Adam Michaelson

Adam Michaelson

Elephants, Walls and Fences

Music and lyrics by Adam Michaelson © 2013



SWIRL

You swirl around my head, you do
A thought that’s everlasting
Like a dream I can’t awake from
Like a silence that is blasting through me

You whirl like the wind in the night
I can still hear the sound of the trees outside
You shine like the sunset smiled
On a kiss goodbye in paradise

Where did you come from?
What are you?
Why are you?
I know you’re someone
I can dream of
I can come to

You turned on a light in me
In a place that’s been so dark
A night set off a fire that burns and
Swirls inside my heart now

Where did you come from?
Who sent you?
What are you?
I know you’re someone
I could need
I could run to

Yeah, yeah, yeah

And you swirl around me
Through me, inside me
And you whirl like a ribbon
Through the air that finds me

What is this thing we are?
How can you be so far?
Is the sky falling?
Is this guy falling?


You swirl around my head, you do
A thought that’s everlasting
Like a dream I can’t awake from
Like a silence that is blasting through me



FENCES

I hear you breathing
My body's warm
We're on the first page
A perfect storm

You look into me
No words at all
I feel you tremble
So scared to fall

All your defenses
Surround you like fences
I won't even try to climb
All I know is your face
It lights up this dirty place
And I won't take too much of your time
I just want to hold you
I just want to hold you
I just want to hold you
For a while

My door is open
The light is on
No expectations
Come when you want

‘Cause all your defenses
Surround you like fences
I won't even try to climb
All I know is your face
It lights up this dirty place
And I don't need to call you mine
I just want to hold you
I just want to hold you
I just want to hold you
For a while



LOOK AT YOU

And I have nothing left to say
I don’t want to feel my pain
Just let me fade away.

Time can only pass me by
Don’t even ask me why
'Cause all I’ll do is lie.

I know that I’m responsible
And nothing is impossible

I dream of you every day and night
You walk all over me sometimes
But I just want to look at you.

I am not the only one
I know all the things you’ve done
This is all that I’ve become

And this is where I want to be
I feel your power over me
All over me

You dance in and out of all their lives
It makes me crazy in my mind
To see the way they look at you



ELEPHANT

Back in this place again
Trying to keep it from falling apart
It's just like it's always been
Hold onto your heart

And nothing is happening
You've spent one more night
With your back to the wall
The silence is deafening
You stumble and fall
You stumble and fall

As you walk past the elephant in the room
You know how you want it to be
There's so much you wanted to say
But nobody speaks
Nobody speaks
Nobody speaks

It's time for the truth now
But somehow the words that you planned
Are all gone
It's all up to you now
You know what you want
You know what you want

As you walk past the elephant in the room
A smile falls away from your face
You've waited so long for this moment
But nobody speaks
Nobody speaks
Nobody speaks



WALLS

All alone
Behind the walls you’ve made
You can hide but you still feel the pain

There’s a hole
A dark and empty place
Inside and it won’t go away

Ooh

Somebody hurt you so much
When you were just a child
Now you can’t fall in love
Or trust at all
You live behind a wall

I gave all
Gave you all I had in me
But still you needed to escape

All you’ve done
Is protect yourself from me
You could never let me reach that place

Ooh

I know it hurts you so much
You push everyone away
And I would have been there for you
Through it all
I couldn’t break
Through the wall

So you talked
You talked the night away
Made another special friend like me

Till he falls
And reaches out in vain
Another wall is in the way

Ooh

I know that you’ve cried so much
But nothing’s gonna change
If no one can reach you at all
And only you
Can break the wall



SHARON'S SEASONS

Sharon said she needs to take a season
To go away and try other roads
It took me time to realize
Before she came into my life
All I'd done is compromise
What I want

And maybe now I've said too much
Before I didn't say enough
And maybe that's where we went wrong
Hearts of gold are hard to find
And I know now both yours and mine
Have been searching for the same thing
For so long

Sharon, in your green eyes
The foggy days and cloudy skies you love
Are rolling on
The summer's been and gone
But I will leave the light on
O let winter come
O let winter come

Sharon said she needs to see a reason
To believe in all the things I say
And how so many things have changed
I guess I've gotten back
To who I really am
And you're running through my veins

I've got to leave this dirty town behind me
Wires in all directions
Still nothing is connected
I've got to breathe the real air
Get closer to a rose
You've reminded me
What matters most

Sharon, in your green eyes
The foggy days and cloudy skies you love
Keep rolling on
The summer's been and gone
But I will leave the light on
O let winter come
O let winter come

The quiet woman smiled upon
A birthday kiss outside her door
And I've never felt this way before



COLORS FADE

Probably
I was meant to be alone
Walking free
I’m here standing on my own
I’ll do well
I’ll be fine

Part of me
Feels like nothing’s even changed
Could it be
That I’ve finally found the strength
To begin
Once again?

Though the picture in my mind
Will always stay
When I open up my eyes
The colors fade

It’s hard for me
I feel so lost without you
But gradually
I’ll find my way without you
And this will pass
All in time

There’s a picture in my mind
Of yesterday
But when I open up my eyes
The colors fade

On and on
The world keeps turning
I keep searching
On and on and on

I believe
It’s okay to say goodbye
Honestly
I can be happy if I try
Maybe now
Maybe no

Though the picture in my mind
Will always stay
When I open up my eyes
The colors fade
There’s a picture in my mind
Of yesterday
But when I open up my eyes
The colors fade



DARK EYES

As I’m lying here
And the night fades in
People wondering
Where the hell I’ve been
Well a wave of you
Came crashing in
To my soul
Where’d I go?

I still feel your hair on my face
As we softly kissed
A beautiful smile that glowed
With such sweetness
And even the sound of your voice,
I remember this
Did you know?
Did you know?

That you
Those dark eyes
Make me feel
So alive
It’s you
I’ve waited all my life
To find

See I’m not here
I’m frozen in one night
Where all that I want
Was lying by my side
I’m frozen in time with you
In your arms that night
Don’t leave me there
Don’t leave me there

‘Cause you
Dark eyes
Make me feel
Things I can’t describe
It’s you
That I’ve spent all this time
Waiting for



LONG SOLO VACATION

On the long solo vacation
That I'm taking from you
I've been quiet, I've been patient
I've done what I'm supposed to do
Every time I hear the phone ring
I wish that it was you

On the long solo vacation
I'm just making it through
It's like it never ends
But I tell my friends
I'm not waiting for you
You were everything I wanted
And I don't know what to do

So don't say no
Don't say no
Don't say no
Just don't go

On the long solo vacation
And I’m faking it through
And I know that you’ve been dating
But I still think of you
And it’s hard for me not to touch you
When I feel the way I do

If the long solo vacation
Doesn't break me in two
All the monsters in my past are gone
And I'm gonna break through
Wanna move on with my life now
But what I need is you
And I want you to need me too

Don’t say no
Don't say no
Don't say no
Just don't go

It's not enough
It's not enough

It’s not enough
It’s not enough
It’s not enough
It’s not enough



OLD SOUL

Old soul
In a world that’s so cold
Your arms are warm
They feel like coming home
To where I want to be

I know
You need me to take it slow
But I feel you there
A breath of the freshest air
That I have ever known
That I have ever known

I call you “Sweets”
Because you leave the sweetest taste
In my mouth
You give me feelings
I don’t ever want to be without
Old soul
Old soul
I love you more than you could know

Old soul
We both already know
Your heart and mine
Feel like friends from long ago
You’re where I want to be
Your heart is safe with me

I call you “Sweets”
Because you leave the sweetest taste
In my mouth
It’s something different
That I’ve never felt before now
Old soul
Old soul
I love you more than you could know
I love you more than you could know
I love you more…



HAPPY ENDING

I know we made it this far
It wasn’t meant to be
And you can start to cry for
Our California dreams

I know you gave it your all
It wasn’t enough for me
Before we say goodbye to all
Our California dreams
I want a happy ending

Just tear my heart out
Before you leave
I want a happy ending please
Before we crash into the sea

I know it took me so long
It took me so long to see
I had to save myself from
The mess you made of me
But where’s the happy ending?

Just tear my heart out
It’s meant to be
I want a happy ending please
Before we crash into the sea

I walked away from it all
I had to do it for me
And you can say goodbye to all
Our California dreams
Let’s have a happy ending