A Life Too Long Forgotten

by Dan Kwas

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1.
Just Passing Through (free) 04:12
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Oh, the road is long and rough And my engine’s not that strong This downhill stretch is tough I’ve been coasting for too long Still I’ve learned you must appreciate the view When miles are disappearing fast in front of you There’s little time to find what’s true Just passing through Not quite sure where I am bound Even less where I have been Traveling blind from town to town Peering out but never in My inner thunder drives me like the pouring rain I try to stay one storm ahead of all the pain It’s hard to tell when skies are blue Just passing through Speeding down the highway in the dead of night Contemplating my next turn Restless wanderings until the morning light Countless dreams I’ve learned to spurn Don’t know when this journey ends But I know it can’t be far Too many favors owed my friends Too many miles on this car But I’ll keep rolling though my tank is running low I like to think I’ve still got someplace left to go Deep down I know chances are few Just passing through I’ll hang on to whatever life I’ve got to live I like to think I’ve still got something left to give But here I stand without a clue Just passing through What kind of good can one man do? Just passing through
2.
Winds Of Change 05:03
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Spring has come I can see it everywhere Wanderlust is in the air, I must get set Feel the breeze? It’s coming from the south Putting words into my mouth I’ll soon regret The winds of change are blowing me away from you Don’t know what I’m gonna do, they just persist The winds of change are telling me I should depart They’re tugging at my heart, I can’t resist The winds of change Hear the road? It’s calling out my name Telling me to stake my claim another day So you see It’s not up to you There’s nothing you can do to make me stay The winds of change are blowing me away from you Don’t know what I’m gonna do, they just persist The winds of change are telling me I should depart They’re tugging at my heart, I can’t resist The winds of change There you go, turning on the tears Filling up my ears with desperate pleas Dry your eyes I’ll stick it out for now Try to make it last somehow, no guarantees The winds of change are blowing me away from you Don’t know what I’m gonna do, they just persist The winds of change are telling me I should depart They’re tugging at my heart, I can’t resist The winds of change
3.
Why Do You Keep Haunting Me 03:55
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You never gave me a ghost of a chance when we first got together You kept me going that whole summer long then blew me off in a letter The years have passed and the memories fade but the hurt, it still lingers I can’t believe after all of this time I’m still wrapped ’round your finger Why do you keep haunting me? Why won’t you leave me alone? Why do you keep haunting me? You’ve got me chilled to the bone I couldn’t let you walk off just like that How could I face you tomorrow? I called you up and I cried on the phone but you just laughed at my sorrow Forget the shame you subjected me to I still remember the passion So now I lie awake thinking of you wondering how it all happened Why do you keep haunting me? Why is it I’m so obsessed? Why do you keep haunting me? Could it be that I’m possessed? I know I need to get on with my life and put this heartache behind me Twenty years is a long time to wait thinking that you’ll come find me But every year when I think that I’m cured I fret as summertime nears ’Cause just as soon as the warm weather comes your apparition appears Why do you keep haunting me? I’m going out of my head Why do you keep haunting me? Oh, I’d be better off dead
4.
The Tenacity Song (free) 02:51
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Everything I’ve touched has turned to dust Shining opportunities, all rust My life’s a book of broken dreams, bitter pills and hopeless schemes But I’m just not quite ready to give up Made a mess of all my best-laid plans Let the sure things slip right through my hands Saw endless possibilities vanish right in front of me But I’m just not quite ready to give up Seems I’ve spent my whole life chasing rainbows Looking for that hidden pot of gold Though I’m nowhere nearer, my focus now is clearer Knowing that the trail’s growing cold Sure I bit off more than I could chew Tried the things they said I shouldn’t do I fought the fight I couldn’t win, got back on my feet again ’Cause I’m just not quite ready to give up Seems I’ve spent my whole life chasing shadows Looking to dispute what I was told The lessons were compelling, but I’m not done rebelling Even though I know I’m growing old I can’t count the times I’ve done my best Only to be told I failed the test But when the praises pass me by, I stand up tall, my head held high ’Cause I’m just not quite ready to give up I’ll fight that losing fight again Knowing that in time I’ll win So I’m just not quite ready to give up
5.
You're So Fragile 03:21
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You’re so fragile I’m so afraid you’ll break You’re so fragile There’s too much at stake Let’s call it off before it begins You’re so fragile Let’s just stay friends You’re so fragile in everything you do You’re so fragile I can’t chance it with you Forget that kiss It came on too fast You’re so fragile that it can’t last We’ve known each other since we were kids For me it was love at first sight So now you want to reciprocate That still doesn’t make it all right You’re so fragile I’m so afraid you’ll burst You’re so fragile Can’t you see we’re cursed? After all this time I thought you’d know why You’re so fragile and so am I
6.
One More Nail In My Coffin 02:47
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I still can see my mother’s face when my dad walked out that door He said he had to hit the road, couldn’t take them brats no more I can’t forget how small I felt as I watched him drive away It was one more nail in my coffin, but one less day of pain I grew up fast and turned to crime to keep from being poor The judge, he couldn’t empathize when I robbed that liquor store Seven years inside a cell about drove me insane One more nail in my coffin, but one less day of pain One more nail in my coffin, one foot in the grave One last shot at redemption, one lost soul to save I found myself a pretty girl who could help me turn the page Until I came home drunk one night and hit her in a rage She drove away without a word as I hung my head in shame One more nail in my coffin, but one less day of pain One more nail in my coffin, one foot in the grave One less chance for heartache, one less soul to save I got a job that paid real well collecting gambling debts But when a client pulled a knife I shot that man to death The angry jury told the judge, “We must remove this stain” One more nail in my coffin, but one less day of pain Tomorrow when the sun comes up they’ll stick the needle in my vein One more nail in my coffin, but one less day of pain One more nail in my coffin, but one less day of pain
7.
Back Where I Began 06:28
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Left my home in West Virginia Couldn’t wait to get away Told my mother she was crazy when she said I’d be back someday I grew up dreaming about leaving Was nothing there to tie me down Held off till my eighteenth birthday Then I caught the first bus headed out of town I stepped off in California where I planned to make my name Spent my days in endless odd jobs and my nights in search of fame I filled the empty hours with whiskey It dulled the loneliness I feared The years blew by so quickly I hardly knew my youth had disappeared Walked away from California looking for a better life Found some peace in Arizona where I also found a wife We made a happy home together We built it up through faith and trust We often talked of having children Kept a list of names until the cancer struck Now I’m back in West Virginia hanging on but slipping fast I try to focus on tomorrow but I can’t shake off the past My mother’s buried on a hilltop, my wife beneath the desert sand I alone am left to ponder how I’ve found myself right back where I began
8.
Cold, Cold Kisses 01:54
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Big heart, warm smile, sweet talkin’, well that’s your style Hugs for all of the friends you see but just cold, cold kisses for me I remember when we first met Your kisses would make me sweat Now I’m wondering what went wrong It’s been cold, cold kisses too long Cold kisses won’t light my fire They’re never gonna stir my desire Cold kisses won’t stoke my love ’Cause hot-blooded kisses are what I’m in need of What can I do to make our love grow? Dinner, dancing, diamonds, I don’t know I need to rectify this pretty fast ’cause these cold, cold kisses can’t last Now I finally understand I saw you kissing another man Sparks were flying as your lips touched It left me wishing that I had meant so much I guess it’s time that I cut you free Find a girl who’ll be true to me This time I’ll wait until I’m quite sure there’s no cold, cold kisses from her This time I’ll wait until I’m quite sure there’s no cold, cold kisses from her
9.
Connie's Song 01:25
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10.
Senorita Holy One 03:28
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Drove down to Mexico, I could tell I was fading fast Hoped that I might recapture the spirit of my past Picked you up on Highway 2, your eyes shone bright as gold Knew you were the angel sent down here to save my soul Oh, señorita, you’re the one Oh, señorita, you’re the one, the holy one Stopped at a small motel this side of Monterrey Drank whiskey and smoked cigars until the break of day With the sun high in the sky, you wrapped your wings ’round me And let me have a taste of celestial ecstasy Oh, señorita, you’re the one Oh, señorita, you’re the one, the holy one You took me in your arms and stripped away my cares Your spirit entered me, it was the answer to my prayers I awoke to find the sun was going down I looked around the room, but you could not be found Outside, I realized I fell into your trap You stole my car but left a feather in my cap Oh, señorita, you’re the one Oh, señorita, you’re the one, the holy one The holy one, the holy one, the holy one Oh, señorita, you’re the one Oh, señorita, you’re the one, the holy one
11.
Dignified Man 03:30
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A man must walk a real fine line So he can have some peace of mind He needs to know when to turn away and when to make a stand He has to cleave to what is pure Many hardships he’ll endure It’s a rough road trying to be a dignified man A dignified man earns an honest living A dignified man learns to be forgiving A dignified man won’t cheat on his wife even though he can A dignified man doesn’t lie or steal A dignified man respects how others feel It’s a tough load trying to be a dignified man When our nation is in need One man is called upon to lead The people put their trust into his guiding hand He must determine wrong from right And choose diplomacy or might There is no free ride if you’re a dignified man A dignified man won’t abuse his station A dignified man don’t deceive his nation A dignified man won’t start a war just because he can A dignified man doesn’t live for glory A dignified man hears the other story It takes more than pride to spur a dignified man A dignified man don’t tread on foreign soil A dignified man won’t trade blood for oil A dignified man will face a grieving mother when she demands A dignified man won’t conspire in seclusion A dignified man don’t rape the Constitution The art of stealth is not a skill of a dignified man It takes more than wealth to build a dignified man
12.
American Dream Come True 03:42
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Went to work like any other day expecting to do my job Foreman met me outside his office, said, “Won’t you step inside? “Shareholders are angry, last quarter’s profits were much too low “Now they want us to downsize so we’re gonna have to let you go” I gave that company 10 years of my life Two weeks of severance pay’s the best they could do Is this the American Dream come true? Stopped at the unemployment office, where I waited half the day They said they’d help me out for 26 weeks but at only half my pay If I didn’t look for work they warned I would be penalized Gave me a list of fast-food joints and said, “Make sure you apply” I was making thirty-thousand a year Five bucks an hour it just won’t do Is this the American Dream come true? I’ve paid taxes all my life to live in this Land of the Free So how come when I’m in need, my nation turns its back on me? Six months later, still no work, and the money’s all but gone I spend my days lying in bed and wondering what went wrong Used the last of our savings so we could buy ourselves something to eat If I don’t find an answer soon, we’ll be living on the street I’ve got a wife and three kids to support And I don’t know what I’m gonna do Is this the American Dream come true? The bank just called and repossessed my car And my house payment’s months overdue Is this the American Dream come true?
13.
Me And You Again 03:39
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I remember back when we were young All the things we did were just for fun Staying out until the break of dawn Making love together all night long Now those times, they seem so far away Jobs and children fill up all our days There’s so much responsibility How I miss the way things used to be Let’s close the door and turn the lights down Just like we used to way back then Turn up the music, tune the kids out And pretend it’s just me and you again Once we had so many hours to kill Now it seems that every minute’s filled Overtime and after-school events There’s little left for what really counts We’ve made a lot of gains, I have to say But lost a part of us along the way Let’s put some obligations on the shelf And make a little time for just ourselves Let’s close the door and turn the lights down Just like we used to way back when Turn up the music, tune the noise out And pretend it’s just me and you again Let’s close the door and turn the lights down Just like we used to way back when Turn up the music, tune the world out And pretend it’s just me and you again Let’s pretend it’s just me and you again Let’s pretend it’s just me and you again

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released May 15, 2007

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Dan Kwas Milwaukee, Wisconsin

New single "Looking for the Silver Lining" is the first Americana release by Dan Kwas in 14 years. The former frontman of 1980s Milwaukee punk pop band the Sidewalks left music behind in 1983 only to return in 2007 with the self-produced album "A Life Too Long Forgotten." He followed that up in 2010 with "Dreams Die Hard." ... more

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