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The Past is Never Past

by Doug Hoekstra

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1.
She Walks In Beauty 01:05
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2.
Oh, Zamira 03:49
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Oh, Zamira I feel the water on my face Cold wet rain Ankle deep in mud Nothing left to say Oh, Zamira, where are you? When the night comes to a close This night comes to a close The dark and empty forest Stops me like a wall ...Behind my back Limbs bow before they fall ...So lifeless to the ground A blue jay flutters in front of me And barely makes a sound Oh, Zamira, where are you... When the night comes to a close The night comes to a close Walkin' over branches Where I threw away the ring I searched myself for innocence And didn't find a thing Oh, Zamira, where are you? When the night comes to a close The night comes to a close Oh, Zamira, repeat... I searched into the night Flashlight in my hand You remained inside I was looking for my past If I were a different man I might've howled at the moon Or made false promises For a covenant renewed But it was over And there was nothin' Anyone could do
3.
500 Miles Away 04:05
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500 Miles Away Hey, baby, I'm in one of those moods I wanna clean out the closet Throw away whatever doesn't move Look into my open eyes Help me understand Lace your fingers into mine Because you can Don't tell me, don't tell me Another wasted day Five hundred, five hundred Long and lonely miles away Oh baby, I wish that you were here To share the lightning in the sky Summer air still and clear Skate punks underneath the stars I watch 'em flyin’ by In and out among the cars I never dream at night Don't tell me, don't tell me Another wasted day Five hundred, five hundred Long and lonely miles away Oh baby, it's one of those things If you were here you'd understand The sadness the world can bring Lonely people everywhere Smoke and mirrors You know me like no one ever will You answer me like a prayer Don't tell me, don't tell me Another wasted day Five hundred, five hundred Long and lonely miles away
4.
Break My Fall 03:53
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Break My Fall (Hoekstra/Marinelli) I've been traveling a long time, looking for my soul I've been breaking up the pieces, just to become whole I've been walking on a tight rope, a hundred feet above it all And like a sea of roses, you always break my fall Break my fall... There's a place in the desert, New Mexico Where the sun sets like a painting about to explode I see us standing on that bridge, babe, a hundred feet above it all The Rio Grande beneath us and the mountains rising tall Break my fall Had a chance to lead a thousand lives A thousand worlds where a man could hide A thousand nights now I lie beside you If I only knew, if I only knew I've been thinking of tomorrow, where the air is soft and cool I've been living for the pleasure of breaking every rule I've been standing on a high dive, a hundred feet above it all And like a bed of silken water, you always break my fall Break my fall...
5.
The Past is Never Past 05:24
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The Past is Never Past (Hoekstra/Smith) Johnny ran into the forest A canopy of colored leaves Passing time was at his side As he wove into an autumn breeze The trail stopped at a riverbank A drop of 25 feet, and Down below there was long ago At the bottom of that stream Rocks and sand, touched by other hands Not gone, simply unseen The past is never past, it's with us all the time In the soil beneath our feet and the memories deep inside The past will always last The past is never past Johnny's farmer was a farmer And wanted him to do the same There was a wooden cross out by the barn That marked his father's grave Johnny struggled with his calling He read books that made him see The souls of the long departed Could come and set him free Take him where he'd never dared; Beyond the fallow field The past is never past, it's with us all the time In the soil beneath our feet and the memories deep inside The past will always last The past is never past You can't stop the endless flow of time The past is never past, it's with us all the time In the soil beneath our feet and the memories deep inside The past will always last The past is never past You can't stop the endless flow of time
6.
Drops Fell From My Fingertips 05:17
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Drops Fell From My Fingertips A dark starless night Across the African plain On the streets of the cities The helpless fade away Drops fell from my fingertips Drops fell from my fingertips Drops fell from my fingertips And as they fell, I saw the ripples that were cast From Durban to Johannesburg To and from the diamond mines Spinning on the curves Where moments touch each other Moving slowly and then fast Spinning on the curves Moving slowly and then fast Drops fell from my fingertips Drops fell from my fingertips Drops fell from my fingertips I closed my eyes I became a child 5000 people every day Every family cries These people are not white These people are not rich Do they deserve to die? On a dark starless night I touched the water with my hand I touched the water with my hand And drops fell from my fingertips Drops fell from my fingertips Drops fell from my fingertips
7.
If the World Was Blind 06:02
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If the World Was Blind The world's most beautiful woman was born today Another perfect diamond cast into the fray She could grow up to be polished or turn out rough Could choose to be smooth or wear her edges tough She could be a lover, mother, president But right now her fists are small and clenched And her tiny eyes are closed If the world was blind, what would we see? If the world was blind If the world was blind, what would we be? If the world was blind, if the world was blind, if the world was blind The world's most beautiful woman walked down the street Crossing Bedford Avenue - two blocks away from me I watched her as she put her key into the door And turned on the lights inside the flower store You wouldn't see her on the news or a magazine, But her features shone softly and serene As she worked alone If the world was blind, what would we see? If the world was blind If the world was blind, what would we be? If the world was blind, if the world was blind, if the world was blind The world's most beautiful woman just passed away Tired and tested, she belonged to another day She used to shine, dazzle on the silver screen And rose to glamour in everyman’s fantasy The radio reporter conveyed the tragedy Of living in seclusion in Daytona Beach At a home for aging stars If the world was blind, what would we see? If the world was blind If the world was blind, what would we be? If the world was blind, if the world was blind, if the world was blind
8.
What's On Your Mind? 03:55
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What’s On Your Mind? It was a foggy night, wet and damp A boarding house and an oil-lit lamp A quiet man in a noisy world Checkin' out with a string of pearls It was a typical day for most of us Ride the el, catch the bus Messages for you and me Breakfast at the Busy Bee What's on your mind, my angel? What's on your mind, my girl? What's on your mind, my angel? What's on your mind, my girl? It was a sunny spot where it never rained She never stopped to hesitate The beach was full of broken glass The water rose and the day went black Somebody lost their train of thought The last thing left from all they got Time to laugh and time to shout Time to take the garbage out What's on your mind, my angel? What's on your mind, my girl? What's on your mind, my angel? What's on your mind, my girl? Won't you tell me, tell me, what's on your mind? Won't you tell me, tell me, what's on your mind? He wanted to move away from here His dreams were lined with pain and fear Thrown ahead from far behind His past was like a fishin' line She wanted to have a kid someday And settle down in Paraguay The stars threw down their mighty spears And showered heaven with their tears
9.
Staring Out The Window 04:06
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Staring Out the Window I was staring out the window at refineries and plants Pumping black into the dirty clouds The driver started talking, about his wife and his son And all the things time would not allow And, there was music on the radio And, there was music on the radio Snow began to fall, an ambulance passed us by Siren spinning, light into the gray Jet black hair broken speech; he said that he had come from Greece Left his brother half a world away It must be hard, I thought out loud, taking such a risk, On a place you've never lived before His face filled up the mirror, it was better for their kids They need to know that life can offer more And, there was music on the radio And, there was music on the radio There’s a family at the table; lovers in each other’s arms A clock ticking on the mantelshelf Over Cicero and Stickney, the sun began to set Like a painting done by someone else I was starin’ out the window… I was starin’ out the window, bungalows in a row Planes were flyin’ low overhead The sidewalks, they are empty, but inside there are dreams Some will follow; others are not led
10.
Where I Worked 04:41
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Where I Worked (Hoekstra/Smith) I worked in an office, way back when I didn't have much in common with my so-called friends Every afternoon, we'd head downstairs to take a break Talk about baseball or something like that, I'd say let's catch a game I'm not a hero, I was a clerk, where I worked Ben was turning gray, but he still lived at home Fell in love once years ago, nobody likes to be alone Marriage was inside his mind, but she was outside the faith And his mother's will turned out to be more powerful than fate He had a picture of his dog in a golden frame Mercury was his name, neither one of them complained I'm not a hero, I was a clerk The game was on TV, and that was where I worked Ben lived to please, he paid 25,00 claims We had a party, the boss bought pizza in his name I gave my two week notice and said we should get together But tomorrow turned to yesterday and sometimes into never Soon after I left, I ran into a friend Who told me that a heart attack had taken life from Ben He was at his desk when he grabbed his chest and called for Mercury I think about him every time I say something I don't mean I'm not a hero, I was a clerk The game was on TV, and that was where I worked
11.
The Life We Love #9 03:55
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The Life We Love #9 I watched you sleep, arm over me Dreams slippin’ away on the breeze The room is quiet and I felt a chill The moment holds me perfect and still Look out the window and try to shape my will A circus game when I was a child Had me spun through the air by hands of guile I worried I might break his bones But my father melted like the winter snow Is the life we love, the life we show? Oooh, ooh, the life we love Oooh, ooh, the life we love Mountains rise from the deeper green Into a sky so blue it can humble me And the peaks are covered with alabaster snow All year round - I can feel you close And the life we love is the life we show Ooh, ooh, the life we love Oooh, ooh, the life we love Crazy timing, tender chance Lives thrown together like a fifth-grade dance Take my number and watch me twirl Around the room like a gingerbread girl Let me close my eyes and be taken to a world
12.
Ballad of the Soldier's Wife 03:58
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Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife (Brecht/Weill) What was sent to the Soldier’s Wife? From the ancient city of Prague From Prague came a pair of high heel shoes With a kiss or two, came the high heel shoes From the ancient city of Prague What was sent to the soldier’s wife? From Oslo over the sun? From Oslo there came a collar of fur How it pleases her, the little collar of fur From Oslo over the sun What was sent to the soldier’s wife From the wealth of Amsterdam? From Amsterdam, he got her a hat She looked sweet in that, the little Dutch hat From the wealth of Amsterdam What was sent to the soldier’s wife? From Brussels in Belgium land From Brussels he sent Lace stockings so rare, to have and to wear Those lace stockings so rare from Brussels in Belgium land What was sent to the soldier’s wife? From Paris the city of light In Paris he got her a silken gown That was hand made in town, that silken gown From Paris the city of light What was sent to the soldier's wife From the south from Bucharest From Bucharest he sent her a skirt Embroidered and pert, she looked cute in that skirt From the South of Bucharest What was sent to the Solider’s Wife? From the far off Russian Land From Russia there came just a widow’s veil For the dead to be wailed, in her widow's veil From the far off Russian land
13.
Rear-View Mirror Effect 02:03
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Rear-View Mirror Effect It’s the rear-view mirror effect. When one looks back, objects tend to appear larger than they really are. It isn’t necessarily fate or synchronicity, it’s just that certain things fall away and others are magnified, foreshadowing what follows like key points in a play, the narrative of one’s life. But, then again, life is a narrative. Someone said that’s why so many of us are running around writing songs and stories and plays, because we’re trying to make sense of our lives...

about

"The Past is Never Past is the title for a collection of songs that, like memory and experience, could not lay fallow. Some are selections that didn’t quite fit stylistically on Around the Margins, my previous disc. Others were cut as songwriting demos; and still others were released on special compilations, magazines, and websites. As I began to compile them for my own archives, I saw an alternate look into aspects of my journey of the past year take shape. This became a special limited edition release of this work, with a couple new pieces added for good measure. So, much like memory and experience, this collection took on a life of its own, and the songs now belong to the present and future, proving that the past is indeed, never past." (Doug Hoekstra, Nashville TN, liner notes for this Inbetweens Record release). The title song is indeed drawn from the famous William Faulkner quote; there are co-writes with collaborators George Marinelli and Gary Michael Smith as well as a Brecht/Weill cover (“Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife). Recording was completed at multiple locations in Nashville and Chicago.

"***1/2 (out of 4) - Ever versatile, his arrangement skills present traditional Twang in a new way...colleagues have drawn comparisons from Beck to Leonard Cohen. My proposal: Forget comparisons, listen to this record." (Joerg Feyer, German Rolling Stone review of The Past is Never Past)

credits

released June 1, 2001

Released June 2001

Individual musicians credits on each song…

All songs copyright and published by Doug Hoekstra, Doug Hoekstra Music (BMI), and administered by Kobalt Music group, except: “Break My Fall” by Doug Hoekstra and George Marinelli (BMI); “The Past is Never Past” and “Where I Worked” by Doug Hoekstra and Gary Michael Smith (BMI) and “Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife” by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill

All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.Produced by Doug Hoekstra;

Engineered at multiple studios (as noted);

Cover photograph by Paul Heartfield, London;

Design/Layout by Joe Croker

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Doug Hoekstra Nashville, Tennessee

Doug Hoekstra’s singular musical persona sets sympathetic narratives against understated vocals, memorable melodies, and subtle but unexpected arrangement turns. His albums have earned Nashville Music Award and Independent Music Award nominations, a bevy of top 10 list appearances, and a reputation as a “songwriter’s songwriter” (CMJ Music Monthly). "The Day Deserved" due out Spring 2021 ... more

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