Land of the Free / Travelling Riverside Blues

	Land of the Free / Travelling Riverside Blues
	Back Next

	Land of the Free	Canvas (Fade to Black)	Monster Me
	Lost in Space	Prophecy	Luminaire
	Promised Land	Pillowcase (The Ocean)	Peace from a Bowl of Rice
	The Way of the Gun	The Ballad of Fallen Angels


	Notes The album is a composite of two shorter ones, "Land of the Free" and "Travelling Riverside Blues". Land of the Free comprises the first five songs, and the other six are TRB.


	Land of the Free (Fastish) Locked up tight, throw away the key, I can't believe what's happened to me. We broke the rules, now we're doin' the time, Society says that we must die. Victimless crime is euphamism, They make the rules and demand we live 'em. Searched my car when I was driving too fast, Felt free tonight, but it will be my last. American dream has died away, Freedom was given, then taken away. The history books will call this time, Repression and pain, when the dream has died. They call it protection, to lock us away, We don't agree, so we're evil they say. I just want to live and be free, To tell my children I'm proud to be... American... American... (Slower) The land of the free, the home of the brave, Is empty now, our eyes are grey. The war is over, we've lost and bled, Living as slaves, we're better off dead. American dream has died away, Freedom was given and taken away. Sheep in the pockets of corporate law, Government's betrayed us, an' sold us all. (Heavy) Why are we not fit to speak? No right to assemble, say what we seek. The war is over, we've lost and bled, Living as slaves, we're better off dead. (Far off voice) Who's there? Hey! Stop! (Gunshot)
	Lost in Space South of the border, Where the sands of time flow. There's a harsh tone in the air. Sorrow hangs within our hearts, We cry out from sounds in the dark. Sleep with guns by our sides. West of the border, Where the water grows so cold. Far away from every thing we know. The lady of the ocean smiles today, We'll make it home tonight. We can't give up the fight. Here we stand, united and free, Above the world of night. We dream our dreams, To make them come true, And ride into the sun. North of the border, Where the cold winds blow. The world outside is not our care. We stand together to win the day, We know we'll find a way. We don't slip away in the night. Here we stand, united as one, We stand tall amongst our foes. We dream our dreams, But they've not come true, We wake up in the night. East of the border, Like clockwork we sail. We've fought to stay alive. We'll take our time, And make our way. We'll find the promised land. Here we stand, together as one, We've nothing left to say. We blinded ourselves, Not seeing the truth, But now is it too late? Now we will fall, together as one, We've lost our binding spark. We blinded ourselves, Loving our lies, We became what we destroy. Look to the east, and look to the west, See what lies across. Away to the north, seek out the south, Where did we go wrong? How can we know, what's good for us all, If we cannot trust ourselves?
	Promised Land The sirens fade away, it's all over now. Today's excitement is done, now we wait for tomorrow. (Intro) (Generally soft and slow) Once the lights have died away, and the camera's gone. We're left standing here, the victims of public appeal. The witch hunt is on, for he who breaks the rules. He isn't welcome here, he must be gone... We've become what they wanted of us, Lead away to a promised land. I was told all that glitters is gold, Now see the final fate of man. We're together in this world of violence, we only ask for what we can see. (Riff) A screen glows before us, We've watched the story go. Today's excitement is over, now we wait for tomorrow. Eleven people stand before me now, their eyes are all the same. We've become what they wanted of us, Lead away to a promised land. I was told all that glitters is gold, Now see the final fate of man. (Faster) Read the inkblots if you think they're valid, Every answer is the same, you see. They've always told us what to do or think, But now we've given up the fight... (Pause) No more you or me... (Solo) (Stay fast) Now the hive together meets in silence. No one has anything new to say. Welcome to the new Garden of Eden. Welcome to the golden promised land. We've become what they wanted of us, Master, what is the word of the day? Which empty lies are the bread of today? The neon god stands over us at last... Yes we've become what they told us to, Just a machine, interchangable parts. Kill one and make another just like him, the subways walls have been chipped away... (Pause) And the words... of the prophets... are lost...
	The Way of the Gun Slam the bottle down, hear it crack. See the shivers run down their backs. Eye the crowd, but don't show fear. Don't sigh a sigh, don't shed a tear. Once you're in, there's no going back. You've set your foot down on the track. You still don't know, quite why you're here. It's been so long since you felt the fear. You can't run... (you can't run) You can't hide... (you can't hide) So don't run... (no, don't run) Just go the way of the gun! Down the road and cling to night. Clutch the wounds, you've won the fight. It's time to stitch and time to hide. The night decrees that you must die. Creep in shadows and quick reload. There's footsteps comin' down the road. Gotta find a safe house to hide. 'Cause it turns out no one's on your side. You can't run... (you can't run) You can't hide... (you can't hide) So don't run... (no, don't run) Just go the way of the gun! It's the way you live and the way you die. The way you laugh an' the way you cry. The way you stand and the way you run. It's the way you live... it's the way of the gun. (Solo) (Fast) Bang! Run. Roll and hide! Twist and turn, dodge to the side. Run away, they're after you. A short in the dark, you're struggle's through. It's the way you live and the way you die. The way you laugh an' the way you cry. The way you stand and the way you run. It's the way you live... it's the way of the gun. (First riff) The hunt is on once again tonight. A mission now to wrong a right. Go find the man, lay down the rules. Quote a line, and then let loose. The job is done, time to escape. Clean the blood off of your blade. You'll never be known, never take the blame. For in this life, death comes from fame. It's the way you live and the way you die. The way you laugh an' the way you cry. The way you stand and the way you run. It's the way you live... it's the way of the gun. (Short interlude) You can't run... (you can't run) You can't hide... (you can't hide) So don't run... (no, don't run) Just go the way of the gun! It's the way you live and the way you die. The way you laugh an' the way you cry. The way you stand and the way you run. It's the way you live... it's the way of the gun.
	Canvas (Fade to Black) (Steady, pounding moderate speed riff) Born in the bottom of a broken tin can. He was the best, a paragon of man. An artist from inception, with pen in hand. A boy with dreams, and the words to speak. She was gifted at birth with the eyes to see. With a swish of her wrist and a dip in the paint. She could capture our eyes and our dreams. How far could such beauty take us? From the time he was ten, he thought he'd never see. He touched the keys and voices sang. A blind boy with no future at hand. He wove the sighs into rising song. (More clear toned chorus riff, possably on 12-string guitar) What do you say to the gifted children of man? What do you say when they're put to rest? Why must the dreams of artists die? When will their voices sing? She lay on her back in a sleepless night. Crying away the trials of life. If she could only return to that hardwood floor. When her feet would carry her mind away. (Short solo) (Softer riff) My little one, sleep quietly now. Let the flowers beside you breathe. Thanks to you they live at all. Now the grass grows under your care. I was always told that I couldn't be. I held my tongue 'til I was alone. I'd open my eyes and my voice. I sang the dreams of my heart. (Chorus riff) What do you say to the gifted children of man? What do you tell them when they have to go? Why must the dreams of children die? When will we see what they have to show? What do you say to a mother's son? How do you lock his eyes away? How do you push him down and say, "You're not fit to feel the life inside."
	Prophecy It was written down, in ages past, in tales of myth and song. The words they spoke, the signs they made, two lovers lost in time. Reborn a million times a week, their eyes forever shine. Here we are, standing side by side, as the world slips by. (Faster) Left to die on a distant shoreline, Tossed away, far from your eyes. Dear Ariann', you're far away, I don't know if'I'll ever ever ever come back! We fought for each other, We battled for years, We saw what life was for. We sat in thought, We knelt in prayer, We cried the oceans blue. (Heavier) But what transpires, here and now? Something has gone wrong. I can't find you here with me, (Shrieked) WHERE HAVE YOU GONE!? (First slow riff) Reading the pages, so old and cracked, turn them slowly now. I see the beginning, I see the end, but nothing for here and now. Your eyes are gone, your laugh is too, the memory slowly fades. One hundred years have gone since then, and I cannot find a clue. Were you left to die, on this distant shoreline? Are you calling out for me? Dear Ariann', I'm far away. I don't know if I'll ever ever hear your cries! We fought for each other, We battled for years, We saw what life was for. We sat in thought, We knelt in prayer, We cried the oceans blue. (Heavier) Arrayed before me, makers of pain. Lives held in my hands. Without your touch, nothing is real. Why should any else be saved? Hark, what light in the window there? Light from the break of dawn. The old dull eyes, turned bright again, We've come back home at last! We fought for each other, We battled for years, We saw what life was for. We sat in thought, We knelt in prayer, We cried the oceans blue. (First slow riff) The book is closed, its pages worn, the tale comes to an end. From now unto forever I lie, each night within her arms. Return to life, all with us rise, the dawn is come again. The lives we've lived, the lives we've lost, today is for us all. (Outro)
	Pillowcase (The Ocean) Lay down last night in silken sheets, I slept for seven years. I dreamed of tales told long ago, Tales that never die. (Travel Riff) I felt the arms, so warm around, I smelled familliar scents. Felt the mesh, the hair on my face, I breathed a lover's air. (Softer Riff) Can you hear the ripples of the sea? Do you hear the songs they sing? Do you know how long I've lain here? Can you see the waters rise? Tumble in the ocean, Reach for familliar arms. Please save me from drowning, love, Please pull me to the shore. Lay beside me in the night, An' please be here at dawn. Save me from this cold embrace, love, Pull me to the shore. (Travel Riff) I'm lying here, pillows by my head, There's rose petals on my hands. A whisper takes my ears, a sound I know, The words that I long to hear. What do you say, returned to me, A shimmer in the dawn. A helping hand, to make me stand, And into the arms I'll fall. (Softer Riff) Can you hear the whispers of the waves? Can you sing the words they say? Even as, I stand and shout. The waters continue to rise. Tumble in the ocean, Reach for familliar arms. Please save me from drowning, love, Please pull me to the shore. Lay beside me in the night, An' please be here at dawn. Save me from this cold embrace, love, Pull me to the shore. (Solo) Ooh-oh! Woah-oh! (repeat to X) Tumble in the ocean, Reach for familliar arms. Please save me from drowning, love, Please pull me to the shore. Lay beside me in the night, An' please be here at dawn. Save me from this cold embrace, love, Pull me to the shore. Pull me... From the sea... Pull me... Please pull me... (X) Pull me... to the shore...
	The Ballad of Fallen Angels (2 times epic riff violin) (2 times with piano) (Add guitar) (Racing riff interlaced with epic riff) (Slower riff) Somewhere... lost amid the anger. We try... to see what we have lost. Never... do we want to know, What we... what we might have been... Would that... we could take our time. I know... we have it in ourselves. Do we... try to feel for each other. Are we... cast from heaven again... (A little louder) Wishing for something, on the evening breeze. Something lost, but never seen. What is waiting, beyond the distant shoreline? Are we fated, so to have it all? (Quiet) No... Wasting... our feelings are forever. Loving... all the wrong things we feel. Reasons... we live and learn are wrong. Why can't we try... to see... the truth... inside us all? (Epic riff X2) (Add in racing riff) The shadow of Eden is lost forever, Why can't we let it go? Where is this place called heaven? And why cannot we know? (Harder) Which one of us, I ask, is chosen? Can he save us all from Hell? Why then, do we need a savior? Why can't we save ourselves? (Slower racing riff) The image before us, written in blood, Cannot bring us joy. Something inside us, is not an illusion, All it wants is freedom. Taking an oath, to bind our lips, To seal our lies away. Somewhere in Heaven, the children are crying, For we have lost our way... (A little louder) Wishing for something, on the evening breeze. Something lost, but never seen. What is waiting, beyond the distant shoreline? Are we fated, so to have it all? (Quiet) No... What is... this feeling of longing? Never... never have I felt it before. Why cannot... I understand? Why must I fall from Heaven? (Pause) (Belllike riff) (Solo, slowly adding in 2nd guitar and keyboard, slowly getting louder) (Pause) (Epic riff X2, fade toward end) Will we ever... find salvation? (Stop music) Will we ever... save... our... selves?
	Monster Me (Fast Riffs) I live alone, I love alone, I've been waiting all this time for you. I'll live for you, I'll love for you, I've been waiting all this time... Aaaand... with these lies I'll suck you in, You you'll live for me, die for me, Give me your soul to steal. You live for my words, my precious lies, You taste what I feed you, and drown for my call... You can't... Trust in me Count on me Feel what I feel You can't hear from me Be with me Or have back what I steal... Now give me the fear... (Low Riffs) Who's that man in the mirror, darlin', There's a shadow creepin' behind. Who could that masked man be, dear girl, It's just little old monster me, ha ha, ha ha. (First Riff) There's a warmth in my arms, you know, there's a feeling of home. Do you know you're safe at night, now, Lyin' next to me... Buuuut... in you dreams, you see what's real. I'm draining you dry, do you know how this feels? And someday soon, you'll be empty and dead, Yeah soon I'll leave you, once I've fed. You can't... Trust in me Count on me Feel what I feel You can't hear from me Be with me Or have back what I steal... Now give me the fear... (Low Riffs) Who's that man in the mirror, darlin', There's a shadow creepin' behind. Who could that masked man be, dear girl, It's just little old monster me, ha ha, ha ha. (Choppy solo, continue chorus riff) Do... you know? Do you know the monster? Can... you tell? Can you feel him in your heart? Do... you hear? Do you hear the lies in his words? Can... you see? Can you see the monster in me!? (Dark Bass riff) Now you know the lies I spin. Now I've taken you home. Now you're transfixed inside my world. Now I own you in yours. Aaaand... at night you sleep, content at last. You dream just to be my slave. Your heart is mine, you mind is too. Now you're just part of me. Now you... Trust in me Count on me Feel what I feel You'll hear from me Be with me Now you're what I steal. I've fed on your tears. (Low Riffs) Who's that man in the mirror, darlin', There's a shadow creepin' behind. Who could that masked man be, dear girl, It's just little old monster me, ha ha, ha ha.
	Luminaire (Very background riff, single guitar, bass, and light drums) I am a man. I have a mind. I've as much a soul to me, as any mother's son. I am a man. I have a heart. I open my eyes and look down deep, into the scars that bleed. I am a man. I have a dream. I've struggled for ages untold, to find peace inside of me. (Circular pre-chorus riff, short) (Bassy, slow chorus ruff, with faster high riff) Put my arms up to the sky. I'm comin' down quick, see I've learned to fly. I'm a fireball that's burnin' strong. I'm a razorblade about to fall. (First riff with second keyboard layer) Don't run from me. I'll hold you close. Look deep, my friend, and yes, you'll see, there's some light inside this thief. Don't run from me. I'll show you the way. I'm no saint, it's true, I know, but I'm not the kind who's lost at sea. Don't run from me. You'll never escape. When I'm unleashed, when my heart is cold, I'll hunt you forever, and only blood will do. (Pre-chorus riff) (Chorus riff) Raise my sword now to the sky. The lightning flash, and the seas will dry. I'm a do-er of deeds, about my way. I'm that needle that's lost in the hay. (Verse riff with second layer) (Add third layer, raise into solo) (Low speedy bridge riff) (Pre-chorus riff) (Chorus riff) Look up high into the sky. Don't cross my path, then it's do or die. I'm the gun barrel leveled right at your heart. Love me or hate me, that's when the race'll start. The song lifts up towards the sky. The angels' wings will burn as they die. So come and stand with me if you dare. The Earth will shake, THIS IS MY LUMINAIRE!! (Heavier pre-chorus riff to end)
	Peace from a Bowl of Rice (Low fastish riffs) I stare down the icy cold, and now the flames lap at my feet. I've walked a thousand miles, my son, and now it's time to sleep. I've seen the best, I've been the worst, Reflection's here at last. Crossed the line so many times, I've lost the ages past. (Stairwayish accoustic riff) And now here I sit, cross-legged and watch, the ocean's breeze and eat, from my bowl of Chinese rice. A pair of chopsticks in hand, I recount the fallen days. I've ridden with pharohs, and crossed the stars, and now it's time to sleep. Guns used to hang from my belt, a blade of shining steel. So now I fish my days away, my beard is long and grey. (Lower electric riffs) And now here I sit, cross-legged and watch, the ocean's breeze and eat, from my bowl of Chinese rice. And so still I'll sit, my bowl of life in hand, until I hear the call again, 'till it's time to raise my blade. (Accoustic solo-type riff) (Rising metal riff) And now once again I sit! I sit cross-legged and watch! I feel the ocean's breeze and eat! I refill my bowl of Chinese rice! (Lower electric riffs) And now here I sit, cross-legged and watch, the ocean's breeze and eat, from my bowl of Chinese rice. Yes, I'm glad for the peace, of a bowl of Chinese rice...

All lyrics copyright Johnny Benjamin.