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Release Date - August 1981, Full Moon/Epic Records
Producer - Dan Fogelberg  with Marty Lewis
Tracks (click song title for lyrics)    

All compositions by Daniel Fogelberg except "Empty Cages": music by Daniel Fogelberg, Norbert Putnam, Michael Utley and Russ Kunkel; lyrics by Daniel Fogelberg.  ©1981 Hickory Grove Music (ASCAP), except "Same Old Lang Syne" -- ©1979 Hickory Grove Music (ASCAP) and "Run For The Roses" and "Time Like These" -- ©1980 Hickory Grove Music (ASCAP).

Certified - Double Platinum
Recorded at - Northstar Studios, Boulder, CO; Rudy Records, Hollywood, CA; Wally Heider Studios, Hollywood, CA; Record Plant, Sausalito, CA; Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO)
Engineer - Marty Lewis
Cover Photography - Dan Fogelberg and Andy Katz 
Liner Photograph - Andy Katz
Album Design - Kosh
Notes - album "lovingly dedicated to the memory of my Grandfather and Django, who will forever remain children".

Lyrics

Nexus

Across the vein of night
There cuts a path of searing light
Burning like a beacon
On the edges of our sight
At the point of total darkness
And the lights divine divide
A soul can let its shadow stretch
And land on either side --
either side.

And balanced on the precipice
The moment must reveal
Naked in the face of time
Our race within the wheel
As we hang beneath the heavens
And we hover over hell
Our hearts become the instruments
We learn to play so well.

Wealthy the spirit that knows its
own flight
Stealthy the hunter who slays
his own fright
Blessed the traveler who journeys
the length of the light.

Outside the pull of gravity
Beyond the spectral veil
Within our careful reasoning
We search to no avail
For the constant in the chaos
For the fulcrum in the void
Following a destiny
Our steps cannot avoid.

Across the vein of night
There cuts a path of searing light
Burning like a beacon
On the edges of our sight
At the point of total darkness
And the lights divine divide
A soul can let its shadow
Stretch and land on either side.

Wealthy the spirit that knows its
own flight
Stealthy the hunter who slays
his own fright
Blessed the traveler who journeys
the length of the light.

In a spiral never-ending
Are we drawn towards the source
Spinning at the mercy of an
unrelenting force
So we stare into the emptiness
and fall beneath the weight
Circling the Nexus in a
fevered dance with fate --

Wealthy the spirit that knows its
own flight
Stealthy the hunter who slays
his own fright
Blessed the traveler who journeys
the length of the light.

Back

The Innocent Age

Capture the moment
Carry the day
Stay with the chase
As long as you may
Follow the dreamer,
The fool, and the sage
Back to the days of
The innocent age.

Storybook endings
Never appear
They're just someone's way of
Leading us here
Waiting for wisdom
To open the cage
We forged in the fires of
The innocent age.

Back at the start
It was easy to see
No one to own to
Nowhere to be
Deep in the heartlands
A sad memory
Calls to me.
(Calls to me)

Fretful horizons
Worrisome skies
Tearful misgivings
Burning your eyes
Yearnings unanswered
Reckon the wage you
Pay to recapture the innocent age.

Back at the start
It was easy to see
No one to own to
Nowhere to be
Deep in the heartlands
A sad memory
Calls to me.
(Calls to me)

Fretful horizons
Worrisome skies
Tearful misgivings
Burning your eyes
Yearnings unanswered
Reckon the wage you
Pay to recapture the innocent age.

Back

The Sand and the Foam

Dawn...like an angel
Lights on the step
Muting the morning she heralds
Dew on the grass
Like the tears the night wept
Gone long before
The day wears old.

Times stills the singing
A child holds so dear
And I'm just beginning to hear
Gone are the pathways
The child followed home
Gone, like the sand and the foam.

Pressed in the pages
Of some aging text
Lies an old lily, crumbling
Marking a moment
Of childish respects
Long since betrayed and forgotten.

Times stills the singing
A child holds so dear
And I'm just beginning to hear
Gone are the pathways
The child followed home
Gone, like the sand and the foam.

Dawn...like an angel
Lights on the step
Muting the morning she heralds
Dew on the grass
Like the tears the night wept
Gone long before
The day wears old.

Times stills the singing
A child holds so dear
And I'm just beginning to hear
Gone are the pathways
The child followed home
Gone, like the sand and the foam
Gone, like the sand
Gone, like the sand and the foam.

Back

In The Passage

There's a ring around the moon
tonight
And a chill in the air
And a fire in the stars that
hang -- so near;
so near.

There's a sound in the wind that
blows
Through the wild mountain holds
Like the sighs of a thousand crying
souls;
Crying souls --

There's a time when the traveller
is fated to find
That insight has turned his gaze
behind -- behind
And the steps taken yesterday
Will beckon again
And lead to his weary journey's
end -- journey's end.

And in the passage
From the cradle to the grave
We are born, madly dancing
Rushing headlong through the
crashing of the days
We run on and on
Without a backwards glance
We run on and on
Without a backwards glance.

But I cast my fate with the
wife of Lot
I turned my gaze around
Knowing neither what was sought
nor what was to be found
Heeding weakness, feeding
strength
Life at length is frail
I seek again the river's source
through time's dark shadowed veil.

In the fast fading centurywe spin through the years
I pray that our failing vision
clears -- our vision clears.

And in the passage
From the cradle to the grave
We are born, madly dancing
Rushing headlong through the
crashing of the days
We run on and on
Without a backwards glance
We run on and on
Without a backwards glance.

The places dash and the faces
dart
Like fishes in a dream
Hiding 'neath the murky banks
of long forgotten streams
The lines of life are never long
when seen from end to end
The future's never coming
and the past has never been.

There's a ring around the moon
tonight
And a chill in the air
And a fire in the stars that
hang -- so near;
so near.

Back

Lost In The Sun

Every night I ask myself
That same old question: why?
And every day the answer
Seems more distant
I always knew the final
Truths lay just beneath the lies
But I never thought they'd
Be this hard to find...
I never thought they'd
Be this hard to find...

Every time I try to put
This puzzle into place
There always seems to be
A piece that's missing
And through the eyes of someone else
I look into my face
And can't believe the sorrow
There I see
I can't believe this lonely man
Is me...

The faster we run
The further away the dreams
That we chase become
And lost in the sun
Spinning and turning
Blind in the burning
Light of day --
We have to turn away.

Every night I ask myself
That same old question: why?
And every day the answer
Seems more distant
I always knew the final
Truths lay just beneath the lies
But I never thought they'd
Be this hard to find...
I never thought they'd
Be this hard to find...

The faster we run
The further away the dreams
That we chase become
And lost in the sun
Spinning and turning
Blind in the burning
Light of day --
We have to turn away.

Back

Run For The Roses

Born in the valley
And raised in the trees
Of Western Kentucky
On wobbly knees
With mama beside you
To help you along
You'll soon be a growing up strong.

All the long, lazy mornings
In pastures of green
The sun on your withers
The wind in your mane
Could never prepare you
For what lies ahead
The run for the roses so red --

And it's run for the roses
As fast as you can
Your fate is delivered
Your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined
In the dance
It's high time you joined
In the dance --

From sire to sire
It's born in the blood
The fire of a mare
And the strength of a stud
It's breeding and it's training
And it's something unknown
That drives you and carries
You home.

And it's run for the roses
As fast as you can
Your fate is delivered
Your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined
In the dance
It's high time you joined
In the dance --

Back

Leader Of The Band

An only child
Alone and wild
A cabinet maker's son
His hands were meant
For different work
And his heart was known
To none --
He left his home
And went his lone
And solitary way
And he gave to me
A gift I know I never
can repay

A quiet man of music
Denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once
But his music wouldn't wait
He earned his love
Through discipline
A thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls
Took me years to understand.

The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through
My instrument
And his song is in my soul --
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy
To the leader of the band.

My brothers' lives were
different
For they heard another call
One went to Chicago
And the other to St. Paul
And I'm in Colorado
When I'm not in some hotel
Living out this life I've chose
And come to know so well.

I thank you for the music
And your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom
When it came my time to go --
I thank you for the kindness
And the times when you got tough
And, pap, I don't think I
Said 'I love you' near enough --

The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through
My instrument
And his song is in my soul --
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy
To the leader of the band
I am the living legacy
To the leader of the band.

Back

Same Old Lang Syne

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve

She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried.

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged.

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.

She said she'd married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like to lie.

I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw
Doubt or gratitude.

She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly
But the traveling was hell.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another 'auld lang syne'...

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away.

Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain --

Back

Stolen Moments

Every time we speak
Our words betray intentions
Insincere inventions
That never quite reach the heart
So we turn the other cheek
And gather our defenses
Again, rebuild the fences
That just been keeping us apart.

Waiting out the worst
We keep the best inside us
In hopes our hearts can't hide us
In hopes our tears don't show
And you know we're not the first
to try and breach the distance
And though we meet resistance
The love between us grows.

And in the time it takes us
to look beyond the lies
We could be sailing through
each other's eyes
And in those stolen moments
when love is caught off guard
We see it never had to be
this hard.

Every time we speak
Our words betray intentions
Insincere inventions
That never quite reach the heart
So we turn the other cheek
And gather our defenses
Again, rebuild the fences
That just been keeping us apart.

And in the time it takes us
to look beyond the lies
We could be sailing through
each other's eyes
And in those stolen moments
when love is caught off guard
We see it never had to be
this hard.

Back

The Lion's Share

Grand slam
Your moment's at hand
The day holds a costly bargain
Lost lamb
Asking the lion's share
Homespun
A prodigal son
Comes begging a humble pardon
But no one
Rises to hear his prayer...

Lone star
You've wandered so far
And long in the unfamiliar
That now you
Travel a map unknown
Starbright
A constant delight
To those in the dark
And still your
Birthright's
To shine in the night -- alone.

Living in the shadows
Of the things that might
have been
Torn between the blessing
and the curse
You may stop the hunger
But you'll never slake
the thirst
For the nectar you remember
But you'll never taste again...

Nonesuch
Your Midas' touch
Has gilded your heart
And left you
So much
Playing the prince
of clowns
Hell-bent
Empty and spent
Just look what your
gamble's got you
Exile
Far from the sacred grounds...

Living in the shadows
Of the things that might
have been
Torn between the blessing
and the curse
You may stop the hunger
But you'll never slake
the thirst
For the nectar you remember
But you'll never taste again.

Grand slam
Your moment's at hand
The day holds a costly bargain
Lost lamb
Asking the lion's share.

Back

Only The Heart May Know

Silent sea
Tell this to me:
Where are the children that we
used to be

Silent sea:
At picture shows
Where nobody goes
And only the heart can see.

Starry skies
Soft lullabies
Where do they go when their
melodies die?

Starry skies:
To a day
Far, far away
That only the heart may know.

Friends we knew
Follow us through
All of the days of our lives
Love we shared
Waits for us there
Where our wishes forever reside.

Falling tears
Memories' mirrors
Where are summers
Oh, where are the years?

Falling tears:
Carried far
To a wandering star
That only the heart may know.

Friends we knew
Follow us through
All of the days of our lives
Love we shared
Waits for us there
Where our wishes forever reside.

Starry skies
Soft lullabies
Where do they go when their
melodies die?
To a day
Far, far away
That only the heart may know.

Back

The Reach

It's Maine...
And it's Autumn
The birches have just begun turning
It's life and it's dying
The lobstermen's boats come returning
With the catch of they day in their holds
and the young boys cold and complaining
The fog meets the beaches and out on
the Reach it is raining --

It's father and son
It's the way it's been done since the old days
It's hauling by hand ten miles out
from the land where their chow waits
All the days get so lonely and long
and seas grow so stormy and strong but
The Reach will sing welcome as homeward
they hurry along.

And the morning will blow away
As the waves crash and fall
And the Reach like a siren sings
as she beckons and calls
As the coastline recedes from view
And the seas swell and roll
I will take from the Reach
all that she has to teach
To the depths of my soul --

The wind brings a chill
There's a frost on the sill in the morning
It creeps through the door
At the edge of the shore
ice is forming
Soon the northers will bluster and blow
And the woods will be whitened
with snowfall
And the Reach will lie frozen
for the lost and unchosen to row --

And the morning will blow away
As the waves crash and fall
And the Reach like a siren sings
as she beckons and calls
As the coastline recedes from view
And the seas swell and roll
I will take from the Reach
all that she has to teach
To the depths of my soul --

Back

Times Like These

Tell me a secret
Tell me a lie
Tell me the truth if you have to
Say what you see fit
But don't ask me why
Love never seems to last you.

In times like these
It's hard to keep a man off his knees
In times like these
It's hard to keep a man off his knees.

Over a barrel
Under a spell
Money's the demon that drives you
Limping through heaven
Or running through hell
Happiness smiles but denies you.

In times like these
It's hard to keep a man off his knees
In times like these
It's hard to keep a man off his knees.

Nothing before you
Nothing behind
Thoughtlessly chasing the thunder
Travelling lightly
Travelling blind
Never detouring to wonder why.

Tell me a secret
Tell me a lie
Tell me the truth if you have to
Say what you see fit
But don't ask me why
Love never seems to last you.

In times like these
It's hard to keep a man off his knees
In times like these
It's hard to keep a man off his knees.

Nothing before you
Nothing behind
Thoughtlessly chasing the thunder
Travelling lightly
Travelling blind
Never detouring to wonder why.

Back

Hard To Say

Lucky at love
Well, maybe so
There's still a lot of things you'll never know
Like why each time the sky begins to snow
You cry...

You're faithful to her
In your careless way
So you miss her when she's far away
But every time you think you've got it straight
You fall --

You face the future with a weary past
Those dreams you banked upon are fading fast
You know you love her but it may not last, 
You fear --

It's never easy
And it's never clear
Who's to navigate
And who's to steer
So you flounder drifting ever near the rocks.

It's hard to say where love went wrong
It's hard to say just when
It's hard to walk away from love
It may never come again.

You do your best to keep your hand in play
And try to keep those lonesome blues at bay
You think you're winning but it's
hard to say sometimes.

It's hard to say where love went wrong
It's hard to say just when
It's hard to walk away from love
It may never come again.

Lucky at love
Well, maybe so
There's still a lot of things you'll never know
Like why each time the sky begins to snow
You cry...

Back

Empty Cages

Waiting in the wings
Your courage sings before you falter . . .
It's just another way to say
what's there but never shows

It's just another day to lay
your sins before the altar
And where it's going to end
this time around nobody knows.

Every time it seems that you
have gained an understanding
Those devils at your heels
reach up and try to tip the scales

Waking from a dream
you see it's all been done without you
And every vain attempt to make it stay
Is destined to fail.

CHORUS

Fury rages through your restless days
Shades of time that's gone before
Empty cages where the prisoner plays
'Til the door swings closed behind for evermore . . .
Evermore...
Evermore...

Long before we come of
age we yearn to leave the garden
And wrestle with a myth
the hand of fate
has faintly drawn

But somewhere on the way
we feel our hearts begin to harden
And see just as we learn
to turn around
the garden is gone.

Fury rages through your restless days
Shades of time that's gone before
Empty cages where the prisoner plays
'Til the door swings closed
behind for evermore . . .

Evermore...
Evermore...

Back

Ghosts

Sometimes, in the night I feel it
Near as my next breath
and yet, untouchable
Silently the past comes stealing
Like the taste of some forbidden sweet

Along the walls; in shadowed rafters
Moving like a thought through haunted atmospheres
Muted cries and echoed laughter
Banished dreams that never sank in sleep

Lost in love and found in reason
Questions that the mind can find no answers for
Ghostly eyes conspire treason
As they gather just outside the door ...

Every ghost that calls upon us
Brings another measure in the mystery
Death is there
To keep us honest
And constantly remind us we are free

Down the ancient corridors
And through the gates of time
Run the ghosts of days
That we left behind

Down the ancient corridors
And through the gates of time
Run the ghosts of dreams
That we left behind

Sometimes, in the night I feel it
Near as my next breath and yet, untouchable
Silently the past comes stealing
Like the taste of some forbidden sweet

Every ghost that calls upon us
Brings another measure in the mystery
Death is there
To keep us honest
And constantly remind us we are free

Down the ancient corridors
And through the gates of time
Run the ghosts of days
That we left behind

Back

This page was last modified Sunday, August 13, 2000

Copyright © 2003 - Wynn Drumm. All rights reserved.