Life is a Vapor

BE INSPIRED...

2008-06-11T10:50:00.001-07:00

PRODIGAL SHOUTLIFE
FLICKR SLIDESHOW
LAST CHANCE DANCE
NO STOPPIN' ME NOW

ONE BAD APPLE

2008-04-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

Lyrics by Stan C. Countz

Nowadays I dream while I’m awake
but it seems I’m asleep at the wheel
Keep making the same ol’ mistakes
When will I get well and finally heal?

I’m spinnin’ in circles
I’m spiraling down
Holdin’ my breath
‘til I finally hit the ground

One bad apple don’t make the whole box rotten
It’s sad I had to grapple with it
Think I’ve finally hit rock bottom

I remember that sweet child at my kitchen table
with daisies in her hair
Today I see girls gone wild and a world gone crazy
and it don’t seem fair; my mind may be a wee bit hazy
but it seems to me it’s really getting out of hand
We seem to be looking for meaning in a label
or for purpose in a seal or a brand
But I have a feeling if we’ll look below the surface
maybe then we’ll understand
We’re cast in a modern fable looking through a looking glass
like Alice in Wonderland or like a stranger in a strange land
buildin’ castles in the sand

Looking for more than a friend
If she’s ready, willin’ and able
What’s waiting around the next bend?
Lookin’ for somethin’ stable
I’m lookin’ for a happy end
Layin’ my cards on the table
No need to play and pretend
Meditate or play with my navel
Or go through this once again

Thought my mind had unraveled
Thought I was lost, alone and forgotten
Then I remembered that one bad apple
don’t make the whole box rotten
So if your life is spinnin’ out of control
and you feel you’ve hit rock bottom
Don’t give up hope ‘cuz one bad apple
don’t make the whole box rotten

HAPPY DAYS ARE GONE WITH THE WIND

2008-04-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Lyrics by Stan C. Countz

V1
Whatever happened to Captain Kangeroo?
Beehive hairdos and Dippety Doo
Howdy Doody, Boo Boo and Yogi Bear
Granny Clampett rockin’ in a rockin’ chair
Batman and Robin; hob nobbin’ at the county fair
I wanna take you back, I wanna take you there
Back when Wolfman Jack was on the air
We got no flack for sayin’ a prayer
Terrorists attacks were very rare
The war in Iraq hadn't been declared
and Sonny was still singin’ with Cher

Those were truly amazing days
or were they only a passing faze? Or a momentary craze?
My memory’s a haze or were they really Amazing Days?
Our kids would be amazed that’s for sure
My memory’s a blur but it seems to me they were
Amazing Days

So take a ride in my time machine
Take a spin, it’s been a changing scene
How long’s it been since you were sweet sixteen
and you knew everything?
We’re hawkin’ Oleo and Ovaltine
Got a brand new polio vaccine
You shoulda seen what we paid
For gasoline; it woulda made you scream
Ducktales and Brylcream; a little dab'l do ya
What's been happenin' to you; glory hallelujuh
It’s not what it seems: it’s my amazing dream

Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd
Abba Zabba, Chick-o-Sticks and Milk Duds
Beatles and crickets weren’t just bugs
We hadn’t fired the first shot in the war on drugs
We didn’t idolize thugs, Crypts or Bloods
and Fred and Barney were bowlin’ buds

Those were the days when the big debate
was what to wear for that big date
Days of sock hops and blind dates
Car hops on roller skates,
Before Vietnam and Watergate
Charlie Manson and Sharon Tate
Before you had to ask your date
If they were gay, straight or bi
Can you still remember the day
Ol' Yeller died? Couldn’t wait to drive
our Fords and Chevys; lookin’ forward
to “goin’ steady”; The Beav, Wally and Eddy
Jeanette kissin' Nelson Eddy; gettin’ ready
to take on the world one day at a time
We didn’t have a dime and, let me put you wise,
Earrings were for girls, not guys

Tatoos were taboo; only cowboys cried “yahoo”
and we left our keys in the ignition
Got “hardware” at the hardware store
and “pot” was somethin’ we bought to cook in
“Software” was what the ladies wore
A “chip” was a little piece of wood
“White hats” were what the good guys wore
and cowboys were always good
They wore white hats and red bandanas
We watched Parent Trap and Pollyanna
We all liked Ike and Dick Van Dyke
And we wanted more Mary Tyler Moore
and rode our Schwinn bike to the corner store
with butterfly handlebars and a banana seat
The only gang in town was Spankys
and who didn't like Alfalfa and Buckwheat?
We had whitewall tires and a "rumble seat"
Said word like "boss" and "neat"
The Beatles never missed a beat
Couldn't stop groovin' and movin' our feet

Every night they tucked us into bed
while we were watchin’ Mr. Ed
Taught us to do what the Bible said
or took us behind the wood shed
Whenever we were able
We prayed together at the kitchen table
and thanked the Lord for our daily bread
We wore PF Flyers and Keds
and didn't take so many meds

Katie Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
got more press than Scott and Lacy
Beatle Bailey and Dick Tracy
and, of course, George and Gracie
Micky and Minnie, Donald and Daisy
Patsy Cline was goin’ “Crazy”
Garfield the cat was fat and lazy
My memory's a wee bit hazy
But they really were
Amazing Days

Babe Ruth and Willy Mays
Nancy Drew and Gabby Hayes
They made us laugh and smile
at least for a little while
and who could forget Carol Burnett
and Gomer Pyle? Cary Grant and Doris Day
They had their own grace and style
but when The King would sing everyone would smile
to see a wild toehead child dancin’ in the aisles

That little kid was me way back in Sixty Three
I was only eight, but even I could see
Those days were great and there will never be
Anything quite like those Amazing Days...

Those were truly amazing days or were they
only a passing faze? Or a momentary craze?
My memory’s a haze or were they really Amazing Days?
Our kids would be amazed that’s for sure
My memory’s a blur but it seems to me they were
Amazing Days; Amazing Days; Amazing Days

A time when one thin dime could buy a good time
and the men were “under orders”
When the right thing to do was to marry the girl
or at least try to court her
When the lines were more clearly defined
and they all seemed to be much shorter
Before Barnes and Noble and Borders
When Big Macs were just a quarter
Before Starbucks were on every corner

We’ve gone from Mr. Magoo and Mary Poppins
to Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robbins
From Dustin Hoffman and Mrs. Robinson
From Peyton Place to Will and Grace
to where today it’s in your face
Like Will Robinson: we’re Lost in Space
We can’t even say grace or use the Lord’s name except in vain
Orson Wells was Citizen Kane, Gene Kelly singin’ in the Rain
Superman and Lois Lane; Gary Cooper and John Wayne
It’s a shame they’re all long gone; I think we’ve gone insane
Like dusty rose petals without any rain
When the dust finally settles, what will still remain?

Before TIVO, satellite and cable
Our heroes were Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Betty Grabel
and Anne of Green Gables; they were more than just fables
It’s time we turn the tables and cheered each other on to win
Those Happy Days are Gone with the Wind
Along with Rin Tin Tin and Ho Chi Min
Jimmy Durante and Errol Flynn, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
Those Happy Days, my friend, are Gone with the Wind
Those Happy Days are Gone with the Wind

THE JESUS I ONCE KNEW

2008-04-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Lyrics by Stan C. Countz

V1
Whatever happened to the Jesus I once knew?
Have you heard Him in the pulpit or seen Him in the pews?
His Grace is all you need and He will see you through
He proved it when He died; He died for me and you____

V2
For those who chose to listen
He shared the plain and simple truth
When you’ve got nothin’, you’ve got nothin’ to lose
So call on Him and He’ll be, He’ll be there for you

A friend to the friendless
His love is truly endless
He proved it when He died
He died for me and you…

I’m still amazed by His amazing grace
One day we’re gonna see Him face to face
His Grace is all you need and He will see you through
He proved it when He died; He died for me and you

{Saxophone solo}

His Grace is all you need and He will see you through
So tell Him that you need Him and tell Him when you’re blue
You can call on Him and He’ll be there for you
He proved it when He died, He died for me and you

Whatever happened to the Jesus I once knew?
Have you seen Him in the papers or seen Him on the news?
A friend to the friendless; His love is truly endless
And He proved it when He died; He died for me and you

THE JESUS I ONCE KNEW

LIFE IS A VAPOR

2008-04-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Lyrics and Music by Stan C. Countz

CHORUS
Life is a vapor and it’s fadin’ fast
Like the morning paper, it ain’t gonna last
The flowers may wither like the morning grass
So savor it while it lasts; the future may soon be the past
So live each day as though it may be your last
‘Cuz it just may be and always remember
I know it’s never as easy as at first it seems
To keep the main thing, the main thing
So never let anyone steal your dream…

V1
I wasn’t watchin’ so I just missed it
I was too busy doin’ somethin’ else
I may have missed my chance
to make a difference
But I’m always harder on myself
Playin’ the martyr, prayin’ for deliverance
Hope He won’t put me back on the shelf
I need a hand and I need His help

V2
Workin’ hard to make a livin’
Spendin’ too much time apart it just ain’t right
Too busy takin’ to be givin’
Now it cuts my heart just like a knife
Hope this wasn’t my last chance
It was right before my eyes
Spent too much time tryin’ to make a livin’
to try to make a life

PRE-CHORUS
It’ll catch you nappin’ and, before you know it,
You’ve missed your chance to make your mark
Life just happens and, before you blow it,
You gotta do the dance and do your part
And live your life with all your heart

BRIDGE
Dance each dance; never sit ‘em out
Take a chance and don’t ever doubt
Follow your goal with your whole heart and soul
No one knows where the wind will blow
When it’s time to come or time to go
So take heart and take part in buildin’ the team
And don’t forget to remember that it’s never
Never as easy as at first it seems
To keep the main thing, the main thing
So never let anyone steal your dream

CHORUS