Poetry, Lyrics, & Jingles
by Joelle Steele
The following are some of my poetry, lyrics, and jingles. I have an ebook collection of 150 poems and lyrics, Perceptions, Passions, and Paradoxes: A Poetry Collection.
. . . POETRY . . .
The Tapestry of Eden
Here is a land of many faces
of many colors and hearts,
whose ancestors built adobes
and fished a burgeoning bay,
and prepared to go to war.
And those who come today
seek knowledge, or a glimpse,
a taste of this singular paradise.
All of these people — and more —
woven lovingly together
in the fabric of the land,
a tapestry of pine-lined shores
and redwood forest primeval,
with show-capped hills and open fields
that form an earthen bed
for acre upon acre of golden poppies,
sleeping only a breath away
from fresh-plowed furrows
and heaving vineyards
basking in the sun.
Surely this is Eden,
and we welcome all who come
to stand in the dazzling light
of our splendid garden home.
The Physics of Love
Impossible to distinguish
where you end and I begin.
The laws of nature bind us:
the force of gravity draws us to each other;
time cannot break us apart.
We are a graceful exercise
in quantum physics,
a dynamic continuum
of inseparable feelings,
quarks connected
at the subnuclear level.
We are infinite in our desire;
finite in our commitment.
Like the peculiar Möbius strip,
even when we are miles
from each other,
we are still unendingly
together.
Thursday’s Child
Working dawn to dusk,
candle burning at both ends,
each minute stretched to an hour,
struggling just to get by,
trying to make ends meet,
and doing whatever it takes,
in the good old American way.
Wearing the body to shreds,
the spirit fading fast,
with nothing there to show
the toll it takes year after year,
except for another tiny line
or wrinkle on the brow.
Instead of being fair of face
or being bonnie and blithe,
this Thursday’s child
has far to go,
far to go …
far to go?
Exactly how far must I go?
. . . LYRICS . . .
Money Isn’t Everything
(chorus)
Money isn’t everything
It’s just a means to an end
We spend it all as fast as we make it
Then we start all over again
We waste it
We misplace it
We deface it
… and more
We don’t regard it
We discard it
Credit card it —
No, no, no, no, no, no!
Money isn’t everything
Hey, it isn’t anything at all
Money, yeah, disposable income
We throw it all away every day
On silly things that we don’t need
And we justify our petty greed
Even when there’s people starving at home
Or half a world away
Money, it’s the stuff landfills are made of
So all the rats and seagulls get their share
They eat the food that we don’t eat
Nest in shoes straight from our feet
Waste not want not’s what we say then
Fill the trash can, don’t repair what’s broken
(chorus)
Oh yeah, money isn’t everything
It’s just a means to an end
We spend it all as fast as we make it
Then we start all over again
We waste it
We misplace it
We deface it
and more
We don’t regard it
We disgard it
Credit card it —
No, no, no, no, no, no!
Money isn’t everything
That’s right, it ain’t nothing at all
(bridge)
Money doesn’t mean a thing to you and me
And we know all those ancient platitudes
like money, it can’t buy you love,
can’t take it with you when you’re gone
It’s no wonder we don’t value it all
(chorus)
Oooh-oh, money isn’t everything
It’s just a means to an end
We spend it all as fast as we make it
Then we start all over again
We waste it
We misplace it
We deface it
and more
We don’t regard it
We disgard it
Credit card it —
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Money isn’t everything
No, no, no
Money isn’t everything
(Just drop a $20 in my jar)
Money isn’t everything
Money isn’t everything
Hey, money isn’t anything at all!
Echoes Out Of Time
With every rose you gave me
I suffered from a thorn.
I know love isn’t easy
but our loyalties are torn.
I long for independence;
you need security,
and so between the two of us
there’s instability.
(Chorus)
Like echoes out of time,
every time your lips meet mine
we’re so close, yet so far apart.
There’s no reason to pretend
that this love will never end.
It’s been over
almost from the very start.
Believe me when I tell you
that there’s too much compromise.
The times of love are far too few
this side of paradise.
It’s time for a decision;
this isn’t just a phase.
It’s time we tried division
and went our separate ways
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
You’re searching for a savior;
I’m fighting to be free,
and I don’t have to tell you
that’s not how it should be.
(Chorus)
Gotta Let Go (Duet)
HE: I don’t want to be a prisoner of your love,
chained to your heart day and night
SHE: You know how much I long for your touch —
HE: But, you’re holding me much too,
much too tight, and …
This is so hard for me to say —
I wish there was some easy way …
SHE: So hard when I’m lovin’ you so —
HE: But darlin’ you just gotta let go!
SHE: I don’t wanna spend my lifetime without
you, crying ’cause you’re running free.
HE: I know you can make it alone girl —
SHE: But, I want you here, right here with
me, ’cause … Goodbye’s too hard for me to say.
I wish there was some easy way.
HE: There’s no other way that I know.
SHE: Oh darlin’ I just can’t let you go!
HE: You’re making it harder every day
to love you and still walk away.
SHE: I want you just like before —
HE: But, darlin’ you just gotta let go!
SHE: I know, oh I know I
BOTH: Gotta let go, gotta let go, gotta let go!
The Ballad of Annie Rivers
(Originally written to go with a short story by the same name)
Annie, she was sixteen, and he was twenty-one.
She left her home and family and she followed him around.
All her friends they told her, “Jack Kane, he ain’t no good.”
But love had made her blind; she said, “He’s just misunderstood.”
(Chorus)
Annie, Annie Rivers!
A heart as big and wild as it could be.
Annie, Annie Rivers!
She loved that man but it weren’t meant to be.
She followed him to Denver all the way from New Orleans,
And everywhere she went folks said, “Jack Kane is just plain mean.”
But her heart was filled with love and she let that love run free.
Jack Kane left her in Houston with young’ens on her knee.
(Chorus)
She knew she had to find him, so she rode from town to town.
Found him with a woman — they were just foolin’ around.
She cried, she screamed, she tore her hair in so much misery.
Jack Kane just laughed and told her, “Go on home and wait for me!”
(Chorus)
The years rushed by, the kids were grown, and Annie sat alone,
Still thinkin’ that the man she loved was on his way back home.
But Jack Kane died a coward’s death in Memphis, Tennessee,
While Annie died in the winter cold one March in Kankakee.
(Chorus)
(Why Can’t It Be) Christmas Every Day
Music by Scott Getline/Lyrics by Joelle Steele (1999)
Christmas, Christmas, Christmas … Every day!
This world is torn by hunger and by war
And just when you think you can’t take any more
The calendar turns to that one special day
When we throw all our hatred and violence away
We turn to each other and hold loved ones near
Oh why can’t it be this way all through the year?
(Chorus)
Why can’t it be Christmas every day?
Why can’t it be Christmas, even in May?
Just look for the good that’s behind every face
And spread Christmas cheer all over the place
Make your Christmas spirit burn bright and burn strong
And light up the world with love all year long
No matter where you look it’s all the same
Such suffering and pain and we all share the blame
Then in comes the season of tinsel and trees
And we all live together in joy and in peace
Our fears and our anger and greed disappear
Oh why can’t it be this way all through the year?
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and share your love, every day
(Chorus)
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
la, la, la, la, la, la
All year long!
Love Like A Fever
Every day I feel the passion
beating in my soul, my very soul.
And every day I’m flaming with desire for you baby,
‘Cause darling you’re the fire, you’re the fire, and I’m the coal.
(Chorus)
And don’t you know, honey, I got …
Love like a fever —
Burning me, burning me, burning me.
Yeah, baby, I got …
Love like a fever —
There’s a fire, a fire, a fire in my soul.
Love like a fever —
And I can’t, no I just can’t, I can’t ever let you go!
Always knew that some day that fire
would go out in ashes, in ashes and grey smoke.
But I kept on loving you, loving you baby.
I love you so hard, love you so hard, and that’s no joke.
(Chorus)
Oh baby please don’t make me sorry
that we ever, that we ever made it oh so very good.
‘Cause I kept on loving you, and feeling you in my heart baby.
‘Cause you’re the matches honey, you’re the matches, and I’m the wood.
(Chorus)
Love like a fever —
And I can’t, no I just can’t, I can’t ever let you go!
. . . JINGLES . . .
The Petal Shop (1990, California)
Roses tell her what’s in your heart
Because flowers have so much to say
Don’t let her wonder how much you care
Call 1-800-FLORALS today!
Dr. Drain (1990, Michigan)
When pipes back up it’s such a pain
Don’t despair, call Dr. Drain!
Clark Chevrolet (1989, Oregon)
When you need a new set of wheels
Clark Chevy will beat all other deals
At 5th and Pacific by the ocean so blue
Clark Chevy’s got the greatest deal for you!
Law Offices of Park and Adair (1988, Illinois)
We’re there when you need us
We’re there ’cause we care
Call 756-2282 — Park and Adair!
Sleep Soft Mattress Manufacturers (1988, National)
Dreams are just dreams after all …
A night’s entertainment for you.
But when you lie down on a Sleep Soft,
Your dreams of a good night’s sleep
Will finally all come true.
Jericho Floor & Tile (1985, Michigan & Midwest Region)
Call 781-4828 — it’s in the book.
We’re at 1st and Main, so come take a look!
We even work in the rain and snow
Just so you can dance on floors by Jericho!
Clark Chevrolet (1984, Oregon)
When you need a new set of wheels
Clark Chevy will beat all other deals
Come to Columbus and Riker Avenue
‘Cause Clark’s got a great deal for you!
Stanley Residential Security (1980, National)
It’s a big bad world out there. (It is!)
But Stanley’s on your side. (We are!)
We make the world a safer place
One house at a time. (Yes!)
