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OCTOBER
1969
As I stand upon the shores
of this land
And I gaze into the openness of the sea
I try to open the curtains in my heart
And tell myself it is soon to pass
The loneliness the hours of coldness
Will soon draw to the scent of mint on my life
And as the sand indents beneath my feet
And the salt mist identifies myself
With the ruddiness of the sea
I wonder if the coastlines
In my heart are as distant
As the shores of this water before me
For surely it is written there somewhere
In the Pacific that the depth of my endowments
Have not been in vain
And the progress of man will not forget
The progress of God
And an emotional realm of unity and love
Will someday be the voice of all mankind
There is no one to talk deeply to
You are my affection
My sunrise on the Pacific
The courage I have needed
The days now will pass quickly
And the fog will soon lift into
All the color tones of the rainbows
Remember you have given
And in receiving I am contented by your being
Soon the sun will set in the Pacific
And the shadows will be cast
In the direction of fulfillment… I will be home
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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THE GUNNIE
The Gunnie's
layen face down in the mud
I saw him coughen choking on his own blood
I rolled him over both hands were in hell
I couldn't take his pulse so I let out a yell
Get a body bag while I fill out the tag
The Gunnie's comen home with the American Flag
Did the Gunnie die in vain
You know I never heard him complain
Did the Gunnie die in vain
Soaking wet face down in my tears
I've been holding this back for too many years
Someone burned my symbol of peace
But I don't give a damn because I'm not that weak
I've got a paper certifying me insane
And it's signed in blood with my country's name
Did the Gunnie die in vain
You know I never heard him complain
Did the Gunnie die in vain
Whoever shot Jesus in Vietnam
Must have lost something more than both of his hands
Take the money to the rabbi and the priest
Tell em that your soul needs something new to eat
I've got to see the Gunnie to his grave
And there's no better place on this earth to pray
Chorus
Did you know that he died for you, he died for you
Yes he died for you, and he died for me
Yea he died for you, he died for us to see
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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LAVENDER
LADY
Lavender Lady
you've shaved off your hair
Tattooed your skin to reveal your despair
And you're going out shopping hoping to find
Somebody to sell you the secrets to life
Lavender Lady I've seen you before
You went to college and I went to war
And I learned a lesson you don't learn at school
But how can I teach you that prophets are fools
You already have all the magic you need
To plant the flowers and to grow the seed
Lavender Lady I'll give you my gun
And you can go hunting for profit and fun
And I'll feed the baby with laughter and love
Just bring home the milk from the store
When you're done
You already have all the magic you need
To plant the flowers and to grow the seed
Lavender Lady I've seen you before
You went to college and I went to war
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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THE JUNGLEMAN
She use to
go to love ins and dance naked on the hill
She'd dance from man to man and pill to pill
Now she's waiten tables at the corner country bar
Where burnt out rock singers
Are still trying to be stars
Me, they shipped away to a place you'll never go
And it's taken thirty years
To find the road back to my soul
And yes I met the devil
I even shot him in the head
He laughed at me and winked and then
He beat me with the dead… I'm the Jungleman
And I've gone hungry, thirsty, horny, lonely
And no flowers ever came
At night I laid my head on rocks
And I slowly, I went insane… I'm the Jungleman
I sat down in the corner… I ordered 7-Up and ice
She thanked me with a smile
That was as empty as the night
The liquid in my glass started turning bamboo green
And the echo from the guitar
It made me want to scream
Chorus
I bunker down to be alone
Survival's all I've come to know
I'm dug in deep with memories
And ghosts that never, ever want to leave
I'm the Jungleman
And I've gone hungry, thirsty, horny, lonely
And no flowers ever came
At night I laid my head on rocks
And slowly I went insane
I'm the Jungleman… I'm the Jungleman
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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SOCIETY
WATCHED
On top of the
canvas she painted a penis
On the bottom she painted a knife
In the middle she painted a huge television
With a man on the left and a women on the right
And… society watched
Society watched and some of them laughed
And some of them cried
Some of them ran and a lot of them died
Oh as society watched
On top of the canvas she painted a child
On the bottom she painted a clown
In the middle she painted one giant tear
With an eye on the left and a eye on the right
And… Chorus
Now the channels keep changing
There's more every day
More people talking with less things to say
In the kitchen's a window without any blinds
When they turn on the lights
You can program their minds
On top of the canvas she painted a nipple
On the bottom she painted a cup
In the middle she painted one tiny cross
With a gun on the left and another gun on the right
And… Chorus
Oh as society watched
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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THE
WHORES OF HONG KONG
Worken for mamma-san…
Worken for papa-san
Worken for a sailor boy
Who's worken in a bitter foreign war
Being paid to hunt and kill
It's totally against his will
Mercy, mercy God above
Money, money buy me love
The whores of Hong Kong dance on
Yes the whores of Hong Kong dance on
And I still can see their eyes
And when the shrapnel ripped my thigh
I heard the sound of a gun
And a man on the run
Screaming… Corpsmen… Corpsmen… Corpsmen
Worken for a cherry girl
Who's worken for a better world
Sacrifice a human life
To her I'm just another night
God, I got a bloody hand
And now I'm talking Vietnam
Mercy, mercy God above
Money, money buy me love
Chorus
Can you find my other leg
Can you see where I lost my sight
Can I use your arms to hold my Jennifer tight
God I still wake up
In the middle of the night
Screaming… Corpsmen
Chorus
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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WE
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HEROES
I wear a purple
heart
And I try to wear it proud
But every time I pin it on
It weighs ten thousand pounds
So I keep it in a box
That I have hidden in a drawer
Because if I take it out
I will only start to cry about the war
We have always been heroes
Honor will always shine through
We have always been heroes
Strong brave and red white and blue
Some days all I see
Are helicopters in the rain
And every face that I forgot
Stares back at me in pain
But I fought too hard to live
To go on wishing I had died
It's standing tall and proud together
That tells me deep inside
We have always been heroes
Honor will always shine through
We have always been heroes
Strong brave and red white and blue
Strong brave and red white and blue
I'm gonna live forever… how about you
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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WHEN
I WAS 21
I was in the
jungle when I was 21
Marching with Marines, battle dressings and a gun
You were just a child if you where born at all
And I still don't understand
How you knew the code of jungle law
And how you knew
When I lay cold upon that hard wet ground
That I kissed your navel with my soul
And caressed your naked ear
And all the while my armor shook
You knew I lie in fear
Waiting for your whisper
Waiting for your spell
Waiting for your fragrance
To lead me out of hell
Love I need a lover… Love I need a lover
Love I need a lover… oh God I need a lover
I was in the jungle when I was 21
Marching with Marines, battle dressings and a gun
Now I'm 52 and my heart is stained in red
And I've searched a thousand pair of eyes
For the girl who shared my jungle bed
But all I ever found was an empty hollow space
So imagine how I felt when I finally saw your face
And I didn't hear a trumpet
And I didn't hear a gun
I didn't hear men screaming
So I didn't want to run
I was in the jungle when I was 21
Love I need a lover… love I need a lover
Love I need a lover… love I need a lover
Love I need a lover… oh God I need a lover
I was in the jungle when I was 21
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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LISA
Lisa,
beautiful Lisa
I have cried a pure tear of love for you
Walked a million miles in my mind
Just to talk with you
Lisa, my beautiful Lisa
Some men they never see sunsets
They never hear rainbows
Are old souls crying oh Lisa, my sweet lovely Lisa
You're the reason that I am alive
Lisa, beautiful Lisa
I have slain the beast of time in my mind for you
Gave the devil control of my soul
Just to walk with you
Oh Lisa, my beautiful Lisa
Chorus
A wind and a fire and your smile
Sweep through my heart
Your eyes are the stars in the night
That light up my dark, oh
Some men they never see sunsets
They never hear rainbows
Are old souls crying oh Lisa, my sweet lovely Lisa
You're the reason that I am alive… I am alive
I am alive… I am alive… I am alive
I am alive, alive
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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MISSING
IN ACTION
Kneeling
by her bed she prayed
A little girl in flannel tears and braids
Dear God won't you please bring my daddy home
I'll do my homework every night
Everything I do I'll try to do it right
Dear God if you will just please
Bring my daddy home
He's missing in action
This childhood reaction is to find the truth
But praying for daddies instead of for rag dolls
Seems bitterly cruel
He's missing in action… In action
Now she's turning thirty five
Still praying, God is he alive
Please bring my daddy home
Congressmen and diplomats
Keep saying they don't know where he's at
Oh God, bring my daddy home
He's missing in action
This childhood reaction is to find the truth
Praying for daddies instead of for rag dolls
Seems bitterly cruel
He's missing in action… In action
And I don't want to hear any guns anymore
No I don't want to hear any guns anymore
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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ONE ROSE
One rose lived
and one rose died
To the man with the scissors by his side
With a slant and a snip it was over so fast
The rose that lived said with a gasp
I cannot run and I cannot hide
And I just watched how my neighbor died
And one rose lived and one rose died
One rose lived and one rose died
To the man with the scissors by his side
With a stretch and a grin and the man was gone
To dress his rose in ribbon and song
Then he walked and he knocked
On a walnut door… Love filled her eyes
When she kissed him… He cried
And one rose lived and one rose died
And one rose lived and one rose died
To the man with the scissors by his side
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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YOU
WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED
You will always
be remembered
You gave so much so I might see
Your eyes were tired from the battle
But still you gave your tired eyes to me
And you will always be my hero
Few men gave as much as you
To help your brother walk more peaceful
You gave your life so I could find the truth
Ches, you will always be remembered
Remembered with love
You will always be eternal
Eternally remembered with love
I will always be a soldier
Searching for the door to love and peace
And in my lonely battle
I will see the man who gave his eyes to me
Ches, you will always be remembered
Remembered with love
You will always be eternal
Eternally remembered with love… With love
Words and Music by Lonnie Chance © 2000
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