Lyrics - Swingin' in the Key of L
- I Made A New Friend
- Express Yourself
- Wonders Of The World
- Hey Tom, Take Your Time
- Secondhand Information
- With These Hands
- Everyone Can Be A Winner
- Simple Pleasures
- A World United
- Just A Matter Of Time
- My Very Own Frame
- Tear Down The Walls
I Made A New Friend
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
I'd seen you around, at school and downtown,
And there was something I liked about you.
How could I show you I wanted to know you,
I realized what I had to do.
You know I felt really shy,
Almost gave up without a try,
But I finally came up and said Hi,
Now I made a new friend, made a new friend!
I wondered what you would say,
I was afraid you might turn away,
But I went up to you anyway,
Now I made a new friend, made a new friend.
I made a new friend, yeah!
I made a new friend, yeah!
CHORUS:
We'll be talking on the phone tonight and
We'll be making some plans.
Things are really turning out alright,
I'm glad I took the chance!
No, it wasn't easy to do,
Coming right up to talk to you,
But it's really great that I followed through
Cause I made a new friend, made a new friend!
I made a new friend, yeah! I made a new friend, yeah!
CHORUS, then repeat third verse
I took that chance and I made a new friend!...
Express Yourself
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
If you've got a song, sing every note,
Don't let someone make you keep it in your throat!
If you've got a dance, go on and move,
Don't let someone tell you you're not in the groove!
If someone's got a notion to squash your emotion,
You've still gotta let it shine through...
Don't disappear for someone else,
CHORUS:
Express yourself! - your smile, your voice,
Express yourself! - your gifts, your dreams,
Express yourself! - your hurts, your joys,
Don't disappear for someone else, express yourself!
The thoughts in your head, feel free to share,
Show the world you've got some good ideas in there.
If something's unfair, maybe it's time,
To do the world a favor and speak your mind!
Someone may be thinking that
they'll have you shrinking
To less than what you really could be...
Don't disappear for someone else,
CHORUS
Like breathing the air, it's your natural right,
To be who you are, to shine your light,
If discouragement comes around, you can rise, rise, rise above it,
No one can keep you down!
If you've got a dream you want to make real,
Don't let someone sway you from the way you feel,
And if you believe, deep in your heart,
No one else's words will tear your dream apart!
If folks try to break you in hopes they can make you
Quit before you've even begun...
Don't disappear for someone else,
CHORUS (twice), then fade
Wonders Of The World
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
They say the world has seven wonders,
but I can't agree,
'Cause I would say that's way under
what the truth must be.
Wonders come in endless numbers,
All you have to do, is sharpen up your view,
I feel so enchanted when I don't
take things for granted!
I bit into an apple like I'd done a thousand times,
But I looked at this apple and a thought
came to my mind,
How it came from a tree that grew from the land,
A tree that was a tiny seed, that's how it began.
I thought of how this tiny seed became a tree so tall,
How it was nourished by the rain that
somehow knew to fall,
Apple grew on a branch high up off the ground,
And when it knew it was ripe,
it came tumbling down.
CHORUS:
Hey look around, hey look around,
The wonders of the world are everywhere, everywhere!
Hey look around, hey look around,
With wonder in your mind
You'll be aware of wonders everywhere!
A billion snowflakes falling down
And no two are the same,
A firefly lights up in the sky just like a little flame,
Giant stars look so small to the human eye,
And looking through a microscope
a world goes whizzing by.
The perfect time for flying South is chosen by a bird,
A baby opens up her mouth and out
comes her first word,
Colors change in the leaves, dazzling the eyes,
Caterpillars somehow changing into butterflies.
CHORUS
I looked into the mirror like I'd done
a thousand times,
I moved a little nearer and a thought
came to my mind,
Could it be, what I see is a wonder too?
Then I started thinking and I knew it was true.
What a great invention are these eyes
through which I see,
My ears and nose I'll mention,
they amaze me equally,
My stomach knows what to do with the food I eat,
My heart it is a wonder too, doesn't miss a beat.
I can think, I can feel, and I do each day,
I can speak, but times like this all that I can say is
CHORUS, then:
Hey look around! (five times)
Hey Tom, Take Your Time
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
This is a story of a guy named Tom,
Always in a hurry, he was never calm.
He moved to fast even for the fast lane,
He moved through life like a runaway train.
It all began when he was a boy,
His Mama said, "If you're gonna have any joy,
Follow this advice my dear,
Enjoy each moment while it's here."
CHORUS:
But he said, "Gotta go, gotta gotta get gone,
Gotta a lotta plans so I gotta move on."
His mind was always a step ahead,
So he never heard when people said:
"Hey Tom, take your time, or your life's
gonna slip right by!
Hey Tom, slow down,
Take a deep breath, take a look around!
If you keep on rushing on and on,
If you keep on rushing on and on,
If you keep on rushing on and on
Your here and now will be here and gone!"
Well, Tom grew up, but he didn't slow down...
He'd cook his food in a microwave,
'Cause instant meals are what he craved.
While it cooked he'd pace the floor,
Saying, "I should've just gobbled it raw!"
Then he'd eat his food in a frazzled mood,
So his food he barely chewed,
He'd swallow hunks and giant chunks,
He was one impatient dude!
CHORUS
His Dad said, "Stop and smell the roses,"
Tom said, "I wish I had a dozen noses,
Then I could smell a whole bush at a time!"
His Dad said, "That's not what I had in mind, no, no,"
(No No, Oh No!)
When the light said stop instead of walk,
Tom would fuss and Tom would squawk,
He'd say, "What a waste of time , I mean ,
Why can't that light always be green!"
When Tom would ask someone a question,
And they'd stop and think for a second,
He'd ask it again and he'd say,
"Come on, are you gonna take all day?"
CHORUS
Well the years passed and Tom grew older,
But he kept speeding and speeding through life
Until finally...
When on his deathbed Tom did lay,
And his final words it was time to say,
What he said when he spoke his last,
Was "Boy my life sure went by fast!"
He said "Gotta go, gotta gotta get gone,
Had a lotta plans, now I gotta move on.
My mind was always a step ahead,
I wish I'd listened when people said,"
(the rest of the) CHORUS (Hey Tom, take your time...)
Secondhand Information
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
You say you heard it through the grapevine,
But that vine is kinda long,
And by the time you heard it,
It may have been all wrong!... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
My mailman's uncle's sister's doctor's former
auto mechanic,
Said that killer fleas bigger than killer bees are here,
And I'm in a panic!
Joe had said Bill lost his head
In that car crash just yesterday, (Well I called Bill up)
He said the truth was that he lost a tooth,
And it was loose anyway!
It's just a lotta, it's just a lotta lotta...
CHORUS:
Second hand (second hand) information,
It's twisted all around! Sideways and upside down!
Oh there may not be much truth to be found in
Second hand (second hand), second hand information!
I heard that Grace took Susie's place
And she's now Jim's new girlfriend.
When I asked Jim it was news to him, he said
"Those words, don't believe them!"
I told Heather that my brother was driving to Nebraska,
But soon you see here's what got back to me -
My mother was skydiving in Alaska!
It's just a lotta, it's just a lotta lotta,
CHORUS
He said, she said, they said, we said,...
You don't know what to believe!
If you want the truth of course,
You've gotta go right to the source...
You can't count on
CHORUS, then:
Oh there may not be much truth to be found
In second hand (second hand),
Third hand (fourth hand), fifth hand, (seventh hand)
Eighth hand, (tenth hand) Second hand (second hand),
Second hand information...information... (fade)
With These Hands
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
With these hands, a picture I will paint,
I see it right here in my mind,
It will be one of a kind,
And when I am through, you will see it too.
With these hands, I will plant a tree,
I'll watch it grow and I'll protect it,
Give it love and I'll respect it,
And one day you'll see, it will give fruit to me.
CHORUS:
With these hands I can offer so much,
With these hands, I can create,
And with these hands, I can offer my love,
I can do beautiful things with these hands!
With these hands, I will write a song,
A song of peace for all to hear,
A song that may catch someone's ear,
And when they hear the song,
They may sing along.
With these hands, I'll reach out for the world,
I will join with other hands,
Everywhere in all the lands,
Working for the love the world's been dreaming of!
CHORUS (three times)
Everyone Can Be A Winner
By Jan Nigro © 1990 Janimation Music BMI
If it's you against me, it's easy to see,
That a loser there must always be.
Now we can say there's a better way,
We work it out together till we feel O.K.
CHORUS:
Everyone can be a winner,
everyone can be a winner!
When we solve it, resolve it, and find a solution,
When we end it and mend it, and stop the confusion.
It's a whole new approach, it's a revolution,
Everyone can be a winner!
Instead of you against me, why don't we be
Two people looking for a remedy.
We've found the key if you can be
My partner instead of my enemy.
CHORUS:
Conflicts arise, that's no surprise,
That's just a part of living.
We can see it through together because no more
Do we have to see it as a tug of war!
CHORUS (twice)
Simple Pleasures
By Jan Nigro © 1992 Janimation Music BMI
Looking at the screen too long here's what I find,
I want to leave the whole push button world behind.
Yes I know
I can change my scene without a remote control.
I want to feel the gentle wind upon my face
I want the sun to hold me in its warm embrace.
I feel brand new,
When I climb a hill and look out on the view!
CHORUS:
Simple pleasures for you, simple pleasures for me.
These are treasures for free,
the simple pleasures of life.
Simple pleasures I'm glad, simple pleasures I have,
These mean so much to me,
the simple pleasures of life.
I love to take my dog out running in the park.
I love to watch the sun set as it's getting dark.
And I love when, when I can go and
hang out with a friend.
Sitting down to dinner with my family.
Curling up to read a real good mystery.
All these things,
So simple and yet so much joy they bring!
CHORUS
I really enjoy playing basketball with my friends.
I like to play my guitar and sing.
I love to go swimming on a really hot day.
I have fun baking cookies for my family.
Sometimes I like to just sit and relax.
CHORUS
A World United
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
If Earth was attacked by monsters from outer space,
Would we pull together as a human race?
Oh tell me, is that what would have to take place,
For us to be a world united?
And if the law of gravity changed today,
So that things on Earth began to float away,
Then maybe every country would start to say,
We better think as a world united!
CHORUS:
We don't need catastrophe,
For us to see that we're all family.
Respect and understanding,
that's what could bond us,
It's not beyond us, I believe it... I believe it!
And if one day the sun decided to leave,
And the whole world over people started to freeze,
Oh tell me, would every nation then say "Please!,
We've got to think as a world united!"
CHORUS
And if nations feel the challenge to go to war,
Let us see the day when they will say "NO MORE!"
Oh let's accept the greater challenge and explore,
The ways to be a world united!
Oh we could be a world united!
Just A Matter Of Time
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
Two out in the ninth, the game on the line,
I'm up at bat, my chance to shine,
I watch strike three fly over the plate...
Great, just great!
How can I live with myself?
I let the team down. (You let the team down).
I did and nobody else.
I let the team down. (You let the team down).
CHORUS:
These feelings, they won't last.
They're gonna fade into the past.
They're gonna fade into the past...
It's just a matter of time, it's just a matter of time.
Life goes on and you'll find
You'll regain your piece of mind,
When you leave it all behind you'll find
It's just a matter of time.
I go to the mall and what do I see?
My three closest friends going to a movie.
None of them called to invite me this time,
Well fine, just fine!
I guess they just forgot.
I felt so left out. (You felt so left out)
It bothered me a lot
I felt so left out. (You felt so left out).
CHORUS
Talk it out, cry it out, oh yeah.
Walk it out, sigh it out, oh yeah.
Let it out, get it out,
Do what you gotta do to get through.
What a bad day, everything has gone wrong!
I fell in the mud, they laughed loud and long!
I tried my best but I still flunked that test...
Oh cool, real cool!
And on top of it all,
Today's my birthday. (Today's your birthday).
I'm really having a ball,
On my birthday. (Today's your birthday).
CHORUS
My Very Own Frame
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
What am I to do? People see that I am small,
But they don't see past my size at all,
There's much more to me than what they can see.
What am I to you?
Since I wear a larger size,
Must I care if I don't please your eyes?
Why should I feel I'm not the ideal?
Who wrote the book on how we should look?
Maybe it's time that we should re-write the book.
CHORUS:
We come in different shapes,
we come in different sizes,
No two are quite the same.
Why should I be told, I don't fit in the mold?
Oh, I'm a work of art in my very own frame.
No one would say a tree should
look like another tree,
'Cause it grows its own way naturally,
And I want to feel fine with what's naturally mine.
So now the time has come, to accept
my shape and size,
Not to see myself through other's eyes,
If those eyes can't see the beauty in me.
Who wrote the book on how we should look?
Maybe it's time that we should re-write the book.
CHORUS
If you're large or if you're small,
If you're thin or if you're tall,
Should it really matter at all?
Our individuality gives us variety,
Want to love the body that belongs to me!
CHORUS
Tear Down The Walls
By Jan Nigro © 1991 Janimation Music BMI
There are walls of concrete, walls of steel,
But the thickest ones you'll find,
Are the walls that people put up
In their hearts and in their minds.
Walls because of different skin
Or the features on a persons face,
Walls because of their religion,
Their language or native place.
The more walls you put around you,
The more walls are gonna block your view!
CHORUS:
Tear down...tear down the walls!
Love flows freely when they fall.
In your heart can't you hear that call,
To tear down, tear down the walls.
You may have heard of good old Joshua
At the battle of Jericho,
And how those walls did crumble
When the horns began to blow.
Well, we're all modern day Joshua's,
But we've got a different battleground
When we win the battle in our hearts,
The walls come a-tumbling down.
The battle over ignorance and fear,
Love can make them both disappear!
CHORUS, then break, then:
CHORUS (four times)