Leon Another sunny ghetto Sunday They shimmer in the heat, it feels like walking on the sea An ancient soul in shoes of gold A Nike strut and spray paint dreams of all he’ll do and see A fire burning no one knows Is fueling If there’s a God above he’s sure he’ll find his destiny His parents they wear him down They tell him that he’s good for nothin’ But all that Is grandma told him Jesus loves him Another sunny Worship Sunday The git-tar notes float through the ghetto, wordless poetry The angels sing when his fingers play A voice is singing no one knows It flows through It’s the music of his soul when Jesus made him free His parents they wear him down They tell him he should play for something He could be rich and famous But Another sunny country Sunday For sixty years he’s traveled playing music, living free And rarely thinks of his humble home The music led him by the soul where he was meant to be His back is stooped, his guitar old His calloused fingers black as coal But when he plays the angels sing in perfect harmony Candyland Quicksand Seduced by Sandy was not what I had planned She placed her waist in my hand and danced me back so quickly Sticky fingers ripping buttons falling calling no returning To the innocence that’s burning But everybody knows that it’s true I always thought I’d end up with you Standing with Sandy in the quicksand of her Candyland Licorice bridges and britches so delicious I licked the Hard walls of sugar till my tongue was rough and bleeding But the sugar rush is fading And everybody knows that it’s true I always thought I’d end up with you You’ve gone away Never wanna be without you I just never wanna be without you Diving with Donna down a tunnel to forget your face I bite her lip for a bloody kiss and share a salty taste of Raw red romance ruined memories strewn lust is new Confusion fusion passion pain And everybody knows that it’s true I always thought I’d end up with you Flesh is raw we did it all a penance to negate the fall From could have been to never will forbidden sin the heart to kill And days to fill with endless chill a bitter pill this distant view The home that I will never reach Cuz everybody knows that it’s true I always thought I’d end up with you You’ve gone away Remember those days when we were kids And all the wet kissing that we did Remember those days when we were young And love was just a reason to have fun Remember those days when you were mine You told me that you’d love me till the end of time I’ll burn the world down for your sake a trail of bodies in my wake And carve your face into my eye so every tryst is not a lie And track you down what will I find the goddess perfect in my mind Or just another siren song Cuz everybody thinks that it’s true I always thought I’d end up with you Another night I sit alone entombed within my empty home A darkened window is my view regret and think and stink and stew Alone and dead a thousand times you could have saved these fragile lives If only you’d have done the thing that everybody knew you should do I always thought I’d end up with you The Solitary Man I’m so glad I don’t have to look at me through your eyes And see just a man who is silent carved in stone Who holds back his thoughts and his love and never cries Who walks through this life surrounded but alone Cuz inside I’m pondering fate and the cosmos Silently wandering mysterious new roads I’m manic and panicked and so full of doubt At a loss for the words to get it all out And there’s galaxies exploding inside my skin I’d tell you my story but where to begin I simply cannot escape what I am The solitary man So you see it’s not that I don’t sympathize It’s not that I don’t love you it’s not that I’m ungrateful I’m just living a lie And I know you wonder why these walls never seem to come down But they’re keeping the kingdom of the real me safe and sound Maybe the flood is what I fear most Maybe it’s easier being a ghost Maybe the beautiful grandeur inside Would crumble to dust if exposed to the light And there’s galaxies exploding inside my skin I’d tell you my story but where to begin I simply cannot escape what I am The solitary man And when I die and God asks how was your ride I’ll say it was fine but the strap was too tight I simply could not escape what I am The solitary man Ka’imi Sophomore year and tomboy Rusty was blooming into June The island boys were making noise by a beach fire to turn her head Light blonde hair and palomino skin dappled by the Maui sun Damn but she was a fine sight to see She always wore her swimsuit underneath her Sunday dress A hidden Camel soft pack stuck to the sweat beside her breast Church let out and the kids hit the sand the parents tended the tourist stands Island living aint cheap but youth is free Kimo Ka’imi’s old man ran the tat stand down by the beach Kimo got his tribal ink when he turned sixteen June spied his tattoo in the setting sun brash waves crashing on an island son And thick black hair as wild as the sea and that night she said Hide me in the dunes Brush the sand from off my skin Open up the island bloom Shine the sun on me again Life is only time and wind It tumbles down and you build it again Rain clouds breathing rainbows and stirring up the sea June sits on a window sill watching the palm trees sway Her Sunday dress is getting tight and Kimo hasn’t called tonight Folks whisper when Mama walks down the street Airplane wing slicing through the bellies of the clouds June cradles her own swell and leans forward in the seat to see It’s her first time in the sky she never knew that it stretched so high From here even the ocean seems at peace Aunt Ruby’s ranch was a block of Minnesota ice An old mare nickered from the barn across the yard June cries out from a quilted bed and a midwife gently wipes her head One more push and you’ll finally meet and in pain she cried Hide me in the sky Breeze the clouds across my skin Float away this island bloom Straight up to the sun again Life is only time and wind It tumbles down and you do it again Big Tommy patrolled the coast on the Gulf of Mexico Twenty-one but everyone listened when the quiet giant spoke A freighter sank and Tom arrived just in time to save a life Now Tom’s at the V.A. with a broken spine Tommy limped around the Elks Club as the music played Spied a blonde haired beauty in the corner playing with her babe Neither could dance so he took a chance and asked the girl her name Ka’imi means seek so you can call me that today June said Tom I’m no good for you right now Tommy said June our broken pieces might fit together somehow Stay with me until winter breaks here in the land of frozen lakes There’s beauty sleeping underneath the snow and June replied Hide me in the gloom Freeze the stain from off my skin Bury deep this broken bloom Shine the darkness on my sin Life is only time and wind It tumbles down and you build it again Spring crept up to Minnesota and lifted winter’s veil Tommy’s back was killing him but he knelt down anyway He said all I got’s this plastic ring but babe I give you everything I wanna be three with you today June started shaking and she avoided Tommy’s eye You’re the second most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my whole life But what I need now aint a man I need to find out who I am And then she packed her ghosts and went away and in the distance Tommy cried Sail away across the sea Wash the past from off your skin And when you’re whole return to me And shine the sun on me again Life is only time and wind It tumbles down and you build it again Jimmy & Winnie Baby you’re so pretty but you’re not too deep And if you don’t mind sleeping in the passenger seat I’ll drive us to the place where the moonlight creeps And we can steal away the night Alright Jimmy picked up Winnie with the stink of romance In his devil red shirt and his angel flight pants He had a ravenous heart and wandering hands And a chain with his zodiac sign Well Winnie didn’t care about Jimmy’s plans Or his bad reputation as a ladies’ man She wanted outta that town in a travelin’ van And Jimmy would do just fine It was 1980 when they turned 18 And they eloped in the night in the Then they drove to Of money, fame, and wine He said “You’re so pretty but you’re not too deep And if you don’t mind sleepin’ on the passenger seat I’ll drive us to the place where the moonlight creeps And we can steal away the night. Alright. Jimmy knew the skinny when he flew on in he Called his wife from the room then he went out cruisin’ With no name no past drink hard drive fast Burnin up the night He had a ring in his pocket and a ring on his wallet Had his ringer turned off so nobody would call it And he never even saw it as cheating he was stallin As a way to feel alive Karen was a cougar with a bad motorscooter She was throwin down the shooters with the boys at the Hooters Like a purrin’ Camero she’d take you anywhere oh Like 1985 She had high heeled shoes and a shoulder tattoo on Skin like leather with her hair all feathered “Well I almost never leave a bar together But Jimmy you seem alright.” He said “You’re so pretty but you’re not too deep And if you don’t mind sleeping in the passenger seat I’ll drive us to the place where the moonlight creeps And we can steal away the night.” Alright Well Jimmy turned thirty he was feeling pretty dirty From the traveling show and the beds on the road He never felt home or a peace in his soul He just anesthetized At the bottom of a bottle, Winnie’s favorite place As the long lonely nights carved lines on her face And the teenage dreams of the great escape Ended up in pain and lies So Winnie said “Jimmy when you get off the road I’m packing my bags and I’m headin’ back home I’ve wasted my life and I can’t go on Drifting with no ties” He said “you’re still pretty but your pain’s too deep And if think you wouldn’t mind a little company It’s time for me to put the old Jimmy to sleep And try to make things right Baby you’re so pretty but I’m not too deep And if you don’t mind sleeping on the passenger seat I’ll drive us to the place where our roots run deep And we can start again tonight.” Alright Together Well We go together well you and I I’m so helpless you’re so perfect We go together well you and I We speak together well you and I You in sunrise me with closed eyes We speak together well you and I And at night when my defenses are down you visit me And all the guilt I’ve been carrying around is plain to see And in your presence it all melts to the ground and leaves me clean Then in your arms I am finally free We live together well you and I Me in stone walls you in deep skies We live together well you and I We see together well you and I You by the light of the stars me one day at a time We see together well you and I And at dawn when no one else is around you visit me The rising sun is like the light of your eyes that I can see And in your presence I just melt to the ground cuz I’m washed clean Then in your arms I am finally free We sing together well you and I Me in the smooth tones you in the pure highs We sing together well you and I Go on and Crush Me Go on and crush me it’s so easy Go on deceive me I’m so believing Go on expose me I’m such a weakling Go on and crush me don’t take it easy Don’t bother saying when you’ll be leaving I’ll wait here alone on the porch swing I’ll leave on the light and try to sleep soundly I won’t make you lie just to appease me Go on and crush me it’s so easy Go on deceive me I’m so believing Go on expose me I’m such a weakling Go on and crush me don’t take it easy And if we’re being honest you know you shouldn’t have settled for me in the first place God knows I aint got much to offer besides this pretty face And if he’s so damn good for you then you go on and you run to me Don’t you worry about me I’ll just lay here with the lights on for a while and hurt Go on and crush me Go on deceive me Go on and expose me Go on and crush me don’t take it easy Cosmic Boy Lyrics by Kevin Craig and Jay Young I’ll walk beside you as you grow and laugh with you as you fly And you boy like a storm in the sky I can’t control You’re the joy that overflows and saturates my life And I can see myself in you The younger me I used to be To share your way of making new The world you see around you And you boy you make me laugh at will how you take it in The way you drink this life on in and never get your fill And you boy the perfect way you move you always rise Find each day a sweet surprise on feet that can’t keep still And I can see myself in you The better me I’d like to be To share your way of making new The world you see around you I’m blinded by your glow the magic in your soul In everything you say and everything you do I’m lost inside your glow the wonder of your soul The way you say and do the things you do And you boy with your cosmic joy your neon glow I’ll watch you burst and lose control and laugh with you as you fly And you boy you tear the clouds apart and bring the blue Now the world’s distilled through you and gorgeous in your eyes And I can see myself in you The better me I’d like to be To share your way of making new The world you see around you All Alone With You Driving through the blue streets today Shrouded by curtains of gray To find my way home to you This city’s like a caffeine fever dream And no one seems to know what I mean Till I’m finally alone with you The pressure seems to build till I break And whispers accuse me a fake Till I finally believe that it’s true No one seems to come to my aid I’m strong on the outside but inside afraid Till I’m finally alone with you I’m all alone with you The noises the pain and the shakes The endless reminders of mistakes They’ll find where I hide and make me blue The running the waiting and the plans The days slipping right through my hands Except for the time spent with you I’m all alone with you Lyrics for Cosmic Boy by Kevin Craig and Jay Young Additional percussion and drums on Go on and Crush Me and I Do by Tim Batt Bass on Jimmy & Winnie by Jarrett Hinds Drum loops by Splurgo.com Additional sequencing effects on I Do and Deserts of Mergatroid by www.jayyoungweb.com and www.myspace.com/jysamusic Was recorded in Young Gun Studios in San Antonio from early 2008 to late 2009. For a long time the working title of the album was “Leon and the Cosmic Boy” but I ultimately decided it sounded too much like a children’s book. The album title is a line from the song The Solitary Man. Because of the studio setup, I could not hear the keyboards while I played them, so all the keyboard parts are performed a-la-Beethoven. Rather than trying to be fancy and use different guitars, I stuck with my Ibanez Jem 777SK electric and Ovation Celebrity acoustic and fortified the songs with my trusty Roland keyboard. I had done an all instrumental album several years ago but hadn’t written any music in years. I was flying back from Minnesota on a night flight, listening to music from my old band In The Meantime and I wondered how many songs I’d lost over the years simply because I no longer bothered writing. That was the start of getting back into the discipline of writing and I recorded several songs before I focused on writing the songs for this album. Notes on each song Leon … Began with the drums and the opening guitar lick and became a short instrumental (because I’m lazy and want every song to be a short instrumental), but I loved the motion of the song and knew it deserved the full treatment. As with many songs on the album, the music was completed first and I had no idea what the song would be about until the first line popped into my head “another sunny ghetto Sunday”. From there Leon’s story just fell into place. Candyland Quicksand … I was experimenting with alternate tunings and hammer-on chording and came up with some variations of the music. I found myself writing and recording the lyrics in the middle of the night which may explain the odd nature of the song. There are actually no effects on the vocals. I don’t think I could ever pull this one off live but it sounds great through headphones. The Solitary Man … This was one of the last songs I wrote, but the theme was on my mind for a long time just waiting for the right circumstances to come out. I wanted to build a castle of acoustic guitars to shelter the voices inside. I Do … Began life as a pretty little keyboard line and grew into a romantic instrumental. When I wrote and recorded the first guitar section, I wanted a soft almost muddy guitar tone with some Eric Clapton soul. As I ventured into the middle section, I made the tone a little harsher and the playing a little more intense. But when it came time to write the climactic ending, I ran into a brick wall. After a long, frustrating time of not being able to write anything melodic I simply hit the record button and poured my frustration into the guitar. The end solo is the first and only take. It’s not organized or edited, but I love the raw emotion of it. Ka’imi … Was written for my friend Bug, who literally bugged me until I wrote it. The song is based loosely on her real life experiences, with some dramatic liberties taken. This was a rare song where I wrote the lyrics before writing the music and a very rare case where everything came together smoothly, albeit with a lot of work. As I was writing, I IM’ed Bug and asked her to give me a Hawaiian name without thinking and she immediately replied “Ka’imi … it means search or seek.” It’s easy to run when you get gems like that. Train of Thought … Was written for another friend, Denise. It began as an entirely acoustic piece but really came alive when I started laying down electric tracks. I think it reflects her fun-loving spirit. Together Well … Was originally a piano piece which eventually grew into a vocal piece. I’ve never considered myself a good singer, but I can handle a harmony and I think this song plays to that strength. Fortunately I bought a hammock around the time I wrote the music for this song and had been spending a lot of time laying in it, looking at the stars and communing with God. That entire mindset and feeling shaped this song. Jimmy & Winnie … Typical of this album, started with a drum track, added a guitar riff and fit lyrics into the rhythm. I was fortunate enough to get my friend Jarrett Hinds to provide the funky bass line which made the whole song come alive. Go On And Crush Me … Was originally a meditative piece on how easily my ego is shattered by any criticism, but as it grew into a dusty country song, the story took on a life of its own. The ending guitars still make my heart ache. Another friend, Tim Batt played brushes on the Djmbe during the verses adding the perfect texture. The Deserts of Mergatroid … This progression came together quickly but I was never satisfied with anything I did with it, until I tried a Spaghetti Western style melody with a stripped down acoustic sound then added some spacey effects. Cosmic Boy … Began as an assignment I gave to my poet friend, Kevin Craig, to write a poem for his son. He riffed off a poem right away and I heard the music even as I read it. I made a few small changes and did an acoustic recording for his approval. Over the next 18 months, I re-recorded and edited the song a dozen times to make a rocking tribute for our sons. All Alone With You … Some songs require months of labor and endless rewrites and many of those still end up on the cutting room floor. All Alone With You was the rare opposite and came together from concept to final recording in a single day. This was only the second song I’d written for my wife and I’d have to say it’s my favorite song to listen to. 
And you boy with those cosmic eyes you go and go
All songs written and performed by Jay Young
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