LITTLE BIT OF TRUTH
ALL SONGS COPYRIGHT ©2025 JIM SKEWES
LITTLE BIT OF TRUTH
can you believe it?
you know it's true.
it's been so long it's over,
i'm still not over you.
memories linger–they're not much of a prize.
just a little bit of truth behind the lies.
why do i wonder?
i suppose i knew
that following a fairytale
was never gonna do.
those unhappy endings can take you by surprise,
when the love you spend
is worth more than buys–
a little bit of truth behind the lies.
too bad you didn't know
your love for me would grow.
now it's too late to keep me hanging on.
i could have loved you less; i would have loved you more.
i wish i hadn't loved you for so long
am i a fool?
well, that makes two.
look at us. we're still dancin'
but the masquerade is through.
so tell me you love me;
i'll see it in your eyes,
if there's a little bit–a little bit of truth behind the lies.
i could have loved you less; i would have loved you more.
i wish i hadn't loved you for so long
am i a fool?
well, that makes two.
look at us still dancin',
though the masquerade is through.
so tell me you love me;
it'll sweeten our goodbyes
with a little bit–if there's a little bit–a little bit of truth behind the lies.
a little bit of truth behind the lies.
COLE COUNTY SPRING
gusts of early spring shook the windows in this town.
st. joe raised its head again, though snow was on the ground.
an old man crossed the street when the cafe sign fell down.
a whistle blew. a train went by. i wish i'd never heard that sound.
when i was young a girl came out to meet the morning train.
i fell into her eyes; i swear i saw a flame.
she said “we’d better go inside before it starts to rain,”
and turned to leave. i took her hand. every night i call her name.
irene, can you hear me?
are you coming out tonight?
irene, i hate it when you're right. irene, good night. good night, irene, good night.
irene was a beauty, but somehow she was broke.
midnight towns we'd set afire and speed off through the smoke.
twin souls of perdition, we held the hounds at bay.
we fought the law. we fought the world. we fought our lives away.
we danced to the wickedness that whispered in our ears.
furious and desperate is the youth that disappears.
she laughed when i said "we'll get away with all our greed!"
sure as hell, our luck ran out.
and our wounds began to bleed.
irene, can you hear me?
are you coming out tonight?
irene, i hate it when you're right. irene, good night. good night, irene, good night.
i sat there, in the dark. waiting past the moon.
a requiem was howling in the hills outside her room.
sung:
when the chill had gone and dawn became a sunny afternoon,
a bluejay screamed. i lost irene. cherry trees began to bloom.
i stood up and stumbled, nowhere left to hide.
through the dirty window glass, i tried to look outside.
if anything was left, i might have fallen down and cried.
in the cole county spring, another town has died.
irene, can you hear me?
are you coming out tonight?
irene, i hate it when you're right. irene, good night. good night, irene, good night irene.
i'll see you in my dreams.
ST. EXPEDITE
on a street in new orleans is a chapel of broken dreams.
parades for many loved ones end right here.
it’s the oldest one in town that hasn’t been torn down,
but through the years its end was often near.
the tourists come to see this piece of history,
with its saints in silent witness to the word
and i was just one more who stepped inside the door
to find a roman soldier with a bird.
you’re one of the icons who illuminate this place.
transported in a hurry.
sometimes worship needs a face.
now we look to you to be fast in thy embrace.
st. expedite. st. expedite.
who are you, st. expedite?
patron saint of those who are hesitant or late. is it really you, st. expedite?
a miracle delivered with instructions on the crate.
a statue of a saint in plaster, wood, and paint.
with the word “expedite” on the base.
not sure he did exist, a fact i may have missed, but a skeptic in church is out of place.
whether i’m a lawyer or a student at the test,
or a sailor lost at sea in a lifeboat and a vest,
i feel it will go better with your medal on my chest.
st. expedite. st. expedite.
who are you, st. expedite?
patron saint of those who are hesitant or late. is it really you, st. expedite?
a miracle delivered with instructions on the crate.
STONEHENGE
it's a city under siege.
the story's in the cinders
that blow across our fingers,
and scatter on the page,
in a castle in decay.
our faith begins to crumble;
we run from all the trouble
to another hideaway: a circle made of stones.
the flash of our creation dims in afterglow.
the ruins of a promise are wearing down too low.
though we’ll meet again, the beat of time is so slow,
standing at a solstice, standing at a solstice,
i believe we're standing at a solstice,
waiting for the show.
we’re waiting for the show.
and we spin around the sun.
the battles fought at midnight
have vanished in the daylight,
neither lost nor won.
now the dancing has begun.
and to save our souls from danger,
we're pagans; we're crusaders,
the past is in our bones. it's buried in our bones.
the flash of our creation dims in afterglow.
the ruins of a promise are wearing down too low.
though we’ll meet again, the beat of time is so slow,
standing at a solstice, standing at a solstice,
i believe we're standing at a solstice,
waiting for the show.
we’re waiting for the show.
RUN TO ME
i sing your songs when you’re not here.
it’s my way of making you appear.
so if you feel it’s where we both belong,
run to me between the songs.
don’t think of me without a smile.
don’t miss me till it’s been a while.
and if you feel we’ve been apart too long,
run to me between the songs.
i’m not sayin’ what nobody else can say
over wine and smoke in some old town cafe.
sun comes up. life goes by. sun goes down. i don’t know why
i'd want to waste another minute in this place without you in it.
run to me. run to my door.
to be with you is what i’m living for.
so if you feel your love for me is strong,
run to me between the songs.
wouldn't say it if i thought it wasn't right.
you tell me where; i'll meet you there tonight.
sun comes up. life goes by. sun goes down. i don’t know why
you want to take so long decidin’.
tonight there's no more hidin'.
run to me. run to my door.
to be with you is what i’m living for.
so if you feel your love for me is strong,
run to me between the songs.
LET ME BE
the morning sun is high
when you come up the walk
you say you're back for good
more lies and empty talk
don't i know
what brings you back to me
i quit you once already
now go your way and let me be.
don't i give you everything
till i got no more to give
and you go chasing sugar
honey, that's no way to live.
don't i know
what brings you back to me
i quit you once already
now go your way and let me be.
when i got no money
i sit home all alone
you said i was your rock.
i'm just your steppingstone
don't i know
what brings you back to me
i quit you once already
now go your way and let me be.
your pretty Casanova.
they say he put you down
you're looking for a new fool
that's why you come around.
don't i know
what brings you back to me
i quit you once already
now go your way and let me be.
i quit you once already
now go your way and let me be.
DOIN' IT RIGHT
in matters of the heart, it's never black or white.
if i choose one, not the other, it ends up in a fight.
the mystery takes my breath away,
and it wakes me up at night,
when i want to know if I'm doin' it right.
i thought i saw the answer, so i turned toward the light.
as i moved in that direction,
it always stayed just out of sight.
like a fool, i stumbled in the dark.
and falling, i cursed the night,
trying to find out if i'm doin' it right.
it's up to you; it's up to me
to leave the past behind.
still, it's so hard to see.
is it dark or am i blind?
i read the writing on the wall.
it wasn't very bright.
i thought it said love needs to find me.
if you'd be with me it might.
if our song could play
till the stars fell away,
that would be my perfect night,
and you can tell me that we're doin' it right.
it's up to you; it's up to me
to leave the past behind.
still, it's so hard to see.
is it dark or am i blind?
if our song could play
till the stars fell away,
that would be my perfect night,
and you can tell me that we're doin' it right.
BLUE TO BLACK
All songs copyright ©2015 Jim Skewes
Blue to Black
it's just one of those days, that kind of thing.
i'll think about you and my mood will swing,
like the time you hit me with your big, blue pontiac.
the little things you do swing my mood from blue to black.
there's gotta be a doll somewhere, stuck with a pin.
baby, i knew you'd try to do me in.
when you do your voodoo, i get a broken back.
and the little things you do swing my mood from blue to black.
blue to black, blue to black.
little things you do swing my mood from blue to black.
my boss he kicked me out. He threw my hat.
he shook his fist and said, "don't ever come back!"
i should have stayed in bed when I read the zodiac
it said, "today your mood is going to swing from blue to black."
i ought to know by now, but I haven't a clue.
i can't think straight when I'm looking at you.
my brains are scrambled; I'm a stir-fried maniac.
and the little things you do swing my mood from blue to black.
blue to black, blue to black.
little things you do swing my mood from blue to black.
Candle
spring has come to wake this town.
the river's flowing free.
a candle in my window prays that you will come to me,
that you will come to me.
a love whose flame is burning true
can warm the coldest night.
a love left with uncertainty could never burn as bright,
could never burn this bright.
when all the leaves lay scattered
will my love return to me?
or when the wind blows cold again,
a widow will i be?
don't wait too long to come to me;
the candle's burning low.
our dance flickers on these walls and I can't let you go,
i can't let you go.
when all the leaves lay scattered
will my love return to me?
or when the wind blows cold again,
a widow will I be?
the candle lights my weary way
to meet the evening train.
the whistle calling out to me taunts me once again,
it taunts me once again.
Cold Coffee
cold coffee, cigarettes burned out in the tray.
too gone to pay attention when i'm feeling this way.
got somewhere i should be. It's no matter anymore.
i can't seem to leave, and i forget what it was for.
cold coffee, lonesome afternoon.
don't know what i'll do if it don't warm up soon.
can't sleep, I can't work, I've got no appetite.
can't think of much of anything but you, the other night.
this day goes on forever, just like the one before,
standing at the window, staring the door.
cold coffee, lonesome afternoon.
don't know what I'll do if it don't warm up soon.
don't forget, don't send regrets, I'll be waiting here for you.
though, I know I'll never get over feeling this kind of blue.
maybe you should hurry, it's getting kind of rough,
i've been talking to the wall. He says i've had enough...
Cold coffee, lonesome afternoon.
Don't know what I'll do if it don't warm up soon.
Don't know what I'll do…
Eva's Room
the sky was steel and loaded like a gun.
my heart was telling me i'd better run.
it flashed and shot me down with a boom,
and i woke up on the floor in eva's room.
i looked up at her laughing down at me.
the storm behind her howled my destiny.
i couldn't get away from her perfume;
it was using up the air in eva's room
i used to wonder how my fate was drawn,
now everything is broken, dead, or gone.
here i am alive inside a tomb,
eaten by her lies in eva's room.
she stabbed me and the words began to flow
in a pool of hate i drowned in long ago.
i hoped to be delivered from this doom,
and i prayed the storm would come to eva's room.
she screamed as the ceiling tore away,
and lightning burned her down to the clay.
in the morning, my heart hung in the gloom;
i took a piece and left from eva's room.
even as the memories of her fade,
i shudder when the sky's a darker shade.
i'm never going back to eva's room.
i'm never going back to eva's room…
The Last Time
though i never told you in how much love i hold you,
you know i didn't mean to be unkind.
leaving has a curse about it,
and i still don't know what's worse about it:
what you take away or what you leave behind.
at least we didn't know it was the last time.
the last time i heard you,
the last time i felt you near,
the last time i saw you,
no one was there.
don't say don't forget me, i know you'll never let me,
even when the memories unwind.
and i love the way your song still haunts me.
i'll try to sing it if you want me.
but i'll never get the reason, or the rhyme.
at least we didn't know it was the last time.
Pretty Words
sometimes i talk way too fast; blurt everything out at once,
without taking any time to think about the meaning.
maybe you can tell me how pretty words seem to follow you,
in slow motion like a dream, when you walk by.
sometimes i run way too fast; life explodes in front of me,
without leaving me time at all to understand it.
maybe you can sort it out. Little things never bother you,
and the rhythm of your life moves like a sigh.
pretty words, pretty words i've told you
still your mind is so many miles away.
pretty words, pretty words can't hold you.
if they could, i'd say them every day.
sometimes love moves too fast; runnin’ through me till i’m overcome,
wthout letting me know what’s real or an illusion.
maybe you’ve come just in time. maybe you would let me follow you
all the way to the other side. the other side.
pretty words, pretty words i've told you
still your mind is so many miles away.
pretty words, pretty words can't hold you.
if they could, i'd say them every day.
maybe you’ve come just in time. maybe you would let me follow you
all the way to the other side. the other side.
Silhouette
the night is nearly over i'm rolling past your town.
the light's on in your window. the shade is pulled way down.
i know you're still awake. i can see your silhouette.
i wish that i could stop, but i don't think i will yet.
a river comes between us, as i pull away from here.
see your troubles getting smaller, until they disappear.
look across the rooftops. i hope you won't forget.
i wish that i could stop, but i don't think i will yet.
my heart is held captive by the rhythm of these rails.
until it's free to beat again, when morning light unveils your silhouette.
i stare out at the mountains, as the sun begins to touch.
one more day reminds me i've come and gone too much.
i knew that i would love you forever when we met.
i wish that i could stop, but i don't think i will yet.
Skid
if you’re gonna to play the game, you'd better go for broke.
your date is at the table, hanging in the smoke.
somebody's got a story; a face can tell the tale.
nothing to collect on if you don't make the sale.
before you shoot the moon, make sure you haven't slid
in the direction of the skid, direction of the skid.
your recollection's hazy, and the future's not too clear.
she holds your soul for ransom; been doin' that for years.
this time you die, and next time you'll be born,
smelling like a rose, and missing all the thorns.
no matter who you are, no matter what you did.
it's the direction, direction of the skid.
drive on to midnight; your lesson's never learned.
don't look behind you; that bridge already burned.
just let 'em roll. Make another deal.
read the bones; they’ve never lied; they never will.
wake up to this: it's not about you, kid.
it's the direction, direction of the skid.
Susanna
i saw you smiling; you were smiling in the rain.
i made a promise not to bring this up again.
but it’s raining, i’m going to tell you anyway.
we don’t have to dance this mad ballet.
susanna, don't break my heart,
susanna, you're all i want,
susanna, my love, my love,
my love will come and carry you away.
if I could reach you, in the middle of this dream.
i could hold you, when you wake up with a scream.
in the dark, we're not so very far away.
we don't need to cross the milky way.
susanna, don't break my heart,
susanna, you're all i want,
susanna, my love, my love,
my love will come and carry you away.
we'll find the spark. Just look at where we’ve been,
we’ll build a fire, and throw the midnight in.
for now it's raining, what i’m still trying to say is
we can’t live in some old shadow play.
susanna, don't break my heart,
susanna, you're all i want,
susanna, my love, my love,
my love will come and carry you away.