The Corner of My Eye, by Dan Hazlett

The Corner of My Eye

by Dan Hazlett

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Front and Back Album Covers and Liner Notes Included.

This album features 12 tracks with Dan performing the Lead Vocals, Acoustic, and Electric Guitars, as well as Trumpet and Harmonica. The cover art is a Dan Hazlett original using pen and ink. Various musicians accompany Hazlett throughout this album, including Scott Williams, Alan Finkbeiner, Rod Capps, Dave Sturt, Dan Colton, Vid Weathermax, Sameer Barua, Drew Howard, Grey Larsen, Jeremy Kittel, Annie Capps, Tricia Alexander, Rick Shelley, Beverly Meyer, Maggie Ferguson, and Sgrid Christiansen.

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1.	Alchemy of Fish 05:21	lyrics	buy track
ALCHEMY OF FISH The rain falls on the garden herbs and out over the sea. It anoints the lonely willow, and the heads of you and me. The fish breathes in the ocean’s brine and struggles for his life, as I pull him from my net, and I clean him with my knife. All things must change, all things become the fire and the rain. All things must change, what rises on the wind will still remain. All things must change. The tree drinks up the sunlight and the musty forest earth. It falls beneath the cutter’s axe and burns for all it’s worth. And it heats my little cabin as the/ smoke pours up my flue, to bring a world of flavors to this meal I cook for you. All things must change, all things become the fire and the rain. All things must change, what rises on the wind will still remain. All things must change. The scents all flow together on the warmside of my door. The sum of the ingredients becoming something more. I grind the herbs to powder and I bring them to the flesh. We will break this bread together and then by all things be blessed. Now I swim upstream to find you, for the sea is in my tears. And the smoke fills up my memories like your whisper fills my ears. All things must change, all things become the fire and the rain. All things must change, what rises on the wind will still remain. All things must change.
2.	What the Heart Knows 05:36	lyrics	buy track
WHAT THE HEART KNOWS In the fall issue, a November date, advice column tells me I should wait, don't go chasing after dreams so wild. Guess they found my letter. In the dark moments of a night so deep, shaken awake from a restless sleep, hear my father yelling, don't you act like a child, but my heart knows better. Oh the heart knows when you've lost your way, and the heart hears what the tongue won't say. When your wheels skid over blinding snows, hold on to what the heart knows. I'm listening 'cause the heart knows. At the first meeting over coffee drinks, I'm just counting on my first instincts. Every friend I have who I think of as wise would whisper "You just met her." When she takes my hand with a look that lingers, my independence slipping through her fingers, I'm not falling for that gleam in her eyes, but my heart knows better. Every where you wander, when the ride gets rough, every chance you squander, when the times get tough, every dream you ponder, you'll find strength enough. Every darkened road, every heavy load makes the heart grow fonder. Oh the heart knows when you've lost your way, and the heart hears what the tongue won't say. When your wheels skid over blinding snows, hold on to what the heart knows. I'm listening 'cause the heart knows. What the heart knows When the road gets rough What the heart knows When the times get tough What the heart knows You'll find out you are strong enough Hold on to what the heart knows. What the heart knows When you've lost your way What the heart knows On the darkest day What the heart knows You will find the perfect words to pray Hold on to what the heart knows. Hold on to what the heart knows. I'm listening 'cause the heart knows.
3.	Empty Room 05:19	lyrics	buy track
EMPTY ROOM Car stalled on the shoulder, streetlights were all out, part of town you should not go unless you were a cop, emergencies were flashing, hood was lifted up, Bill was changing lanes when he decided he should stop. Young woman and an ugly cat were scared behind the wheel, Bill couldn't get her running, he asked “where do you want this towed?” She said, “my best friend got my husband, the bank it got my home, I loaded everything I own in here, I just hit the road.” Funny how a place seems crowded when you're all alone, someone opens up a door, you find an empty room. He'd been staying in this house but he'd forgotten how to live. A man with nothing left to lose found something left to give. It's never been a good idea, this taking in of strays, you get someone else's problems, someone in your favorite chair. Cats and curiosity go poking through your stuff, they might open up your boxes, they might clog your drain with hair. Got to change your habits, got to change your shirt, feel like you ought to listen to the stories they might tell. Bill was old and stubborn, never been much one for change, but she was hanging on for dear life, a feeling he knew well. Funny how a place seems crowded when you're all alone, someone opens up a door, you find an empty room. He'd been staying in this house but he'd forgotten how to live. A man with nothing left to lose found something left to give. Come on in, come on in, come on in, come on in. The day she left, his ex-wife said, Bill wasn't worth a damn. She took their baby daughter, he stood and watched her pack. After twenty years of loneliness his heart still felt like stone, now this young girl and her stupid cat were bringing it all back. Then she said, “hey, I know this place, I've seen it all my life. My Mama used to drive by here when she was still alive. She'd park us on the corner, stare over at your house, then she'd sit right there and cry and she never told me why.”
4.	The Corner of My Eye 04:26	lyrics	buy track
THE CORNER OF MY EYE You are in the corner of my eye, I speak anticipating a reply, The shiver down my spine, the stain of fumbled wine, a hurried message scribbled in your hand, I know the words but do not understand. You are in the corner of my eye. In my room you linger like a scent, mixed up with childish reasons I invent. The house's random noise, a suggestion of your voice, a creak just like your footstep on the stair, a bit of history stirring up the air. In my room you linger like a scent. I check the porch and attic to make sure you're gone. Friends and neighbors think it's time I'm moving on. I lock the doors and windows, I look up and down the block, but like the busy wind I cannot keep you out. You are in my shadow of a doubt, my coat pockets turning inside out. The long and empty days, my coining of a phrase, the shape of someone turned away from me, a memory where it's not supposed to be. You are in my shadow of a doubt. Though I recall saluting you goodbye, you are in the corner of my eye.
5.	Alien 05:09	lyrics	buy track
ALIEN The aliens have landed, we've gathered in the park. We're all due home for supper before the sky turns dark. None of us have eyebrows, there's no hair upon our heads. But we'll all be kissed asleep tonight in our warm and cozy beds. Just last week the taunts began, they won't be over yet. Sticks and stones, your parents say, how soon adults forget. Someone called you alien, the name just seemed to stick. But no one sees how you never cry every time the needles prick. Come down to the dugout with the guys from our ball team. Bobby brought a razor, Jimmy brought the shaving cream. We do this for ourselves just like we're doing it for you. We all walk in your shoes, we can't win if you lose, all of us are aliens too. Teachers say remission, kids don't know that word. They just think your hairless head looks like a goony bird. Come down to the dugout with the guys from our ball team. Bobby brought a razor, Jimmy brought the shaving cream. We do this for ourselves just like we're doing it for you. We all walk in your shoes, we can't win if you lose, all of us are aliens too.
6.	Nobody’s Fool 03:52	lyrics	buy track
NOBODY'S FOOL I bet 'cause a little bird told me, my thoroughbred always runs first. I'm guilty of insider trading, I made out when the big bubble burst. It's just like me to have a good time, just like me, on some other guy's dime. Anyone can see I'm just nobody's fool. It's just like me, playing it smart, just like me, guy with no heart. Anyone can see I'm just nobody's fool. I only go out with a sure thing, act like I'll fall but I won't, say that my heart is on fire, tell her I'll call but I don't. It's just like me, little black book, just like me, it don't hurt to look, anyone can see I'm just nobody's fool. It's just like me, playing it smart, just like me, guy with no heart. Anyone can see I'm just nobody's fool. She blew in like the first day of summer. I can't explain how this feels. Fortune teller could not have predicted that my head would fall over my heels. 'Cause it's just like her to shine like the sun, just like her, kind to everyone. Just like her to make me act like a fool. Wrapped up like two surprises, best man notarizes, imagine a cynic like me throwing coins in a well, goes to show you never can tell. Now it's just like me to wear a big smile, just like me to walk down this aisle. Anyone can see me grin like a fool. It's just like me counting on you, just like me believing it's true. Anyone can see I'm nobody's fool.
7.	Built To Last 04:24	lyrics	buy track
BUILT TO LAST Wooden soldiers, model jets, rabbit ears on TV sets, some remarks, some old regrets, times we acted kind. Every smile we gave away, angry words we did not say, could have gones, but chose to stays, things we leave behind, things we leave behind. Shadows stretched across the lawn, the blur as fishing line is cast, some things fade like dew past dawn, some things are built to last. Built to last, built to last, Little pieces of the past, above our heads the stars so vast, some things are built to last. Place Hank Aaron signed a ball, the sweetest dream you can't recall, passing kiss shared in the hall, pieces of our minds. Classic cars on Sunday drives, the hour before the mail arrives, when new love's a complete surprise, things we leave behind, things we leave behind. Shadows stretched across the lawn, the blur as fishing line is cast, some things fade like dew past dawn, some things are built to last. Built to last, built to last, little pieces of the past, you and I and love so vast, some things are built, some things are built, good things are built to last.
8.	Postcard From Paris 05:18	lyrics	buy track
POSTCARD FROM PARIS Sur le pont d’Avignon L'on y danse, l'on y danse Sur le pont d’Avignon L'on y danse tous en rond Got a postcard from Paris with a glorious view, signature's smudged but I think it's from you. You were thinking of me on the day it was sent, I believe you wrote "love" where the corner got bent. There's L'Arc de Triomphe where the tourists all stand, that one could be you with your camera in hand. And maybe you went to Le Tour D'Eiffel, when you picked out this card you were wishing me well. When it's springtime in Paris, we agreed we would go, now it's April in Michigan, we're still getting snow. But the flowers all bloom down the Champs-Elysees. for the very first time since you traveled away. Applied for my passport, I'll sublet my flat, Mrs. Gray down the hall will look after the cat. I'll be winging my way 'cross the wild, stormy sea, in my pocket this postcard that you sent to me. Don't care what they said, I don't think it was you in that thirteen car pile-up on route 52. You're sipping Bordeaux at some sidewalk café, you expect any moment I'll stroll up and say, When it's springtime in Paris, we agreed we would go, now it's April in Michigan, we're still getting snow. But the flowers all bloom down the Champs-Elysees. for the very first time since you traveled away. Got a postcard from Paris, postcard from Paris, got a postcard from Paris, sur la pont, D'Avignon.
9.	Secret Tattoo 05:51	lyrics	buy track
SECRET TATTOO Can you draw me a picture of a heart, darker than the backroads where young lovers go to park, where evening breeze blows warmly like a promise of July, fireflies adorn the lawn, a thousand hopeful sparks? Help me to recall when we could not be kept apart. Can you draw me a picture of a heart? Can you sketch me the blossom of a rose, that opened when we first believed this passion would not fade, before I picked those wild flowers found on every hill? They all grow in sun, roses love the shade. How could I have known you'd be the only one of those? Can you sketch me the blossom of a rose? It's the past that forms the lines and shapes, our dreams fill them in, all the roads we've traveled, drawn deeper than the skin. The way the light falls from your face when you turn back to me, paints a secret tattoo that only you can see. Can you render an old and splintered cross? It should be hard and heavy like the one I made you bear. Put it on the part of me I show to you alone, where thunder speaks in tongues and lightning splits the air. I will carry one for every precious minute that we've lost. Can you render an old and splintered cross? It's the past that forms the lines and shapes, our dreams fill them in, all the roads we've traveled, drawn deeper than the skin. The way the light falls from your face when you turn back to me, paints a secret tattoo that only you can see. Can you draw me a picture of a heart?
10.	Basic Hard To Tell 05:25	lyrics	buy track
BASIC HARD TO TELL Winter's closing in on us, I hear it when you call. You're taking careful steps like when the snow begins to fall. You tend to change the subject, like there's nothing wrong at all. Guess I'm supposed to know, but that's your basic hard to tell. You tell me you want someone who will mean just what they say. 'Cause you need more than gestures at the end of every day. I may not say it right out loud, I'm just not built that way. Don't want to see you go, but that's your basic hard to tell. Hard to tell what someone means. Hard to guess the in-betweens. Hard to hear an angel sing. Hard to tell the truest thing. Remember all those kisses underneath my lucky star. You say the sky looks cloudy now, it's hard to see that far. I love you like the summer breeze that blows my door ajar. keep hoping it will show, but that's your basic hard to tell. Hard to tell what's best or worst. Hard to recall chapter and verse. Hard to say which word is real. Hard to trust the way you feel. Hard to hang on, hard letting go. Hard to be sure of things you know. Hard to hear an angel sing. Hard to tell the truest thing.
11.	The Other Side of Dawn 04:52	lyrics	buy track
THE OTHER SIDE OF DAWN I’ll throw stones at your pane, see if you’re there, poke holes in your can so you can have air, put my ear to your bone, see if you beat, put a map in your hand to the land where we meet. All alone down the broad highway, to a place that we call far away, where fears are not allowed to go and now’s the only time we know. Baby slow down, don’t go so fast, this is our last night, let’s make it last. Day comes soon and you’ll be gone, out past the other side of dawn. I’ll beat a path to your door, see if you’re home, whisper your name, so you will come, press your lips to my own, breathe you alive, put the keys in your hand and watch you drive. All alone down the broad highway, to a place that we call far away, where fears are not allowed to go and now’s the only time we know. Baby slow down, the years skid by, dreams can crash and tears don’t lie. Signs fly by and then they’re gone, out past the other side of dawn. It’s the back side of winter, the pavement looks like glass. Tires spinning like a top, we watch the lights go past. Baby slow down, don’t go so fast, this is our last night, let’s make it last. Day comes soon and you’ll be gone, out past the other side of dawn.
12.	Where the Blue Meets the Blue 04:35	lyrics	buy track
WHERE THE BLUE MEETS THE BLUE Where the blue meets the blue, where the grass meets the dew, there is an instant when bells all ring true. Where the road meets the shoe, where the eye meets the view, there is a moment when distance calls to you. Take care of the ones who are wading in the river. Take care of the ones who are drifting far from shore. Watch over the hearts that are gripped by icy fingers, be their blanket in the winter, when the wind rules all the land. Where the path meets the stream, where the wish meets the dream, there is a memory of being here before. Where the sky meets the wing, where the song meets the string, there’s a remembrance, like standing on the shore. Take care of the ones who are wading in the river. Take care of the ones who are drifting far from shore. Watch over the hearts that are beset by heavy weather, be their blanket in the winter, when the wind rules all the land.

about

Acknowledgements:

For tiny singers hidden in the dark, the joyous laughter of children at play, autumn wind speaking through the leaves and the song of Lake Michigan waves crashing upon her majestic shore I am humbly grateful. For the long list of amazingly talented musicians and singers who were so generous as to lend their vast abilities to this project I offer my deepest thanks. To Annie Capps and Charlie Auringer, your great artistic vision and subtle eye helped to create the visual background upon which this work is set. To (yet to be named) I am entirely thankful for your wise and experienced ears in helping to bring the final polish to this project. To my extended family of songwriting and musical friends and partners I can never express enough gratitude to make up for the unending support and encouragement you never fail to offer and great thanks is owed to John Lamb for creating the fertile ground from which that community has been able to spring. Thank you to my first and best music teacher George Fetter who, against great odds, found a way to draw music out of my rebellious spirit. Most of all, to my wife Margaret and my daughter Grace, no words or gestures can begin to show how much your constant love and encouragement have meant or how completely I am humbled in the presence of your devotion. Without that, this project would be a mere gleam in the eye. Lastly thanks to the Creator who makes all things possible.

Dedication:

This project is dedicated to the ones who have gone on ahead, to those who follow after and those who I glimpse now and then, here and there in the corner of my eye ...

credits

released October 27, 2012

Dan Hazlett: Lead Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Trumpet, Harmonica
Scott Williams: Drums
Alan Finkbeiner: Djembe
Rod Capps: Bass Guitar on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10
Dave Sturt: Bass Guitar on 4 and 11
Dan Colton: Bass Guitar on 12
Vid Weatherwax: Piano on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 11
Sameer Barua: Piano on 12
Drew Howard: Pedal Steel on 4 and 7
Grey Larsen: Concertina and Wooden Flute on 8
Jeremy Kittel: Violin on 12
Annie Capps: Harmony Vocals on 5, 7 and 9
Tricia Alexander: Duet Vocal on 10
Rick Shelley: Choral Background and Gospel Vocals 1, 2, 3, and 11
Beverly Meyer: Choral Background Vocals 1, 2, 3, and 11
Maggie Ferguson: Choral Background Vocals 1, 2, 3, and 11
Sigrid Christiansen: Choral Background Vocals 2

Produced, Recorded, and Mixed by Dan Hazlett at Home Street Studios, Waterford, MI
Mastered by Glenn Brown at GB Productions
Art direction and design by Annie Capps
Pen and ink drawings by Dan Hazlett
Photograph by Charlie Auringer
All Songs Written by Dan Hazlett – Home Street Music – ASCAP

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about

Dan Hazlett Detroit, Michigan

Dan Hazlett (pronounced HAZE-let) is an accomplished, polished performer who entertains and uplifts his audiences with a blend of his smooth, soulful voice, his finely honed acoustic guitar work, and his arsenal of well-crafted and thoughtfully presented songs. Weaving in and out of folk, jazz and a Will Rogers style of down-home humor, Dan captivates his listeners. ... more