photo: Palmyra Delran
Jenifer Jackson

- all songs copyright © Jenifer Jackson - all rights reserved -
- BMI - Domino Publishing -

The Outskirts of a Giant Town

Don't Fade

don't fade
you're too beautiful
too lovely to last for just a day
your light
is too beautiful
to drown out in the darkness of the day
life goes on and on and on and on and on and on
it seems so long
when no one's holding on to you
but know that you can hold on to me

Suddenly Unexpectedly

on the day
the day that i made up my mind
not to stay
to leave the trouble in this world behind
the clouds rolled in
into an evening sky so light
and suddenly i remembered when i was alive
alive again looking into your eyes and then
suddenly unexpectedly again
summer dream
a song that drifts forever on the waves
still in dreams
you're in another place so far away

Saturday

like all good friends
we last forever
with good intentions
shining plans together
you give your heart
bring flowers daily
i show my darker side
hoping it will go away
saturday, saturday
not so long ago now
the sun behind the window
poured into the living room
o o o o o o it doesn't matter anyway
i'll keep it in my memory
that lovely saturday
beautiful girl
high enough to measure
hand full of bobby pins
holding her together
beautiful dream
sealed tight with hairspray
even the strongest wind
couldn't blow a single curl away

I Want to Start Something

i want to start something
i want to start something
i want to start something that feels like life
life is all around but i don't know why i can't find it
life is all around but i don't know why i can't find it
o people touching
hearts reaching
love and seasons
and feeling, feeling, feeling
i want to be somewhere
i want to be somewhere
i want to be somewhere that feels like home
been so many places i don't know why i can't find it
been so many places i don't know why i can't find it

Dreamland

the first night was the sweetest night
it held the hope of the unknown
the first night was the sweetest night
it held the hope of the unknown
the way you moved me was a crime
all night so dark and intertwined
when morning came we tried to climb
to the outer edge of dreamland
everybody loves a good surprise
as we slowly pulled away the big disguise
and stared into each other's eyes
and we didn't have to look away
the first night brought back memories
of heartache and possibility
the first night brought back memories
of heartache and possibility
the way you moved me was a sin
i played a game i could not win
still i tried so hard to enter in
to the outer edge of dreamland

Breathe

never have i seen a face with eyes so drawn to the sky
never have i seen a face with eyes so drawn to the sky
tell me that you'll stay here for a while
never have i seen a soul with wings so tied to the ground
never have i seen a soul with wings so tied to the ground
tell me that you'll try to stick around
and breathe
breathe breathe
breathe breathe
i'll stay if you stay i'll stay if you if you stay
when all of the green around us turns to ash
and all of the blue above us comes to pass
let the breath come light and clear as glass

The Outskirts of a Giant Town

in the hour when the light goes down
colors flashing all around
from your window looking down
the outskirts of a giant town
your roommate says we're a lot the same
we like to listen and we're drawn to change
i like to listen when you talk
when you laugh you set me off
i sleep easy in your arms
on the outskirts...
here's to when we meet again
here's to love may it always win
and to the wide world when you let it in
and to the spark where it all begins

Anywhere I Would Journey

anywhere i would journey
anywhere i would journey
for your love is golden wings
high above and everything
i don't care what your friends say
i don't care what your friends say
for your love is golden wings
all my hopes and everything
pay no mind to tomorrow
to yesterday or tomorrow
for your love is golden wings
all my hopes and everything

More Than Nothing

he reached out his hand, reached out his hand, reached out his hand
and touch
then i realized there's much more than nothing
heart beating a new, beating a new, beating a new time
time to realize there's much more than nothing
ah world each day the same
ah world each day the same
ah world each day the same
nothing changed nothing changed nothing
now now i can feel
the moment is here
the moment is real
so real now i realize there's much more than nothing
tonight i'm living again
tonight i'm living again
tonight i'm giving in, giving in, giving in, giving

Summer's Over

when nighttime skies turn wild
blowing clouds across the moon
and the change comes on too soon
then you know summer's over
i walked along the sand
as the waves crashed down in time
the horizon's drastic line
i could tell
it was over
the days move slowly in july
with shadows cast upon the walls
a finger traces afternoon
then all too soon it's over
yeah it's over
i want this sound to stay
heavy in the air
but the molecules are moving
and i know summer's over

The Change

now i can only think about
the world you look out on
i read it in your letters and hear it in your song
life is ever changing
deep and wild like the sea
and love is ever changing too
no it's got a hold on me
baby can you feel
let the walls come tumbling down
i think you understand
the change is come
it used to be we'd walk along that old familiar way
find something to believe in by living day to day
life is ever changing
deep and wild like the sky
and love is ever changing too
i can see it in your eyes
when you see in a new way
colors reappear
when you love in a new way
everything is clear

For You

with all of the thoughts in my head it's impossible to sleep
so i lie here awake instead dreaming, dreaming, dreaming
of you
it took a long time for me to see
that you were bringing me everything that i need
all of the times we shared
they take on a new light
what was happy turns sad
in the picture of life
without you
it took a long time for me to see
that you were bringing me everything that i need
i was blind, darling forgive me i couldn't see
but now i'm on the outside
trying to get back to the inside
trying to get back to you

So High

1. the power of love

the moon came up slow over first avenue
and hung like a wish in the sky
it's the same old sky
but i see it in a brand new way
that's the power of love

looking at you there's alot to remember
and i want to remember everything
it's a brand new face
and i think i'm gonna like it fine
that's the power of love

i like the things you're saying
and i like the things you're doing
and i like the way you make me feel
come on baby don't let me down

what can you tell from a few conversations
when words can be taken in so many ways
but i like your words
every single word you're saying
that's the power of love

1a. La force de l'amour

La lune monte lentement sur la first avenue
Comme un souhait suspendu dans le ciel
C'est le même ciel noir
Mais je le vois sous un nouveau jour
C'est la force de l'amour

Tu me rappelles trop de bons souvenirs
Je les sens quand tu n'es pas ici
Ton nouveau visage
C'est un miroir très très doux
C'est la force de l'amour

J'aime les choses que tu dis
J'aime les choses que tu fais
J'aime les choses que tu me fais ressentir
Oh ne me laisse pas tomber

Que peut-on dire(attendre) de quelques conversations
Quand les mots peuvent tant de choses
Mais j'aime tes mots
Chaque mot doux que tu dis
C'est la force de l'amour

2. down so low

please don't talk about him
i'm trying to forget
although i've thought about him
for a long long time
days turn into years
years into a time
the time that i remember
when our love was young and kind

the kind of love he gives
that comes and goes
it comes and goes
it broke me down
until my heart
was down so low

the steeple on the skyline
is lit up red tonight
this frozen february
for the city's valentines

the kind of love he gives
that comes and goes
it comes and goes
it broke me down
until my heart
was down so low

it comes and goes
it broke me down
until my heart
was down so low

3. since you've been away

alot of things have happened
since you've been away
summer turned to autumn
it got cold today
the trees along the highway
are turning red and gold
i made alot of money
with some paintings that i sold

i'm going down to mexico
a couple of friends and me
to the silver cities
for a change of scenery
in our last conversation
sorry i sounded down
it's just that ugly jealousy
i get when you're not around

in our last conversation
sorry i sounded down
it's just that ugly jealousy
i get when you're not around

alot of things have happened
since you've been away

4. So High

If it's got a beat
It's the city
If it's got wide open space
It's the sea
And I won't look back

I got a whole lot of words
Words of love
Spinning around in my mind

If it's got a beat
It's love
If it's love
Let it be free

I got a whole lot of
Unspoken things
I'll show you in time
When you take my hand
Pull me down into the night I feel
So high

4a. Si haut

Si c'est un rythme c'est la ville
Si c'est grand ouvert c'est la mer
Je ferai face
J'ai tellement de mots de mots d'amour
Qui me tourbillonnent dans la tête


Si c'est un rythme c'est l'amour
Si c'est l'amour libère le
Je ferai face .

J'ai tellement de mots mots d'amour
Qui me tourbillonnent dans la tête
J'ai tant de choses non dites
Que je te montrerai en temps voulu


Si c'est un rythme c'est l'amour
Si c'est l'amour libère le
Je ferai face

J'ai tellement de mots mots d'amour
Qui me tourbillonnent dans la tête
J'ai tant de choses non dites
Que je te montrerai en temps voulu
Quand tu me prends la main
Engloutis-moi dans la nuit je me sens
Si haut

5. the invitation

just like light decides color
and the tone of the day
you decide
how you want to ride
with me

my invitation is open
my will is free when i say
you decide
how you want to ride
with me

two days of rain from the window of a train
listen listen
everybody's moving but for those who just stand still
oh listen listen listen

the moon makes the mood
and pulls on the tide
you decide
how you want to ride
with me you decide
how you want to ride
you decide
how you want to ride
you decide
how you want to ride

6. we will be together

they say that time will heal
but time takes so long
and timing is the key
to every love's success
just like an old man casts his line across the water
and waits as diamonds fade upon the darkened waves

i watch the saddest season change
from my side of the river
i know that nothing stays the same
and we will be together

now all around the trees turn green to brown to bare
across the smoke stacks hangs a sorrow in the air
and as the night turns cold above the brooklyn bridge
i make one wish and cast it from the river's edge

chorus

7. Got to have you

Is it wrong to hide the secret
Of a heart inside a song?
You got your life all set up
tied up tight and I know it's wrong

but I want you
and I need you
and I've got to tell you I've
got to have you

time is funny whey you're young
there's so much
it just goes on and on
when you're older you wake up one day
to find the finest times are gone

I don't want to
Live a sad life without you
And I've got to tell you I've
Got to have you

Maybe I'm just dreaming and imagining
This thing inside my mind
But when you're close to me I get a feeling
That I looked so long to find

And I want you

8. through leaves june 2001

through leaves i see a body
through leaves i see a soul
i reach out for you to hold you again
through leaves

through darkness i see a meaning
through darkness i see the end
all stories get old
so let's leave ours untold
through darkness

don't worry you are here
don't worry you are here
i remember how you feel

9. end of august

summer days and nights are long
along the path that leads to the sea i walk alone

these are days when hearts must learn
how to love and lose and start again
and know it's not the end

in my long life
there will always be you

a stone between the earth and sky
the last rose of summer
you are there and everywhere up high

10. Look Down

silver skies are turning black again
tv's light the windows across the way
and your voice is ringing in my ears
why'd you go so far away this time my dear

remember look down...

I'd like to follow to the place you've gone off to
'cause I know your eyes can see from where you are
and your mind is bright again and free
you can see all of these candles burning

remember look down...

you're a photograph, a memory
a dream a dream a dream don't wake me
I know you said one day you'd fly
with no regrets and no goodbye

red red blood is the color that I hold on to
keeping what we feel is real alive
later on when the precious moments fly
I'll remember the light once shining in your eyes

11. Blue forever mine

When the world is heavy
I remember blue
When the thoughts are heavy
I remember blue

Ocean, wind and waves and sky
Yesterday not far away
Blue forever mine

Wind in the trees
You know the answer
Rain on the leaves
You know the answer

Birds

1. The Fade

when love is new
the world turns in a kiss
i remember this
i remember spring
when love is old
you take what you can
you hold on to words
you hold on to string

ring ring ring
telephones and steeple bells
ring ring ring
steady steady heart
i hold on
for so many reasons
but tonight i think i feel the fade

i hear your voice
you make the contact
i hear the time pass
i hear the time
we walk the line
we walk the fire
wish for desire
i feel the fade
i feel the fade

when love is new
the world turns in a kiss

2. Mercury, The Sun And Moon

love is sweet they say
promises of tomorrow
the tighter you grip
the faster you slip
this much i know

lately i want everything
every star tied to a string
coffee tea and in between
the sweetest smile i ever seen
a different song in every room
mercury, the sun and moon

too much of anything
causes one to wonder
inoxicating sighs
promises and lies
this much i know

2a. Mercurio il sole e la luna
(from Ulftone release of Birds)


l'amore e' dolce si dice
con i promessi di domani
piu' stretta che stringi
piu' forte che caddi
questo so bene

oggi voglio ogni coas
ogni stella giu dal cielo
caffe, te e tra le due
un sorriso dolce e bello
una canzione in ogni stanza
mercurio il sole e la luna

l'abondanza della buonta'
fa rifletterci sopra
sospiri intossicanti
promessi e bugie
questo so bene

3. Endless Green

when the day is bled dry
every color is drained from the sky
be a man please be strong
so that i can just close my eyes
a child again

summer's here
time i love
when the air
is so warm it blows right through you
oh to live
in this place
it's so soft
i'm afraid i'll lose my sadness

long ago
grass was tall
and the fields
seem to roll along forever
look around
all you see
is a sky
painted high above this endless green

be a man please be strong
so that i can just close my eyes
a child again
oh to live in this place
it's so soft i'm afraid i'll lose
my sadness

be a man please be strong
so that i can just close my eyes
a child again
look around all you see is a sky painted high above this
endless green

4. The First Day Of Winter

on the first day of winter
it was warm and still and grey
the dim sun reflected
off the sugar factory
the east river rolled on silver and blue
and everything that day in my heart was you

you told me that you loved me
then you sailed across the sea
where the scenary's much different
than what lies in front of me
oil tanks line the river here
it smells like springtime in the air
but the forcast says cold days are near

i couldn't seem to shake the phrase
i heard an old friend say
"the sweetest face is the doubter
who loves you anyway"
i fight myself to kill this fear
repeating words i hope you'll hear
but i'm caught between each line my dear

5. After The Fall

once we were held up
suspended on wire
you put my radar to sleep
i swallowed the pill now i'm starting to tire
after the fall

it's so hard to sleep
with these sirens around
they keep on cutting the night
a smudge on the ceiling
that once was alive
after the fall

love is an ocean and
love is a stone
love is a wish that you make on your own
if all of these ghosts would just leave me alone
i know that i could be free

6. The War Is Done

At the end of the day
i got on a train
and rode to the end of the line
ocean vast
silent waves
renewing hope and change
your kiss an obligation
i feel it now
the war is done

For God's sake
close the bathroom door
You know how that leaves me cold
my touch is insufficient
i feel it now
the war is done

Love is blind
it cannot see
when it's come to the end of the line
i falied with good intention
i feel it now
the war is done

7. Survival

oh survival walks a tricky road
balanced upon the edge
of everything that's cold

oh emotion finds the spot that's weak
then grabs you like a fighter
and drags you to the street

how can i be complete
when there's always too much
or too little around me

oh beauty alive in every scene
in everything we hold on to
in garbage and in dreams

in the starless sky
when love passed by
and crossed my line
to a future time
and taught me all about
survival that day

8. Trouble Fire

i built my house on solid sand
with principals for mortar
but now i sit and watch each stone
come tumbling in this trouble fire

the first time i laid my eyes
on the stranger of your face
i was left with no desire
no impression, no discrace

trouble fire trouble fire
turn my words all into lies
trouble fire trouble fire
i'm burning in this trouble fire

the second time i set my sights
on your face in a room so dim
then i heard your melody
that's when i was lost to him

9. Naturally Blonde

naturally blonde
nothing is wrong
nothing is sad
nothing is blue
only summer skies

everyone is here
everyone's alive
unfolding chairs
out on the patio
put them in a row

summertime and time was slow
behind the blinds the afternoon sun put on a show

10. What You Said

i've been thinking
about you
about change
about life it turned so strange
and what you said

now i see you
and now i don't
and now the word's caught in my throat
i can't reply
to what you said

the moon in the sky
a perfect half
a perfect half
as long as the moon's forever changing
i'm forever loving you

now you see me
and now you don't
and now the word's caught in my throat
i can't reply
to what you said

11. My Impossible Love

he is my impossible love
i know this after years of trying
still every time i hear his vioce
my blood runs lighter
and my heart beats faster
and i know
that he is my impossible love

in my dream the sky was turning red
as the sun was setting on the city
i could feel his soul close to mine as we walked
then i woke up he was gone from my side
and i knew
that he is my impossible love

days go faster when you sleep when you sleep
so come on nighttime fly away fly away

he is my impossible love
today i still feel just the same
as the first time his eyes met mine
long ago
we were young and had nothing to compare
but now i know
that he is my impossible love

12. Lullaby

the wind is blowing up the coast
summertime is turning cold
the moon is lighting up the sky so bright
oh my darling blow away

i used to think and to believe
the bravest thing to do in life
was to hold on and to
never give up trying
oh my darling blow away

though i'll miss you when you're gone
i will try to carry on

the wind is blowing up the coast tonight
oh my darling blow away

Slowly Bright

1. Slowly Bright

When black gives in to violet the sky begins to sing again
the waves upon the sand I hear bring about a breeze so light

I couldn't sleep at all tonight so I get to see the dawn
shadows blue and very low beautiful and slowly bright

I think I love you darling but I can't live in this moment
I'm a product of the past you know
and I worry about the future
Melancoly in my heart when I
took a trip with you
I took it very far away
and lost my lonely grip that day

I want to feel you always close
I step away to find the view
perspective's just a distant light
and nighttime always leaves me blue
then black gives in to violet the sky begins to sing again
again again the waves and sea
beautiful and slowly bright

2. Whole Wide World

every word in my head is old and used
how can i sing a song that's new

in this whole wide world i want you to calm me down
in this whole wide world i want you

every day ends with the setting sun
every night my dreams are all the same

chorus

we've got alot of things that we could try
come on make it happen baby

everything in this life has it's time
i hope you will take up alot of mine

3. I'll Be Back Soon

you think that you can put me down
using words to knock me down
find my weakness then make me cry
don't worry, i'll be back soon

you think that you're the only one
who's got a dream under the sun
and all the planets revolve around your thumb
don't worry, i'll be back soon

and when there's only one breath left in the air
will you swallow it alone
or will you hunt me down so we can share
a final kiss

inside my air-tight memory
lies every word you said to me
you can't remember what i can't forget
but don't worry, i'll be back soon

4. So Hard To Believe

he's got alot of light in his eyes
lately he's shining it all on me
night falls his hands are my lullaby
he knows how to pull me down to sleep

but days keep marking time
and time keeps marking days
and these days i keep wondering
why it's so hard to believe
why it's so hard to believe

spring is here the sun is high
the birds are singing all around
there's hope and happiness in the air

he's got alot of love in his heart
never a worry on his mind
night falls his hands are my lullaby
he knows everything's gonna work out fine

5. When You Looked at Me

I looked down
through the bottom
of my glass
and i saw the reflection of a face
you used to see when you looked at me

i looked down
through my window
from my bed
and remembered the skyline down below
down below when you looked at me

from the rooftop
empty bottle
when the phone rings
you are calling
didn't mean to
hurt you badly
but leaves are falling sadly

i looked up
from a letter
and the summer
had suddenly faded into fall
like your face when you looked at me

i looked down
through the bottom
of my glass
and i saw the reflection of a face
you used to see when you looked at me

6. Anything Can Happen

anythiing can happen
that's what makes me sad
the thought that we
might just be
intersecting momentarily

your voice is warm and quiet
though you're far away
it seems to me
that destiny
is strange and twisted
like an old cliche

one hundred little actions
all make up my day
and usually
each two or three
i stop and wish that you were here with me

anything can happen
that goes for good things too
so i'll keep in mind
these lonesome times
are part of missing you

7. Burned Down Summer

life is resilliant when it fills up
fills up forgetting everything
it shines so glorious from high above
like a string of diamonds in the sea

I burned down summer to the ground
I burned down everything I had
'til the smoke rose all around
with no more room in my big brain for this
I burned down summer

Life is persistant when it's empty
Empty when the bottom falls away
With too much happiness you go under
And sink like diamonds in the sea

8. Darkness

looking down on everything from this altitude
i can see for miles it's vast and free and blue
the words that left your body echo like a drum
silence is a shadow now I'd like to get me some

darkness darkness i know you'll shine again if you make the climb

you could weave a melody play it out with ease
you found your perfect audience and brought me to my knees
but everything is quite now everything is changed
everything you gave to me i'll give it back again

darkness...

when time has worked its magic ways
and everything that's broken flies away
I'll look up at the evening sky
and I'll smile again

9. Look Down

silver skies are turning black again
tv's light the windows across the way
and your voice is ringing in my ears
why'd you go so far away this time my dear

remember look down...

I'd like to follow to the place you've gone off to
'cause I know your eyes can see from where you are
and your mind is bright again and free
you can see all of these candles burning

remember look down...

you're a photograph, a memory
a dream a dream a dream don't wake me
I know you said one day you'd fly
with no regrets and no goodbye

red red blood is the color that I hold on to
keeping what we feel is real alive
later on when the precious moments fly
I'll remember the light once shining in your eyes

10. Yesterday My Heart Was Free

the city sky is cold today
early winter morning
clouds of smoke are dancing
from the chimneys on the rooftops
one bird flies a plane goes by
everyone's asleep i think of you
yesterday my heart was free now you've filled it up for me

my cat sits by the window
the radiator hisses
sunday morning's quiet
in this temporary home
somewhere far away the sun is burning up the sand i think of you
yesterday...

11. Dream

this time last winter i was looking in your eyes
i told you never then i choked you with your lies
i told you never but i cannot let you die
you're only sleeping

we made alot of plans all beautiful and green
we made alot of plans that fell down just like rain
all our discussions i still don't know what they mean
you're only sleeping

dream dream dream close your eyes
one perfect touch will take you there
dream dream dream you will find
that when you wake up there'll be endless sky

outside the window the horizon's very small
one shakey promise keeps my faith so bold and blind
sometimes it's easy to forget that all the time
you're only sleeping