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Collaborator

by Larry Norman

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1.
God Part Three 03:29
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Don't believe in Beatles, I don't believe in rock I don't believe in the cutting edge, that's just journalist talk I don't believe in the cover story or the gospel chart You can easily hit number one with a bullet but totally miss the heart Oh I, yeah I believe in God I don't believe in politics while the masses stay unfed Till the leaders change priorities and supply the poor with bread Don't believe in the revolution or the empty words of peace You can tear all of the governments down, you still won't find release But I, oh I believe in God I believe in God I don't believe the papacy when fallible lies are told If they really want to help the poor they should sell some of their gold And I don't believe the Aryans are the master race If you think that Jesus is white you'd be surprised to see his face But I, oh I believe in God I believe in God Don't believe in Esperanto or the dreams of Babylon If we all spoke the same language, long ago we would'a built the bomb And I don't believe in money, the way lives are bought and sold And when the world is ended bankrupt I'm gonna walk the streets of gold No I don't believe in evolution, I was born to be free Ain't gonna let no anthropologist make a monkey out of me And I don't believe the devil, I ain't gonna be his slave And when I'm finished dying I'm a gonna bust out of my grave Oh I, yeah I Oh I, I and I Oh I, oh I believe in God I believe in God I believe in God I believe in God
2.
I Want It All 04:18
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I wanna weep in the moonlight I wanna sleep in the rain I wanna walk on the line between pleasure and pain I'm gonna follow the vision And lie among Yorick's sweet bones I'm gonna rattle the ground where they sit on the thrones My battle's begun I've got no army at all I'm not gonna run So why waste time learning to crawl I want it all Yeah I want it all With my head in my hands I heard my father call And I want it all Sanity tries to escape me I'm dreaming of handsaws and hawks I think I'll go crazy if I don't get out of this box I'm breathing the pestilent vapors I'm holding the world in a shell I wanna see heaven, I've already lived here in hell I'm walking on wind I'm not gonna fall From here where I stand The world looks decidedly small I want it all Yeah I want it all I can see everything when my back's to the wall And I want it all My head's in the sun I'm a thousand feet tall From here where I stand The world looks decidedly small I want it all Oh yes I want it all With my blood on the sword I heard destiny call I want it all I want it all Oh yeah I want it all With my hands in the sky I heard destiny call I want it all
3.
Father Of All 04:45
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When I'm tired from the journey and the road seems long And I fear that I'm losing my way Let my heart keep turning toward your love so strong Help me walk from the darkness into day Hey hey, I stop and pray Father of love Saviour of love Spirit of love I give my love to thee Father of all Saviour of all Spirit of all I give my all to thee When I'm filled with sorrow, burdened with shame And my soul is stricken with regret Let me walk toward tomorrow singing praises to your name Let me not your true love to forget Oh Lord, but you ain't finished with me yet Father of love Saviour of love Spirit of love I give my love to thee Father of all Saviour of all Spirit of all I give my all to thee Father you give me everything Father you make my spirit sing I get up in the morning and I start my day But first I gotta stop and say When I'm tired from the journey and the road seems long And I fear that I'm losing my way Let my heart keep turning toward your love so strong Help me walk from this darkness into day Ah ha I say lord Father of love Saviour of love Spirit of love I give my love to thee Father of all Saviour of all Spirit of all I give my all to thee Father of love Saviour of love Spirit of love I give my love to thee Father of all Saviour of all Spirit of all I give my all to thee
4.
Turn 04:11
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From my bedroom window I can see someone's torn a huge hole in the sky The sun's violet rays shining down on the place where the chemical rivers run dry There's a rain falling down but it’s blistered the ground outside my back door It flows out to a sea where the fish once swam free near the petroleum shores The world is spinning faster while we're dancing with disaster Will this generation last or will we burn When will we learn We've got to turn, turn Turn before the closing door is locked for good In my rear view mirror I can see where the forest has started to bleed Earth stripped of its skin, raped by men on a whim, fuelled by corporate greed In their haste to make waste they've moved south to a place where they can cut down the trees When the trees are all gone they'll float on like a leaf held aloft by El Nino's warm breeze The world is spinning faster while we're dancing with disaster Will this generation last or will we burn When will we learn We've got to turn, turn Turn before the closing door is locked for good We're burning bridges we cannot rebuild Across all the dump sites we've already filled How can we live on a planet we've killed The world is spinning faster while we're dancing with disaster Will this generation last or will we burn When will we learn We've got to turn Turn [x5] Turn before the closing door is locked for good Turn, turn, turn before the closing door is locked for good Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
5.
Step Into The Madness 04:35
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​Hold it hold it Listen [Spoken] Step into the madness of a million city streets Where dealers sell white powder and children stand and bleed Where local gangs are vicious and cops are so impure That schoolboys carry uzis so they'll feel secure Where fathers rape their daughters and beat up on their sons Until the mother tries to stop him and goes and buys a gun Where the local church is closed except a couple times a week And turns its face from all the homeless in the street Wo oh oh this is America (This is America) Land of the free (This is America) Everyone gets justice (This is America) And liberty If you got the money Bankers and controllers make deals on foreign shores And the CIA ships heroin to finance their secret wars They sell the madmen weapons then send soldiers to their land And in the name of God we battle for all the oil under the sand This is America (This is America) Land of the free (This is America) Everyone gets justice Everyone gets justice (This is America) And liberty If you got the money Step into the madness Guitar [Spoken] Oh step into the madness as a thousand points of light Illuminate the warheads for the final fight Step into the madness, say your prayers and drink your tea Get ready for a kinder, gentler world war three This is America (This is America) Land of the free (This is America) Everyone (This is America) Everyone gets justice And liberty If you got the money This is America (This is America) Land of the free yeah (This is America) Everyone gets justice (This is America) And there is liberty If you've got the money Step into the madness Where are those wacky Peters Brothers when you need them [BACKWARDS MASKED]​
6.
Rock The Flock 03:36
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​I'm gonna open my mouth Say his name Walk tall, walk proud Not live in shame I'm gonna tell everybody where I'm coming from I'm gonna rock the flock till kingdom come There's a world outside And it's falling apart If you love your brother Open up your heart If he needs some help you better give him some You’ve gotta rock the flock till kingdom come Jump and rave Scream and yell Kick it hard so they can hear you near the gates of hell Don't hold back Don't hide your light Shake off your fear and get into the fight When you're out on the street Spread the word around Tell the people you meet To lay their burdens down Sing your song, beat your drum Rock the flock till kingdom come Till kingdom come [x3] Oh yeah Rock the flock [x3] Till kingdom come [x4] Ah yeah Rock the flock [x7] Till kingdom come
7.
In The Garden 03:06
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I love you and you love me Oh how happy we could be In the garden Standing naked in the light Walking slow in the cool of the night In the garden In the garden But we were blind and much too young We listened to the serpent's tongue Love was singing without sound We saw the light but turned around In the garden Separated when darkness fell Our choice unlocked the gates of hell Now the garden's dead and gone And our suffering goes on and on and on We were deceived by a dark device We were so close to paradise In the garden Now we face the burning sun And talk of what we should have done In the garden Before we touched that wretched tree We had the chance to live so free In the garden But we were blind and much too young We listened to the serpent's tongue Deceived by a dark device We've let go of paradise When finally death gives us release Then once again we'll be at peace In the garden In the garden [x4]
8.
A Dangerous Place To Be 06:28
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This is serious business [Spoken] I saw you with your suitcase And your guitar in your hand And your blue suede shoes were pointing Toward the promised land Some men are ruined by failure Some by their success Some men are ruined by the wiles of a Wicked woman in a low cut dress Those heading for destruction are blind and they cannot see And where they're gonna wake up is a dangerous place to be Falling down the scarlet staircase Comes Jubal's last band They can't see the cross 'cause they're too busy listening To the clapping of one hand I'll be waiting in Armageddon When the lawyers come around I'll be praying for the strength of Samson To pull the courtroom down Don't let anybody tell you that your soul is already free 'Cause you'll die and where you'll wake up is a dangerous place to be You will have to choose over and over Or you'll sing the blues over and over Are you gonna lose over and over Or change the way you live Like the chief of sinners among absolute beginners Busy dying the daily death Falling down in loneliness but I rose up in peacefulness And now I'm living from breath to breath Well I am only human Everybody knows my sin They bring it up in conversation Again and again I may have had a broken spirit But I was trying to do my best And the ones who refuse to forgive me should just stone me So I can get some rest You've gotta learn to believe what you cannot see Or where you're gonna wake up is a dangerous place to be Does he have to die over and over Be crucified over and over Will you live the lies over and over Or change the way you live Looking for direction, waiting for a sign Standing still on the road I was on I keep coming to the crossroads and sometimes there's no warning saying This way to Babylon I'm looking for a sign to follow and a road to travel on Until I get a clear direction I'm stranded in Babylon [x2]​
9.
Protect My Child 03:57
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I've got no throne and no connections I've always wanted it to be that way You've got the power and the resurrection I'm getting ready for the judgement day Gentle Jesus, mercy mild Heaven help me to protect my child Protect my child Set him free Give him refuge And liberty Soften the pain Stop the fear We're all prisoners in this world 'Til you come back and let us out of here He's growing up in a world divided I never thought that it would be like this Long ago before the stars collided He had the love above, a goodnight kiss Comets are falling and the night is wild Mercy mercy, protect my child Protect my child And make him strong Give him courage To sing his song Keep him in sight Hold him near We're all prisoners in this world 'Til you come back and take us out of here Divine distraction, holy commotion Sometimes the truth gets in your face ​Instead of drowning in a fiery ocean Get your feet up on a higher place I'm living righteous 'til the dirt gets piled And on my headstone say protect my child Protect my child Give him light Give him strength Oh to do what's right Guide his steps Make his vision clear We're all prisoners in this world 'Til you come back and take us out of here-oh ​Protect my child [x3]
10.
All The Way Home 05:05
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This life is hard and the road is long that leads me t'ward the light Sometimes I trip and stumble in the night My mind becomes so weary I just wanna lay down But I got to keep on going till I reach the higher ground Let this good life Be the life I lead Let my faith grow Like a mustard seed And let your love be All the love I need To carry me all the way home I've had my share of trouble as I've tried to walk this path Sometimes it's been so hard I've had to laugh I've spent so many years in sorrow, much of my life in pain But that's just the way it is, you get the sunshine and the rain Let this good life Be the life I lead Let my faith grow Like a mustard seed And let your love be All the love I need To carry me all the way home Hoping to learn, every wrong turn is a step t'ward the past Going astray, losing my way, but I found it at last Let this good life Be the life I lead Let my faith grow Like a mustard seed And let your love be All the love I need To carry me all the way home And let this good life Be the life I lead Let my faith grow Like a mustard seed And let your love be All the love I need To carry me all the way home To carry me all the way Carry me all the way home All the way home [x4]
11.
Living In The Twentieth Century 05:13
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​Why are you here, what is this place I bid you welcome to the human race On this earthly plain ignorance reigns From sea to shining sea People in pain, poverty thrives Deception touches everybody's lives Why can't they see this is not the way That it ought to be So I keep praying for the starving poor And I keep pointing toward the open door And I keep dreaming of a distant shore Where men are free We're living in the twentieth century Sitting in the lap of luxury Seeing only what you wanna see Living in the twentieth century People are blind, don't comprehend The enemy cannot be called a friend He seeks to devour Deceive and destroy the weak We kill unborn children Then cry save the whales Let the poor criminals out of jail They think evolution of the species Will help man learn to turn the other cheek So I keep praying for the starving poor And I keep pointing toward the open door And I keep dreaming of a distant shore Where men are free We're living in the twentieth century Sitting in the lap of luxury Seeing only what you wanna see Living in the twentieth century So I keep praying for the starving poor And I keep pointing toward the open door And I keep dreaming of a distant shore Where men are free We're living in the twentieth century Sitting in the lap of luxury Seeing only what you wanna see Living in the twentieth century Sitting in the lap of luxury Being everything you wanna be Living in the twentieth century
12.
Feed The Poor 05:46
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​You gotta feed the poor They're dying every day If your momma asks you if you fed the poor What are you gonna say You gotta feed the poor You must obey If your pappa asks you if you fed the poor What are you gonna say There's a little boy lying on the ground Too weak to lift his head up, too sick to make a sound There's a little baby girl with her eyes shut tight Her body burns with fever, there is no food tonight You gotta feed the poor You must obey If the angels ask if you fed the poor What would you say You gotta feed the poor They're dying every day And when Jesus asks you if you fed the poor What are you gonna say They're cutting down the rain forest so they can feed the cows Fast food corporations, they got no time for ploughs The wet lands and the swamp land are being drained away The animals and bird life, they have no place to stay Insidious conglomerates deny that they're involved Offshore phoney shell fronts make it hard to solve With a thousand miles of paper trails winding round and round While you subpoena affidavits another million trees comes down Inner city children go to school without a meal They study this great land of ours, it must seem so unreal In Haiti and in Africa and in your small town too There's children starving everywhere and they are watching you You gotta feed the poor You gotta feed the poor Gotta feed the poor Feed the poor
13.
I Will Survive 05:23
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I've had a life of pain and sorrow but I will still be here tomorrow I will survive, I will survive Illusion shines like diamonds glistening, my father's watching, he is listening I will survive, I will survive When the children are hungry I weep for them I wanna hold them tight When the shadows grow longer and the cold moves in I turn up my collar and walk into the night Come to me my little boy, you have given me life's greatest joy I will survive, I will survive This road before us winds beyond the glade, some fall dancing in the slow parade I will survive, I will survive As the seasons go by in my father's world My eyes grow dim I will trust not in the things I see But bow my heart and lift my hands to him Temptation beckons or befalls me, fear and indecision stalls me I will survive, I will survive If you see me walking slowly Like a man who's blind If you speak and I do not look up Then you must forgive me but I've got heaven on my mind And though my days ahead are numbered, my life is rich I have not slumbered I will survive, I will survive Some hearts are pierced by love long lost, let my heart be pierc-ed by the cross I will survive, I will survive I will survive I'm gonna survive I wanna be free Mmm I wanna be free Friends may come and friends may go But enemies stay for the late show I will survive I will survive Friendships fail and love's elusive Life goes quickly, time's abusive I will survive I will survive
14.
Let The Rain Fall Down 05:03
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​My woman left me, felt like she left me for another man You know it came as some surprise, it wasn't in the plan She never told me nothing was wrong, she didn't give me a clue But one morning there was a knock on the door and I found out we were through I saw my future fading and with the papers in my hand I found myself transported into this desert land My feet are burning, the hour is getting late My journey is much too long and time will not wait So heavenly father Thou who all doth see You let the rain fall on the good and the bad So let the rain fall down on me Oh let the rain fall, let it fall on me Oh let the rain fall down on me Life is complicated, very hard to live I try to turn my cheek to everything my enemies give I got a lot of compassion for the sinners and the slaves I've got a message for those not in their graves He will cover you with water and baptize your pain If you let his power wash you clean and soothe your fevered brain Oh heavenly father Help me thine to be You let the rain fall on the quick and the dead So let the rain fall down on me Let it fall I didn't know you were my father I thought you were the hanging judge And when I came into your courtroom I thought you'd hold a grudge I thought I was a lowly servant I didn't know I was your son And I didn't know you had forgiveness For anything I might have done This world is crumbling, your kingdom is at hand Give me the strength to live and help me to stand There's gonna be a collision, the world is going fast A mortgaged future meets a bankrupt past A change is coming and people slumber in their bed Storm clouds are bringing rain, the moon is turning red Heavenly father Thou who all doth see You let the rain fall on the good and the bad So let the rain fall on me Dearest father Help me thine to be You know the rain falls on the quick and the dead So let the rain fall down on me Let the rain fall down on me Let it fall on me Let it fall on me Let this good life be the life we lead Let our faith grow like a mustard
15.
Down To The Water 03:56
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​Take me down to the water Past the burning tree Put me under the water Set me free I was looking for love On the streets of agony I saw the sky above And the sun was blowing through me I'm coming back with a chance to rise With a chance to rise again The body covered with flies It makes it easier going Knowing that I'm gonna rise I know a love like no other I'm drowning on the shore Sometimes we die for our brother Hand on the heart, reach for the door Reach for the door and rise again Rise again With a chance to rise again Don't believe what they tell you How could they possibly know How their lies will compel you And help you to grow Help you to flow and come back With a chance to rise again Yeah
16.
Perfect World 02:55
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​​Turn off your television There ain't nothing you'll be missing Open up your eyes and look around We're surrounded by corruption A world of self destruction No more lines between what's right and wrong This is right where I belong It's a perfect world It's a perfect world To be or not to be the place for me Is right here, right now Right here, right now ​Right here, right now I bite the hand that feeds me Turn my back on those who need me Right before I kick them when they're down I have learned my lessons clearly From a world that loves me dearly Greed is good and selfishness is fun Look out for number one It's a perfect world It's a perfect world To be or not to be the place for me Is right here, right now Right here Right now It's a perfect world It's a perfect world To be or not to be the place for me Is right here, right now It's a perfect world It's a perfect world And all this hate in me has set me free I'll pass it along
17.
Don't Wanna Be Like You 02:53
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​​You're so creative You should be kissed Congratulations now you've made the critics list You're selling tickets Pretending that it's rough To be an artist, hoping no one calls your bluff Don't wanna be like you Don't wanna be like you Who's your designer You look absurd ​Sing like a dilettante, don't understand a word So controversial I've heard your songs You spout philosophy but don't know left from wrong Don't wanna be like you (Don't wanna be like you) Don't wanna be like you (Don't wanna be like, don't wanna be like you) Don't wanna be like you (Don't wanna be like you) Don't wanna be like you (Don't wanna be like, don't wanna be like you) Trapped in the spotlight It tears you apart Poor little rich kid You're breaking my heart You're so enlightened But you don't care From every magazine your dead eyes blankly stare The student journalists All glorify your name You think you're hot, no you're not, you're chasing after fame ​Don't wanna be like you (Don't wanna be like you) Don't wanna be like you (Don't wanna be like, don't wanna be like you)
18.
Jesus Is God 03:15
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You put the sword into his side And left him hanging crucified Defeated by the power of sin You laughed out loud and walked away Convinced the world was yours that day Not knowing he would rise again You tried your best to kill His spirit with your will It didn't work the way you thought Jesus is God Jesus is God You come against us with a sword But we're the children of the Lord You'll lose the war before it's fought You tried to steal the crown You tried to pull us down But with his blood we've all been bought Jesus is God Jesus is God No repentance No forgiveness No escape to get you through No salvation Nothing you can do Nothing you can do [x2] Pride went before the fall You planned to rule us all What happened to your brilliant plot Jesus is God Jesus is God Jesus is God Nothing you can do Jesus is God Nothing you can do ​Jesus is God

about

This CD was described thus when it was released in late 2002: The fourth volume of Essential is from Larry's planned future release "SCALPEL" (and his now-to-be unfinished) CD. The "stand-out" tracks are three Softcore collaborations written by Softcore guitarist Charles Norman and lead singer Blix with variable lyrics by Larry. "Jesus Is God," "Don't Want To Be Like You" and "Perfect World." Bass guitar by Silver, background vocals by Blix. You may have seen them with Larry before. They performed together at Cornerstone 2001 and also collaborated on Tourniquet.

With two other unusual songs which haven't been on a Larry Norman album before, these five central studio recordings plus other collaborative efforts create an overall picture of the kind of work which Larry has recorded with Charles. This is the closest thing to a new Larry Norman album there might ever be.

[Additional Notes, 2022]:

Charles Norman is of course Larry's brother, and (Kristin) Blix is Charles' wife. Together with Silver Sorensen they formed the nucleus of the band Softcore, who later changed their name to Guards Of Metropolis.

The final three songs on Collaborator are Softcore demos, with Larry replacing Blix's vocals (and altering some of the lyrics). Jesus Is God's original title is I Am A God.

I Want It All and Down To The Water are songs that Charles wrote and recorded for / with the band The Merchants Of Venus, which he formed with Aslak Nygren of the Norwegian band Sister Rain and whose only album was titled Wish Across The Land. In the meantime, a US band was formed also using the name Merchants Of Venus, so a US reworking of Wish Across The Land released through Larry's Solid Rock label was instead under the title Hi-Fi Demonstration Record and band name Wondergroove.

Hi-Fi Demonstration Record contained two bonus tracks, featuring Larry singing the two tracks in question.

credits

released December 1, 2002

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Larry Norman Los Angeles, California

American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. Norman had a major influence on artists as diverse as The Pixies, Guns n' Roses, and U2. After his death in 2008 his most well-known album, 1972's Only Visiting This Planet, was selected for inclusion in The United States Library of Congress for its cultural significance and impact on American culture. ... more

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