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When The West Was Won

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CD cover of 'MAGICAL' by Jim Stanard

"It's a fictional story about the life of a Cherokee child whose family is forced from their Georgia home in 1840 to relocate to Oklahoma on a march known as the Trail of Tears." - Jim Stanard

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  • 1
    Lookin' Back
  • Lookin' Back

    Some call this world a veil of tears
    But I’m enjoying bein’ here
    Seems like new adventures
    Are everywhere to find

    That clock that used to be a friend
    Sings a never-ending hymn
    ’Cause I’ve got less left ahead
    Than I’ve left behind

    As the breeze of my time blows
    More doors keep blowin’ closed
    But a few are still open just a crack
    I figure just once more
    I can catch one of those doors
    If I don’t waste too much time lookin’ back
    Lookin’ back

    When I hear a distant thunder
    Is it just a storm I wonder
    Or could it be that God
    Is laughing at my plans?

    That trail behind me
    Is just a memory
    I need to move ahead
    The best I can

    As the breeze of my time blows
    More doors keep blowin’ closed
    But a few are still open just a crack
    I figure just once more
    I can catch one of those doors
    If I don’t waste too much time lookin’ back
    Lookin’ back

    The shiftin’ wind will push one open I expect
    But if that’s to the world that’s coming next
    I had to learn the hard way to forget
    Just want to leave with no regrets

    As the breeze of my time blows
    More doors keep blowin’ closed
    But a few are still open just a crack
    I figure just once more
    I can catch one of those doors
    If I don’t waste too much time lookin’ back
    Lookin’ back
    Lookin’ back
    Lookin’ back





    You Turned Red (That Made Me Blue)

    You’ve been awarded four Pinocchios
    For saying you’ve been good
    Been giving equal time
    To that guy just ’cause you could

    You more than just endorsed him
    Pulled his lever for him too
    You couldn’t hide it from me
    Your blushin’ face said what was true

    You turned red
    That made me blue
    You claimed the right
    So I left you

    I’m looking for a candidate
    Nominate somebody new
    You turned red
    That made me blue

    I found a new girl for my party
    A sultry suffragette in red
    She is a strict conservative
    Except when she’s in bed

    Found her when I was poll watching
    As she spun in just her heels
    Taking low dollar donations
    From her text appeal

    You turned red
    That made me blue
    You claimed the right
    So I left you

    I’m looking for a candidate
    Nominate somebody new
    You turned red
    That made me blue

    Then I saw her at the rally
    I tried to get her number
    It was progress when she asked me
    To slap a sticker on her bumper

    My heart began to race
    My thoughts were getting raucous
    When I harvested her ballot
    In a private caucus

    You turned red
    That made me blue
    You claimed the right
    So I left you

    I’m looking for a candidate
    Nominate somebody new
    You turned red
    That made me blue

    You turned red
    And that made me blue

    You turned red
    That made me blue




  • 3
    Hard Of Hearing Heart
  • Hard Of Hearing Heart

    My eyes can clearly see
    That she’s no good for me
    My brain is worried
    It just won’t work

    Decisions ’bout the fairer sex
    Get made below my neck
    My chest is pounding so hard
    It hurts

    Got a hard of hearing heart
    Don’t mean that it ain’t smart
    You can try to shout
    But it still won’t figure out
    What you’re saying

    I’ve got a hard of hearing heart
    Its list’nin’ skills ain’t that sharp
    You can try to tell me twice
    But it won’t take advice
    It’s a hard of hearing heart, hard of hearing, hard of hearing

    Friends say she’ll be cruel
    Playin’ me for a fool
    They’re not the ones
    I want to please

    Will she be mine?
    Or am I wasting my time?
    Guess I’ll just have to
    Wait and see

    Got a hard of hearing heart
    Don’t mean that it ain’t smart
    You can try to shout
    But it still won’t figure out
    What you’re saying

    I’ve got a hard of hearing heart
    Its list’nin’ skills ain’t that sharp
    You can try to tell me twice
    But it won’t take advice
    It’s a hard of hearing heart, hard of hearing, hard of hearing

    I’ve got a hard of hearing heart
    Don’t mean that it ain’t smart
    You can try to shout
    But it still won’t figure out
    What you’re saying

    I’ve got a hard of hearing heart
    Its list’nin’ skills ain’t that sharp
    You can try to tell me twice
    But it won’t take advice
    It’s a hard of hearing heart, hard of hearing, hard of hearing

    You say she’s a bad plan
    Just tell it to my hand




  • 4
    Kansas
  • Kansas

    There’s no doubt about my guilt
    The law in Kansas wants me killed
    I borrow railroad bullion sacks
    But I don’t bring them back

    Left Lawrence, Kansas, years ago
    When blameless blood began to flow
    Goin’ back’s a risky bet
    But that girl I can’t forget

    Wonder if I’ll die in Kansas
    Buried in a grave without a stone
    Good luck’s more than taking chances
    When luck turns bad you better make your own

    So I ride north on the Chisholm Trail
    That woman is my Holy Grail
    She vowed she’d always watch for me
    By the river maple trees

    Wonder if I’ll die in Kansas
    Buried in a grave without a stone
    Good luck’s more than taking chances
    When luck turns bad you better make your own

    I’ve been waiting three nights and days
    She still ain’t come
    Just as I’m leavin’ I hear
    Three shots from a gun

    The raging river left no retreat
    Jumped off the bluff, fell 50 feet
    I figured that I’d rather drown
    Than the gallows drop me down

    At a quiet glade just down the river
    Early that day a lady delivered
    A saddled horse she tied to a tree
    Her silent gift to me

    Headlines say I was killed in Kansas
    But they never found a body, not a bone
    I had my plan, took my chances
    When luck turned bad I had to make my own
    When luck turned bad I had to make my own
    When luck turned bad I had to make my own



  • 5
    Waking Up Dead
  • Waking Up Dead

    There’s light coming in through the curtains
    Casts its rays ‘cross the head of my bed
    Clock says it’s almost morning
    Then I remember what we said

    Not quite sure if I’m dreaming
    Afraid I might be awake
    I’m feeling an ache in my gut
    Don’t seem I’m at the pearly gate

    Feel like I’m wakin’ up dead, no life ahead
    When I think of what happened last night
    Wakin’ up dead, only thought in my head
    Have we had our final fight?

    It started like all the others
    Didn’t feel like we had a choice
    But this one ended different
    The resignation in your voice

    So hard for two hearts to make one
    So hard not to blame or condemn
    Never thought I’d be worried
    That we’d never fight again

    Feel like I’m wakin’ up dead, no life ahead
    When I think of what happened last night
    Wakin’ up dead, only thought in my head
    Have we had our final fight?

    Whispered words were weapons
    And consequences threatened
    Is there hope for resurrection?

    Feel like I’m wakin’ up dead, no life ahead
    When I think of what happened last night
    Wakin’ up dead, only thought in my head
    Have we had our final fight?


  • 6
    Magical
  • Magical

    She said “I think I need to be goin’”
    My heart yelled “please, please stay”
    But I said “just go do what you want”
    As she turned to walk away

    I thought our love was magical
    Perfect peace, amazing thrills
    But magic has a darker side
    That makes me run every time
    I feel it get too near
    I conjure up some hurtful words
    That make love disappear
    Disappear

    She said “maybe we could try again”
    My heart yelled “yes, we should”
    But I said “I’m afraid it won’t work out”
    Now she’s gone for good

    I thought our love was magical
    Perfect peace, amazing thrills
    But magic has a darker side
    That makes me run every time
    I feel it get too near
    I conjure up some hurtful words
    That make love disappear

    I can’t get a rabbit out of a hat
    Don’t ask me to try, I don’t do that
    But to make a true love end real quick
    I’m the one to call, I know that trick

    But, I thought our love was magical
    Thought our love was magical

    I thought our love was magical
    Perfect peace, amazing thrills
    But magic has a darker side
    That makes me run every time
    I feel I get too near
    I conjure up some hurtful words
    That make love disappear
    Disappear


  • 7
    Too Much Fun
  • Too Much Fun

    In Xanadu ol’ Kubla Khan
    Said let’s have a bash
    Somehow I got invited
    So I went back to the past

    Hordes of Mongols cheered
    When the riders drinkin’ beer
    Began to brawl
    Playin’ pickup games of polo
    With a severed head as the ball

    When you find you’re partyin’
    With drunk barbarians
    You might just want to run
    It’s too much fun
    Too much fun

    Then those Vikings in Valhalla
    Asked me to come for a meal
    Their mouths were dripping blood
    From chewing on their shields

    They ravaged and they pillaged
    Every town, every village
    They could find
    Then passed a freshly polished skull cup
    Asked if I’d like some more wine

    When you find you’re partyin’
    With drunk barbarians
    You might just want to run
    It’s too much fun
    Too much fun

    I’d been wantin’ an invitation
    To a bacchanal celebration
    But this soirée’s gotten way out of hand
    They’re throwing axes at the guys in the band

    When you find you’re partyin’
    With drunk barbarians
    You might just want to run
    It’s too much fun

    Too much fun
    Too much fun
    Too much fun


  • 8
    Minotaur
  • Minotaur

    The Minotaur’s a mythic beast
    King Minos did condemn
    To live life in a labyrinth
    Where he feeds on men

    Half of him’s a bull
    But just like you or me
    He plans and plots and figures
    How can he get free

    Did Eve give you an apple Mr. Minotaur?
    Knowin’ no way out must be so bizarre

    You try escaping from your plight
    You know you don’t get far
    You look up in the night
    And see that evening star
    And wonder where you are
    And wonder where you are

    He studies ancient scripture
    And learns to meditate
    To try to overcome
    His labyrinthine state

    He longs to see the bigger world
    That those walls conceal
    He is just a myth to us
    But he sure thinks he’s real

    Did Eve give you an apple Mr. Minotaur?
    Knowin’ no way out must be so bizarre

    An amazing maze of mirrors
    Trapped in a twilight zone
    You don’t get any nearer
    To feeling less alone
    And wonder where’s your home
    And wonder where’s your home

    It’s a riddle of a puzzle
    Entangled in a web
    He’s hopin’ to find answers
    Somewhere up ahead

    Did Eve give you an apple Mr. Minotaur?
    Knowin’ no way out must be so bizarre

    You try escaping from your plight
    You know you don’t get far
    You look up in the night
    And see that evening star
    And wonder where you are
    And wonder where you are





  • 9
    Hard To Keep
  • Hard To Keep

    From a train pulling out of Union Station
    She yelled “it’s the journey, not the destination”
    She don’t think much ‘bout tomorrow
    Lives like all her time is borrowed

    Tried to keep her safe
    Wanted to protect
    From rocky shores
    Where dreams get wrecked

    Held on too tight
    Dug in too deep
    I lost what I tried
    Too hard to keep

    I knew she was headed west
    She left a photo, but not a forwarding address
    Our love wasn’t what it seemed
    We were chasing different dreams

    Tried to keep her safe
    Wanted to protect
    From rocky shores
    Where dreams get wrecked

    Held on too tight
    Dug in too deep
    I lost what I tried
    Too hard to keep

    I begged her not to go, I needed her near
    Should have known I couldn’t protect her from my own fears

    Tried to keep her safe
    Wanted to protect
    From rocky shores
    Where dreams get wrecked

    Held on too tight
    Dug in too deep
    I lost what I tried
    Too hard to keep

    I lost what I tried
    Too hard to keep



    When The West Was Won

    He was running out the door
    With his dog ready to play
    On a bright and clear
    1840 Georgia day

    Blooming springtime flowers
    Branches bending down with fruit
    Best time to be a kid
    ’Til he heard the marching boots

    Soldiers yelling at his Daddy
    He started cryin’ then
    He kept his dog behind him
    Tryin’ to hide it from the men

    Their names are gone, but memories
    Of their pain and fear
    Reflect in a salty stream
    Flowing from the Trail of Tears
    They had nowhere to run
    When the West was won

    He walked beside their wagon
    Too scared to even cry
    His dog tried to follow
    But gave up and ran to hide

    By sunset they’d gone farther
    Than he’d ever been from home
    A line of frightened refugees
    Forced into the unknown

    For months of desperate marching
    Dad fed his hungry boy
    Swore they’d make Oklahoma
    But Dad died in Illinois

    Their names are gone, but memories
    Of their pain and fear
    Reflect in a salty stream
    Flowing from the Trail of Tears
    They had nowhere to run
    When the West was won

    50 springs, 600 moons
    He lived out on the plain
    When men came to his farm
    Told him to move again

    He wasn’t going to move
    He would protect his land
    He stood outside his door
    Winchester in his hands

    He could have shot them all
    But he let a couple run
    Then thought back to that Georgia day
    His long road had begun

    Their names are gone, but memories
    Of their pain and fear
    Reflect in a salty stream
    Flowing from the Trail of Tears
    They had nowhere to run
    When the West was won

    He knew men would keep coming
    Now that he’d been found
    The only way it ends
    Is six feet underground




MAGICAL

Jim Stanard

Album cover of 'MAGICAL' by Jim Stanard

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Coming January 2025