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The Heart Collector

by Adam Levy

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1.
I can't change the course of a wandering stream I can't tell the stars not to shine I can't stop the world from spinning around But I wish I could change your mind I can't stop the swallows returning in springtime Or the train on the Wichita line I can't stop the lightning from striking the ground But I wish I could change your mind Once upon a time, you said you would be mine As long as the sky hung above It's still there just the same So, darling, please explain What has become of our love I can't the church bells from chiming on Sunday I can't change the water to water to wine And, no, I can't stop these teardrops that fall from my eyes But I wish I could change your mind And I can't stop these teardrops that fall from my eyes But I wish I could change your mind
2.
I was a pioneer panning for gold I was a young man, twenty-five years old I left my family back in Texas And I headed for the West I never knew what fortune was before As soon as I crossed that state line Heard the harmony that never ends In the echoes of the canyon In the Santa Ana wind In the crash of the Pacific In the calling of the birds I made a promise to California And I never break my word I made some new friends, jokers and thieves We fought like brothers, yeah you'd never believe But once we hit the motherlode There was no turning back I never knew what fortune was before As soon as I crossed that state line Heard the harmony that never ends In the echoes of the canyon In the Santa Ana wind In the crash of the Pacific In the calling of the birds I made a promise to California And I never break my word Well, so so many people never leave their own home town No, they'll never see the sign up in the hills They will never know the sunset melting through the haze Of another picture-perfect postcard day So I found a bottle, empty inside I filled it with sun and wind, and the moon and the tide And I always keep it with me As I wander this weary world I spill a little of that spirit everywhere I go They may never get there, but they'll know... As soon as I crossed that state line Heard the harmony that never ends In the echoes of the canyon In the Santa Ana wind In the crash of the Pacific In the calling of the birds I made a promise to California And I never break my word I made a promise to California And I never break my word I made a promise to California And I never break my word
3.
Thinking back on when I first discovered what I had in me Like finding a babe in a manger, or a pot of gold up in a tree Drunk at a party, truth or dare, it was the dare that set me free Opened my mouth and there it was Kid Caruso they all called me I learned to make each song my own, and then I learned work the crowd I could murmur in undertone, or I could sing it loud and proud I traveled round the whole world twice, and then I did it in reverse It's a hell of a way to live, just keep 'em smiling and pass the purse (Pass the purse) Days and nights add up to weeks, and then the months turn into years By the time I stopped to take a breath, hair was sprouting from my ears Singing is a young man's game, any crooner could tell you that A man my age should be in a boat on a lake, fishing lures and a floppy hat Sure enough it all went south, when I expected it the least Hullabaloo, I opened my mouth to sing a chorus of "Basin Street" There was nothing but dust and stillness like you'd find underneath a chair Went to the well for a taste of water, and I found a desert there (Ain't nothin' but a desert there)
4.
Here comes the Heart Collector Looking for specimens of every kind He's never seen one like yours before Better look over your shoulder, better lock your door There was a girl so fair and ginger She used to work the picture show Until the night she stayed too late there And all the regulars went home She was getting high in the projection room Watching Betty Grable, 'Down Argentine Way' Candy by the handful with her eyes half-closed Milk Duds hit the floor when he lowered the boom Here comes the Heart Collector Looking for specimens of every kind He's never seen one like yours before Better look over your shoulder, better lock your door A midnight stroll that started sweetly Carrola and her friends made four The moon was full, the stars were many Above the caves as Lake Lenore So sure of the way she wandered off alone Carrie never liked to follow trails or maps Looking to the constellations—leading lights Then all the stars went out and she was good as gone Here comes the Heart Collector Looking for specimens of every kind He's never seen one like yours before Better look over your shoulder, better lock your door [x2] They'd string him up if they could find him But such a man is hard to trace Like a cloak, he draws the darkness round him No living soul has seen his face If I knew his whereabouts, I'd never say The better part of valor is discretion He may be an average man just like me Another cardiophile trying to outdo his own collection Here comes the Heart Collector Looking for specimens of every kind He's never seen one like yours before Better look over your shoulder, better lock your door [x2]
5.
[instrumental]
6.
Never gonna learn my lesson now Never gonna turn this life around, I know, I know Never gonna work for steady pay Never gonna work the live-long day, I know, I know There's a light that shines for me Never gonna call this house a home Never gonna need a telephone, I know, I know Never going back to my hometown Never gonna put my anchor down, I know, I know There's a light that shines for me There's a light that shines And when I lose myself at the point of no return I find a way to laugh at the bridges I have burned I have burned Never gonna buy a diamond ring Never gonna promise anything, I know, I know Never gonna tell me I belong Everything I have is in this song, I know, I know There's a light that shines for me There's a light that shines for me There's a light that shines—for me
7.
No Dancing 04:08
I heard a clock strike thirteen times The streets were paved with crooked lines My teardrops tasted like plum wine The day the dancing stopped The words fell out of all the books The jailhouse turned out all the crooks And Miss Gibraltar lost her looks The ay the dancing stopped No Watusi, no more Cuban slide No more shang-a-lang, hips swaying side to side Hang your shoes up on the wall, tell your lover not to call Throw a blanket on the floor, 'cause they're ain't no dancing no more A watermelon with no rind A dictionary redefined A staring contest for the blind The day the dancing stopped The laws of physics overturned Rome fiddled while old Nero burned And all the lessons got unlearned The day the dancing stopped No Watusi, no more Cuban slide No more shang-a-lang, hips swaying side to side Hang your shoes up on the wall, tell your lover not to call Throw a blanket on the floor, 'cause they're ain't no dancing no more I saw my shadow in the shade Honeybees made lemonade Uranus was in retrograde The day the dancing stopped Chicken Little kissed the sky A knock-knock joke done made me cry And no one knew the reason why The day the dancing stopped No Watusi, no more Cuban slide No more shang-a-lang, hips swaying side to side Hang your shoes up on the wall, tell your lover not to call Throw a blanket on the floor, 'cause they're ain't no dancing no more Hang your shoes up on the wall, tell your lover not to call Throw a blanket on the floor, 'cause they're ain't no dancing no more No, there ain't no dancing no more Ain't no dancing No dancing No dancing No [and so on...]
8.
Would it really be a sin To write God's holy name on the head of a pin If I'm playing a game I never can win Would it really be a sin Would it really be a wrong If I walk in a garden where I don't belong If I hide all of my fear in the verse of a song Would it really be a wrong Who makes the law, who holds the gavel Who says the man with the ball can't travel Who says we can't eat the cake before dinner begins Would it really be a crime If I still need a drink after closing time If I empty the piggy of his last dime Would it really be a crime Who makes the rules, who runs the lockup Heaven is waiting, one day I'll walk up Right to the gate, take a bite, is it made out of tin Would it really be a sin If I dance with the devil's identical twin Now I'm playing a game I never can win Would it really be a sin Would it really be a sin Would it really be a sin
9.
10.
There ain't no moral to my story No lesson waiting to be learned Remember Icarus, flew too close to the sun A clever boy but he got burned That ain't me, I'm just a singer I never rattled heaven's gate Please listen close before I'm finished— This is the sound I used to make This is the sound This is the sound I used to make I can't make it no more I can't make it no more
11.
I still remember my best days as a boy We'd race our bikes along the railroad tracks A cardboard box could be a fortress or a sled Conquering the big hill when the summer sun dried all the grass But there was one joy that trumped the thrills and spills Trav'ling west to visit Grandma Jenny She had the biggest ears and such fantastic hands She would play piano, singing songs she knew—oh so many Music filled the air both day and night I was mesmerized, glued to my seat Brother and sister fussed, they'd rather be back home But Grandma's house, to me, was like the Promised Land I couldn't tell you how many years gone by I went away to school across the state I met a girl, we fell in love, she had a child So wrapped up in our lives that we took for granted Grandma's fate I still remember the phone call from my dad He never was the kind to sugar-coat "Sweet Jenny's gone," he said, "she's in a better place." I could not imagine any better place than grandma's house Jenny's gone unto the Promised Land All her worldly days were fin'ly done I hope they have a grand piano just for her With angels singing harmony and clapping hands She lived a good life, and never did complain Although she made her way by modest means There were few treasures left, no pot of gold remained Her clothes went to the church and a few dollars went to children But there was one thing she wanted to be known Her grand piano would be mine to keep Can you imagine how I felt the day I brought it home, and Lifted up the cover, laid my hands where Jenny's hands once played I beheld the vista black and white Territory rich with hope and dreams Calling for my daughter, "Come, sit here by my side." Our hands like pilgrims dancing in the Promised Land Our hands like pilgrims dancing in the Promised Land
12.
Well, I made up the bed the way that she likes it And I polished the floor 'til it shines so bright Then I oiled the gears in the grandfather clock And I put on my best suit of blue and green Well, I bought her a pair of pearl earrings She sat by the mirror for half of the night Then she went into town to meet up with an old friend If she ever said "thank you," it wasn’t to me They'd all call my name from the sidewalk café "There goes the Rembrandt of Sullivan Street." Then I lost my touch and I miss it so much It haunts me in my slumber Look all around me from floor to ceiling The work that I've done, it can speak for itself It’s the work of a man with a master's hand But tonight I'm just painting by numbers You can put all your eggs in one basket You can hope for the light to hit them just right But the light can play tricks on the eyes of a lover Who only sees what he wants to see They'd all call my name from the sidewalk café "There goes the Rembrandt of Sullivan Street." Then I lost my touch and I miss it so much It haunts me in my slumber Look all around me from floor to ceiling The work that I've done, it can speak for itself It’s the work of a man with a master's hand But tonight I'm just painting by numbers Yeah, tonight I'm just painting by numbers
13.
Take the guitar off of your knee and settle up your keep There's no more need to hide behind a box of wood and silver twine Close the case and shut the light and let these stories sleep Happy endings, tear-jerk tales, dredged up from the deep You raised them with your calloused hands, then wrung them dry before the band Now close the case and shut the light and let these stories sleep You’re the shepherd of the flock, tender are the sheep They'll never know how they got here—plucked from dreams and soaked in beer Now close the case and shut the light and let these stories sleep Close the case and shut the light and let these stories sleep

credits

released February 14, 2011

Produced by Mark Orton & Adam Levy
Recorded and mixed by Mark Orton at Camp Watertown Studios, Portland, OR
Additional recording at Dead Aunt Thelma’s, Portland, OR
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York, NY
Executive Producer — Daniel Picard

voice and guitars — Adam Levy

with
Dobro, pump organ, bass harmonica, Marxophone, string arrangements — Mark Orton
vibraphone, accordion — Rob Burger

and
The Real Vocal String Quartet
violin — Irene Sazer
violin — Alisa Rose
viola — Dina Maccabee
cello — Jessica Ivry

Art direction by Alphabet Arm
Photo by Andy Hess

Adam thanks: all 174 of his Kickstarter backers, without whom this project would have been impossible; Mark Orton, whose vision and expertise helped shape this recording in countless ways; and Mia Jarlov (1976–2009) for a long season of miracles. Life is beautiful — thank you!

“I Wish I Could Change Your Mind” by Adam Levy, Neill Maccoll, and Natalia Sheppard, published by Lost Wax Music/UMPG (ASCAP)/Barking Green (PRS/MCPS).
“There’s a Light” by Adam Levy and Geoff Martyn, published by Lost Wax Music/UMPG (ASACP)/Copyright Control (PRS/MCPS). All other songs written by Adam Levy, published by Lost Wax Music/UMPG (ASCAP).

©2011 Lost Wax Records LLC

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Adam Levy New York, New York

Adam Levy is an NYC-based guitarist with 30 years of experience as a performing artist, studio musician, journalist, and educator.

He has released more than a dozen albums of his own, and is featured on recordings by Norah Jones, Vulfpeck, Ani DiFranco, Allen Toussaint, and other renowned artists. He has toured extensively as a solo artist and as a collaborator.
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