When Summer Comes

Lyrics 

1. Let Nothing Come Between Us  ©2024 David Coller (ASCAP)

Welcome, welcome, one and all,

There’s room here at this table,

Come in, come in, fill up the hall, 

The broken and the able,

Kind friends and neighbors near at hand,

Or stranger from a far-off land,

As family with you we stand,

Let nothing come between us.

There’s food a-plenty for us all,

And hands to help the frail,

Clothing for the naked child,

And shelter from the gale,

The weary traveler here may rest

Among us as an honored guest,

Good fellowship the only test,

Let nothing come between us.

The winds of hatred fan the flames

That burn across this nation,

As men of wealth seek to destroy

This marvelous creation,

So to each other we must turn, 

Before the point of no return, 

The good of all our one concern,

Let nothing come between us.

The good of all our one concern,

Let nothing come between us.

2.  Lillian’s Voice © 2025 David Coller (ASCAP)

The kites in the sky, the kids on the beach

The scent of the salt spray, the taste of a peach

The footprints that wander away in the sand

The beach grass that grows at the end of the land

It’s beautiful here but if you had the choice

You’d barter it all just for Lillian’s voice

The ragtime piano that drifts down the street

The radio keeping a soft steady beat

The sound of the church choir, the songs of the birds

You try to explain but you can’t find the words

You know that their music should make you rejoice

But it’s just so much noise after Lillian’s voice

The wind in the curtains that billow and blow

The ghosts of the childhood you watched come and go

The glass full of marbles, the doll with no eyes

Whose greatest of gifts is that she never cries

The postcards and posters and old broken toys

All carry the echoes of Lillian’s voice

The sound of the rain on the stones in the mist

The warmth on your lips of the forehead you kissed

The promise of spring and the sadness of fall

The dark of the night at the end of it all

The circle of life, the life full of joy

The joy in the memory of Lillian’s voice

3. Tucson © 2020 David Coller (ASCAP)

Up in the mornin’, roll out of bed

Got to get walkin’ ‘cause the horses are dead

Shake out your boots ‘cause it’s time to move on

Put some miles on your feet by the first light of dawn

No one was watching when you rode out of town

Except that gray-haired old timer and that worn-out old hound

Blind yeller dog just a-scratchin’ his fleas

When that old feller coughs and he says with a wheeze

                Eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re dry

                Walk while the sun is still low in the sky and

                Don’t lose your way or you surely will die

                ‘Cause it’s a long, hot trail back to Tucson

Up in the mornin’, by noon you’re half dead

By nightfall you’re diggin’ in a dry river bed

Six foot of sand then a slab of dry stone

And you’re wonderin’ if you’re gonna die here alone

You never paid him no mind, you let him work that jawbone

You let him talk that palaver, let him spew, let him drone

With his dog and his cane and his hat and his lice

And his mouth full of chaw and too much free advice

(He said somethin’ like...)

                Eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re dry

                Walk while the sun is still low in the sky and

                Don’t lose your way or you surely will die

                ‘Cause it’s a long, hot trail back to Tucson

Up in the mornin’, plumb out of luck

Try not to stumble ‘cause you might not get up

Try not to notice those birds overhead

Them danged turkey buzzards wishin’ that you were dead

Stare up at the sun and out across the dry land

That just might be water but it might just be sand

Your head starts to reel and your eyes have gone red

And you try and remember what that old-timer said

(What he say now...)

               Eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re dry

               Walk while the sun is still low in the sky and

               Don’t lose your way or you surely will die

               ‘Cause it’s a long, hot trail back to Tucson

                Eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re dry

                Walk while the sun is still low in the sky and

                Don’t lose your way or you surely will die

                ‘Cause it’s a long, hot trail back to Tucson

                It’s a long, hot trail back to Tucson

4. When Summer Comes © 2023 David Coller

When summer comes to this old town

The women in their dressing gowns

They sip their tea and greet the day

And wonder what might come to pass before it slips away

Well I get up late, walk down the block

Open the store and punch the clock

Wipe down the glass and push the broom

And set my sights on getting through another afternoon

The summer dogs across the street

Lie in the shade out of the heat

The sun pours down, a car rolls by

They don’t so much as prick an ear or even blink an eye

To thine own heart you must be true

I live that way and so do you

And I’m still here, and you’re still there

The consequence of things that called you from the world out there

Well I tend this store, the world goes by

A simple life, a simple guy

Dust devils whirl and disappear

And when they’re gone, like you, it’s as if they were never here

When summer comes to this old town

The old men watch the sun go down

From the front porch not much has changed

The longer that you look, the longer that it stays the same

But there are things that you can’t see

A change in you, a change in me

And while this town still looks the same

There is a tender place inside of me that bears your name 

5. Wherever You Are  © 1999 David Coller (ASCAP)

Darkness is falling

On this little town

Main Street has started

On its last go-round

So you pack a suitcase

I’ll gas up the car

You know that my home is

Wherever you are

So lock up the back door

And turn out the light

Whisper one last prayer

Say one last “good night”

Leave the key in the mailbox

And latch up the gate

Our future is waiting

So let’s not be late

Drive out past the graveyard

On the outskirts of town

Where all of my people

Sleep underground

Then on past those old farms

Through the fields of dry corn

And I bet we make Cleveland

By the first light of dawn

Oh darkness has fallen

On this town they say

But the stars are all shining

In that big Milky Way

So you pack a suitcase

I’ll gas up the car

You know that my home is

Wherever you are

You know that my home is

Wherever you are

6. Balance of the Season  © 2022 David Coller (ASCAP)

It’s the end of the summer, turnin’ towards the fall

Looking out my window things are changing

But a little cooler weather wouldn’t bother me at all

When the north wind comes to warn us of the winter

                And the leaves are turning red and gold

                Looking up to the sun for one last time

                Not too much for them to do before the coming of the cold

                When September tips the balance of the season

Well there’s pumpkins in the pumpkin field, cider in the mill

Apples hanging heavy on the branches

And there’s goldenrod and asters in the meadow on the hill

And the clouds dress up the sky for windy weather

                And the rain is falling in the hills

                Giving back to the earth for one last time

                Not too long before the snow comes in and everything goes still

                When September tips the balance of the season

Well autumn comes and autumn goes, I’ve seen a few roll ‘round

And looking in the mirror things are changing

But I’ll be out here splitting wood until the evening sun goes down

Though it gets a little harder every season

                Ah but I don’t mind this growing old

                I’ll look up to the sun ‘til that last time

                I’ve got a lot of things to do before the coming of the cold

                When September tips the balance of the season

7. Winter’s Here © 1995 David Coller (ASCAP)

There's a big wind blowin' in the trees

Rollin' down the canyon from the high country

So turn your coat up high and pull your hat down low

Winter's here, winter's here

Tearing through the mountains like a hungry bear

So close your doors up tight against the driftin' snow

There's a big wind blowin' ‘round the sky

Sends a shake and a shiver down your horse's thigh

And your life's blood freezin' in the bitter cold

Winter's here, winter's here

Like the cry of an eagle screaming in your ear

So build your fire up tall and let the wood smoke fly

                And somewhere the children are dancing

                Somewhere the weather is warm

                But there's only winter awaitin’ on

                The other side of this storm

There's a big wind blowin’ ‘round the eaves

Whippin’ up the last of the autumn leaves

Dressin’ up the earth in her winter clothes

Winter's here, winter's here

Gonna blow like the devil for a hundred years

And not a chance in hell of an early thaw

                And somewhere the children are dancing

                Somewhere the weather is warm

                But there's only winter awaitin’ on

                The other side of this storm

There's a big wind blowin' in the trees

Rollin' down the canyon from the high country

So turn your coat up high and pull your hat down low

Winter's here

Winter's here

Winter’s here

Winter’s here

8. I’ll Take The Moon ©2012 David Coller

All day I walked along these streets with you

We did a hundred things we love to do

On every corner there was something new

This perfect day, your perfect face, this perfect hour, this perfect place

Should be enough for any man

One time around is all we get, they say you never should forget

How hard it is to hold what’s in your hand, but

I’ll take the moon

I’ll take the moon

You brought me sunlit hours

Suntans and summer flowers but

I’ll take the moon

“A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou”

Who was the poet said that, anyhow?

How could he know that moment was just now?

Your laughing eyes, the dancers’ sway, this tender love, this small café

Are like a dream that I once had

If it could be like this for life, I’d gladly do it over twice

And never think to question what I had, still

I’ll take the moon

I’ll take the moon

You brought champagne and roses

Candles and evening clothes but

I’ll take the moon

I lay beside you on this feather bed

After the words that could be said, were said

After the troubles of the day had fled

That pale light falling on your breast, that gentle curve, that soft caress

Are like the gift of heaven’s grace

She’s going gray, she’s sometimes cold, and truth be told she’s growing old

Still when she shines her light upon your face, ahh

I’ll take the moon

I’ll take the moon

The sun is rising up and 

The new day’s calling us but

I’ll take the moon

9. We’re Sinkin’ © 2023 David Coller (ASCAP)

We’re sinkin’

I hate to wake you up, but we’re sinkin’

I know you’d like to sleep, but the water’s ankle deep 

And a minor change of plans is what I’m thinkin’

We’re sinkin’

Put your breakfast plans on hold because we’re sinkin’

The ham and eggs sound nice, but they’ll come at a price

It’ll be salt-water coffee you’ll be drinkin’

We’re leakin’

We’re headed for the bottom, strictly speakin’

So while the water comes a-sloshin’ 

You could give your teeth a flossin’ 

While I activate this rusty rescue beacon

Einstein

All that I can say is, Wake up, Einstein

I didn’t raise a rumpus when you forgot the bloody compass

But now it’s time to leave that teddy bear behind, ‘cause we’re

Missin’.

The local TV news will say we’re missin’

They’ll never know our fate was to be the friggin’ bait

When like it or not, you and I were goin’ fishin’

The life-raft.

I really wish that you had brought the life-raft

Or at least a proper dinghy, not this leaky rubber thingy

Better suited to a baby in a bath, cause we’re

Sinkin’

And if we ever get to shore I’ll take up drinkin’

And the next time that we travel, it will be by bloody camel

Arrivederci, sayonara, we’re sinkin’

Are you daft, are you dim, do you really want to swim

Get your ass up off that bunk because we’re sinkin’

10. Trouble/Liberty  © 2023 David Coller (ASCAP)

Trouble in the country, trouble in the town

Trouble on the ocean, trouble all around

Trouble in the parlor, trouble in the hall

Trouble with my heart strings

And that’s the worst of all

And that’s the worst of all

If I had a million dollars, I’ll tell you what I’d do

I’d buy myself an airship and fly it home to you

Fly over the mountains, fly over the plains

Fly around your back door and win your heart again

And win your heart again

Oh if I had a hundred greenback dollar bills

I’d climb aboard that Greyhound and ride it with a will

Ride it through the night-time and right on through the day

Ride it till I find you or ride my life away

Or ride my life away

Trouble in the country, trouble in the town

Trouble on the ocean, trouble all around

Trouble in the parlor, trouble in the hall

Trouble with my heart strings

And that’s the worst of all

And that’s the worst of all

If I had a silver dollar and some walkin’ shoes

I’d buy myself a walkin’ cane and walk on home to you

But I don’t have no silver dollar, I don’t have a dime

Just walkin’ round this city with trouble on my mind

With trouble on my mind 

Oh love’s a lucky penny, a-rollin’ down the street

You’ll chase it under parked cars and under people’s feet

Chase it down to China, chase it to the moon

Chase it till you’re old and gray and then you’ll sing this tune

Trouble in the country, trouble in the town

Trouble on the ocean, trouble all around

Trouble in the parlor, trouble in the hall

Trouble with my heart strings

And that’s the worst of all

And that’s the worst of all

Liberty (fiddle tune, public domain)

11. Small Blue Island © 2021 David Coller (ASCAP)

There is an Elm Street in every town

But oh, the elm trees, they’ve all come down

But for the street signs you’d never know

We walked with giants and not so long ago

That’s how it works, how we forget

We tell ourselves it’s history and yet

The loss is real, the loss is there

A broken window, an empty chair

This good brown earth that grows the grain

Will it awaken to the falling rain?

Or will the wind blow dust to dust

And our plows all go to rust?

The barren field, the empty sky

The lifeless ocean, the hopeless cry

What will you have when it comes to this?

A wave goodbye and a farewell kiss

We build our dreams, we seek the stars

We fly our airplanes, and we drive our cars

Where once the skies went dark with doves

And prairies rumbled with the sound of hooves

And every day we close a door

One firefly less, one street light more

When these things go they’re gone for good

Just like the elm trees in your neighborhood

This small blue island in the void

It is our one hope, our life, our joy

You live in Eden, after all

This is The Garden, there was no Fall

So tend it well, with love and care

A gift like this is all too rare

Will it be said of this sacred place

That it was wasted on us, the human race?

A song of hope, an empty rhyme

A new beginning, a sad decline

The choice is yours, the choice is mine

Let’s make the right one while we have time

12. Why Not Today © 2020 David Coller (ASCAP)

It’s been a while, I’ve got to say

Since we went our separate ways

Now here you are, in baby blue

The way you were when I first laid eyes on you

                Those summer days, that summer wind

                Your summer dress, your summer skin

                 I see it all like yesterday

                Why not now, why not today?

You’ve got some laugh lines, I’ve got some gray

The sweetest berries ripen different ways

But there are some things that never change

I still get the shivers when I hear your name

                Those summer days, that summer wind

                Your summer dress, your summer skin

                 I see it all like yesterday

                Why not now, why not today?

We’ve lived our lives, we’ve paid some dues

We’ve walked our mile in someone else’s shoes

And I’m thinkin’ we might try again

I’m a better man than I was back then

                Those summer days, that summer wind

                Your summer dress, your summer skin

                 I see it all like yesterday

                Why not now, why not today?

You never know who you might meet

When you go walking down Cumberland Street

This time around it was you

And like the first time, you were wearing baby blue

                Those summer days, that summer wind

                Your summer dress, your summer skin

                 I see it all like yesterday

                Why not now, why not today?

                 I see it all like yesterday

                Why not now, why not today?

13. Sorry Blues ©2021 David Coller (ASCAP)

Those sorry blues, those sorry blues

Won’t let me sleep at night

The party’s over and the band’s gone home

Bartender’s cleaning up, he’s polishing the chrome

All over town and round about

The lights are winking out

The city’s children are all fast asleep

But if I were in bed, I would be counting sheep

                And all the songs I want to hear

                Went off the radio sometime last year   

                Now everything they play has got that same sad, sorry sway

                That leaves me achin’

                Awake and

A lonely cop out on the beat

Walks down a lonely street

I hear him whistling a sad old tune

Stares up at the streetlight wishin’ it could be the moon

The stars are bright up in the sky

Above the clouds, but I

Can’t hope to see them while the rain pours down

Gushin’ through the gutters ‘til the last catfish is drowned

                And all my good friends are out of town

                And all them other friends don’t come around

                Doesn’t matter anyway because there’s nothin’ they could say

                To stop the achin’

                I’m breakin’

The girl is gone, the world’s not right

It’s hours ‘til daylight

We’re out here walkin’ in the rain alone

Me and those sorry, sorry blues

It’s just the two of us in the rain alone

Just me and those sorry, sorry blues

14. Class of Sixty-three   ©1995 David Coller (ASCAP)

Well hey, that's Mrs. Johnson in that starched up fifties skirt

With that star-struck rhinestone pin up there upon her new silk shirt

And the kids I used to run with, laugh and cry and shout and fight

They're all shining there like diamonds caught in living black and white

Yeah, chipped beef  on mashed potatoes was Melissa's favorite food

Michael, he liked tater tots and big red jello cubes

That's Sarah on the jungle gym, a-hangin’ by her knees

Shootin’ spit wads down at Jimmy in high-water dungarees

Well Jesus copped a quarter from the man who hated kids

Won the bet with Bingo when the old man flipped his lid

That's Tommy eatin' dirt and pickin’ on Susanna Blair

And that laughing girl?  That's Jeannie, with the mostly light brown hair

                Hey look there that one's Bobby buildin' castles in the sand

                And Martha, Jane and Marybeth and Ricky Jones and Ann

                And about a hundred others you can't hardly even see

                All the kids in Mrs.  Johnson's first grade class of ‘63

Well Sarah married Jimmy and they're livin' in St. Paul

At a trailer park called "Eden Sometime Just After the Fall"

And Marybeth got pregnant on the day she turned sixteen

And Susanna sings the high parts at a clip joint down in Queens

Well Martha went to law school, Ricky went to jail

Jesus bought The Paradise, hawking beer and cheap cocktails

And I said goodbye to Jeannie, kissed her underneath the trees

With her hair tied back in rubber bands and bandaids on her knees

                Hey look there that one's Bobby buildin' castles in the sand

                And Martha, Jane and Marybeth and Ricky Jones and Ann

                And about a hundred others you can't hardly even see

                All the kids in Mrs.  Johnson's first grade class of ‘63

Well The Paradise is closed 'cause Jesus couldn't make the rent

Annie, she found Jesus and she's preachin' from a tent

Melissa she went out and got a tattoo on her arm

And Michael? He's gone fishin', he won't do nobody harm

Well Tommy, he's an engineer, he builds those big machines

Jeannie does the strip-tease, oh my God the things I've seen

And Bobby dropped a nickel on a quart of dimestore Jack

And he slipped away to dreamland and he's never comin' back

                Hey look there that one's Bobby buildin' castles in the sand

                And Martha, Jane and Marybeth and Ricky Jones and Ann

                And about a hundred others you can't hardly even see

                All the kids in Mrs.  Johnson's first grade class of ‘63

Well Mrs. Johnson must be dead now, or at least a hundred years

 You don’t get that kind of mileage down at your local Sears

Me I'm livin' in the country and I'm doin' pretty fair

But I sure do miss my Jeannie with the mostly light brown hair

Yeah I still dream of Jeannie with the mostly light brown hair

                Hey look there that one's Bobby buildin' castles in the sand

                And Martha, Jane and Marybeth and Ricky Jones and Ann

                And about a hundred others you can't hardly even see

                All the kids in Mrs.  Johnson's first grade class of ‘63

                All the kids in Mrs. Johnson's first grade class of '63

15. Goodbye, Goodbye ©1999 David Coller (ASCAP)

When I was a kid I used to watch the freight trains 

I used to wave to all the hoboes passin’ by

And I used to wonder what it was like to lie down by the fire

Underneath a starry sky

But my father raised me up to be a farmer

Early to rise and early back to bed

So when he told me, “Son, I’m leaving it all to you”

I looked him in the eye and said:

                Goodbye, goodbye, I’m leavin’ and it ain’t no lie

                Got a nickel in the pocket of my old sport coat

                And it’s down the road I’ll fly

                Pretty momma gonna say adieu to Susie, adios to Sal

                Got an agitated urge to travel, so goodbye, so long, farewell

Once I had the yen to end my unemployment

So I went to ask the boss about the pay

And he says it’s easy money

You can start most any day

Take five weeks paid vacation

And an hour and a half at noon

Didn’t take a lot of cogitatin’

To come up with this here tune:

                Goodbye, goodbye, I’m leavin’ and it ain’t no lie

                Got a nickel in the pocket of my old sport coat

                And it’s down the road I’ll fly

                Pretty momma gonna say adieu to Susie, adios to Sal

                Got an agitated urge to travel, so goodbye, so long, farewell

I got a letter from my lover in Alaska

The one who loved her liquor in her tea

And she says she’s got a bubbly bouncing baby

And it looks a lot like me

By the time her train was steamin’ towards the station

I was halfway back to Saskatoon

With my old valise and my pork-pie hat

I was whistlin’ this tune: 

                Goodbye, goodbye, I’m leavin’ and it ain’t no lie

                Got a nickel in the pocket of my old sport coat

                And it’s down the road I’ll fly

                Pretty momma gonna say adieu to Susie, adios to Sal

                Got an agitated urge to travel, so goodbye, so long, farewell

Well they say I’m gonna pay for all my ramblin’

And “Brother, what are you gonna do when you get old?

All you’re gonna get is a pair of worn-out shoes

If you chase that pot of gold.”

But I reckon I’ll keep trekkin’ for the sunset

‘Til Gabriel blows the final curtain down

And the only way I’m likely to settle sooner

Is six feet under ground

                 Goodbye, goodbye, I’m leavin’ and it ain’t no lie

                Got a nickel in the pocket of my old sport coat

                And it’s down the road I’ll fly

                Pretty momma gonna say adieu to Susie, adios to Sal

                Got an agitated urge to travel, so goodbye, so long                

                Goodbye, goodbye, I’m leavin’ and it ain’t no lie

                Got a nickel in the pocket of my old sport coat

                And it’s down the road I’ll fly

                Pretty momma gonna say adieu to Susie,  adi-adios to Sal

                Got an agitated urge to travel, so goodbye, so long, farewell

Notes

I have always shied away from topical songs, but with what is happening in this country... I didn't write this song because I wanted to: I wrote it because I had to.

The best thing I ever did was to raise children. It wasn't easy by any means, but the single hardest part for me was when they all moved out. My friend Paul's youngest daughter was getting ready to go away to college and he said to me, "I'm just going to miss the sound of her voice."

I used to go backpacking out in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, about two and a half hours east of San Diego, which is only a stone's throw or two from Tucson. Dang! It gets hot out there in the summer...

In any small town there's always that one guy who never quite got away.

Small rural towns all over the country are disappearing and every person who leaves has a story to tell.

Autumn is a season of mixed feelings for me. It's stunningly beautiful up here in New England, the fall harvest is wonderful, but then there's that "harbinger of doom" thing...which, I guess, just adds a note of poignancy to it all. May all your autumns be lovely, your winters gentle, and your lives fulfilled.

A winter in the mountains is never gentle.

The first real love song I ever wrote.

Dedicated to anyone who has ever had a wooden boat. I have had one, a gaff-rigged schooner christened Renegade, for the past 20 years, so this song, as you might guess, is based on actual experience...

The whole world looks bad when your sweetheart is gone. 
Sarah Milonovich does an awesome job on the traditional tune Liberty. I had a real hard time keeping up on the guitar, but the whole thing turned out just fine in the end.

Our beautiful planet. We've only got the one. 
Diane and I were talking about elm trees one day and she said something like, "It's funny, there's an Elm Street in almost every town..."

Sometimes you still love someone, even after everything that happened back then...

And sometimes everything is just, well, wrong.

Back in the day we didn't have those fancy school pictures with the laser backgrounds. We all just climbed up onto a set of bleachers with our teacher standing to one side and we all got an 81/2 X 11 black-and white photo of the class. I still have a couple of them and I was looking at them one day and wondering what ever happened to all those kids.

I've always had a kind of closet jealousy of the folks with the wildly irresponsible lifestyles. Bad stuff happening? Just skedaddle. Sigh. It must be nice. 
We had so much fun recording this.