Coffee in Paris... 

I've never been to Paris. And if you've ever been to one of my shows, you already know that. I've never been there, but I miss it. Like somehow my soul belongs there, and I can't explain it. (That's what the song "Runaway" was about from my second album "Morning Light"...go download it if you haven't heard that yet!). I suppose there's something really ethereal in my vision of Paris. Its of course timeless in the way its survived war and rulers and all of that, but everything you read about Paris suggests that there's a spirit of life underneath it all that keeps it running. Constantly pushing forward. And I suppose its that drive to create and breathe life that makes me love it without ever seeing it.  I will get to Paris someday. I'm hoping before I turn 40, honestly, because there really are some vivid images that I can see and taste, and I just want to experience them. 
Okay, yes, the song, I promise I'm getting there. So with all that about Paris being said, I also have vivid dreams. And when I say vivid, I mean, I often have a hard time discerning the dream from reality. There are only about two other dreams I've had in my life, maybe three, that have been as sharp as my dreams of Paris. 
This song is about one of those dreams. Its hard to deliver the experience of a dream well, and writing this song was no different. And if you know me at all, you know I second guess everything I do (as most artists and creators tend to do, am I right?). This song, though, just felt right. I wanted to use a line in repetition that could mean something different each time. "Its the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God." I just sort of took that and ran. This song is a story, about a dream, about a place, about frosted lights, and my frozen breath, about a hotel, and a courtyard, and a fountain, and the cold, crisp air, and yes, about drinking coffee. A bowl of coffee (does it ruin the story if I mention it's decaf for me?), in a cafe, in a place that has called to me as long as I can remember. So, join me in Paris, at least for a minute or two, and find yourself. As Sabrina Fairchild said, "Oh, but Paris isn't for changing planes, it's...it's for changing your outlook...." And then this, "Gertrude Stine said America is my country and Paris is my hometown, I'll always feel that way about Paris I want so much for you to know what it's meant to me. I cross the street someone is playing La Vie En Rose. They do it for the tourists but I'm always suprised at how it moves me. It means seeing life through rose colored glasses. Only in Paris where the light is pink does that song make sense, but I'll have it in my pocket when I get home, and carry it with me where ever I go..."

So, until next time, I'll be in Paris, with coffee. 

x, 
j

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