1. |
Life is But a Dream
03:00
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2. |
Earth Sings to Venus
04:37
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Earth Sings to Venus
© 2018, Sue Fink
Venus, my sister, you’re such a slow spinner, almost
One of my years, and you’re just starting dinner, you
Languish, so languid, I can’t speak your language, your
Magnetic low-energy
But everyone says you’re so hot! (literally)
You’re even hotter than little ol’ Mercury
Venus, we share the same size and same mass, but we’re
Different as sisters could be
Yes, me with my moon, while you have none
You rotate backwards while orbiting the sun
Stillness and silence and I come undone…
Talk to me, talk to me (talk to me, talk to me)
Venus, my sister, your glow is so bright
Sometimes I see you in my deepest night
When you overtake me, I see you by day
Morning star, evening star, morning star, evening, you
Do as you please, you always have gone your own way
Yes, me with my moon, while you have none
You rotate backwards while orbiting the sun
Still you’re silent and I come undone…
Talk to me, talk to me (talk to me, talk to me)
Talk to me…
Your air is poisonous, toxic and dangerous
I have my oceans, my creatures that swim, walk, or fly…
Still, you’re a beauty with clouds that can’t rain
Your volcanic plains, your wrinkly ridges, your
Redness, your richness, oh: I want to be with you
Though I can’t even say why
You’re un-self-aware, you’re backwards and barren
Still, you spin by like you haven’t a care in
The world (so to speak), while here I am, stuck with Mankind…
I feel like they’re killing me, Venus:
We each have our burdens to bear in the Universe,
Bear in the Universe, bear in… barren… bear in…
The universe stretches on for infinity
Maybe there’s others like you and like me? We could
Vacate our orbits, let’s travel and see… Oh, Venus, we’re
Different as any two sisters could be…
Yes, me with my moon, while you have none
Your eternal retrograde… I’m undone: I just
Want to connect with something or someone…
Talk to me, talk to me, (talk to me, talk to me)
Talk to me, talk to me, (talk to me, talk to me)
Talk to me, talk to me, (talk to me, talk to me)
Talk to me…
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3. |
Black Sheep Kid
04:05
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Black Sheep Kid
© 2018, Sue Fink
When I was a child it was all my fault
There wasn’t much I could say
They made me apologize for everything
I’m still doing it to this day, oh yeah,
Still doing it to this day
My sister and I, we fought mercilessly
Even now, I couldn’t say why
But when my parents came, she would scream my name
And they’d make me apologize, oh yeah,
They’d make me apologize
Or if kids in the neighborhood got in a fight
– I might not be anywhere near –
Somehow the melee would be blamed on me –
I was sorry for most of the year, oh yeah,
Sorry for most of the year
‘Cause when I was a child it was all my fault
It didn’t matter what I did
Life was just a game, I was the one to blame
For I was the black sheep kid, oh yeah,
I was the black sheep kid
Let’s say we were going on vacation
– So I could be wrong in some new city or nation –
We’re driving down the road, all us kids in the back
Amidst pillows, books and games, and some sweet sticky snack…
And let’s say someone’s elbow pushes into someone’s eye
– Accidentally, of course, you know I would never lie –
Let’s say my sisters turn to me and scream, “She did it!!”
(Perhaps I’m feeling obstinate and refuse to admit it)
Dad says, “Apologize or this vacation’s over!”
Let’s say I simply smile, like I just cannot be bothered
So he turns the car around, headed straight back home
When the transmission fails, and we’re nowhere near a phone
Our parents start to fight, we kids all have to pee…
And everybody’s blaming the whole big mess on me!
Oooh – I’m sorry
I’m sure it must be something I did
If you’re upset, it must be my fault
I am the black sheep kid
Layoffs at the plant? – I’m sorry
Deforestation – that’s my fault, too
Oooh – this is such a strange song,
I apologize to all of you, oh yeah,
Apologize to all of you
‘Cause when I was a child it was all my fault
There wasn’t much I could say
They made me apologize for everything
I’m still doing it to this day, oh yeah,
Still doing it to this day, oh yeah,
Still doing it to this day… hey, hey, hey
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4. |
Terry Clark
05:56
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Terry Clark
© 2018, Sue Fink
Right after 5th grade, we moved, it was my dad’s decision: different
Suburb, larger house, in fact, a brand new sub-division, all we
New kids forming friendships in foundations, still half-built, walking
Tightrope on cement walls, switching floor plans without guilt
and it was
“Kick the Can” and “Schmear ‘em,” playing “chicken” on our bikes,
sneaking
Underneath the highway by the stream, on secret hikes…
There’s Jamie, yes, and Kate, and me, we’re hanging in the park
Giggling ’bout the boy we like: his name was Terry Clark
Terry’s parents were divorced – not common like today –
He lived across the street from me, his dad lived far away
His dark hair wavy like the sea, his nose a crooked path
His eyes so strangely somber, but we girls could make him laugh
and it was
Terry playin’ basketball, the cul-de-sac his court
And Terry pickin’ baseball teams – he’s king of every sport…
There’s Terry pickin’ pretty girls to practice pre-teen passion; but
I was just his friend, for I had braces and bad fashion
Ten o’clock each night, two rabbits met on our front lawn:
A pre-determined rendezvous, I’d blink and they were gone…
That’s when
Terry’d shine his flashlight from his window ‘cross the street – I’d
Flash back – we’d write messages, and plan a time to meet
and we’d
Sneak out of our houses, hearts thump-thumping at each creak,
We’d scoop up friends along the way: this wasn’t for the meek…
We’d play charades ‘til 4AM, we never did get caught, then we’d
Sneak back home and sleep ‘til noon: wonder what
our parents thought
The wild-flower field near Terry’s house, it was my secret place – well,
Jamie, Kate, and Terry knew – but they all gave me space
When fights at home grew too intense, I’d disappear for hours, to
Where tall grass met railroad tracks among the purple flowers
and it was
Terry showed me how the train could smash a penny flat
And Terry gave me his smashed coin; I think I still have that…
There’s Terry sharing secrets as we walk along the track
He must see my eyes shining, though he’ll never like me back
When I was in the 8th grade, my parents separated
I was sworn to secrecy, things were so complicated
But one night Dad returned, I heard them fight behind closed doors,
so I
Called up Terry for advice: he’d been through this before
and it was
Terry Clark who told me, “Your sisters must be scared
Let them know what’s going on, this problem must be shared…
Then all of you, together, go knock on your parents’ door”
So that’s exactly what we did: we crashed their private war
Our dad spoke of divorce, our mother softly cried
While everybody sobbed and hugged, an anger grew inside
I slip unnoticed from the house – that’s old hat for me – and
By the time they miss me I am where I need to be
and it’s
Dad who calls Jamie and Kate, my secret place revealed it’s
They who search with flashlights through the shadows of my field…
But that’s not where they’ll find me, after hours in the dark: I’m
Safe and warm across the street with my friend Terry Clark…
Yes, his mom let me inside, my friends and family in the dark: I’m Sobbing in the arms of Terry Clark…
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5. |
Sorrow (Was a Butterfly)
05:22
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Sorrow (Was a Butterfly)
© 2018, Sue Fink
Sorrow was a butterfly, fluttering ‘round my head
I couldn’t help but wish she’d land on someone else instead…
Well, not really, but I hoped she wouldn’t set her sights on me
No, I preferred to watch her fly and hope that I’d stay free
And hope that I’d stay free
Sorrow, you’re so beautiful
With wings of blue and gold
But looks deceive, for pain you leave
Or so I have been told
Or so I have been told
"Yes, my wings are soft as ash
And many a head I turn
But when I rest upon your breast
Right through your heart I’ll burn
Right through your heart I’ll burn"
Sorrow, if this is my time, for how long will you stay?
"When I land, I’ll be at hand until I go away
It might be hours, might be days, sometimes I do stay years
From moon through sun, until I’m done I’ll bathe you with my tears
I’ll bathe you with my tears"
Sorrow, I will not stay still, you cannot land on me
"– Then I shall come while you’re asleep, you’ll wake and there I’ll be"
Sorrow, I will hide from you until you fly away
"– Then you will leave your life unlived, that’s a high price to pay,
Too high a price to pay…"
Then Sorrow sang, "Cheer up my friend, it’s someone else I seek"
But as she left, she let her wing just lightly graze my cheek
And for that moment how I wept, as Sorrow took her toll
All colors bled into a gray that crept into my soul
Gray crept into my soul
Oooooh….
But soon as she was gone from sight
The sun returned to shine
"Enjoy what you still have," it said
"Enjoy while you’ve still time
Enjoy while you’ve still… time"
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6. |
Secret Keeper
04:02
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Secret Keeper
© 2018, Sue Fink
You say you’ve got a secret
It’s weighing you down
You feel your feet are made of lead
You can hardly walk around
You wanna shout it from the rooftops
Lay the whole thing bare
Or put a message in a bottle
But you do not dare…
[Chorus]
Honey you can tell me, it’ll go no farther
Share your burden with me, I’ll be your secret partner, and
No one else will see, no one else will know
I’ll stow it with the others – nothing will show ’Cause
I’m the secret keeper, I’m the secret keeper…
I know everybody’s secrets
They’ve been telling me for years…
People tend to show me
What’s not reflected in their mirrors
I’m so loaded up with stories that I’ve
Sworn I’ll never tell
Like a water balloon, caught in a monsoon,
I just swell and swell… and swell… and SWELL but:
Honey you can tell me, it’ll go no farther
Share your burden with me, I’ll be your secret partner, and
No one else will see, no one else will know
I’ll stow it with the others – nothing will show ’Cause
I’m the secret keeper, I’m the secret keeper…
And if you care to ask:
I’ve got secrets of my own
Buried right next to yours
I keep them close to the bone
Watch them glitter in the dark
All the beauty and the scars
Some day the dam’s gonna burst
Sure hope that no one gets hurt
When I publish my memoirs… But, ’til then,
Honey you can tell me, it’ll go no farther
Share your burden with me, I’ll be your secret partner
No one else will see, no one else will know
I’ll stow it with the others – like Edgar Allen Poe [tic, tock, tic, tock] ’Cause
I’m the secret keeper, I’m the secret keeper,
I’m the secret keeper, I’m the secret keeper
Na na na na na…
Do you wanna know a secret?
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7. |
Horiscopically Speaking
04:34
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Horiscopically Speaking
© 2018, Sue Fink
Horiscopically speaking, their relationship was doomed from the start
He was a Gemini, she was a Cancer
Love the elixir, youth the enhancer
Now he’s filed away under “B” for “Broken Heart”
She remembers that night, they were jostled on a crowded street
Drunks streaming out of the loud college bars, he scooped her
Up like a baby, his eyes shone like stars, and he said,
“See? I just literally swept you off of your feet”
And oh, in his arms, she was lighter than air
Her head on his chest, and he breathed in her hair
The crowds disappeared, so he put her back down
They walked side by side, they walked on and on
They spoke not a word, and night turned to dawn… Oh…
She remembers how everyone just knew that they were a “thing”
They’d meet in the Quad, when they finished their classes
Intending to study, but their books in the grasses
They kissed as magnolia blossoms dropped in late spring
And oh, how she nestled, so safe at his side
Wrapped arm in arm, they swayed like the tide
They’d walk through the cemetery late at night
The soft summer winds, the moon shining bright
Death at their feet, the geese wild with flight… Oh…
Now it’s decades later, it’s the Twenty-First Century
How had it ended, does she even remember?
A misunderstanding late that December
And it couldn’t be fixed, so they went their ways, separately
Now she hears that he’s married, a wife and three kids in L.A.
Hears that he works for a large corporation,
He went to Aruba on a month-long vacation
She wishes him well, not much more she can say
But oh, how she’d wept on that long-ago night
When good-bye seemed unreal after some silly fight
She thought things would turn, she thought he’d come back
But the wild geese had flown and the sky was all black
And the days turned to years, and life had gone on
Now she holds an old letter from a far-away dawn… Oh…
Horiscopically speaking, their relationship was doomed from the start
He was a Gemini, she was a Cancer
Love the elixir, youth the enhancer
Now he’s filed away under “B” for “Broken Heart”
Yeah, he’s filed away…
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8. |
Serial Bad Dater
03:08
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Serial Bad Dater
© 2018, Sue Fink
Oh, I’m a serial bad dater, all my exes are the same
The only things that differ are their birthdate and their name
If you lined ’em up against the wall you’d marvel at my game
Yeah, I’m a serial bad dater, and all my exes are the same
[Chorus]
Serial… bad dater
Think I’ll win at love sooner or later
But what I really need is a simple twist of fate, or
I will remain… a serial bad dater
I’m like a kid with a prized marble that got lost somewhere down the line
I keep picking up new ones that I think resembled mine
But that original, first marble was lucky maybe just one time…
And now I’ve lost all my marbles, somewhere down the line
[Chorus]
I think somehow I’m still searching for you
You’re long-gone, but I thought our love was true
Maybe what I should do instead, is just date in my head
And save us all a misery or two…
So now it’s a new century, is there any hope for me?
My friends say probably not – without intensive therapy
But who’s that guy across the street, guess I’d better go and see
’Cause this time might be different! … is there any hope for me [everybody!]
[Chorus]
What I really need is a simple twist of fate, or
I will remain… a serial bad dater… yeah, yeah!
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9. |
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Forget-Me-Not (Ruth’s Song)
© 2018, Sue Fink
You should have seen me in my prime –
Rooted firmly to this earth
Still, how I swayed, I always knew
How to use the breeze to my advantage!
The rain brought me to my knees
The sun warmed my many faces
I was the blossom of my youth
My life was always intertwined
With others of my kind, my varied friends
I never thought those days would end
Never questioned carefree living as my due
Now here I stand so tall and blue,
Cut to the quick, here in plain view
For all you strangers to review
Do I differ from the others?
So many ways we seem the same
And though we’re crowded in this room
Our lives cut short, yet still in bloom
Ah, the tales that each of us could tell
And in some tiny, crucial way
– Our soil, the elements we faced –
The memory of one glorious place
That even time cannot erase
Our stories make us who we are today
Will it be you who takes me home?
Will you place me for your pleasure
I’ll measure my remaining days
In drops of water, stolen sunlight
I will give you my best stab
At beauty, wit and grace
My final burst of splendor
Anything for one last admirer
Someone to praise my velvet blossoms
that glow like dark stars still
And when finally I wither
You know that day is coming soon
Someone to grieve upon my passing
Yes – but in whose memory
My fragrance lingers always
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10. |
The Sisters DuBois
05:26
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The Sisters DuBois
© 2018, Sue Fink
Blanche lights a candle and sits near the window
Drinks Southern Comfort and sighs with the breeze
Thinks of her sister, it’s years since she’s seen her
Poises her pen to recall memories
Stella, my sister, she writes on parched paper
Stella where are you, my Stella for Stars
Belle Reve is slipping like sand through my fingers
Fading like low notes from Spanish guitars
But remember that one time, it seemed just like magic
Shep Huntleigh and me, you and your beau
Walking through night grass, the columns behind us
Dawn still far off as the caw of the crow
And we danced all the dances, we danced without music
Laughter and stories, we flew ever higher
We smoked our cigarettes, the boys sang us a duet:
“To the Sisters DuBois, to this night… to desire”
Meanwhile in New Orleans, Stella is busy
Preparing to marry, there’s so much to do
Thinks of her sister, there’s so much to tell her
And Stanley Kowalski… if Blanche only knew
Life here is different, no tea and fine china, no
Columns to cling to, no death in the air
And Blanche, you might like it, I think you should visit
Take yourself out from that gloom and despair
Just then, “Hey, Stella!” – It’s Stanley come over
Stella jumps up and her thoughts disappear
She had not the time to commit them to paper
So they’re gone, like the wind, like an ash in the air
Letters not sent, words left unwritten
Still, there’s a bond that will not be erased
No time or change of plans, no place or circumstance
Thoughts fly through air, and two sisters embrace
And they think of that one time, it seemed just like magic
Blanche and Shep Huntleigh, Stell and her beau
Walking through night grass, they heard crickets singing
Dawn as far off as the caw of a crow
They danced all the dances, they danced without music
Laughing and drinking, they flew ever higher
Arms ‘round each other, what were those boys singing?
“To the Sisters DuBois, to this night… to desire”
“To the Sisters DuBois, to this night… to desire”
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11. |
It's Over
03:36
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It's Over
© 2018, Sue Fink
It’s over it’s true
Strange that I’m not feeling more blue
It’s over today
And now I’m free to be on my way
I can’t believe I’m feelin’ no pain
I guess sometimes it’s good to be out in the rain again
I told you times before
You and me, we could be so much more
You heard me this I know
Still nothing’s changed, and so I decided to go
I can’t believe I’m feelin’ no pain
I guess sometimes it’s good to be out in the rain again again
How many times can time repeat – or stand still
Listen to the broken call of the whippoorwill (the whippoorwill) and
It’s time to heed his harkening cry
I close my eyes, and breathe in the night’s cool sigh…
It’s over full moon
I feel my heart start to form a new tune
It’s over so so long
No need to trouble yourself over what went wrong and
I can’t believe I’m feelin’ no pain
I guess sometimes it’s good to be out in the rain again again
again again …
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12. |
Tesseract
04:59
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Tesseract
© 2018, Sue Fink
Oooh oooh oooh…
I was the girl on the back of the school bus,
Reading Ms. Madeleine L’Engle
Trying to figure out how I could Tesseract
Out of my life’s messy tangle
Where home was a war zone, we fought loud and free
When things got too tense, they could always blame me…
– Tesseract over the land and the sea –
To some place where I wouldn’t strangle
Oooh oooh oooh…
Crazy teenager, a screamer and rager
Container of anger and sorrow
Behind the White Hen, smokin’ my cigarettes, which
Somehow I’d beg or I’d ‘borrow’
Ignoring my mother, she didn’t hold sway
My sisters, they tried, but I pushed them away…
Still: I had friends, and to them I could say things –
I prayed for a better tomorrow
Everything has brought me here…
Oooh oooh oooh…
I was the woman who couldn’t trust love
To me it seemed only illusion
Hurt and betrayal the things I knew best, so:
A wall seemed the safest solution
Love in my heart a defective balloon, it would
Burst into pieces just moments too soon…
Still, there was sweetness, I tasted the spoon –
Then wrote all about my confusion
Oooh oooh oooh…
Yes, I did Tesseract far from those hard times:
I look back at them now with wonder
Each heartache morphed into some kind of treasure –
A chest full of them I now plunder
Sifting through memories that once caused me pain
Washed clean by time and the soft summer rain…
And all these years later, I find the refrain, as the
Wheels roll with gravelly thunder
Everything has brought me here…
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13. |
Winter Flower
03:43
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Winter Flower
© 2018, Sue Fink
A fragile flower blooms in the snow
Against the strongest odds
Through sparkling white, red petals show
And sing to unseen gods:
O silent night, O single star
Send your signal from afar
Does this plea reach where you are
A night owl blinks and nods
Does the little flower wonder
Why it’s now awake
Too cold for rain or even thunder:
Is this some mistake
O stillness be, O moon so bright
Cast your beacon through the night
Illuminate what is, what might be
… Shine for my sake
[Musical Break]
That I should be the one to find
You here is no surprise
For I, the night owl, am not blind
Nor deaf to heaven’s cries
O fleeting flower, O fluttering heart
With trembling wings I play my part…
Let never be too late to start
To reach up towards the skies
To bloom, to beat, to rise…
To bloom… to beat… to rise…
Rise… rise…
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Sue Fink Chicago, Illinois
Chicago-based singer-songwriter Sue Fink enchants audiences with her whimsical perspective on the world. Her genre, “urban campfire cabaret,” is folk with a hint of jazz, a large dollop of humor, and a drop of sadness for good measure: think Christine Lavin, with a dash of Rickie Lee Jones, Melanie, and Nellie McKay. ... more
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