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Waiting

by Doug Hoekstra

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1.
Blow Beautiful Dreams 04:29
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Blow Beautiful Dreams 12 below, Christmas Day Idle chatter fills the train Steam rises from an iron grate Outside the window miles away Seems everywhere I go has a familiar feel Yet to none of it I belong And when I find something I think is real I blink my eyes and then it’s gone Blow beautiful dreams, blackened by the weather Blow beautiful dreams, until we are together Blow beautiful dreams I hear a violin soft and sweet Sounds echo through a deserted street My expectations get the best of me I put them on a shelf I can never reach She’s stopped by her reflection Checks out her makeup and her hair And the glass shines in all directions She’s looking for something that’s already there Blow beautiful dreams… The sun beats down on Christmas Day But it cannot melt the ice away And who will come to bear the weight Of all the thoughts we hold at bay All these kisses on the cheek The smell of cinnamon potpourri And the void that always lies between Who we are and how we’re seen Blow beautiful dreams…
2.
Sunday Blues 04:14
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Sunday Blues His feet hit the floor, the shade is raised A Sunday morning ritual, time again The family getting ready for a ride to the church The preacher rails, broken hail, lost in the lurch A tie is selected, the knot's too tight The congregation gathers, there is no light He scribbles on the program with a chewed up pencil Hangin’ by the hymnal, a seldom-used utensil So many people lookin’ for the proof All this desire left for us to lose Choices never ours to choose Thomas and his father play the Sunday Blues Thomas and his father got the Sunday Blues Home again, on the bed, a jacket falls down Thomas burrows underneath and starts to play the clown His father smiles and breathes a sigh of relief And pulls the bottom card from the deck of disbelief They sit together and read the Sunday funnies Holding off the sad melancholy Monday When Dad will ride the train into work Where the boss rails like broken hail lost in the lurch So many people… As Thomas grew older, he began to get the joke The richest of the rich can still be broke Words that flow like a wound that bleeds Or a dog that barks up an empty tree Where the leaves are dead and years disappear In spite of who you are and what you fear Thomas and his father and their bond unbroken Travel through life with words unspoken So many people…
3.
Theresa 04:32
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Theresa Theresa, she is 5 years old Brown hair, green eyes, does what she’s told She acts as lookout for the danger boys A Cadillac stops at the traffic light She gets real close to the passenger’s side And fixes her chewing gum to the window glass Two blocks away the car stops again The boys stroke their guns and descend On a woman with a seven carat diamond ring The light goes green; the boys shake loose, Sao Palo Streets, tight as a noose… Theresa, Theresa Palm trees and sandy beaches A world that lies beyond the reach Of outstretched hands dipping in the sea Rummaging through the rich man’s trash In the cathedral square, with eyes detached She takes off her makeup to look a little younger Idols fall; chains break loose Sao Paolo Streets, tight as a noose… Theresa, Theresa Theresa, she is 12 years old Brown eyes and belly, baby to be sold The danger boys measure the market well There’s a couple in the USA Twenty thousand dollars they will pay Some people put a price on anything Theresa gets a fifty-dollar bill When the child is delivered from fractured will Fallin’ through the hole in her safety net The couple forgets, seeds of abuse Sao Paolo Streets, tight as a noose… Theresa, Theresa Carmen Miranda on a wooden sign Smiles at tourists from another time The sun shines down on peeling paint
4.
Crawling Out From Under 04:40
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Crawling Out From Under Stopped by a memory, Carl stands completely still Eyes cast upward at blinking lights and the spaces that they fill Between two banks of clouds, floating beyond the roof Single drops of rain kiss the glass and sneak on through Crawling out from under, everything he knows Crawling out from under, crawling out from under - everything he knows Some say we die everyday and that is how we live Passing through the deepest blue, something about to give He sees himself as a child, with an ear against the wall But, all he hears are muffled voices and footsteps down the hall Magnolias of the spring losing blossoms in the fall Crawling out from under... The air outside is cold as he opens an unmarked door The streetlights point the way down a cloudy corridor And he follows to the staircase, takes seven stories down And wanders beneath the surface lost and then found The stories he’s been told fall one by one to the ground Like single drops of rain each with a single sound Crawling out from under....
5.
acoustic, folk, singer-songwriter - Driftin' 03:07
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Driftin' Somebody told me I was grounded But I feel like I am driftin’ Driftin’ like the ocean Driftin’ like the sand Driftin’ like my hand In quiet desperate motion Moving through the darkness Until it finds your skin And the joy within There’s a place in the darkness Where black flows out of blue There’s a place in my soul Where I flow out of you When I go to sleep at night I want to wind up driftin’ But I’m held by a chain of sorrow I’d like to break in two I’d like to make it true When I see tomorrow That every moment matters And the ordinary’s gone As you and I go driftin’ on and on
6.
In the Middle of the Night 03:22
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In the Middle of the Night In the middle of the night, I’m wide awake The clock ticks on into another day Your scent, gentle incandescent light A distant hum, where’s it coming from, an ambulance races by I take my time in the middle of the night In the middle of the night, I remember every word, Your turn, your touch, crickets and cicadas chirp Red horses, waterfalls slow aqua green Cascading eyes - you spoke to me Soon forgotten - don’t you know I believe Everything from you, stays with me In the middle of the night when I can’t sleep Rushin’ down the track magnified In the middle of the night In the middle of the night, it’s a circumstantial state Eyes half shut, though wide awake Footsteps echo in the hall, voices fall and seep Into another world where all we see Is the dream and what the dream is meant to be I’ll take you there with me In the middle of the night when I can’t sleep
7.
Dark Side of a Pearl 04:57
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Dark Side of a Pearl Quiet walks the streets outside Everyone’s locked safe inside The television tells them what to wear She used to care, but since gave in He doesn’t look too deep within All they want is a little peace In their heart, they let it pass In their heart, the world is cast Into the dark dark side of a pearl He loosens his tie, kicks off his shoes She whistles "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" Writes down an idea that she has, She's got blue eyes clear as an arctic pool Curves roll down from hot to cool Like blood at the bottom of the well I knew them both many years ago When life was a moving picture show All our dreams had been blessed She played a beautiful blue guitar Had a voice to grace a deco bar He rarely spoke, but to tell a joke She’d always laugh and he’d watch her glow In his heart, he lets it pass… Now what used to make her laugh, eats inside And tear up her verse almost for spite One day she called me on the phone to spill it all I gave her what seemed like good advice She hung up the phone and picked a fight Pushing his buttons like only lovers can He took the ring she’d tossed aside Threw it to the world outside She watched it sail through time and space Standing in the door she saw the view Houses filled with people on the move Some for the darkness; others the light There was nothin’ left for her to decide In his heart, he lets it pass… The trees were lined with Spanish moss And I wonder what they lost Somewhere in those ragged fields of grass Fate can turn so suddenly I turned off the light among blessed dreams And held my wife as we fell asleep
8.
Screwball Comedy 04:45
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Screwball Comedy Her wheels are always spinnin’ She’s always on her guard She’s the grass beneath the snow And when she’s near she’s far I can see her in a movie It would be black and white Like Barbara Stanwyck on a bandstand Sequin dress, slit ridin’ to her thigh A screwball comedy Am I destined to be? On a train with a cast of characters…endlessly His feet are always movin’ He's always on the prowl He's the calm and the storm And the wind before it howls When he heads around the corner He sees clouds on the rise He sticks to his destination As he walks he wonders if it's wise A screwball comedy… They’re always asking questions They remember every word You better answer carefully Make sure that you are heard People in and out of focus Kids pulling on my tie Like Cary Grant in Connecticut I’m baffled, bewildered, benign and doing alright A screwball comedy…
9.
Nighttime Rain 04:24
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Nighttime Rain Like a branch on the water that’s flowin’ Away from my outstretched hand Tall grass lines the shore I take off my shoes and walk some more Lost in a river of words… I watch the breeze blow away All the stories held at bay Underneath a steady nighttime rain Years ago, on a dark highway I drove to see my friend; college days The girl with me had almond eyes We were lost looking for things to find We played pool at his favorite bar She took pictures in black and white He flirted with her, but I didn’t mind, Outside there remained A steady nighttime rain My friend was taken from this earth But his memory’s at the surface A late night movie I can’t remember A feeling I get come mid-December That’s when I miss him most Rows and rows of golden maize Every spring come to take their place Underneath a steady nighttime rain Like a man on a mission I landed there Playing a show to the past We took a walk underneath the stars Purely by chance wound up in that bar She took pictures just like ours And nothing changed but everything had Somehow her youth made me sad Outside there still remained – a steady nighttime rain
10.
The Artesian Well 04:29
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The Artesian Well It came right out of nowhere in these West Virginia Hills Somebody's father's father was working with his drill Digging hard for oil that would clear this family's debts When he struck a stream of water that no one will forget The artesian well goes on forever At least as long as most folks remember Hmmm, hmmmm - the artesian well It wasn't quite the picture he had hanging in his mind But many of our choices are not for us to decide Black as night and thick as mud, oil will make you rich But this cool clear water we need to make us live The artesian well goes on forever... It's like our love, endless and pure... It's like our love, steady and sure... The man kept right on working for the rest of his life He could have made a killing showing off his find He died without a penny, but lovers flock to see A place where time stands still for eternity The artesian well goes on forever...
11.
Eternity 03:09
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Eternity Some are tied to cell phones, Like horses around a post The world revolves around them But it’s the world they miss the most Beauty all around them, they will never realize I didn’t see it comin’, but I felt it in her eyes Be here now, she said to me, Baby, be with me This second could be all we got And it’s my eternity We opened up the Cabernet And turned off all the lights Lit a dozen candles And gave in to the night She came to me in waves, the kind that fall and rise I didn’t see it comin’ but I felt them in her eyes Be here now, she said to me Baby, be with me I’m gonna take you to the place Of my eternity It’s not a new invention, The fullness of the moon And the tide has always fed The hungry multitudes Everywhere you go, you’ll find people living out their lives I didn’t see it comin’, but I felt it in her eyes And as she whispered quietly Baby be with me I realized it was all I need For my eternity
12.
Waiting 05:06
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Waiting At a table painted gold, sippin' on my coffee slow, noticing the bloom Of a hundred different flowers, at the flower stand, different shades of you Dusk gets darker, lights on boats drift silently away from me A family on a bicycle, cross over the canal and go bouncing down the street I watch a lover kiss his sweethearts hand and make a joke and wait for her to laugh I’m waiting for this time to pass Wishing I could kiss your hand Waiting for tomorrow’s news to come through Noises empty into the air, hanging like a diamond rare, people heading for their homes Holding love and fighting hate, I imagine they are late for dramas all their own Some get everything they want, others circle like a flock, searching endlessly I wake up in the dead of night, cast from my dreams across the world you're fast asleep Waiting patiently for me I’m wishing you could help me see Waiting for tomorrow’s news to come through

about

Waiting was Doug Hoekstra’s fifth solo release and first on the fledgling Paste Records (with the UK based Fundamental handling the chores in Europe). While previous albums incorporated gospel choirs, string quartets and avant-garde horn sections, the dozen songs on Waiting were recorded in Hoekstra’s home studio, while he was literally waiting for his son to come into the world.

Core instruments and vocals were handled by Hoekstra at home; with guest vocals by Amelia White (on the title track and “Dark Side of the Pearl“) and a few key post-production overdubs from friend and frequent collaborator George Marinelli (Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, James Taylor, his own work, and much more). The result was a quiet but deeply layered folk record with a rock vibe that has nothing to do with “folk rock.”

"Doug Hoekstra, the crown prince of contemporary Brit-leaning pastoral folk-pop, has made his most intimate and attentive album to date…Hoekstra remains a truly original voice among today's singer-songwriters, one of folk music's most vibrant and imaginative artists…" (Stein Haukland, Ink 19)

Waiting is a record that chooses the path less traveled, surprising the listener with musical turns and lyrical phrases. “Sunday Blues” provides a lilting blend of church bells, sitar, guitars and keys for Hoekstra to croon over. On “Theresa,” Hoekstra sings of a lost child in Sao Paolo, Brazil, accompanied by persistent loops and electric guitars, ebbing and flowing with the narrative like the ocean against the shore. The atmospheric effect of “Nighttime Rain” is so palpable that you can almost feel the mist in your face. “Dark Side of a Pearl,” sketches the collapse of a couple in a folk hop setting somewhere between Dylan and Beck.

Liner notes: Waiting was cut in my home studio, during the last trimester of my wife's pregnancy, at a time when we were busy getting ready for our son to enter the world. It was a time to be around the house, but the songs were backing up, so it also felt like a time to record. Necessity is often the mother of invention, so I decided to go ahead and do it all on my trusty Boss 532. It was all me all the time, as I handled the keyboards, percussion, vocals, and assorted esoterica. I placed mikes, taped cords, cursed airplanes, and even made my own tea. It was a different way of working, but as I moved through the project, I began to see that these songs really lent themselves to this approach. Somehow I was able to cut right through to the heart of material that dug deeper than anything I'd done before, and as a result, capture something closer to that intimate moment of creative inception. Considering what I was waiting for, that made more sense than I could imagine. Afterwards, I added a couple extra touches from a couple pals, and..here 'tis. I hope you dig the songs and the sentiment. (Doug Hoekstra, Nashville, 2003)

“Just like always, one of the best albums of the year comes quietly and without fanfare. Stripped down to the bare essentials, Doug Hoekstra's new disc cuts right to the essence of the songs. Deep, sometimes dark thoughts are softened with hazy, dreamy melodies and are balanced with an unfettered romanticism. Somehow, Hoekstra finds a way to softly and insistently discuss love, survival and belief without ever coming across as sappy or unrealistic….this is what makes the album so real, so bittersweet and so relatable. This is one man's universal heart in all its fragile, imperfect glory captured on disc." (Chris McKay, Flagpole, Athens Georgia)

credits

released January 1, 2003

Individual musician credits on each song

Produced by Doug Hoekstra
Engineered by Doug Hoekstra (at home);
Mixing and Post-Production by George Marinelli (WingDing Studios, Nashville) and DH
Mastered by Jim DeMain at Yes Master, Nashville.
Artwork/Design: Deanna Glaze, Monkeyshines Media, Nashville TN
Back Photo: Marco Baker, Edam Netherlands
Endorsement: Doug Hoekstra plays Breedlove Guitars and uses Exilir Strings

All songs copyright and published by Doug Hoekstra (BMI), administered by Kobalt Music Group except "The Artesian Well" by Doug Hoekstra and Gary Michael Smith (Doug Hoekstra Music / Gary Michael Smith Music, BMI)

“*** of 4 …. just as vital is the fifth solo outing from avant-folkateer, Ohio-born Doug Hoekstra. The self-produced Waiting is another highly literate affair, less flamboyant than previous, string-laden albums, but still pulling off the enviable feat of sounding lean and intimate while employing church bells, sitar, mellotron and keyboard loops. In particular, the spare "In The Middle Of The Night" and "Sunday Blues" are exceptional…” (Rob Hughes, Uncut Magazine)

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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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