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Temporary Stay

by Pat Wictor

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1.
Ghost Radio 04:12
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Late night driving through the rain, alone with just my thoughts again Try to stay awake and then, I'm reaching for the dial A station no one's ever heard, an echo of a dream with words sounds become a blur, I listen for a while Guitars pick and fiddles cry Under a blind and starless night Lady day sings lullabies An image of you turns in my mind, so slow Ghost radio I watch the road, watch the lines, your voice echoes inside my mind Like memories from another life, they ebb and they flow Almost can remember when we'd drive out to Lovers' Bend Then I'd bring you home again, we'd linger in the car, nice and slow Can you hear the saxophone cry Skin to skin and side to side Lady day sings lullabies And the last time I saw you seems so long ago Ghost radio A whisper in my head coming in from who knows where When the songs are over you just fade into thin air Ghost radio Ghost radio Time stands still, the hour is late Rains come down and I meditate On the long list of my mistakes That left me here, driving all alone Gospel choirs harmonize Smoke curls up into the sky Lady Day sings lullabies And the angels whisper, "You reap what you sow" Ghost radio A whisper in my head coming in from who knows where When the songs are over you just fade into thin air Ghost radio Ghost radio
2.
The Dolphins 04:11
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This whole world may never change The way it's always been And all the ways of war Can't change it back again I've been searching for the dolphins in the sea And sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me? Lord, I'm not the one to tell This world how to get along I only know that peace will come When all our hate is gone I've been searching for the dolphins in the sea And sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me? Sometimes I think about Saturday's child And all about the times When we were running wild I've been searching for the dolphins in the sea And sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me?
3.
Walk With The Spirits 04:19
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She said she'd come home with me, she was beautiful that night She wasn't wearing her wedding ring, how could it not be right? Moses said on the mountain, "don't covet thy neighbor's wife" But I was born a sinner, been sinning all my life     As I wander through these darkened woods     Have I no friend or guide?     Shadows rise in the cool moonlight     I'll walk with the spirits tonight Her husband had money, got me fired from the mill Couldn't find no work in town, I couldn't pay no bills Jesus said on the mountain, "turn the other cheek" But I ain't no holy man, and that don't work for me     And the river might be whispering,     "Gather your strength inside."     Shadows rise in the cool moonlight     I'll walk with the spirits tonight A man's got to defend himself, especially against the strong He's got to do what he's got to do, even if he's wrong Moses said on the mountain, "thou shalt not kill" But I was born a sinner, and sin I always will     So I'll be your last companion in this god-forsaken life     Shadows rise in the cool moonlight     I'll walk with the spirits tonight
4.
Still Point 04:12
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And I'll lay down my sword and be a  soldier no more Scars on my hand and my feet Scars on my heart no one's seen Fought for hearth and home since I was young and lean But these hands of mine may never be clean And I'll lay down my sword and be a  soldier no more I'm taking off these boots caked with dust Taking off my armor--let it rust After everything I've seen Gonna rest a while beside the coolest stream Maybe there is still a chance that I can be redeemed Maybe I can still become the man I set out to be I'm still trying to find my still point in this turning world When I make it home, keep your banners furled Save your celebrations, you won't need your pearls Will you still remember who I used to be All I want is a quiet life of peace And I'll lay down my sword and be a  soldier no more Maybe there is still a chance that I can be redeemed Maybe I can still become the man I set out to be I'm still trying to find my still point in this turning world
5.
Send You Off In Style 04:05
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Spinner of magic, speaker of the unknown spells Overheard you chanting by the well Vocie of spirits carried on in by the night Warm yourself beside this firelight That calm expression in your face, your eyes seem far away This looks like a temporary stay You travel with no burdens, packing nothing but your smile So forgive me if I don't send your off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style Lonely shaman, waiting for the gods to speak In your sacred circle by the creek Swelling sound of revelations that you seek Epic poems and long, sweet melodies Restless visions, yearnings take you far beyond my reach Thing I couldn't learn and you couldn't teach Slipped on out so quiet with your Mona Lisa smile So forgive me if I don't send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style A passing cloud, a fleeting apparition A sparrow wandering through my field of vision A hummingbird, a mayfly on its longest day The wind now carries all of them away I'll think of you when I see the seagulls at play and wonder at the setting sun each day Yes, I will miss your magic, you will always make me smile So forgive me if I don't send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style No, ain't gonna send you off in style
6.
Fireflies 04:58
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I remember being eight years old on a Florida beach Palm trees sighing in the breeze When the sun went down I'd get a mason jar Try to catch some lightning bugs for me Heaven knows, I was too slow to catch those fireflies Dancing around before my eyes Oh, Beautiful things inside a jar Oh, Beautiful things inside a jar Then one night such a swarm, I opened that mason jar Swung it through the air and capped it tightly That firefly was mine, tried to hold it in my hand It buzzed a little, then it stopped flashing Heaven knows, ain't I supposed to catch those fireflies Dancing around before my eyes Oh, Beautiful things inside a jar Oh, Beautiful things inside a jar I'm a little older now, I got no mason jars I sit and watch the fireflies around me Heaven knows to leave alone things like fireflies Dancing around before my eyes Oh, Beautiful things deserve to fly Oh, Beautiful things deserve to fly
7.
Gentle Arms Of Eden 04:35
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On a sleepy endless ocean, when the world lay in a dream There was rhythm in the splash and roll, but not a voice to sing So the moon fell on the breakers, and the morning warmed the waves Til a single cell did jump and hum for joy as though to say Refrain:   This is my home, this is my only home   This is the only sacred ground that I have ever known   Should I stray, in the dark night alone   Rock me Goddess, in the gentle arms of Eden. So the day shone bright and rounder, and the one turned into two And the two into ten thousand things, and old things into new And on some virgin beachhead, one lonesome critter crawled And he looked about, and he shouted out in his most astonished drawl Refrain And all the sky was buzzin', and the ground was carpet green While the wary children of the wood went dancing in between And the people sang rejoicing when the fields were glad with grain This song of celebration from their cities on the plain Refrain Now there's smoke across the harbor, and there's factories on the shore And the world is ill with greed and will, and enterprise of war But I will lay my burdens in the cradle of your grace And the shining beaches of your love and the seas of your embrace... Refrain
8.
Time Of Troubles 03:04
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In this time of troubles you can come and stay with me Though my shelter's only made of grass and reeds It's no time to be alone, you won't make it on your own Besides, I'm in need of some company In this time of troubles, when the worries never end I just want to be here when you need a friend Come on in and share my food, I will try to bind your wounds You can rest a while and let your tired self mend There's no place safe, can't you see? These small kindnesses are what I need So much of me is missing Please, help me be complete In this time of troubles, let me holdou in your pain I will be here when the nightmares come again We'll turn the lamplight on, and wait for the dawn I'll sit by your side and hum this refrain
9.
Fallen Angel 04:15
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Found a motel in the weeds and oil Skin a-tingling, blood a-boil The room round and wide, the ceiling high Every touch just like a goodbye Don't know how I fell in with you You didn't twist my arm, it's true Your eyes had fire, your dress spelled trouble, too I must be an excitement-seeking fool But you held me, and I was holding you... sparks flew Fallen angel, have you lost your wings? Did you come down here to stay? You will never walk the narrow way Maybe we'll burn together someday Inside four walls and a floor we cursed and drank and sang some more Desert day simmers into night There was no up or down, no wrong or right I can't say, I'll be losing you, because You belong to no one, not even yourself Fallen angel, have you lost your wings? Did you come down here to stay? You will never walk the narrow way Maybe we'll burn together someday Burned your brand across my heart Just in time for us to part the room round and wide, the ceiling high Both of us are so bad at goodbyes But you held me, and I was holding you... sparks flew Fallen angel, have you lost your wings? Did you come down here to stay? You will never walk the narrow way Maybe we'll burn together someday
10.
Gathering Flowers For The Master's Bouquet 04:03
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Death is an angel sent down from above Sent for the buds and flowers we love Truly 'tis so, for in heaven's own way Each soul is a flower in the Master's bouquet Refrain:   Gathering flowers for the Master's bouquet   Beautiful flowers that will never decay   Gathered by angels and carried away   Forever to bloom in the master's bouquet Loved ones are passing each day and each hour Passing away as the life of a flower But every bud and each blossom some day Will bloom as a flower in the Master's bouquet Refrain Let us be faithful till life's work is done Blooming with love till the reaper shall come Then we'll be gathered together someday Transplanted to bloom in the Master's bouquet

about

We've all heard the story: an old lost guitar, which family members had wondered about, is discovered in the attic after decades of neglect. It turns out to be a priceless masterpiece. The guitar is taken to a master craftsman, restored with care, and becomes a valued family inheritance. Passed down from one generation to the next, the guitar has a story, waiting to be told by a sympathetic musician.

Pat Wictor wrote the songs on "Temporary Stay" on just such an instrument, a little 100 year-old heirloom guitar with a big sound and stories to tell. "Ghost Radio," the opening cut, is a tale of music stirring up long-forgotten memories. Several other songs explore how we deal with events spinning beyond our control, as they often do.

credits

released December 7, 2003

Recorded and Mixed by Al Houghton and Mastered by Mike Crehore at
Dubway Studios, New York, NY

Pat Wictor: vocals, acoustic guitar, lap slide guitar
Michael Visceglia: bass
Josh Neretin: drums

Jim Ypsilantis: slide guitar (1), backing vocals (5), acoustic guitar (6)
David Belmont: lap slide guitar (1), backing vocals (5)
Anne Mironchik: backing vocals (5)
Steve Berson: cello (8)

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Pat Wictor Brooklyn, New York

Grounded in rural blues and gospel traditions, Pat Wictor's lean, poetic songs and expressive guitar playing are seasoned with jazz, pop, improvisational surprise, and philosophy. He first gained attention as an acoustic lap slide guitarist, and a sought-after collaborator and session musician. His evolving projects push his own musical boundaries ever outward ... more

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