The Day Today – The Final James Lee Stanley CD
Three years in the studio have produced what people are referring to as James Lee’s “White Album”, in that there are seventeen songs in a variety of genres and styles that demonstrate the breadth and depth of James Lee’s genius. Working at the peak of his powers James Lee did write or co write all the songs, play most of the instruments and all of the lead vocals as well as many background vocals.
He was also fortunate to have the incredible contributions of John Batdorf, Chris Conway, Melissa Greener, Laurence Juber, Gary Katz, Ken Lyon, Rick Ruskin, Corky Siegel, Pamala Stanley, Washington “Smow Down” Tahr, Chad Watson, and Sandra Young.
In James Lee’s own words: “It is the longest opus I have ever created. The few that have given me input tell me it’s the best recording I have ever done. I tend to agree. I spent the entire lockdown writing and recording it here on top of a mountain in Bear Valley Springs with the original idea of culling the 17 songs down to an even dozen, but three years of writing, rewriting and recording and re-recording have left me with the decision to include them all.”
The Songs:
1. Wake the Flock Up
2. The Best We Can
3. The Carnival
4. Hard Lesson To Learn
5. America’s A Gun
6. Cold Ukrainian Night
7. Do It In His Name
8. Hearts In Amber
9. Time and the River
10. Mobius Trip
11. Too Much To Dream
12. Hey Look At You Too
13. Summer’s On the Way
14. How Many Days, How Many Hours
15. For the Last Time
16. Tumblin Down These Stairs
17. Brick At A Time (The Bonus cut, if you will)
I am only manufacturing one thousand CDs which will be signed and numbered. When these are gone there will be no more. The price is $30 (no shipping and handling fee)
payable to James Lee Stanley to paypal.me/jamesleestanley or @jamesleestanley at venmo or by check to:
James Lee Stanley
785 Tucker Road, G203
Tehachapi, CA 93561
Thank you for hanging in with me all these years through all these challenges. I have been blessed to make music my entire life. And truthfully that has been my only aspiration. I am a lucky fellow.
All the best to you in this year 2024. I suspect it will be our most challenging yet. This music should help.
James Lee Stanley
Bear Valley Springs, California
The Lyrics:
Wake the Flock Up
Chained to the TV, chained to the phone
Everyone’s connected everyone’s alone
Misinformation, spinning the news
Helplessly watching, must be something we can do
Wolves in the hen house the brood is in need Please
Wake the flock up, wake the flock up
Wake the flock up, wake the flock up, wake up
Done in broad daylight No sense of shame
Say it’s their nature Accepting no blame
Time isn’t waiting and neither should we
In a fight for your life, there aren’t any rules Fools
Wake the flock up…
Kill with no conscience Rebels without a clue
Now they’ve tasted blood, they’re coming for you…me and you
Wake the flock up…
Words and music by james lee stanley @2022, 2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
The Best We Can
The Honey Bee does mystery dances
To show the hive the way
The sparrow sings a song of joy
To greet the brand new day
A spider jade of solid gold
Spins circles ‘round the sun
The weaver weaves, the singer sings
The doers get things done
Not a soul can tell you why And no one understands
We live our lives as if they matter We do the best we can
It makes no matter what we gather
We pay the price, we must
Fame and fortune fade away
Like granite into dust
And still we all assume the role
And learn our lines by heart
To make our brief lives count for something
We all just play a part
Not a soul can tell you why We believe some guiding hand
Will steer our lives as if they matter We do the best we can
Words and music by james lee stanley @2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
The Carnival
The carnival has left this town, there’s only barren fields
No carousel no cotton candy, no more ferris wheel
The carnival has left this town, don’t think it will return
They say you can’t go home again, will we ever learn
The midway’s lost in shadow That darkens as we wait
The wind of silence whispers Thru the rusted busted gate
A paper cup blows thru the grass, The sun’s nowhere in sight
The wind picks up, trees lose their leaves and the string snaps on my kite
And slowly drifts into the night
The carnival has left this town, there’s only empty space
The lions and the tigers, all gone without a trace
The carnival has left this town, I know it may sound strange
But we thought life would stay same, now everything has changed
Our whole lives were a carnival, we rode free on a pass
We never thought that it could end, but nothing’s built to last
The winters now are way too hot, The summers long and cold
Do you think spring will come again, at least that’s what we’re told
Do you believe what we’ve been told?
The carnival has left this town, there’s only barren field
No carousel calliope, no more ferris wheel
The carnival has left this town, don’t think it will return
What’s gone for good is gone forever, will we ever learn
Words and music by James Lee Stanley @2022 james lee stanley music, bmi
Bear Valley Springs September 8, 2022
Hard Lesson To Learn
Have i we ever been satisfied, I’ll tell you honestly
Whenever fortune’s come our way We’ve always looked to see
Is that all? There’s got to be more, Round the Corner turn?
And that’s a hard lesson, A hard lesson to learn
It’s a hard, hard lesson to learn
Seems like only yesterday The world was at my feet
Loved embraced and nurtured By everyone I’d meet
It’s too late now to show them how I’d give back in return…and
that’s a hard lesson, A hard lesson to learn
It’s a hard, hard lesson to learn
Take your time some people say
To live in love’s the only way
Will we find the way
My sunrise came right after the war, my sunset no-one knows.
Empires rise and empires fall. They only go to show
It’s written in the day to day that every season turns
but It’s a hard lesson, a hard lesson to learn
It’s a hard, hard hard lesson to learn
Yes it’s a hard hard, hard lesson to learn
Words and Music by James Lee Stanley and Gary Mazzola
@2023 James Lee Stanley Music BMI
America’s A Gun
England is a cup of tea
France a wheel or ripened bree
Greece a little olive tree
America’s a gun
Brasil is football in the sand
Argentina Maradonna’s hand
Germany’s an oom pah band
America’s a gun
Holland is a wooden shoe
Hungary’s a goulash stew
Australia is a kangaroo
America’s a gun
Japan, well it’s a thermal spring
Scotland is a highland fling
We could be most anything but
America’s a gun
Words by Brian Bilston with apologies for any errors
Music by James Lee Stanley @2023 by james lee stanley music, bmi
Cold Ukrainian Night
Do you remember
When you heard the news
Stunned and broken hearted
With so much left to lose
I remember
I couldn’t believe my eyes
A world in embers
Ashes of the Truth
Lies and alibis
But I will keep a candle burning
To turn the darkness into light
I will not surrender
I’ll remember what was wrong
and what was right on that cold Ukrainian night
Quick as lightning
A cunning slight of hand
Manic misdirection
Cast a shadow on the land
I remember
Feeling helpless feeling lost
But in that twilight
A spark of hope remains
Beneath the winter frost
But we will keep a candle burning
To turn the darkness into light
We will not surrender
We’ll remember what was wrong
and what was right on that cold Ukrainian night
Moving shadows, thunder in the night
children fear the dark
The craven fear the light
But we will keep a candle burning
To turn the darkness into light
We will not surrender
We’ll remember what was wrong
and what was right
on that cold Ukrainian night
We will light ten thousand candles
For the dreams so worth the fight
We will not surrender
We’ll remember what was wrong
And what was right on that Ukrainian Night
Words by james lee stanley and jim wilson, music by jim wilson
@2020 james lee stanley music, bmi & willow bay music publishing
Do It in His Name
Some say nothing’s bad or good til thinking makes it so
Some believe in heaven, some say they just don’t know
I keep my own counsel I wish you’d do the same
Cursing me or blessing me, you do it in his name
You do it in his name you know what he would do
You do it in his name, as if you really knew
You do it in his name you know not what you do
People have opinions, people have beliefs
Some come for the comfort, some for the relief
Some borrow what they cannot steal
Some do it for their gain
Some fake it when they cannot feel
Some do it in his name
They do it in his name they know what he would do
They do it in his name as if they really knew
They do it in his name and to hell with me and you
Blackened beads of rosaries, golden wheels of prayer
Crosses with the Star of David, crescents in the air
Symbols of the faithful, the truth is theirs alone
Superstition, sacred cows, roll away the stone
They do it in his name they know not what they do
They do it in his name
Embrace whatever comforts you I will do the same
What good is pointing fingers, what good is painting blame
Why judge anybody, just let each other be
Hey, i’ll let you in my heaven
You can do the same for me
Hey, i’ll let you in my heaven
You can do the same for me
We’ll do it in his name who knows what he might do
We’ll do it in his name, it’s up to me and you
We’ll do it in his name
words and music by james lee stanley, @2024james lee stanley music, bmi
Hearts In Amber
(and they say)
She keeps her heart in amber
You can look but you can’t touch
A well known secret, clear as crystal
A diamond in the in the dust
She keeps her heart in amber
Amber knows when anyone is watching
Amber knows that not a soul can see
Where she’s been or where she’s going
Is she chained or is she free?
She keeps her heart in amber
If there are stars in her skies,
She’ll never see them
from where her heart lies
Even if all of those stars were in her eyes
She couldn’t free them
Once you know she keeps her heart in amber
Even tho it’s hidden in plain sight
If you find it you can’t keep it
Could you steal the darkness from the night?
She keeps her heart in amber
Over time our cries become a whisper
Over time our skin becomes so thin
Over time our hearts become bone china
We break so easily then
We keeps our hearts in amber
Words and music by James Lee Stanley, @2021 james lee stanley music bmi
Time and the River
Put your ear to a shell, you’ll hear the ocean
Put your ear to my heart, you’ll hear your name…
Every day with you always rushes to an end too soon for me
As the hours go, I want you to know how much you mean to me
I want to make each minute last, but they all slip away so fast…
Time and the river, keep on flowing
Time and the river, there’s just no slowing them down
No slowing them down.
Every night it seems you are in my dreams like the ocean’s in a shell
On my darkest night, you’re the ray of light that breaks the shadows spell
And then another day begins, though I don’t want the night to end
Time and the river, keep on flowing
Time and the river, there’s just no slowing them down
No slowing them down.
Words and music by james lee stanley, 2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
Mobius Trip
There you stand on the edge of the city
Got a paycheck in your hand
This is it, it’s your new beginning
It’s your ticket to the promise land
It doesn’t matter what the extras chatter
They can point at your dreams and laugh
Cause this is YOUR business, it’s none of their business
It’s your brand new second chance
And you’re gonna take it
And make it work this time
Yes you’re gonna take it
And stake it all out on the line
Where it’s do or die
It’s laugh or cry
It’s try or die trying this time
There you were at the trailways station
You’d checked all your dreams and passed
This is it, the dream has ended
And nothing’s gonna make it last
A candy bar and a cup of bad coffee
Then you get on the bus and go
Twenty three dollars away from las vegas
Get a job where the pay’s too low
But you’re gonna take it…
Out on the highway you spy a help wanted
On your ride to the end of the line
Not much of a job for so much of a man
But you tell ‘em it’ll do just fine
Work all week for two hundred dollars
That you’re too damned tired to spend
So you quit that job and you hop on the bus
And you’re back in las vegas again
And you ‘re gonna make it
Gonna make it work this time
You’re take it and stake it all on the no pass line
Where it ‘s do or die
It’s laugh or cry
It’s try or die trying this time
Words and music by James Lee Stanley, @2024 James Lee Stanley Music, BMI
Too Much To Dream
It’s the middle of the night
Someplace far from here
I’ve had too much to dream
But it was just this once I swear
Too much to dream
But it won’t happen again,
No it won’t happen again
I know I told you before
But I mean it this time
I know I hurt you baby
I’ve done my share of lying
Too much to dream
But it won’t happen again, No
It won’t happen again
I don’t know why I do it
I don’t know what goes wrong
But if you’ll just forgive me
And let me come on home
I won’t hurt you no more baby,
I won’t touch another drop
I won’t spend one more night without you
I swear this time, this time, I’ll stop
It’s the middle of the night…
Words and music by James Lee Stanley, @2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
Hey Look At You, Too
You stare at the sun and you’ll prob’ly go blind
You race with the moon and you’ll soon fall behind
Playing with fire, you’ll surely get burned
But I take my chances, guess I’ll never learn
You walked in the room and no one can deny
All eyes are upon you, no need to ask why
There’s something about you, I can’t look away
With no hesitation I only can say…
Hey look at you, hey look at you
Hey look at you, you’re so fine
You’re out on that dance floor I love how you move
You’re into the moment, you’re into the groove,
You’re beckoning to me, your arms open wide
With no hesitation I’m here by your side.
Hey look at you…
Words and music by james lee stanley, @2021 james lee stanley music, bmi
Summer’s On the Way
Carrot skirts swaying in the streets
There’s a window in the clouds
Finally, it’s a sunny day
The classroom minutes shout
I hear the wind in the sugar trees
Just outside these walls
When can we get out of here
You can feel the new day call
What this summer’s gonna bring
After all this time inside
What this summer’s gonna bring
Is a siren song that cannot be denied
Summer’s on the way
Newspaper weather, cabin fever
Lost in the language of clocks
Too much time in too little space
With the doors and windows locked
Te long red night is finally over
The clouds have rolled away
That ray of hope we could not see
Will finally have its day
Who gave life to all those lies, I won’t forget
A winter-fall of foolish lies I won’t forget
Even after all this time, I won’t forget
See who’s laughing now
Summer’s on the way…
Words by james lee stanley @2021 james lee stanley music, bmi
Music by rick ruskin & james lee stanley, @2021 james lee stanley music, bmi/lion dog music, ascap
For the Last Time
If I leave it up to you, I know what you’re gonna do
You’re gonna break my heart in two, like the last time
You see, this happened once before but it won’t happen anymore
Cause I’m walking out that door for the last time.
It’s the last time you’ll ever see me cry
And it’s the last time I’ll ever say goodbye, to you
Yes it’s the last time you’ll ever break my heart.
Everybody’s on to you, I’ve told everyone you knew
And now I’ll tell the whole world too, for the first time
I know what it is, I’m free, I know where I want to be
Anywhere that I won’t see you like the last time
It’s the last time you’ll ever see me cry…
If I knew what I know now, I’d have changed my life somehow
Amazing what the heart allows for the first time
But everything has changed for me, it took a while but now I see
What leaving you has done for me, for the first time.
Yes, It’s the last time you’ll ever see me cry…
Words and music james lee stanley @2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
How Many Days, How Many Hours
How much time will it take
How many days, how many hours
Til I forget your face
How many days, how many hours
Why did you walk away
Without a word, without a warning
What can I do or say
Would you even listen
What was it changed your mind
After so many days and so many hours
That made you leave me behind
So many days and so many hours
I never let you down, or crossed the line
I cross my hear
Was I just another clown stranded in the love light
People connect to fast
So many days, and so many hours
Wasn’t it made to last
All of our lives and all of our hours
Don’t I deserve to know
Why did you leave, I can’t believe it
How could you turn and go
Without even goodbye
Words and music by james lee stanley, @2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
Tumblin Down These Stairs
I should be rolling down the highway
‘Stead of tumbling down these stairs
I should be rolling down the highway
‘Stead of tumbling down these stairs
Rolling, rolling, rolling…
Time slips away, no stopping it
Shoulda, woulda, coulda
Time slips away, no stopping it
Shoulda, woulda, coulda
When I had the time, no stoppin’ it
When I had the time
I should be rolling down the highway
‘Stead of tumbling down these stairs
Words and music by james lee stanley @2024 james lee stanley music, bmi
Bonus track…
a brick at a time
walking across the Brooklyn bridge,
it’s a geometric horizon
a brick at a time’s what came to mind,
a brick at a time til a whole city’s rising
look at the buildings, look at the lights,
look at the people around you
a brick at a time a brick at a time,
til New York city surrounds you
walking across the Brooklyn bridge
you can’t help laughing out loud
it’s a wonderous sight, the halogen lights
and you take your place in the crowd
look at the buildings, look at the lights,
look at the people beside you
a brick at a time til a city was born,
feel the jingle jangle inside you
brick by brick they built this city
a brick at a time, a brick at a time
Brick by brick They built this city
a brick at a time, a brick at a time
walking across the Brooklyn bridge
nothing can keep you from grinning
it’s a wonderous sight, under halogen lights,
struttin’ laughin’ and spinnin’
look at the buildings, look at the lights,
flickering, flashing around you
a brick at a time and city was born,
and the NYC buzz surrounds you
Written by james lee stanley
after patti heller and I walked across the brooklyn bridge
2024 james lee stanley music, bmi