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Winter Passing

by Jonny Miller

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1.
Autumn Leaves are gatherin’ Circlin’ round my door Brown, red, orange and yellow-green They’re freckle-in’ the floor I’m not ready to grow old To wither and to die I don’t believe in what I’m told A life beyond the sky Brisk a breeze comes hauntin’ Chillin’ in my bones Flannel shirts and moccasins To stop the stabbin’ cold A melancholy evenin’ The days are getting short Clouds swirl in the ether then The rains begin to pour
2.
There are no demons; No angels, no omens; Just sacred superstitions. All allegorical traditions The skin, the cell are sand The blood like dust and stone The earth within our hands The marrow and the bone I am all I need There’s No God above me My love, my responsibility We’re all connected, can’t you see?
3.
Innocent 03:20
I was born innocent Pure of heart, benevolent I have tried all my life to be me Trapped in a chained society A snare of captivity I have fought all my life to be free I won’t let them transform me Into a cyborg worker bee With all my might, all my life I will cling tight to the light I will be me, I’ll be free I have died several deaths So seldom are we sentient But I move and I breathe to be me We can make our own realities To cope and deal with what we see But I grow and I thrive to be free
4.
Simple Life 04:04
I never read no mornin' paper, I don’t watch the evenin’ news, For I don’t own a television; I doubt they’re tellin’ you the truth A simple sort of life requires a complex kind of mind A soul that will surrender and not shy from sacrifice I live simply I live humbly I live happily Life is lovely The most courageous thing to do Is to dare to be one’s self, In a world of method actors; A type of mediocre hell. A simple sort of life requires a complex kind of mind A soul that will surrender and not shy from sacrifice I live simply I live humbly I live happily Life is lovely
5.
My Religion 03:00
I have sinned but I am no sinner. I may have made some mistakes; But I have never needed a savior, For in my conscience; I’ve always been safe. I do good for the sake of goodness, And I love for the sake of love So I don’t need to pray for forgiveness From The Omnipotent One up above. I error but I’ve never felt guilty I don’t seek to hurt anyone I’m loved unconditionally My religion is mine alone. I do good for the sake of goodness, And I love for the sake of love So I don’t need to pray for forgiveness From The Omnipotent One up above.
6.
Sanctuary 03:24
And he kneels down in the sanctuary, Lights a candle, begins to pray, but God won’t listen ‘cause he don’t listen; The one he worships is himself. Sanctuary, sanctuary, sanctuary, sanctuary, sanctuary. And he kneels down in the sanctuary, He’s not anxious; he’s just afraid, For he’s a liar, and a coward; The one he worships is himself.
7.
Silent Night (free) 03:24
8.
I can’t understand why They all want to look the same. I just don’t know! Do they see it on the TV? Do they tell them on the radio? I just don’t know! I just need some substance; Someone I can’t see right through. Here comes the Winter Solstice. There’s no one to hold on to. Well, aren’t you cold and lonely? Your friends chill me to the bone. They just don’t know! Don’t you hate being lied to? Or is your life just a show? They just don’t know! I just need some substance; Someone I can’t see right through. Here comes the Winter Solstice. There’s no one to hold on to.
9.
I bear the red shield and I rule the blue world I dwell in a castle you built with your toil My hand holds five arrows ever hungry for war I make the rich richer, and I slaughter the poor Spend, spend Your poor soul is mine, For I choose who lives and I decide who dies Spend, spend Your poor soul is mine For you owe all your life, and you’ll owe when die. The law is my left hand, the politician, my right; I can sneak in your house in the still of the night. Though your children are ill, and your family is starving; I will tax all your income and reserve half your earnings. I create money right out of thin air I snap two fingers and it’s suddenly there I lower the interest so you’ll sign a loan Then I erratically raise it and foreclose your home I make you believe in titles and countries; I fashion dissension with borders and boundaries My eye is all seeing while I seek to blindfold you By stirring confusion I sully all that is true.
10.
There is no God And there are no saints I’m but a pawn in the paws of the filthy-rich banks I work hard with these hands And you pray on your knees But the bankers, they do whatever they please It don’t make no nevermind It don’t make no nevermind In shadows, they gather Behind fortune’s veil Where a New World Order will rise without fail Cling to your alters And trust your deities But on the banker’s cross, the whole earth will bleed If I had some soil A farm far away I’d see the fruit of my toil I’d treasure every day I’d build myself a place Deep among the trees Green and full of space where the soul is finally free
11.
The Girdle 03:36
Like old God said to Job in the Bible Oh Son, your loins you must girdle Bein’ a man ‘s not an age or a title It is doing what needs to be done The world, it ain’t right so go change it You want to be something; go be it Stop sitting around and complaining You must do what needs to be done. When I look back, to my recollection I have always searched for perfection I see far beyond current conditions I see something needs to be done
12.
Victoria 03:39
I need to get away I’m too poor to wander far I’m only free Sunday And it’s getting dark Oh Victoria Mother, Pride of Riverside Let me ramble in your light And help me take it slow I need a sunlit ride Down the orange blossom road Let’s go for a drive Before my head explodes
13.
Rochelle 03:48
Rochelle, what the hell had been haunting you? Is it Heaven that you’re headed to? What darkness had you in such damned despair? Were you broken beyond all repair? Why did you do it? How did you do it? Were you planning this all the while? How could you do it like there’s nothing to it? It seems I never knew you at all. My dear, well you loved like a little child The whole Earth was robbed of your smile You supported us faithfully from the start No one knew you were falling apart
14.
In The Bleak Midwinter (free) 01:32
15.
Pass Away 04:07
There are shepherds that lead the little lambs to love, And wolves who are the harbingers of hate There are flocks of sheep that never question anything, But I still cannot comprehend fate I wish I knew the reason why all the good folks just seem to die, And the bad ones go on killing every day. All I know is you are gone, and it’s been so very long, But you’re a part of me that will never pass away. Pass away There is so much that I do not understand, But I have to accept it either way. There are some who claim that they have it down, The strong ones are tested they say.

about

Philosopher & Folk-singer, Jonny thirsts for knowledge, and while striving for honesty, he knits his thought experiments into careful examinations of religion and tradition while simultaneously coping with depression and the passing away of loved ones. He calls this composition Winter Passing. Minimally, he transports these emotions via the vessel of his raspy voice, acoustic guitar, and a lonesome harmonica.

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released November 15, 2013

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Jonny Miller Riverside, California

A free-thinking artist with a passion for wonder, Miller has a voice that is uniquely rich & reminiscent of America’s vast legacy of Folk singers. His acoustic guitar establishes a core of authenticity in all his compositions which are fortified by colorful harmonica solos. His verses tell of anxiety & depression, anger toward social injustice & organized religion, and a profound love of nature. ... more

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