1.Secret Lives

Don Chaffer

Everybody's got their secret lives Yeah
All the way from the ocean to the desert
A million stories dying to be heard
But once they open up their mouths
They know they will never be the same again
So they hide

He's been pushy since he was young
From the things he's done
In dark and private places
She's been skittish since the car wreck
And the thing that doctor said
Can't get it out her head
So she cries

Maybe it won't be the same
But what is there to lose
That you can hold on to
I mean really hold on to

3.You

Lori Chaffer

You cause my heart to sing
You are always listening
You understand my dreams You do
You cut away my lies
You see through my disguise
 You are not so far away from me
As I thought You'd be

You love me as I am
Even when I cannot stand
You whisper in my ear
All the things I need to hear From You
You are a mystery
You bring strong men to their knees
You change the hearts of kings You do
You have names for all Your stars
You heal my wounds and kiss my scars
You sing a million songs over me

4.Alone Everybody

Lori & Don Chaffer

I am happiest when by myself
Nobody's hurts nobody's helps
Like a gun or bullet on a shelf
Alone everybody's fine
I've been playing little tricks on me
   It's fascinating what I'll believe
   Then in circled stitches my mind weaves
Alone everybody lies
I tell myself my life is pretty easy
   I take a pill if I am ever queasy
   I shut the door when it gets a little breezy
But people really baffle me
So I tiptoe around because it's easier to fake it
Try not to be loud, or emotionally naked
   I'll agree to go out with my friends, but never make it
At least I keep my evenings free
If you want to try to shift the blame
Think of how hard you try and all your pain
Oh, there's one amendment to the game
Alone everybody cries
I've been thinking I could get along
   I think I'm happy, I think I'm strong
   But like my cactus when it's dry too long
Alone even cacti die
Alone everybody's fine
Alone everybody lies
   Alone everybody cries

5.Man I'm Gonna Sing

Don Chaffer

I'm sellin' all my records
And all my magazines
Tryin' to lose my memory
Of all them famous scenes
Gonna buy a horse now
And learn to ride that thing
Gallop in a field somewhere
And man, I'm gonna sing

Hey
Gonna sell my TV too
   For seventy-five bucks
Take a bag of stale bread to the pond I'm gonna feed some ducks
I'm gonna lend someone my laptop
Cause I can't give that thing away
And then I'm gonna write some letters once
   I figure out what to say
Going camping in December Even if I freeze
   Watch the snowfall quietly Feel the winter breeze
Going to the beach soon
Watch the ocean heave
And if I fall in love with standing there Man, I ain't ever gonna leave
Wish I could get a promise
That if I want to rest
That I will learn to do it then
Feel the peace inside my chest
Cranked up like a drum head I'm thin; I'm 'bout to break
Chased away the boy I was
Cause he told me I'm a fake
Cranked up like a drum head I'm thin; I'm 'bout to break
Somebody save me from myself
For God Almighty's sake

Leave the children alone
Let them come to me

7.If I Said I Don't Mind

Lori Chaffer

Way down low, way up high
   Don't seem to matter which side you used to fight
All you gotta do is get by
Another day another night
The sea's a little deep, the sea's a little wild
I don't care what you answer most of the time
But right now it would be a lie
   If I said I don't mind
   If I said I don't mind
You drink a little gin to lift the load
You cut your skin so you won't explode
All you really want is to be left alone
Or so we're told
You seem a little weak just like a little child
I don't care what you answer most of the time
But right now it would be a lie
   If I said I don't mind
   If I said I don't mind
Well I mind, well I mind

8.You Knew

Don Chaffer

In a crazy haze, In a purple robe
I walk amaze King of the strobe
Flashing and unfaithful I'm hardly light at all
Tripping and ungraceful I was born into the fall
You knew, You knew
   I've never been true
I'm true in You
You knew
At the stretch of dawn   In the yawn of time
You thought upon me With Your bread and wine
But how my blood is hardened I fear of losing life
So drown me in Your heart and Say I'll be Your wife
You knew  You knew
Before I was true I was true in You
You knew

9.Whether Or Not

Don Chaffer

This morning when the sun came up
I was still lyin' down in my bed
But it started burning real bright
Whether or not
It was shining on my head
Just today another flower bloomed
And I just walked right on by
   It became a little swirl of fantasy
Whether or not
It caught my eye

   I could just go round bein' down, sleepin' late
Runnin' round in a state, feelin' dead in the head
'Cause of all the things that people said
But none of them can get inside of me
I think I'd rather just decide not to hide
From the facts of the dark and relax 'cause the spark
Of the fire that's inside me isn't goin' out
   The darkness just ain't gonna swallow me
   (Because I'm gonna live eternally)
I think about myself so much
It kinda makes me ill
I prob'ly oughta let my cup
Not just fill up But overfill

10.The Family In The Woods

Don Chaffer

The stepson of the engineer
That drove the train you rode
Sold the railroad company
And the debt that you owed
And so now the new management
Comes a-knockin' at your door
It's pay up or eviction
There's no mercy anymore

   Hey, hey Who will remember me when I'm gone?
It ain't about how much you know
Or how long you been known
   It's do you know the folks in charge
And how much do you own
It's bucks and bloody knuckles
It's contracts cut in steel
It's clauses sharp and pointed
And who's behind the wheel
So tell me that old story
   Of the family in the woods
Momma cooked the crawdad
And Daddy traded goods
Tell me how when their boy died
They yelled and cried and prayed
Tell me how this very day
There's flowers on his grave

11.Bring The Sadness Back In

Don & Lori Chaffer

They were laughing at the bar about the girl with the big butt
Saying they ain't never seen nothing like that slut
And how could anybody ever think about bein' with her?
Joey likes to drink and when he drinks he likes to fight
And his buddies think it makes for a pretty funny Friday night
When Joey gets all liquored up and takes a swing and causes a stir

The whole world is full of laughter
But the high is wearing thin
I'm praying someone somewhere gently
Will bring the sadness back in
Underneath the mattress where he keeps his cash
Is a bunch of magazines he calls his secret stash
It's a life that he ain't never lived
But man he'd love to give them dice a roll
And every time he flinches while he's flippin' through the stack
He tells himself that anything that paper might lack
Is made up by the fact that
   Every woman there is under his control

All these promises of freedom
In the bondages of sin
   I'm praying someone somewhere gently
Will bring the sadness back in

Everybody's aching underneath their skin
But all of 'em are laughing as they're bein' sworn in
To testify, so help them God,
That everybody here's having a blast