I am a child of Judah and the mark of Cain is on me I am a fugitive in every place I go. and my name is Joseph Friedman and I tend the olive orchards on a hillside just a short walk from my home. There, the silver trunks are ancient and the olive branches fruitful but the breeze that shakes the leaves still low, "Where is God? Where is God?" I am a child of Esau. I am Ali Abed. I once lived...olives near my home. I would prune the trees in winter when the sap sinks deep in Gaza and the children won't be throwing their stones But the soldiers came at midnight with their power saws remarking and now the sap has nowhere left to go. Where is God/ Where is God? My name is Jimmy Taylor and I am a Future Farmer and my project is nine trees out by the road. and the trees have been neglected all these many years untended a home now for a solitary crow. So, I climb with my saw and clippers up into the brittle thicket busy choosing what will stay and what will go. And I note my meter progress and I wonder if I'll ever rid the olive trees of dead wood, I'm so slow. And I read the Sunday paper and I daily read my Bible and I see the scars of pruning down below. (c) 2002 Royal T Music

lovely ..

Had forgotten how good this was! (It is, and always was, a complicated song to sing).

Nice song. I hope that life in Colorado meets this family's expectations.

as usual james another haunting ballad,comes to life.

awwe, now i love the girl with the purple cheek,didn't finish listening you guys are so beautiful...love this!!!!

awwe i love this lil' boy with the purple elbow poor baby, love this song, so cool!

love that song brother God bless

riveting essay on the realities of this well known avenue

Yeah, very nice! Everything is given proper space to "breathe", so to speak. Really draws me in in that intangible sort of way that music sometimes does.

As Colleen Dillon said, haunting. Crying.

Hokey lyrics (every lab coat is contaminated)??? Music doesn't match the sstory. Run, HeLa Run?? Thumbs down

My friend, George Sluizer was making a film with River Phoenix and asked me to submit some music to possibly be used in the movie. He didn't end up sing this but he did use four other of my submissions.

Great lyrics, love the vocals and music Bravo James

Love this.

very nice sir!!

wonderfully quirky as usual... where u get these ideas ? lovely vocals as per ususal james

Red Dirt Music is a genre into itself. I was just in Stillwater and heard a lot of new, for me, Music.

I meant Tiger Lilies not Threepenny Opera, Lol

Love it! Shades of Leonard Cohen meets Threepenny Opera! Thanks JMT!

David Young Wow! Beautiful song! One of your best.

Leslie Young Evocative song.

John R. Thielges I think you bring poetry to grief; in an unique way. "Help" and hickory sticks. Thank you.

Raechel Frice James Michael Taylor the story telling aspect of your songs/lyrics remind me of John Denver. This is meant as a compliment.

Paul Smith James Michael Taylor I freaking love your music.

Randy Brown I think everyone was hesitant to encourage the final solution. I love the melody and the sadness of the lyrics.

Dene Colwill You are truly one of the greatest song writers of this decade. Right there with Paul Simon and Gordon Lightfoot in my opinion. All I can say off that sadness and anger is still strong pray to God for peace as only he holds the way to you being able to let b it go. You can't change other people or events that have happened, but you can learn to forgive and change how YOU react to them. If you ever feel nobody cares or will listen, call me. I'll find time and make the time to meet with you or listen over the phone. Don't let depression or anger beat you down for too long old friend. Like Reply2h Active James Michael Taylor I write songs to explain my situation to myself. Considering it all I might just be the happiest person I know.

Lazarus Knight Sometimes you post a song with a link that brings up an album. I don't always listen to the full album because of the rush of life. But I'm trying to remember one of the very recent ones ... I think it (the song)_ was called "Sometime". It is so beautifully poetic and the feeling is passed along so gracefully. It is truly an expression of sweet sorrow, or more accurately, a sweet expression of the numbing pain of loss. It is the thing that my story songs just don't quite do. Lazarus Knight

Brian Gagnon I fought this feeling by staying angry. 30+ years later, I'm still angry.

Tim Tandy The mood of this song reminds me of John Denver's "Perhaps Love." He explained that he wrote it when he was no longer in a relationship but that, while there was sorrow and pain, there was also the beautiful memory of love to see him through. You've captured the bittersweetness -so different from melancholy - of the best haiku poems.

Tim Tandy Whew.............

Haunting. A different take on driving a dark desert highway, cool wind in your hair....Tim Tandy

Jere Reiser Beautiful and Haunting. It is not we, who summon ghosts from the past. Rather it is we who haunt our past. It's like going back to the present. In some instances, I suffer from being the perpetrator and can't avoid picking at the scab. But that's just me.

Ken Gaines Well, my friend, I'm glad you haven't ridden that bullet yet. Meanwhile, I miss swapping songs with you.

I dig it - Raechel Frice

David Young Very sad song but your lyrics are wonderfully written, as always. You are a musical treasure!

Kat Angel Heartfelt and beautiful.

Leslie Young Sad song.

This sounds like more verses to Hey, Regina...

What a sweet song. That guitar figure really catches the time...