Patti DeRosa

CHOICES

Maybe I should have stayed in school and been a Doctor of Philosophy

Maybe I should have traveled less when I was building up my company

Maybe I should have slowed life down and had a little baby

Maybe I'll never know.

Maybe I should have lived abroad - oh I could be so European

Maybe I should have learned to speak Italian, or Korean

Maybe I should have packed my bags and gone to live in the Caribbean

Maybe I'll never know

Of the choices that I've made today - Some might go and some might stay

But the one thing I never would undo is the choice I made to give my heart to you.

Maybe I should have wrote a book, been an author know from coast to coast

Maybe I should have left the cold, and gone to where the sun shines most

Maybe I should have spent more time with the people that I love the most

Maybe I'll never know.

Maybe I should learn to relax and not take on so many things

Maybe I shouldn't always plan and just wait and see what each day brings

Maybe I should ignore it all and let that telephone just ring

Maybe I'll never know.

Of the choices that I've made today - Some might go and some might stay

But the one thing I never would undo is the choice I made to spend my life with you.

Maybe I should have opened up a funky little seaside bar

Maybe I never should have stopped singing songs and playing my guitar

Maybe if I had kept it up by now I'd be a great big star

Hey, you never know.

Of the choices that I've made today - Some might go and some might stay

But the one thing I never would undo is the choice I made to keep on loving you.

PARADISE

I've been working way too hard, it's a never ending chain

Of things to do and folks to call, it's making me insane

When I feel it coming on, I know what to take

I know the right prescription, there will be no mistake

Know that what I'm needing is a paradise break.

I've been packing up my swimsuit and my suntan lotion

I got no other plans than just to sit and watch the ocean

'Neath the cool, gentle shade of a manchineel tree

With an avocado salad and a chilly iced tea

My piece of heaven, paradise to me.

I need the warmth of the sun on my skin as the palm trees sway

I'll know that I've arrived home when I catch sight of Magen's Bay.

The steel band is still playing and I've been shaking up my hips

I've had four margaritas and I'm feeling kind of tipsy

But I can dance for hours on Sapphire Beach

Where St. John and Tortola look close enough to reach

My piece of heaven, paradise sweet.

The marketplace is jumping, lots of people in the street

You say "Good morning darling" to everyone you meet

The peppers are so hot, and the mangos so sweet

The island air is rocking with a tropical beat

My piece of heaven, paradise complete.

Bright stars shining in the night as the sounds of calypso play

I'll know that I've arrived home when I catch sight of Magen's Bay.

You can see right to the bottom of the crystal clear bay

The cruise ships are unloading for their one special day

And you can find me on the beach with the wind and the sand

The sun on my face, and my guitar in my hand

I could stay forever in this paradise land.

I need the warmth of the sun on my skin as the palm trees sway

I'll know that I've arrived home when I step foot on Magen's Bay.

I want to stay forever in this paradise land.

Please let me stay forever in this paradise land.

BESIDE THE PRETTY CHURCH

While I was driving one lovely summer's day

I saw a crowd of people in the street

Holding posters and waving at the cars

Beside the pretty church where they would meet.

As I grew closer, I could see the signs

What I saw chilled me to the bone

Words filled with hatred 'bout who folks choose to love

Their eyes were hard, their hearts were cold as stone.

Chorus: When fear replaces reason, and hate replaces love

And you claim this is what God sent you to do

And if you value family, then what got in the way

Beside the pretty church one summer's day?.

You claim you love your country, you claim you love your kids

You claim you love your God above

You claim to love all people, yet look at what you've done

Just who are you to be judging anyone?

Why is it that a man who loves another man

Or a woman who loves a woman scares you so?

You'd think with all the pain and hurt we see around the world

We'd be doing all we can to help love grow.

CURBSIDE RHAPSODY

Late at night in this small town

Not much to do, no one around.

The stars are out and I'm feeling fine,

And I'm ready to go out and make my own good time.

There's no music in the bar

So I step out to use the phone

That's when I hear that sweet guitar

Calling me back home.

Curbside rhapsody

Filling up the streets for free

Pass that old guitar around

And you never know what kind of sound will…

Fill the cool crisp evening

Who's got a song to bring

Who's the next to take their turn

To make these six strings sing.

Melodies are in the air

Rich warm chords are floating everywhere

And the rhythm is feeling sweet

Moved along by a funky beat.

Let's just sit and play all night

You know I can't resist

When the music wraps its arms around me

Like a long lost lover's kiss.

THE SURPRISE

You took me by surprise - you came out of nowhere

I never realized you might be there for me

You crept up from behind before I could notice

You were on my mind most of the time.

Chorus: Where did you come from, tell me, where have you been?

These are words you said to me

We got this connection, we just can't stay apart

You've gotten deep inside my heart.

I'm looking at a tree and I'm thinking of the day

I went walking in the woods and picked a pine cone for you

It was covered up in sap and it stuck to my fingers

Sort of like the way I'm stuck on you.

Wish I could understand just how we got here

'Cause it's not what we had planned but we're here anyway.

We can talk and talk for days, it just comes so easy

No matter how I try I can't push you away.

I'm trying hard to hide just what I'm feeling

But it's written in my eyes and these eyes never lie.

You'll always be my friend and for that I thank you

But it wouldn't be a lie to say you took me by surprise.

WHEN I HAD MY MIDLIFE CRISIS

Chorus #1: When I had my midlife crisis I bought my dream guitar

One with all the fancy trim I'd admired from afar

What it cost was quite obscene so all that I can say is

I better play this damn guitar each and every day.

Some folks find a sweet young thing and have a big affair

Others buy a diamond ring and some folks dye their hair

Some folks get a nip and tuck and give their face a lift

Others buy a new set of boobs - a very special gift.

Some folks jump from airplanes, while others ski the slopes

Some folks get so overwhelmed they find it hard to cope

Some will get religion and go become a monk

But others party all night long until they're good and drunk.

Chorus #1

Some folks leave their families, and others leave careers

Some folks call the long lost love they haven't seen for years

Some will build a great big house or write their one great book

Others take the time to paint and some folks learn to cook.

But some folks want the simple life so they give up all their stuff

Others work out in the gym until they're nice and buff

Some will travel 'round the world and live without a care

Others keep it simple and just buy new underwear.

Chorus #2: 'Cause when I had my midlife crisis, I bought my dream guitar

One with all the fancy trim I'd admired from afar

What it cost was quite obscene, trust me, you don't want to know

But I've got lots of time to take to pay it off real slow.

Some go to Tahiti and others take a cruise

Some fly out to Las Vegas and hope to win, not lose

Some go on safari and they travel near and far

But me, I'll have to stay at home and play my new guitar.

The moral of my story that I share from me to you is

All of us will all get older, no matter what we do

So find what it is that moves you, and just do it all with heart

And you don't have to reach midlife before you go and start.

Chorus #3: When I had my midlife crisis I bought my dream guitar

This Martin D-45 that I'd admired from afar

What it cost was quite obscene so all that I can say is

I'm gonna play this great guitar each and every day.

TRUE BEST FRIEND

I recall when I first met you I was just a child

You were the special one, you made my grandma smile

You made me dance, you made me laugh, you made me feel so free

And way back then I thought for sure you'd always be with me.

Memories of our days together when I was still a girl

By the time I got to high school you were my entire world

And we became inseparable, by college we were one

And I blush when I remember how we had so much fun.

And the music came, the music came, the music came to play.

The music came, the music came, the music came to play.

You became my true best friend, you were always by my side

You were the one I turned to when my daddy died.

Love and comfort were your gifts to me when I was sad

You held my hand through every sorry love affair I had.

I shared you with my lovers, I shared you with my friends

Never could imagine that our sisterhood could end

But we grew up, we grew apart, and still I'm not sure why

But when you left a sacred part deep inside me died.

The music went, the music went, the music went away.

In my dreams we would be together doing what we always used to do

And I'd promise to never let you down

Then I'd wake up and I'd break my word to you.

Many times you tried to call me but I never called you back

Always claimed I was too busy and I just fell off the track

But you were quite persistent and you finally got through

And I thank the goddess up above that brought me back to you.

The music came, the music came, the music came to play.

The music came, the music came, like it never went away.

GREASE ON MY WHEELS

I go to church each Sunday, and I take my kids to school

I work hard to make a living, and I believe the Golden Rule

I try hard to love God's children and I treat them all the same

And I'd never say a hateful word - I'm not the one to blame.

I marched with King in Selma, so I understand the plight

I'd never wear a pointed hood or deny a civil right

I think we've made much progress though it's happened much too slow

But people just complain too much, now it's time to let it go.

There's a secret cloak I carry that's with me all the time

And even if I fight it, I can't deny it's mine

And I roll on down the road on a rail of polished steel

Making my ride smoother with grease on my wheels.

When I walk into a store, I'm never asked for proof

When I say what's on my mind, it's taken as the truth

I'm never stopped while driving, folks assume I'm smart and bright

And what people like me say and do is held up to be right.

When I look at all our leaders, I see reflections of my face

I'm never told when I do good I'm a credit to my race

I can travel where I want to, I can easily get loans

I can say that race don't matter, that I made it on my own.

Yet there's a secret cloak I carry that I can't even see

And it offers up protection to all folks who look like me

And I roll on down the road on a rail of polished steel

Making my ride smoother with grease on my wheels.

And the secret cloak I carry is written on my skin

And even without trying, it sets me up to win

And I roll on down the road on a rail of polished steel

Making my ride smoother with grease on my wheels.

JUST BY THE SOUND OF HER VOICE

Started like any other day - an alarm clock got me on my way

Jumping in to clothes then in the car, then on the road, and on the job.

Poured myself a cup of coffee and I tried to make it last

Needed to get caffeine high fast

Tried to settle down to work but my mind was far away

Needed something else to start my day.

So I started daydreaming, started thinking of you

I said, hey, I think I'll give that man a call

So I dialed your number and I heard that phone ring twice

Couldn't wait to hear your voice so nice

But when I heard who answered, I knew you were not home

'Cause I know that wasn't your voice on the phone

No it wasn't you.

Chorus: And just by the sound of her voice I could hear her gentle teasing way

And I could almost see her face and smile

I could almost see her eyes

I realized I had no choice, just by the sound of her voice

Just by the sound of her voice, by the sound of her voice.

Then I got all nervous, I didn't know what to do

Even though I know she'd been living there with you

So I placed that phone upon its hook where it belonged

Even though I knew that it was wrong

Though it might sound silly, well, I had no other choice

Not after hearing her voice, not after hearing her voice.

LIFETIME LOVE

Love would come and love would go, nothing lasted long

And I made so many choices that ended up so wrong

But there you were just waiting for me, hoping I would see

That the love I was looking for was looking back right at me.

Chorus: And I cannot hide, I cannot lie

I can't pretend, I can't be shy

I can't deny the love I have for you.

And I can't complain, I can't contain,

I can't hold back, I can't refrain

I can't explain the love I have for you.

Wounded spirits, shell-shocked hearts, deserve a second chance

Vibrant souls still full of laughter, needing love and romance.

Who'd have thought we'd find each other across the space and miles

Both of us from such different worlds reaching out across our smiles.

Makes me want to shout out loud my wonder and surprise

How your love just fills me up each time I look into your eyes.

You're my lifetime lover, darling - you're my lifetime friend

You're my lifetime partner baby - together 'till the end.

Twenty years and getting stronger, and the best is yet come

Each day brings a different gift with a different kind of love.

GOD SPARE LIFE

People all around, food high on the plates

Children everywhere, messing up the place

And I know this was your very favorite place to be

Surrounded by your friends and family.

A tender, loving heart, a will as strong as steel

A woman with a life filled with lessons to reveal

And when you'd speak, we'd listen up to see what we could learn

And it always took too long for your return.

Chorus: And you're looking down on us now from the other side

And we feel your energy and light

And we'll carry on, and do the best we can

And share your love with all, God spare life.

Loved by everyone, a friend to every soul

You never seemed to rest, always on a roll

And you made each one you touched feel just like your own child

And all it took was one of your sweet smiles.

Now they say you're gone, yet I feel you by my side

With me everyday, you're an angel guide

And you've given me so much, you carried me along

Now all that I can give you is my song.

BIG BUTT BLUES

Let me tell you a story

That will make you cry

I can't find no pants to fit

And here's the reason why

Chorus (after every verse)

I got them big butt blues, I can't deny that it is true

I got them big butt blues, and I'm a woman through and through.

And when I go shopping

I can't find my size

Because the pants that fit my waist

Just won't clear my thighs

I see skinny girls

Who think they're all that

What I just can't understand

Who'd want a butt that flat (not me!)

When I walk down the street

Better get out my way

Because you know my great big butt

Cuts a mean sashay.

J. Lo has got one

Beyonce too

Even old Sophia Loren is booty-licious too!

Gonna start my own company

Makes lots of cash

Making jeans for big butt girls

That fit our shapely….(ASK me 'bout them big butt blues…)

If you're Black or Latina

Italian too

And all my sisters 'round the world

Who got a big butt too

Final Chorus:

Let's sing them big butt blues, Be damn proud of it too

We got them big butt blues, We're beautiful women through and through

WAITING IN NEW ORLEANS

We knew a storm was coming, we¹d heard the news reports

Been through years of warnings but they always came up short

Somehow this felt different, we could smell it in the air

Anticipation, tension everywhere

Then the wind began to rise, alarming in it's wrath

When the rains began to fall, they came down hard and fast

Nothing could prepare us now for what would come to pass

Water crushing all things in its path.

CHORUS:

We were waiting - for help that never came

We were waiting - all we got was blame

We were waiting - for God to intervene

Waiting in the streets of New Orleans

Flood waters rising, no means of escape

Buses getting tangled up in government red tape

The poorest and the darkest, the youngest and the old

Pinned our hopes on lies that we were told.

While politicians argued, we were dying in the street

They claimed that they were coming soon, but we saw no relief

Babies died in mama's arms, no food to eat

Devastation total and complete

CHORUS

BRIDGE:

Upside-down priorities and limited concerns

Shifting money from the people into corporate returns

Unheeded cries for justice banging down the door

While money flows like water to support another war.

The people worked together, the people we were strong

The people cared for those in need, and carried them along

We had to do it on our own, fighting for our lives

The human spirit rising to survive.

CHORUS 2X