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Lifeline

by Jerry Mills

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1.
We've Gotta Choose 03:14
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We've Gotta Choose Once I was a prisoner, a prisoner in my mind. Dreamin about the day that I would leave it all behind And the whole darn time the only thing that held me under lock and key Was not knowing my imprisonment was all inside of me We’ve gotta choose… We’ve gotta choose… |To be free. To be free… To be free of always thinkin I’m not doin what I should To be free of things not turnin out the way I thought they would To be free of all my troubles, to be free of all my woes To be free of always thinking I should know just how it goes We’ve gotta choose… We’ve gotta choose… To be free. To be free… I spent half my life not knowin what I thought I outta know Now many years have come and gone, I’ve got a long way to go I sure did take the long way, and the wrong way a time or two But I must admit the whole darn time there’s something I never knew. I wish I knew… That we’ve gotta choose… We’ve gotta choose… To be free. To be free… To be free to face the darkness, to be free to face the light To be free to face my destiny and to do it with all my might To be free to make good choices. To be free come sun or rain. To be free to just accept myself in spite of all the pain, in spite of all the pain. We’ve gotta choose. We’ve gotta choose to be free… to be free… We’ve gotta choose. We’ve gotta choose to be free! We’ve gotta choose. We’ve gotta choose! We’ve Gotta Choose words/music ©2000 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
2.
While Watching TV 02:59
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3.
Believe 04:07
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Believe No one ever told you life was easy. But no one ever said it would be this hard. Getting hit by the power of a hurricane Certainly caught everyone off guard… Total devastation! Everything destroyed… Everything but you! So let’s see this thing through… Tell me what you’re gonna do now… Believe! Believe! You were never warned of life’s uncertainties. Never knowing what the future holds. Do you pick up the pieces and start again? Or do you let the troubles knock you out cold? A terrible disaster! Everything in ruins… Everything but you! So let’s see this thing through… Tell me what you’re gonna do now… Believe! Believe! An absolute catastrophe! Everything’s come undone… Everything but you! So let’s see this thing through… Tell me what you’re gonna do now… Believe! Believe! Tell me what you’re gonna do now… Believe! Believe! Believe!
4.
Sunset Avenue 03:57
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Sunset Avenue Red clouds rise above the treeline, shadows fade and soon are gone, in the no man's land of living between the darkness and the dawn, Sleepy eyes begin to open, bound to face their lives anew, As the sun rises on Sunset Avenue. Headed eastward down the road to home, his working day is done, As John Doe shades his bloodshot eyes from the first rays of the sun. While a brand new day is being born his graveyard shift is through Driving home on Sunset Avenue. And the whole way down that winding road it's her he's headed for, But he knows that just when he gets home she'll be walking out the door, Because her boss wants her by 8 a.m., there are things for her to do, When the sun rises on Sunset Avenue. Mrs. Doe says, "Hello! I'm sorry, I gotta run." So he sits and combs his daughter's hair, tells a story to his son. Then soon they're running off to school with, "Daddy, I love you." He’s home alone on Sunset Avenue. Sometimes he thinks about the dreams they had when they married years before, But now they're so darn busy working they don't dream much anymore, Because their lives taught them the simple fact – there are things you just have to do When the sun rises on Sunset Avenue. So here's an anthem for the working men and women of this earth Who know their lives aren’t measured by their monetary worth, Who just earn their daily dollars with the hopes they'll save a few When the sun rises on Sunset Avenue. Who just live their lives the best they can, each day a dream come true, As the sun rises on Sunset Avenue. Sunset Avenue words/music ©1984 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
5.
For You 03:34
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For You A simple little song to say, “Thank you!” Simply for being who you are I thank my lucky stars that I met you Life’s road is gonna take us so far… I wish I had the words that I could tell you Just how much you really mean to me I wish I had a way that I could show you Two hearts so full of possibilities I thank my lucky stars… I thank my lucky stars… Yea, I thank my lucky stars… For you! I’ll never forget the moment that I met you The first time that you looked me in the eyes And the first thing that you said was, "Can I touch you?” Did you see that look in my eyes? Did you hear our lives shout, “Surprise!” I thank my lucky stars… I thank my lucky stars… Yea, I thank my lucky stars… For you! (Instrumental) I thank my lucky stars… I thank my lucky stars… Yea, I thank my lucky stars… For you! For You ©2008 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
6.
Gus the messed up Polar Bear 04:18
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Gus. the Messed Up Polar Bear Gus the messed up polar bear is feeling down While all the people stop and stare he just keeps pacing around He could always roam wherever he wanted when he was free But now the zoo wants to keep him where the human beings can see… Yea the zoo wants to keep him where the human beings can see Gus the messed up polar bear lives in a cage When people get too close he really feels the rage He waits until they’re close to him and then he ... goes for them So now the zoo has concluded that there’s something wrong with him, Yea the zoo has concluded that there’s something wrong with HIM! Chorus: And now I hear they’ve hired some experts in the mental health of bears Who are certified and who specialize in how to sooth a bear’s cares And three times a week in therapy, they meet with Gus Can you imagine what it is that they discuss? Gus the messed up polar bear lives in a zoo While all the other bears might have trainers, Gus has therapists too I imagine that the day these troubles started for Gus Was the day that he met human beings like us... Must have been the day that he met human beings like us... Chorus: Gus the messed up polar bear is feelin down While all the people stop and stare he just keeps pacing around He could always roam wherever he wanted when he was free But now the zoo wants to keep him where the human beings can see Yea, the zoo wants to keep him where the human beings can see Did you hear the zoo’s got a messed up POLAR BEAR that we can go and see? Gus, the Messed Up Polar Bear words/music ©1997 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
7.
Nothing to Lose 03:46
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Nothing to Lose There was something weird that was going on… (Repeat) There was something weird going on in here. There was something wrong I was feeling then…(Repeat) There was something wrong I was feeling then in here And I couldn’t say, for the life of me, when it all began But I could say that it better STOP! Because i thought I hit rock bottom, but I just kept on fallin Farther and farther and farther I’d drop... I must admit I’ve been afraid… oooh, I’ve been afraid, I must admit I’ve been afraid of you. I must confess I love you so… Oh, I love you so… So much I’m afraid of losing you... And I couldn’t say, for the life of me, when it all began But I could say that it better STOP! Because I thought I hit rock bottom but I just kept on fallin Farther and farther and farther and farther and farther and farther and farther I’d drop... I was so afraid of living that I watched my whole life pass me by Too scared to know which choice to choose But I never knew the secret until I shook off all my fears And started livin like there’s nothing to lose Started livin like there’s nothing to lose Started livin and lovin and livin and lovin and lvin like there’s nothing to lose... There was something weird that was going on… (Repeat) There was something weird going on in here. There was something wrong I was feeling then…(Repeat) There was something wrong I was feeling then in here... And I couldn’t say, for the life of me, when it all began But I could say that it better STOP! Nothing to Lose words/music ©1999 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
8.
What Are You 02:55
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What Are You? So you finally know what’s gotta happen if you’re ever gonna move on and grow It’s hard to know which choice to make There’ll be a lot of pain as you go But you say to yourself, “It’s time to decide!” What happens next is all up to you Tell me what are you... what are you... I’m asking you to tell me, what are you... Tell me what are you... going to do? You’ve known for so long things weren’t working Sometimes we choose our pain over change But the longer you live inside the pain Life can get pretty strange. So you say to yourself, “I can’t do this no more!” Sometimes you get up and you head for the door Tell me what are you... what are you... I’m asking you to tell me, what are you... Tell me what are you... going to do? “What are you gonna do?” is the question at hand Live out the answer and someday you wi ll understand You’ve been living in the dark far too long Now you see the light and you feel so strong You gave it every chance that you could give Now you’ve finally decided it’s time for you to live No more waiting alone by the phone For a call that will never ring true Tell me what are you... what are you... I’m asking you to tell me, what are you... Tell me what are you... going to do? Tell me what are you... going to do? What Are You words/music ©2007 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
9.
Lifeline 03:43
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Lifeline I heard a story from my Pa about life bein like a line From birth to death, with every breath, we're movin all the time. And none of us are quite the same, no two lines parallel Each of us a different name and a different tale to tell. As our lifeline's flow along, they cross at intersections. The kind of person that we are determines the connection. For the narrow-minded, narrow-lined connections come and go. But the broader lines that meet sometimes, They make our lifelines flow! The ad man makes us promises that no man can deliver! The bad man is the taker and the good man is the giver. The mad man's sure the happy man knows something he don't know, And the happy man just understands, you gotta let your lifeline flow! The gamblin man might play the odds on wakin up tomorrow! But time don't have no time to spare, not to beg, steal or borrow. And someday when that clock strikes twelve your final hours are gonna toll, So don't let it catch you by surprise, but let your lifeline flow! When faced with our mortality, we shiver and get rattled, And we feel just like we're stranded up a river without a paddle, But that old river follows nature's way, and it knows which way to go! And livin's like that river, You gotta let your lifeline flow... Some men really live their live's while others just endure it. Some would gladly give their lives while others must insure it. But one man told me long ago, before he had to go, "Son, you've only got one life, so let your lifeline flow!" You know, you've only got one life, so let your lifeline flow... ... ... Lifeline words/music ©1985 Jerry Mills/ASCAP Reprinted with permission
10.
Native American Man 03:40
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Native American Man On a sidewalk down on Broadway sits a native american man Jinglin three or four coins in the palm of his outstretched hand Halfway living, halfway dead Street sounds pounding in his head And he wore a cardboard sign which read “Please help, I wanna go home.” And it blew my mind to see this sight, To live that way both day and night! How can we talk about human rights When a native american man Is a stranger in his own land? So I sat down on the sidewalk, near that native american man, Watching people passing by, oblivious to his outstretched hand, Is it to this fate that he’s condemned? On charity must he depend? Is there no one with a hand to lend to send this poor man home? And it blew my mind to see this sight, To live that way both day and night! How can we talk about human rights When a native american man Is a stranger in his own land? On a sidewalk down on Broadway sits a native american man Jinglin three or four coins in the palm of his outstretched hand Halfway living, halfway dead Street sounds pounding in his head And he wore a cardboard sign which read “Please help, I wanna go home.” Native American Man words/music ©1997 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
11.
Losing Altitude 05:05
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Losin Altitude In many ways he was you and me... Raised to think that he had to be At the top where he could see the way... Climbed the ladder to the highest rung From a star his noose was strung. Perhaps it’s true, “the good die young.” They say... That he was losing altitude Looking for something to change his mood As his world was coming unglued Losing altitude... At the top he was scared of the heights Too many long and restless nights Waiting for the sun to light the day Until you craved the perfect high To make you feel like you could fly John, did you really have to die that way....? Losing altitude Looking for something to change your mood As your world was coming unglued Losing altitude... Losing altitude... You followed that white line one step too far Life had left you bruised and scarred Fallen like a shooting star... Losing altitude Looking for something to change your mood As your world was coming unglued Losing altitude... Losing altitude... Losing Altitude words/music ©1983 Jerry Mills/ASCAP printed with permission
12.
Grateful 03:16
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Grateful I did a lot of things today. I found a bag full of money in the street. I met a woman who was losing her mind. I sang a song for her about being like a child. I saw a lot of things today. I saw a soldier coming home from the war. I saw a mother shedding tears for her child. I saw a father holding hands with his son. And I am grateful… I‘m grateful to be living today. I am thankful. I’m grateful, what more can I say... I heard a lot of things today. I heard Carolyn tell me about her dream. I heard a mother robin singing in her nest. I heard the sound of the Lake Superior waves. To do and see and hear so much. How can I not feel in touch With something simply too big for words. I am grateful… I’m grateful to be living today. I am thankful. I’m grateful, what more can I say... I did a lot of things today. I found a bag full of money in the street. I met a woman who was losing her mind. I sang a song for her about being like a child. Grateful words/music ©2007 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission
13.
Love Comes Easy Now 03:08
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Love Comes Easy Now Loving you… comes to me so easily. Loving you… is the easiest thing I’ve done. I can see… the two of us growing old and gray And I promise you when that day comes We’ll have spent our lifetime having so much fun It’ll be the easiest thing we’ve ever done… Cuz love comes easy now…mmm Love comes easy now… Thoughts of you… fill my thoughts throughout my day. I think of you… more than I think of me. And it’s cool… to know you feel the very same way Cuz we both know this love’s the real thing… And we’re excited for what the future will bring You can even see the full moon shining right through your ring… Cuz love comes easy now… mmm Love comes easy now… Bridge: Who said that love has to be so hard? Who said that love causes pain? Who said that love has to be so much work? Who ever said love would drive you insane? Love comes easy now… mmm … Love comes easy now… mmm Love comes easy now… mmm … Love comes easy now… mmm Love Comes Easy Now ©2007 Jerry Mills/ASCAP Reprinted with permission
14.
Beyond the Mind's Control 03:39
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Beyond the Mind's Control I’ve got a body that’s able and a heart that’s strong And a soul that’s always churnin with some burnin song I’ve got a ton of desires for ten thousand things But it’s really just the music I wanna play and sing Cuz the music is my body... and the music is my heart... And the music is my very soul... there are no parts And I’ve learned to truest the instincts of my body, heart and soul Since I’ve discovered how to live beyond the mind’s control. I’ve got the coals all stoked up in my engine’s fire And I’ve got a head of steam bein fueled by pure desire And I’ll admit I’ve got convictions about a thousand things And a thousand and one songs that I am livin to sing Cuz the music is my body... and the music is my heart... And the music is my very soul... there are no parts And I’ve learned to truest the instincts of my body, heart and soul Since I’ve discovered how to live beyond the mind’s control. Yea, the music is my body... and the music is my heart... And the music is my very soul... there are no parts And I’ve learned to truest the instincts of my body, heart and soul Since I’ve discovered how to live beyond the mind’s control. Beyond the Mind’s Control words/music ©1998 Jerry Mills/ASCAP reprinted with permission

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released May 3, 2010

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Jerry Mills Marquette Township, Michigan

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