Onslaught
Music : Bobby Sheehan & John Popper
Lyrics: John Popper


Lies, well they're o.k.
More elaborate every day
Truth, well it's here too
What can you make it do for you?
Greed it's just a drive
Do what you can to stay alive
Peace, it's just a dream
So rock and roll and kick and scream

Now won't you tell me if you like what you've just heard?
And if you think the point I'm driving at absurd
well there's no need to tell me how or tell me why
But I need to know the reason not to try
Cause if you look around you might just feel like me
And you might notice no one was ever really free
And maybe, just maybe for now that's how it's supposed to be
Could be so far we've only earned the right to barely see

The poison has infected you
Have no fear I'm infected too
War, they come and go
No telling where the wind will blow
Pain was always there
Sad reminder that you care
Hate, the price you pay
For thinking you got the only way

Now won't you tell me if you like what you've just heard?
And if you think the point I'm driving at absurd
Well there's no need to tell me how or tell me why
But I need to know the reason not to try
Cause if you look around you might just feel like me
And you might notice no one was ever really free
And maybe, just maybe for now that's how it's supposed to be
Could be so far we've only earned the right to barely see
Barely see, barely see, barely see, barely see, let's see

For your parents Ellis Island
What had they gone through?
And if you descend from the Mayflower
Well they ere running too
They were running from England
Who were warring with France
Who would conquer Spain
Given half of a chance
But it was the Muslims
Who had gotten there first
When there wasn't the bloodshed
Then there was the thirst
And a hate for the Christians
The infiltrators of Rome
You know that once mighty empire
Who made Africa home
The poor, noble Egyptians
Oh the hardships they braved
Remembering the good times
With Judea enslaved
And the Israelite nation
The very children of God
Killing Palestine's children
And I'm finding it odd
The Earth, a piece of fruit
Don't blame the maggots when they loot
Life just a game we play
Try to live just one more day
Space, our final hope
Throw the drowning man a rope
The choice is for us to say
Completely change or fade away

Now won't you tell me if you like what you've just heard?
And if you think the point I'm driving at absurd
Well there's no need to tell me how or tell me why
But I need to know the reason not to try
Cause if you look around you might just feel like me
And you might notice no one was ever really free
And maybe, just maybe for now that's how it's supposed to
Could be so far we've only earned the right to barely see

I really couldn't say for sure
Like everyone else I know
I'm just looking for the cure

Ivory Tusk
Music: Chan Kinchla
Lyrics: John Popper


Ivory Tusk, smash into thine own
To show thee fit to continue
I weep for them and I weep for me
We rally to charge to die
And laugh when it's through

Well rise and walk now you're a man
Don't you try to play catch me if you can
Just do as you're told son you must abide
Have you gone crazy it never was a free ride
Just take your medicine and help it go down
Do as you're told boy no need to frown
You know it happened to me and your granddad too
Not a goddamn any one can do

Well sir I don't know but I hear them say
If there's no free ride then ride away
And it could be me, and I could be strange
But I keep hearing voices singing "comes a change"

Blood drop spill unto the parched earth
And nourish that which is hungry
Feast well avenging madness
Then call your buzzards down to clean the carcass

Well your life's not yours it's everyone's
So do the right thing and go for your guns
It's how the world was saved and how the west was won
So here comes now you gotta stand or run
Just level your iron boy and sight him in
You ain't out to die boy
You're out to win
You know you hate him, you must know he hates you
Not a goddamn anyone can do

Well if my life is everyone's well good that's fine
But you've yet to prove that that makes his life mine
And it could be me and I could be strange
But I keep hearing voices singing "comes a change"
Like rain and thunder washing everything away
That's what I hear them say
You might just prefer to pray
It's the same thing anyway

Ivory Tusk, smash into thine own
To show they fit to continue
I weep for them and I weep for me
We rally to charge to die
And laugh when it's through

Well sir I don't know but I her them say
If there's no free fide then ride away
And it could be me, and I could be strange
But I keep hearing voices
singing "comes a change"

Like rain and thunder washing everything away
That's what I hear them say
You might just prefer to pray
Light rain and thunder washing everything away
That's what I hear them say
You might just prefer to pray

What's For Breakfast
Music : Bobby Sheehan
Lyrics: John Popper


Well here I am
In a roadside stew
You're checking to see if I'm alright
I'm looking up at you
Well I'm o.k.
I've been here before
You know I have an ass to land on and that's what it's for

I'm gonna dust me off
Get on my feet
Get myself together
Get me good to eat
Well what a night
I don't remember much
Not to worry my friend
I'm better off as such

Well what a day and what's for breakfast?
Have to see what comes along
What a day and what's for breakfast?
Nothing ventured nothing wrong

Well what a day and what's for breakfast?
Have to see what comes along
What a day and what's for breakfast?
Nothing ventured nothing wrong

Well what a day and what's for breakfast?
Have to see what comes along
What a day and what's for breakfast?
Nothing ventured nothing wrong

I Have My Moments
Music: Chan Kinchla
Lyrics: John Popper


Picture a spinning toy laden with adventure
Coupled with the things I've told
And a dream can be as one
I have my moments now and again
I said I have my moments now and again
Started in a dream
Wound him up on a baseball team
Took it on the road
A B-17 with a hefty load
Full of cargo and of spice
Yeah a pirate ship who craves advice
From the likes of Peter Pan
You know I hear he's wanted by the law again

Picture a spinning toy laden with adventure
Coupled with the things I've told
And a dream can be as one
I have my moments now and again
I said I have my moments now and again

Now the tiger's got his eye
What shall we do oh me oh my
Better hide your daughters
Yeah, we're in shark infested waters
But the children can't be harmed
Yeah, they're on to you and heavily armed
With a leaf and a kazoo
How can they be of use to you?

Take me take me for a ride
On the biggest largest vehicle you can ever
Possibly imagine
Get the keys let's go
Drive

Gonna ride off in the sunrise
Gotta win our Nobel Prize
Gee I wonder what we'll say
Do our homework on the way
Gonna meet the King of France
Tell him, "Je n'ai pais de pantelons"
Give his cigar a light
Then slip away unnoticed into the night

Picture a spinning toy laden with adventure
Coupled with the things I've told
And a dream can be as one
I have my moments now and again
I said I have my moments now and again

I said I have my moments now and again

Optimistic Thought
Music & Lyrics: John Popper


When she wakes it seems to shady
She remembers she's a lady
Ah but could it be that maybe
She was having lots of fun
She sees she's wearing leather
In her navel there's a feather
She just has to crack a smile
And close to her eyes, her prayer begun

Life I embrace you
I shall honor and disgrace you
Please forgive if I replace you
You see I'm going through some pain
But now I see clearly
And the dawn is coming nearly
And though I'm human and it's early
I swear I'll never forget again

An explorer he went wandering
To satisfy his pondering
Basically meandering
Unsure of what he'd find
Braving any danger
But to his family he's a stranger
And from time to time he turns around
And this runs through his mind

Life I embrace you
I shall honor and disgrace you
Please forgive if I replace you
You see I'm going through some pain
But now I see clearly
And the dawn is coming nearly
And though I'm human and it's early
I swear I'll never forget again

There's a multitude of story
Some is clean and some is glory
But there is no need to worry
If you're sold or if you're bought
We're just spinning on some granite
That we like to call a planet
And if you need to contemplate
Well here's an optimistic thought

Life I embrace you
I shall honor and disgrace you
Please forgive if I replace you
You see I'm going through some pain
But now I see clearly
And the dawn is coming nearly
And though I'm human and it's early
I swear I'll never forget again

Life I embrace you
I shall honor and disgrace you
Please forgive if I replace you
You see I'm going through some pain
But now I see clearly
And the dawn is coming nearly
And though I'm human and it's early
I swear I'll never forget again

The Best Part
Music & Lyrics: John Popper


Well what do you know here we are again
Been along time I can't remember when
Well I wrote another one and guess who it's for
Don't mind if I'm embarrassed I can't take it anymore
You know I travel the world but I don't go no place
And I got you to blame and the smile on your face
You know I look in your eyes I see a part of me there
So excuse my directness, but I just don't care

What I think I'm talking about is a last ditch chance
Don't care about the likelihood or circumstances
It seems I'm still here and I'm waiting for you
And I've got no reason no time and an excellent view
Of your eyes in my head and it's killing me
But the possibilities are thrilling me
So I guess I'll sit right here with nothing better to do,
And to top it all off you know the best part is......

I'm gonna let you on in on a big surprise
My heart is where the eagle flies
Yeah I'm the master of my destiny
That's why I need you right here with me
You see I've come to learn that without you around
I might as well be standing on the ground
And with you with me and with me with you
There's not a goddamn thing that we could not do

I'm not talking bout us never being alone
I'm suggesting we make the world our home
You've got to fly free and so do I
And this way we'd never need to say goodbye
But instead things like "see you soon"
And "explore and play:
And "the one you love is not far away"
"But safe in your heart to see you thru"
And to top it all off you know the best part is that I

I'm gonna take you take you by the hand
You know even General Custer had to make a stand
I'll drop in from the skies or I'll move in slow
But there's so damn much that I want you to know
So take a look around you tell me what do you see?
Then take those eyes and take a look at me
You know you see things that others don't
So if you think I'll go away I won't

You see my engine's blown and it's time to punt
And there's an element of danger pulling off this stunt
But the survey says that I don't seem to mind
And you're the adventure I'm trying to find
There's a whole lot of things that other people have said
But I don't care if I'm correct or if it's all in my head
And to top it all off you know the best part is.......
That I love you

I'm singing I love you
Please, I'm down on my knees
In the north and the south and the east and the west
Make it the very, very, very
best best part best part

Sweet Pain
Music & Lyrics: John Popper


If Cyrano De Bergerac
Fell Prey to the blades of fifty men
With a heart and a sword he'd drive them back
Perchance to see Roxannes's eyes light up the sky again
And when beauty kind and full of grace
Again denied the beast her hand
The beast he turned and hid his face
And tried with all his might and magic to understand

And once upon a time
You know I used to wonder why
You know no one should need to cry
In pain of a heart forbade to fly
But you learn to say goodbye
As you whisper beneath a sigh

Sweet pain
Can't you plainly see?
Sweet pain
You know it matters to me
Sweet pain
Won't you make me feel at home?
Sweet pain
Don't you dare leave me alone

Sometimes a life that seems hard to take
Is soothed for a while by an old friend
Leaving a bad need in its wake
Sad how, some friendships never ever seem to end
Well all of my heroes up and died
Songs and a dream are left for me
What did them in, not suicide
Just a lengthy friendship and a dream of how it could be

And isn't it a crime?
Was it more than they could bear?
You know they did not even care
At all and they might have something there
But I'm here and I don't see where
All I hear is their silent prayer

Sweet pain
Is it so terribly wrong?
Sweet pain
To want to come along
Sweet pain
Won't you make me smile?
Sweet pain
If only for a while

Can you feel what I can feel?
So we can establish that the pain is real
Don't be afraid and I'll do the same for you
And we'll just hang on and we'll make it, make it through
There's got to be a reason it works out this way
And there's something deep inside me
That makes me have to play
For you
For you

In no position to give advice
My heart it spoke and I wrote it down
And you know every wisdom has its price
My head up in the stars
And my feet planted firmly on the ground
When will I embrace this life I see?
I've been wondering for so long
Thinking back, the truth may be
I've been unaware but I've been living it all along

And it didn't cost a dime
And it did not come for free
It just would not let me be
But it never conquered me
Just a doorway and a key
And I think that we both agree

Sweet pain
Is sometimes what you need
Sweet pain
It allows the blood to bleed
Sweet pain
From the moment of your birth
Sweet pain
You know it keeps you here on Earth

All in the Groove
Music & Lyrics: John Popper


Sometimes when you worry
The tendency to hurry
Can make your vision blurry
And blind you
You might shake and you might stammer
Or dance like MC Hammer
But could that pomp and glamour
Remind you
Of who you are and where you're going
And whose mind that you're blowing
And if your car needs towing
Don't move
Then calmly call the AAA you've got nothing to prove
As in all things, it's all in the groove

All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove

Well if it's your destiny don't fight it
War between the states unite it
It might be difficult but might it
Be worthwhile?
I ain't no Solomon from Babel
Abut my cards are on the table
And I swear that if I'm able
I'll run that mile
So if I'm rambling ignore me
If on the money then adore me
You know the pearls are cast before me
Oh what to do?
Wish I could put it in a picture and hang it in the Louvre
But like I aid before it's all in the groove

All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove

The jam it swings and sways
As the groove funkily plays
And they say crime never pays
But this ain't no crime
It's jut a life blood flowing water
That any son or daughter
Would send away for order
A celebration of time
So jam on, jam out, jam it in
Till it feels like it's a sin
And that's only when you begin
To improve
Don't mind if it's the rhythm that's just only when you've
Got to let it all be all in the groove

All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove
All in the groove

Support Your Local Emperor
Music: Bobby Sheehan & Chan Kinchla
Lyrics: John Popper


Support your local emperor
Pay him tribute every time
Let it be known he holds your fate
From his fingertips shall flow the wine
Tell him when he speaks the air is sweet
Whenever he walks rosebeds be laid
So that he may always feel secure
In the vast empire that he's made

But could you tell me what he's ever done for you?
I'm not the one that needed an army
I'm not the one that needed respect
I'm not the one that hopes they'll remember
I'm not the one they'll likely forget
It seems one's going to walk
Where he's willing to walk
And with the ears of a bat
And the eyes of a hawk
You can see that in the end
It's just a little bit of talk
But a rodent's always looking
For some cat he can stalk
To meow for him, to meow for him......

Remember once when you were young
It really was not all that long ago
You reached out your hand and it was met
If you let your heart will tell you so
So how your head don't meet his eyes
When royalty speaks you then reply
Someday he may find his throne is cold
Someday he may chance to wonder why

But could you tell me what he's ever done for you?
I'm not the one that needed an army
I'm not the one that needed respect
I'm not the one that hopes they'll remember
I'm not the one they'll likely forget
It seems one's going to walk
Where he's willing to walk
And with the ears of a bat
And the eyes of a hawk
You can see that in the end
It's just a little bit of talk
But a rodent's always looking
For some cat he can stalk
To meow for him, to meow for him......

Support your local emperor
Pay him tribute every time
Let it be known he holds your fate
From his fingertips shall flow the wine
Tell him when he speaks the air is sweet
Whenever he walks rosebeds be laid
So that he may always feel secure
In the vast empire that he's made
That he's made.......

Bagheera
Music: Chan Kinchla & Brendan Hill
Lyrics: John Popper


Bagheera walked into the bar and poured himself a drink
His fur was stained with the blood of monkeys and he needed
Time to think
The man at the bar said, "What are you doing here?"
Bagheera let go a low soft purr that kept the man from coming near
He said I'm Bagheera, the mighty panther and the jungle is my home
I'm free, free in all I see and that makes me free to roam
Sometimes to feel the music of the jungle it can cause you pain
And the man heard Bagheera as the entire jungle joined in the big
black cat's refrain

One dark night the man cub came to the big black cat afraid
The boy was sure that he was dying due tot he endless stream of
water that his eyes made
Yeah the cat knew why when the boy said, "I don't want to die"
for these are the ways of men
The boy cried, "Teacher, teacher I don't, understand this ache
within me"
The great cat sighed and (then softly he began)
He said, "Indeed though art a man's child now and the world is yours
to give and take
the time has come now for your awareness to change forever and
there's a choice for you to make
You may remain here in the jungle and hunt with the free people
Or if you feel the man's God calling you return to your kind in the
village and worship at his steeple
The only thing you must do is what you feel in your heart is true
I will hunt now and leave you on your own to decide what to do"
The mighty panther went on his hunt
Secret Lord of the jungle beneath a night sky
And some say if you could have seen him then you'd have noticed a
single tear fall from his majestic eye