John Herrick

The Landing — Danny Bale's Song Journal

In The Landing, main character Danny Bale introduced you to some of his song lyrics. Read some more of his lyrics below, along with background tidbits behind each one.

"I sang this to Meghan in the woods that night. It kept burning in me, so later on, I had to finish it."

WHEN THE MOON SERENADES YOU

Take my hand in the glow of the night
Moving together till the morning light
I kiss your neck, you draw me near
Time stops, but your heartbeat I hear
And the world adores you

CHORUS:
When the air warms your skin
When the tides are rushing in
When the stars are in the sky
Shining down for you and I
When the waters understand
When they're moving through your hands
Washing over you
When the moon serenades you

And we're breathing each other's air
And your every exhale is the hunger I bear
I'm your knight in shining armor from a far, exotic land
I'll cover you from danger with everything I can
And I still adore you
CHORUS

"I tried my hand at a country song here."

I WANTED TO BE USED

I felt alone
I felt I had no one
You and I
Were burned by the sun
It took some time
It took some confusion
It took two hearts
Singed by delusion

CHORUS:
And there I stood with open arms
Subject to emotional harm
I wanted to be used
I wanted to be used by you
I never thought twice to play the fool
I saw you as a jewel
Ready and willing to be used
I wanted you to use me
I wanted to be used by you

You opened up
I thought you let me in
Naive was I
From where I'd been
I misunderstood
I missed my call
Each time you asked me to jump
I took the fall
CHORUS

"I was thinking back on my roots here and got into a semi-spiritual mode. In a massive crowd of people, each person has a story. That struck me."

CLEVELAND'S RESCUE

Sheet of gray 'cross a Cleveland sky
Step on out and face the frigid air
Dime a dozen are the passersby
Hundred-ton load on their shoulders they bear

Making their way down the cold city streets
Weary eyes tell tales of defeat
Well, it's not mine to analyze

CHORUS: There's a hope for Cleveland
There's an end to the bitter snow
There's a hope for Cleveland
There's a Light I know
Light I know

Storms will rise and winds will blow
Dose of pain to the heavy heart
Earth is dead but a river will flow
Chains and fetters will break apart

Flesh is full but the spirit is in hunger
In the distance there's the sound of thunder
Comin' down there's a mighty rain
CHORUS

BRIDGE:
Fresh rain pour out on me
Fresh rain wash these city streets
Fresh rain fill these empty hearts
Drink the living water
CHORUS

"Some moments remain forever etched in your brain, like a mental photograph. Moments where time stands still and you just soak in its beauty. I would only trust Rascal Flatts to record this song."

SHE DANCES IN THE RAIN

Who is this woman that keeps me captivated
A delicate figure in my eyes
Defying all gravity, her feet don't touch the ground
Beneath the thundering skies

CHORUS:
From a distance her movements are mysterious
Every gesture leaves an imprint on my brain
In the blink of an eye she commands my attention
With a beauty I can't explain
She dances in the rain

It's in the dampness of her hair and the glisten of her lips
It's deep inside her heart
It's the very essence of my state of attraction
That pulls my sense and senses apart
CHORUS

BRIDGE:
My curiosity gets the best of me
In the wake of spontaneity
Time lies frozen in the sound of the rain
Until my consciousness returns again
CHORUS

"This is one of those angry songs where you unleash your pent-up frustrations."

UNFAITHFUL

Take back the memories
Take back the lies you breathed
I regret the day you ever came to me
You broke my deepest trust
You left the pieces crushed
I consider you my greatest enemy
You deserve every bitter tear you shed
Turning your back and playing with my head

CHORUS:
You are unfaithful
You've made my life so painful
And the only reason your heart is breaking now
Is 'cause the best thing you ever had is no longer around
I'm saying goodbye
I'm tired of all the lies
Unwilling, unable
You are unfaithful

You gave the ultimatum
I took your bills and paid them
I made the sacrifice to keep you in my life
And all that's left for me to do
Is to make this vow to you
You'll never hurt me this way twice
So pack your things and walk out the door
I don't ever want to see your face anymore
CHORUS

"A song of freedom..."

WATER'S EDGE

Sun breaks through on a bleak summer evening
Wild grass as high as your knees
Take the tired, the weary, and the bleeding
Headlong to a place you never felt so free

Lead 'em by the hand to the edge of the water
Past the fences of barbed wire
Someone's mother and someone else's daughter
Waves dancing 'neath a sky on fire

CHORUS:
And they come, and they come to the water's edge
It's their sanity
And they come, and they come to the water's edge
This small town

Some fight for fear, others fight for freedom
And some just don't really care
Some they battle their own inner treason
Some they cry with eyes unaware
CHORUS

"Some things never change..."

WOMEN

Say goodbye to your heart
Say goodbye to your senses
Say goodbye to your freedom
And surrender your defenses

'Cause all that you were before
Fingerprints on glass
Ceases its existence
By erasure of the past

CHORUS:
The beat of time
A gentle wind
The shadows of night
The fire within
Strength to stand
And the fall of men
You'll find it all in them
Women

And you'll never find mercy
When she touches your skin
'Cause as she melts you down inside
You lose all hope to win
CHORUS

"Sometimes you're empty-handed and just need answers."

HEAVEN SHINE A LIGHT

When the tears run dry
When the stars escape from my eyes
When it's hard to see
There's a destiny

I look to the skies
Past the fear and the lies
Heaven set me free

CHORUS:
Heaven shine a light, shine a light on me
Shine it down
Heaven send a river of destiny
Pour it down
Heaven have mercy on a broken heart
Send it down
Heaven shine tonight
Heaven shine a light

Circumstances grow old
Shivering in the cold
There comes a break in the clouds
Oh, I need it now

Touch this broken man
With a miracle hand
Heaven let it be
CHORUS

BRIDGE:
Heaven shine, heaven shine
Heaven shine a light
Heaven shine, heaven shine
Heaven shine a light on me
REPEAT BRIDGE CHORUS

"For some reason, I decided to write a song that's a play on opposing ideas. Here's what I came up with."

YOU'RE MY DIVISION

And you are the gold that betrays me
You are the joke that slays me
Unceasing to amaze me
You break me down

You're my struggle and survival
My hero and my rival
You're my honesty's denial
You're really something

CHORUS:
You are my division
You're my indecision
When you lift me up
I fall for you
You are my division
On the inner part of me
I'm tied to you
And with you I'm free

And you are the desert sun that blinds me
You're the tension that unwinds me
The missing part that finds me
The clarity of rain
CHORUS

"And, of course, that song for Meghan, written from Sunset Beach."

BREATHING YESTERDAY

There's something familiar about these shades of blue
I was standing at these crossroads a time ago
I find surfacing a welcome deja vu
It's been way too long, too many years flying solo

I see something glowing in your eyes right now
The same old flicker I kept grasping as the days went by
Frail words could never justify how
The attempt would be futile, for I might as well deny

CHORUS:
I've found myself
Content in breathing yesterday
There's a ringing in my memory
I tried to hide away
And I'm diving down
To the depths of my heart
That were locked from me
When we were apart
Just when I thought I had escaped the dusty gray
I find myself breathing yesterday

I have decided I don't want to say goodbye to you anymore
The consequences are far, far, far more than I can take
I once let you go, but I tell you I'm gonna reopen that door
'Cause letting go a second time may be my biggest mistake CHORUS