Michael McDonald Album

(Michael McDonald/Tommy Sims)

Like a river runnin' to the sea
There must be a reason for all these shattered dreams
Starts with our believing and ends with our backs against the walls
If I'm not careful I might convince myself
This is the way it's always gonna be
Spend my whole life wonderin' just what it means to survive

So I wonder, am I strong enough?
Do I have the strength I need to carry on?
All I'm askin' for is the path that's gonna lead me home

[Chorus:]
All I need is a shinin' light an open door
I'm askin' for nothin' more than a little hope

Another mornin' strange as it seems
Here once again with all these broken things
That once hung in the balance between the extremes of my life
With the will of a runaway train
I took my chances time and time again
Leaving nothin' but wreckage and pain behind

[Chorus]

All I need (is) just one answer I'm lookin' for
I'm askin' for nothin' more...

Than a light in the window
Enough that I might see
A voice to call my name

(Michael McDonald And Bernie Chiaravalle)

Down here on love's killin' floor
I doubt if we could take much more
Here and now, (we) need to ask ourselves why
We've come this far only to find
The price of happiness
We no longer pay
You gotta really love someone
Words alone are cheap
It's more of what you do
And less of what you say

Baby I don't wanna live
In some prison of promises
Baby look around at all this emptiness
There ain't no love to be found

With a love like this
All broken and bruised
You just walk a way
With nothin' to lose
Here and now, (we've) got to ask ourselves why
If love is through, then why even try

Baby I don't wanna live
In some prison of promises
Baby look around
It's all but hopeless know
Baby look at you and me
This vision of loneliness
Any fool can see
The walls are tumblin' down
There ain't no love to be found

Take a look at you and me
This vision of loneliness
Baby any fool can see
That between you and me

(Michael McDonald And Bernie Chiaravalle)

Starin' back at a room full of strange faces
I sense another welcome worn thin
A bartender sayin' "son take it outside"
"take it out the door you brought it in"
He said, he don't wanna hear about my problem
Or why I think I got it so tough
He said guys like me come a dime a dozen
That my only problem is knowin' when I've had enough
(but) how can I have too much?
How can I have to much of somethin' I can't get enough of?

You said it so well in your letter baby
You gave me every reason why
Girl you sure use a lot of paper, just to say good-bye
Well here's to the good times
Here's to the way we were
Here's to how you tried to be my lover
'till disaster struck
Now you wanna be a friend and tell me
I'm a man who simply needs too much
But how can I have too much?

(Tony Joe White And Michael McDonald)

Something deep inside, keeps me hangin' on
Don't believe I've ever seen a night so long
Guess I tried to fly high above the clouds
But I landed here in the mornin' rain at your door
And I know I let you down again
But right now you know I need a friend

I don't know why
I guess I just lose my way
And your eyes don't believe a word I say
I can't imagine without your love
Where would I be now

Did you ever know
I always looked up to you
And after all this time it remains true
There's no compromise
No turning back for me
But through the vail of my pride
Sometimes it's hard to see
And I know your love is all I need
So when I fall don't stop believing in me

'cause your love is what's helpin' me survive
Your faith in me is what keeps my hope alive
And without your love
Where would I be now

Well I know your love is worth fightin' for
And if it takes forever I will wait at your door
'cause your love is what's helpin' me survive
Your faith in me is what keeps my hope alive
And without your love

(Michael McDonald And Bernie Chiaravalle)

Day by day
One by one
They plant the seeds of doubt
But far too many have come this far
For me to turn back now

I wanna build upon it...

One by one
We must believe a change will come somehow
'cause far too many lay down their lives
For me to give up now

I wanna build upon it...

One world we leave behind
One truth that lights the way
This dream depends upon how we live today

(Michael McDonald And Jim Photoglow)

Just so many words
No more than a touch
In matters of love
I never knew much
Till you gave your heart
And all of your soul
I look at your face
And I see it all

[Chorus:]
Baby, you showed me the meaning of love
You opened my eyes
You were patient and wise
Baby, you showed me the meaning of love
You brought me this far
In all that you are
I see the meaning of love

So insecure
Afraid of mistakes
Knowing too well
The toll love can take
'cause I stood with a storm
Raging inside
Till you brought me in
Out of reach of my pride

(Michael McDonald And Tommy Sims)

We're lost, baby that's ok
We may not always understand
We may not always know the way
We can cry and we can hurt sometimes
But we both know what's important
At the end of the line
It's not always the case that we know just what to do
But when it comes to me and you

[Chorus:]
We've both been here before
So let love open up the door
What love will surely show us
Ain't that what we came here for?
So let love open the door

Maybe it's time that we hold on tight
In each others embrace
We might just see the morning light
'cause when we touch
It's like a brand new start
It's there we find the music in each others heart
And we might just discover that we don't always see what's for real
Love is somethin' that you feel

[Chorus]

We've both been here before
So let love open up the door
What love will surely show us
Ain't that what we came here for?
It ain't nothin' new
Just a chance to finally see this love through
This love has one purpose (and)
Never asks for anything more
So let love open the door

Sometimes words only mean so much
They don't say how we feel
They don't keep us in touch
It's too late once we drift apart
All that's left are the pieces of two broken hearts

[Chorus]

Amy sings...
Love is sweet, love is kind
Love will open up your mind
Let love open up the door
All that counts, nothin' more
Love is what we came here for

(Michael McDonald And Chester Thompson)

From a house comes the sound of an infant crying
People stand and stare at the door
They dare not go in
Where a child lies sobbing beside a lifeless body
Trying in vain to awaken the mother within

This chain of death has so many faces
From the frightened man to the pitiful child
Where is our deliverance here?
Will this not pass over?

[Chorus:]
I won't go back to Kikwit Town
I won't go back
I won't go back to Kikwit Town
I won't go back

They would not give us my father's body
The men in orange suits started gathering 'round
They asked the names of all who live here
As they threw him down in hole and burned his house down

What have we done to deserve this?
God's wrath has surely come
He lets the devil walk among us
He lets death into our homes
Where is our deliverance here
From this demon loosed upon us?

[Chorus]

Is it not enough we live in this squalor?
Is it not enough these sacrifices we make?
Are we not entitled to some mercy
On this short journey we take?

[Chorus]

They said come down and answer all our questions
It's best for all if I turn myself in
But I know as sure as I walk through that hospital door
I will never see daylight again

What have we done to deserve this?
God's wrath has surely come
He lets the devil walk among us
He lets death into our homes
Where is our deliverance here
From this demon loosed upon us?

(Neil Young)

Be on my side, I'll be on your side baby
There's no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me standin' here all alone
When you could be takin' me for a ride

Ooh la la la
She could drag me over the rainbow
And take me away

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead

Take my hand, I'll take your hand baby
Together we might get away
This much madness is too much sorrow
It's impossible to make it today

Ooh la la la
She could drag me over the rainbow
And take me away

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead

Be on my side, I'll be on your side baby
There's no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me standin' here all alone
When you could be takin' me for a ride

Ooh la la la
She could drag me over the rainbow
And take me away

Down by the river
I shot my baby

(Michael McDonald And Bernie Chiaravalle)

Behind us now lies a long bending road
And at this point we wonder what we need to be
All this way like a single heart
Just so you know nothings really changed for me
For so long I watched you shine your light
I know hope is hard to find right now (but)

Someday you will
Someday you will

In every life the darkest days seem so long
Till the fear fades like the waning tide
The mornin' comes when the din in your head subsides
Just enough for the quiet voice inside
To point the way to the place where your strength lies
Though it might take a while to find

Someday you will...

On that day you'll spread your wings and fly
Although now you may not know why

(William Robinson, Warren Moore, Marvin Tarplin And Robert Rodgers)

You do me wrong and still I'm crazy 'bout you
Stay away too long and I can't do without you
Every chance you get you seem to hurt me more and more
But each hurt just makes my love stronger than before
I know flowers grow through rain
But how can love grow through pain

Ain't that peculiar
A peculiarity
Ain't that peculiar baby
Peculiar as can be

You tell me lies that should be obvious to me
But I'm in so much love with you baby that I don't want to see
That the things you do and say are designed to make me blue
It's a doggone shame my love for you makes all your lies seem true
If the truth makes love last longer
Why do lies make love stronger

Ain't that peculiar
A peculiarity
Ain't that peculiar baby

(Michael McDonald And John Scott Sherrill)

You if anyone should know what time will tell
Not so long ago you taught me oh so well
Now your time has come
Someone took your place
(there's) no need to tell me that he's gone ('cause)
I can read it on your face

You learned that you could dream every night
You can try all you like
You can pray every day that it's enough
You can hope all you want
It's something to hang your faith on
But you can't make it love

There's no way love can grow
If only one is true
I would think that you should know
After all, I learned this from you
No matter how much one's in love
As long as one is lying
There ain't no amount of tears
There ain't no amount of trying

You learned that you could dream every night
You can try all you like
You can pray every day that it's enough
You can hope all you want
It's something to hang your faith on