Musicians & Singers:

Evi & Gin Weintraub--harmony vocals
Tracy Sands--harmony vocals
Bradley Ditto--acoustic guitar and harmony vocals
Bob Noble--piano, organ, keyboards
Michael Moses--frame drum, clay pot, shakers, triangle, gourd and kalimba
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Allan Aunapu--acoustic guitar
Bill Walach--mandolin
Rod MacDonald--ankle bracelet, kalimba, harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocals

Produced by Mark Dann & Rod MacDonald
Recorded, mixed and mastered at World Studio, New York, NY 10013
Additional recording and mixing at Voiceworks, West  Palm Beach, FL 33407
Additional Recording at Echo Beach, Jupiter, FL
Graphics assistance and web site design by Parallax Productions, West Palm Beach, FL
Front cover & back cover photos by Bradley Ditto and Rod MacDonald
Production assistance by Solstice Records & Productions www.solsticerp@aol.com
all words & music by Rod MacDonald ©1999 Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Web site information: www.parallaxpro.com/rod/

Seven Days
Mark Dann--bass
Bradley Ditto--slide guitar
Evi & Gin Weintraub--harmony vocals
Rod MacDonald--harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocal
©1998, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Seven days, gonna see my baby
Seven days, gonna see my girl
Seven days, gonna ride that airplane
Seven days, all round the world

Seven days, I will be working
Seven days, I will be here
Seven days, I will imagine
Seven days, you waiting there

Seven days, it takes a letter
Seven days, the telephone
Seven days, is so much better
Seven days, than being alone

Seven days, seems like forever
Seven days, when we're apart like this
Seven days, a hundred sixty-eight hours
Seven days, until we kiss

Seven days, a lot can happen
Seven days, Lord made the world
Seven days, I'll make a living
Seven days, til I see my girl

Seven days, seems like forever
Seven days, til I'm with my wife
Seven days, til I start living
Seven days, the quiet life

No Problem
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--acoustic bass
Rod MacDonald--kalimba, harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocal
© 1998, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Remember when life meant you were living
some little apartment on some city street
with the chicken factory across the courtyard
you opened your windows in the summer heat
now you go out shopping, you got to wear a sweater
to go to the mall in a hundred-degree weather
come home to your townhouse and your swimming pool
lie around in the sun looking cool

I have no problem with this
I have no problem with this at all

Remember when life meant hanging out on the street
with the sound of the city pounding all night
sitting on the park bench strumming to the beat
til the skyscrapers faded out in the morning light
now you drive the beach road for the moonlight ride
with the jasmine surf flowing in on the tide
come home to your parking space with the radio on
sit in the courtyard til the stars are gone

I have no problem with this
I have no problem with this at all

I was talking to my wife the other day
wait a minute--when did I get a wife?
she said "y'know, we don't change so much 
we just put on different clothing."
I was looking 'round the house the other day
wait a minute--when did we get a house?
she said "y'know, it's gonna need some work
if it's gonna be worth owning."

Remember when life was in a book you read
something you watched on television
you neglected your body and fed your head
trying to figure out what it was you were missing
now you don't believe there could be anything too drastic
that you can't fix with a little piece of plastic
and you're gonna find the answer, you know you will
but first you got to step outside and fire up the grill

I have no problem with this
I have no problem with this at all

You must be where you belong
or you won't be there very long

I have no problem with this
I have no problem with this at all

Best Defense
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Bob Noble--piano, organ and keyboards
Rod MacDonald--harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocal
©1997, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

In these strident times
a quiet song can be the best defense
just a simple melody
can be a sacrament
a single note resting on a silken thread
can be all the difference between being alive or dead
oh, but you have to be listening
in this I yield to the Mona Lisa
she doesn't shout
she just stares out from behind her bulletproof glass

I've got an old car lots of miles
just won't go too fast
I sit in the right lane
watching all of you go past
I may be late for my own funeral
I may not make it there at all
but at least it's paid off
though it has no air conditioning
in this I yield to Abraham Lincoln
he'd never rush
and he never blushes from behind his marble face

I've been working in a factory that manufactures silence
like pure water it's more and more in demand
and it once was everywhere
and now it's truly rare
but you can buy us at the stock exchange
for fifty bucks a share

Now if you can't get to heaven
there's always the web site
you can get yourself two tickets
 to ride behind that comet
there's just a few of us who know
but hey, if you really want to go
you can pre-order your own harp
if you've got credit
in this I yield to Crazy Horse
he never died
he's still fighting for his people up on that mountain

Days Of Rain
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--acoustic bass and drums
Bob Noble--organ and keyboards
Evi & Gin Weintraub--harmony vocals
Rod MacDonald--harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocals
©1997, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Days of rain, when will it ever end
she stares out the window at the blackened sky
we watch the news of the passing hurricane
radar pictures of some giant eye
And the world looks very dark today she says
might as well go back to bed again
make some coffee, read the paper, watch the news on tv
make love to the rythym of the rain
make love to the rythym of the rain

Millionaires in Congress passed another law
tax breaks for all the millionaires and their sons
the party with the money launched an investigation
into where the other party gets its money from
And the world looks very dark today she says
might as well go back to bed again
make some coffee, read the paper, turn the tv off
make love to the rythym of the rain
make love to the rythym of the rain

Weatherman says it'll pass us by this time
the storm won't hit us, we'll survive
someone else on up the coast will have to dig out from the damage
someone else will be on tv saying 'thank God we're alive'

Days of rain, when will it ever end
electricity's in very short supply
lightless traffic signal swinging in the wind
no one driving, the water's still too high
And the world looks very dark today she said
might as well go back to bed again
light some candles, make some music, nothing much to do
make love to the rythym of the rain
make love to the rythym of the rain

Here's A Song For You
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Bob Noble--organ and keyboards
Evi & Gin Weintraub--harmony vocals
Rod MacDonald--harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocals
©1997, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Here's a song for you, doesn't say anything
just a melody and some words to sing
I wouldn't presume to say
what you're feeling on your special day

Here's a song for you just to say it's grand
seeing the two of you walking hand in hand
I'll blow a kiss just to say
may you always feel this way
(bridge)
And may your love pull you through
in all the things that you do
for you've already seen how much better
all that you do is, when you do it together

As for free advice, I've none to give you
But I want to share something intimate with you
Each of us here is blessed
just to share in your happiness

(repeat bridge)

Here's a song for you, let's make a video
turn the lights down low so no one else will know
it's only a song, it's true
and you'll have to share it between you two
so give us a kiss, please do
'cause it's only a song
but it's a song for you

It's A Tough Life
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Bob Noble--keyboards
Tracy Sands--harmony vocal
Rod MacDonald--kalimba, harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocal
©1996, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Here in Florida we know what life is worth
we watch the weather channel, see what's going on up north
then we call up some old friend
say "Charlie, I see it's snowing again;
Me, I'm sitting in my underwear on the porch."

It's a tough life
somehow we make it through
making sure that ocean is still blue
and that warm breeze blows at night 
and that sun still shines it's light
I don't know how we do it, but we do
it's a tough life,
somehow we make it through

I went up north to have a look around
it was five below zero in that rusty town
I took a plane back the same week
I made it directly to the beach
I was in that water before the sun went down

Sure the tourists, they do clog up the roads
and once a year I gotta put on those hurricane boards
but if the wind don't blow us away
and those tourists don't all decide to stay
I think we're gonna make this place our home.

Six Strings & A Hole Big & Round
Rod MacDonald--acoustic guitar and vocal
©1997, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Went to a concert the other night
big old band, laser lights
girl singers in tight skirts in a row
Eight semis with generators
a dozen cops all wearing heaters
several number one hits in the show

I went home and sat in the dark
took out my old guitar
'cause that's my favorite sound
sat staring at the moon
just picking on this tune
six strings and a hole big and round

You might call me a cliche
but who cares what you say
you weren't there when this was goin' on
And I admit it got me thinking
I could easily be out drinking
with some good friends I have found

But you can't play this 
on the piano
you can't blow this on the slide trombone
let me hear this melody
on your drum machine, give me
six strings and a hole big and round

I know a guy in software design
he's online all the time
just trying to duplicate this sound
But it will never sound as clean
as my old wood machine
six strings and a hole big and round

So all you people out there in the dark
picking on those old guitars
just remember, you are not alone
'Cause somewhere you never knew
there's somebody just like you with
six strings and a hole big and round

 Aucilla River Song
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Rod MacDonald--acoustic guitar and vocal
©1996, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

In the long history of Florida
let's go back 12,000 years
when the land was roamed by mastodons
mammoths and short-faced bears
the sea was 100 feet lower then
the coast 70 miles further out
survival depended on finding fresh water
for the first few people coming south

(chorus)
and the Aucilla River flowed under the ground
in its own world of limestone and sand
you could almost believe it was hiding
hiding from human hands

the bisons, the horses, the camels moved on
the sabre-tooth cats all died
along with the glyptodonts and the giant ground sloths
when the first few humans arrived
for the only fresh water was in limestone holes
and ravines deep in the ground
and the human beings with their sharp-tipped spears
were always hanging around

the land grew warmer, the waters rose
the ice age came to an end
rivers flowed over the limestone holes
warm was the winter rain
everything that survived adapted
the river of grass was born
mosquitos and gators found it to be
an excellent hunting ground

twelve thousand years later, what have we learned
the sabre-tooth cats are gone
blue herons, chameleons and plastic flamingoes
are drinking at the country club pond
development harvests the river of grass 
to create more suburban homes
whole species of life are dying of thirst 
as we water our beautiful lawns


Deep Down In The Everglades
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Bob Noble--piano, organ and keyboards
Tracy Sands--harmony vocal
Bradley Ditto--acoustic guitar and harmony vocal
Ric Pattison--congas
Rod MacDonald--harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocals
©1996, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

A plane went down in the Everglades
disappeared without a trace
just a few pieces of metal left around
the people in the seats, the luggage in the bays
the carry-on bags and the beverage trays
all vanished deep into that swampy ground.

The park rangers built a special street
so they could go out and search the debris
but everyone was believed to be lost
by the time they arrived that plane had gone
no one even knew how far it had sunken down
all they could find was a little black box

(chorus)
When a plane goes down the whole world watches
the whole world says "How fragile is
that thread of life we weave our fabric on"
Yeah, but deep down in the Everglades 
we can only stare at the space 
where an airliner from the great sky went down,
rested for a moment and was gone.

The media did their job all right
they had a twenty-four hour crew at the site
they even interviewed the guy who missed the plane
somebody invented a special suit 
so they could go down in pursuit
in that primeval soup and get out the same

The victims' families came there too, 
they said there was nothing else they could do
but stand on that swampy ground and say goodby
and in the halls of power and high finance
they speculated on the chance
that airline could win the lawsuits and survive.

Lightning Over The Sea
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--bass and drums
Bob Noble--organ and keyboards
Tracy Sands--harmony vocal
Rod MacDonald--kalimba, harmonica, acoustic guitar and vocals
©1997, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

The life he's been living is not what he expected
so far from what he always thought were his dreams
workin' in the bars, driving a beat-up car
down in the southland, making the scene

And at night he likes to go down and stand by the ocean
watch all the lightning out over the sea
lay down the situation, feel part of creation
til the waves wash his feet clean of memories

The life she's been living is not what she expected
she always had the mountains outside the window
but she loved herself a man, down in the southland
and she wouldn't leave him, and he couldn't go

And at night he likes to take her down to the ocean
and watch all the lightning out over the sea
there in the moonlight they hold each other tight
til the waves wash their feet clean of memories

And the loved ones you've known
and the place where you've grown up 
stay in your memory while the rest fades away
but new friends will come
and new dreams will turn up
still you cling to each other at the end of the day

Now there's plastic flamingos growing in the garden
and it's either that sunlight or two feet of rain
but they still run hand in hand into the breakers
and walk on the sand just before hurricanes

And at night they like to go and stand by the ocean (etc.)

Into The Blue
Allan Aunapu--acoustic guitar
Tracy Sands--harmony vocals
Bradley Ditto--acoustic guitar
Ric Pattison--congas
Mark Dann--bass
Rod MacDonald--acoustic guitar and vocals
©1996, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

Got me a Cessna with a single propeller
I keep it at the airport right down the street
I bought my house right next to the airfield
so I can go flying whenever I please
'Cause you gotta keep up on it, there's so much to remember
anyway, there's nothing I'd rather do
than open the throttle and lift off the runway
up through the clouds, into the blue.

Now some guys are flying for big-time airlines
they spend lots of hours in the pilots' lounge
they got perfect haircuts, real good looking uniforms
they're flying thousands of people around
Me I can take any three of you with me
you can leave the window open if you want to
and we'll all be in Key West by sunset
up through the clouds, into the blue.

It's a night landing, we're coming in for a niner
look at those lights down there on the ground
two reds means we're too low, one white, now that's better,
we're all alone here, there's no one around
no one around
no one around

So attention all traffic, we're clear for departure
if you listen you can hear the propeller say
fasten those seat belts and that shoulder harness
a couple of seconds and we're on our way
Look at those cars lined up down there on that highway
where they're all going, I never knew
but I'll tip my wings and I'm taking you with me
up through the clouds, into the blue.

Fear
Rod MacDonald--acoustic guitar and vocal
Mark Dann--bass
©1997, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

I live in a country with the greatest military in the history of the world
why then am I so afraid?
afraid for the starving children who need my contribution
when it's three o'clock in the morning and I'm watching my television

Afraid for my loved ones
afraid they'll leave me alone
afraid there's no heaven
and hell's on the phone

Afraid for my job, I'll wake up and it's gone
afraid of my neighbors, and of the cops in town

In fact, if you gave me a chance
I'd be afraid of everyone different than me

I'd be afraid I'm not afraid enough
but I'm afraid that to be so afraid
misses the point, you see:

I live in a country with the greatest military in the history of the world;
why can't they protect me?

Sundancer
Mark Dann--bass
Bob Noble--strings and keyboards
Michael Moses--frame drum, clay pot, shaker and kalimba
Rod MacDonald--ankle bracelets, acoustic guitar and vocal
©1987, 1999 Rod MacDonald/Blue Flute Music (ASCAP)

From the dark of the earth you come, to the depths of the earth you go
for all of your travelling there's one thing for certain you know
from the moment you're born to the moment you die
takes no longer to pass through time than the twinkling of an eye

Wake up Sun Dancer
feel the warmth of the sun
in all of the many around you
you are the one
wake up Sun dancer
your time has come
and know that in this great hour
you are not alone

Feel the wing of the bird in your hand, feel the breath of the wind in your feet
every movement you make speaks to the heart of me
As you trace the directionless sky, as you as you step to the unnumbered beat
know that your are the Creator of everything you see

Oh my father the sun
my mother, the earth
with our prayers and our souls and our bodies
we come seeking rebirth
into a world of peace
now I can hear it call
and a hundred and forty-four thousand
shall dance for us all

Oh let the sun beat down on my weary eyes
I've no use for these tears anymore, I've come to bid them goodby
tell the cities and the towns this prayer before I fly
in this great land I was born and for all countries I cry

Wake up Sun Dancer
feel the flowing of the sun
for so long you've been just a dream
now you are the one
wake up Sun Dancer
your time has come
and know that in this time of living, this lifetime
you are not alone

The Cure For Insomnia (instrumental)
Michael Moses--gourd, marimba, triangle
Rod MacDonald--kalimba
Bill Walach--mandolin
©1999 Rod MacDonald (Blue Flute Music-ASCAP)

My thanks to Allan & Christina for the plane rides; Paul & Alice for the dinners, tours and time off; Mark, Lisa & Sarah for being fun to hang with; Mitch Cantor for giving me a deadline; Dewey Engstrom & Martin Gauthier for being there; Chad at Echo Beach for the copies; Annalies, Josef, Gaby, Andy, Martin, Manuela and Fabian for the conga lines, birthday parties and other fun stuff; Peter Galway, Ray Micek, and Lisa Gutkin for the advice I took; Thom for the advice I didn't; Bradley & Sonny for the photo shoot; Renzo, Renzo & Claudio for hitchiking with me; Mike (Total Freedom) & Mark (Sing Out!) for the mags; Wolfgang, Gaby, Paddy, John & Rita, Maria & Kevin, Uli, Helmut, Peggo and Steve for the tours; Dale, Ken and the Florida Folk Festival campfires for the Florida songs; Craig & Gail Harris for asking me to write a song for their wedding; Jack & Patty for the kalimba; Hermetta, John & Greg for really listening; Gary, Jeri, Tim, Lori, Gary, Diane, Norma, Terry, Arthur, Kris, Leslie, Graeme, Jim & Jill for Scotland & the "I'm OK You're UK tour"; Max & Hank for the gardening lessons; Ron & Bari, Marie, Peggy, Robbie, Bill, Dave, Jean & Bill, Mike at WLRN, WMNFers and all the FOFFers and Broward Folk Club folks; Rolly for the guitar lessons; Paddy Mac's & the Coffee Gallery Cafe for keepin' the hood lively; Aunt Lorraine for the love songs; the Mirror Lakes for the swinging lunch; Nicole for taking the plunge, and parents Harold & Joan, Laurie & Jim, Larry & Tracy, friends, fans, listeners, singers, pickers, writers, chefs, bartenders, djs, organizers, promoters, hustlers and wedding guests who inspired me to write and record these songs...

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