Book of Love

The Book of Love
Peter Gabriel
(from the soundtrack of "Shall We Dance"


The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing

But I
I love it when you read to me
And you
You can read me anything

The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb

But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know

But I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings

And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings

And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me wedding rings

Dance Me to the End of Love

Dance me to the end of love

Leonard Cohen

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

In The Arc of Your Mallet (Rumi)

Don't go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
Vision, see nothing I don't see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
Be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.

I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.

There's nothing worse than to walk out along the street
without you. I don't know where I'm going.
You're the road and the knower of roads,
more than maps, more than love.

Say I Am You (Rumi)

I am dust particles in sunlight.
I am the round sun.

To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving.

I am morning mist,
and the breathing of evening.

I am wind in the top of a grove,
and surf on the cliff.

Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.

I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.
Silence, thought, and voice.

The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark of a stone, a flickering

in metal. Both candle,
and the moth crazy around it.

Rose, and the nightingale
lost in the fragrance.

I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,

and the falling away. What is,
and what isn't. You who know

Jelaluddin, You the one
in all, say who

I am. Say I
am You.

To speak of trees (Brecht)

For this world we live in
None of us is sly enough.
Never do we notice
All is lie and bluff.
Caesar beat the Gauls.
Was there not even a cook in his army?
Do not treat me in this fashion.
Don’t leave me out. Have I not
Always spoken the truth in my books? And now
You treat me like a liar! I order you:
Burn me!
Those who lead the country into the abyss
Call ruling too difficult
For ordinary men.
Ah, what an age it is
When to speak of trees is almost a crime
For it is a kind of silence about injustice!


(Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), German playwright, poet. Selected Poems, “To Posterity,” (1939; tr. 1947 by H. R. Hays). Written in response to the Nazi book burnings in 1933 a lament during World War II for not being able to write about the good and the beautiful.

The Rhythm Of Spring (Rod McKeun)

All the trees are pink.
Plum blossoms,
or are they small extensions
of the clouds,
fill the lower sky
above the horizon
trapping the season
for all time,
or for what time
we know it.

Your smile is only your smile
or is it?
Maybe it's one more opening
into you
that I should come through
softly

Softly, I will come,
I will be
concerning you.
Your rhythm will be my own.
Even your heartbeat
should not be
independent.

How Insensitive

How insensitive
I must have seemed
When he told me that he loved me
How unmoved and cold
I must have seemed
When he told me so sincerely
Why, he must have asked
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
What was I to say
What can you say when a love affair is over

Now he’s gone away
And I’m alone with the memory of his last look
Vague and drawn and sad
I see it still
All his heartbreak in that last look
Why he must have asked
Did I just stare in icy silence
What was I to do
What can one do when a love affair is over


Writer(s): antonio carlos jobim - ray gilbert - vinicius demoraes

I Could Have Danced All Night

I could have danced all night
I could have danced all night
And still have begged for more
I could have spread my wings
And done a thousand things
I'd never ever done before
I'll never know what made it so exciting
But all at once my heart took flight
I only know when he began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced, danced, danced, danced

Bed? I couldn't go to bed
My head's too light to try to settle down
Sleep? I couldn't sleep tonight
Not for all the jewels in the crown!

I'll never know what made it so exciting
But all at once my heart took flight
I only know when he began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced, danced all night

Sway

When marimba rhythms start to play
Dance with me, make me sway
Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore
Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease
When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me

Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you
Only you have the magic technique
When we sway I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now

Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you
Only you have the magic technique
When we sway I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now
You know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now

Shall We Dance?

We've just been introduced
I do not know you well
But when the music started
Something drew me to your side

So many men and girls
Are in each other's arms
It made me think we might be similarly occupied

Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of music shall we fly?
Shall we dance?
Shall we then say "goodnight" and mean "goodbye?"

Or, per chance when the last little star has left the sky
Shall we still be together with our arms around each other
And shall you be my new romance?

On the clear understanding that this kind of thing can happen
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?


Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Vocals by Yul Brenner (Dubbed Vocals by Marni Nixon) from "The King and I"

Besame Mucho

Besame, besame mucho
Como si fuera esta la noche la ultima vez
Besame, besame mucho
que tengo miedo a perderte
perderte despues

Quiero tenerte muy cerca
mirarme en tus ojos
verte junto a mi
Piensa que tal vez manana
yo ya estare lejos
muy lejos de aquí

Besame, besame mucho
Como si fuera esta la noche la ultima vez
Besame, besame mucho
que tengo miedo a perderte
perderte despues
Besame, besame mucho...

Windmills of Your Mind

Round like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on its face
And the world is like an apple
Spinning silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind

Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half-forgotten dream
Like the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on its face
And the world is like an apple
Spinning silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind

Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly?
Was it something that I said?
Lovers walk along a shore
And leave their footprints in the sand
Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway
Or the fragment of a song
Half-remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the colour of her hair?
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind

New Beginning

The whole world's broke
and it ain't worth fixing
It's time to start all over
make a new beginning
There's too much pain
too much suffering
Let's resolve to start all over
make a new beginning

Now don't get me wrong
I love life and living
But when you wake up and look around
at everything that's going down
All wrong
You see we need to change it now,
this world with too few happy endings
We can resolve to start all over
make a new beginning

Start all over

The world is broken into fragments and pieces
That once were joined together
in a unified whole
But now too many stand alone,
There's too much separation
We can resolve to come together
in the new beginning

Start all over

We can break the cycle - We can break the chain
We can start all over
In the new beginning
We can learn, we can teach
We can share the myths, the dreams, the prayer
The notion that we can do better
Change our lives and paths
Create a new world

And start all over

The whole world's broke
and it ain't worth fixing
It's time to start all over,
make a new beginning
There's too much fighting,
too little understanding
It's time to stop and start all over
Make a new beginning

Start all over

We need to make new symbols
Make new signs
Make a new language
With these we'll define the world

And start all over

For Sentimental Reasons

I love you
for sentimental reasons,
I hope you do believe me,
I've given you my heart

I love you
and you alone were meant for me
please give your loving heart to me
and say we'll never part

I think of you every morning
Dream of you every night
Darling I'm never lonely
whenever you are in sight

I love you
for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I've given you my heart

I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I've given you my heart.

My Way

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.
I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway;
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.
I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
"No, oh no not me,I did it my way".
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -And did it my way!

Drifting

Drifting on a sea of forgotten teardrops
On a lifeboat
Sailing for your love
Sailing home,

Drifting on a sea of old heartbreaks
On a lifeboat
Sailing for your love
Sailing home.

Little Wing

Well, she’s walking through the clouds
With a circus mind that’s running around
Butterflies and zebras
And moonbeams and fairy tales
That’s all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind

When I am sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles she gives to me free
It’s all right, she says
It’s all right,
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on little wing
Yeah yeah yeah…little wing.

I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I've Got You Under My Skin

I've got you under my skin
I have got you deep in the heart of me
So deep in my heart, you're really a part of me
And I've got you under my skin

I have tried so, not to give in
I've said to myself this affair it never would go so well
But why should I try to resist when I know so well
That I've got you under my skin

I would sacrifice anything come would might
For the sake of having you near
In spite of a warning voice,
that comes in the night and repeats in my ear
Don't you know you fool you never can win
Use your mentality, wake up to reality
For each time I do,
just the thought of you makes me stop before I begin
Because I've got you under my skin

Let's face the music and dance

There may be trouble ahead
But while there's music
and moonlight and love and romance
Let's face the music and dance

Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill
and while we still have the chance
Let's face the music and dance

Soon we'll be without the moon,
humming a different tune and then
There may be teardrops to shed

So while there's moonlight
and music and love and romance
Let's face the music and dance

Besame Mucho (French)

Besame, besame mucho
Cette chanson d'autrefois je la chante pour toi
Besame, besame mucho
Comme une histoire d'amour qui ne finirait pas

On l'a chantée dans les rues sous des ciels inconnus
et dans toute la France
On la croyait oubliée et pour mieux nous aimer
voilà qu'elle recommence

Besame, besame mucho
Si dans un autre pays ça veut dire “embrasses-moi”
Besame, besame mucho
Toute ma vie, je voudrais la chanter avec toi

On ne demande à l'amour ni serment de toujours
ni décor fantastique
Pour nous aimer il nous faut simplement quelques mots
qui vont sur la musique

Besame, besame mucho
Si dans un autre pays ça veut dire “embrasses-moi”
Besame, besame mucho
Toute ma vie, je voudrais la chanter avec toi
Besame, besame mucho

Besame Mucho (English)

Besame, besame mucho,
Each time I bring you a kiss
I hear music divine.
So besame, besame mucho,
I love you for ever,
Say that you'll always be mine.

Dearest one, if you should leave me
Then each little dream will take wings
And my life would be through.

Oh besame, besame mucho,
I love you for ever,
You make all my dreams come true.

Oh this joy is something new,
My arms they're holding you,
I never knew this thrill before.
Who ever thought I'd be
Holding you close to me
Whispering: it's you I adore.
Yes so dearest one, if you should leave me
Then each little dream will take wings,
And my life would be through.

Oh so besame, besame mucho,
I love you for ever,
Make all my dreams come true.

Oh this joy is something new,
My arms are holding you,
I never knew this thrill before.
Who ever thought I'd be
Holding you close to me
Whispering: it's you I adore.

Oh so dearest one, if you should leave me,
Then each little dream will take wings
And my life would be through.

Oh so besame, besame mucho,
I love you for ever,
Make all my dreams come true.
I love you for ever,
Make all my dreams come true.
I love you for ever,
Make all my dreams come true.

Painter Song - Norah Jones

If I were a painter
I would paint my reverie
If that's the only way for you to be with me

We'd be there together
Just like we used to be
Undertneath the swirling skies for all to see

And I'm dreaming of a place
Where I could see your face
And I think my brush would take me there
But only...

If I were a painter
And could paint a memory
I'd climb inside the swirling skies to be with you
I'd climb inside the skies to be with you

I Love You

I Love You
Sarah McLachlan

I have a smile
stretched from ear to ear
to see you walking down the road
we meet at the lights
I stare for a while
the world around us disappears
it's just you and me
on this island of hope
a breath between us could be miles
let me surround you
my sea to your shore
let me be the calm you seek
oh and every time I'm close to you
there's too much I can't say
and you just walk away
and I forgot
to tell you
I love you
and the night's
too long
and cold here
without you I grieve in my condition
for I cannot find the strength to say I need you so
oh and every time I'm close to you
there's too much I can't say
and you just walk away
and I forgot
to tell you
I love you
and the night's
too long
and cold here
without you

Elsewhere

Elsewhere
Sarah McLachlan

I love the time and in between
the calm inside me
in the space where I can breathe
I believe there is a
distance I have wandered
to touch upon the years of
reaching out and reaching in
holding out holding in
I believe
this is heaven to no one else but me
and I'll defend it as long as I can be
left here to linger in silence
if I choose to
would you try to understand
I know this love is passing time
passing through like liquid
I am drunk in my desire...
but I love the way you smile at me
I love the way your hands reach out and hold me near...
I believe...
I believe
this is heaven to no one else but me
and I'll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
if I choose to
would you try to understand
Oh the quiet child awaits the day when she can break free
the mold that clings like desperation
Mother can't you see I've got
to live my life the way I feel is right for me
might not be right for you but it's right for me...
I believe...
I believe
this is heaven to no one else but me
and I'll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
if I choose to
would you try to understand it
I would like to linger here in silence
if I choose to
would you understand it
would you try to understand...

My Immortal (Evanescence)

i'm so tired of being here
suppressed by all of my childish fears
and if you have to leave
i wish that you would just leave
because your presence still lingers here
and it won't leave me alone
these wounds won't seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there's just too much that time cannot erase

when you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears
and i've held your hand through all of these years
but you still have all of me

you used to captivate me
by your resonating light
but now i'm bound by the life you left behind
your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

these wounds won't seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there's just too much that time cannot erase

when you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears
and i've held your hand through all of these years
but you still have all of me

i've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
and though you're still with me
i've been alone all along