Simone White
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Here are songs I've written, in alphabetical order, from my own albums and also from featured vocalist/songwriter musical collaborations I've worked on.
A Girl You Never Met
by Simone White
from Yakiimo (Honest Jon's 2009) and Genuine Fake (2017)

some emotions burn so clean
some fires don't need gasoline
I've got nothing left to talk about
please have mercy and put me out

here is my hat here is my coat
here is a box with everything I ever wrote
look now I've gone and made you cry
it's true I hurt you
it's true I lied

yes my heart's made of stone
what keeps this cold blood flowing
I'll never know

it hasn't always been this way
once I was happy to greet the day
I was a girl you forget
I was a girl you never met

you've seen me only old
keeping all of these secrets
you know I can't hold

the needle marks what it has sewn
my life it's cut me to the bone
I think it's finally time to go

scatter my ashes don't tell me where
say what you like about me
I don't care


The American War
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007)


Do you remember the American war
it wasn't that long ago it was fought on every shore
are you trying to tell me that you didn't know
I saw you reading the paper at the corner store
(yes, I know, that's a joke)
Did you ever think you lived inside the belly of the beast
Are you giving it something nice to eat
Or are you waiting for your very own special treat
We like to live on easy street
Do you remember all the people we bombed
All the homes that were there that are now gone
Well whoever told you that life was fair
People have to die over there
Did you ever think this was the greatest country in the world
With freedom and democracy and SUV's called Liberty for every boy and girl
The oyster chokes on its own pearl
"We know you can't help where you're born
It's not that you're foreign
It's what you stand for
We know it's hard to start reform
The revolution's born
But no one claims it"
Winning Ticket
Do you remember the American war
We thought it was fun but it was a bore
Do you remember the American war
We forgot what we were fighting for


Archive
by Simone White
from Reinier Zonneveld- Archive featuring Simone White (Deeperfect 2015)


I can't stop I love you so
let me in don't let me go
the world is always ending
the sky forever falling
hold me in your arms I disappear


Baby Lie Down With Me
by Simone White
from Yakiimo (Honest Jon's 2009)


every day I get to be with you
I'm such a happy fool
dance in the street skin my knees
I can't believe you love me

let's go back to your place
I don't care if we sleep on the floor
forget hide and seek trick or treat
baby lie down with me

with your hand in mine
I've never felt so fine in all my life
in all my life

la la la

oh but now I can't sleep
with love so big so deep
if I fall in come in come in
I'm never coming out again

what's that song we sang that nobody heard
the one that goes on and on and on and on
without a word

la la la

every day I get to be with you
I'm such a happy fool
dance in the street skin my knees
I can't believe you love me

run away with me
I know a path through the trees
we'll come out at the sea


The Beep Beep Song
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


beep beep beep beep beep beep beep
go the horns in the cars in the street
we walked away from the lover's leap
opposite directions
synchronised feet

wait wait wait wait wait wait wait
for the time it takes a heart to mend a break
how many moons are reflected in the lake
can you wait forever if time is all it takes

despite all the warnings
I landed like
a fallen star
in your arms

beat beat beat beat beat beat beat
goes my heart on the side of my sleeve
whispering something I can hardly believe
"let me take the lead
cos love is all we need"



Big Dreams And The Headlines
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)
and Genuine Fake (2017)

If you stay a while I promise I'll find a happy song to sing
It's dark but I can see in the dark and your'e smiling
no don't go yet don't be upset it's a sweet evening
and we'll go inside and light a fire
and have a laugh and have a cry
it's the little things that add up to life
ten thousand moments of paradise
lost between the big dreams and the headlines

I can't help you quit the blues
the lonely and the heartache and the bad bad news
and you've still got to pay the rent
and all those years and where they went

I don't care where you've been
how you made your enemies and lost your friends
why'd you miss those lucky breaks
and how everything is just a big mistake

you've come all this way
I know it's hard but won't you stay
all I can promise you is that tomorrow
is a brand new day

ten thousand moments of paradise
lost between the big dreams and the headlines

If you stay a while I promise I'll find a happy song to sing
It's dark but I can see in the dark and your'e smiling
no don't go yet don't be upset it's a sweet evening
and we'll go inside and light a fire
and have a laugh and have a cry
it's the little things that add up to life



Blueprint
by Simone White
from The Sincere Recording Co Presents Simone White (2003);
2nd version 
Honest Jon's 7" single release (2007)
3rd version bonus track on Letter To The Last Generation (vinyl, Fetch Happened 2020)


a lot of steel was used to make this city
and all the concrete that was poured and set
did they have any regrets
how much do you think it weighs
is it possible to learn from within the maze
one day I awoke to an earthquake
outside there are streets and many shops to buy from
the city feeds and feeds and feeds
they flew up in a helicopter to see the view from the top floor
the money was invested and the building was made
it wasn't there but then it was today
what is the price of this display
outside there are streets and many shops to buy from
the city feeds and feeds and feeds
there is no surcease
somewhere there are blueprints
it's time we should view them
somewhere there are blueprints
I want to know who drew them



Christmas Makes Me Blue
by Simone White
Honest Jon's 7" single release (2007)

re-recorded single release with The Essentials (2015)

I get a funny feeling
I can't quite explain
it's something in between
happiness and pain
it starts around december first
then gradually gets worse and worse
christmas makes me blue
please don't think it's you
sleigh bells and neighbors wishing well
singing christmas carols
makes me feel unwell
I'd rather have the flu
stay in bed till january two
miss that christmas list that
santa says I ought to belong to
christmas makes me blue
please don't think it's you
cosy rosy jolly holly folly
red and green and hullabaloo
I'd like to eat the mistletoe
bury me out in the snow
cos christmas
makes me blue



Counting Umbrellas
by Simone White
from Dive Index- Lost In The Pressure (2014)

 
just a little sensitive
to the lights and sound
wanted more than you could give
cause you're upside down
 
walk along the riverbed
on the way out of town
did you ever stand in a storm
in the rain lost in the roar
 
come with me
in the quiet loud
counting all the umbrellas
dead on the ground
 
hold you up
fall back down
 
when you think of you and me
does it make sense somehow
listen to the symphony
of the sky and cloud
 
lying in the empty streets
can you show me what you found
if we lost it all in a storm
could we move on just like before
 
all that you leave will follow
nothing we need stays
 
come with me
in the quiet loud
counting all the umbrellas
dead on the ground
 
hold you up
fall back down
 


Flowers In May
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)


here's what I learned when you went away
the jacaranda tree flowers in may
jasmine blooms after the rain
4am hear the first plane

ride a bike along the beach the end of the day
the sun descends in red and slowly fades
think of all the things I want to say
too late

when will I forget I don't know
I want to keep you here inside me to remind me that everything unfolds
one day we'll see

hang a white dress on a line in the sun
do the laundry and the dishes sweep the kitchen
save the bees and baby birds that fall from the trees
look there's one

all night in spring the mockingbird sings
stay up till dawn and sleep all day long
I can feel you with me every moment
even though you're very gone

when will I forget I don't know
I want to keep you here inside me to remind me that everything unfolds
one day we'll see

hang a white dress on a line in the sun
save the bees and baby birds that fall from the trees
clean the glasses line them up in a row
I won't let you go

here's what I learned when you went away
the jacaranda tree flowers in may
jasmine blooms after the rain
4am hear the first plane


Genuine Fake
by Simone White
Genuine Fake (2017)
Letter To The Last Generation (2019)


I met you once in Glasgow town
your arm in mine as we wandered around
the glossy streets as the rain came falling down
the words you never did say out loud

the year you came out to L.A.
you were impressed how I knew all the freeways
we drove out west stopped at old McCabe's
and sat on the beach as I watched you play

and you
your face so bright in the storm
chasing light every day like you're being reborn
always finding a spark
and the beauty in the dark
your love so big for everything
I never knew you wanted my heart

hold a mirror to the setting sun
the people we have been and everything that we have done
the quiet space between us like a home to which I run
and every time I see you

it's you
your face so bright in the storm
chasing light every day like you're being reborn
always finding a spark
and the beauty in the dark
your love so big for everything
I never knew you wanted my heart

but do you know what my heart is made of
how easy can you break it
does it need more than you can take
and are you sure it's not a genuine fake

I met you once in Glasgow town
your arm in mine as we wandered around
the glossy streets as the rain came falling down
the words you never did say out loud

Great Imperialist State
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007)


There's a farmer in a distant country working on the land
A hat upon his head and a shovel in his hand
Till the soil plant the seed wait a while cut the leaf
And send another cup of tea to me

I'm a spoiled child of the great imperialist state
I cannot kill my meat nor grow the food upon my plate
I never walked a mile to the well, when the tap runs dry do tell
What will become of you and me

What will become of us, who will give us trust
Will you believe me when I say I never loved profiting from your pain
That I felt shame when I looked the other way
Woke up this morning, the revolution knocking down my door
Those capitalist pigs? No, they don't live here anymore
Slipped out the back door into my car how far can you drive how far

There's a farmer in a distant country working on the land
Food turned into flowers for the uptown florist stand
What you saved another paid to turn his soil into sand
The world will not deliver on demand

What will become of us who will give us trust
Will you believe me when I say I never loved profiting from your pain
That I felt shame when I looked the other way




Harvest
by Simone White
from Genuine Fake (2017) and 
Letter To The Last Generation (2019)


John Michaelson, come close the door your father's let a man in.
They said they could use our only son, now it's come the revolution.
So wash your hands, sit at the table.
We haven't got a thing to offer him.
You're a strong lad, so capable.

spring harvest was thin
a single plate translucent skin
we turned away and kept it in
and prayed for better days

the summer harvest fell to rot
we held too tight to what we got
it split in two but still it was too few
and so we prayed for better days

the autumn harvest disappeared
a confirmation of our fears
we killed the thieves among the dusty leaves
and then we prayed for better days

the winter harvest still unfound
the stone and fever sealed the ground
we stand in silence gathered round
and pray for better days
we pray for better days
one day
one day
one day



I Am The Man
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


I used to be angry at the Man
the one with the big frying pan
who takes all the meat and leaves nothing to eat
for the poor with their outstretched hands
but I am the Man I am the Man I am
yes I am the Man I am the Man
I understand
I used to be scared of the government
silencing voices of dissent
but the voices of scared folk will never be heard
open your throat and sing like a bird
cos in my own government I am the president
yes it's my own government I represent
stop pointing the finger (at yourself)
look in the mirror and see how your enemy fell
I used to think I was alone
a motherless child far from home
but the family I found is in everyone
open your heart it's time you've come
home
is the house you build with your bones
yes home is the house you build with your bones



If I Ever Have You
by Simone White
from Dive Index- Lost In The Pressure (Neutral Music 2014)

 
a diamond hiding quiet in the dark
a finger pointing to a tiny mark
waiting patiently for it to start
 
I wonder what I will do
if I ever have you
 
trying so hard all the time
the actor on the stage
fumbling his lines
 
look away
don't open up your mouth
be very careful not to let the inside out
 
look away
you know it's not allowed
be very careful I can see the truth is falling out
 
slowing down the motion fall apart
the feeling disappears
but it doesn't go too far
 
diamond stay right here in the dark
I wonder what I will do
if I ever have you
 
diamond stay right here
diamond stay right here
in the dark


Interference
by Simone White
from Reinier Zonneveld- Interference featuring Simone White (2016)


the rain came late
it washed the bodies by the gate
all alone to each his own
returning empty
the space between the bones
the rain came late
it washed the bodies by the gate
and you know you're not the only one who must be fed
the ever spinning knot of need
we who cry and infinitely bleed
one and one and one
to take our place when done

In The Water Where The City Ends
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)


sat the corner
on the crossing
hear the border
where the light begins
single doorway
of a station
in the water
now the city ends

all divisible by you
hold me close we slip right through

cross a bridge
whisper the houses
would the narrow wooden walkways
stand a chamber
left the structure
in the the tidal river bend

all divisible by you
hold me close we slip right through

palace speak
fire the canyon
understood and congregation
reflected us quiet formation
in the water
where the city ends

all divisible by you
hold me close we slip right through


Letter To The Last Generation
by Simone White
from Letter To The Last Generation (2019)


first we weren't sure
then we ignored
all the way down
what doesn't bend
breaks in the end
hi ho
now we know 

by the time you find this
it might be too late
all the signs were there
we simply did not 
​could not 

would not 
care

you'll never see 
the blue in the sky
oh no
you'll never understand that we tried
no no
you'll never know

by the time you find this
it will be too late
why did we wait
all the signs were there
we simply did not care

no one could be blamed for the lies
everyone was named at the trials
those hollow hollow hollow hollow hollow
hollow
promises

first we weren't sure
then we ignored
all the way down
what doesn't bend
breaks in the end
hi ho
now we know

by the time you find this
it will be too late
why did we wait
all the signs were there
we simply did not care
please take care



Let The Cold Wind Blow
by Simone White
from Yakiimo (Honest Jon's 2009)


she ran out of loving
but she just kept on running
there's only ever one place to go
it's eyes forward feet left right
away from this sorrow
I'm not sticking around to see
what it's like here tomorrow

and the cold wind blows so cold
and the hot sun beats down on her head
and the rain it will soak you through
and the road and the rail and river are her bed

she ran out of luck
but she just kept on trucking
as long as she's moving she's fine
east of mississippi and west of the rockies
the big northern fir trees
and the soft, southern pines

and she wants to be alone
but she's never alone in her head
and the one's she knew long ago
are the heroes and villains in some trashy book that she read

I've seen her in the truck stop parking lot
sleeping it off in the car
I've seen her in the honky tonk
talking sweet to the boys at the bar
she's loved and she's hated
she's cheated and lied
but she's lived as true
as anyone who ever tried
did you ever try

she ran out of loving
but she just kept on running
there's only ever one place to go
it's eyes forward feet left right
away from this sorrow
I'm not sticking around to see
what it's like here tomorrow

so let the cold wind blow
let the hot sun beat down on your head
let the rain soak you through
let the road and the rail and river be your bed


Little Heaven Little Blue
by Simone White
from Genuine Fake (2017) and 
Letter To The Last Generation (2019)


you took my hand in the fever dream
the sweat flowed freely from the cracks and seams
if I could just burn through the heaviness and blue
the patchwork and the pieces that keep covering the true

all I wanted was a kiss
an easy thoughtless way to get out of this
a melody a song
that wanders along
but all the kisses you could give me
couldn't keep me strong

the weight of the world and the weight of a man
the words in your head and the silence you say you just can't stand
oh you just can't stand

you took my hand in the fever dream
I knew it wasn't what it seemed
the two of us burning through
little heaven little blue
little lies unfolding to cover up the true

the weight of the world and the weight of a man
the words in your head and the silence you say you just can't stand
oh you just can't stand

Long Moon
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)


Long moon shining through the trees
long moon creeping following me
touched my hand and asked politely
where you gonna be
can I see you tomorrow

sad moon turned and watched me go
closed my eyes and tears did flow
how I hurt you I don't know
(sometimes I think it's all a big show)

crazy moon upside down bleeding
darkest looks I've never seen
crazy moon child old and mean
can't see the depths of your sorrow


Mary Jane
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007), Genuine Fake (2017)
, The Sincere Recording Co Presents Simone White (2003)

Mary Jane got married at seventeen
he was the loveliest man she'd ever seen
till the day, six months after the baby came,
he became a man who inflicts pain

Mary Jane forgot her past and changed her name
she learned to sing the blues
sewed on sequins and high-heeled shoes

she took off her glasses and took the stage
the audience vanished in the haze
she bowed and blew a kiss

Mary Jane was Little Abner's Daisy Mae
a sweet Marlene
the geisha girl and Salome
a cowgirl too
she spun her pistols to the roof

a poor man's Marilyn Monroe
he never came to sit in the front row
he never heard her sing

they live today in a quiet suburb of Tampa Bay
he drives to the bank
takes her out to eat at Burger King
she walks the dog
keeps the radio on in every room

a silver wedding anniversary
the children pray he'll be the first to leave
she gave her life to a man who wanted just a wife

Mary Jane was Little Abner's Daisy Mae
a sweet Marlene
the geisha girl and Salome
a cowgirl too
she spun her pistols to the roof


Never Be That Tough (Don't Turn Your Back On Love)
by Simone White and Samuel Bing
from Silver Silver (2012); Don't Turn Your Back On Love, re-recorded dance single release (2015)


when I first met you
back in December
I think I thought I knew
I knew better

but now spring is around us
feels like a change is really happening
and everything is possible
I should know by now
you have to surrender to love

don't turn your back on love
'cause you could never be that tough

when I looked at you
it's like I could remember
that this goes on and on
forever and ever
there's nothing we could do
to make it better

don't turn your back on love
'cause you can never have enough

one day you'll find
maybe this time
you could lose everything
and it would still be alright

don't turn your back on love
'cause you could never be that tough


Now The Revolution
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)


john michaelson
come close the door
your father's let a man in
they said they could use
our only son
now it's come
the revolution
so wash your hands
sit at the table
we haven't got a thing to offer him
you're a strong lad
so capable


Only the Moon
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


the one I love is like the moon
so unattainable
bathing me in light
I gaze
my heart is filled but I
will never hold him in my arms
others may take my hand
and gently lead me to the dance
saying
you are dreaming tonight
your eyes are always skyward tonight
and I blush and I say
it's only the moon
it shines so bright


Pattern Pieces
by Simone White
from Dive Index- Lost In The Pressure (Neutral Music 2014)

 
pulling thread out of the cloth
assembling untidy thought
all dissolves inside the head
pattern pieces in the empty bed
 
you set your heart against the loss
opened up your arms
but kept your fingers crossed
 
unresolved to break the freedom of the fall
splitting seams returning all to all
 
overflow underneath
undertow of the deep
 
ending you
happy ending too
 
standing by
the words you said
tell me why
I already know
 
hold your breath underneath
twice around the deep
 
unresolved to break the freedom of the fall
splitting seams returning all to all


Rain
by Simone White
from Genuine Fake (2017), The Happening: Miles Away From America (2016)
Letter To The Last Generation (2019)
​

I heard your voice
a silver thread
you cast a net
capturing me unaware
my heart laid bare

a tangled boy
you made a bet
unraveling
daring me to bust your cover
woven lover

rain rain
filling up the well
rain rain rain rain
don't care where it fell

and underneath the ground
what made you new
once left behind comes into view
could you be persuaded or convinced
what lies beneath
contains the kiss

rain rain
filling up the well
rain rain rain rain
don't care where it fell

if I slip I'll surely drown
pull me out and lay my body down
if I slip I'll surely drown
pull me out and lay my body down
if I slip I'll surely drown
pull me out and lay my body down

Scars
by Simone White
from Dive Index- Lost In The Pressure (Neutral Music 2014)

 
no scars in this goodbye
waste all your wishes on the city lights
what we have we'll never know
with all the maps forgotten there's no going home
 
lonely of the new
lonely of the few
 
cause our love was never right
oh the envy and the ending of all starlight
 
the shaking hands again
leaving without a word
we'll break before we bend
 
what we had we'll never know
all we have forgotten doesn't show
 
lonely of the new
lonely of the few
 
cause our love was never right
oh the envy and the ending of all starlight

Shadow Pass
by Simone White
from Letter To The Last Generation (2019)


everything I said was half true
it's the way it comes out
when I try to talk to you
I'm keeping the best part
the rest
of a broken heart
hold a little back from the start
you won't lose
it only leaves a bruise

all the time gives into regrets
if I let you in my head
if I showed you how it gets
would you see the best in me
would you hold on 
to what I can't see
will you wait will you watch
the shadow pass
will you tell me it won't last

give me courage
faith
and bravery
give me courage
faith 
and bravery

I want to believe I want to believe
the things that I can't see

everything I said was half true
it's the way it comes out
when I try to talk to you
but can you see the best in me
can you hold on
to what I can't see
will you wait will you watch
the shadow pass
will you tell me it won't last


Silver Silver
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)


silver silver turn to gold
none more precious than I'm told
look you one and look you two
silver's come to bury all of you

have you match or have you flame
alike alike we feel no pain

thought you were the chosen ones
now your plans are all undone
listen listen to the sound
all god's children going down

have you match or have you flame
alike alike we feel no pain

wide wide ocean tide
busted banks gone and swallowed my pride
turn turn what you learned
everything you love has got to burn

silver silver turn to gold
none more precious than I'm told
look you one and look you two
silver's come to bury all of you

have you match or have you flame
alike alike we feel no pain

silver bought and silver sold
but all it ever wished was gold
all it ever wished was gold


So It Goes
by Simone White
from Genuine Fake (2017) and 
Letter To The Last Generation (2019)


you found hope
in a signal sent from outer space
and it showed what you thought you'd lost
without a trace
I want to wrap my arms around you
and keep you safe
wish I could kiss the tears off of your face

now here's a story
and I know you've heard them all before
this one's crazy and it's past the point
of no return
think I could love you from a million miles away
the planet's spinning and I'm standing in place

but oh
so it goes
you're never just alone
no no no
there's a light on every door
it's the universal glow
lighting up with love to show
lighting up with love to light the dark way home

you found hope
in a signal sent from outer space
and it showed what you thought you'd lost
without a trace
I felt you wrap your arms around me to keep me safe
I feel your love from a million miles away

and oh so it goes
you're never just alone
no no no there's a light on every door
it's the universal glow
lighting up with love to show
lighting up with love to light the dark way home

Soldier Sailor
by Simone White
from The Sincere Recording Co Presents Simone White (2003)

the soldier walks around on the ground with the
gun he's given and goes where he's told
the sailor is on a boat on the water
without the love of his father
he waits for favourable wind
soldier sailor sailor soldier

the soldier's on his belly in the grass
moving over broken glass
the sailor is praying to god about
the state he's in
the sea will swallow him

soldier sailor sailor soldier

the soldier is walking by
he cannot shoot till he sees the
whites of their eyes
the sailor is singing again
sing your song
sailor song
sing a little closer

soldier sailor sailor soldier
bring me home


Sweetest Love Song
by Simone White
from I Am the Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


I don't listen to the radio
I sold my old stereo
That record player stopped playing
It's just for show
I don't care what goes on downtown
I'm not up on the latest sound
As far as I can see there's nothing new to be found

You are the sweetest love song in the world
Now I can't hear any other thing
You're the only song my heart will sing

I'm not going out tonight
I don't want to take in the sights
Stay home go to bed
Dream you're beside me and everything is alright

You are the sweetest love song in the world
And I might not remember every word
But you're the best melody I ever heard
You're going round and round and round in my head
I wish I had you in my arms instead

I don't listen to the radio
I sold my old stereo
That record player stopped playing
It's just for show
You are the sweetest love song in the world
Now I can't hear any other thing
You're the only song my heart will sing


This Is All You Felt
by Simone White
from Letter to the Last Generation (2019)


I can't give you what you want 

you said 
and shrugged and left 
and closed the door 
and went to bed 
I stayed up late to watch the stars 
shooting out their lights 
'cause there's no reason why to shine 
you learn a different lesson every time 

like sugar's sweet 
and salty brine 
and stand up straight and get in line 
'cause fire burns and ice will melt 
and this is all you felt 

you don't think there's any hope you said 
you don't believe you'll get to be 
just once before you're dead 
but you never stayed up late to watch the stars 
shooting out their lights 
'cause your city's far too bright 
you know you'll never win that fight 

'cause sugar's sweet 
and salt is brine 
you stand up straight to get in line 
but fire burns and ice will melt 
and this is all you felt 

but everything that you feel 
another movie reel 
you take your place and make your bet 
don't hold your breath 
don't hold your breath 
'cause nothing's ever all you'll get 

'cause sugar's sweet 
and salt is brine 
you stood up straight to get in line 
but fire burns and ice will melt 
and this is all you felt

Tiny Drop
by Simone White
from Letter To The Last Generation (2019)

how much will it cost
a lot a lot
the way wind blows around you
how the sky felt above you
the beauty that you lost
a lot a lot
for all the wars you fought
you are a tiny drop
tiny drop
you are a tiny drop
tiny drop


We Used To Stand So Tall
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


Hush now darling, my mama said
You're daddy's worried 'bout the Reds
One day you'll learn about the enemy
You have to fight so you'll be free

Another day will dawn Our country will be strong God knows we can't go wrong

Be good darling, do as we say
One day you'll learn to work for pay
And you will understand that we are poor
You must work hard so you'll have more

Another day will dawn You will grow up so strong We know you will belong

Listen father, there is no work
It seems that no one sees my worth
I have no money to pay my rent
I cannot pay back what was lent

Listen mother, I lost my man
He was shot down in a foreign land
The captain cannot say what he died for
They only tell me we're at war

Another time will come You'll see what we have done
I only hope we may be forgiven
Another rain will fall and wash away us all
We used to stand so tall


What the Devil Brings
by Simone White
from Silver Silver (Honest Jon's 2012)


last night I slept with your ghost in my arms
outline of your body in mine
echoing inside whispering sounds like
hold me hold me
let me kiss you
take me with you
don't understand I've got to shake your hand like a man

oh you've got to stop this haunting
I know what the devil brings
ever since you left I've thought of nothing else
been a man possessed by the way your touch felt

all day I kept your kiss like a charm
sparkle of your mouth on mine
hung around my neck knocking on my chest
telling me to hold you hold you
let me kiss you
take me with you
I forgot myself under a spell
tripped in the arms of a shadow and fell

oh you've got to stop this haunting
I know what the devil brings

I hang my head
in shame
for you, boy


You May Be In Darkness
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


I thought you were my best friend
we'd be together till the end
in all the world I'd never find
someone like you
you understood my mind
you felt my heart
with all your heart
when you kissed my mouth
you took your time
I thought you were mine

those seeds we planted in the spring
refused to grow and now we have nothing
nothing in our hearts
and nothing in my belly
what once was cannot be made
I'm afraid it's too late

but I know it's true
there's no one that you're loving
I take back my heart
and give you my blessing
your light will shine
though you may be in darkness


Victoria Anne
by Simone White

from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)

you and me and your brother
spent the summer
catching crawfish in the creek
mosquito bites spitting watermelon seeds

your mama's pork fat grits
stacking pennies on the railraod tracks
got drunk on homemade gin
and robbed the general store

got a hiding and a licking
and a seeing to
boy my butt was sore
was your butt sore too

victoria anne victoria anne
don't ride your bike behind the fog man
victoria anne victoria anne
don't ride your bike behind the fog man
you'll regret it someday
but why, I cannot say

wonderbread and mayonnaise sandwiches
smoking jimpson weed cigars
sitting in the swamps
I saw a haint
no you d'aint

slinging cemetary stones
wearing spanish curly moss wigs
chasing chiggers in my hair
you gave me ringworm scabies and the lice
yes I did but it was not my fault

daddy says there's  a devil in the woods
and he's got his eye on me
leaning on his shiny cane
gonna take me away for all my evil deeds

but it was you that chucked the kittens in the river
I threw you in straight after
laughing falling on the fire ant hill
tore my clothes off and jumped right in

running naked down the street
your mama screaming chasing us as fast as she can
calling come home goddamn

victoria anne victoria anne
don't ride your bike behind the fog man
victoria anne victoria anne
don't ride your bike behind the fog man
you'll regret it someday
but why, I cannot say



Without A Sound
by Simone White
from Yakiimo (Honest Jon's 2009)


I came home from spain
with little jars of tea in my bag
photographs and a book I'd written in
I was all you said you had

you were a king without a crown waiting
in a house outside of town
and I turned away and I left without a sound
the day I burned our love down

lying on the bed we shared
I heard you in the other room
did you see the pretty boxes I said
but there came no reply
and then I knew you knew my lie

I rushed into the room shaking
but you were gone and the book was taken
I waited for your return not breathing
and then the house began to burn

life had never seemed so absurd
you entering without a word
it's not what you're thinking I said
and then I tried to change your mind
this would be the last time

so I struck the match you gave me
and I used the kerosene you made me
and I turned away and I left without a sound
the day I burned our love down


Yakiimo
by Simone White

from Yakiimo (Honest Jon's 2009) and Genuine Fake (2017)

when summer's gone and the leaves are falling
the air is cold and the sky is grey

I hear a man who is sweetly calling
from long ago and far away

yakiimo ishi yakiimo
yakiimo oishi yakiimo

it's just a truck of sweet potatoes
roasted on coals
wrapped in old newspapers
something warm to hold

yakiimo ishi yakiimo
yakiimo oishi yakiimo

when summer's gone and the leaves are falling
the air is cold and the sky is grey
it breaks my heart to hear him sing
it's like the end of everything

yakiimo ishi yakiimo
yakiimo oishi yakiimo
yakiimo ishi yakiimo


You May Be In Darkness
by Simone White
from I Am The Man (Honest Jon's 2007) and Genuine Fake (2017)


I thought you were my best friend
we'd be together till the end
in all the world I'd never find
someone like you
you understood my mind
you felt my heart
with all your heart
when you kissed my mouth
you took your time
I thought you were mine

those seeds we planted in the spring
refused to grow and now we have nothing
nothing in our hearts
and nothing in my belly
what once was cannot be made
I'm afraid it's too late

but I know it's true
there's no one that you're loving
I take back my heart
and give you my blessing
your light will shine
though you may be in darkness


You Could Be The One I Want
by Simone White
from Reinier Zonneveld- Megacity Servant (Stil vor Talent 2016)


I want you
I want you more every day
I want to get you in so many ways
you could be the one I want
it could be you're all I want
held my breath and made a wish
lived and died inside your kiss