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Lighthouse

by Susan Cowsill

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1.
Dragon Flys 03:05
I remember you jumping on my bed I remember you ‘round the corner I remember you everything you said I remember you When I remember you I see dragon flys Pretty little dragon flys I got a wine glass in my pocket And I got this guitar slinging off of my hip Things are getting blurry Still I can see what I wanna see Staring at a cloud staring right back at me I can still look you in the eye When I see dragon flys Pretty little dragon flys I see dragon flys Pretty little dragon flys When you knocked on my door I answered And all the while your’re pretending that I’m not home Well I gave you my number It was the ending of summer I can still look you in the eye (and I ain’t lyin’) When I see dragon flys Little dragon flys I see dragon flys Pretty little dragon flys Whoa I see dragon flys Pretty little dragon flys Yeah I see dragon flys Pretty little dragon flys It was the ending of summer
2.
I can still hear the sounds of hammers Echoing through the woods As I stand in someone’s driveway Where our trees and tree forts stood I can taste the yellow flowers Bittersweet upon my tongue On the Avenue of the Indians One for all and all for one On the shores of childhood mystery We signed our names in blood We pledged our voices to the wind Our loyalty to the sun And the days ran on forever ‘Til we heard her whistle blow On the Avenue of the Indians Buried deep inside our souls Ready or not here I come Olly all and free come on everyone Come to the water One for all, one by one When will they call you No one knows….ain’t this fun Every curtain’s coming to a close Every story has its end I will never say goodbye to you Just a fair thee well my friend I won’t worry how to find you ‘Cause I know just where you’ll be On the Avenue of the Indians Where we’ll set our spirits free Mason Dixon Line, anyone I can hear him coming everybody run Oh everybody run
3.
Sittin’ listening to Tom Tom with a storm creeping in This old world’s gotta veil that is so damn thin I can see it through the wipers I can feel it in my bones It’s the loneliness of living makes me feel like I’m home Well I don’t know so much but I can say for sure That if dying is an illness I wanna find a cure I wanna spend my days rolling in the grass Counting blade after blade how long could I last? It’s true I’ve got my limits I never break but I bend I’m gonna live it ‘til the sweet bitter end I wanna live it ‘til the sweet bitter end I never really ever thought those old trees would die I think I’m gonna put my money on the sky Watching the love that’s taken from us and the babies being born The rug’s ripped out from under never ever being warned I wanna spend my days rolling in the grass Counting blade after blade how long would I last? And it’s true I got my limits I never break but I bend And I’m gonna live it ‘til the sweet bitter end I’m gonna save it ‘til the sweet bitter end I wanna live it ‘til the sweet bitter end
4.
Mardi Gras on the breeze At the end of the day You swing on that tire It’s so easy you say Far away in a land Green and covered by trees Just you and me baby Doing just as we please Well I had a dream Wasn’t so long ago If you hadn’t come true Well I never would have known That angels are real And it’s magic they bring ‘Cause you and me baby We can do anything The sunshine’s your laughter The stars are your tears The moon’s for your wishes The night time’s your fears The sky is your heart And the river’s your soul You see I carry you with me Wherever I go You and me and that old oak tree Together we’ll always be In your dreams Remember the streets Of golds and purples and greens When you stare out your window At the end of the day When the sunshine fades to moonlight Let your heart drift away And remember the days Green and covered by trees Just you and me baby Doing just as we please Doing just as we please Just you and me baby
5.
She had to leave me Said she had some place to go I knew her heart was searching for its home So what’s to do when you let go of flying falcons Except to watch them disappear ‘til there are no more And as she flew well I called out And I knew she heard her lover shout ‘Cause she tipped her wings before the fade Oh the sun may set yet another day I’ll be there for the rising one And maybe it’s true you’ve gone away But I’ll be waiting by the River of Love I’ll be waiting by the River of Love The heart’s a funny thing Sometimes it never shakes What happened to that friend that went before And it may ponder it may wander ‘til it finds Love’s secret phone to call upon that soul And just sometimes you never know You may be dreaming but you feel aglow And you hope one day she will return Chorus Another day goes rolling through my heart As if it was another empty cup And though I’ve wandered through these fields I’ve known before I will never give up ‘til I see you again I may never give up at all And so I will take my precious time to hang around And I’ll count the beats of my heart one by one And even if it’s just some silly game I’m playing Deep down I know it isn’t just for fun ‘Cause when there’s a will then there’s a way And if I have to kneel and pray Then I’ll kneel here and pray away Chorus We criticized you We recognized you I memorized you And I eulogized you I loved you more than you’ll ever know Man I hated to see you go I’ll be waiting by the River of Love
6.
I look around this town and I can’t feel There’s something wrong we lost the song And this is way too real This is the only place I’ve ever belonged And now it’s gone And I wanna go home There used to be a lot of things that I could see Most of the time they were right in front of me But, this one’s hiding very well amongst the trees And that’s alright with me Could this be home I don’t pretend to know where all the flowers grow I just know The way the wind comes sweeping through the valley here Its quiet swirlings music to my ear And I can take a break away from my breaking heart And that’s a place to start This could be home Well, all you gotta do is look at me and I can do the rest Your faith in me and who you see it takes away my breath And I never thought I could climb a mountain quite so high And that is why With you I’m always home Well I don’t pretend to know where all the flowers grow I just know I don’t pretend to know where all our sorrow goes I just know When we are home
7.
Lighthouse 03:27
Far away when I was young Outside my window straight through dawn Past the miles of rolling grass Across the water made of glass A beacon of light Shines all through the night Just for me It’s always there it guides my way No matter where I roam Through dreams of pirate ships that take me Far away from home Out there on the sea Where all of us will be Calling look for me follow me I’ll take you home Put your heart in my hand And know that you’re not alone I’ll never ever ever Leave you out in the cold Out in the cold I set out on this lonesome ride And I did it on my own Searching for a million years For where do I belong But always deep in the night I could still feel the light Look for me, follow me My lighthouse My lighthouse
8.
And the way that it goes While you’re dreaming your dreams You gotta keep on your toes If you know what I mean And when the ceiling is on the floor And you can’t seem to find the door And the telephone rings That’s just the way that it goes And while you’re making your plans And you’re scheming your schemes Just remember that life isn’t all that it seems When you’re willing to risk it all And the closing of Winter calls Don’t expect an early Spring Because the truth is you never know When the grass will turn green And if the season is extra long You’re gonna need lots of seed You’re gonna need lots of seed You’re gonna need lots of seed ‘Cause that’s the way that it goes Seasons come and seasons go Life goes on and on, you know you know It’s what we do while we’re here That matters when we go ‘Cause that’s the way that it goes That’s the way that it goes So when you follow your heart You gotta keep up your chin It’s the road that we’re on Not the place where it ends And there’s always another way And there’s always a Summer’s day And Fall to come again Because the truth is we never know When the grass will turn green And if the season is extra long You’re gonna need lots of seed ‘Cause the truth is you never know When the grass will turn green And if the season is extra long Gonna need lots of seed Gonna need lots of seed Gonna need lots of seed ‘Cause that’s the way that it goes That’s the way that it goes That’s the way that it goes You’re gonna need lots of seed Gonna need lots of seed
9.
ONOLA 04:48
Oh New Orleans You will always be my city I will always be your daughter The Saints are smiling down on us tonight Oh New Orleans I feel so free just standing here The Mississippi whispering in my ear Clouds are rolling over us tonight I came back to wipe your tears And I’m proud to hold your hand There’s only so much anyone could stand Oh New Orleans I’m growing weaker everyday I no longer have the strength to stay I don’t even want the chance to fight the fight But I don’t know where to go Maybe some place I could see some snow So far away from here they’ll never know There’s a hole inside my heart I don’t want you to see You’ve given me so much I only wanna give some back you see So I’m leaving here today I’m no good to anyone this way I’ve gone to save my soul and then I promise you that I’ll be back again Or maybe I could find another way Or maybe I’ll just fall asleep And when I come back I’ll find it’s just a dream Just a dream A real bad dream A terrible dream Oh New Orleans Guess that’s all that I have left to say No need to pack she took it all away But I’ll take with me the world I used to know I’ll remember that I’m still your child Carry your music each and every mile And I’ll be back when my heart learns how to smile again Until then Chorus Or maybe I could find another way
10.
Galveston 03:21
Galveston, oh Galveston I still hear your sea winds blowin’ I still see her dark eyes glowin’ She was twenty one when I left Galveston Galveston, oh Galveston I still hear your sea waves crashin’ While I watch the cannons flashing I clean my gun and I dream of Galveston I still see her standing by the water Standing there looking out to sea And is she waiting there for me On the beach where we used to run Galveston, oh Galveston I am so afraid of dying Before I wipe the tears she’s crying Before I watch your seabird flying in the sun At Galveston At Galveston
11.
Real Life 04:05
Much too much time on my hands Not enough time in the day just to be who I am Maybe I’ll walk on the wire Maybe I’ll swallow some fire today Or walk in the snow with no shoes on, you know On the coldest of cold winters’ days ‘Cause sometimes real life can be Much too much grown up for me And sometimes real life can be A beautiful place that you never ever wanna leave I think I’ll study the rain See if it’s true what they say about Spain And the rain on the plain And just what kind of plain do they mean?
12.
I feel like a kite without a string Only my tail to guide me Just paper and sticks and tattered sheets Waiting on a friendly wind Hold all our memories in one hand So tight that you won’t let ‘em go And in the other hand we pray That the wind and the panic and the rain Would all turn to a soft and quiet snow A long time ago when I was young I used to know everything Now it’s today and I am sure That I don’t know anything at all Holding all our memories in one hand So tight that you won’t let ‘em go And in the other hand we pray That the wind and the panic and the rain Would all turn to a soft and quiet, gentle peaceful snow Oh when dem Saints come marching in I’ll be walking to New Orleans I’ll be eating beignets at Du Monde Singing Joni at the Carrollton Station I’ll be hanging out in Jackson Square Twelve o’clock I’ll meet you there I’ll be down on Frenchman with Big Chief Trying to find a place to eat Tailgating at the Dome Man I can’t wait to go home All our precious hearts were all shattered Scattered across the land But I knew that I was going back To a place where I know who I am Holding all our memories in one hand So tight that you wont ever ever ever let ‘em go And in the other hand we pray That the wind and the panic and the rain Would all turn to a soft and quiet, gentle peaceful N.O.L.A. Crescent City Snow It is three a.m. at the Circle Bar Where the hell did we park that car? Yeah and it’s six a.m. at the Christmas Lounge Man, we got a hell of a town A town where your Grandma tells my Grandma While they’re sitting by a fire And we will all go down to the Audubon Zoo And they’ll all ask for you They’ll all be singing Who Dat Who Dat Who Dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints Who Dat Who Dat Oh, when dem Saints come marchin’ in Oh, when dem Saints come marchin’ in Yeah when dem Saints come marchin’ in Oh, when dem Saints come marchin’ in They’ll all be singing Who Dat Who Dat Who Dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints Singing Who Dat Who Dat Ohhhhhhhhh What What What Yeah Yeah Saints!

about

Internationally critically acclaimed sophomore release by Susan Cowsill on the non-profit Threadhead Records organization.

Austin Chronicle: "Cowsill works hard polishing her latest, the critically lauded Lighthouse. As full of loss and sentiment as it is joyful and persevering, Lighthouse beckons listeners to Cowsill’s homey cove." -Margaret Moser

Rolling Stone: "...an earthy, often crunchy folk-pop gem. But Cowsill has a supple survivor’s alto, and it runs like a sturdy lifeline through the silken dreaming in “Dragon Flys,” her hard-soul resolve of “Could This Be Home” and especially the gospel-rock liftoff in “River of Love,” written by her brother Barry, who perished in Katrina, and sung by Susan with a heavy heart and sweet memory in the same deep breaths." -David Fricke

Huffington Post: "...Every song is a highlight. ...This work of art is akin to musical cinema." - Georgianne Nienaber

St. Louis Beacon: "...all the songs on “Lighthouse” seem to capture the essence and energy of life – with its ups and downs, its pain and joy."

Blurt Best 50 CDs of 2010: "The songs on Lighthouse are guided by two themes – loss and hope. Both have been a part of music since the beginning, but Susan Cowsill (formerly of the family band the Cowsills) taps into some pretty weighty experiences for inspiration. Cowsill and her band have the power to their conviction and they pull it off."

Americana UK: "‘Lighthouse’ makes it abundantly clear that Susan Cowsill is a song writer of some talent. She has made an album of great beauty, out of personal tragedy, that serves as a fitting tribute to those she has lost."

Suite 101: "She's taken some of the most personal subjects possible and written an album of excellent songs. ..Though personal, these songs are universal in their appeal. The sense of loss, the uncertainty, the optimism - these are things that everyone experiences."

Sonic Boomers: "Lighthouse is a beacon of inspiration for a woman, a city and mostly for all of us."

Twangville: "...On lighthouse her hope is fueled by a strong will and determination. She is not buying into naive hope, but it is a real hope rebirthed from tragedy. Instead of turning bitter she is ready to put the top down on the convertible and drive into the future."

Country Chart: "Susan Cowsill has one of the most wonderfully unique female voices in music today. ...Susan Cowsill has created an understated musical masterpiece with her heartfelt album 'Lighthouse.'"

Living Life Boomer Style: "Cowsill's optimism and spirituality have always been her way of overcoming the dark times and with her natural talent and hard work ethic, she has created some of the greatest songs ever collected on one album."

Uncommon Music: "It’s not a collection of songs specifically for those who were affected by the hurricane, but for anyone who has ever experienced tragedy or
battled adversity."

credits

released May 18, 2010

Recorded at Dockside Studio, Maurice, LA. Additional recording done at Groove Masters, Santa Monica, CA & The Music Shed, New Orleans, LA

Produced by Russ Broussard, Susan Cowsill, Michael Mayeux, & Mike Costanzo
Engineering by:
Dockside: M.Mayeux, M.Costanzo, & assistant Korey Richey
Groove Masters: Bil Lane & assistant Rich Tosi
Music Shed: M. Mayeux & Kyle Lamy
Mixed by Bil Lane & assistant Glenn Suravech at Groove Masters
Mastered by Gavin Lurssen & assisted by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering

Artwork: Skeet Hanks at Hotel Romeo Design
Photo credits: Barbara Cowsill/Cezanne Wish Nails/Skeet Hanks (cover); Dennis Gardner (back cover & live shots); Robley Dupleix (all the rest).

Musicians:
Susan Cowsill, Russ Broussard, Aaron Stroup, Tad Armstrong, Janson Lohmeyer, Jimmy Robinson, Pete Winkler, Sam Craft, Jack Craft, Alex McMurray, Jackson Browne, Waddy Wachtel, Bob Cowsill, Paul Cowsill, John Cowsill, Vicki Peterson

Publishing:
Susan Cowsill: CoCo Bunny Music, admin. by Bug Music, BMI
Russ Broussard: Being Heard Music, admin. by Bug Music, BMI
Tad Armstrong: Handshake Deal Publishing, ASCAP
Barry Cowsill: Moonstorm Publishing, admin. by Bug Music, ASCAP
Jimmy Webb: Jobete Music Co, Inc


Management: Terry Ford, tford4637@yahoo.com
Bookings: Lizzy Bilyeu, lizzybilyeu@gmail.com
Legal representation: Greg Eveline, geveline@edp.nocoxmail.com
Publicity: Cary Baker’s conqueroo
Visit us at susancowsill.com, myspace.com/susancowsill, facebook, reverbnation.com/susancowsill
To make donations or loans for other projects by us and other NOLA artists, www.threadheadrecords.org

Gratitude list:
Terry Ford for your support, ideas, enthusiasm, & honesty. All you Threadheads & fans that donated or loaned us money for this project--without y’all and Terry, there would be no Lighthouse. Jackson Browne for coming to our rescue once again. You are an angel & a true friend. Bil Lane—a mixing god. Our masterminding team of Terry, Tim & Terrin Cohn, Georgianne Nienaber, John & Vicki Cowsill, Chris Gerstner, Cameron Smith, Mitch Ulrich, Scott Schinder. Nick & Miranda—always. The NOLA village of Nina & Poppa, Momma Maria & Father “Padre” Michael, Ms. Maria, Dr. Harry, Lisa & Yalcin, Karen & Joe, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Kent & Aunt Jules. Rick & Rob for You & Me Baby. Johnny & Linda Franklin—life-long friends can be found after 40! Thanks BSG, for helping us with the “piano song.” Peter & Sarah for their love & support. Mom & Dad, y’all are the best.

Special thank you to those who had us as “treasured guests” after Katrina:
Sonny, Pat & Sally, Tim & Terrin, Johnny & Linda, Fred & Kelly, David,Valerie, & Justin, Steven & Christopher, Brian & Wanda, Steve & Wish, Judy, Cameron, Denby & Kerry, & John & Vicki for giving Miranda a place to call home. And to all those who gave or gathered money to keep us going post K—we couldn’t have made it without you.

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