The Interesting People - Lyrics

Open Doors

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

Light crawls through the darkness

like soldiers in a field

it inches toward a doorway

where shadows have congealed

emerge the walking wounded

with hollow haunted eyes

and everybody's looking for some answers

that they won't recognize

He shuffles through the sidewalk

he wonders how long will it take

at night his mind is raging

and he sleeps when he's awake

when he was a young man

he had dreams beyond his means

and sometimes they return to taunt him

then they vapourize.

but far below they breathe

create and re-create

then fly off

CHORUS:

They come and they go like voices in a hall

they come and they go everything changes

and they turn and they turn 'til nothing's left at all

they come and they go these dreams through open doors

I often rely upon them

to help my feet get off the ground

I never take them lightly

some days I hide when they're around

they feed me through the night time

when I feel it most of all

and knowing where to stop and where to start again

I gotta finalize

but far below they breathe

create and re-create

then fly off

CHORUS:

They come and they go like voices in a hall

they come and they go everything changes

and they turn and they turn 'til nothing's left at all

they come and they go these dreams through open doors

They come and they go like shadows on a wall

they come and they go everything changes

and they turn and they turn like waves upon a shore

they come and they go these dreams through open doors

these dreams through open doors

Peace of Mind

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

The lights go down, no one's around

just me alone, my thoughts to bear

they turn to you, and how I knew

we'd never last beyond the year

I knew I'd lose control

then just walk away

forgot that you deserve

the best each day

I hope you find, I hope you find

peace of mind

In Italy, beneath a tree

you told me things I'd never heard

you sang a song, took way too long

to remember lines you'd never learned

I held you in my arms

became a part of you

believed we had it made

and you believed it too

knew we could find, we both could find

peace of mind

peace of mind

BRIDGE:

Sometimes you take what you can

when it's given to you

sometimes you lose your way

and you can't find the clues

feels like I've lost my soul

'cause I've lost my best friend

Now we're alone, so far from home

we arrived in separate vehicles

today's the day, we end this play

we part and go our separate ways

I know you hate the things

I did to you

and it's so hard to say

what I wanted to

I hope you find, I hope you find

peace of mind

You wonder if I still believe in you

it takes me by surprise, 'cause if you only knew

I hope you find, I know you'll find

peace of mind

peace of mind

peace of mind

The Interesting People

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

He walks through each day

as though nothing is wrong

he can't believe everything everyone says

so he just plays along

it's like looking through glass

when you're on the inside

'cause he's got a story to tell and in truth

he's got nothing to hide

but he's tracked down by hunters

who take joy in the kill

and he swears he'll hold onto

whatever they've come for

he says he won't speak

but he probably will

CHORUS:

And I'm here on the outside

I've been caught looking in

and I'm wondering if any of the interesting people ever make it to heaven

She's been traveling alone

for these twenty odd years

she's been wearing a mask that impresses

but hides all her deep-rooted fears

now she wants to dissolve

so she'll never be seen

so the time that she's spent walking aimlessly silent

was just a bad dream

but her book full of poetry

has a life of its own

her words carve like a sculptor

dig in the right places

a shame that they'll never be known

CHORUS

And I'm here on the outside

I've been caught looking in

and I wonder if any of the interesting people ever make it to heaven

And I wonder if earth shoes

will ever be big again

and I wonder if any of the interesting people ever make it to heaven

I want to know why none of the most interesting people ever make it to heaven

With You

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

Tonight I get to tell you how I feel

when I see you

I have to smile inside

'cause every day you give me strength and hope

you give me life

when all my dreams have died

and I can laugh with you

like no one else I know

we always push each other

and force ourselves to grow

CHORUS:

And I say ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

I want to share with you

I say ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

I love my life with you

Someone asked me if I know happiness

and what it means

to feel satisfied

I replied, it took a lot of years

and someone else

to make me whole inside

he never argued, he just walked away

he looked so empty, I still hope

he'll find it someday

CHORUS

And now it's night time and the candle

burns into the darkness

the room's an orange glow

I need the silence, today was way too long

now we're alone

and there's one thing that I know

I don't deserve to have you by my side

but I want to thank you for who you are

for who we are

CHORUS

Now I Feel The Sun Again

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

Take a walk through a field

slow it right down

listen for the calling

this has been so unreal

go it alone

every step I'm falling

move right back to a simpler time

but it's never quite the same

I've walked away from all guarantees

and now I feel whole

alive once again

CHORUS:

Now I feel the sun again

used to be in darkness

nothing made sense but

now I feel the sun again

I'm putting my self together

together again

Feel the sting in my eyes

come up for air

break through crystal waters

It's been so long since I've laughed

nothing gets through

yet I know I oughtta

a bird, like poetry, across the moon

in night time masquerade

I can't believe I have one more chance

to take off this mask

step out from the shade

CHORUS:

And it's so warm in this brand new skin

and everything's alive

I've been curled up for so many years

it's time to reach out

it's time to arrive

Connected

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

It was green, reptile green

when I saw it through the window

of the abandoned barn

and it looked like it belonged there

I walked in silence and wondered out loud

if there's a place I could call my own

have I seen it before

and will I feel like I belong there?

CHORUS:

I'm just trying to draw connections

I wanna be connected

in this shaken world of distances and brush offs

I wanna be connected

I wanna reach out and grab hold

of something real

Wayan walks through Indonesian streets

he has one day off from teaching kids each week

and he spends it here

to be somebody's guide and guru

I see his smile from fifty feet away

I see his dancing eyes and his gentle soul

I'm on a roll

I get to see his world and break bread with his family

CHORUS:

I used to listen to the stories

of how the sky of powder blue

could hold a world within its arms

I'd listen without question

fully alive, senses breathing

I wanna play a colourful role

in this living work of art

'cause I'm scared of being alone

CHORUS

Catherine and Edgar

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

It was long ago in a far off town

Catherine found it hard to settle down

she had her family

but they could not see

Catherine wanted more than they could give

she went off by herself

they just let her go

she needed time alone for her to grow

So she roamed the land for five years

never knew where she was going

happy times were seldom

but something called her to push on

she opened up a tiny bookshop

so she'd never be alone

at night dead writers talked to her

when the lights went low

It was long ago in a far off town

Edgar heard a calling of his own

he packed his bags and walked

'til he could no more

he finally had to stop and settle down

he found a vacant room

dropped his rain-soaked bags

took out his leather journal for awhile

Then he wrote beneath the candle light

'til night became the dawn

he put his pen down, happy

that he'd worked 'til it was done

then he looked at what was written there

it began simply enough

"I'll search the world for something

to fill this emptiness inside..."

He hadn't slept at all but he had to move on

he had to find what he was looking for

he came upon a shop

that sold Shakespeare's poems

maybe he could find it in a line

he turned and saw her face

but she looked away

he put the book down and slowly walked outside

he was her Romeo but she did not know

Some days it's hard to be so grateful

for the things that we've been given

we often throw away the best

of what has come our way

some days we walk around in darkness

with our eyes forever closed

and fail to see the light

until the day we die

As the years went on and time ticked away

Catherine and Edgar never met again

Edgar married a girl that he did not love

and Catherine spent her days and nights alone

We only have one chance

to find our one true love

and if our eyes are not wide open

we'll miss that chance for sure

and we'll always find it hard to settle down

It was long ago in a far off town...

One For Me

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

She's got two eyes in the back of her head

she gives you looks like she wished you were dead

she's twice the pain for four times the price

she looks so soft but she can be cold as ice

CHORUS:

She's my baby

Yeah, she's the one for me

Don't try to fool her, she can always see through

don't try to argue, she'll twist your words and bury you

she loves to play you like a saxophone

don't be too friendly, just leave her alone

CHORUS:

She's my baby

Yeah, she's the one for me

She's my baby

Yeah, she's the one for me

My friends they ask me "what ya doing with her?"

She's only trouble, she'll bleed you for sure

I never listen, don't know what they mean

I like her style, she's my friend and my queen

CHORUS

We only go around once in this life

some want a lover, some settle for a wife

I got a woman, she wraps both up in one

she drives me crazy but I love her more than anyone

Sailing Right On Time

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

The ocean calls me so I go

the sun comes up, last night it seemed so cold

for three months I've been tossed and turned

thinking that one day I will return

I will return

I never did much back at home

dropped outta school, relied on handouts and loans

when I met you I was down and out

seemed like a long, long way

and I told you I'd be sailing by one day

CHORUS:

Now I'm sailing right on time

through the ocean blue

I'm sailing right on time

I've been saying in my mind

"I miss your smile"

so I'm sailing home to you

Your folks said, "Leave him well alone

he'll leave you stranded and we'll be long gone"

but you were always one to take a chance

and you always believed I would return

I would return

I'm so exhausted and afraid

this lightning's dancing fire and the hour's late

but soon these eyes are gonna see the harbour

soon they'll see your face

'cause I told you I'd be sailing by one day

Irish Lullaby

Music by Kevin Coates

Dillon James

Words by Kevin Coates and Nan Forler

Music by Kevin Coates

You are the promise of the springtime

the pureness of a cloudless day

first star in evening sky

you are the sun that lights our way

you are the snow on Christmas morning

deep in the forest, moonlit calm

a tiny wildflower

a new creation in my arms

CHORUS:

Dillon James, you are the morning son

life for you has just begun

and everything you see is all brand new

Dillon James, you are a miracle

and everyday I watch you grow

you teach me to slow down and find what's true

Dillon James I can't believe it's really you

You wake with great anticipation

reveal your bright eyes to the world

discovering what it's like

to reach inside and find the pearl

I loved you way before I met you

but I never knew I'd feel so free

and I'll never leave your side

'cause you've found your way inside of me

CHORUS

You will be gentle and courageous

you will have faith to make you strong

with laughter, peace and love

into the silence you'll bring song

you will be light amid the darkness

you'll be a friend to those alone

I wish a world of love

in your life now and when you've grown

CHORUS

Dillon James I know God's watching over you

Sons and Daughters

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

Tread gently, sons and daughters

move fast within your time

breathe deeply, grace is with you

look up, and make each climb

know well who went before you

they love you to your core

they tried to give you laughter

they made your spirit soar

your parents are your refuge

they gave you time to grow

they tried to clear a pathway

they tried to make you whole

sons and daughters

BRIDGE:

They tried to free your soul

they taught you all they know

all they know

they tried to free your soul

It's magic to watch you fly now

you love life to the core

push hard to make it happen

know that there's always more

make time to tell them 'thank you'

for all their selfless deeds

for giving life connection

for giving sons and daughters

sons and daughters

Symphony

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

It's been awhile since I felt the kiss of summer's eve

it's been so long since I've really let go

it's been awhile since I've turned my sight toward the sun

and it's been awhile since I let you know

CHORUS:

You're my symphony, a tender song in tranquil night

my melody you play it right and you're my symphony

It's been awhile since I've thrown a ball or tossed a line

it's been so long since I could honestly say

that my life is simple, and I've got time for wasting time

and that tomorrow's another day

It's been awhile since darkness traded sides with light

it's been so long since things were truly new

it all lacks colour now, I'm without my cherished friends

and liberal hours consumed by you

CHORUS

BRIDGE:

And how does it feel to know you cure all wrong?

And how does it feel to know I miss your song?

CHORUS 2X

One Wish

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

CHORUS:

If I had one wish I'd wish for peace

If I had one wish I'd wish for peace

If I had one wish I'd wish for peace

Father's growing weary

he hears it everyday

"if you don't start to trust me

I'll just run away"

fifteen year old daughter

slams the crooked door

the luxury of silence is a stranger in this place

Hungry for a lover

he's on a roll tonight

casts his line in shadows

hoping for a bite

woman with the lipstick

hooks him in again

by sunrise she's disappeared

he never asked her name

Headlines show the violence

in papers everyday

television makes sure

it won't go away

but sometimes there's a story

that shows we can be more

like someone showing compassion to another

whom most ignore

These Are Magic Times

Words and Music by Kevin Coates

CHORUS:

These are magic times

These are magic times

These are magic times

I want them to go on and on and on

These are magic times

These are magic times

I always could appreciate

the things I held as true

like new ideas and summers spent with you

but this is like another place

I've never been before

an open door, so much more

CHORUS

And I am one of the lucky ones

I've always had good friends

who always knew how to live

and not pretend

but when it's just the three of us

and silence shares its light

a quiet night, perfect night

BRIDGE:

Oh, I'd never trade this for anything

to finally know what's real

like Dillon's smile

is everything

these are magic times

And every night

I lie in bed

and think about the day

I know how rare it is to feel this way

and that this time won't last too long

he changes way too fast

but I'd give everything to make it last

and all those years

of travelling the world

I'd trade them for one day

like today, like today

She Calls My Name

Words and Music by Kevin Coates and Tim Park

Red light dances madly

on paper walls

shiver crawls inside this raging shadow dance

last call echoes

down below

bar-maid cries

"it's time to go"

seems to me that nothing stays the same

I've felt crazy lately

been here too long

thought I knew conviction

a thousand miles from home

another faceless Shanghai grin

a faded memory knocks and steps right in

CHORUS:

She finally calls my name

I finally feel that I'm still the same, when she

finally calls out my name

she finally heals my broken dreams that made me change

she knows what I need when she calls my name

she calls my name

Burlesque centrefold sings

a subway line

it all seemed so easy with payoffs anytime

live the movie

cocktail life

compact glamour

sterilized

seems to me that nothing stays the same

I need contact badly

such a cold blue setting sun

I peer deep inside and find the face of only one

I believe I was lost awhile

I believe I'll walk another mile

when she calls me