Song Titles & Lyrics

Original Song Titles by Carol Montag
All songs copyright © BMI

Titles

A Cross on a Hill
An August in Forest City
Babies and Dishes
Bad Boy Blue
Don’t Bring Your Heart
Don’t Go Back
Figure Eight
For My Father
Garden of Gethsemane
Goodnight
Grenada
Grenada Girl
I Still Follow You
I Wanna Be Your Barbie
January Night Sky
Jean Leon Healey
Last Year’s Christmas Tree
Like a Dandelion
Little Boys
Love No Matter What
Makes No Difference
Marigold in Winter
Michael in My Hand
My Grandma’s Eyes
One Thing I Can’t Do
Pipedream
Song for Jean
Sweet Lies
The Garden Wall
The Middle Child
The Poems Rachel Wrote
The Road Home
The Winds Blow Cold
This Morning
Two Stars
Uncle John


Lyrics

A Cross on a Hill
Intro:
All on a grassy hillside
Shining in the sun
A cross was standing to remind everyone
But no one seemed to notice
They just hurried by
But I could not quite catch my breath
When that cross caught my eye

Crosses on the highway
Of someone’s grief and pain

Crosses just for fashion
Hanging from a chain

Crosses that are tattooed
On the hungry skin

Crosses at the free throw line
Praying this one will go in

Crosses from a spray can
On the interstate

Crosses raised up in the night
Crosses burned with hate

Some don’t know the story
Some know and mock Him still

Only a fool would see the glory
Of a cross on a hill

Crosses on the steeples
High above the town

Crosses still and peaceful
Like the Lamb who wore the crown

Crosses in the pocket
Of a soldier in the field

Crosses made upon the breast
Of the faithful as they kneel

Crosses at the mission
Crosses at the graves
Crosses lit in neon shining
Jesus saves

Some don’t know the story
Some know and mock Him still

Only a fool would see the glory
Of a cross on a hill


Babies and Dishes
When I was single I had not a care
My biggest worry was what shall I wear
I spent many an hour getting ready and dressed
For the people and the parties that held my interest

Babies and dishes and everything’s dirty
There were dances at twenty, garage sales when you’re thirty

Now I find good bargains and I find good buys
But I want good answers when I ask you why
Oh, why do I feel such a wondrous desire
To lasso the world and set it on fire

Well, if I was born just to learn mothering
W’ll learn it gladly, but just let me sing
Let me sing of my joy, let me sing of my strife
Let me sing of the things that are shaping my life


Don’t Go Back
Where is she that old monstrosity, three stories tall
With the classrooms and the commons, that old study hall
With the bicycles parked in the front of the schoolyard
I pledged allegiance my hand on my heart

Don’t go back, you can’t go back
Don’t go back, it’s much too far

Where is that swimming pool, so cool and so wide
With the beautiful fountain gracing the sky
With a slide like a mountain
You could climb right up and ride

Where is that restaurant we all loved so well
Where I first met him and for him I fell
Well, it’s gone to banker
For a profit I heard tell

If I close my eyes I can see it now, I’m home
And everything’s the same, only I have changed
But no, no

Where is that little girl with yellow hair
Dancing through the summer so free of care
I look for familiar places
Hoping I will find her there


Figure Eight
Figure eight etched in ice
They say perfection has it’s price
Silver star shoot across the moon
I swear I had one once
But I let it go too soon
I let it go

If I were a little girl
I’d probably fly apart at the seams
I’d dance myself into the ground
‘Cause I’d have that star
Just burnin’ in my pocket
No matter what anyone said
I would not stop it
I would not

Can I dance for you
Let me dance for you
I wanna dance for you

When you look up
On a starlit night
Do you wonder why we’re here
And is there a star
Just burning in your pocket
Is it fading fast
Like the white tail of a rocket
A white tail

Will you dance for me
Dance for me
Dance for me

Dance with me
Dance with me
Dance with me


For My Father
Maybe we weren’t the kind
To show a lot of affection
But that doesn’t mean
We didn’t feel
A lot of love and affection
You see I feel my heart and yours
Share a common ground
And when I see sadness in your eyes
I must fight to keep my own eyes dry

Maybe there are things you’d like to change
Well, wouldn’t everyone
Some see the dawn, others the dust
But it’s one and the same sun
Your darkness is but a passing thing
Morning comes on an angel’s wings
With my voice I lift you up and I sing
I come with arms comforting

Maybe like the flowers we have grown
And been picked by the hands of time
Keep in your heart a garden in full bloom
Where the sun always shines
I have more than I will ever need
For I am rich in family
For my father loves and cares for me
And to me, well, this is everything


Garden of Gethsemane
Garden of Gethsemane
Seat of agony unknown
Here are shadows dark and still
Here the cross come to own
Soon to be betrayed
Here He came to pray
“Abba, Father!
Might you take this bitter cup from Me?”

No companion who understands
Heavy eyelids close
Deep in slumber there is no ear
To hear Him sigh and moan
Here His soul so grieved
Here He came to plead
“Abba, Father!
Might you take this bitter cup from Me?

Here He poured his deep distress
Knowing well He came for this alone

Soon accusers will curse His name
And raise a cruel hand
Though there is no crime to claim
His life is their demand
Innocence despised
In this garden cries
“Abba, Father!
Might You take this bitter cup
From Your one and only Son?
Not My will but Thine be done tonight.”


Goodnight
Summer nods her sleepy head
She stumbles to turn down her bed
In a gown of Queen Anne’s lace
She slips into her resting place again
Cicada sings a lullaby
In concert with the fireflies
Leafs will be turning any day
Swauking geese will fly away again

Goodnight barefoot boys
Goodnight sunlit joys
Goodnight

Goodnight

We held her hand when we were young
We played beneath her dappled sun
Running through her soft green halls
Waking up to do it all again

We’ll hear her song in the April rain
She will be missed between now and then
She’ll return on the robin’s wing
We’ll rejoice just to hear her sing again


Last Year’s Christmas Tree
I am last year’s Christmas tree
Lying in a ditch
And I don’t know why you tossed me here

But it’s clear that I’ve been pitched
Sad to know you’ve been let go
In such a reckless way

But life was sweet and so complete
When I was on display

No, I never saw this coming
When you wrapped me up in lights
You covered me with shiny tinsel
And I brightened up your nights
New Years came and then I went
Out with the Auld Lang Syne
But for a while I made you smile
And how you loved the scent of pine

Christmas is the reason miracle do still come true
Love is not a season, love is all year through

Maybe someday someone will stop by
And finally, pick me up
Grab a limb and throw me in
A fancy pick-up truck
Take me home and cut me up
For the winter’s firewood
And when the lights are low and my embers glow
I’ll know I did someone some good

Christmas is the reason miracle do still come true
Love is not a season, love is all year through

Oh, Christmas Tree
Oh, Christmas Tree
How lovely are your branches


Little Boys
Little boys who tell lies are easy to spot
They wear a silly grin and their eyes look down a lot
They cover all the bases, they ear a think disguise
You have to know just where to look
And the truth is in their eyes

Tonight is for lovers, the man in the moon and I
I look at him and I wonder why
God made little boys who lie

Someone broke the window, someone broke into my car
Someone broke my heart tonight and I know who you are
Someone stole my baseball glove, someone won’t admit
Someone’s missing from the game
I guess someone must have quit

Little boys are made of more than frogs and snail
The ones who wear the silly grins are telling tall, tall tails
And little boys who kiss the girls also make them cry
Soon little girls can easily spot the little boys who lie


Song for Jean
Jean felt forsaken and I can tell you why
Her friends had all deserted her

Left her high and dry
They got married to their men
And babies began arriving and then there were
Clothes to wash and beds to make
Walks and parks and birthday cakes

It was heel toe, heel toe
Step together step now

Tour jete, turn away
It was heel toe, heel toe
Step together step now
Tour jete, turn away
Go on get out
Go on get out of here
We will not share
A sorry, salty tear

Don’t you remember the musicals and plays
We were all we dreamed of dancing on the stage
And there were bright lights, bows, and tights
Dresses all unfurled
Feeling like such Tom-boys
And acting like such girls

If I could tell you one thing
I would tell you this
You are not forgotten
You are surely missed
But that was just a musical
This is just a song
Just like graduation
Just like senior prom


This Morning
Woke up this morning and what did I hear
Glory on every branch singing so clear
Put on the new day a smile shall be worn
Do you remember the day you were born

And your eyes when they opened
Full of wonder they were
And your heart yet unbroken
Fluttered at your mother’s words

Woke up this morning and what did I see
Daylight and daffodils dancing for me
Put on the new day, rejoice everyone
Look at the wonderful things God has done

And your eyes when they’re open
Full on wonder they’ll be
And your heart when it’s mended
Will give love to everyone that you see

Woke up this morning and what did I do
I gave you a kiss and you gave me one too
Put on the new day and welcome this morn
Do you remember the day you were born

And our eyes when they’re open
Full of wonder they are
When the love in our hearts has spoken
It give light like the sun, moon and stars