Fly By Night - Song Lyrics from the 90s

I wrote this song walking down the street and after watching the first Gulf war unfold on the television the night before. I was still in shock as to how the major networks portrayed the situation. They were calling the bombing that we could see in the background "awesome" and "spectacular;" words that I had associated and still do with occurrences that are good and happy. The glamorizing of war was repulsive to me and I never forgot that. I used to walk from my office, which at the time was close to Central Park. I lived in the East Village on 13th street right around the corner from the original Kiehl's shop. Pretty cool right?  I would walk down Broadway and listen to music on my Walkman, remember those? I remember being on 23rd street, passing the Flatiron Building in the neighborhood of Gramercy Park when I wrote this. It was a lovely walk, especially during the spring; a nice contrast to what was happening on the other side of the world. 


Fly By Night

By Julie Gengo/Ohad Varsano

Fly by night
Attack in the air
What does it all amount to?
Are you scared?

Danger zone 
All around 
Vision 
In my eyes

Will they ever 
Stop this nonsense 
Compromise

A common candle burns at both ends
Will it ever end?
Will it ever end?

A common candle burns at both ends
Will it ever end?
Will it ever end?

I saw a crowd 
Of people standing 
In the square

I turned around 
I stopped and stared

Desperation
Not knowing 
What to say

I turned up the volume
And walked away

But that doesn't mean
That I don't care
I'm just afraid

A common candle burns at both ends
Will it ever end?
Will it ever end?

A common candle burns at both ends
Will it ever end?
Will it ever end?

But that doesn't mean
That I don't care
I'm just afraid
I'm just afraid

I'm just afraid

But that doesn't mean
That I don't care
I'm just afraid
I'm just afraid

I'm just afraid

Hearts and Minds - Song Lyrics from the 90s

This song has a very moody, melodic melody with a carnival backdrop. This was another one that popped into my head while I was walking in the West Village of NY where I used to live. Bleecker Street to be exact. It's changed so much since then. I wonder what I would write now if I were there? 

Hearts and Minds

By Julie Gengo

Hearts and minds
In control
Touch me now
Don't let go

I'm with you now
I'm with you

Are we strong
Moving fast
Touch me now
Before we pass

I'm with you now
I'm with you

I can see you
Falling back on my hands
Have we crossed the fine line?
Slipping through the mass

Hearts and minds
Ooooooh oooh ooh ooh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Hearts and minds
Touching down
Enamored in
Turbulent sound

I'm with you now
I'm with you

I can see you
Falling back on my hands
Have we crossed the straight line?
Are we in control?

I can't let go

And this crazy fortune in my hand
Is it telling me another plan?
Are we really who we think we are?
Have we strayed away or gone too far?

Hearts and minds
In control
Touch me now
Don't let go

I'm with you now
I'm with you now
I'm with you now
I'm with you


I

Forgotten Fog - Song Lyrics from the 90s

This is one of the first songs that I wrote with my partner Ohad Varsano for our band Marion Daze. It has railing happy guitar parts that get you going. I will post our demo. We only made demos in our flat. I did open with this song when we played live. I even have a recording from CBGB's. I have to figure out how to convert it from a cassette to a digital format. I actually like this song exactly as it is. It exists on DAT but who has a DAT player these days? Our band did well for a solid 5 years and then we parted ways. Reunion I hope is in our future. Oh, I used to work in the Empire State Building for a while and I guess the fog made me think of the beach. I liked to daydream....


Forgotten Fog
By Julie Gengo/Ohad Varsano

Breaking away
Off the 61st floor
The forgotten fog
Off the rooftops
High as we can go

Breaking away
Off the 61st floor
The forgotten fog
Is drifting
Through my shoes
Once more

Life on a beach
Hear the sound
Of rushing water
Beneath my feet
And the complacent sensation
We come to meet

Life in discreet
Hear the rustle 
Of the wind
Between the leaves
One snap of a branch 
And I fall to my knees

Breaking away
Off the 61st floor
The forgotten fog
Off the rooftops
High as we can go

Breaking away
Off the 61st floor
The forgotten fog
Is drifting
Through my shoes
Once more

Black cats
Routine dates
Crossings
Can't ever be late
With sticky fingers
And interest rates
We wait and wait
We wait and wait
Forgotten fog

Marion's Daze - Song Lyrics from the 90s

I wrote this song while I was in the band Marion Daze. I felt that the band needed a title song but really this just popped into my head and then I guess it took that roll. Marion was the girlfriend of the guitarist and she was lovely. It is sort of a tribute to her mixed with a bit of fantasy. While the band was together, we lived in the same building on 13th street between Avenue A & B. It was a walk up that was extremely hot in the summer. Ohad and Marion's flat had brick walls which was nicer than mine. We all had to leave when they sold the building. I then moved to the West Village while Ohad scored a typical NY flat around the corner from Saint Marks Place. Rent was cheap back then and affordable to artists like us. 

Marion's Daze
By Julie Gengo and Ohad Varsano

It could be summer 
The sky is so clear
Beauty surrounds her
She loosens the fears

Any place or time 
Just follow her
It doesn't matter 
How or when 

Warm breezes and pleasures
The clouds are drifting 
It's all in a whisper 
She's captivating

Any place or time 
Just follow her
It doesn't matter 
How or when 

The rhythm and the rhyme 
Will comfort you
Slowly softly slip away

Oh Marion's, Marion's daze
Oh Marion's, Marion's daze

No need to surrender
She asks for nothing 
Her touch is forever
Freedom from rushing 

Any place or time 
Just follow her
It doesn't matter 
How or when 

The rhythm and the rhyme 
Will comfort you
Slowly softly slip away

Oh Marion's, Marion's daze
Oh Marion's, Marion's daze

Controls - Song Lyrics from the 90s

Venice Beach was an interesting place to live. I learned how to surf there even though the surf was never good enough to learn on. This song is something that I started and am still working on now. Not sure of the melody yet. Not sure if it's worthy of melody but that is yet to be determined. Dark and gloomy for sure like the early summer skies along the California coast. Venice was fun, but I never felt at home there. The boardwalk wasn't my favorite place and it still kind of makes me feel uncomfortable. 

Controls
By Julie Gengo

All I wanted was to make amends
Where the Red Sea parts
Is it time that bends? 
All I wanted was to settle down
When the waters came rushing in

Hard to find the controls
Where are you now? 
Crawling in a hole
Hard to find the controls

All I wanted was to play the role
But these ties that bind
Is it strength that folds?
All I wanted was to feel no pain
But the waters came rushing in 

Hard to find the controls
Where are you now? 
Crawling in a hole
Hard to find the controls

All I wanted was a place to rest
Do you remember where
I placed my head
All I wanted was to be your friend 
But the waters came rushing in 
But the waters came rushing in 

Shadow - Song Lyrics from the 90s

This one came out in pieces and is still a work in progress. I tried to record this when I moved to Venice Beach in 1994 but the people that I was working with turned out to be kind of creepy, so it was abandoned. I was experimenting with more of an electronic sound. I don't think it will end up that way. Most of my songs are written after reading something in the news or from a book. I can't remember where this one came from. It's probably just a concept piece. Dark but effective. 

Shadow

By Julie Gengo

I'm all alone
In the shadow I'm waiting, waiting
Chilled down to the bone
Some people think I'm crazy, crazy

Desolation's en vogue
But this is not my suicide
Feeling out the unknown
But I'm not crazy, crazy, crazy crazy

In the shadow I crawl
Crawl daddy over the big brick wall
In the shadow I crawl

I've met the demand
I won't be frightened anymore
Big man out of hand
You can't invade me, invade me

In this circumstance
Tomorrow won't get in my way
Now you understand
So don't invade me, invade me, invade me, invade me

In the shadow I crawl
Crawl daddy over the big brick wall
In the shadow I crawl

No thank you mam
Sugar fixes won't appease my appetite
Didn't ask for your hand
So pardon me if I don't appear polite

In the shadow I crawl
Crawl daddy over the big brick wall
In the shadow I crawl
Crawl daddy over the big brick wall

Outside In - Song Lyrics from the 90s

This one has a melody but no music yet. Lyrics started back then, but updated today. Let's try to get some music to this one. Any takers? I think the vocal melody came right away, but I can't remember why this one wasn't turned into a proper song. 


Outside In 
By Julie Gengo

Today
I feel
Upside-down
All around
The sky
Is inside out

Inside, outside, upside-down
Inside, outside
Upside-down like the wind that is blowing me

Oh lord why does it rain
Yesterday's reason's 
Tomorrow's gain
I feel my fingers 
Moving again 

Outside
All around 
The birds don't sing
Am I lost?
My recourse 
To wear the ring 
Hindsight, blind sight I can't keep from running

Oh lord why does it rain
Yesterday's reason's 
Tomorrow's gain
I don't know what 
I was thinking of then  

In the back of my mind
The blind leading the blind
Only to find
Fractured seasons pass the time

Oh lord why does it rain
Yesterday's reason's 
Tomorrow's gain
I feel my fingers 
Moving again