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Dream Song

Lena Rich, 2020

Sirens started wailing we were running from it

Even in the cold there was steam coming from us

Say you're mine, say you're mine

We can make it through this

And even when we're gone

The ashes on the ground will prove it

Thunder overhead, we were dodging from it

Acid rain leaving stains on my skin, I saw it

Say my name, say my name

I wanna hear it

And even when we're gone

I know I'll still feel it

Something In Between

Lena Rich, 2017
 

I missed my flight to baltimore

You know I was kinda hopin’ that I would

Stayed up all night fighting but I said the things I want to

And now I’m good

 

Woke up in your arms

Probably shouldn’t have slept over

But I did because I could

And Jennie says we’re too far gone

And she’s probably right

But I wouldn’t mind trying to get along

 

And I know I look good tonight

At this point I don’t really care what’s right

I know there’s nothing left

And I just wanna spend the night

So I will

 

But maybe there’s something in between

What you thought was black and white

I hope there was

Or maybe I’m holding on

To something that is gone

Wishing you’d come back around

 

Should try to get to baltimore

But I love it when we have mornings together

I hear you grinding coffee

And the caps still off the whiskey

From the night before

 

You say forget about the dishes

But I know you like clean kitchens

So I do them while you sweep the floor

And you say you’re happy for the first time in a long time

And all I wish is that you were

 

The hardest part is looking back

I wish I hadn’t gotten so drunk that night

And I shouldn’t have let you know

So much about my life, but I did

 

But maybe there’s something in between

What you thought was black and white

I hope there was

Or maybe I’m holding on

To something that is gone

Wishing you’d come back around

 

I made it here to Baltimore

And I listened to that album

On repeat through the clouds

The one we sat and listened to

The whole way through

Soaking in every single sound

That early kind of love

 

And I don’t look too good tonight

Too many questions, so little time

And I’m trying to fight what I once thought was right

And it’s hard

 

But maybe there’s something in between

What you thought was black and white

I hope there was

Or maybe I’m holding on

To something that is gone

Wishing you’d come back around

 

 

Fleeting

Lena Rich, 2017

You called me from new york

And said to think about the way

She slopes down from the sky into the valley

And don’t be afraid

Just wait it out till morning

We have nothing but open road

And fading light

 

I don’t feel at home in this endless sandy land

And my mind’s stuck in december

The first time I saw the milky way

We were lost out on a floodplain

Following tracks I’d left the week before

 

And everything feels fleeting now

Everything feels still

But you knew that you would find me

You were told about your future

Long ago

 

Black coffee stains on blue jeans

Negatives are on the wall

And my fingers bleed from steel strings

But I don’t mind the feeling anymore

 

And everything feels fleeting now

Everything feels still

But you knew that you would find me

You were told about your future

Long ago

 

 

 

Spelling Out Your Name

Lena Rich, 2017

 

Well I was thinking that I’d write to you

And at the bottom sign my name

And in the paragraphs I’d try to tell you how I feel

Or what I think about the day

 

And I’m singing songs about the subway

And I’m spelling out your name

In cursive and in block

And in my own handwriting

And I’m hoping you’ll come right through the page

 

Well I’d wish you send me something that smells like you

Or a photograph you made

Because I’m only seeing grey sky

All I want are big skies

And morning light in your eyes

 

And I’m passing graveyards on the highway

Stuck inside a grey snowglobe

And strip malls and dirty cars

And at night I can’t see the stars

And I’m just spelling out your name

 

At night I don’t feel so lonely

It’s not how it used to be

Kissing between smiles makes me think about the miles

Just miles, and your name feels like home to me

 

And I’m passing graveyards on the highway

Stuck inside a grey snowglobe

And strip malls and dirty cars

And at night I can’t see the stars

And I’m just spelling out your name

 

 

 

 

Red House

Lena Rich, 2017

 

You asked me if I was afraid to fall

A chapter in your mind

Was underlined in red

And I memorized it all

 

We felt hopeful in the night

You smelled like cigarettes

And we watched the streaks

Across the sky panning out

Like northern lights

Are we alone?

We laughed, we did not cry

 

I held my mother’s tapestries

Folded them myself

That night God was in my voice

And we spoke foreign tongues

Across the room

And I was breathing from within

 

And I surrendered to the red house

And all the books on shelves

To know your secrets takes a sign

I don’t know them all

No, I don’t know them all

 

 

Guidance 

Lena Rich, 2017

 

I asked for guidance on the phone

He said to tell a hero’s story

From every angle that you can

 

He said he went to church

A spitting image of his mother

Learned everything that he could

From the land

 

I asked am I too young to know?

Have I seen it all before in another life?

I’m just trying to get one foot through the door

 

And something familiar and strangely powerful

Left me wanting more

 

‘Cause I have never been this high before

And I have never flown this long before

And I have never seen so far before

And I have never heard this voice before

 

I asked for guidance on the phone

He said it’s hot where he comes from

And his mother was the one that he knew most

And don't let anything cut down your overgrowth

 

And something familiar and strangely powerful

Left me wanting more

 

‘Cause I have never been this high before

And I have never flown this long before

And I have never seen so far before

And I have never heard this voice before

 

I asked for guidance on the phone

I didn't think that he would answer

And I pictured he’d look like God

Or be everything I was afraid to ask for

I asked for guidance on the phone

I asked for guidance on the phone

 

Something To Keep

Lena Rich, 2017

 

I really don’t know much about driving slow

I really don’t know much about sundays

And I sure don’t know if I am saying this the right way

But I bet that I’ll stay

But I bet that I’ll stay

 

I really don’t know my way around a kitchen

I really don’t know every exit on the way

And I sure don’t know if I am saying this the right way

But I bet that I’ll stay

But I bet that I’ll stay

 

I already know my way around this small town

And I could drive it in my sleep

But I sure don’t know if you are looking for a compromise

Or if this is something that you wanna keep

Something that you wanna keep

 

I really don’t know much about standing still

I really don’t know much about this feeling

But I sure do know I haven’t ever asked for more

And I’d be happy to see where this is going

 

Ohio

Lena Rich, 2017

 

I headed from Ohio

Got the coastline on my mind

I tore up all my calendars

Because I’ve never been more sick of time

 

Dreams pan out before me

And I’m just trying to put them on the line

And something screams inside me

That I might be running out of time

 

Ooo, not coming back around

Ooo, I know what I have found

 

I tried to fake some answers

It didn’t end too well

‘Cause pages in a notebook

Knew me better

Than I knew myself

 

The constant ticking of a clock can just be turned off

I headed from Ohio

Just to end up right where I left off

 

Ooo, not coming back around

Ooo, I know what I have found

 

You said I’d thank you someday

And it would all pay off

That I’d say your name and smile

As I thanked you over the crowd

 

You ask me if I’m scared

I say well, I’m scared as hell

I headed from ohio

I Knew everything I wanted

I was just afraid to tell

 

Ooo, not coming back around

Ooo, I know what I have found

 

How to Say Goodbye

Lena Rich 2016

 

I’m three years old, it’s September

I’m reaching up to touch the sky

The ocean flat behind me

I’m being held up

So that I can fly

 

Playing dress-up in the kitchen

Making mudpies, wearing backpacks

Catching fireflies

And in the dead of winter

I’m bundled up in layers

Hiding in the white

 

And I start to wonder what I’m thinking

Start to wonder where I’m going

Headlights burning bright

Driving home, 75

And I wonder

 

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

 

I’ve seen old trucks and windy roads

Mountains and reflection in the light

I’ve cried from laughing, I’ve wrote about time passing

Seen the tides go up and down in height

 

And I start to wonder what I’m thinking

Start to wonder where I’m going

Headlights burning bright

Driving home, 75

And I wonder

 

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

 

I don’t want to look back

I don’t want to have to think twice

I don’t want to compromise what I know is right

So I won’t take it back

I won’t apologize for not sitting here

Waiting, waiting, waiting

Instead I’m learning

 

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

How to say goodbye

 

I’m three years old, it’s september

I’m reaching up to touch the sky

The ocean flat behind me

I’m being held up

So that I can fly

 

Providence

Lena Rich 2013

 

Well I called you from the ocean

Where winter seems longer than your driveway

And I called you from Providence

Driving north on the scenic highway

 

Mountain roads seem windier than last year
All I can think about is home

Under this starry dome

Listening to mysteries 

And your simple tone

 

I would wait all season

I would paint my love away

I would trade my confessions

I'd give it all for you to stay

 

If I've ever caught you day dream

On a misty summer morning

I should know that's where I'm staying

Until dark and into the evening

 

Mountain roads seem windier than last year
All I can think about is home

Under this starry dome

Listening to mysteries 

And your simple tone

 

I would wait all season

I would paint my love away

I would trade my confessions

I'd give it all for you to stay

 

Well I called you from the ocean

Where winter seems longer than your driveway

And I called you from Providence

Driving north on the scenic highway

 

 

Sunrise Song

Lena Rich & Dilllon Brock 2013

 

I've seen the sunrise up and down

From the top to the sea we saw

And I sang that song

And you played along

Played along

 

Well I don't know every single note

But I like to hear the words
They float off the tip of your tongue

You weep gently

And I speak sweetly

And I lie, I lie to you

I lie, I lie to you

 

I'm flying with the fish

Swimming in the sea

Lost in all the words

You convey to me, convey to me

'Cause you love to play piano

But you don't know many chords

Yeah you're saying you have done things

You've never done before

 

I watched her children grow

Fast, then slow

Watched her mother die

That summer when the wind stopped

Blue heron sitting on the dock

And you still feeling lost 

Feeling lost, feeling lost

Are you still feeling lost, feeling lost?

 

Difference

Lena Rich 2014

 

My hair is greasy now

Fingernails are dusty

But I'm feeling free now

gotten rustyI've

 

Been lost out here for days

Haven't seen a white blaze

Just fog beneath the trees

Running from something

 

What's the difference between black tar

And dotted yellow lines?

I should try flying

Way up in the sky

Smell beach roses

Lemons in my hair

Do anything to get away from here

 

Aren't they all the same?

They spin you round, and round and round

Until you're dizzy

And falling down

Is it my judgment?

People talk, but I can't hear them anymore

What dimension are they looking for?

 

What's the difference between black tar

And dotted yellow lines?

I should try flying

Way up in the sky

Smell beach roses

Lemons in my hair

Do anything to get away from here

 

 

Empty Room

Lena Rich 2015

 

Look at you in a crowded room

You've got a sweatshirt pulled up across your face

You move slowly, anticipation

But something, something makes you wait

So I sing to you, to you across the front row and the bar

 

Slow motion, laughing faces

An old couple is listening to me

I feel hopeful, ready for changes

I can't stop smiling when you're looking right at me

So I sing to you, to you across the front row and the bar

 

I don't know where we stand

I left on a thursday

But I spent every moment like it was the last day

Bony fingers, scruffy chin

I tried to hold back, but you leaned in 

So I sing to you, to  you across the front row and the bar

 

Look at you in this empty room

You've got your hair pushed across your face

You look hopeless, ready for changes

And something, something makes you wait

But I sing to you, to you across the front row and the bar

Across a highway, 'cross an ocean, across anything at all

I'll sing to you

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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