Next Time Around
Spotify • Apple Music
Opus 16
© Greg Smith and Rich Krents
She is wise beyond her license
A presence belies her age
Far from far beyond her bedtime
A passion, a sexy sage
So drift now, caught in her afterglow
The meaning
Smooth as the sway of languid hips
It’s a quarter past the hour, forever, or so it seems
You’ve been waiting for a signal, crystal clear in all your dreams
So drift now, lost in her afterglow
The meaning
Sharp as a hand across your face
Playing at passion platitudes
So now it’s indecision, the purpose behind your quest
Just to prove that you’re still living, Still trying to pass the test
So drift now (She makes it all so easy)
Caught in her afterglow (You step across the line)
The meaning (And though you never notice)
Smooth as the rain upon your cheek (You do it all the time)
Just drift now (And as the night grows later)
Bask in her afterglow (She’s looking pretty good)
No meaning (She’s old enough to reason)
Only the smile upon her face (You do her if you could)
Do You Ever Wonder
© Greg Smith
You hear her saying on the phone
That she’s so sad and all alone
Could you just put aside your night
To come and make her feel all right?
Do you ever really wonder what goes on behind her eyes
Does she wear her love as just another clever guise
Do you ever really wonder why you are holding on so long to alibis
A passing car out in the night
Your eyes are blinded by her light
Imagine layers of scarlet lace
And so begins the primal chase
It feels so right inside her arms,
Seduced by sensual studied charms
You surrender the secrets of your heart
But in the glare of early morning light
Cool and distant as she casts away the night
And now the feeling has passed away, from deep inside
To someone you can’t be
A reputation built on tears
You can’t believe the things you hear
But then you’re waiting for the bell
Another evening shot to hell
Do you ever really wonder what goes on behind her eyes
Does she wear her love as just another clever guise
Do you ever really wonder why you are holding on so long
to all the lies
Next Time Around
© Greg Smith
Next time around there’ll be no more mistakes
Next time around I’ll do whatever it takes
to win your heart, make you stay
Next time around, you won’t go away
Please listen now and I will state my case
Please listen now and look into my face
and see the light in my eyes
Please listen now, and you won’t hear no lies
Once in your life you find a love that truer than the sky
Come with me now, together we will fly
Next time around there’ll be no more returns
Next time around I’ll listen and I’ll learn
to win your heart, make you stay
Next time around, you won’t go away
Next time around, you won’t go away
Face It All Alone
© Greg Smith
So now how does it feel to face it all alone
With the world closing in it falls around you
In the blink of an eye it crumbles down
You all out for help, a mournful sound
Just remember you don’t have to face it all alone
You take strength in the past, you’ve gone through this before
With superior skills you’ll walk right thru it
Insurmountable task or so it seems
The end of your life, the broken dreams
Just remember you don’t have to face it all alone
How many times before, she’s taken it out the door
In the midst of a life that always seemed so certain
Betrayed by the one you trust, you thought that it meant so much
All of the pain and pleasure now in pieces
So you pull down the shades and shut yourself within
She has taken the one thing you believed in
But when sorrow and guilt becomes a bore
Don’t lose sight of the things you’re looking for
And remember you don’t have to face it all alone
Insurmountable task or so it seems
The end of your life, the broken dreams
Just remember you don’t have to face it all alone
You’re not alone
Out for the Evening
© Greg Smith and Rich Krents
It’s the shimmer of her presence
It’s the wiggle in her walk
It’s the look of self- assurance
You should hear the women talk
She’s a certain kind of being
Out for the evening
And she never pays for dinner
And she’s never had to drive
They’re just presents from a stranger
And she’ll eat the guy alive
She is prowling for the breathing
Out for the evening
Time stands still in her eyes
And you’ll find
You will live in her lies
In her arms
Out for the evening
She’s obsessive in her notions
And she doesn’t miss a trick
But you’ll never see the inside
Figure out what makers her tick
Why she feels what she is feeling
Out in the evening
An apparent contradiction
In a package fit to kill
It’ll cost you more than money
When it’s time to pay the bill
That’s what makes her so appealing
Out for the evening
La Luna
© Greg Smith
All of the crazy things we’ve said
Why can’t we keep them in our head
Such is the mystery of la luna
Bright are the stars upon the stream
You kiss with the sweetness of a dream
Such is the mystery of la luna
What makes her smile, will it only be a while
‘til you realize your fear is only passion
Take her in your arms, overpower her alarm
With a kiss that entwines your hearts together
There, how she shimmers in the light
This is the first of many nights
Dance in the glow that is la luna
Such is the mystery of la luna
Three questions ask, lift the curtain of the part
Unlock your heart if only for the evening
Whisper to my soul, let the longing take its toll
For tonight could be a window to tomorrow
Midnight
© Greg Smith
Morning came without a word
Taxis rolled out from the curb
And I remembered what it was to be alone
Without papers or commuters in the herd
Neon signs to start the day
Traffic lights point out the way
And all the people rolled onto the street
And they spoke it with nothing left to say
And in the evening with our feelings running deep
Before it’s midnight, I will lay me down to sleep
Until the morning when I’m back on overdrive
To make the grade we must survive
Still together, down the road
We stay ahead and split the load
But it’s no secret, just a prayer now and then
Wrap the blanket together against the cold
And in the evening with our feelings running deep
Before it’s midnight, I will lay me down to sleep
Until the morning when I’m back on overdrive
To make the grade we must survive
Hunger for Your Touch
© Greg Smith
The night closes in around us
Wind playing in the trees
The weight of my subconscious
The stories that it sees
And I hunger for your touch
This addiction means so much
The weight of the ring around your finger
And I hunger for your touch
Stealing glances through the window
The racing of my heart
I see you deep within them
They can’t keep us apart
Counting lines of the rain upon the window
Lying her suspended in the night
Nothing more than a pain inside the shadows
And I hunger for your touch
This addiction means so much
The weight of the ring around your finger
And I hunger for your touch
Talk Show
© Greg Smith
I’m married to my sister, she’s the perfect little wife
We’re not at all unusual, quite a normal little life
But I’ve got a dog that’s got two heads, he speaks a lot of French
He a trade as a plumber’s aide, He’s handy with a wrench
And we’re here to bear it all, and make a lot of dough
Tell it to a talk show, tell it to a talk show
Our daughter is a hooker, she’s sleeping with a nun
She says wants to give it up, but she’s having too much fun
I’m here to tell the story, every dirty little tale
I know I’ll make a million, even if I go to jail
But it’s not so much the money, it’s just so apropos
To tell it to a talk show, tell it to a talk show
So if you’ve got a story, that you can’t discuss
In the privacy of others, well, bring it to us
A secret in your closet, the basement’s got one too
No need now to be beautiful, it’s really nothing new
Just make believe you’re normal, there’s only one place you can go
Tell it to a talk show, tell it to a talk show
Produced and engineered by Greg Smith and Rich Krents
These are the musicians:
Greg: vocals, guitar, keys
Rich: drums, vocals
Cece Whitter: vocals
John Penovich: guitar
Tony Janotta: bass
Jack Wolf: sax
Alex North: sax
The Sunrise Quarter Strings are:
Ozman Kivrak on viola
Teri Lazar on violin
Nancy Snider on cello
Strings arranged by Janet Peachey