Song: I'm Just a Bulldog

Here's a song for my favorite bulldog.




I’m Just a Bulldog (Doug Smith)


C                               F                  C        F
I’m just a bulldog the bestest breed
                    C     G                     C
I’m all the dog you will ever need
C                                  F               C       F
I’m just a bulldog, and that’s OK
                       C         G                         C
Take me for walks, I’ll make your day


D7                    G
Yes I will do, just as I pleases
D7                            G
When I’m outside sniffin’ the breezes


I’m just a bulldog, strong and lean
Wash my face, keep my creases clean
You must be happy with what you’ve got
The way you kiss me, and wipe my butt


I may not have much of a tail
But look at those eyes — they’ll never fail


I’m just a bulldog, I’m truly cool
Pay attention — clean up my drool



(c) 2017 Douglas Brent Smith

Deeper



Love can always go deeper but not everyone has the courage.

-- Doug Smith


Song: Run Away!




Run Away! (Douglas Brent Smith)


Don’t go to the basement in your underwear
Maybe you can’t tell but there’s a monster down there
Do yourself a favor and turn on a light
Pay attention if you want to live thru the night

Did you notice that the kitchen knives are missing?
Now is not the time for teen age lover kissing
Did you notice that the lights are blinking?
Why head for the danger? What are you thinking?

(chorus:)
Every scary movie has them: brainless fools
Walking into danger as the monster drools
Zombies and slashers love ‘em, they taste so good
And never do the one thing that they should:
Run away!     Run away!    Are you an idiot?     Run away!

If you’re smart you’ll avoid that cabin in the woods
the one with a history of evil up to no good
If it’s Friday the 13th you might want to stay awake
Dreaming on that night could be a really big mistake  (chorus)


(c) 2017 Douglas Brent Smith


Hang In There


Sometimes we're all a little less secure than we'd like to be.

-- Doug Smith


Song: Jesus Ain't Afraid of Halloween




Jesus Ain’t Afraid of Halloween (Douglas Brent Smith)

        C                       Em                Am                       G
She looked at me sternly with what she had to say 
      C                  Em            Am              G
“We do not celebrate the devil’s holiday”
     F                          G               Em          Am
Believe what you believe but I had to grin
     F                          G               Em          Am      D7       G
I don’t see trick or treat as some kind of sin

C                   Am                      F        G
Jesus ain’t afraid of Halloween
C                        Am                F          G
Pagans can be fun we all agree
F                        G                          C     C/B       Am
dressing up in costumes, why take it seriously?
F                        G                     C
Jesus ain’t afraid of Halloween

  C                    Em                           Am        G
Satan did his best to scare him once
  C                                 Em                Am      G
the devil just turned out to be a dunce
                F                       G
because Jesus doesn’t scare
       C      C/B        Am
his daddy’s everywhere
F                      G                    C
Jesus ain’t afraid of Halloween


C                       Em             Am      G
Witches and goblins are all in jest
C          Em              Am    G
It’s no theological test
 F                  G                    Em          Am
Everybody knows that it’s all pretend
      F                          G                        F  F/E   F/D C

And Jesus has the Holy Ghost as his best friend


(c) 2017 Douglas Brent Smith

Song: Scary Halloween




i went shopping for a pumpkin
ran into a Christmas tree
instead of seeing orange and black
i saw red and green

scary Halloween, scary Halloween
i got stuck in between
Christmas and scary Halloween

i went looking for Frankenstein
and monsters to fill me with fear
but instead i found Santa Claus
and his flying reindeer

scary Halloween, scary Halloween
i got stuck in between
Christmas and scary Halloween

tried to find my favorites at the grocery store
but they're hard to find so tucked away
things aren't where they usually live
everything is there to give
attention to the holiday display

scary Halloween, scary Halloween
i got stuck in between
Christmas and scary Halloween

i don't like to complain too much
but why are we in such a holiday rush?
with so many days between now and then
but here we are counting down the days again

scary Halloween, scary Halloween
i got stuck in between
Christmas and scary Halloween

-----------------------------------
(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

Here and Now

Real Adventure- Doug Smith
Real Adventure


I can't perfect the past so I might as well work on the present.

-- Doug Smith


Song: Hopin'





you were young and so was i i'd get on my bike and ride i'd go where you'd know i was up and down your road i'd go on that three-speed very slow hopin' you'd see me... up and down your road i'd go acting like it didn't show hopin' you'd open your door my how the years went by we missed it you and i i'll give it one more try hopin' you'll open your door (c) 2017 douglas brent smith

Poem: short timers

short timers: drawing by douglas brent smith


turn the pages
quickly; isn't that
the sign of a good
book?
go fast go heady go
for the finish
have fun be done
then run

ah, the sign of a
good book, a great
game and
a sad relationship

when do you give up?
only one right but
more rare than caring
allows ~ when do you
give up?
all i senselessly say
to that can be
never never never
never never never
never never never
never never



-- douglas brent smith




(c) 2017 douglas brent smith



Poem: nonsense

nonsense, drawing by douglas brent smith

it was her attempts
at perfection that
kept perfection away

locked up walled in
and
kept at bay

never quite good
enough to ever
satisfy

substantiated reservations
proof to deny

tell me again
why it all had to end
no, stop
nonsense never bears
repeating.


-- douglas brent smith




(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

Song: Don't Give Up Your Day Job




Don’t Give Up Your Day Job (Douglas Brent Smith)

Chorus:  
Don’t give up your day job
You could end up a poor slob
Life without a paycheck
Could make you a physical wreck
Don’t give up, don’t give up your day job
   
All my friends are artists, one way or another
Filled with talent filled with skills still yet undiscovered
When the routine looms they hunger for the road
Checking out, dropping off another heavy load

Before they jump into something absurd                                                                                                                  
They catch their breath, count to ten and say these six important words  (chorus)

Chicago is the kind of place the race is always steady
the competition’s stiff and hits when you’re not ready
But people here never fear we work until we drop
and one way or another they will end up on the top

But even when we reach the sky and soar just like a bird
we’re sure to tell the story well of those six important words
(chorus)

(Bridge:)
A good job is hard to find
You must be out of your mind
To chase some crazy dreams way out of reach

(chorus)


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

Song: Blue Before You Got Here






i was blue before you got here -- i'll be down after you leave
it's deeper than you understand, recognize or believe
when you're sad you could be crying - when love is dying you've got to grieve
and i was blue before you got here - and i'll be blue after you leave

i was blue before you got here -- you didn't change a thing
you had no lasting happiness available to bring
there is no lovers' island no blissful wedding ring
and i was blue before you got here -- you didn't change a thing

you warned me that you didn't care
but how could that be true?
thru endless conversations
i felt so close to you
you told me "don't start dreaming
nothing good could last"
and when you got tired of me
you put me in your past

but i was blue before you got here, you didn't pull me down
no matter how good it felt -- having you around
it hurts more than it did before, when i thought that we'd be found
but i was blue before you got here, you just kind of kept me down

(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

Song: Boomerang Babies






boomerang babies (douglas brent smith)

everybody's got grown children still living at home
boomerang babies, who can't live on their own

they've got cable TV - absolutely free
all they need WIFI - no need to buy
food in the fridge - they're living like kids
boomerang babies, living at home

everybody's got grown children still living at home
boomerang babies who can't live on their own

the ground rules have been bended
ended or suspended
we did the best that we could do
and now we've got grandchildren, too!
grown children, and their children, living at home

to be fair, a place costs more these days
college loans are more than our mortgage to pay
opportunities at work don't get them any higher
because our generation won't retire
(what's a  boomer to do? we can't afford to)

they've got cable TV - absolutely free
all they need WIFI - no need to buy
food in the fridge, they're living like kids
boomerang babies, living at home

i love those boomerang babies it's not your fault
you got caught in a troubled mess and you're so distraught
but if it's not too much trouble could you do one thing for me?
and set yourself free...


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

Song: Not Tonight


not tonight (douglas brent smith)

there have been nights when all the treasures
of the world seemed close at hand
when there wasn't any problem
too big to understand

nights when all my dreams came true
and things turned out alright
but not tonight

there have been women who have loved me
and pampered me with smiles
swore they'd last forever
and never change with style

times when all my fantasies
became such sweet realities
but not tonight

tonight it seems that everything
is too far out of reach
like some lost message thrown to sea
washed up along the beach

(repeat first verse)






(c) 2017 douglas brent smith


Song: Make Each Other Smile




(c) douglas brent smith


Song: Elvis Has Left The Building




it was a hot august night on dorinda's couch in allentown
there was a ring around the moon
the man on the tv said "elvis has left the building,
there'll never be another like him soon."

must be a record of his here somewhere
so we can pay tribute to the vegas king
must be an album of his but i can't find it
i guess i never really liked the way he'd sing

but listen,

chuck berry rocked me fats supplied the rolls
from new york to detroit memphis to muscle shoals
make it hot authentic make it black and real
i like the parts that the king could never steal

if all he were known for were those stupid movies
he'd rank right up there with good old sal mineo
but he brought feeling to the music
when he brought conviction to the theft of soul

but listen,

chuck berry rocked me james brown supplied the soul
from new york to detroit, memphis to muscle shoals
make it hot authentic make it rock and real
i like the parts that the king could never steal

it was a hot august night on dorinda's couch in allentown, new jersey
there was a ring around the moon
the man on the tv said "elvis has left the building,
there'll never be another like him soon."

chuck berry rocked me little richard supplied the rolls
from new york to detroit, memphis to muscle shoals
make it hot authentic make it freaking real
i like the parts that the king could never steal

(c) douglas brent smith

Song: Answered Prayer



the canaanite woman came to the Lord
her daughter was demon owned
the Lord's friends said to send her away
Jesus, just leave her alone

but even the dogs eat the crumbs
that fall from their master's table
and even the lowest low of all
with you Lord, we are able

Moses had troubles on every side
his enemies, even his friends
the Lord was his helper and his guide
from Egypt thru the desert till the end

(chorus)

Elijah was scared and in a cave
hiding from Jezabelle
he'd seed destruction and violence
and now he feared for himself

(chorus)

in these troubled times of woe
the hurt can said us reeling
crippled by causes we can't control
fallen, in need of healing

(chorus)

(c) Douglas Brent Smith

Song: A Happy Man







like an old sailor
who's drawn to the sea
the voice of the highway
whispers to me
i can't give a reason
for why i must go
the life of a drifter
is all that i know

i worked at the factory
the office, the store
i gave it my best shot
couldn't take any more
you can't stop a tiger
from chasing its prey
and you can't stop a drifter
from going away

every day is a road movie
every night is a new story
everyone you touch you hold forever

my kids call me crazy
but they understand
they know that i'm doing
the best that i can
you can't stop the ocean
from meeting the land
and you'll never reform
a happy man

like an old sailor
who's drawn to the sea
the voice of the highway
whispers to me
you can't stop the ocean
from kissing the sand
and you'll never reform
a happy man

whoa...that's all i am
whoa...a happy man

(c) douglas brent smith

she never said

she said that
she loved me
to the moon and back and
to the moon and
back just got a 
whole lot shorter

your roundtrip gave me
the bends as

you closed the portal and
swept this sobbing
away
as love choked gasping
on yet another
tripping dream

and 

she never said that
what she said
didn't mean a thing




(c) 2017 douglas brent smith


not a couple

every couple fights
about money about attention about
    harmless searing flirtations
    temptations, indiscretions and
    thoughts

every couple fights about passion
   and lack of passion
about furniture, fixtures, fantasies and
   families
   all those dysfunctional families and

we don't fight about any of that
    because we are
                   not a couple
and we fight about that

knowing what i want you
   choose to escape and
knowing what you want i
   senselessly cling
   a mess of depressed repression
unappealing
   stealing every ounce of hope
from the air

and you repeat (repeat, repeat) that
   we are NOT a couple but

what about this love?


-- douglas brent smith


Transparent Liberation


It's humbling to know that the world will go on without you -- but also liberating.

-- Doug Smith

poem: that dream

it's a foolish wish
to say may all your dreams
come true
                what about
the bridges disappearing in
                 perspective?      what about
the endless chases? the public nakedness?
the lack of words? the demons hiding
insecurities in playful sacks of sorrow?

let me pick my dream to live
that sweet happy ending dream of us
together hand in hand and always smiling

let me pick that time you looked at me
from across the room with a knowing
smile that spoke more love than you could
say, or contain (or, sadly, sustain) but
leave that part out (the sadness in your smile
of unbeatable fate) and let me
live that dream of

                              you smiling
                              at me and
                              happy.




(c) 2017 douglas brent smith


song: every sad song





every sad song

you might get the blues but you’ve still got to choose
no one else can walk in your shoes
your promises stood until they fell
your life felt like heaven but who can tell?
the worst thing’s the best thing that can’t stand its ground
the way up’s the break ups the heart hits the ground

every sad song sounds like
something ending
every sad song sounds like
something bending too far
so here we are, so here we are
every sad song stuck in our hearts

every sad song sounds like
something ending
every sad song sounds like
something bending too far

so here we are…


(c) 2015 douglas brent smith
from the album "etcetera" by douglas brent smith


song: i hate waiting in line


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith


poem: i wonder about you


i wonder about you
wondering about me, how
you might imagine this
changed by a kiss
or feel the pull
of something more whole
our gravity keeps crashing
but that's no reason
to cash it in

i wonder about you
all. the. time.



(c) 2017 douglas brent smith


collage: She Left Some Tools in Boulder

"She Left Some Tools in Boulder" collage by douglas brent smith, created 1 April 2017



(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Refresh Your Thinking

collage by douglas brent smith
Refresh Your Thinking, or A Room With A View Entertaining, collage by douglas brent smith 04-01-2017


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Birth of the Baby Machine

collage by douglas brent smith
"Birth of the Baby Machine" by douglas brent smith, 27 September 1982



(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Taking Stage

collage by douglas brent smith
"Taking Stage" by douglas brent smith, 10 August 1982



(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Big Lips

collage by douglas brent smith
"Big Lips" by douglas brent smith, 26 July 1982


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Moments Click Away

collage by douglas brent smith
"8:55 in Chicago, Moments Click Away" 13 December 1979



(c) 2017 douglas brent smith


collage: Like Father Like Son

collage by douglas brent smith
Like Father Like Son by douglas brent smith



(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Save The Invention, Burn The Formula


collage by douglas brent smith
Save The Invention, Burn The Formula


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: A Generation Ago

collage by douglas brent smith


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

collage: Hard Shell Case

Hard Shell Case by douglas brent smith


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

photo: light like saturn 2

light like saturn 2 by douglas brent smith


(c) 2017 douglas brent smith

you may use this image for creative or illustrative purposes, in any way that doesn't harm anyone, if you will please credit it as "light like saturn 1 by douglas brent smith"


photo: light like saturn 1


photo (c) 2017 douglas brent smith

you may use this image for creative or illustrative purposes, in any way that doesn't harm anyone, if you will please credit it as "light like saturn 1 by douglas brent smith"


song: better than before




Better Than Before   (Judi Madigan/Doug Smith)

Em                  G                 Em        A7       Em      G       Em   A7
You said you don’t ever want to fall in love again
It hurts too much when people run and relationships end
And we’ve been dancing around these feelings we can’t deny
And if you’re feeling them, too come on let’s not be shy

C7                                       B7                      Em          A7      Em    A7
And if you want me to share what I believe is true
I think that I might be — falling in love with you

Em                  G                 Em        A7       Em      G       Em   A7
We talk on the phone for hours every night
It’s not the end of the day until you say good night
We haven’t laughed this hard since we can’t remember when
I think it’s time to admit that we’re much more than friends

C7                                       B7                      Em          A7      Em    A7 
There’s no one else I’d rather pour my heart out to
I think that I might be - falling in love with you

Bridge:
F#                   G                                           Em          G    Em   A7
Everybody makes mistakes and we’ll make a few
But this is no mistake I can’t get enough of you


C7                                       B7                      Em          G         Em    A7 
So let’s connect and see how good this could be
I’m really hoping that you — are falling in love with me

You say that the steel walls have a chink in them
the crack is small but people run and relationships still end
the dance is working its magic with feelings that can't deceive
you know you’re feeling it too and you want to share what you believe

C7                                       B7                      Em          G         Em    A7
So let’s connect and discover how great it can be
you think that you might be — falling in love with me

F#                   G                                           Em          G    Em   A7
Everybody makes mistakes in the things they do,
But this is no mistake you say that you need me, too

No-one else you'd rather talk with endlessly
Now you think that you might be falling in love with me

C7                                     B7                                   Em            G    Em   A7
The years fly by and who knows what this has in store

We’re falling back in love and it’s better than before





Words: judi madigan and douglas brent smith
Music: douglas brent smith
(c) 2015 douglas brent smith

from the album "better than before"


the point on the edge that turns

  when it isn't enough to be weird when it isn't enough to be funny reality gathering speed pleads for shelter and just enough money...