Alive At O'Connor's

ZoDog Records
2004

This was recorded in the basement studio of my friend Brian David Willis in Nashville. Done in just a couple days tossing musical ideas around. Very sparse and mostly acoustic. The songs were written around 2006 as I recall. My recollection of that time is a bit hazy. The title is a cryptic reference to my favorite venue O’Connor’s in Portland, OR. The photo is of a honky tonk close to where I lived in Nashville.

John Bunzow: Co-Producer, Vocals and Guitars.
Brian David Willis: Co-Producer, Drums, Bass & Percussion.
Tim Lauer: Keyboards.

 

Recorded live at O'Connors, Portland, OR

Brother Dave
(John Bunzow)

He blew in from South Dakota
Like some wild cosmic wind
A man always in motion
His energy made the whole world spin

Chorus:
Goodbye my brother David
Goodbye my brother Dave
Goodbye my brother David
Gonna be with you again
Some fine day

A poet a prophet a prankster
Holding court in O’Connor’s bar
How I miss those spontaneous ramblings
Fractured philosophies razor sharp

Chorus

Twist one up and let’s hit the road
In that big fine Cadillac car
Singin’ those Bob Marley reggae tunes
Down ev’ry back road near and far

Chorus

Ashes floating down the river
To the Neah Kahnie Bay
Great spirits fill those waters
They will gently carry you far far away
My brother
Goodbye my brother Dave

Twist one up and let’s hit the road
In that big gold Cadillac car
Singin’ them Peter Tosh reggae tunes
Down ev’ry back road near and far

Goodbye my brother

Quicksand
(John Bunzow)

This ground beneath my feet feels just like quicksand
I’ve fallin in so deep, now I’m lost in this nowhere land
My heart’s buried beneath the weight
My mind slips into this dark place, since she’s been gone
I’m sinkin’ like a stone into the quicksand

They say that love’s a rock, but I thought that’s just some Valentine
cliché
It came as such a shock, how I crumbled when she walked away
My heart’s buried beneath the weight
My mind slips into this dark place, since she’s been gone
I’m sinkin’ like a stone into the quicksand

Wish we could’ve stayed together somehow
Then she’d be reaching out right now to save this drowning man
Sinking down down down, into the quicksand

My heart’s buried beneath the weight
My mind slips into this dark place, since she’s been gone
I’m sinkin’ like a stone into the quicksand
Since she’s been gone I’m sinking like a stone into the quicksand
This ground beneath my feet, feels just like quicksand

Bare Wires
(John Bunzow)

Bare wires crossed in my mind
Burnt to the core since her goodbye
Ten thousand volts runnin’ up my spine
Melt down bringin’ smoke and fire
Bare wires crossed in my mind

Called her on the telephone
Cursed her for bein’ heartless and cold
Line went dead and the sparks they flew
Guess I said all that I needed to
I can light up a city the size of St. Paul
By stickin’ my finger in a socket in the wall

I can duel with a lightning bolt
Turn it into a little puff of smoke
Bare wires crossed in my mind
Burnt to the core since her goodbye

Ten thousand volts runin’ up my spine
Melt down bringin’ smoke and fire
Bare wires crossed in my mind

You can strap me into the electric chair
Send the juice my way, but you better beware
The whole damn place will go up in smoke
Fireworks like you never seen before
Bare wires crossed in my mind
Burnt to the core since her goodbye

Ten thousand volts running up my spine
Melt down bringin’ smoke and fire
Bare wires crossed in my mind
Melt down bringin’ smoke and fire
Ashes are all that she left behind

I Want Some More
(John Bunzow)

Where did you come from
And how did you know
Just what my heart’s been longin’ for
It’s the feelin’ I get
When you walk through my door
Hey baby I want some more

Just about the time
I lost all faith
You said the words
I needed someone to say
Your whisper echoes deep inside my soul
Hey darlin’ I want some more

Chorus:
Maybe a little bit just might do
But I just can’t get enough of you
Each taste is sweeter than the one before
Hey baby I want some more
Hey darlin’ I want some more

All my yesterdays were lonely and blue
Now I just can’t wait
To come on home to you
Come lay down with me
And let’s take it real slow
Hey baby I want some more

Chorus

‘Cause I know a little bit will never ever do
Hey darlin’ I need all of you

Power Of The Word
(John Bunzow)

There’s a choir in Oklahoma
Forty members strong
When the congregation joins in
Heaven hears their song
From the floor up through the rafters
Halleluiah can be heard

It’s the power of the word
The power of the word
The power of the word

There’s a man standing up in a smoky room
Speakin’ to others just like him
‘Bout how the cocaine and the whiskey
Just about did him in
But there’s healing and there’s hope
As his demons they are purged

It’s the power of the word
The power of the word
The power of the word

You might read it in a book
Hear it in a conversation
Inside some gated mansion
Or in a downtown homeless mission
It’ll change your life forever
All you gotta do is listen
To the power of the word

There’s a black man down in Mississippi
Playin’ bottleneck guitar
Tonight down at some juke joint
The blues will pour out of his heart
Singin’ nothin’ but the truth
About a life so proud and pure

It’s the power of the word
The power of the word
It’s the power of the word
It’s the power of the word
It’s the power of the word
The power of the word

There’s a choir in Oklahoma
A man down in Mississippi
In the country and the city
Are all feelin’
The power of the word
They are all feelin’
The power of the word

Far Away From Here
(John Bunzow)

Every day I wake up & see you lying there
I look out the window I see people everywhere
There’s concrete all around us
Can’t see the sky above
I wonder what the rest of this world is made of

Baby let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
Come on let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
We can go anywhere, I’m gonna take you there
Far away from here, so far away from here

Go and pack your bags
Don’t even call in, I know we will never be back this way again
Out there in the twilight, past the city limit sign
I know there’s a place our dreams will come alive

Baby let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
Come on let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
We can go anywhere, I’m gonna take you there
Far away from here, far away from here, so far away

I wanna see your hair blowin’ in the wind
I wanna see the sun shine on your face again
Somewhere we can breathe
Somewhere we can run
I know this world is calling us

Baby let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
Come on let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
We can go anywhere, I’m gonna take you there
Far away from here

Baby let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
Come on let’s run away, run away, run away far from here
We can go anywhere, I’m gonna take you there
Far away from here
Far away from here, we can go anywhere, far away from here
So far away from here, we can go anywhere baby so far away from
here

There’s More Where That Came From
(John Bunzow)

I can always find a little more love for you baby
Where does it come from
I can always dig a little deeper
The well never dries up

Goes all the way past the center of the universe
Beyond galaxies above
If that ain’t enough for you darlin’ well

There’s more where that came from
There’s more where that came from

Just like the air that’s swirlin’ all around us
Love is always there
You breathe and you breathe, but
You only use a fraction of it
There’s so much to spare

I keep on discoverin’ little feelin’s
I’m filled with so much
I’ll give you more than you’ll ever need darlin’

There’s more where that came from
There’s more where that came from

People say forever is a long time
I don’t see it that way in my mind
It’s just a tiny little snapshot
Of the time I need to give you all that I’ve got

Keep on discoverin’ little feelin’s
I’m filled with so much
If that ain’t enough for you darlin’ well

There’s more where that came from
There’s more where that came from
There’s more where that came from baby
So much more where that came from yeah there is more

Bullets From A Gun
(John Bunzow)

Your self-righteous disposition
Bends the truth beyond all recognition
You twist it around like clay
Til you mold it into lies that you believe in
But the truth cannot be fooled
By the delusions inside you
The dirty lies you spit out
The cursing words shooting out of you
They come hissing through the air
How deeply they will tear

Like bullets from a gun
Burning just like lead
Piercing through my flesh
Like bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun

Revenge is all you crave
Like a drug that fills your veins
Dark and deadly poison
Makes your blood run black with rage
You miss the power that you felt
When the hammer hits the shell
But you can’t touch me now
And your bitter words just come back on yourself
They go hissing through the air
How deeply they will tear

Like bullets from a gun
A burning just like lead
Piercing through your flesh
Like bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun
Bullets from a gun

Sunshine Somewhere
(John Bunzow)

My dreams all got washed out
In this cold grey heartbreak town
Rains came down like a tidal wave
Next thing I knew I was lyin’ face down
Let some silver wings deliver me
To where the sky is clear all day
Need a southbound one way ticket
To get me outta this rain

Chorus:
I know there’s sunshine somewhere
I can see it on my tv screen
I can almost feel it’s warm glow
Lookin’ at some travel magazine
Yes I know there’s sunshine somewhere
It’s burned into my memory
Sunshine somewhere ev’ry day she was with me

Hello operator will you help connect this call
Excuse me while I ramble
But I ain’t quite sure where it is she’s gone
Think she’s out in California
I gotta a post card back in ‘99
Where the sky was on fire with the sun so bright
It melted my cold heart in the blink of an eye

Chorus

Let me walk with her on blue sky
High above these dark clouds
That cover me in shadows
Dark rain fallin’ all around

Chorus

How Did I Get Here
(John Bunzow, Zack Simpson)

Drivin’ down the road
Late last night
Lookin’ for some sign of life
Railroad crossin’ flashin’ lights
But no train ever came by

Chorus:
How did I get so far away
From where I thought I’d be today
How did I get here
How did I get here
How did I get here
How did I get here

The ground shook like an earthquake
I woke up in a strange place
Got in my car and headed north
Ended up at this crossroad

Chorus

I used to feel like I stood on top of the world
But life looks different back down here on earth
Somethin’ is pullin’ me
Somethin’ is pushin’ me on
To a place where I’m supposed to go
How did I get here

Chorus

Like I Used To Be
(John Bunzow)

Just wanna be like I used to be
I lost the very best part of me
I used to wake up and see the sun
Now I just want the day to be done

Just wanna be like I used to be
Before this sorrow swept over me
Loved ones gone before their time
Left me feelin’ so empty inside

Can’t find a reason to open my door
Clouds of grey, the rain still pours
Waiting for this darkness to break
So I may see a brand new day

Just wanna be like I used to be
Please help me to believe
That all my faith will return somehow
When the man I was, he will be found

Just wanna be like I used to be
Feel the strength inside of me
Then this morning when I woke up
The sun was shinin’ down from above

And I feel like I used to be
With your strength inside of me
Yes, I feel like I used to be
With all your strength inside of me

This morning when I woke up
The sun was shinin’ down from above

“John is one of the most gifted singer-songwriters and guitar players I’ve had the pleasure of working for many years. Always digging for some new musical rabbit hole to crawl into.”

Brian David Willis

Sound Engineer/Editor, Musician

(Brad Paisley)

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