Clymer & Kurtz

A Little More Apart
© 2021 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

Am I in a crowd
I can’t hear a word you’re saying
You’re so loud
Am I upside down
I can’t read your face
Smile or frown

Every go at getting nearer
We get a little more apart
I don’t hear you calling
When I try to hold you closer
I still can’t feel your heart
I can’t hear you calling my name

Am I alone
Though I’m right beside you
I’m not at home
How have we changed
Our familiar landscapes
Seem strange

Maybe it’s just me
Or maybe we’re both jaded
Where’s this gonna lead
Maybe our map’s outdated
Nowhere left to turn
straight ahead’s a dead end
Here we are once again

Again
© 2020 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

If I had a bottle
For all the tears I’ve cried
I’d pour it out for you, love
A river dark and wide
I’d swim the chilly water
And walk the lonely sand
I’d do it all for you, love
To hear your voice again

If I had a silver dollar
For every sad goodbye
I’d buy the world for you, love
The ocean, the sky
I’d search the deepest canyon
The snowy peaks, and then
I’d bring it all to you, love
To see your face again

If I had another lifetime
Another night, another day
I’d spend it all with you, love
And never go away
I’d cherish every moment
And hold you till the end
I’d give eternity, love
To feel your arms again

As Is
© 2024 Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

Rusty floorboards, worn-out tires
We could reach the moon with all these miles
Broken tail light, no radio
But it runs and it’s for sale
As is

Muddy driveway, moonlit trees
Shingles missing in the country breeze
We could color these walls our own
Let’s move in, call it home
As is

I was listening in the waiting room
To an old man in line for the doctor’s news
Doing his best to stay afloat
What he said could pass for hope

He said, “Looking back I couldn’t ask for better
So many angels leading me back home
The Lord’s allowed my two feet on the floor
And good songs on the radio
It’s amazing
I’m getting by”
As is

Night fades, we make our bed
Smooth the covers for the day ahead
We prefer things sewn up clean
Not pieces of random reckoning
But just like a crazy quilt
As is is how we’ve built

This is how we shoot for the moon
Run these floorboards
into the muddy ground
These walls don’t make a home
But we do, in stereo
It’s crazy
But we’re getting by
As is

Bluestone Farmhouse
© 2024 by Maria and Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

My bluestone farmhouse stands on a hill
White pillars gleam in the sun
An orchard, a meadow, a garden to till
I’m a lucky one

My grandma’s grandma is buried here
Generations have loved our home
This million dollar view, the Shenandoah
We’ve called it our own

How long have I loved you, Virginia
As long as your ridges are blue
But you’ll never be mine
since before there was time
Your people already loved you

My children dug up a broken bowl
Under the apple trees
Beads and buttons, an arrowhead
“Mama, whose treasures are these?”

Bear Mountain powwow
My own sacred quest
Watching the dancers’ ancient steps
I felt the drumbeat in my chest
And I knew I will always be a guest

Page after page, the history books
Are filled with faces like mine
While thousands and thousands of years are untold
Written off in a single line

No you’ll never be mine
since before there was time
Your people have always loved you

Brighter
© 2020 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

Come on in, there’s still room
Pull a seat up by the fire
Put your feet up, my friend
You’re looking beat up, mighty tired

Here’s a place where we can sit and rest a while
We’ve all been turned away but we can stay tonight
And as the hours pass the day grows brighter
As the years go past the days grow brighter

Take a look around the room
Leave your disguise at the door
Look in the eyes of someone new
You’ll realize we’re like you

So maybe somebody will think we are crazy
Come closer, sing louder, holding hands together

Closer to Glory
© 2006 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

He’s made it three days and it’s been hell, but he’s one step closer to glory
Pull back the curtains, trembling hands pour another cup of coffee
If he can make it through today maybe he’ll drink tomorrow
With every second on the clock he’s finding time hard to borrow

He put the bottle on the stand, told God that in the morning
If the bottle was shattered on the floor, he’d take it as a warning
First light of day it’s still there, only now it’s empty
No worries, God, it’s another day

The folks he met three days ago told him, “Just don’t buy it, stupid”
To his surprise, eight meetings later, he’s starting to feel lucid
He makes a call to his ex-wife, drops off his wallet and his keys
He says, “I’m going to do this right. I’ll soon be coming back for these”

He could not go to sleep at night
Without the whiskey by his bed he’s quaking
Now he’s waking, so much breaking
Fever, darkness, light

Purple pumps and black dress shoes, Sunday company that he knew
Now shaking hands and meeting eyes, he tells the preacher, “Good to see you”
The money owed to his ex-wife, she goes to court, forgives it all
Each Friday night he’s with his boys at the coffee shop down by the mall

He put the bottle in the trash, told God that in the morning
If the bottle was standing by his bed, he’d take it as a warning
First light of day it’s still there, from what he remembers
No worries, God, it’s another day

Crossing the Bar
© 2015 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
(“Crossing the Bar” by Alfred Lord Tennyson)
EP: Clymer & Kurtz

Write on the wall something beautiful
Write something big when you feel small
Write on the wall something beautiful
To help you stand strong

“Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.”

“Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.”

Write on the wall, you are beautiful
You are weak, you are beautiful
You are strong, you are beautiful
Write on the wall, “I am beautiful”

Evening Will Come
© 2023 by Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

Moonlight’s tangled in your hair
While you sleep I fondly stare
And search for poems in the air
To catch with pen and paper

I’m scribbling in the dim sunrise
A song to help me memorize
The way you kiss me with your eyes
And light me like a candle

We toasted youth, we tasted tears
The honeyed hours, the hungry years
You’re still the only one who hears
The music of my heartbeat

All I hear is my name on your tongue
All I see is your face when we were young
All I know is evening will come
Evening will come

We never felt a warmer sun
We spent our moments one by one
We still can’t see the hourglass run
But we can feel it pouring

Sunlight’s pressing like a kiss
The shimmer of elusive bliss
If only we could capture this
And crystalize the future

I want to start the clock again
To have and hold you now and then
I’d take you to the rainbow’s end
And stop the setting sun

We cannot see around that bend
The midnight call, the long descent
Oh baby, can we still pretend
Our day will never end

Shadows crawl across the lawn
My ink and paper almost done
How will I sing when you are gone
Cold stars my only lantern

Every Inch, Every Mile
© 2024 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

I bought you that diamond ring right after we met
(Day three of our puppy love you were ready to commit)
Ever since we said I do it’s a lifetime do-si-do
The world’s a stage, we’re dancing across it, every inch, every mile with you

We’re in it for the long haul and we’re not counting the days
But some days forever feels like forever

When I want a yes or no, you throw me a book
(I’m a maze of scenic roads) when I just need the shortest route
Talk is cheap, my time is expensive, but I’m paying my dues
Cause honey, I love the sound of your voice, and every inch is a mile with you

When I want to waltz with you, want to wrap you in my arms
(Dissolve into my touch) You could melt me with your charms
But you fire off a bulletin (here’s all the latest emotional news)
No reader’s digest, no CliffsNotes, every inch is a mile with you

These wedding bands have graced our hands for twenty-odd years
Who’s that looking back in the mirror, laughing through their tears
We two-step through exasperation, the crazy things we do
That ring goes around, goes around, goes around, every inch, every mile with you

Everybody’s Looking
© 2016/20 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

Everybody’s looking for something
How about you

Maybe you’re looking for something
I am, too

Don’t be a stranger
Come take my hand
Dance with me now

I wake up looking for sunshine
To sing the blues away
Do you wait all night for the sunrise
Uncloudy day

Don’t be a stranger
Come take my hand
Dance with me now
Like it’s your only chance

Look at the storm clouds, Look at the rain
But remember the sunlight, remember the way
Things look in the morning, the blue of the sky
And sing it through the night

Hold my hand, let’s dance
It’s how we take a stand
Nothing’s going to keep us down
Not right now

Fly on the Wall
© 2023 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
EP: What If You Knew

I’ve been a fly on the wall
I’d find a corner
Stand back to watch
But there’s something deep in me
That won’t be quiet
That I need to sing

Are you a fly on the wall
Do you find a corner
Stand back to watch
Are you dreaming something new
That calls for courage
That pulls you through

What do you do with a waiting dream
Locked inside, unheard, unseen
What do you do with a waiting dream
A whisper or a rising scream
What do you do with a waiting dream
What will it take to set it free

I’ve been a fly on the wall
Do you, too, stand back to watch
What dream is waiting to be heard and seen
What dreams are waiting to be heard and seen

For A While
© 2023 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

Oh my love, I’ve been wishing you’d stop by
We’d walk down to the river side by side
Find some quiet shade, while away the afternoon
And once again believe we have forever

It’s cold and I feel so alone
I listen for your footsteps bringing you home
I wish you’d come and stay with me a while
Days float by like memories, sweet by and by, by and by

I’m a shadow sending ripples through the night
I reach out but you’re not by my side
What I would give to touch your face again
Like I did before we knew about forever

It’s cold and I feel so alone
If the footsteps of angels could carry me home
I would come to you and stay a while
The water’s deep with memories, sweet by and by, by and by

If I could see you through these rivers in my eyes
And the six feet between eternity and warmer times
I can almost see you through these rivers in my eyes
But there are six feet between eternity and warmer times

It’s cold and I feel so alone
On the other side without you, far away from home
Wish I could cross and hold you for a while
If a while is forever, sweet by and by, by and by

Going Nowhere
© 2018 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

I thought it was Monday
Turns out it was Sunday
What was I going to do
I got another day to spend with you
No mail in the mailbox
No smiling top-down face of a boss
Just a little sunshine
And a lot of you on my mind

Cup of coffee, butter toast in bed
Sunny window, singing in my head
No reason to stir that blurry hurry
I’m going nowhere

I must have left the clock on
Ring-a-ling of the alarm
Waking me up before dawn
Yelling at me to be gone
It took a pillow to my face
And just a second to change my pace
What was I going to do
I got another day to spend with you

Sunday fever in the afternoon
Counting down to normal all too soon
No reason to stir that blurry hurry
I’m going nowhere

Golden Sort of Blue
© 2019 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

There’s a golden sort of blue
Leaves against the sky
Summer falls to you
Autumn sunlight

Let the everyday float away on the breeze
Swirl into the sky, fall away like leaves

Rest my back against the ground
Breezes like a sigh
Gone before, come around
Autumn sunlight

Spread my arms, take it in
Lying low, flying high
Give me peace, give me wings
Autumn sunlight

Summer falls to you
Golden sunlight
Autumn sunlight

Hazy Mirror
© 2015/21/22 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

I don’t know where to go from here
Time has told and the end is near
The bright horizon’s looking like a hazy mirror
Things I thought I’d figured out are not so clear

Lofty dreams, castles in the sky
Some folks give their all to try
To make that crystal ball come true like make believe
Imagine they have what it takes for anything

I don’t know where I thought I’d be
But everything seems out of reach
The sun won’t shine forever, so they say
And my vision’s getting dimmer day by day

Hear It Sing
© 2023 by Maria and Christopher Clymer Kurtz
EP: What If You Knew

In my heart where no one goes
There’s a tiny feathered thing
In the quiet of the night
I can almost hear it sing

Wild geese fly above the clouds
I’m stranded here below
Wind is blowing where it will
Shield my eyes, watch them go

I’d be soaring on the wind
If I had a pair of wings
Over woods and frozen fields
I could see everything

A hundred sparrows greet the sun
Rain gathers in the west
Green is sprouting by my toes
First flower’s always best

Lilies blooming on the hill
In the meadow swallows feed
Watch them rise, watch them fall
Finding what they need

In my heart where no one goes
There’s a tiny feathered thing
In the quiet of the night
I can almost hear it sing

I’m Going Home
© 2023 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz, Julie Durbin, Bel Klingensmith, and Michael Shelata
ALBUM: Edges
VIDEO

I’m going home, back to my family
It’s been so long, I’m going home

I’ve been okay with unfamiliar
Mountain winds, desert soil
My suitcase bears the marks of travel
Scuffed and worn, I’m going home

Toss these hotel linens, leave these no-place chains
Give me sunshine through the pines
Ditch this roadside living, dusty remains

Back home, what ties are broken?
What fires burn back home?

So take me home, back to my family
I surrender, I’m going home

Invincible
© 2013/18 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

You never think that you are wrong
That little voice is long gone
If someone disagrees, charge on
Self doubt once fought you, but you won

You are invincible
You’ll never play the fool
Collected, calm, and cool
For now

Others melt away, exposed
Shaky ground beneath your pose
Stockade of timbers that could fall
Now raise your fists against the wall

Danger won’t laugh at you
And hustlers pay their dues
Time will wait in queue
You are invincible
You’re not invisible for now

Invocation (Light a Candle)
© 2021 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

I’ve got no place to go today
Nothing to buy, no need to say
A prayer or anything else
Light a candle

Rockets reach beyond the sky
Forests up in wildfire
Save a dollar, earn a dime
Every cent that’s spent is burning time

Every moment a shooting star
Fleeting as the dawn
Every day an invocation
Here, and then we’re gone

You’ve got a list, got a mission, gotta know
Lifetime spent away from home
Don’t wanna knock what gets things done
But the place I’m free is with the one I love

A temple made of wood and gold
Can’t take me home when I am old
A morning song, an evening hymn
We blaze and scatter sparks and dim forever

Jagged Edges
© 2024 by Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

I have cut you many ways
Jagged edges, broken days
Now I need another start
I’m here knocking
Knocking at your heart

What if for twenty-four hours
I’d channel my powers
I’d be a gentle rain or
The softest dove
No more barbed remarks
Crossed arms, shooting darts
I’d bend my head to your heart
And lay my weapons down

This morning over lemon tea
You listened patiently
I’d twisted your words
One more time
You passed me a steaming cup
I drank it up
Angry words dissolved like sugar
I could look you in the eye

Forgive me, forgive me
Don’t close the door
Ooh, love me
Down to my core

Let’s make a room, clean and bare
I’ll meet you there
Move and breathe with me
We’ll grow wise together
Between the lines, beneath the scars,
The silence, the story’s ours
Let my words be far and few
A stitch in time

I have cut you many ways
Jagged edges, broken days
How I need another start
So I’m here knocking
I’m here knocking
Yeah I’m knocking
I’m still knocking
Knocking at your heart

Keep Me Around
© 2018/21 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

Looks like you’ve got it all under control
You don’t need me around here anymore
I thought things were good while they lasted
But I guess you wouldn’t call it fantastic

Isn’t any wagon wheel to keep me around
I’m just an old-time tenor with an old-time sound
There were days I thought I was hot stuff
Ran that line until I ran out of luck
Isn’t any wagon wheel to keep me around

Doesn’t take much new to make me feel old
Now you’re giving me a timepiece covered in gold
Out with yesterday in a heat wave
So long, you can dig your own grave

You’ve got it all under control
I gave it everything

Like a Ballad
© 2015/21 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

Like a ballad with no melody
A fragment of a memory
A garden lying fallow, waiting to be sown
Like a manuscript stuffed away
Or sleeping through a sunny day
Fishing line left tangled at the creek last summer

I picked him up on 81
A dusty summer afternoon
He asked me for a dollar
I lied that I had none
We didn’t talk for quite a while
Watching signs, marking miles
He shook his head
Told me he was far from home

I pulled up to the corner store
Just as she came out the door
With a pair of tickets
Desperation made her sure
No dice, back in for more
Another chance to beat the score
I watched while I was pumping gas
Maybe this would be the one

He kept his face behind his sign
“Need food” hiding his eyes
Red apple by my seat
But the light turned green
The car behind me wouldn’t wait
So I sped onto the interstate
Took a bite and hit the road
Pedal to the floor

Like a gambler or a wanderer
So many lessons left to learn
Always searching for that perfect hand
So much broken
So much burned

Little Boy Gone
© 2015 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
EP: Clymer & Kurtz

Where’re you going, little boy, where’re you going
Where’re you going, little boy, gone

Rain keeps falling, little boy
Pathway’s muddy, little boy
Puddles splashing, little boy
Sun keeps shining, little boy

Bells need ringing, little boy
Songs need singing, little boy
Hills need climbing, little boy
Sun keeps shining, little boy

Here’s your bag, your shoes
While your skies are blue
Sunshine, higher ground
Call the thunder down

There you go, little boy, there you go
There you go, little boy, gone

Love and Thirst
© 2016/22 by Maria and Christopher Clymer Kurtz
“That love is all there is” and “Water is taught by thirst” by Emily Dickinson
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

That Love is all there is,
Is all we know of Love;
It is enough, the freight should be
Proportioned to the groove.

Water is taught by thirst;
Land, by the oceans passed;
Transport, by throe;
Peace, by its battles told;
Love, by memorial mould;
Birds, by the snow.

Love Is the Way
© 2024 by Maria and Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

This is the way we build a home
Follow blueprints in our heads
Hauling stones from the riverbed
Cut the boards, drive the nails
And go with our gut if all else fails
Love is the way we build a home

Love is the way we bake the bread
Mix and knead, then we wait
Let it rise, watch it bake
Crumb is tender, crust is tough
Butter, jam, can’t get enough
Love is the way we bake the bread

When all we have to show for this
Are aching backs and a goodnight kiss
We wonder how we’ll ever make it through
Here beneath the silver stars
In the circle of your arms
I’ll rest easy with you

Love is the way we work the land
Plow the row, scatter seeds
Every day we’re fighting weeds
Dream of harvest if we dare
Vegetables enough to share
Love is the way we work the land

Even if the bread won’t rise
And home is far from paradise
The garden’s overflowing with weeds
We’ve still got this wild life
Come on babe, let’s start tonight
Loving all the way into our dreams

Love is a lonely row to hoe
Plant the last seed through our tears
And hope come spring it reappears
Place a stone with trembling hands
And wonder whether it’ll stand
Add the salt, stir it well
Beat my heart like a dinner bell

Love is the way we work the land
Love is the way we bake the bread
Love is the way we build a home

When all we have to show for this
Are aching backs and a goodnight kiss
Starry skies bursting at the seams
This is our wild life
Come on babe, let’s start tonight
Loving all the way into our dreams

Midsummer Lullaby
© 2008 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

Sleep little darling, good night my love
Sleep, now close your eyes
The moon and the stars are a-sailing above
Dream of the deep blue skies

The rain on the rooftop is playing a tune
The wind in the pine hums along
The swallows cover their young with their wings
And dream to the whippoorwill’s song

The foxes yawn and slip out of their dens
The frogs settle under the leaves
The meadow is flashing with fireflies
The fish are asleep in the stream

Money Honey
© 2017/20 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
Inspired by Carl Sandburg’s “I Love You”
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

I don’t love you for your money, honey
Cause you don’t have any
You’re short on money, honey
No, I don’t love you for your sugar, honey
Cause you don’t have any
You’re short on sugar, honey

I love you as you are
and I’ll love you more and more
for everything you’re going to be

I see your weaknesses, I see your ideals
Know all your secrets, yes, and I feel your fears
You’re a rose bud about to hazard ecstasy
You’re blooming

I love you as you are
and I’ll love you more and more
for everything you’re going to be
What you are now may not be
The same tomorrow – As for me
I’m on this ride with you and so I love you

You’re the best kind of novel: fact, fiction, truth
Not yet fully written but as good as proof
We believe in you and me
We’re more than money, honey

Music Is My Journey
© 2024 Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

If I’ve got superpowers, it’s only in my dreams
Rockets on my magic carpet to explore the galaxies
I love wildflowers, sunshine on my face
If I’m riding on contentment, will I find resting place

The open road wasn’t mine to follow and I don’t like to fly
I don’t know my destination, but I don’t question peace of mind
And if I get to heaven, I bet I won’t be alone
As one who didn’t travel but still found my way home

All you angels raise your voices, ring those celestial bells
Play the tunes that keep us spinning on this earthly carousel
A universe of rhythm, poetry in flight
If music’s my adventure, I’m taking off tonight
Yeah, music is my journey, and I’m at home tonight

Nobody Knows
© 2024 by Maria and Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

At dawn my heirloom garden is lush and serene
I smile and fill a basket with tender greens
Tonight I’ll raise a glass to the fruit of my hands
A family feast from the bounty of our land

Dusting dirt from my fingers, I throw a glance
At the crumbling hut across the fence
Who lived in that hovel, scraping bits from the bowl
Whose garden did she sow

Did she sometimes feel like a motherless child
So far, so far from home
Did she sometimes feel like a motherless child
So far, so far away from home

Up in the mansion, did she make the silver shine
While southern ladies and their children dined
Did she water their flowers with her sweat and tears
Aching for her babies who’d disappeared

Did she sometimes feel like a motherless child
Where are her babies, where are those ladies
Did she sometimes feel like a motherless child
Where are her babies, where have those ladies gone

Nobody knows the trouble she’s seen
Nobody knows her sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble she’s seen
Nobody knows, nobody knows her sorrow

In my garden, or in high heels
I’m good, I know how freedom feels
It runs in my blood, I wear it like my skin
No matter what part of town I’m in
In a hoodie, or in high heels
I’m good, I know how freedom feels
In the land of the lucky, the free and the fair
I get to decide if I care

Did she sometimes feel like a motherless child
So far, so far from home
Yesterday, tomorrow
Nobody knows, nobody knows her sorrow

Nothing You Can Do
© 2023 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
EP: What If You Knew

There’s nothing
There’s nothing
There’s nothing you can do
to make me stop loving you

I carried you
In my heart I still do
So there’s nothing you can do

You carried me
In your heart you still do
And there’s nothing I could do
Now I will carry you

There’s nothing you can do
There’s nothing you can be
There’s nothing you can do
to make me stop loving you

Original You
© 2021 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Keep Me Around

There may be millions of people who feel
Just like you, ordinary

You’re standing in the doorway, wind blowing in
A lightning bolt in the thunder and rain
Cutting through dark clouds in the sky
Feet on the ground, you’re ready to fly

There may be millions of people who feel
Just like you, ordinary, no big deal
But you’re the original you
Every single day is new

Feed the monster lurking under your bed
Free the dragon breathing fire in your head
Get to know the ghosts inside
Your shadows don’t have to hide

It’s a matter of faith, it’s a leap of flesh and bone
When you take to your wings
you’re never on your own

Ride to Way Back When
© 2024 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Edges

It’s one a.m. and my soul needs an alibi
Yesterdays are knocking on my door
Unanswered calls and missed connections
Lines nobody’s taking anymore

Come back, come back, do it over
Here’s your ticket, climb aboard
If history would call out my name
I’d take that ride and try again

I left it all behind me on the platform
Who needs a hometown anyway
No return and just what I could carry
I could change my mind some other day

Train whistles blow in the distance
I turn out my light, try to sleep
Regrets keep vigil in the silence
As I retrace my memories

But history’s not calling out my name
With another ride to way back when

Searching High and Low
© 2021 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
EP: Coffee & Cake

The wind blows cold against my face as I walk down the road
Like it doesn’t like the look of where I’m going
Bittersweet the memories, faces back at home
The brittle sunset beckons me to roam

Now I’m climbing hills and searching high and low
What I’m looking for is what I’d like to know

Drivers swerve to give the shoulder space for me
Their speeding cars only know to go where they are told
They’ve got a destination, I’ve got the evening sky
I’m just a nameless face they’re passing by

And I’m climbing hills and searching high and low
Wishing for a sidewalk, but it’s a country road

Didn’t pack a bag to keep me going for the distance
That’s required to find some quiet in my mind
Maybe ‘round the next bend in the road just up ahead
I’ll retrace my steps and walk back home instead

Still I’m climbing hills and searching high and low (high and low)
What I’m looking for is what I’d like to know
Still I’m climbing hills and searching high and low (high and low)
Wishing for a sidewalk, but it’s a country road

Shadows in an Empty Room
© 2021 by Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz
EP: Coffee & Cake

When there’s nothing left to say
No more words to pray
What will you do?
What will you do?

When there’s no one left to hold
No memories console
What will you do?
What will you do with you?

Two a.m., you’re not sleeping
Want to cry but you’re not weeping
You’re staring down the moon
Bridges burned in silhouette
Moments missed, nothing left
But shadows in an empty room

When there’s nothing left at home
And there’s nowhere else to go
What will you do?
What will you do with you?

Two a.m., you’re not sleeping
Want to cry but you’re not weeping
You’re staring down the moon
Bridges burned in silhouette
Moments missed, nothing left
But shadows in an empty room

You’re staring down the moon
In an empty room

She Got Him
© 2015 by Christopher Clymer Kurtz
ALBUM: Here Comes the Moon

She sings her songs to Jesus
He sings his songs for her
He’d rather cuddle up on Sundays
But she wakes him up for church
She wished bad for a man with her daddy’s hands
Folded at the supper table

She got him, and he’s no saint
She got him, he gives her everything that he can
And they both understand

Front row, she’s singing praises
He sneaks a peek, amazing graces
She bows her head, he dreams of daisies
A little touch tells her he’s crazy
She wished bad for a preacher man, good Samaritan
What she got is a big fan

Saving grace, they get to live it
Taking turns having to give it
Old rugged tunes from the hymnal
Cut a rug to the stereo
He thanks his lucky stars, she says a dinner prayer
They’re both happy to be there

She’s got him, and he’s no saint
She’s got him, he gives her everything that he can
And they both understand

Whispering pine trees, chuckling cool streams
Harmonies
Little melodies to catch
From the front porch in the breeze

Simple things, simple pleasures
Too complex to measure
Smooth out those ruffled feathers
Run so fast, when you fall, you fly
Straight home to a lullaby

Bread in the toaster, tea on a coaster
Like it black, no cream
Music in the air you breathe
The mystery of steam

And morning comes, you fly away
It’s what you live for ‘til the end of every day

Take a deep breath on a big sea swim well
Let your own spark fly

Sinking ship – you’d better swim well
The first splash is a tough sell
Ride the waves or fight to win
Take a deep breath, you’re going in

The same old same old takes a toll
Hard times are the best time for rock and roll
Spring a dive, turn a flip
Ripple in the sunshine, and tumble in

You took the myth to heart
Life a straight jacket, following a chart
The winner’s always the tide
Day after day after day from nine to five

Fire in the cabin – whatcha gonna do?
Water on deck is the end of you
One second, last chance, gotta get away
Let your own spark fly in the light of day

I don’t need an alarm clock, my cold feet hit the floor
Three hungry kids pounding on the bedroom door
Laundry’s waiting in the hall, piled high
Another day at my house, number sixty fifty-five

Here’s a song about the everyday, for all of us at home
‘Cause even with a full house we can feel alone
The list to do is way too long even when we try
What’s your number? Mine’s sixty fifty-five

I see people cruising into town to shake the daily grind
A minivan and groceries are my sort-of-a-good time
Revolutions in the news – I hung laundry out to dry
Another day at my house, sixty fifty-five

Spaghetti’s boiling over, the laundry’s still not put away
Look around the table, these must be good days

Tuck the kids into bed with a book, kiss them goodnight
Sneak a bowl of corn flakes on the porch in the moonlight
I could be dancing but sleep is keeping me alive
Another day at my house, sixty fifty-five

Everybody says you are wise
If you’re out of bed before the sunrise
Mama’s calling, rise and shine
Every day a surprise

Everybody says you are wise
If you make hay in the sunshine
Take that door to the outside
Every minute counts in the sunlight

Playing at saving the daylight, get while the getting’s alright
Soak up the sun in the daytime, chasing the dream and a good life
Sooner or later the sun goes down, turn off the lights on the runaround
Savor every second before the sunrise and thank the Lord for the nighttime

Trimming every day like a hemline
Little bit of you like a fine wine
Downright happy in the moonlight
Nighttime never looked so bright

Here comes the moonlight

Here comes the moon

Sometimes you’ve got to stare the devil in the face
Sometimes you’ve got to stare the devil in the face
Sometimes you’ve got to face your devils
Stare them straight in the face

Sometimes you’ve got to look your maker in the face
Sometimes you’ve got to look your maker in the face
Sometimes you’ve got to face your maker
Look him right in the face

You’ve got to roam in the valley
It’s a lonely valley
Narrow and winding
Steep and dark

Sometimes you’ve got to stare yourself in the face
Sometimes you’ve got to stare yourself in the face
Sometimes you’ve got to face yourself
Stare yourself in the face

I’m just a squatter on this acre and three quarters of land
I’m just a rider on this afternoon one-way train
I’ve got a nickel and a hand out
My hand’s out for a friend

A little bit of two-step in your feet
And I’m dancing to your heartbeat
A little bit of dazzle in your eyes
Like a magical sunrise
A little bit, a little bit, a little bit
And I don’t know anything about you
But I’m a little taken

I’m watching the clock ’cause you walk by
Every afternoon at five
On your way home–could be my way home, too
I could be with you
A little bit of song, a little bit of dance (dance)
A little bit of romance
And I’m a little taken (I’m taken)

With you (I’m living in a daydream, living in a dream)
With you (I’m living in a daydream with you)

I’m staying up late tonight
Wishing on a ray of starlight
Maybe you’re up, too, wondering
No ring for fingering
A little bit, a little bit, a little bit
and here I am, hoping you’re lonely, too
And a little taken (like I am)

“Hi, my name is–”
“Have we met before–”
“Oh, I’m sorry”
“Oh never mind”

Then the clock goes off and the day goes on
Cinnamon roll, cup of joe, gotta go (go)
Little drive to the nine-to-five where the best part
Is the little bit of me keeping this alive
And a little bit, a little bit, a little bit
And I don’t know anything about you
But I love being taken (I’m taken)

On the map it’s a 10-inch drive to Texas
So close the wind could blow us there
Let’s leave today and stop for tacos
In a border town café somewhere

Close the book, drop the ball, lock the door, leave it all
Let the landlord scratch his head
Leave the tall grass growing, dirty dishes in the sink
We’re gonna drive instead

Fine days like today, gotta get away
We’re gonna rock the road, we’re gonna roll away
Grab the guitar, jump in the car and let’s drive

Day’s young, I’m free and friendly, I’m looking to make a memory
You’ve got a penny, I’ll give it a toss
Let’s forget the atlas, we’ll take heads or tails
And hope we get lost

Fine days like today, gotta get away
We’re gonna rock the road, we’re gonna roll away
Grab the guitar, jump in the car and let’s drive

Let’s take a stripped-out school bus and make a little home
Hang sky-blue curtains in the windows
Every day a different kind of scenery outside
We’ll see it with new eyes, we’ll see it with new eyes

Fine days like today, gotta get away
We’re gonna rock the road, we’re gonna roll away
Grab the guitar, jump in the car and let’s drive

On the map it’s a 10-inch drive
On the map it’s a 10-inch drive
On the map it’s a 10-inch drive to Texas

Tonight I’ll bring the water
Get on my knees and pour
My hands caress your calloused feet
How could I love you more

You take the bread I offer
You pass the cup around
I dread the drink that comes my way
But love has got me bound

How does this night differ from the rest
Will it change you in the morning
Will you give yourselves to love, nothing less
And gather round the table
Broken and blessed

You thought you really loved me
With one foot out the door
I ate and wept and walked with you
And still you wanted more

Watch with me another hour
This God-forsaken night
Pray that on the other side
We’ll find a bit of light

How does this night differ from the rest
Will it change us in the morning
Will we give ourselves to love, nothing less
And gather round the table
Broken and blessed

No fireworks or shooting stars
No flashy promenade
Cutoff jeans and your smile
Forever if a day

I don’t want a show
I just want to know
I want to know you

No FDA guarantee
No label and no name
There are no rules for this medicine
Coursing through my veins

Bleed your cards
Count me in
And let the game begin
Leave the ace
That’s up your sleeve
Gamble with a grin

Tonight the stars are bright
The cure delights
The cards are right
So give in, give in
Breath easy
Surrender is victory
The victory is giving in
It’s giving in

You never liked the wining, dining life
Lucky for us I love to cook
You gave me a second look
A second look

Were you astonished as I was that lovely night
When you kissed me in the crowd
You showed me your love right out loud
Right out loud

Sometimes you laugh at me ‘til we’re crying
Sometimes we both fall apart

We like the thought of living in our Sunday best
As though two people don’t get dirty
But every other day we get grumpy
We get dirty

The inside you and me is plain to see
Our secrets all above the ground
A hiding place is better found
We’re better found

Sometimes you laugh at me ‘til we’re crying
Sometimes we both fall apart

We work the tangles out and then we start again
We’ll work them out until we’re through
But that’s the beauty, me and you
We won’t be through

I’ve got a ton of steel on my mind today
A feeling deep in my soul
But the beams of steel would melt away
If I only knew what I know
What do you get when you know what’s best
You better make up your mind, son
Better make up your mind

A mesh of wire and razors and bars
My time has come to cry
If my arms could take strength from my mind
I’d hardly have to try
What do you get when you have to try
What happens when you try, son
What happens when you try

A faded photograph of love
A picture from outside
And for your only company
The souls of those that died
What do you get when your friends are gone
What happens when they’re gone, son
What happens when they’re gone

What do you get when your friends are gone
What happens when they’re gone, son
What do you get when they’re gone

What If You Knew
© 2023 by Maria and Christopher Clymer Kurtz
Inspired by Judith Duerk’s Circle of Stones
EP: What If You Knew

What if you knew whenever clouds roll in
Elder women would sit with you
And they’d listen to everything
You’re going through
What if you knew

Another long night, stuck in your head
Pacing the floor
Don’t know where to turn, feeling alone
They’ve been here before

Morning light, dull and gray
Under the door
You feel the weight of another day
They’ve been here before

In the clouds (aunts, friends and mothers)
Call our names out loud (sisters, grandmothers)
What if you knew, if only you knew
Deep in the earth (you can hear it)
Every new birth (don’t fear it)
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice

Words make me wonder who I am

I was born when I was much younger
One day I’ll walk with a cane, sleep in my chair

I met the love of my life in the book of joy in a dream
She gives me refuge, adventure and peace

Rise and shine

Now we bloom in a garden of days
Where the weather wants to try on all of our clothes
And we live, as we live, in ways uniquely our own

This wind might drive me off the road
Breathes down my neck into my bones
A reckless punch with every blow

The pavement whispering below
Like a piper’s undertow
Buckle down, press on, pedal and go

Sometimes I soar, sometimes I rise like an eagle flies
Sometimes the ride is worth the climb, downhill glide
Sometimes I soar, sometimes I rise like an eagle flies
Sometimes the ride is worth the climb

The hills ahead, the hills behind
Turning phrases in my mind
Shift across the gears of time

My headlight pierces through the night
Until the sunrise justifies
The pain of praying for the light

Hesitation a costly thought
Balance lost or barely caught
The smallest thing can throw me off

Hesitation a costly thought
Balance lost or barely caught
Scrape off the gravel
Get back up
Get back up