2. Angels
A song about my mother dying. It was a difficult and painful time. With no chorus or hook this has to be the most uncommercial song I've ever written. Yet, much to my amazement, fans chose this for the album. I must have great fans. Actually, it was my brother Frank who took the night shifts during those last months of mom's passing, so this is really his song.
Bruce: Guitars
Jeanne Arrigo: Angel
Bob Lizick: Bass
Chris Cameron: Piano
Larry Beers: Drums

3. I Believe In You
After my divorce, I met a woman who had also been dumped by her spouse. You could say we had something in common. I fell hard and found myself trying to convince her that it was worth risking her heart again. Gussied up with a few rhymes, this is almost verbatim my side of the conversation. In case you're curious, the pleading worked and we're still together.
Bruce: Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizers, Bass
Chris Cameron: Piano
Bob Lizick: Bass
Dave Onderdonk: Electric Guitar
Jeanne Arrigo: Harmony
Larry Beers: Drums

4. Long Vegas Night
Well, if you can't get several good songs out of a divorce, what good is it? It's about the bewilderment that comes when your life gets shattered.
Bob Lizick: Bass
Chris Cameron: Piano
Larry Beers: Drums

5. Life's An Intelligence Test
A song designed to insult everybody in the audience (though this is the short version, so you might get left out). If no one's around, feel free to sing along.
Bruce: Guitar
John Williams: Button Accordion
Jordi Kleiner: Fiddle
And the gang at the Old Town School of Folk Music

6. So Beautiful
I wanted to capture the amazing affect a woman's beauty can have on a man. I don't know if women realize this, but we melt inside. Something in our brain short circuits, and we are nearly speechless. The effect works even in the heart of a man who finds it hard to open up to people.
Bruce: Guitar
Jeanne Arrigo: Harmony
Chris Cameron: Piano
Bob Lizick: Bass
Larry Beers: Drums
Larry Gray: Cello
Jordi Kleiner: Violins

7. El Viento Del Diablo
A song about kids who love cars. The title translates to The Wind of the Devil. The final line of the chorus means Christ on the cross is watching you. A tale of lust and consequences and the choices we face.
Bruce: Guitars, High Bass
Jeanne Arrigo: Harmony
Bob Lizick: Low Bass
Chris Cameron: Organ
Larry Beers: Drums

8. We Were A Family
Back to the divorce again. You know, lives go on in the aftermath and new loves are found. But you do lose something precious. It's hard to recapture the sense of family. In my case I fear that's gone forever. And I liked being part of a family. I miss it.
Bruce: Guitar
Larry Gray: Cello
Jordi Kleiner: String Section
Jeanne Arrigo & Tara Cleveland: Harmony

9. Home
This is not a political song. It's not about any war in particular. It just seems to me that the life of a soldier has always been a hard one.
Bruce: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Bass Leads, Mandolina
John Williams: Button Accordion
Chris Cameron: Piano
Bob Lizick: Bass
Larry Beers: Drums
Jerry Thiel: Harmony

10. Stand
The first verse of this song was inspired by events in Billings, Montana, in December of 1993. If you'd like to read an account of that city's fight against hate read "Light in Montana: How One Town Said No To Hate." So this song's for Billings. There are some people I admire up there. Nearly a whole town's worth. This is not a protest song. I'm just saying I'd like to be like Billings, Montana.
Bruce: Guitar, Organ
Chris Cameron: Piano
Bob Lizick: Bass
Larry Beers: Drums
Dave Onderdonk: Electric Guitar
Jordi Kleiner: Violin
Jeanne Arrigo: Harmony

11. Plague Ship
A love song set long ago and far away. Sometimes you can't imagine life without the beloved.
Bruce: Guitar
John Williams: Button Accordion
Jordi Kleiner: Cello

12. You Just Might Lose
I really feel for the fellow being advised in this song. Sometimes your heart just goes way out on a limb. But the reality is, you have to take people as they are. If you insist they live by your needs, you may discover they don't need you.
Bruce: Accoustic Guitar
Ernie Denov: Lead Electric Guitar
Dave Onderdonk: Electric Guitar
Chris Cameron: Piano
Bob Lizick: Bass
Larry Beers: Drums
Jerry Thiel: Harmony

13. Shine
I've always found the moments of my life precious and full of wonder. I wouldn't want to have missed any of it. Of course, every life has many moments where you're just taking care of business and there's neither joy nor sorrow. But it seems the highlights of my life are the up and, yes, the downs. It's not just the fun moments that I remember and treasure. There are painful moments that I cherish, that allow me to feel like I've had a chance to taste the full range of what life has to offer. I wouldn't choose a life where nothing bad could happen.
Bruce: Rt. Channel Guitar, Bass Harmonies
Diccon Lee: Lt. Channel Guitar
Chris Cameron: Organ
Bob Lizick: Bass
Larry Beers: Drums
Chris McNamara & Rick Neeley: Harmony

14. When The Ship Comes In
by Bob Dylan
I've made a rule for myself that every album will end with a folk song. I was going to include The Water Is Wide on this album. But then I got hooked by this Dylan tune. I couldn't stop playing it. And I so admire the way the man uses images in this song. I suddenly decided it had to be on the CD.
Bruce: Guitar
John Williams: Rt. Channel Button Accordion
Chris Cameron: Lt. Channel Organ
Bob Lizick: Bass
Larry Beers: Drum
Jerry Thiel: Harmony

© Bruce T. Holmes 2003-2005 All Rights Reserved