Peace Is Every Step

All songs written by Joe Dickinson

24 Brand New Hours To Live

Every morning when I wake up

I try to think

What a precious gift

Peace is in the present right here right now

If I can just get in touch with it

I've got 24 brand new hours to live

24 more

24 brand new hours to live

And I'm gonna give all I've got to give

I can smile and breathe and walk and eat

Right here right now

I try to think

What a precious gift

Every breath I take every move that I make

Can be filled with love and happiness

I am very very good at planning to live

But I'm not very good at the living

Need to take a look around me at the big blue sky

It's the gift that keeps on giving

Every night before I got to bed

I try to think

What a precious gift

Peace is in the present

Right here right now

If I can just keep in touch with it

I've got 24 brand new hours to live

24 more

24 brand new hours to live

And I'm gonna give all I've got to give

I'm gonna give all I've got to give

The Dandelion Has My Smile

I lost my smile

But I don't worry

'Cause the dandelion has it

How can I remember to smile in the morning

In the face of so much suffering and pain?

How I can I really truly love another deeply

When I feel I can barely love myself?

I lost my smile

But I don't worry

'Cause the dandelion has it

I need a reminder of all

That came before and all that has come since

I need a reminder to remember

That my reminder is all that exists

I lost my smile

But I don't worry

'Cause the dandelion has it

I see water on the window

I see paintings on the pavement

I hear birds bellowing among the ancient trees

I try to banish all my worry

My fatigue and my fury

No I don't want to hurry through my life

I lost my smile

But I don't worry

'Cause the dandelion has it

Sitting Anywhere

When you need to slow down

And come back to yourself

You don't need to rush around here or there

Yeah when you start to feel bad

You need to return to yourself

And you can do it sitting anywhere

You can do it sitting anywhere

When you're at the sardine store

In your box full of people

When you're standing in line

At some supposed job fair

When everything and everyone around you

Just seems evil

You can go back to yourself sitting anywhere

Now from time to time

We all need to reach back inside

In order to confront the burdens we must bear

And if we search hard enough

How can we be anything but fine fine fine

'Cause we can do it sitting anywhere

We can do it sitting anywhere

Think Less

My mind is racing and I don't feel good

I know that I could leave but I don't think that I should

I've been possessed by the sorrows of the past

Now I'm obsessed with what will happen next

What was was

And what will shall be

I can't let my brain keep playing tricks on me

I'm going to breathe in

Breathe out

Turn off my mind and think less

There is no pill

There is no drug

To make this go away

There is no pill

There is no drug

To make this go away

My mind could race in the olympics man

It sprints around fast as any person can

And all it chases is gold gold gold

Which I am told is cold cold cold

What was was

And what will shall be

I can't let my brain keep playing tricks on me

I'm going to breathe in

Breathe out

Turn off my mind and think less

Washing the Dishes

I'm washing the dishes

And I am having a real good time

I do not mind

I'm having a real good time

I'm washing the dishes

And I am taking my sweet time

I don't not mind

I'm taking my sweet time

I don't steam

Because the cups aren't clean

I don't mope

I get my soap

I'm washing the dishes

And you won't ever hear me wine

I do not mind

But I won't object to a sip of your wine

My blood doesn't boil

Because of pots and pans

I feel the water

On my hands

I'm washing the dishes

And I am having a real good time

I do not mind

I'm having a real good time

Knots

With every interaction

I have a choice in my reaction

I can recognize my thoughts

As they form

But without understanding

And without the proper handling

A knot somewhere within me

May be born

Knots

I keep waiting longer

And the knot keeps getting stronger

I feel anxious angry

And full of regret

I keep up my resistance

And deny my own existence

If I don't address the feelings

I'll forget

Knots

I will try to be aware

I will try my best I swear

I will try to get a handle

On my heart

And I will keep on practicing

Until my world belongs to me

And I am able to untie any knot

Knots

What's Not Wrong?

Sometimes I'm minding my own business

And you see me

And you come along

And you know what you ask me

What's wrong?

Now you know me I'm strong like a tree

Not really

So when someone comes along

And asks me what's wrong

I tend to get a little bit silly

See I falter everyday

I swing and I sway

Up and down

All around

Ping pong ping pong

It's hard you know

To feel the flow

To be positive

To have joie de vivre

To stay strong all day long

So it gets my goat

When you rock my boat

As I'm trying to float and you ask me midnote of a song

What's wrong?

Now by asking that way you force my brain

Against the wall like a porcelain doll

I start to feel small and kind of like all

The world is as scary and tall

As King Kong

I have visions of war, the poor, much much more

The darkness comes to my door

Rings the bell

Ding dong

What's wrong?

Now I'm not denying the bad out there

And I'm not just trying to get you out of my hair

I really truly deeply care

About the fate of people's everywhere

But I am just one lowly human

Do you really expect me to get the broom and

Sweep the darkness under the rug?

Squash the darkness like a bug?

I can do a lot I know

But no matter how fast I try to go

Change moves slow slow slow

So let me simply ask you this

When you ask me what's wrong

What does that fix?

I'd rather focus on the good than the bad

I'd rather think about the happy than the sad

I'd rather be in touch with the love in life

Than concentrate on constant strife

Right?

So next time that you come along

Instead of asking me what's wrong

Ask the question at the end of this song

It'll help us both feel nice and strong and get along

What's not wrong?

Flowers and Garbage

'Cause we are all

Flowers and garbage

We are all

One and the same

We are all

Flowers and garbage

We are all

Everything

If I'd been born into different conditions

I would have turned out a different way

All it takes is one different decision

One different moment on one different day

'Cause we are all

Flowers and garbage

We are all

One and the same

We are all

Flowers and garbage

We are all

Everything

No one among us has clean hands

No one can claim that they don't play a part

There's no such thing as independence

It doesn't matter who you say you are

'Cause we are all

Flowers and garbage

We are all

One and the same

We are all

Flowers and garbage

We are all

Everything

If my heart stops beating

My life will end

Therefore I love my heart

You're not limited to what's inside of you

The sun

My heart

If the sun stops shining

The plants won't grow

Therefore I love the sun

You're not limited to what's inside of you

The sun

My heart

The sun

My heart

If the plants stop growing

The air runs out

Therefore I love the plants

You're not limited to what's inside of you

The sun

My heart

The sun

My heart

Walt Whitman says that a leaf of grass

Is no less than the journeywork of the stars

You are large

You contain multitudes

The sun

My heart

The sun

My heart

The sun

My heart

The Sun, My Heart

The River

Once upon a time there was a river

Making her way down to the sea

She started as a simple stream of water

She flowed so effortlessly

She began to notice the clouds that lie within her

Shapes and colors and forms

All she wanted was to chase after them

All she wanted was to have one of her own

Well the wind made everything sway

And it blew all the clouds away

The sky was empty as ice

Without clouds the river thought

Life is not worth living

Without clouds the river thought

Why should I be alive

But how can a river die?

That night she had no choice but to stop chasing

She had a chance to chill and check herself out

She realized that she was made out of water

And so were the clouds

The next morning she saw the blue sky for the first

Stable immense and true

She was so focused on the clouds that hung above her head

She never noticed that the sky was there too

Well the clouds came back eventually

But The River didn't chase them or stare

She greeted each cloud with kindness

She remembered that the sky was still there

There and everywhere