lyrics from a quarter ounce of prevention 

natural way (cook) 

righteous livin / a natural way 
righteous livin a natural way 
it'll pass, pass after all 
warmakers rise & then they fall 
we try not to fret the fates of nations 
just keep on an irie vibration 
hands & feet on the earth 
it is the womb that gave you birth 
don't let no one rob you of your birthright 
nobody can lay claim to the sunlight 
righteous livin / a natural way 
righteous live in a natural way 

are you waiting for someone else? 
first off you gotta love yourself 
it's a pathless land, no one can guide you 
look at the divine likeness inside you 
fix your mind & dig in 
we'll never be right here again 
we try not to fret the fates of nations 
just keep on an irie vibration 
righteous livin / a natural way 
righteous livin a natural way 

come out, come out, children of the most high 
come out, come out, from under their roof 
come out, come out, you were called by the almighty 
come out, come out 
you can't be workin for your enemies 
come out, come out, you that feel it come out 
they give you wants & work `em up into needs 
come out, come out, you were called by the almighty 
& you are bound for world-transforming things 
come out, come out, you who feel it come out 
trade your euro-dollars for a bag of seeds 
come out, come out, sons & daughters of the most high 
you who feel it come out 
righteous livin / a natural way 
righteous live in a natural way 

go ahead babe (cook) 

go ahead babe, any way you wanna do 
go ahead, baby, & do what’s right for you 
go ahead babe, & do whatever way you please 
& I'll go ahead, baby, & do whatever way suits me 

I think you're foxy, baby, told you so 
why wouldn't I go ahead & let you know, baby? 
I don't wanna own you babe, I'm not the owning kind 
don't really need to call you mine 
you just go ahead babe, I know you got a lot to do 
do it confidently, baby, whatever comes to you 
much love, babe, I've got so much love in my heart 
wanna spill it out sweetly, gently baby, feels like a real good time to start 

I think you're foxy, baby, told you so 
why wouldn't I go ahead & let you know, baby? 
I don't wanna own you, babe, I don't wanna be owned 
but when you're tired of laying down alone 
you just go ahead babe 

lonely days (dakin) 

oh no more lonely days 
no no more lonely days 
not since I met you 

& I won't give my heart away 
to just anyone who passes my way 
unless it's you 

oh no more lonely days 
no no more lonely days 
not since I met you 

out on the road (cook) 

when you're out on the road, good people you know 
you know there ain't nothing that's certain 
it's just a day-to-day flow, tryin to draw back the curtain 
to the inner chambers of experience & the kernel of life 
take up the path seriously as though you were taking a wife 
so many situations'll pass, so much you don't understand 
but if you can float atop it all you'll be the doo-dah man 
cause when you're out on the road you got to have a code you can live by 
the kind your elders grew by, like Crosby, Stills & Nash knew by 
to do what you gotta do by, & make it through by, to get to something true by 

yes & when we rollin up the herbs it's like a cure-all tonic 
we spin the chronic chronicles of the conical chronic 
throw out ideas too strange & too various to mention 
we keep shooin the blues away with a quarter ounce of prevention 
it's worth a pound of cure, they say, & they say so rightly 
we life our spirits with a blunt smoke-filled rap session nightly 
cause there ain't no help for a cowboy layin down some lonely nights out on the plains 
can't have the cowgirls we're missin, we get by with some kissin 
from our old sweet companion, mary jane... 

I don't mind (dakin) 

I don't mind if I have to wait all day 
for my baby to come home 
& I don't mind if she takes her precious time 
to come knockin on my door 
cause her sweet, sweet love, keeps me goin on 
keeps me movin on down the road 
& I've been down this goddamn road 
with this god-forsaken load on my weary shoulders 
I ain't goin back, I ain't turning round 
cause her sweet love keeps me goin on 

well I know that I haven't been perfect, babe 
but then again, neither have you 
& well you know that all that doesn't matter babe 
it'll always come down to me & you 

here she comes, here she comes now 
here she comes to me, & her smile lights me up 
like a summer's day 
no I don't mind waitin for my long, tall lady 
to come stridin through the door 
cause she gives me a feeling like something I can't remember 
like something I've never felt before 
cause her sweet, sweet love, keeps me goin on 
keeps me movin on down the road 
& I've been down this goddamn road 
with this god-forsaken load on my weary shoulders 
I ain't goin back, I ain't turning round 
cause her sweet love keeps me goin on 

out there in the evening (cook) 

out there in the evening 
the sky looks so big it makes us all feel mighty small 
your eyes can't hold it all 
you just stare up there wondering 

me & my cousin John 
took his car up to the cliffs, & we turned off the lights 
the moon was shining bright 
the radio played Nat King Cole 

out there in the evening 
the peeping toads & crickets make a symphony 
it gets inside of me 
takes me someplace far away 

what was it I was looking for? (cook) 

maybe it was desperation; maybe we were just bored 
we both came off so strong & free & self-assured 
but all of your saying so couldn't make it true 
now thought like a train goes on, tied to its track 
I'm feelin blue & confused, I've got to think back 
what was it I was looking for when I found you? 

maybe we thought we needed somebody else 
to make us a little surer than we were of ourselves 
no accounting for some of the futile things that we do 
now I gotta hold myself up, can't throw my pearls in front of swine 
pick up the trail of something lost somewhere back along the line 
what was it I was looking for when I found you? 

the real revolution (cook) 

bring up the real revolution 
as you know it won't be on TV 
this kind of thing you gotta stick around 
& get to know people to see 
it won't be won by rhetoric 
it won't be won with guns 
it won't be won standing on the backs of anyone 
if it's the real revolution it won't make us all the same 
if it's the one real revolution it won't need a name 
but peacefulness & compassion 
family feeling & compassion 
tolerance & compassion 
in a time of war & hate 

you go on about us & them 
you got em both inside 
one that you hold up a banner for 
one that you try to hide 
if it's a real revolution 
won't be led by a man of war 
you will become the thing you fight against 
if you only see what you fight for 
beat the swords into plowshares 
beat the swords into plowshares 
beat your swords into plowshares 
& dig in, & work 

bring up the real revolution 
in your heart & mind 
keep the thought of it close to you 
in desperate times 
it won't be won by rhetoric 
it won't be won with guns 
it won't be won standing 
on the backs of anyone 
you know the old revolution 
it's the one within 
it's the one we been fighting since 
the world begin 
it won't be led by a guru 
who lives his life like a god 
it won't be led by a rockstar 
it won't be led by the mob 
if it's the real revolution 
it won't make us all the same 
if it's the one real revolution 
it won't need a name 
but peacefulness & compassion 
family feeling & compassion 
tolerance & compassion 
in a time of cold hearts & landmines & bombs & hate 

keep pushing (cook) 

keep pushing forward 
keep pushin keep pushin 
keep pushing forward 
keep pushing 

we got a new chance in the year of the sheep 
I'd like to speak to the occasion here & dig back deep 
cause it keeps widening & opening as each year comes along 
we're just babies but we're becoming strong 
well, I remember the time I first stuck out my thumb 
lookin for something different than the place I come from 
believing that losing your life to save it was true 
pack on my back & I just wanted to hear something new 
nightfall coming, feeling edgy, & who pulled over 
an older longhair & his dog in a beat-up landrover 
Richard was his name, the dog Charles was a golden retriever pup 
he told me stories & I smoked him up 
we got to Gravelly Bay, but all the ferryin' was done 
he had to make it to this party cause he was carryin' the treats for everyone 
so he hired a boat that I couldn't afford 
I found my way to the beach, looked up & thanked the Lord 
cause when you're open you meet the people that you needed to meet 
& when you're ready up come the challenges you need to defeat 
of course I knew I would bend, because I knew I was green 
I didn't think of the end, I was only nineteen 
& this reminds me of a time when we were back down south 
the fruit of life dropping off the brances into our mouths 
we felt our roots in the ground with our feet in the sand 
I heard the kids speaking Spanish & became a new man 
had a potluck fiesta with the folks on the beach 
no buscando paraiso cause it was all within reach 
we saw the new year comin in, laid back transfixed & shuddered 
at the slow-approaching morning & the widening colors 
white gulls twisted & swooped along the waves as they curled 
I dreamed of a brighter, kinder future for this weary old world 
`til like thought from my head, the sun rose out of the sea 
drew up my soul like a thread, & I was only twenty-three 
& check it, since that time, ain't had no chance to slow down 
keep movin back & forth from the country to the big town 
cause things'll make you stick if you believe that they are fixed ...ain't that so? 
things'll make you stick if you believe that they are fixed 
I've got to keep it open, I'm only twenty-six 
& check it, what you been hearin is the family sound system 
here before monotony claims another victim 
we come from different places but we all agree 
the feeling they get's the same one that grips me 
we keep diggin, & flowin, & coping for survival 
all the while pushin up a homegrown groove revival 
we thought there were things that make all this worth doing & we still think so 
despite all the shit people goin through & the mad lengths people go 
we might end up waiting for ages on end `til they finally bury all the bombs 
meantime we keep hoping & praying for the day & keep singing songs 
like say there ain't no top to this ladder we're climbing 
but climb on, the view's better from further up 
there ain't no top to this ladder we're climbin on 
but climb on, the view's better from further up 

you gotta stay young, even among the old 
pour yourself in new molds, keep learning, learning 
& yearning, strivin for simplicity 
true roots righteous livin naturally 

sheep-like people 
you got to be your own shepherd 
sheep-like people! 
you got to be your own, 
got to be your own be your own shepherd 
you've got to be your own. 

keep pushing forward 
keep pushin keep pushin 
keep pushing forward 
keep pushing