Grown Up Christmas List

I thought I'd participate in a Music Monday again. This is my favorite Christmas song. December 1992 was a very hard month for me. I was turning thirteen and, to make a long story short, when I listened to Amy Grant's Christmas album that was released that year, this song seemed to match perfectly what I was feeling and made me feel better. Those are the best types of songs!


LYRICS:

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee;
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies.

Well, I'm all grown-up now,
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child,
But my heart still can dream.

So here's my lifelong wish,
My grown-up Christmas list.
Not for myself,
But for a world in need.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.

Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul.

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.

Cats In The Cradle

This is my final/last Music Monday meme! I'll never forget the first time I heard this song. I was thirteen years old. . .on a vacation with my mom & stepdad to South Dakota. I thought it was such a powerful song. They knew the original with the same lyrics by Harry Chapin; this was the 1990's version by Ugly Kid Joe: "Cats In The Cradle."

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' before I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you Dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

After All

Posting a day early for Music Monday! In my opinion, the 1980s had the best love songs! It is hard for me to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose just one it has been this particular song since I first heard it when I was nine years old. I wish I could find the original (by Cher and Peter Cetera) but this one is still pretty good - it's Cher and one of her bandmates singing "After All." (Aside from my new job, I've been busy over at my autobiography site, so I'm still on blog break - meaning this is all from me this week!)

Well, here we are again;
I guess it must be fate.
We've tried it on our own,
But deep inside we've known
We'd be back to set things straight.

I still remember when
Your kiss was so brand new.
Every memory repeats,
Every step I take retreats,
Every journey always brings me back to you.

After All the stops and starts,
We keep coming back to these two hearts,
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall.
After All that we've been through,
It all comes down to me and you.
I guess it's meant to be,
Forever you and me, After All.

When love is truly right
(This time it's truly right.)
It lives from year to year.
It changes as it goes,
Oh, and on the way it grows,
But it never disappears,

Always just beyond my touch,
You know I needed you so much.
After All, what else is livin' for?

Apologize

This week I chose "Apologize" by One Republic for Music Monday. I love this song.

I'm hangin' on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground
And I'm hearin' what you say
But I just can't make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down
But wait
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around
And say

That it's too late to apologize
It's too late
I said it's too late to apologize
It's too late

I'd take another chance
Take a fall, take a shot for you
I need you like a heart needs a beat
But it's nothin' new
I loved you with a fire red,
Now it's turnin' blue
And you say
Sorry, you're not the angel
Heaven let me think was you
But I'm afraid

What Do You Want From Me

I'm posting this week's Music Monday a day early - every time I hear this song I can't get it out of my head for the rest of the day. It's by last season's AI runner-up, Adam Lambert: "What Do You Want From Me."



Hey, slow it down whataya want from me
Whataya want from me
Yeah I'm afraid whataya want from me
Whataya want from me

There might have been a time
I would give myself away
Oooh once upon a time I didn't give a damn
But now, here we are so whataya want from me
Whataya want from me

Just don't give up I'm workin it out
Please don't give in, I won't let you down
It messed me up, need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey, whataya want from me
Whataya want from me
Whataya want from me

Yeah, it's plain to see
That baby you're beautiful
And it's nothing wrong with you
It's me, I'm a freak
But thanks for lovin' me
Cause you're doing it perfectly

There might have been a time
When I would let you step away
I wouldn't even try
But I think you could save my life

Two Sets Of Jones'

I hope everyone had a happy Easter! I will return to blog hopping tonight - I'm sorry to those who I've been out of touch, life has seemed crazy busy lately for some reason! My memoir posts will return this Thursday. Right now, it's return of the memes!

This week's Music Monday was a song I first heard at Family Life's A Weekend To Remember marriage conference in 2004 (Joe's oldest sister gave us tickets for our one year anniversary):

This here's a song about two sets of Jones'
Rothchild, Evelyn, Rueben, and Sue

And just for discussion through random selection
We've chosen two couples who haven't a clue

Rothchild was lucky to marry so wealthy,
Evelyn bought him a house on the beach.

Rueben and Sue, they had nothing but Jesus
And at night they would pray that he would care for them each

And the rain, came down,
And it blew the forewalls down
And the clouds they rolled away
And one set of Jones' was standing that day

Evelyn's daddy was proud of young Rothchild,
He worked the late hours to be number one
Just newly weds and their marriage got rocky,
He's flying to Dallas, she's having a son.

Rueben was holding, a Giddeon's Bible,
And he screamed "it's a boy" so that everyone heard
And the guys at the factory took a collection,
And again God provided for bills he incured

So what is the point of this story,
What am I trying to say
Well is your life built on the rock of Christ Jesus
Or a sandy foundation you've managed to lay

Well needless to say Evelyn left her husband
N' sued him for every penny he had
But I truly wish that those two would find Jesus
Before things get worse than they already have

And the rain, came down,
And it blew the forewalls down
And the clouds they rolled away

There's two sets of Jones'
Which ones will you be?

The Motions

This week's Music Monday really fits with the post I wrote last week (Follow Up). I first heard this song on the radio a month or two ago and immediately wanted to know what it was called and who sang it: "The Motions" by Matthew West.

This might hurt
It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care
If I break
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something
Take me all the way

Breakaway

For this week's Music Monday I chose Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway." (Yes, I chose a Kelly Clarkson song last week, too.) This came out in 2004 and I've really identified with the lyrics throughout my life.

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I prayed I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jet plane, far away
And breakaway

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging around revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but
Gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway

I'll spread my wings
And I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Because Of You

This is my second Music Monday. For this week, I chose Kelly Clarkson's "Because Of You."


"Because Of You"

I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Unwritten

My first Music Monday! I have been wanting to participate in this meme forever, I don't know why it's taken me so long! One of the things I miss having not been on MySpace in a year and a half is the music - posting a different song and video each week or even each day! The song that used to fit my profile the best was Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" - and it still fits me - so I thought that would be the best song to begin my participation here! :-)

I am unwritten,
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah

I break tradition
Sometimes my tries
Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah
We've been conditioned
To not make mistakes
But I can't live that way