Desert Highway was written about that feeling of wanting to get out on the open road….hair flying free in the wind (maybe in a convertible?), a long straight road ahead, with no curves. The metaphor is to have a simplified life. Having spent time in the deserts of the West myself, I am familiar with the feeling of freedom and adventure the desert highway symbolizes….the road where one can unscramble their thoughts. I think most of us, at certain points in our lives, long for that simple, straight ahead course. Many of us make that part of our goal in life, to reach a place where we can find peace of mind.

DESERT HIGHWAY

I’ve been out there on the ragin’ sea
Seen the calm before the storm
Ain’t much difference there
Between you and me
All the same before we’re born

Used to live the way we want to be
Hearts and souls, longin’ to be free

DESERT HIGHWAY
GOT TO GET ON THE OPEN ROAD
DESERT HIGHWAY
TAKE ME TO THE PLACE I NEED TO GO
DESERT HIGHWAY
NO WINDIN’ TURNS, CONCRETE STRAIGHT AHEAD
DESERT HIGHWAY
GOT TO CLEAR THE CLUTTER IN MY HEAD

Go tell my mama, that I’m gonna be
Callin’ from a distant line
Don’t go lookin’ for a fool like me
That would be a waste of time

I’ll be drivin’ to another place
Somewhere nobody knows my face

(repeat chorus)

Bridge:
Haven’t a clue, what I will find
One thing is true,  need some peace of mind

(instrumental break)

(repeat chorus and out)

© Jennifer Avalon & Noel Boland

This song has to do with keeping Hope alive, during difficult circumstances. This song deals with divorce and how one parent trys to pull up the slack for the other. It is one of the songs recorded but not included on “Phoenix Rising.” It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to finally share this song with you.

DREAM ON
by Jennifer Avalon & Noel Boland

Shiny leather shoes and a dress of lace
One look from you and I knew to behave
Five years old in front of the mirror
I’d watch your hands as you brushed my hair

You were the lady who wore the smiling face
Who tucked me in and remembered the words to say

DREAM ON (the night is long)
DREAM ON (tomorrow will come)
DON’T YOU BE AFRAID TO BE BRAVE AND STRONG
SHADOWS FADE AWAY WITH THE MORNING SUN SO
DREAM ON……DREAM ON

Age thirteen and my father left (my father left, I can’t forget)
This wasn’t the way my fairytales went
I never really understood (never understood, thought I would)
How he could leave when I’d been so good (I did all I could)

You hid your tears but the pain was clear in your eyes
You held me near and I heard your lullably

DREAM ON (the night is long)
DREAM ON (tomorrow will come)
DON’T YOU BE AFRAID TO BE BRAVE AND STRONG
SHADOWS FADE AWAY WITH THE MORNING SUN SO
DREAM ON (when sunshine is gone)
DREAM ON (a new day will come)
I WILL LIGHT THE WAY TO LEAD YOU THROUGH THE DARK
FEAR WILL GO AWAY WHEN YOU TRUST YOUR HEART

Bridge:
The words you softly gave me,are lasting through my life
The strength to keep believing,that things can end up right

© Avalon & Boland

I wrote my latest song “America” because I feel that sometimes this country isn’t appreciated enough, either by people who live outside of it, or by those who live inside its borders. It has its faults, for sure (energy and healthcare must get under control, for instance) but overall, the basic principles upon which America was founded are to be admired, in my belief. We are still a relatively young country, compared to the rest of the world, and we make mistakes like a younger entity can, and does, but there are many, many good, solid people who live here, who work hard and have an open heart towards the rest of the world. We don’t have the advantage of a long history….sometimes we come up shortsighted….it might come across as arrogance at times, but it is really a lack of sophistication. Still, America is what she is….a thought born out of courageous minds, who envisioned a “melting pot” where all who needed a fresh start could begin again, through dreams and hard work. May she always hold a torch for those who need her Light.

For those of us who have a spiritual life, being “Born Again” is often a part of our fabric, and I wrote the lyrics of this song, “Milk and Honey,” to reflect my deep appreciation for what Christ did for all of mankind.

This is a deeply personal song for me, because it was in asking for forgiveness (we are all sinners) that I “surrendered” to Christ, and therein lies the sweetness….like milk and honey.

I wrote this song for my beloved maternal Grandma, who was able to reach me 3,000 miles away the moment she passed away, via “telepathy”, or whatever one wishes to call it. When I was a little girl, everytime I was with her and we would see a monarch butterfly together, she would say to me “Jenny, there’a a free spirit.” When she passed, I was walking on a New York City sidewalk, and suddenly felt a pain in my chest….that night my mother informed me that my Grandma had passed away of a heart attack. With the 3 hour time difference, it turned out to be the same time I felt the pain in my chest. Exactly one week later, as I was walking along the same New York City street, this time with a girlfriend, at the same spot where I had stopped in my tracks just a week before, both me and my friend saw a monarch butterfly pass in front of us. Grandma, I said, must be sending me a message that she is now a “free spirit.” So in honor of her, and her beautiful garden that she always tended to, I wrote this song, “Paper Garden.”

PAPER GARDEN
by Jennifer Avalon & Noel Boland

I remember when Grandma died
It was raining and cold outside
I felt the pain as she closed her eyes
I said goodbye

But then that night she came to my heart
Showed me a picture of her backyard
A field of flowers surrounded by stars
A piece of Heaven painted on a card

PAPER GARDEN, NO MATTER HOW FAR I’VE SEARCHED
I’M CLOSER TO GOD IN HER GARDEN,
THEN ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH,
PAPER GARDEN

Magnolia’s bloom in the summer wind
Iced tea and apple cake with cinnamon
I see her calling out to me again,
“It’s not the end”

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge:
Paper Garden, the image is clear
It didn’t fade in all these years
A sign, though my world may change
The Garden stays the same

(C):
A field of flowers where a river runs
The path to Heaven when my life is done

Tag:
Paper Garden (she’ll always be with me)
Paper Garden (I see her so clearly)

(c) Avalon & Boland

This song is actually based on something that really happened to me when I was around 16. I did fall in love with a fellow, who told me he was going to marry me… but he ran off with a model who was living nearby, and I was crushed. I found out later that their marriage broke up, but in the meantime, it made me somewhat afraid about falling in love again…..”Once Bitten, Twice Shy.”

ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY

When I was sweet sixteen, the boy next door fit all my dreams
He promised me a wedding ring, but he was gone before the Spring

Maybe you’re different from other men, see a sparkle in your smile
I can’t afford to get my heart broken, the way I feel, it’s been awhile

YOU’RE MOVIN’ TO CATCH MY EYE, I WATCH FROM THE SIDE
YOU SEEM LIKE A REAL NICE GUY, ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY

I go inside to meet my friends, and there you are so cool dancin’
You’re all alone when they close the floor, I know cause one eye’s on the door

Maybe you’re different from other men, see a sparkle in your smile

YOU’RE MOVIN’ TO CATCH MY EYE, I WATCH FROM THE SIDE
YOU SEEM LIKE A REAL NICE GUY, ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY

Bridge: When it’s real you just know, no easy come easy go,
Let’s just take it real nice and slow…..whoa

Maybe you’re different from other men, the way I feel it’s been awhile

YOU’RE MOVIN’ TO CATCH MY EYE, I WATCH FROM THE SIDE
YOU SEEM LIKE A REAL NICE GUY, ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY
YOU’RE HAVIN’ A REAL GOOD TIME, A PARTY-LOVIN’ TYPE GUY
I’D LOVE TO GIVE YOU A TRY BUT, ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY

© Avalon/Boland

This song I wrote to portray the feelings a person has when a relationship is having difficulties. The first line,”Deep in a cloudless night, there’s not a dream in sight,” illustrates some of the problems that occur in those situations. The line, “Thin walls don’t sleep” is a metaphor for both the vulnerability one feels, and for the times when one hears every noise at night, and feels fear, because they are alone.

Thin Walls Don’t Sleep

Deep in a cloudless night, there’s not a dream in sight
No one to hold me tight, since you’ve gone away
Behind a broken door, my footsteps pace the floor
What were we fighting for, I wish you had stayed

THIN WALLS DON’T SLEEP, THE WALLS DON’T SLEEP
THIN WALLS DON’T SLEEP, WHEN WHAT I NEED IS YOU

A creeping on the stairs, noises everywhere
There’s probably nothing there, but I’m still afraid

THIN WALLS DON’T SLEEP, THE WALLS DON’T SLEEP
THIN WALLS DON’T SLEEP, WHEN WHAT I NEED IS YOU

(bridge) the comfort of your arms, helped me through
kept me safe and warm

© 83rd Street Music (BMI)

I wrote “Sixty Years” because I was trying to explain how, when you really love someone, no length of time you spend with them is ever enough….you always feel you could use more time. I also believe that it is only the two people in the relationship who really ultimately know and understand each other, hence the line “We’ll be a mystery, sharing a history,”….”that’s what real love is all about.”

Sixty Years
by Jennifer Avalon & Noel Boland

Looking forward and down the road
Knowing you’re by my side
Nothing can break me, you’ll always save me
Knowing that maybe you’ve sacrificed

Best foot forward, no turning back
Angels don’t always have wings
Just to know you, see, hear and hold you
I’ll remember these precious things

SIXTY YEARS WILL NEVER DO
I NEED MORE LIFETIMES TO SPEND WITH YOU
WHEN OUR LIVES ARE ALMOST THROUGH
SIXTY YEARS WILL FEEL LIKE TWO

Old people, with laughing eyes
One day, I have no doubt
We’ll be a mystery, sharing a history
That’s what real love is all about

(Repeat Chorus)
© Avalon & Boland

To me, “Faith” is the most important thing a person can have…because it requires a lessening, and eventually giving up, of the Ego. The “Holy Spirit” is the bond that ties God, Jesus, and all of us together….the Love that connects us all. In my song “Deep Within the Fire” I tried to convey the power of the Holy Spirit as the flames of healing…Heaven is a warm place, a place of healing. Hell is a cold place…a place where the soul is fixed in an icy state. Only when the flames of the Holy Spirit melts the soul on ice, can one be healed. When one has Faith, the needs of the soul are answered.

DEEP WITHIN THE FIRE
by Jennifer Avalon & Noel Boland

Jesus said don’t you worry ’bout your life,
What you will eat or drink God will provide
If you believe in the One on High

Look at the birds that fly upon the air,
They soar among the clouds without a care
The seeds that feed them will be always there

The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
The Trinity that will save the most

DEEP WITHIN THE FIRE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT CALLIN YOUR NAME
(within the fire Holy Spirit reaches out in a blaze)
DEEP WITHIN THE FIRE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT CALLIN YOUR NAME
(within the fire Holy Spirit shows the Light and The Way)

Ask and it will be given all to you,
Seek and you’ll find the Sacred Truth
Knock and the door will open wide for you

Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost,
The Trinity that will save the most

(repeat chorus)

bridge:
to be written in the Book of Life, forever known
with God you’re never alone

© Avalon & Boland

I wrote “Family of Man” because I wanted to express the thought that all of us are running around like maniacs while the ship seems to be going down….and the things we should be paying attention to, we don’t, because we’re so busy with our daily lives. Meanwhile, “the lion stalks the lamb,” and if we begin to pay attention, we will begin to, as I say at the end of the song, start to love “Your brother (time to love your brother), one another (show love to one another),” which, really, is the only way to change things…with love…because we are all, when all is said and done, in the “Family of Man.”

FAMILY OF MAN
by Jennifer Avalon & Noel Boland

We celebrate, for what it’s worth
We are the actors in this show on earth
And everybody has got a part
Don’t need rehearsin’ know our lines by heart

Oh tell me why, we’re in a hurry
We all seem to have our own place on stage
Oh tell me why, why do we worry
When we could be wearin’ a happy face

OH…IN THE FAMILY OF MAN, IN THE FAMILY OF MAN
THE LION STALKS THE LAMB
IN THE FAMILY OF MAN

Bees in a hive, buzzin’ around
We’re makin’ honey as the ship goes down
Sweet Jesus hear us and throw a line
I know you’ll answer if we ask in time

‘Cause you know why, we’re in a hurry
We’re all really searchin’ for a better place
And you know why, why we are worried
We seem to be runnin’ out of time and space

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Up on high, there’s judge and jury
They know the solution to this troubled case
And in their eyes, the answer is surely
That love is the savior for the human race

Refrain:
Your brother (time to love your brother)
One another (Show love to one another)
Your brother (Time to love your brother)
One another (show love to one another)

© 83rd Street Music (BMI)