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The Power of a Hat

by Gunnar Madsen

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1.
Where, where, where, where, where are you? Deep in the garden There's a little gnome He holds a lantern to lead us on the way Deep in the garden There's room to roam Room to mess, room to grow, room to play Deep in the garden There's a waterfall The water's warm, get down to your skin Deep in the garden The lizards crawl The air is sweet, the grass is cool, cast away your sin Yeah we're naked in the garden We're naked in the garden We're naked in the garden In the garden Deep in the garden We're all alone There's no one here to tell us what to do Deep in the garden We're flesh and bone Our hearts beat pure, pumping love, me to you and you to me and me to you Deep in the garden I like your hair You touch me there, you touch me here Deep in the garden Our souls are bare We're makin' love, makin' life, loving without fear Yeah we're naked in the garden We're naked in the garden We're naked in the garden In the garden Where where where where where are you? I'm, I'm here I'm hiding over here Where where are you? Why are you always hiding? I'm I'm I'm I'm over here Yeah we're naked in the garden We're naked in the garden We're naked in the garden In the garden
2.
Lulubelle 03:45
I had a little daughter Her name was Lulubelle She had a sip of water And tumbled straight to hell Oh my lord, how I missed her I went out of my mind I had a drink of water And now I'm doin' fine Blyeah-blyeah blyeah... I had a drink of water And now I'm doin' fine I had a mental father Angry and depressed He thought I was a bother I was his uninvited guest. Oh I stayed for a few years Til I turned twenty-one I had a mental father And now he's come undone Blyeah-blyeah blyeah... I had a mental father And now he's come undone My ma was into voodoo She crucified my tongue I didn't know what to do I was scared and very young Oh I suffered in silence No one knew how I cried But that was how she loved me And now my tongue is tied mmb-mmb-bmbmm But that was how she loved me And now my tongue is tied
3.
I had control I had composure I had no fear of exposure I had a grip I had a plan I knew what it was to be a full grown man But something came loose inside I could feel it rattling around I couldn't keep it all inside It got out, it can't be found It's loose and it's free It's a little bit of me A cannon that's loose A bird that's free A sailor on shore leave after years at sea A burning desire A burning bush An eye for an eye and for every tush Something came loose inside It was rattling my brain I couldn't keep it all inside It was driving me insane It's loose and it's free It's a little bit of me It's just a little bit of... Pieces keep on breaking loose They don't fit in they have no use Inside of me I try to run No matter where I end up I am always there In spite of me It's just a little bit of... What's that smell? What's that sound? Ohh, here he comes, yeah, he's comin' around Hold the meatloaf, forget the bills Run for cover you better run for the hills Everybody get inside You'd better turn out all the lights Everybody run and hide You'd better shoot out all the lights I'm loose and I'm free It's a little bit of me
4.
I'm sitting down to lunch with a bowl of milk and some captain crunch I don't feel like eating much today My mother said I was special But that was long ago and far away I don't feel like eating much today The last time I combed my hair I was twenty five in a love affair She didn't love me anyway I never said I was special Never said that I was worth the extra pain She didn't love me anyway I never said I was special In 1966 I was born again and my soul was fixed I don't need anyone today There's only one who is special And I hear every word He has to say He is my only friend today He doesn't tell me I'm special He never tells me I'm special Why won't he tell me I'm special? The mailman comes at four I can see him from behind my door I wait until he walks away I look for something special But it's junk, people asking me to pray I don't feel like praying much today I look for something special I never get nothing special I want to get something special
5.
I've got big clumsy hands And a poor uneven heart I feel dumb and ugly But the priests all say I'm smart Walk by me on the street Cold, cold faces I am failed, I've tumbled down Now I know just what my place is Gentle is the lamb Quiet is the slaughter Gentle is the lamb And its tears are only water I know how fragile everything is Everything is fragile yes and Everything is fragile so I'm gentle I've got the body of a man Shame, shame, shame I am different, you can trust me I am different, I'm not the same Stay and watch me sleep The boy floats to the surface He doesn't breathe, he doesn't speak There's no sense, he has no purpose Gentle is the lamb Quiet is the slaughter Gentle is the lamb And its tears are only water Gentle is the lamb The lion, the lion loves the lamb The lamb is softly sighing Gentle is the lamb The lion tears into the lamb The lamb is merely crying Just crying Gentle is the lamb Quiet is the slaughter Gentle is the lamb And its tears are only water Gentle is the lamb The lion, the lion kills the lamb The lamb is merely crying Gentle is the lamb The lion, the lion loves the lamb
6.
Oh, My Wings 03:01
I've been bound to the ground For so, so long Oh my wings Oh my wings I long for my freedom I damn these roots of safety Oh my wings Oh my wings I crawl to the mountain Pray and pray and pray And my heart nearly flies But my feet are blackened anchors They will not leave the ground And my soul is torn in two Oh my wings Oh my wings I have tasted faith I'm tired of my impatience Oh my wings Oh my wings Oh my wings Oh my wings
7.
There's a demon waiting for me Down at the end of my block He's drawing circles all around me On the sidewalk with a piece of chalk There's a demon waiting for me He stinks of swamp and mud He whistles music all around my ears He stops my heart and chills my blood Everybody Says I'm crazy But they don't know me They don't know Everybody Who says I'm crazy They don't know, they don't know! Lift up his tail and smell his ass That's exactly what he wants you to do He'll have you smelling roses and carnations He knows how to change your point of view There's a demon underneath my bed He laughs when I try to make love When I'm sleeping he sucks out all my dreams For the first time in my life I'm asking for help from above Everybody Says I'm crazy But they don't know me They don't know Everybody Who says I'm crazy They don't know, they don't know! There's a demon waiting for me Down at the end of my block He's drawing circles all around me On the sidewalk with a piece of chalk
8.
Every morning the birdies sing No matter what happened the night before Every morning the birdies sing So sweet Tweet tweet They must know something we don't know They always wake up on the right side of the nest The birdies know to let things go Tweet tweet So sweet I want to sing like the birdies sing Want to wake every morning with a song I want my neighbors to wake up with me I want the whole neighborhood to sing along Good morning neighbor Howdy neighbor Wake up neighbor it's a brand new day Come on people, the whole world's waiting We got to get up yes it's time to play Good morning everybody Good morning each and every one Oh yeah, oh yeah Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah It's a thousand voices making noises It's the power and the beauty of an earthly song Chickadees and children, lawyers and loons Businesspeople and pigeons in the park at noon Let it spread through the city and out to the country Down in the valley and up into the sky Let it rain in the ocean let it crash upon the shore Let all the voices of creation make a joyful roar Good morning everybody Good morning each and every one Oh yeah, oh yeah Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Oh yeah, oh yeah Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah And at night when the stars come out Each one carries a voice away And we're left with the sweetest sound of all And we're left with the sweetest sound of all
9.
The Pants 05:08
I know women who follow anything in pants Intuition tells them that there is something valuable there But they get confused - A man is not his pants No, no They got to understand - A man is not his pants I've been studying history I'm picking up a pattern Nearly every foul deed was done by someone wearing pants Buttoned and zippered up tight They don't let in very much light Dark, dark pants Evil dark pants The pants are the problem The pants are the cause The pants are what wrote All the worlds' unjust laws The pants want the power The pants crave control The pants always hide All the good in man's soul Take away the pants from the generals Take away the pants from the politicians Take away the pants from the captains of industry Take away the pants and all their treacherous ambitions Let the winds of change blow gently The winds of change - A breeze between their knees Pants don't talk They only make statements They put everybody down One leg at a time Who cares who wears the pants in the family? They are the root of dysfunctionality We got to try and imagine a new kind of reality The pants are the problem The pants are the cause The pants are what wrote All the worlds' unjust laws The pants want the power The pants crave control The pants always hide All the good in man's soul Take away the pants from the generals Take away the pants from the politicians Take away the pants from the captains of industry A boxer rebellion against the trouser inquisition Let the winds of change blow gently on their vulnerability The winds of change, a breeze between their knees It's time to take away the pants It's time to take away their power When you get 'em hold on tight Hold on tight The zipper waits It's the zero hour
10.
Late at night the dog's asleep His master's voice is just a snore The ivy creeps to the open window The hall light shines underneath the door Get out my cane, put on my hat That closet needs cleaning, it always will Walk in the moonlight, don't wake the others All of the houses are dark and still Old age, old age, I'm such a bother No one listens to a word I say Asleep all day, awake all night Fragile bones, thin blood, always in the way Wake up the neighbors with my old goat voice Lie on the grass, wet with dew Stare at the stoplight blinking red The grandkids are dreaming of you
11.
Mama Mia 03:40
Mama mia Ai ai ai ai ai Overflowing plate of apple pie Subtle flower made of flesh and bone Firepower in our tiny home Morning coffee perks a happy tune Crying baby pops the red balloon Pillar of kindness, fragile as a stone Mother's nature wants to be alone The vacuum roars and pokes its head behind every door It's in her grip Don't let it suck out all your secrets Mother, mother I can feel you call my name Voices singing in a mother tongue Language leaking deep inside my lung Breath of fresh air now lifts me from behind She can't see it, mother love is blind The vacuum roars and pokes its head behind every door It's in her grip Don't let it suck out all your secrets Mother, mother I can feel you call my name Mama mia Ai ai ai ai ai Overflowing plate of apple pie Subtle flower made of flesh and bone Firepower in our tiny home
12.
Dirty 03:49
You've been telling me so long Everything inside is wrong and dirty I listened hard and learned it well That all my evil thoughts would lead to hell And every feeling that I've had Is just more proof that I am bad and dirty But I am growing past my shame And I am gonna turn this game around And I wanna live dirty...Dig down in the mud And I wanna live dirty...Dig down in the mud And I wanna live dirty...Dig down in the mud And I wanna live dirty...Ain't I flesh and blood You scrubbed my face and tanned my hide But everything inside remained so dirty It's in the dirt the good things grow And now I'm gonna let my good thing show My halo now has disappeared And I've become the things you've feared, I'm dirty I grow my hair down to my knees I'm rollin' in it--Anything I please And I wanna live dirty...Dig down in the mud And I wanna live dirty...Dig down in the mud And I wanna live dirty...Dig down in the mud And I wanna live dirty...Ain't I flesh and blood
13.
This song is by the Talking Heads - David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth. It originally appeared as the closing tune on their "Speaking in Tongues" release. Due to copyright limitations, we cannot reproduce the lyrics here.
14.
Baseball 03:41
Out in the sunshine My mind is goin' off I'm starin' at the grass I see a fly I'm in Modesto Down in the double A's My hands are sweatin' now Don't let me down But if I make this club today I'll never go back down, no I'll be on top to stay I had a contract I had a convertible Coach said he'd look for me On TV They said I had promise I had potential They don't say nothin' now They let me be And if I make this club today I'll never go back down, no I'll be on top to stay Up in the bleachers People are laughin' now Looks like they're havin' fun They're drinkin' beer And why do you write me? I told you I'm doin' fine I don't have time to write I got things to do If I'm gonna make it I've got to concentrate I've been on top before Gonna be there again I'm gonna make this club today I'll never go back down, no I'll be on top to stay Out in the sunshine My mind is goin' off I'm starin' at the grass I see a fly
15.
I'm Home 02:46
I'm home Anybody here? I'm home Hellooo... Is anybody here? I'm home Just a note Saying there's no one at home All alone I'm home

about

'A remarkable reimagining of Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", manages the remarkable feat of not being hurled through the window, unlike every other Talking Heads song I’ve ever heard. The music always sounds fresh and sparkling, no doubt helped by the production skills of Kent Sparling (who mixed the films "Adaptation" and "Lost in Translation").' Stuart Hamilton, Zeitgeist Magazine

"This CD gives me tremendous hope for the music industry. I love this one. Every moment."
a fan from Amazon

"Ooh, I just love it!"
Beth Holland, KFOG

"Gunnar Madsen writes amazing songs".
Bob Campbell, KALW

"The song 'The Pants' is alone worth the cost of this CD".
Charles Dawson, fan from Seattle

On 100 acres of land in a bend of the Snohomish River in Washington State, a large log house is home to a beautiful recording studio. The house has accomodations for numerous musicians, and there are small cabins dotted throughout the property for additional housing.

In the summer of 1998 my producer, Kent Sparling and I assembled some of our favorite musicians at this studio, and for one feverish and exhilirating week, we put down all the basic tracks for this recording. Lucio, the guitarist, liked to work until 4 am creating his lunatic soundscapes, while I, an early riser, would be at the Steinway at 10am, recording solo tracks until the rest of the band had had their coffee and breakfast. All the band members are great cooks, and we had fantastic elaborate meals all week long. One of the best vacations I've ever had

credits

released June 23, 1998

Produced by: Kent Sparling
Engineered by: Daniel Protheroe

Additional engineering: Kent Sparling
Mixed by: Daniel Protheroe, with Kent Sparling, and Gunnar Madsen

Recorded and mixed at: Sage Arts Studio, Arlington, WA
Additional recording: G's Spot Studio, Submarine Studios, K's Cabin Fever Studios

Art direction & design: Hugh Bridgeford
Typesetting: Lisa Rappaport
Print Production: Curt Collinsworth

El Jefe Chef de Cuisine: Alain Despatie

Mastering: Bob Katz, Digital Domain, FL

Photo of Gunnar Madsen: Cynthia Smalley

Gunnar Madsen - vox, piano, acoustic gtr, perc
Lucio Menegon - Elec guitars
Toby Hawkins - drums and perc
Alain Despatie - perc
Chuck Deardorf - bass
Tim Romain - bass
Sam Burbank -bass and bk vox
John Croissier - perc
Kent Sparling - vox, elec piano, perc
The Birdwatchers - bk vox

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Gunnar Madsen Berkeley

Gunnar Madsen is a Grammy-nominated composer/songwriter.
He’s written for the Minnesota Opera, Lincoln Center, Universal Pictures and National Public Radio;
He has performed on The Tonight Show, the Smothers Brothers Show, PBS, and the BBC.
He co-founded the internationally acclaimed acapella group The Bobs.
He co-wrote the award-winning Off-Broadway musical “The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World”
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