jim vick

From PUNTA RASTA, the new all instrumental album.  Click on the album cover on the right to hear the whole album.

SNOW

Like the snowflakes falling, 

settling on the ground,

gathering into towering drifts 

that shut a city down, 

it starts so small and softly, 

it’s barely seen or heard.

Yet each day we grow in number 

as we work to spread the word.

I won’t deny we’re living in an age of darkness.

I won’t pretend to know 

that it will all get better someday.

But the few of us whose eyes are open 

wide enough to see what’s goin’ on

need to be brave enough and strong.

And keep on watching. 

We dare not look away.

And Keep on working. 

There is no other way.

Though we may not see the changes 

we struggle to achielve,

in the face of apathy, 

we’ll stand up for what we believe.

Like the spark igniting 

leaves upon the ground,

fanned into the fiery flames 

that brought the forest down,

this tiny spark of warmth and light 

somehow sustains its glow

and spreads its sparkle ‘round the planet 

as our numbers grow.

I won’t deny we’re living in an age of darkness.

I won’t pretend to know 

that it will all get better someday.

But the few of us whose eyes are open 

wide enough to see what’s goin’ on

need to be brave enough and strong. 

A day is coming, 

though it may not be coming soon.

Maybe our children 

will be the ones to see it through.

And they will need to know the truths 

we were compelled to stand behind.

And they will need to see the images 

and words that moved our minds.

And they will need to know the dreams 

that we have clung to all our lives.

And they will need to hear the songs 

that helped our spirits to survive

to survive.

Copyright 2005 Jim Vick

From Surfing the Web of Life

This song has made it into the set list now and then over the years, but the right situation for recording it had never arisen until I began choosing the songs for Strings and Wood, the mostly acoustic album I'll be releasing soon.  A reflection on the complex collection of experiences that make up who we are and the cost of regret paid by our hearts and minds.

DID WHAT I DID

Looking back on my past,

tears used to come to my eyes

‘til I heard a word from the wise

that helped me to realize

that all of those tearful times,

myriad mistakes, and unmentionable crimes 

were secretly paving the way

for the place where I am today.

If I never did what I did,

I might never be able to do 

what I do like I do,

and I wouldn’t know what I know

if I’d never been through

what I’ve been through.

I’ve sorted out all of my dreams,

secret desires and unscrupulous schemes -

thoughts that I’d dare not reveal 

and tried half my life to conceal.

Foolishly played at that game

in half-hearted hope of protecting my name.

Now I cast off the guilt and the shame.

No more holding myself to blame!

If I hadn’t thought what I thought, 

I might never be able to think 

out these things like I do,

and I wouldn’t be truly me

if I hadn’t been true 

to what I knew.

Counting attempts that I’ve made:

magnificent moves that bring only distress,

brushes with fame and success,

and maneuvers that end in a mess . . .

courageously carrying out

yet one more ill-conceived plan - 

another illusion so grand 

the world couldn’t understand.

If I never did what I did,

I might never be able to do 

what I do like I do,

and I wouldn’t know what I know

if I’d never been through

what I’ve been through.

Copyright 1995 Jim Vick

This new mix of a track originally recorded for the Insider's Limon score is featured on my new instrumental album, Punta Rasta. Click on the Punta Rasta album cover photo to listen to a stream of the whole album or other individual cuts.

Inspired at first by a story I heard told by an advocate for domestic violence victims, I was already working on this song when my day job introduced me to a mother who and her 3 young children who had actually lived through this story.

Chocolates and Roses

She’s packed a lunch and a change of clothes 

for herself and the kids - 

barely anymore.

She’s got a plan: while the man is gone, 

just before the dawn,

they’ll be out the door.

Gas in the car - just enough to make it 

across the bridge

to the other side.

Out on the street on their feet,

they search for somewhere to rest,

for a place to hide.

She’s combed the streets, 

trying to find a shelter with room

that will take them in,

willing to take the kids and the extra risk

that will come with them.

For there’s a man with a gun, 

enraged and on the prowl, 

set on finding them.

Each darting headlight and each screeching 

break in the night

will be reminding them.

Ooh . . . and all we can say is

Ooh . . . and all we can say is

Ooh . . . and all we can say is

“How come she keeps going back?”

Rain’s coming down. They’re getting soaked, 

huddled on a bench 

in a city park.

Been on the street on their feet all day. 

They haven’t got a place to stay,

and it’s getting dark.

The kids are hungry and cold. They’re crying. 

And their mom’s afraid.

She begins to wonder if things aren’t even worse 

than if they had stayed.

That’s why it feels like a rescue car coming into sight.

The driver rolls the window down.

He’s got a box of chocolates, a dozen roses, 

a list of promises. 

They like the sound . . .

So warm in the car, they feel relieved to be deceived.

It will comfort them.

His friendly familiar face just wants to be believed.

And they all get in.

Ooh . . . and all we can say is

Ooh . . . and all we can say is

Ooh . . . and all we can say is

“How come she keeps going back?”

Copyright 1998 Jim Vick

This cut from Punta Rasta helps tell the story on Insider's Limon of when the railroad was first built, stretching from San Jose to the Carribean. Click on the Punta Rasta album cover photo to listen to a stream of the whole album or other individual cuts.

As corporations with no formal allegiance to any nation choose those who lead us and make our laws, fund their campaigns, and assure that they remain in power . . . as those same corporations continue to grow in power, profits, and influence through their study, influence and growing control of our consumption-focused lives, I, for one, can't help asking "Just what IS normal anymore?" I tried to approach the issue with a sense of humor here, but I do think that with every passing year it becomes ever more essential that we all keep questioning the messages were delivered and "talking back to our televisions" - and all of our electronic devices for that matter. Or better yet, maybe disengage sometimes from the conversation altogether. 

The Norm

When you find your life
in chaos and dysfunction
using psychobabble to describe
the status of your family . . .
When you can't help comparing
their daily interactions
with the crazy neighbors down the street
or the simple way life used to be . . .

Don't blame yourself.
It's a social condition.
It's not your fault.
At least, not all you see,
because the norm, it just aint normal anymore.

When you question the motives
of anyone who wants to be your friend,
well it could be paranoia
or just the voice of experience.
When looking in the mirror
keeps bringing down your self esteem,
turn off your t.v.
and put down your magazine.

Don't blame yourself.
You can't help what you see.
It could be clinical depression
or just a corporate conspiracy,
because the norm, it just aint normal anymore.

When observing your own actions,
you start to see a pattern
of continuous distraction
from the things that really matter.
When all your interaction
is happening in cyberspace,
you may miss your lost connection
with other members of the human race.

Don't blame yourself.
It's something larger than you or me.
It's got a life of its own,
and it's only just begun.
We share this dark night with all humanity.
And it could be a long, long time
before we see the sun,
because the norm,
it just aint normal
anymore.

Copyright 2001 Jim Vick

This is the title track for the new CD, which began, like the rest of the album, as part of the Insider's Limon score, but has unfolded over the past year into a very different arrangement with new instrument voices and sounds. Click on the Punta Rasta album cover photo to listen to a stream of the whole album or other individual cuts.

This re-worked version of a track from the Insider's Limon score is featured on the new Punta Rasta album. Click on the Punta Rasta album cover photo to listen to a stream of the whole album or other individual cuts.

A cut from the new Punta Rasta album, originally composed for the Insider's Limon score.