written by River Phoenix and Josh McKay of Aleka's Attic - 1989
Hear say hear now, I've heard you've found
You live across the way I've heard you say
You live across the way I've heard you say
The standoffish way you sit in your office
There's more across the way
Now the other side can look so nice
Until you've heard this myth won't wash away
I've heard there's more in altered land
No rocks, no tools, no stepping stones
Not in words, you show on face
I use my tongue, wear on sleeve
Hat's off, my tie's undone, welcome...
This plan to cross border, soldiers divide families
That's reform
Here say here now, I've heard you found
Across the way it's green I'm told
Not in words, you show on face
I use my tongue, wear on sleeve
Hat's off, we can't feel you so no
And you can't talk so now you're dumb
He's a goldfish
He gets as big as your fishbowl
Food for your own dish
Let's just say it's found in all of us
Instead we say, we they she he
Just call them out by name
Good could be found
Let's sift through sand
Good could be found
A fallen angel has been canned
Should it be bound a calling
What breathes down your neck is lion's breath
Breathe...
That's all I have to say for now
I'll save the rest for rainy days...
Written by River Phoenix - 1990 (?) lyrics as printed in this article
Heavens mourn above us until dawn
Weeping see her tears as rain they fall
Winds whip through canyons
Manifesting splintered wrath
Mother knows that we've betrayed her
Dealing with the aftermath.
Sailing ocean cross the sea
Floating vessel carries me
Once I'm there, what is it worth
If I'm betraying Mother ?
Stormy weather abruptly
Changes my course suddenly
It's so unfair starting at birth
Still mistreating Mother Earth.
So you see my friends what we have done
Shadows linger overhead
Heavy like the fog in the valleys
Under heavy earth lay dead.
In a boxcar hides an orphan
Seeking shelter, nothing more
Gliding now tracks lay before him
Leading him to distant shore.
written by River Phoenix for Aleka's Attic and "My Own Private Idaho" - 1991
My closet is all
I lost my real reason
There were too many colors
Wake up to more
Wake up to more
Somehow we get trapped in
We'll say, 'Well, they suit you!'
They sold you that credit
Inside it seems like treason
Wake up to more
Wake up to more
This world is colored in
This world has
I have for secrets
I lived once before
indoors just like fox painting
That maybe grateful
I was scared
Taste was real
To Juddervision
Made up with colors
To Juddervision
Other colors
too unlikely straight-jackets
Top tailors, pay all
Stressed brainless, you can't budge
Sleeping elves in black/white dreams
To Juddervision
Made up with colors
To Juddervision
Made up with colors
by your own hearts
It could be melting pot
for soldier's crayons
more than I
wanted it for
Too many colors are mixed wrong
Written by River Phoenix for "TXAJ" by Milton Nascimento - 1991
When all our
jungle friends sleep,
we work against stream,
against them,
so when they wake,
they're damned
like the river,
mother's blood line,
until we have completely
stripped them
of their song, dance, prayer
and language,
then replace it with ours.
How do we say,
`Oh, so sorry.
Let us explain.
You must know,
this is the real world.
It's good business.
Demolition. It's progress.
Development, my pocketbook,
evolution's sake.'
You see, they don't need our
language to know we've sold
them
down the river
and franchised
our own souls.
Listen.
Written by River Phoenix for "The Thing Called Love" - 1992
The more I hurt, the less I feel
The more I know, the less I rest in this lone star state of mine
The more I hurt, the less I feel
The more I know, the less I rest in this lone star state of mine
Say it straight, don't bend my ear
When I'm walking lost in the evening air
You two-step into my idle heart,
tearing up my songs with minor chords now
The more I saw the less I worked
Now that can't be good for some boy out of love out touch out of lust
out of soul not of song
The more I hurt, the less I feel
Written by River Phoenix for Aleka's Attic - 1993
My days are heavy
On the inside of my night
My gaze falls heavy
On the inside of your denial
Better they come
Better days come
Better they come
Better days come
It's your lies
My days are heavy
On the inside of my night
My gaze falls heavy
On the inside of your denial.
Better they come
Better days come
Better they come
Better days come
It's your lie, your lies
Written by River Phoenix for Aleka's Attic
Working the goldmine
Pushing a pencil around
To make the weary world decide
and kick some life into the grind
Scrape and scratch away on a clean slate
Working the goldmine
Wax poetic books to climb
A shaft of light and darken heart
to raise some life into the hard of heart
Scrape and scratch away at your
map and graphite grey
on a clean slate
Jump, snatch, grab
for a form and chuckle
You've got to create, change
Work, work, work the goldmine
And all the fools in the world give in,
sell out, close down
You might as well open up your fair share
Work, work your own goldmine
Salvation salesmen televise
peddling the shiny red plastic cups
They wish for spells that build your hopes
Don't hear a word - they'll rob you blind!
Feel and feel again what it means
to grasp event on your own fame
Think and think again just on whom it all depends
You gotta create, change
work, work your, work work work work the goldmine
And all the gold in the world leaves you cold
if it did not come from your own hands
You might as well buy this touch
your own way to that promised land
All alone and build now
Find the hydra grey now
Burn the midnight oil now
In the light of day now
You've gotta work, work, work, work,
work, work, work, work,
work, work, work, work,
work, work, work, pick it up
Work, work, work the goldmine
Work, work, work the goldmine
Work, work, work the goldmine