Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young – American Dream [1988]

Year Released: 1988

Atlantic Records

1. American Dream (3:18)
2. Got It Made (4:56)
3. Name of Love (4:12)
4. Don’t Say Goodbye (3:23)
5. This Old House (4:50)
6. Night Time for Generals (4:09)
7. Shadowland (4:47)
8. Drivin’ Thunder (3:16)
9. Clear Blue Skies (3:07)
10. That Girl (3:31)
11. Compass (5:28)
12. Soldiers of Peace (3:47)
13. Feel Your Love (4:14)
14. Night Song (4:13)

American Dream

I used to see you on every T.V.
Your smiling face looked back at me.
I used to see you on every T.V.
Your smiling face looked back at me.
Then they caught you with the girl next door,
People’s money piled on the floor,
Accusations that you try to deny,
Revelations and rumors begin to fly.

Now you think about reaching out
Maybe get some help from above.
Now you think about reaching out
Maybe get some help from above.
Reporters crowd around your house.
Going through your garbage like a pack of hounds,
Speculating what they may find out,
It don’t matter now, you’re all washed up.

You wake up in the middle of the night.
Your sheets are wet and your face is white,
You tried to make a good thing last,
How could something so good, go bad, so fast?

American dream, American dream
American dream, American dream.

Don’t know when things went wrong,
Might have been when you were young and strong.
Don’t know when things went wrong,
Might have been when you were young and strong.
Reporters crowd around your house.
Going through your garbage like a pack of hounds,
Speculating what they may find out,
It don’t matter now, you’re all washed up.

Don’t know when things went wrong,
Might have been when you were young and strong.
American dream, American dream.
Don’t know when things went wrong,
Might have been when you were young and strong.
American dream, American dream.

Got It Made

Know you are a friend of mine, babe you been gone
An awful long time. You might remember me, I tried
To set your soul free.

Glad that you got it made, when did you finalize your last trade?
You are the only one I’ve ever seen do what you done

Anything that you done done, you are the only one
Don’t put me under your gun.

I’m gonna be missing you, even though I understand that you’re not through.
Go on take it day by day, seems like I lost you anyway.

Glad that you got it made, when did you finalize your last trade?
You are the only one I’ve ever seen do what you done
Done
Anything that you done done, you are the only one
Don’t put me under your gun.

When you came to save the world I caused your
Dreams to fade,
I couldn’t do what you did and rained on your parade.

Glad that you got it made.
Glad that you got it made.

Hard set of changes, for anyone that I know,
You’re gonna make it, make it, make it better for you
And me and anyone else you know.

Just don’t forget me, I’ll be there when you’re done
And in the meantime, meantime, you’ll get to know
Yourself
So don’t judge anyone else, anyone.

It doesn’t matter I don’t mind, I’m sure that you’ll
Remember sometime, even if you never do,
All you need to worry `bout now is you.

Glad that you got it made, when did you finalize your
Last trade?
You are the only one I’ve ever seen do what you done
Done
Anything that you done done, you are the only one
Don’t put me under your gun.

Glad that you got it made.

Name Of Love

You who rule upon the land,
You hold the future in your hand,
When you take your people down the road,
Before another bomb explodes.
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?

And when you sail upon the sea
This one’s for you, this one’s for me.
Before another missile flies
You who soar into the sky
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?

And so I shout it around the world
To every boy and every girl,
Yeah, I shout it around the world
To every boy and every girl,
Can you do it in the name of love?
Can you do it in the name of love?

Can you do it in the name of love?

Don’t Say Goodbye

Never leave me alone (don’t say goodbye)
I don’t wanna face my world without you.

Never leave me alone (don’t say goodbye)
I don’t wanna lose your lasting love.

Never tell me goodbye,
I don’t wanna live my life without you.

Never tell me goodbye,
I don’t wanna see you walk away from me.

If I open up my heart
I can always find you there
So I’ll never be apart from you
My heart is on my sleeve
And even though you started to
I hope you never leave,
Never leave, me alone.

If I open up my heart
I can always find you there
So I’ll never be apart from you
In you I still believe
And even though you started to
I hope you never leave,
Never leave, me alone.

Never leave me alone (don’t say goodbye)
I don’t wanna live my life without you.
Never leave me alone (don’t say goodbye)
I don’t wanna lose your lasting love.

This Old House

Midnight, that old clock keeps ticking,
The kids are all asleep and I’m walking the floor.
Darlin’ I can see that you’re dreaming,
And I don’t wanna wake you up
When I close the door.

This old house of ours is built on dreams
And a businessman don’t know what that means.
There’s a garden outside she works in every day
And tomorrow morning a man from the bank’s
Gonna come and take it all away.

Lately, I’ve been thinking ’bout daddy,
And how he always made things work, when the chips were down,
And I know I’ve got something inside me
There’s always a light there to guide me
To what can’t be found.

This old house of ours is built on dreams
And a businessman don’t know what that means.
There’s a swing outside the kids play on every day
And tomorrow morning a man from the bank’s
Gonna come and take it all away.

Take it all away, take it all away, take it all away.
Take it all away, take it all away, take it all away.

Remember how we first came here together?
Standing on an empty lot, holding hands.
Later, we came back in the moonlight
And made love right where the kitchen is,
Then we made our plans.

Take it all away, take it all away, take it all away.
Take it all away, take it all away, take it all away.

Nighttime For Generals

Well it’s nighttime and the long cars
Are arriving at the door,
The general is having another party,
With a congressman or three
And some guys you never see outside the bank.

There’s a laughing clink of glasses
And a polished click of boots
And bitter talk of a country
With a weakness in its roots.

And it’s nighttime for the generals
And the boys at the C.I.A.
Power gone mad in the darkness
Thinking they’re God on a good day
They giveth, they taketh
But they like to take it away.

“Well the fools don’t know the difference
It’s for their own good,” they said.
And they shot blind Lady Liberty
In the back of her head.

And it’s nighttime for the generals
And the boys at the C.I.A.
Power gone mad in the darkness
Thinking they’re God on a good day
They giveth, they taketh
But they like to take it away.

They giveth, they taketh,

Nighttime, nighttime, nighttime.

Shadowland

Behind a nation’s blind salute
Behind “my country `tis of thee”
Behind the pain that won’t compute
Erase the memory of Shadowland.

An open wound that never heals
A bone that never seems to set
A mind that thinks but never feels
The face we’ve never met from Shadowland.

They tell us time and time again
They only want a few good men
They lead us through the lion’s den
To Shadowland.

The world would just as soon forget
And watch the wreckage drift ashore
Ten years reduced to one regret
The baggage of war from Shadowland.

Don’t ask us how our names were lost
Our nation did a sleight of hand
We never saw the line we crossed
That took us into Shadowland.

They tell us time and time again
They only want a few good men
They lead us through the lion’s den
To Shadowland.

The son will reap what fathers sow
But mothers have to hear the sound
Of the last breath of the boy next door
Whose life has ended

Shadowland, Shadowland, Shadowland.

Drivin’ Thunder

People put me down, say that I’m a fool
But I got news for them
I ain’t never going back to driving school.

And I ain’t too good with numbers
And I’ve just run out of fuel
Here comes another corner baby
Let me demonstrate my slide rule.

Drivin’ thunder, rollin’ down the highway
Just one way to go, just one way to go.
Just one way to go, hey hey, and that’s my way.

I stopped into the courthouse
I had to pay some bills
Got talking with the judge
About the finer points of my driving skills.

He said Son, you only drive that way
Tryin’ to get your thrills
But bear in mind your driver’s license
Ain’t never been no license to kill.

Drivin’ thunder, rollin’ down the highway
Just one way to go, just one way to go.
Just one way to go, hey hey, and that’s my way.

Driving school,
Slide rule,
Driving skills,
License to kill.

Drivin’ thunder, rollin’ down the highway
Just one way to go, just one way to go.
Just one way to go, hey hey, and that’s my way.

Clear Blue Skies

Clear blue skies, not too much to ask for,
They were here before we came,
Will they be here when we’re gone?

Clean water, not too much to hope for,
It’s the basis of our lives
And without it we are done.

Well we can keep our eyes upon the skies
And see how the time goes by
Or we can find our fears among the tears
That fall when the meadows cry, cry cry.

Well we can keep our eyes upon the skies
And see how the time goes by
Or we can find our fears among the tears
That fall when the meadow cries.

Clear ideas, much too much to think of.
We need all the help we can get
(And I know) we need all the time that we’ve got
(And I know) we need all the love we can give,
It will be here when we’re gone (clear blue skies)
It will be here when we’re gone
It will be here when we’re gone (clear blue skies)
Clear blue skies
Clear blue skies (clear blue skies).
Clear blue skies (clear blue skies).

That Girl

I can’t stop thinking ’bout her
`Cos she’s mighty fine and I would be lying
If I didn’t speak up now,
Say what’s on my mind, almost any old time.

I’m ready to choose that girl
I couldn’t refuse that girl
You’d better not lose that girl
I just might let myself fall in love
That girl is all the woman I’m dreaming of.

So many years you’ve been a true friend of mine,
But I draw the line and I ain’t gonna run no number
But you gotta know if you let her go

I’m ready to choose that girl
I couldn’t refuse that girl
You’d better not lose that girl
I just might let myself fall in love
That girl is all the woman I’m dreaming of.

Can’t you see, we gotta get to know
How far this can go
You and me we gotta get it right
`Cos this ain’t love at first sight

I want you to understand that I can’t help myself.
And I’m gonna be right there with you
Only time will tell if it was only me that fell.

I’m ready to choose that girl
I couldn’t refuse that girl
You’d better not lose that girl
I just might let myself fall in love
That girl is all the woman I’m dreaming of.

(Choose that girl, refuse that girl, lose that girl.)

Compass

I have wasted ten years in a blind-fold,
Ten-fold more than I’ve invested now in sight.
I have traveled beveled mirrors in a fly crawl,
Losing the reflection of a fight.

But like a compass seeking north, (seeking north).
There lives in me a still, sure, spirit part.
Clouds of doubt are cut asunder (clouds of doubt).
By the lightning and the thunder
Shining from the compass of my heart (shining from my heart).

I have flown the frantic flight of the bat-wing
And only known the dark because of that
I have seized death’s door-handle
Like a fish out of the water
Waiting for the mercy of the cat.

Soldiers Of Peace

Soldiers of peace are not fighting a war
Are not looking for enemies behind every door
Are not looking for people to kill or to maim.
Soldiers of peace are just changing the game.

Men who were fighting for all of our lives
Are now fighting for children, for homes and for wives,
Fighting for the memory of all who fell before,
But the soldiers of peace just can’t kill any more.

So come all you warriors who live for the fight,
Come listen to somebody, somebody who might
Have been there before you and they have the right,
They’ve been dying to tell you the score.
The old warriors don’t want you to hurt any more.

Soldiers of peace can still hear the cries
When the people were screaming and losing their lives,
When bodies were broken and spirits were torn
The soldiers of peace do not want you to mourn.

Soldiers of peace are not fighting a war.
No more, no more, no more, no more.

Feel Your Love

High on a balcony, right where we used to be,
This city dancing like a sparkling sea.
I wanna catch a wave, I wanna swim to shore.
Walk on that same beach like I did before.

I really want the sun, want the sun to rise,
I really want to end the night.
I really wanna feel, wanna feel your love.
I wanna feel your love.

I think of our old friends, I count my enemies.
I hear you tell me how I don’t know love.
I wanna feel your love, I wanna lay right down.
Wish I was swimming in the sound of love.

I really want the night, want the night to end.
I really want the sun to rise.
I really wanna feel, wanna feel your love.
I wanna feel your love.

And now the night is still, the mansion on the hill,
The children sleeping in their endless dreams.
I wanna feel your love, I wanna feel your love,
I wanna feel your love, feel your love, feel your love.

I wanna feel your love, I wanna feel your love,
I wanna feel your love, feel your love, feel your love.

Night Song

Tell me where
Does it say
When you’re lost you stay that way
Why a forest of fools getting in the way
Cannot hear, cannot fade with the nightsong.

Nightsong, from my heart
Why can’t we
Sing this nightsong.

All alone
I reflect on my demons in the night
Some are wise,
Some are good
Some are not so bright
I can’t hear
Sing along with the nightsong.

Nightsong, from my heart
Why can’t we
Sing this nightsong.

Why not keep on singing anyway?

Run away
I don’t know what it was
Led you astray
Just because you’re too much like I am anyway
I will come
You can’t hide
From the nightsong.

Nightsong, from my heart
Why can’t we
Sing this nightsong.

Why not keep on singing anyway?

—————————

David Crosby: guitar, vocal
Stephen Stills: guitar, keyboards, synths, bass synth, bass, percussion, hand-claps, vocal
Graham Nash: guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocal
Neil Young: guitar, piano, synth, harmonica, vocal
Joe Vitale: drums, synth, keyboards, vibes, vocal
Bob Glaub: bass
Joe Lala: percussion
Mike Finnigan: organ, keyboards, vocal
Chad Cromwell: drums
The Bluenotes:
Steve Lawrence: tenor saxophone
Larry Cragg: baritone saxophone
Claude Cailliet: trombone
John Fumo: trumpet
Tommy Bray: trumpet
Niko Bolas: hand-claps
Tim Mulligan: hand-claps
Tim Foster: hand-claps
Brently Walton: hand-claps

Recorded at Redwood Digital, Woodside, CA, Feb. 25-July 28, 1988, except
Shadowland recorded at Graham’s home studio, Los Angeles, Apr. 24, 1987

Produced by Niko Bolas and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Assisted by Tim Mulligan