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Opportunity Lost

by GuidoWorld

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1.
Last Chance 03:43
Last Chance 12/31/88 This is your last chance I was born with no distinction I was taught to tell the truth and never hurt a friend Only love can end confusion Only love can shape a life a person can defend (to themselves) There’s no more I can offer Please don’t expect me to change I know you feel I lack ambition Don’t you? This is your last chance to change your spiteful ways This is your last chance and I do mean today (oh yes I do) If you want to feel better, then Don’t be jealous, don’t be vain, don’t get joy from other’s pain We are all our own redemption For we all can go to bed feeling we’ve done our best (yes we can) There’s no way I can please you if you do want me to change Make money my sole decider, no way This is your last chance to change your spiteful ways This is your last chance and I do mean today (oh yes I do) There’s no denying that power’s just a game Where winners are survivors and losers are doused in pain We all make this decision We all choose to play this game This is your last chance To stop the game
2.
Whispering Heart 2/12/90 Whispering heart in the evening breathing in slowly Your need left unsaid Tucked beneath the smile fragile and lonely Don’t be afraid of my ever searching eyes Don’t pull away from the fires deep inside I’ll listen well to your whisperings of desire I’ll hold the mirror for you to admire I’ll come again when you’re feeling A little bit stronger No need to feel bad Our eyes take time adjusting to darkness As I walk away I feel confident and strong My soul is enthralled in the reflection it just saw The vault is open her love is flying free Her silent cry is winding thru the trees Here it comes looking out for me Here it comes reaching out to me Love, is on my mind I feel comfort in the moment Cradled by the night Girl, I feel you sailing In your warm winds of desire Come to me I’ll comfort you I’ll feel what you do I’ve searched so long for you Whispering heartbeat getting stronger Love is giving me power Whispering heart sing a little louder Love is giving me power Whispering heart speak to me Whispering heart set us free This is all I ever wanted Feeling loved, feeling connected
3.
U Girl 03:00
U Girl 5/15/04 I want you girl to be smart I want you girl to play the part I want you girl to be smart I want you girl to be a star The tawdry lies have all come into view Denying the obvious is the best they can do It’s so cruel girl they broke our hearts It’s so cruel girl they’ve gone too far I want you girl to be smart I want you girl to be the star We’ve used it all up so fast These golden times cannot last I want you girl to be smart I want you girl to be the star I need you girl to raise the bar I need you girl to stop the car These dangerous times call out for truth A caring mind can unstick the glue Let’s not sit out this dance For it could be the last Let’s not wait Let’s not wait There’s no miracles going to come There’s no miracle going to come
4.
Opportunity Lost 12/26/03 I’d like to feel a part of this life I’d like to have a child, home and wife Each time I settle down I gaze so far ahead I see the pendulum swing this way and back again I feel very lonely riding the crest of the wave Cuz my friends just keep bobbing left in its wake Some like to dream others work till they drop Some complain with zeal others swallow till they pop If life’s a mystery than solution is a chore For what’s found ends the quest mystery demands more I just love to smile feel the sun on my face I wish the human race could be run at a comfortable pace As the tidal wave approaches I move far ashore I plead with my friends to fish no more As I lie in bed awake yeah, feel my body aching For I sense disaster coming soon I stumble thru the darkness feel for the door Hope the knock I hear is not just the winds mighty roar Everybody’s fervent prayer hanging heavy in the air If we try hard we can make it come true Let the winds take you away don’t fight it now its OK I pause to see what’s coming I shudder at opportunity lost Let’s not waste our time with hating when we should be celebrating I’ll share my fondest wish with you Everybody’s fervent prayer hanging heavy in the air If we try hard we can make it come true Let’s not waste our time with hating when we should be celebrating I’ll share my fondest wish with you
5.
Making Money 04:05
Making Money 7/15/92 Years ago I was anxious to talk I spoke my mind to all that would listen Times do change, words have become my little secrets Television cameras seem so out of place Reporters leap at me in desperation Why oh why, do I feel like lying? Why should I answer these vultures? Asking me what I saw Did I see the driver (or the car) Who hit my wife and children? They don’t want the truth they’re just looking for a story They want tears, or shouts of anger, But no swearing, keep it clean but gory What would they do if I were to talk about the booze Or the drugs which buy and sell the new And make some idiot jump the curb And in one moment take my life away Not getting what they want They all tape my family’s mangled bodies Soon the flashing lights are gone as are the TV cameras I guess I should have said something, but what could I say? You’ll never see me again I was just some haunted face on the 11 o’clock news But someday you’ll feel the same way I do About how people act, how they lies steal and cheat making money It’s all about making money Causing pain, making money, People are starving, homeless and bleak Watching others making money
6.
Lies 03:52
Lies 6/24/92 I don’t know why I feel so nervous Is it just the future pressing near? I’m not chasing after phantoms I’m just expressing all our fears Each day every passing hour The lurking shadow increases power Lies become a way of life Fear cuts like a laser light Look into the shiny prism Binding men while causing friction (schisms) Making heroes arousing villains Fictitious realism I don’t know why I can’t get in motion Seeing, hearing what can one man do? The newsman tells me we won another battle Smiling, cheering I know it’s not true Drive awhile on the open highway Buy a burger have them make it my way Make a move on some haunting eyes Try to stop feeling paralyzed When it comes down right to it I just refuse to use her Like a fish dangling from the pole I just have to let her go I don’t know why I feel no emotion Touching, holding I know it’s a fluke I’m never happy preying on devotion Singing, praying I know it’s not true Lies in the dream, lies on the screen, lies of hope, lies to cope Medical lies, spiritual lies, lies of passion, lies in fashion Lies on the job, lies to the mob, lies to fool lies to rule Ooh, lies, success they say has its price, ooh, lies, you get nowhere by being nice Political lies, steals the truth from our minds, historical lies says we deceive to survive Lies, lies everybody lies Lies, lies why can’t I?
7.
Demonic Democracy 10/25/03 I partied quite a lot it’s true My wife killed a boyfriend from school My dad tortured evil men so cruel Thru failed businesses my wealth grew I’ve lived a shallow life well connected well advised Almost everything goes my way I will sacrifice a few thousand lives To gain your support and your praise I’ve faith in god and so should you We’ll kill off evil at its roots If you question me you’re a fool For god is right and I’m his tool You will have to sacrifice a few basic rights To make this land totally free I may have to hide from you many important clues To insure our national security I got you traumatized so afraid you buy all my lies I’ve got you running scared passing laws that give me power There’s no limit to what I can do give to friends what I take from you Pumping up our national pride cutting deals that give me power I’ve got you mesmerized making war and making prisons I’ve got you mesmerized making war and making money Making money for me and my buddies Making money lots and lots of money
8.
The Mundane Blues 6/8/01 Why am I so glum today? Floating on this sunny day There’s barely a cloud in the sky Or a trouble to cast a shadow on my mind Relaxing with no point of view Chilling got my life on cruise Got my jams and my remote control Plenty of babes willing to rock and roll It all seems so easy, yet why am I so queasy? Maybe I just need to crash Maybe I got to do something fast But my mind won’t let it be Behind my tinted shades not one senses something’s eating me I really need to be where…. If I could I’d beat the….. Where is the joy I used to…..? Yes. I’d like to know Loving is the only way Tripping dispels the bleakest grey A funny thought comes into view A silly picture of a frantic cartoon Yet the irony comes bleeding thru My heartbeat pounds out the truth I really can’t get away From the clouds and the rain Wreaking havoc on my brain A strident call an endless refrain “Help me,” I hear someone say “I’m dying,” I hear it once again I recognize the voice as my own I feel dread in its stilted tone I see the shock in the many faces I hear the tic-tock in the silent spaces I think I’m going to sleep I think I’m going to weep I think I’m going to……. I know I really ought to………
9.
Political Guys 9/17/92 Lost in the fire of yesterdays is the passion which powers reason Now we smile at everything, treading light avoiding tension Saying nothing silence is but a tool Making friendships with bonds that have no clue How long can we live a lie? Shaking hands and hugging bodies Acting like we’re close Not knowing anything about anybody Incorrigible lies, lie behind those eyes not blinking Despicable smiles, convicting you while they’re gleaming Searching long to find someone willing to drop their mask That’s all I ask Locked on the screen I see a smile Quite like the one’s I see around me Every word is a lithograph Every pause so well acted No one’s thinking for reporters explain it to you The smile keeps talking never missing a cue It’s hard to swim across the river of contradictions It’s hard to find a smile which speaks with some distinction Political guys, decisive roads to indecision Political guise, leave no trails of comprehension Political guys, buy our freedom through corruption Political guise, use our boys for more extortion When innocent lives are shattered to pieces Oh, I don’t love anyone any more Oh, I don’t hate anyone any more
10.
Empathy 04:38
Empathy 3/15/04 Have we lost our humanity? On the slippery slope of personal responsibility? Have we lost our compassion for our fellow man by saying all decision lies in his hands? How can I judge, what another can endure? And not cry when their house is on fire? Here’s my hand if you need something to hold I’ll understand if you want to be alone We all regret some of the choices we take making painful situations on a pile of mistakes What you sow is what you reap But love doesn’t end with blame We’ve seen such pain on so many faces Past our fears and righteous taunts we would never trade places The stare of hate is cold and makes us so impatient Lies are told to get our goat and fuel are indignation All said, the cost of war is dire Empathy is what I feel Gives us hope defines the real Beliefs often divide and take a stand making competition the cosmic plan Our basic needs give us clarity Our hearts understand delight We’ve seen such pain on so many faces Past our fears and righteous taunts we would never trade places We’re told that bringing home the bacon Is the litmus test of a person’s worth and we must fight hard to make it All said, the cost of hate is dire Care, there is no mistaking Care, the bridge that leads to safety Empathy
11.
Everybody 04:13
Everybody 5/13/04 I do feel this life so frail as I walk my path each day There are woes and times to sail, I’ve had conquests and times I’ve bailed Everybody lives everybody dies everybody gives everybody tries Well I don’t know if it’s right to say Everybody is everybody smiles everybody wins everybody lies Well I won’t be here when it goes away I’ve seen troubles I’ve been dismayed I’ve been excited I’ve played in the rain Everybody laughs everybody cries everybody cracks everybody sighs Well I just hope we love each day Everybody asks everybody whines everybody basks everybody dines Well I just wish we could share the grain I do feel this life so frail as I walk my path each day Everybody’s right everybody’s wrong everybody’s trite everybody’s strong Well I just know we find our way Everybody’s good everybody’s bad everybody cares everybody’s sad Well I feel a passion to get inside I do feel this life so frail as I walk my path each day I’ve seen troubles I’ve been dismayed Everybody lives everybody dies everybody gives everybody tries Well I don’t know if it’s right to say Everybody is everybody smiles everybody wins everybody lies Well I won’t be here when it goes away I’ve been excited I’ve played in the rain Well I just wish we could share the grain Everybody’s right everybody’s wrong everybody’s trite everybody’s strong

about

Our personal lives are full of many opportunities and possible paths. There is no perfect path and every choice we make means that there are other possibiilites that we declined.

This album is about Opportunity Lost. Each song contains stories and images of paths that seem to be missing or at least limiting the opportunities available. Yet, opportunity lost, is often a necessary learning experience making for better more productive and rewarding actions in the future.

The emphasis of this album is not on past regret or resigning oneself to pain and suffering, but on realigning ourselves and our societies towards living rewarding and compassionate lives. Opportunity Lost happens when we undersell ourselves and the rest of humanity by giving into fear, hatred and selfishness.

We live on a lush planet teeming with life. We have survived and flourished for countless millennia by adapting, cooperating, and compassionately working together. So while the fight for survival is real, so is the growing harmony and interdependence of our ecosystem and social existence.

Could we destroy ourselves and the planet? Probably. Yet, it is false to think that destruction is more a part of human nature and Nature itself than is creation.

The music and lyrics of this album are emotional, vivid and cinematic. They may not always depict the most pleasant of images and moods, but do represent the preciousness of life which is at stake behind each and every decision we make, or we allow others to make in our name.

Opportunity Lost is a homage to the human drama which is unbelievably rich in emotion and possibility. While the path we are on as a planet may often seem unwise and reckless, we still have the ability to have life on this planet continue to flourish and become increasingly harmonious.

Words and Music by Jim Guido
Inspiration by everyone and everything.
The photo is of Mahatma Gandhi who is especially inspiring with regards to living in a life affirming manner.

credits

released January 16, 2014

See each individual track for detailed musician credits.
Yet, I would like to express special gratitude to John Bardem, Robin Cape and Ryan Thompson for the artistic depth and integrity they brought not only to the tracks they recorded but in the creation of the power and mood of the entire album.

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