Asleep At The Helm

BACK to Peter's Song List

ASLEEP AT THE HELM BUY IT NOW!!

Asleep At The Helm Let The Woman In You Come Through

Doin’ It For You When You Ask Me First

Good Time The One About The Bird In The Cage (Taub/Gorton)

You Make Me Stand In The Corner Young Woman Disco (Tax & Alsop)

Ghosts Lists

ASLEEP AT THE HELM

You always stood beside me

Now you turn the other way

And I know that you relied on me

And I led you astray

I'm hiding in a daydream

With everything I know

It's time to give it up

But it's hard to let it go.

I've been asleep at the helm

I've lost our way

Asleep at the helm

And I'm afraid

That I hurt you

I was after my own goal

I'm sorry, but it's true,

Y'know, I'm scared to lose control!

As a woman you have carried me

You've held me deep inside

You're my mother, you're my lover

And my friend,

And you've finally helped me see

That the journey is the key

And I miss the point of living

When I'm dreaming of the end.

Chorus

When I try to see the problem

It has different points of view

Changes give us different

Color pain,

But if we get together

We can make it through

If we share the burden

Then we can stand the strain!

Chorus

But the fog is blown away

And though I feel a change

I know there's more to learn

Won't you show me how

We can help each other turn it all around?

DOIN’ IT FOR YOU

I treat you politely Baby

And so you can’t complain

I hold the door when you go out

And when you go in again

The only time I interrupt

Is when you talk too slow

And I’ve been teaching you the questions

To the answers that I know

So why, why, why?

You’re tryin’ to rearrange me?

Why, why, why?

You’re always tryin’ to change?

Why, why, why?

Should you want somethin’ new?

When I’m only, doin’ it for you!

I let you make my breakfast

Though you always burn my eggs

I take you into public places

With that hair upon your legs

And when my friends come over

I never make you leave

And I helped you with them dishes

For that dinner, Christmas Eve

Chorus

I only come to bed at night

To satisfy your need

I’m good and fast, I know you like

To stay awake and read.

You say I ain’t kind to you

But when we went to lunch

You spilled your soup all over me

And I only hit you once!

Chorus

GOOD TIME

I see that you're alone

Y'look like someone I once knew

I'm just a little drunk, but do you mind?

I hope I haven't blown

My chances here with you

What I'm about to say sounds like a line

Well, I've made it this far

I came out to have a good time,

And here you are,

I came out to have a good time

And would you like to share a glass of wine?

Cause I'm alone in here

And I came out to have a good time.

This elevator goes so slow

When you look at me that way

I'll ride up and see you to your door

First you tell me "No"

Then your husband's gone, you say,

Sure, you slip into something else, I can't think anymore

Chorus (And even though the evening's going fine)

I'm sorry if I hurt you

God, you kiss like silk and velvet

I'm dizzy and so light that I could fly

You're really good, you know

But I guess I'd better go

I don't know why it is, sometimes I cry

Chorus (And even though your body's holding mine,)

I came out, ... to have a good time.

YOU MAKE ME STAND IN THE CORNER

You make me stand in the corner

Whenever you think I've been bad

The lewd thoughts I get

Well, they haven't stopped yet

In the corner, they're driving me mad!!

So I close my eyes tightly, in hopes that I might see

A non-sexist view of your bod,

But your leg comes to mind, yes, I know you're behind,

When you're there, it really gets hard

Sometimes I can steal a peek at the ceiling

Pretending I'm six inches tall

But the cobwebs up there look like soft downy hair,

And my thoughts start me climbing the wall!

Chorus

Sometimes I talk dirty, you laugh and act flirty

You say I'm your young Romeo

But then you have moods when you're just not amused,

And it's back to the corner I go!

You know I'm concerned, I've been trying to learn

How to feel what you want me to feel.

But I'm usually wrong, . . I come on like King Kong

Who's banana has lost it's appeal!!

Chorus

There's a beast in my mind who thinks SEX all the time

Alone I can't fight his command

When I say something clean, he makes me sound obscene,

We could beat him if you'd lend a hand.

Men have a disease, they see women as pieces

They're trained to desire each part.

So I've made it my goal to see you as a whole, . .

But then I'm right back where I start!

Chorus

GHOSTS

He:

Slowly, slowly I lifted my head

When you said that I could not stay

Lines shined where your tears had run

All my magic was gone

And the words wouldn't come

There was nothing more I could say.

So good-bye

I won't burn you anymore

Y'cry when I say I still love you

So good-bye

I've been with someone else you know

A love without change doesn't grow

Good-bye.

She:

I left you there in the hall

And ran to my bed where I lay

And cried that our life had gone wrong

For you'd finally said what I'd known all along

What I feared each Sunday you left me alone

Going somewhere too,. . too far away.

So good-bye

You can't burn me anymore

You were too afraid to try to love me

So good-bye

A love like mine would only scare

Away a ghost who wasn't really there

So good-bye.

Wind whispers flow through the empty house

Dust swirls from under the door

He:

That day when I left you I wanted to stay

She:

That day when you left me I wish you had stayed

Both:

But it's gone, drifted away

And only the ghost of yesterday

Sighs forever, cries forever,

Dies forever, evermore.

Ahhhhhhhh-aaaaahhhhhh!

LET THE WOMAN IN YOU COME THROUGH

You're holding in cause you're a man who never cries

I'm not as tough as you, my friend,

But since you ask for my advice,

Let the woman in you come through

She's trying to let you know she's there

She colors everything you do

And the man in you gets scared.

You like to dance, I've seen you dance

When you thought no one was there

I've heard sorrow take your voice

While you laugh like you don't care

It's hard to hide your gentle side

It's a lonely way to be

Take it from a friend who knows,

An old, old friend like me.

Chorus

You'll fight to prove that you're a man

You'll fight to prove you're right

You work hard and play hard

And you stay up late at night

Working hard's a way to hide

From the dumb things some folks say

But holding tenderness inside

Is only throwing it away.

Chorus

So you tell me that I'm crazy

And I know you don't like kids

Especially little sissies

Yeah, I know you never did,

But I've seen you with the tough ones

The ones the others all condemn

And you know that they're the frightened ones

And you know cause you're like them.

Chorus

Let the woman in you come through

Be a different kind of brave

She'll show you love's the difference

Between a free man and a slave

WHEN YOU ASK ME FIRST

I love to do it Baby

But you only make it worse

I just don't get excited

When you go and ask me first

So don't touch me where I'm ticklish

And don't sit on my lap

And don't ask me politely Baby

It makes me feel trapped

Cause when you chase me, Darlin'

It really turns me off

I've tried so hard to tell you,

But I guess I'm getting soft,

So please, just sit and smile

With helpless soulful eyes

Admiring me while

I run my finger up your thighs

Then I kiss you,

And I breathe heavy in your ear

Then you should whisper "Take me! Take me!"

And could you make it sound sincere?

Chorus

When I start to change positions

Like the pictures in the book

And use a couple mirrors

So I can see how neat we look

You start to change positions too,

In ways I've never seen!

And you kiss with your eyes open!

And you laugh, and yell, and scream!

You used to be more normal

You liked it face-to-face

But now you're going crazy

And you like it anyplace!

You said I could be on top,

You said you understood,

But all last night you wouldn't stop!

You busted it for good!

Chorus

I love to do it Baby

When everything is right

But I think I feel my headache

Coming on again tonight.

THE ONE ABOUT THE BIRD IN THE CAGE

by Ruthie Taub (formerly Gorton)

My bird is learning how to fly

Soaring on the wings of her song

If sometimes she flies a bit too high

It's cause she was in my cage for so long

And I kept her in my cage

And I fed her everyday

I said “Little bird if you watch me

I'll show you the way

I'll teach you how to fly so high

I'll teach you how to sing

But if you want to be like me

I've got to clip your wings”

She said “I see you have the wisdom

That must come with age

It must be cause you love me

That you keep me in this cage”

Then one day my bird awoke

And found her song was gone

She asked me "What can it be?

Did I do something wrong?"

Well I got very angry

And I said “Bird, hang your head!

You're not singin' like you should

You cry all day instead

How can you behave so

After all I've done for you?”

And the more she tried

The more she cried and wondered what to do

Soon her tears of anguish

Turned to tears of rage

She said “How can I learn to fly

When you keep me in this cage?

Now I know that if I stay

I'll never learn to sing

So I am going far away

You can't teach me a thing!

You know my freedom is not something

You can give to me

I must take it for myself

If I want to be free

I've got to trust my own wings

If I want to learn to fly

In this cage I'll never sing

I've got to find the sky!”

THE YOUNG WOMAN DISCO

by Meredith Tax & Peter Alsop

There was a young woman who swallowed a lie

I don't know why she swallowed that lie

Perhaps she'll die!

There was a young woman who swallowed a rule

"Live to serve men!" she learned it in school

She swallowed the rule to follow the lie

I don't know why she swallowed that lie

Perhaps she'll die!

There was a young woman who swallowed some fluff

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff

She swallowed the fluff to follow the rule

"Live to serve men!" she learned it in school

She swallowed the rule to follow the lie

I don't know why she swallowed that lie

Perhaps she'll die!

There was a young woman who swallowed a line

"I like 'em dumb, you'll do fine!"

She swallowed the line to follow the fluff

She swallowed the fluff to follow the rule

"Live to serve men!" she learned it in school

She swallowed the rule to follow the lie

I don't know why she swallowed that lie

Perhaps she'll die!

There was a young woman who swallowed a pill

Her organs stood still and she felt kind of ill

She swallowed the pill cause she fell for the line

She swallowed the line to follow the fluff

She swallowed the fluff to follow the rule

"Live to serve men!" she learned it in school

She swallowed the rule to follow the lie

I don't know why she swallowed that lie

Perhaps she'll die!

There was a young woman who swallowed a ring

She looked like a princess and felt like a thing

She swallowed the ring to follow the pill

She swallowed the pill cause she fell for the line

She swallowed the line to follow the fluff

She swallowed the fluff to follow the rule

"Live to serve men!" she learned it in school

She swallowed the rule to follow the lie

I don't know why she swallowed that lie

Perhaps she'll die!

One day this young woman woke up and she said

"I've swallowed so much, I wish I were dead!"

So she ran to her sisters, it wasn't to late

To throw it all up, to regurgitate!

She threw up the ring

She threw up the pill

She threw up the line

She threw up the rule

She threw up the lie

She felt so much better

I don't think she'll die

She said "I feel good, and I want to rejoice

As a kid no one told me that there was a choice!"

So for all the young women

Who've swallowed such slop

Let's give 'em a hand

And help 'em throw up!

LISTS

I had a list of things to do

But now my only list is you

And my list keeps getting longer

I hope we never make through

I want to laugh with you outloud

I want to meet you in a crowd

I want to buy you leather clothes

I want to hold you by your toes

I want to travel cross the country

Together on a Northern train

I want to sing with you in harmony

And run through pouring rain!

Do you feel me too?

Are the shivers coming through?

I want to make you room to grow

I want to share the stuff we know

I want to touch you when you're still

I want to roll you down a hill

I want to lather up your shoulders

Shampoo fingers through your hair

I want to gather up your worries

And throw them in the air!

Do you fell me too?

Are the shivers coming through?

Do you feel me too?

Am I coming through?

I want to hold you when you're sad

I want to show you Paris, France

I want to listen to your stomach

While you're teaching me to dance

I want to wade into your eyes

And I want to taste your tongue

I want to listen to you whisper

I want to kiss you when you come.

Chorus