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When
Cathy Comes To Town
© 2003 Jeff Oestreich
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I got the call today
She says she's flying in
In a day or two
She's not sure when she lands
Looking
back
We really weren't that close
But I guess I shouldn't mind
To be her weekend host
She
expects from me a full itinerary
I'll be the bus that stops
At friends she wants to see
If I don't get it right
She'll blame it all on me
She's just like she used to be
When
Cathy comes to town
She expects all her friends
To be around
Drop your plans and come right away
Oh and by the way
She needs a place to stay
Its
ok you know
When all is said and done
For all her silly quirks
She's still a lot of fun
She's
the kind
That never will commit
She likes her backup plans
When it comes right down to it
We've
tried several times to go and visit her
Last minute unfortunate
Something would occur
She had some emergency
But now I'm not so sure
We're not the friends that we thought we were
We've
tried to visit her several times before
Last minute unfortunate
Never got out the door
Phone would ring
You can guess
Excuses pretty weak
But she's coming to see us next week
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Reality
Show
© 2003 Jeff Oestreich
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She lights a candle
Turns the light off
Pours a double
Is he coming home?
Twenty
years like
Out of focus moving pictures
Where the ending's known
She
climbs the stairs
Her mind is a long long way from here
She tries to sleep
But she can't escape from her tears
Past
the children
Over marriage
Beyond college
There's a little girl
Loving
family
Youthful beauty
Boys in line
It was another world
Looking
back
A lifetime of choices seemed so good
Which one went wrong?
We'd all like to take some back if we could
It's
going to be good
It's going to be fine
Maybe all they need just a little more time
But the years have changed everything she knows
Watching reruns of her reality show
Every
day just like the other
Run for cover
From this crushing wheel
Saving
pennies for a big day
Darkened eyes give her away
Her masquerade is real
Empty
chair
Left in the corner for too long
Hard to see
Wouldn't miss it if it were gone
Just
hold on
Don't let the dreams of your youth fade away
Not too late
Can you pick yourself up for another day?
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Wonderful
© 2002 Jeff Oestreich
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She packed her bags and left for LA
She was gonna be a star
Now I heard she's waiting tables
I guess she didn't get too far
She
got a lot of attention
Growing up in a small Midwestern town
They all said she had the talent
But she knew her town was keeping her down
When
her friends call
Everything's wonderful
Got no problems at all
Life is just so delightful
I'm having a ball
She
tried to make some appointments
Hours waiting next to the phone
She wasn't used to rejection
But there was no way she was going back home
It's
a typical story
Wannabe girls make their way to Hollywood
(They all want to live in Beverly Hills)
But the spotlights don't come on
If you can't pay the bills
She
made a local commercial
Was the highlight of her acting career
She didn't need California
She could sell kitchen appliances here
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Seven
© 2003 Jeff Oestreich
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I read your letter
I saw the words drip off the page
Under the table
Swept them up and threw the verbs away
Head
splitting rumble
Drowning out the noise with my guitar
Sentences stumble
As I wonder where the hell you are
Shattered
fragments on the floor
Seven years bad luck
I can't take this anymore
You can heal my infection
Free me if you want to
Desperation's such a bore
Wish
I could taste you
Wish I could breathe in all your scents
Slowly catatonic
Forced indifference is my self defense
Heard
you've moved on now
Nothing left for me but this empty stage
You're adding chapters
But I keep turning back to the same page
Turn
me on
Turn me up
Turn my mind around
Up to me
Can't you see
Bring this volume down
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December
In Milwaukee
© 2002 Jeff Oestreich
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December in Milwaukee
They skies are clear today
But all I see is gray
The colors have all gone away
A
broken promise on a merry-go-round
Winters long and lonely
I'm so tired of this town
I just wanna get away
Thinking
about Miami Beach
And all the pretty colors down by the water
Bronze girls dancing in the sand
Laziness solitude and sleepless nights
I think that one of those girls
Could help me understand
Come
along Christina
If you ever would I really think you should tonight
Show me the sun again
Grab
your suitcase and a bottle of wine
If we can make it to the border
I just know we'll be fine
'Cause I just wanna be fine
I
am floating on a storm-filled cloud
With angels and devils by my side
Sailing fast beyond this troubled past
They scream hang on tight and enjoy the ride
La
la la la la la la la
Watching a life go by
La la la la la la la la
Never questioning why
La la la la la la la la
Maybe if we drive all night
La la la la la la la la
Everything can be all right
Twenty
four and there is so much more
I have chased away the shadows
Of so many unlocked doors
Gonna
fly across the sky
Leaving everything behind me
To grow old and die
Hey
you
What do you do?
When you wake up from a nightmare
And it just might be true
You know it just might be true
You
can't be happy all the time
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Another
Gray Sky
© 2003 Jeff Oestreich
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The
wind brings in a mystery
Dust settles over the land
This long road's leading to nowhere
Shuffling cards in a slight of hand
Seen
a lot of people around here
Waiting for their lives to begin
Dreary expectations of the same old shit
Reruns on the TV again
Everybody
keeps getting older
Better stop awhile and take in the view
Cause it's not about the things you've done
But what you're gonna do
I
don't want to face another gray sky
Just want to feel the sunlight against my face
I'm just another weary traveler baby
On the road to somewhere else
I don't want to face another gray sky
Ready
for a little adventure
Rolling down the highway looking for fun
The signs ahead roll around my head
You can exit but you can't get back on
The
clock keeps ticking around us
Baby I just want to be free
So kick off your shoes
Lets go run in the sand
Come on get crazy with me
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Writing
On The Wall
© 2003 Jeff Oestreich
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You've been hanging out with strangers
I've been waiting by the phone
You said you'd be mine
But I'm alone most of the time
I should read the writing on the wall
You
keep telling me you love me
I keep looking for a sign
I'm feeling misled
But you say it's in my head
And I can see the writing on the wall
Every
day that passes we go nowhere
When you gonna let me know?
I can't take this feeling for much longer
How will you let me go?
There's
still times when we are happy
But more often we are blue
Oh what can I do?
I am still in love with you
But I can see the writing on the wall
You
can't fool me
I know you're gone
You can't deceive me
It's all gone wrong
You
know but you don't want to say it
I know that you're already gone
We should be apart
So I can fix my breaking heart
Cause I can see the writing on the wall
So
you want to read what I'm really singing, huh? The picture to
the right is from one of my notebooks and typical of what a finished
song of mine looks like when it is ready! Click on a song below
or simply scroll through them all.