Window to the Wise:  Released in 2001

 

                     

Produced by Ethan Allen and Jill Cohn
Recorded and Mixed by Jim Watts and Ethan Allen
String Arrangements by Greg Fulton
Design and CD Art by Bryan Lasley
Cover photo by Naomi Kaneda
 

The Musicians:
Electric and Acoustic Guitar- Greg Fulton
Bass - Brady Millard-Kish
Drums- Shane Trout
Keyboard on "kerosene" - Martin Feveyear
Additional guitars & Background vocals - Jim Watts and Ethan Allen
Pedal Steel- Dan Tyack
Violin, Cello, Viola- Bill Boyd, Barbara Salkin, Mike Watson
Piano, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals- Jill Cohn
 
All songs written by Jill Cohn
except "Never ending Side" written by Cohn / Fulton / Staskowski

  

 

CALM

could you reel me in
before I go off the deep end
could you take me in
I'm trying just to pretend
that everything is fine
even though they throw refugees to the ocean
I try not to cry, I try not to cry
you could reel me in like a fish you would never turn loose
would you take me in
like a child who is orphaned at sea
we'll try to pretend
that everything is fine
as the people grow colder, the planet gets warmer
a circle in time becomes a straight line
and as this circle goes
it encircles me from love divine
I'm not trying to save the world 
can't even save myself from my own meltdown
and I wonder if the world could stop for just a minute
if everyone closed their eyes and pictured calm
everyone close your lies
picture calm
 


ONENESS

almost had me believe my dreams were true
almost had me believe in you
the road to love is a lonely one
you don't have to go it alone
and I embrace my oneness
want to be consumed with it
want to believe there's more to my life than my pain and my pride
almost had me believe that life was reality
almost had me believe in me
and I will take that road that leads me to my Master's fold
I am called from a whispering soul, that all here is practice just to go Home
I embrace my oneness
want to be consumed with it
want to believe there's more to my life than my pain and my pride
I want to embrace my strength
want to go the distance 
and I'm not scared I'll end up leaving myself, leaving it here
I will take that road that leads me to my Master's fold
and I embrace my oneness
want to be consumed with it
want to believe there's more to my life than my pain and my pride
I want to embrace my strength
want to go the distance 
and I'm not scared I'll end up leaving myself, leaving it here
almost had me believe that life is reality
almost had me believe in me
 


ASK ME TO STAY

swimming in your skin
dying to take you in
breathing in your breath
pondering your depth
swimming in your skin
dying to take you in
I am breathing your breath
I am pondering your depth
I am reaching to your sky
I am anxious I am mad
I am wistful and bad
you're my window to the wise
If you'd just ask me to stay
I'm melting in your mouth
drowning in my doubt
tall as the acorn tree
desire is the seed
swimming in your skin
dying to take you in
I am breathing your breath
I am pondering your depth
I am reaching to your sky
I am anxious I am mad
I am wistful and bad
you're my window to the wise
If you'd just ask me to stay
 


TRUTHFUL ROAD

whatever happened to peace
what happened to a little release
I'm stored up and bottled away
just trying to go deeper
he took me all the way to Abilene
I fell in love with that crazy cowboy scene
and he took me where I never been before
and baby I wanna go there some more
I don't wanna complain
I need a little refrain
just give me your truthful road - I will follow
anywhere you want me to go
anywhere you want me to go
I opened up on that great big open road
I failed, I succeeded, I really didn't care
and I took my freedom for granted, well it's better than being scared
I don't wanna complain
I need a little refrain
I know it's a bad time to be complainin'
just give me your truthful road - I will follow
just give me your truthful road - I will follow
anywhere you want me to go
stopped at the truck stop to buy myself a beer
a man said, "there's no alcohol, its a dry town around here"
and a trucker says, "you don't look like a big rig girl to me"
I say, "what does that mean?"
I don't wanna complain
I need a little refrain
I know it's a bad, bad time to be complainin'
just give me your truthful road - I will follow
anywhere you want me to go
 


STANDING STILL

he called me as the pink was rising
off the pacific on a Wednesday afternoon
asked me if I could stay a couple of extra days
I said no
I couldn't let myself go
always moving
it's my strong head fighting thy will
always moving
'cause I can't find myself
when I'm standing still
and I wonder if my life is somehow going on down there
even though I've been absent over five years time
and you asked me for my patience, but I miss the sound of that town
I can't seem to settle here, and you can't seem to make up your mind
always moving
it's my strong head fighting thy will
always moving
'cause I can't find myself
when I'm standing still
so boy don't be surprised
when you're lifting up that veil and finding a teary eyed girl
who somehow resembles me
'cause we were there last night in my dreams
and i'm going back
even if it's without you
but I don't want it to be without you boy
and you called me as the plane was boarding
you said, "are you gonna stay down a couple of extra days"
I said, oh no, no, no, no darling, I'm coming home
even though I don't believe that you are my home
always moving
it's my strong head fighting thy will
always moving
'cause I can't find myself
when I'm standing still
I can't find myself
not too much these days
 


NEVER ENDING SIDE

reasons for staying
there's ten thousand to go
only two for forgiving what I never wanted to know
and I wait for life to comfort me
and I wait for life to come and show me just where I oughta be
I want to know another side of me
we live in denial
while striving for trust
I'm so sick of diving and drowning in life's lust
while I wait for life to comfort me
and I wait for life to come and show me just where I oughta be
I want to know another side of me
the never ending side of me
we've grown so tired
earth bound and board
house bound, but not lifeless
longing to live the true road
while I wait for life to comfort me
and I wait for life to come and show me just where I oughta be
I want to know another side of me
the never ending side of me
enter me slowly
silent and real
holy and spirit filled, I won't sit still
I won't wait for life to comfort me
I won't wait for life to come and show me just where I oughta be
I want to know another side of me
the never ending side of me
 


DO OR DIE 

we're choosing our words so carefully
talking in circles that will straighten out sometime
the delicate words you're saying to me
I try not to care 'cause your talk hits me deep
I say, you say
we never did see eye to eye
but it's written down somewhere
I'd sacrifice my blue sky not to find myself here again, in this place 
where I have to decide
I don't want to decide
we're choosing our life
while we're losing our past
hoping that this will last
I'm hoping that this will last
I've been training my heart to think logically
running from choice every chance I see
I've worn out that gratitude dress for what life has given me
in the ocean of faces less fortunate but free
we're choosing our life
while we're losing our past
hoping that this will last
we're hoping that this will last
it's only life
its not do or die
it's only life
I've been living my life since you've been gone
and your voice on the phone says there could be something more
and how to move back and make it feel like we're moving forward
there's hurt and there's heartache and love that's been stored
my mind these days never stops to listen
to the call of my soul and the blue light of love that glistens
and it runs me in a rut, it never does comply
and I would live out that lie if I don't have to decide
we're choosing our life
while we're losing our past
hoping that this will last
we're hoping that this will last
'cause it's only life
its not do or die
it's only life
you gotta decide, you gotta decide, nothing feels right
 


KEROSENE

she's got flowers in her hair
her daddy chose her husband with care
how was he to know?
that greed would take his only daughter from his fold
they called him up demanding more
so she took her babies and looked for a door
but couldn't get a ride uptown
so she went back to him and tried to settle down
they said she hung herself
but her beautiful body was flung in the street
I guess he ran out of kerosene
treated his life like a movie scene
I guess he ran out of kerosene
and the cannon of rage remains
Some will say she's a lucky one
if you believe in reincarnation
perhaps she'll be born to a different station
where privileged people futz about fashion
they said she hung herself
but her beautiful body was flung in the street
I guess he ran out of kerosene
regarded his wife as property
I guess he ran out of kerosene
and the cannon of rage remains
my friends will say there's got to be people closer to home to cry about
well just look at your own messed up life
I look at my own meaningless life
I look at my own, and I wonder why
Why I was a lucky one
my lover used his hands for his aggressions
but I wasted years searching for my part in it
years later, I'll give him a little credit
he never made me a cooking accident
 


COLORADO

I got all these dreams I drag around like an old blanket
and envy gets the best of me when I think of others who have made it
so much for my maturity 
I find myself fighting with me
and you are the warmest place in this great big cold world
so I just want to say
it's all right if it's not today
I just want you to know
from the bottom of my soul
I still love you anyway
my mama she gave me a box of lace and bows
I feel just like a silly hippie girl who dressed up just to miss the show
hitching on the wrong side of the road somewhere down in Colorado
not knowing if its time to go, or will it ever be my time to stay
so I just want to say
it's all right if it's not today
I just want you to know
from the bottom of my soul
I still love you anyway
you got me buying all those kinds of magazines
I'm planing out our future as if you've asked me to be your queen
buy the things I think I need to compete with the pictures I have seen
and you meet my insecurities with love and understanding
so I just want to say
it's all right if it's not today
I just want you to know
from the bottom of my soul
I still love you anyway
 


TWENTY MORE DAYS

she bought herself companionship for a week and a tour
the fragile lines of humanhood that are always getting blurred
another Friday night alone and everyone's got plans
only twenty more days
she's going to give herself a talking to
give herself a talking to
and move into this change
only twenty more days, 
twenty more days
bring on the blessed change
he finally found himself a girl that he could call his own
raise himself a family and make his house a home
erase his mortality and fear of being alone
only twenty more days
he's going to give himself a talking to
give his bride a month of Junes
and move into this change
only twenty more days, 
twenty more days
bring on the blessed change
she took the mirrors off the wall 
didn't need to be the fairest of them all
didn't need the locks on the door 
didn't need my things anymore
only twenty more days, 
twenty more days
bring on the blessed change
we lived a life without regrets
the one where bets are off
hypnotized by our TV sets assessing what it costs
thinking freedom was our friend
remembering what we lost
only twenty more days
we're going to give ourselves a talking to
give ourselves a talking to 
move into this change
only twenty more days, 
twenty more days
bring on the blessed change
 


LONGING

love will leave you longing for a fairy tale
love will leave you longing for the ones that failed
love will leave you thirsty with a drink that doesn't quench
love will make you strong and sassy, but it won't give an inch
love will leave you longing for everything but love
love will leave you high and dry 
will never be quite enough
love will leave you vying for attention and privilege
love will leave you bound to your children and the house you live in
love will leave you lamenting for what was and never could be
love will leave you diving in to the deeper meanings
love will leave you longing for everything but love
love will leave you high and dry 
will never be quite enough
love will never leave
love will leave you hungry when you think you've had enough to eat
love will leave you dying for a God you could meet
love will bless the peace makers, the war mongers, the reuniters
Bless us all because we're looking for it
love will leave you longing for everything but love
love will leave you high and dry 
will never be quite enough
love will leave you
love will leave you longing
love will never leave