake

It’s the icing on the cake
Get your goat on 

 

“First Place”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

You gotta walk like you’re in first place

Talk like you’re in first place

Run like you’re in first place

On the track of the human race

 

You gotta walk like you’re in first place

Talk like you’re in first place

Run like you’re in first place

On the track of the human race

 

It’s strange how much you can change

In one day

So take your doubt and kick it out

And in its place

Have a little bit of faith

 

You gotta walk like you’re in first place

Talk like you’re in first place

Run like you’re in first place

On the track of the human race

 

Sometimes you get the breaks

And sometimes you make

Nothing but mistakes

Sometimes there’s an open door

And sometimes there’s a wall

Where there wasn’t one before

 

You gotta walk like you’re in first place

Talk like you’re in first place

Run like you’re in first place

On the track of the human race

Yeah yeah

 

It’s hard to get out of bed

When you tried to win

But you lost instead

It’s hard to rise again

And get back on track

And know how to begin

 

You gotta walk like you’re in first place

Talk like you’re in first place

Run like you’re in first place

On the track of the human race

 

You gotta walk

You gotta talk

You gotta walk, talk, never look back

Never look back

 

You gotta walk like you mean it

Talk like you mean it

And never never look back

Never look back

Just run

Run, run keep on running

Don’t you look back

You’ve just gotta walk like you’re in first place

Talk like you’re in first place

Walk like you mean it

Talk like you mean it

Don’t you look back

  

“I Want to Be Your Friend”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

I’m new to the neighborhood

If you’d stop by and say hi

It would make me feel good

I miss my friends

I miss our old house, too

Now I’m all alone

With nothing fun to do

 

I’m looking around, looking around, looking around

I got my nose pressed up against the window pane

I’m wearing my brand new bathing suit

I was gonna go swimming

But it started to rain

 

All I know is I

I just want to be happy

All I know is I

I don’t want to be blue

All I know is I

I just want to be friends with you

I want to be friends with you

 

My parents keep telling me to give it time

But even the trees we planted are too small for me to climb

Our yard used to be grass and dirt

Now there’s a flower bed

But I’m still homesick and hurt

I’m looking around, looking around, looking around

I want you to stop by

So I can say hi

I’ve got my nose pressed up the window pane

I’m fogging up the glass

But I can still see the rain

 

You see I’m just a little bit shy

I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth

I talk a little funny I’m from way down south

I’m shy I’m new to the neighborhood

If you’d stop by and say hi

It would make me feel good

I’m looking around, looking around, looking around

If you come over today I won’t stare at the ground

To have a friend you’ve got to be one too

I’m gonna look you in the eye and say hello to you

  

“Invisible Friend”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Teacher says to dot my I’s

And cross my T’s

Color inside the lines

Like everybody else please

I’m off the page I’m everywhere

But in parenthesis

I don’t belong

I don’t belong

I don’t belong

Except with my …

 

Invisible friend

Invisible friend

What’s real to me

You call just pretend

Through the weekdays

And the weekend

I’m off with my invisible friend

 

Loop up the proof so I can see

The meaning of geometry

It all looks like Greek to me

I want out of here

Save my locker from inspection

Save the frogs from dissection

I’m not up for election

I want to disappear with my

 

Invisible friend

Invisible friend

What’s real to me

You call just pretend

Through the weekdays

And the weekend

I’m off with my invisible friend

 

We go flying above the trees

Nobody can see my friend but me

We go flying whenever we please

Just me and my invisible friend

 

Somebody tripped me at lunch

And I dropped my tray

Everybody clapped and looked my way

Then I had to suit up for softball

Coach made play

The light at the end of the tunnel today

Is my invisible friend

 

Invisible friend

Makes me tall

When I feel small

Through the weekdays

And the weekend

I’m off with my invisible friend

  

 

“Nerves"
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Be nice

To your friends

That’s the way

That you make

New friends

Be nice

I hear you say

That’s the way

You need to be

To be nice

 

I heard you, and I’ll be kind

I’m glad you can’t read my mind

You’re getting on my nerves …

 

Ahhh let me tell you that

My room is my room

I’ll pick up my stuff, stuff

Under the bed under the rug

Out of site is up, up

I think that we-e-e-e both have had enough, ’nuff

These four walls do confine

I’m on yours

You’re on mine

 

Nerves!

 

Be nice

To your sister

Be nice to your brother, too

Makes you happy

When you’re nice

That’s the way you need to be

To be nice

 

I heard you, and I’ll be kind

But if you could read my mind

You’re getting on my nerves …

 

Ahhh let me tell you that

Joe just blew his nose

On each corner of his clothes

And baby Jane’s diaper’s fallin’

It was smelly

Now she’s ballin’

“Dinners ready, dinner’s ready, dinner’s ready”

I hear you callin’

These four walls do confine

I’m on yours

You’re on mine

 

Nerves!

 

Be nice

To your friends

That’s the way that you make new friends

Be nice

Learn to share

That’s the way you need to be to be nice

 

I heard you and I’ll be kind

But I’m glad you can’t read my mind

You’re getting on my nerves …

 

Ahhh let me tell you that

Last time I shared something of mine

It got broken

As for the friend that did it

Since then we have not spoken

“You should”

“You could”

“If I were you, I would …”

You’re not me

Can’t you see

If you could

You’d still be

On my nerves!

  

“Yeah Yeah Yeah”
By Terri Hendrix

 

Give me back the ocean
While there’s fish in the sea
Give me back the land
While there’s still a single tree
Give me clean air
While I can still breathe
Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Give me back the grass
Before it’s all concrete
I’ll take the stars
Over lamps that light the street
Save the ozone
Or feel the heat
Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Everybody say, yeah, yeah, yeah

Sounds simple
But no, no, no it’s not
If people in power
Wanna pick every flower
Gotta save our planet
It’s the only one we got

 

Give me back the mountains
And the valleys in between
I like to swim in rivers
That are nice and clean
I want a car that runs on trash

Not gasoline
Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Everybody say, yeah, yeah, yeah

Sounds simple
But no, no, no it’s not
If people in power
Wanna pick every flower
Gotta save our planet
It’s the only one we got

 

Give me back the sky
Before you block the view
Give me back the forests
And the wetlands too
People in power
Need to get a clue
Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Everybody say, yeah, yeah, yeah

Sounds simple
But no, no, no it’s not
If people in power wanna

Pick every flower

Gotta save our planet

It’s the only one we got
Save our planet

It’s the only one we got 

 

“Breakdown”
By Terri Hendrix

 

I had a breakdown

In a small town
And no one knew a thing
I went about each day
With my thoughts in the way
When I wanted to stop
I kept on moving

 

The emptiness

I felt inside
Was as deep

As it was wide 
Somehow

I was able to hide
It all behind a smile

 

Look at me puttin’ make-up on my face
What am I trying to add or erase?

If you put yourself in my place
You’d be able to see

 

We’re just skin and bone

We’re all just skin and bone
We’re not made of stone
Underneath it all

We’re just skin and bone

 

These days
When I need to be
Stronger than I am
I explode in the dark
No one hears a word
It’s like the dream

When you scream
But you can’t be heard

 

Now you can cover it up with wallpaper
Cover it up with paint

Or hang a masterpiece on the wall
Sooner or later

The day’s gonna come
When you have to face
What’s underneath it all

 

“Enjoy The Ride”
By Terri Hendrix

 

You don’t get me that’s okay
I can understand
I’m a scratch-off dreamer with a lottery ticket
In my hand

 I’m another year older with a chip on my shoulder
Waiting for my hero to fall
But you hold up in the water
And that’s the wonder of it all

 

Just getting by

Or just getting through
Doesn’t cut it for me anymore

I’m ready to enjoy the ride
From deep inside
I want to know 
What I’m here for

 

Leave it to the drama queen

To make a scene and leave

In my hand me downs
And borrowed shoes

I had good intentions up my sleeve

But I overstayed my welcome 

And she split me in two
I shouldn’t have to be broken

To fit into her point of view

 

I’m so used to strange
I don’t know what normal is
Just when I get on my feet 
Something underneath me gives
But I can also feel the sun beneath my skin
I’m going through the motions
As I’m changing from within

 

Just getting by

Or just getting through

Doesn’t cut it for me anymore

I’m ready to enjoy the ride

From deep inside

I want to know 

What I’m here for

 

“It’s About Time”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Dreams vary in size
When I’m down to the wire I compromise

I can do this

Or do that instead

But first I gotta get out of my bed

 

It’s carpe diem on a caffeine buzz

I’m chemically awake but my brains in a fuzz
As folks with too much time on their hands
Get right in the middle of the day that I’ve planned

 

It’s about time
and how I use it
It’s about time
and how I lose it
Time

It’s about time

 

Oh, time
I can’t beat it
Time, I can’t meet it

Time, I feel it slip by before I get a grip

 

It’s about time
and how I use it
It’s about time
and how I lose it
Time

It’s about time

 

Sometimes I pinch my wallet

Till my knuckles bleed
And I no longer want

What I think that I need

Sometimes I charge it up and come unwound
And spend my time turning what I did around

 Its procrastination
Or living up to somebody else’s expectations

It’s beyond my means and over my head
I’m racing through the green light while I’m living in the red

 

It’s about time
and how I use it

It’s about time
and how I lose it

Time

It’s about time

 

Oh, time

I can’t beat it

Time, I can’t meet it

Time, I feel it slip by before I get a grip

It’s about time
and how I use it

It’s about time
and how I lose it

Time

It’s about time

 

I’m underpaid undersexed overworked overtaxed

Spammed slammed wham-bam and thank-you Ma’amed

I get up go to work

Come home go to bed 

Same old same old everyday everyday

I just want some time for myself don’t you get it

I just want some time for myself don’t you get it

 

Oh, time
I can’t beat it

Time, I can’t meet it

Time, I feel it slip by before I get a grip

It’s about time
and how I use it

It’s about time
and how I lose it

Time

It’s about time

 

“One Way”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

One way

Is the only way you see things
It’s your way

Or not at all
And I’m feeling like a fool for feeling
That I could light you up inside

 

You’re closed and locked up for the evening
I see your shadow behind the blinds
And I’m feeling like a fool for feeling
That I could open up your mind

 

As I walk away I see 
Reality
Has caught up with me

 

You open my heart and you swim inside me
You open my soul and your blood runs through me
You’re too wrapped up in yourself to see 
How it hurts me
When you push me away

 

The only way out is the same way I came in
I’ll reach inside and I’ll pull myself through
I’m just another fool who tried
Just another fool who tried

To open you up inside
I give up
’Cause I’m tired of trying

 

As I walk away I see 
Reality
Has caught up with me

Reality

Has caught up with me

 

One way 
Is the only way you see things
It’s your way

Or not at all
Not at all

 

“Judgment Day"
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Everybody wants to use God
When they’ve nobody but themselves to blame
Everybody wants to use God 
When they do their dirty deeds in his name

 

From the Bible belt to the holy land 
They use his name to take a stand
They use their faith to make a plan
To lead to the destruction of man

Everything they embrace

Puts another child
In a Godless place 
Hands that kill

And hands that pray
Meet their maker come Judgment Day

 

Everybody wants to use God
When they’ve nobody but themselves to blame
Everybody wants to use God

When they do their dirty deeds in his name

 

When it comes to hate they’re unified 
When it comes to war they’re justified
And land is used to divide 
The weak from the strong

Everything they embrace

Puts another child

In a hopeless place

Hands that kill

And hands that pray
Meet their maker come Judgment Day

 

From the ancient scripture to the modern word
Everybody wants to use God
It’s not how it’s written

It’s how it’s heard
Everybody wants to use God

It takes a coward to manipulate

Everything that’s good
And turn it into hate
Hands that kill

And hands that pray
Meet their maker come Judgment Day

 

“Monopoly”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Supersize my fries 
Bring back two apple pies
On your way out
Turn on the radio
Goodbye originality
Say hello to conformity
In the name of change 
We’re at an all time low

 

Watch what’s on the TV screen
Read the paper or a magazine
And you’ll see
That it’s all about control
I miss the spice
In the melting pot 
Of our lives
It all goes down easy

But it sure ain’t got no soul

 

Keep it down
Keep it down
I’m gonna keep it down
And turn it up
on another day

 

Keep it down
Keep it down

We’ve got to keep it down
And rise up
When you hear me say

 

There ain’t no clear channel
Clear channel its clear to see
One choice

Takes the voice
From individuality

 

There ain’t no clear channel 
Clear channel its clear to see
One choice

Takes the voice
Away from you

And away from me

 

At first it was the cafe
Then the mom and pops all moved away 
Now the billboards stand 
Where they could not survive
The local DJ lost his show
After 20 years on the radio

Now we’re stuck with what
the monopoly provides

 

I just want something new
To shake my soul and body to 
Set up the tent I need to be revived
Make the consultant history
Keep the playlist a mystery
And don’t make up my mind for me
’Cause I’m still alive

 

Keep it down
Keep it down
I’m gonna keep it down
And turn it up
on another day

 

Keep it down
Keep it down
We’ve got to keep it down
And rise up
When you hear me say

 

There ain’t no clear channel
Clear channel its clear to see
One choice

Takes the voice
From individuality

 

There ain’t no clear channel 
Clear channel its clear to see
One choice

Takes the voice
Away from you

And away from me

 

I say, “Hey, hey, FCC, don’t you turn your back on me!”

 

“One Night Stand”
By Terri Hendrix/Glenn Fukunaga

 

Here I am in a size too small

In a crowd too large on a stool too tall

I drown my brain to ease my pain

But I remember everything that hurts

I was a spring chicken when I flew the nest

Now here I am with sagging breasts

Out of the coop and into the city

With a worm in the bottle and a drink for my pity

 

I’m burning through cigs like logs in a freeze

As my pantyhose slide down around my knees

The hurdle is the girdle but it keeps my tummy tucked in tight

It’s a tug of war with gravity

To lift it up or to let it be

There’s more to me than what you see

But you can’t shake my tree

 

You don’t know who I am

You don’t know

You may think that you may know

Just who I am

But you don’t know

 

You see a cheap hotel

For just one night

You read vacancy on my neon light

I’ve learned to be as lonely as I let myself be

 

I’m in the middle of middle age

Don’t think you can turn my page

I’m living like I got nothing to lose

And looking like someone you think you can use

 

But you don’t know who I am

You don’t know

You may think that you may know

Just who I am

But you’re not even close

You don’t know who I am

You don’t know

You may think that you may know

Just who I am

But you don’t know

 

“Hey Now”
By Terri Hendrix/Lloyd Maines

 

Hey now

It’s gonna be alright

Hey now, I believe

 

Kiss the evening sky and say bye bye bye

Tomorrow knows no sorrow like today

And should it come to pass

The day’s no better than the last

We’ll live it best we can anyway

 

We’ve all had highs we’ve had lows

It’s a fact of life that everybody knows

And should it come to pass

The day’s no better than the last

We’ll live it best we can anyway

 

When your heart is in the desert

And your dreams are in the stars

When you look up

And you just want to cry cry cry

keep reaching for the sun

Face the storms one by one

With faith that you will get by

 

We’ve all had highs we’ve had lows

It’s a fact of life that everybody knows

And should it come to pass

The day’s no better than the last

We’ll live it best we can anyway

 

When trouble’s at your door

And you can’t take it anymore

Call on your strength from within

May your soul be your guide

To come out the other side

May you shine in the sun once again

 

Hey now

It’s gonna be alright

Hey now, I believe