All They Know (2022)
All They Know is Stan's third CD of original music. It is a collection of his musical stories about love of all kinds, persistence, gratitude,...and housecleaning. All They Know was recorded with a Zoom audience in one evening at Frog Hollow Studio in Topsham, Maine. You can view video of the live recording of four of the songs, with spoken introductions, here.
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To buy "All They Know" directly from Stan, send $12 for the physical CD, or $6 for the mp3s, via PayPal
Or send a check to :
Stan Davis, 409 North Wayne Road,
Wayne, ME 04284
Songs & Descriptions
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Here are descriptions of the songs on All They Know
(click title for lyrics):
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“Wasn’t a plan” - the story of my surprised careen through life
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“All they know (is love and laughter)” - a song for children
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“Let’s keep our love on simmer” - a desperate ragtime tale of parents running on faith
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“Always coming home” - surviving business travel
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“Stronger than the blood” - a family's secret uncovered
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“She wanted to sing”- a family story of dreams unfulfilled
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“An oak is just a nut that stood its ground”- a story of persistence.
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“(If I vacuum) I might get hurt” - a cautionary tale of housecleaning
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“The busker in the subway” - a memory from the San Francisco BART
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“That's What He Does” - actions speak louder....
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“No Upgrades” - a love song
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“Noah” - from the early days of the Covid pandemic
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“(Don’t Know How I Could Have Made It) Without You” - a hymn of gratitude
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“(I Would Do a Few Things Over) If I Could” - a bluesy meditation on regrets
Lyrics
WASN’T A PLAN
When I was a kid I wanted to save the day like superman
Travel to Tahiti like that guy Gauguin
See the earth from space
Be a rocket man
I don’t know what brought me to this place but it sure as hell wasn’t a plan
I've been to the southwest canyons, the ruins of the Yucatan
Stood in front of art by Botticelli and Rodin
Safaried in Zimbabwe, walked in Gandhi's land
I don’t know what brought me to this place but it sure as hell wasn’t a plan
Did magic shows in Spain with wordless sleight of hand
Sat in with Muddy Waters in a blues club jam
Walked across that bridge from Selma to Birmingham
I don’t know what brought me to this place but it sure as hell wasn’t a plan
Some peoples’ lives are a straight road to the summit
Some of us go wanderin like a chaos Muppet
I don’t know what's comin next-
I got no diagram
I sit and watch my grandkids build their castles in the sand
I see their futures beckon like a neon hologram.
I don’t know what brought me to this place but it sure as hell wasn’t a plan
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ALL THEY KNOW
One grandkid sleepin on my chest
The other’s runnin in the yard
All they know is love and laughter
They don’t know that life is hard
There’s so much I want to teach them
But it’s not time for that just yet
So this song is theirs for later
Right now, some secrets must be kept
CHORUS Play with your friends,
Make angels in the snow
Dance and sing and always know
That we love you that we love you
In this life we all stumble
We fail we fall
There are days when nothin makes any sense at all
Sometimes you will get lost
Keep goin till you find your way
Someone will break your heart
You keep movin toward the day
CHORUS
You will make your share of mistakes
Make them right, then let them go
And there is one more thing
That I want you to know
This world will try to teach you fear
It will try to teach you hate
Please remember what I’m sayin
You keep loving anyway
CHORUS
One grandkid sleepin on my chest
The other’s sittin on my knee
All they know is love and laughter
That’s the way their lives should be (repeat last two lines)
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LOVE ON SIMMER
There are songs of love so wonderful
There are songs of love so bad
There are songs about the one who left and left you feelin lonely
And the one who left and now you’re feeling glad
We have heard these songs a thousand times
So I think today
I should sing a song about a love, a love that’s just okay
The twins are eatin corn chips for their dinner
There are two reports I’ve gotta write
We got bills to pay if we can figure out which ones must be paid to night
The car started leakin something gooey
The dishwasher just blew a fuse
And I’m trying real hard to remember how I fell in love with you
CHORUS If we can't be lovers, I hope we can be friends
Let’s keep our love on simmer til we can boil gain
Our new babe’s an air raid siren every night at two o'clock
On my way to rock her I step on a lego and my swearing wakes you up
I remember lazy Sunday mornings with loving slow and deep
Right now I’d be in ecstasy if I could get one full night's sleep.
CHORUS
I can’t get back to sleep and in my late night ruminations
I am jealous of our friends and their Instagram vacations
We won’t be going to that cottage by the shore
But I’ll distract the kids while you lock the bathroom door
CHORUS
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ALWAYS COMING HOME
Been out on the road much of my work life
Spent a lot of time away from home and you
Nowhere I can walk, unfamiliar food
Only one thing gets me through
CHORUS When I'm far away from you, I don't feel alone (cause)
In my mind I'm always comin home
In my mind I'm always comin home
Chaos in the airport ran from gate to gate
Flight took off without me; no way to make it wait
Hungry and exhausted I’m tryin to hang on
By lookin at your picture on my phone.....
CHORUS
Sleeper train in India narrow upper bed
Nothin I can eat or drink a pounding in my head
Taxi to my guesthouse and get my webcam on
Your face shines through like the sun..
CHO
I see you on the webcam I hear you on the phone
I think of you and I don't feel alone.
(Cause) In my mind I'm always comin home
In my mind I'm always comin home
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STRONGER THAN THE BLOOD
They named my grandpa David Allan Davies
They named my daddy David Allan two
When it was my time to join the family tree
You know they named me David Allan three
I remember fam’ly dinners at my grandma's
Her brothers reminiscing over food
Telling me their stories of those who share my name
The troubles that my people overcame.
I can almost hear them singing in the local
Smell the coal seams burning underground
I can almost see the dogs gathering the sheep
These veins of family memory run so deep
Now I am the older generation
I sent my DNA off to a lab
I know all the stories that my family tells
And I've found another chapter in my cells
They named my dad after my grandpa
My grandpa raised him as his own
I think my grandpa knew and chose the path of love
The bonds of heart are stronger than the blood.
The bonds of heart are stronger than the blood.
They named my grandpa David Allan Davies
They named my daddy David Allan two
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SHE WANTED TO SING
She was sixteen in Harlem
The music was everywhere
She flirted her way into clubs to hear singers
She smiled and she shook her hair
Cab Calloway; Sinatra’s syncopation
Bei mir bist du schon; her musical temptation
She wanted to sing; she wanted to sing
More than anything, she wanted to sing
(She had) auditions then the depression
Her dad ran a grocery store
He sold the food to his neighbors on credit
Until there was no more
(She) took a job in a factory
(Put her) music on the shelf
(She thought) when your family needs you, you can't think about yourself
She wanted to sing; she wanted to sing
More than anything, she wanted to sing
(She) married my dad in the 40s
Then he shipped off to war
She sang her heart onto records to send to the guy she waited for
He came back (they) started a family
She was a mother a wife
This was post war pre feminism (those) roles took over her life
She wanted to sing; she wanted to sing
More than anything, she wanted to sing
(She had) 78s in boxes dusty with her dreams
On a shelf down cellar
Who knows what that means?
Sometimes when I’m performing
(And) I get in a groove
Might be my mother’s spirit makin that music move
She wanted to sing
She wanted to sing
More than anything, she wanted to sing
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AN OAK IS JUST A NUT THAT STOOD ITS GROUND
Oak tree soars above the forest floor
Three times as tall as giraffe
If I told you this tree was once a nut
I guess you’d have to check my math
Squirrel buried acorns forgot about a few
One nut put down roots and grew.
CHORUS: an oak is just a nut that stood its ground
(It kept) eatin' sun drinkin' rain, reaching for the crown.
An oak is just nut that stood its ground
In our work for justice on this planet
We are often two steps forward one step back
Like a locomotive climbing up mountain
Sometimes we feel rooted to the track
Every generation moves the fight ahead
Hands the torch on to the next
To do our best is all we can expect.
CHORUS
Many drops of rain wear the mountain down
Brick by brick a building rises to the clouds
When your path seems too hard to travel
When your hill gets too steep to climb
Take one small step rest and take another
Move ahead little at time.
CHORUS
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I MIGHT GET HURT
My woodstove has a caution label
Sayin it gets hot
My vacuum cleaner has a warning
Booklet in its box (in six languages and three alphabets)
(It said) don’t carry this appliance by its cord
Don’t vacuum up hot embers or gasoline
You know what I mean…
CHORUS If I vacuum I might get hurt
If I vacuum I might get hurt
I could learn to live with dirt
If I vacuum I might get hurt
The state of California knows
This product causes cancer
And reproductive harm
The list's as long as my arm
Must not vacuum in loose clothing
Must unplug to replace parts
After all, a shock could hurt my heart
CHORUS
I could do the dishes but scrubbing hurts my hands
Fumes from chlorine cleaner affects my thyroid gland
If I go to the dump I might lose stuff I need
I think instead of cleaning I should sit right here and read
CHORUS
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THE BUSKER IN THE SUBWAY
He was buskin in the subway with his back against a post
Invisible to people walkin by
Trains were rumblin under commuters went to work
(They were) Thinkin bout their projects and their lives.
He closed his eyes and sang and
His head began to sway
To the music as he played.
His fingers wove around two broken guitar strings
The hallway tiles were cracked they smelled like beer
Stiletto heels were tappin out
The rhythms of the city
While his music filled my ears
He closed his eyes and sang and
His head began to sway
To the music as he played.
I sat down to listen and
A smile came on his face
In a moment of unexpected grace
He talked about his wife “I cheated did her wrong”
Finally she left me don’t know how she stayed so long
Then he said my drinkin drove away my son"
He slowly strummed some chords and sang
I never meant to hurt no one
He closed his eyes and sang and
His head began to sway
To the music as he played.
I got up and joined the crowds in motion
Headed for my home it was the time
As the train went through the tunnels
With the stations flashin past
His words kept ringin in my mind:
I have caused some pain with the things I've done
But I never meant to hurt no one.
I have caused some pain with the things I've done
But I never meant to hurt no one
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THAT’S WHAT HE DOES
When they were first together, Helen used to wonder
Is this what a marriage should be like?
He never says I love you; I wish that he would say it
Is this the way I want to live my life
Cause Helen's husband's always sharpening his chainsaw,
Straightening the toolbox, workin in the shed
Helen’s husband’s always polishing the windshield.. …
That’s what he does
Helen's husband's always cleanin out the gutters,
Caulkin round the windows,
Touchin up the trim,
Helen's husband's always sweepin off the front porch
That’s what he does
Helen’s friends are talkin bout him at the theater,
He never gives you chocolate he never asks you out
We don’t understand why you’re stayin with him
How did you wind up with such a lout?
Helen's husband's always settin out some mousetraps,
Oilin squeaky hinges, whackin down the weeds,
Helen's husband's always diggin in the garden …
That’s what he does
Helen's husband's always takin out the garbage,
Scoopin out the cat box, vacuuming the floor
Helen's husband's always cleanin up the kitchen
That’s what he does
It’s a few weeks later, she’s got coffee in the kitchen
Sees him outside mowing, smiles and shakes her head
Thinks about something her mother told her
Well done is better than well said
Well done is better than well said
Helen's husband's always…
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NO UPGRADES
Put in a new screen door to upgrade my porch
Got down on my knees nailed down a hard wood floor
Tiled my bathroom I used grout I used glue
But I’ll tell ya babe I would not want to upgrade you
Upgraded my Junker to an SUV
Now I’m travelin down the highway surrounded in luxury
Ditched my light beer got some microbrew
But I’ll tell ya babe I would not want to upgrade you
BRIDGE not sayin you’re perfect hey nobody is
We all could rearrange
All I’m sayin- hear me talkin to ya
I don't want you to change
Put in new refrigerator- stainless steel
New pots and pans so we can cook a good meal
New spices so the flavor shines through
But I’ll tell ya babe- I don't want to upgrade you (repeat last line)
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NOAH
God told Noah’s family to climb on board the Ark
Bring along the animals that roar and growl and tweet and bark
First few days were great- like a camping trip
After while their sanity started to slip
We’re sendin out the doves someday they’ll find land
This waitin and hopin is gettin hard to stand
No need to shave for work or wear clean pants
Nobody watchin if you get little drunk and you start to dance
Same meals every day, you'd think that'd kill your appetite
They mostly get along sometimes they fight
We’re sendin out the doves someday they’ll find land
This waitin and hopin is gettin hard to stand
Noah wants some quiet not much of that on board He’s
Standin on the deck in the rain prayin to the Lord
Naama sets time aside each day to meditate
Seth plugs in his amp, turns it up to 12 and plays
We’re sendin out the doves someday they’ll find land
This waitin and hopin is gettin hard to stand
The rabbits started breeding you know the way they do.
They’re fillin up the boat with the power of the power of two
The Yeti both decided the flood was a scam a hoax, a plot
Jumped overboard to walk to land that’s why they are not.
We’re sendin out the doves someday they’ll find land
This waitin and hopin is gettin hard to stand
We’re sendin out the doves, one day they’ll lead us home
Meanwhile we just keep on keeping on (repeat)
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WITHOUT YOU
Never been too tightly wrapped,
You know that’s the truth
I don’t know how I could have made it without you
Squirrels runnin round my attic-
Nuts and bolts up there keep comin loose
I don’t know how I could have made it without you
Sometimes I run out of steam my train falls off the track
You get me up and get me goin; you’ve got my back
I get way out in the tall weeds
So lost and so blue
I don’t know how I could have made it without you
My mind gets torn and tangled
My thought streams get confused
I don’t know how I could have made it without you
Sometimes I run out of steam my train falls off the track
You get me up and get me goin; you’ve got my back
Never had a lick of sense
Rarely even have a clue
I don’t know how I could have made it without you
I don’t know how I could have made it without you
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IF I COULD
CHORUS I would do few things over if I could
I would do a few things over if I could
I would do a few things over and you know that would be good
I would do a few things over if I could
I would teach my kids we'd have a family band (2)
Yeah I know they resisted but I could have persisted
I would teach my kids we would have a family band
I would do my sweetie better yes I would
I could do my sweetie better yes I could
I would do less complainin
More listenin less mansplaining
I would do my sweetie better yes I would
CHORUS
Would learn to play the piano yes I would (2)
I would play like Pine Top Perkins
You would see my fingers workin
I would learn to play the piano yes I would
I'd mend fences with my parents while they lived (2)
Could have bit my tongue more often, my words I could have softened
I'd mend fences with my parents while they lived
CHORUS
But mostly I would live my life again (2)
With my sweetie, and my kids, playin music with my friends
And livin in my small town until my story ends
Mostly I would live my life again
CHORUS
I would do a few more dances sing more songs I'd take more chances
I would do a few things over if I could